RTHK: Ukraine 'takes back' part of key Luhansk city

Ukraine said it clawed back a chunk of the industrial centre of Sievierodonetsk in combat that appeared on Saturday to be stymieing a Russian drive to capture the ruined city, the focus of Moscows offensive to take the eastern Donbas region.

Sergiy Gaidai, governor of Luhansk province, told national television that Ukrainian troops had retaken 20 percent of the territory they had lost in Sievierodonetsk.

It was not realistic the city would fall in the next two weeks even though Russian reinforcements were being deployed, he said on Friday.

As soon as we have enough Western long-range weapons, we will push their artillery away from our positions. And then, believe me, the Russian infantry, they will just run," said Gaidai. International media could not immediately verify his claim of Ukrainian advances.

The war that Western governments believed Russian planned to win within a few hours of its February attack entered its 100th day on Friday. Thousands have died, millions have been uprooted from their homes and the global economy disrupted since Moscows forces were driven back from Kyiv in the first months of the conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin denied on Friday that Moscow was preventing Ukrainian ports from exporting grains, blaming rising global food prices on the West.

"We are now seeing attempts to shift the responsibility for what is happening on the world food market, the emerging problems in this market onto Russia," he said on national television.

He said the best solution would be for Western sanctions on Russia's ally Belarus to be lifted and for Ukraine to export grain through that country.

Ukrainian officials are counting on advanced missile systems that the United States and Britain recently pledged to swing the war in their favour, and Ukrainian troops have already begun training on them.

While Ukraine's resistance has forced Putin to narrow his immediate goal to conquering the entire Donbas region, Ukrainian officials said he remains intent on subduing the whole country. "Putin's main goal is the destruction of Ukraine. He is not backing down from his goals, despite the fact that Ukraine won the first stage of this full-scale war, Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar told national television on Friday.

Moscow has poured troops and materiel into the battle for Sievierodonetsk, which Russia must overrun to take all of Luhansk, one of two provinces that comprise the eastern Donbas region that the Kremlin has stated it intends to capture.

Reuters reached Sievierodonetsk on Thursday and was able to verify that Ukrainians still held part of the city. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2022-06-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
China's ties with PNG conducive to regional peace, development: Chinese FM

Xinhua) 08:44, June 04, 2022

Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) holds talks with Soroi Eoe, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Papua New Guinea, in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, June 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)

PORT MORESBY, June 3 (Xinhua) -- The sound relations between China and Papua New Guinea (PNG) will boost regional peace and development, visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Friday.

Wang, who held talks here with Soroi Eoe, minister of foreign affairs and international trade of PNG, said such relations will not only bring enormous benefits to the two countries and peoples, but also conduce to upgrading China's overall ties with Pacific island countries that have diplomatic relations with it, so as to safeguard unity among developing countries and advance regional peace and development.

PNG is China's key strategic cooperation partner in the South Pacific region, and China is willing to work with the PNG side to extend their cooperation to more areas, enhance strategic planning, boost strategic mutual trust, and build China-PNG relations into a "locomotive" that helps advance China's ties with Pacific island countries, Wang said.

Wang noted that China appreciates PGN for firmly upholding the one-China principle and supporting China's legitimate proposals, and China also gives steadfast support for PNG in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and seeking a path of self-development for national prosperity.

He pointed out that PNG is China's biggest trade partner, investment destination and market of contracted projects in the South Pacific region, and the results of bilateral cooperation can be seen everywhere in the country, which has produced tangible benefits for the PNG people.

China stands ready to further upgrade the bilateral cooperation to achieve a scale effect that will generate more dividends, and share with PNG its own development experience and technology, so as to create more landmark cooperation projects, said Wang.

Eoe said the visit by the Chinese delegation not only helps boost cooperation between China and Pacific island countries, but also supports the Pacific island nations' efforts in accelerating their development and safeguarding their common interests.

Eoe said Papua New Guinea will continue to adhere to the one-China principle, which is the foundation of bilateral relations, and unswervingly support China's just position on its internal affairs including Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang issues. PNG is willing to enhance pragmatic cooperation with China in various fields, Eoe said.

During the meeting, the two sides agreed to enhance synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Connect PNG infrastructure development strategy, complete a feasibility study on a free trade agreement between the two countries at an early date, and expand cooperation in areas including energy, fisheries, communication and healthcare.

The two countries also planned to explore cooperation potential in law enforcement and at local level, and strengthen cooperation in agriculture, forestry and fisheries processing industries, so as to help Papua New Guinea accelerate the industrialization process and improve its capability of self-development.

Following the meeting, Eoe and Wang attended a signing ceremony of cooperation documents on anti-pandemic, disaster prevention and mitigation, and green development, among others.

They also attended an inauguration ceremony of a new surgical center at Port Moresby built with China's assistance, and jointly met the press.

Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (4th R) holds talks with Soroi Eoe (3rd L), Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Papua New Guinea, in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, June 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
CANBERRA, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed he will travel to Indonesia on Sunday in a bid to boost relationship between the two nations.

Albanese, whose Labor Party won power in the general election on May 21, will on Sunday travel to Indonesia with Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Trade Minister Don Farrell and Industry Minister Ed Husic for the Annual Leaders' Meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

The three-day trip will focus mostly on economic relationship between the two countries, which stalled during the coronavirus pandemic after the landmark Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) was ratified early in 2020.

In the lead-up to the election, Albanese promised a Labor government would make the relationship with Indonesia a foreign policy priority.

"Indonesia is one of our closest neighbors, which is why I committed to visiting as soon as possible," he said in a statement on Friday.

"During my visit, I look forward to building our ties further, including to revitalize our trade relationship and promote climate, infrastructure and energy cooperation."

The IA-CEPA eliminates or cuts tariffs on 99 percent of Australian exports to Indonesia and made it easier for young Indonesians to work and study in Australia.

However, the strict COVID-19 border restrictions that were introduced shortly after the trade deal was ratified significantly reduced its impact.

Albanese will also meet with Dato Lim Jock Hoi, secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). 
(left to right) Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Princess Royal, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Prince of Wales, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Louis, Prince George, the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, the Duke of Cambridge and the Countess of Wessex on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, to view the Platinum Jubilee flypast, as the Queen celebrates her official birthday

The Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge are to take to the stage to pay public tributes to the Queen during the star-studded Jubilee concert.

The father and son  both future kings  will speak separately in honour of the monarch towards the end of the BBCs open-air show, staged in the front of Buckingham Palace on Saturday evening.

Diana Ross, Queen + Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Hans Zimmer, George Ezra, and Eurovision 2022 runner-up Sam Ryder are among the celebrity acts preparing to entertain a live crowd of 22,000 people and a television audience of millions.

Artist impression of the stage outside Buckingham Palace for the Platinum Party at the Palace (BBC/PA)

Clarence House and Kensington Palace announced both Charles and William would address the crowds at the high profile Platinum Party at the Palace, which falls on the third evening of the four-day Jubilee festivities.

It is thought unlikely the Queen will attend the concert but confirmation of any movements will be released on the day.

She will not attend Saturdays Epsom Derby Day, but the avid racegoer will be glued to the TV, watching the developments from Windsor.

The Queen on the first day of the Jubilee weekend (Alastair Grant/PA)

Jubilee celebrations at the course will still go ahead as planned, with the Princess Royal expected to represent her mother.

The track intends to honour the monarch with 40 jockeys who have ridden for the owner-breeder donning the royal silks to form a guard of honour, while a number of her former racehorses will parade.

The Queen, 96, who has been facing ongoing mobility problems, pulled out of attending the service of thanksgiving at St Pauls Cathedral on Friday after experiencing discomfort following two balcony appearances and a beacon lighting on Thursday.

Nearly 50 members of the royal family including the Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined in honour of the absent head of state for the religious occasion.

The Duchess of Cambridge said later the Queen had enjoyed Thursdays celebrations but the day had been very tiring.

Saturday is the first birthday of Harry and Meghans daughter Lilibet, who travelled with the Sussexes and older brother Archie for her first visit to the UK.

The Party at the Palace will be set on three stages in front of the Queens London residence.

Soul legend Ross will close the two-and-a-half hour show with her first UK live performance in 15 years.

Star including Sir David Attenborough, Emma Raducanu, David Beckham and Stephen Fry will also feature, as well as a specially recorded performance from Sir Elton John.

The evening will highlight global themes that have emerged or evolved during the the Queens reign including British and Commonwealth contributions in the fields of fashion, sport, the environment and pop music.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex have visited Northern Ireland to celebrate the Queens Platinum Jubilee.

The Earl and Countess first visited Belfast, where the Royal couple joined members of the public at a 1950s-themed celebration on Royal Avenue in the city.

The event is to mark the third day of festivities to mark 70 years since the Queens reign began.

Jubilee celebrations continued across Northern Ireland on Saturday, as large crowds gathered throughout the province to mark the occasion.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex speak to wellwishers in Bangor (Clodagh Kilcoyne/PA)

In Belfast, the earl and countess met groups of performers, including the Belfast Busking Band, and heard stories of the citys diverse communities over the last 70 years, which is explored through fashion, photography, music and dance.

The earl also met older members of the local community, brought together by Age Friendly Belfast to share their memories and experiences.

Meanwhile, the countess joined in with special platinum jubilee craft activities, making crowns and corgis with school children, before viewing a showcase of fashion through the ages.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex cook omelettes with French chef Jean-Christophe Novelli during their visit to Bangor, Northern Ireland, as members of the Royal Family visit the nations of the UK to celebrate Queen Elizabeth IIs Platinum Jubilee. Picture date: Saturday June 4,, 2022.

The couple also tried a local delicacy, the Belfast Bap, and visited stalls at the retro jubilee market.

They also watched a community dance group perform a routine that celebrates the last seven decades.

The royal couple then headed off to their second engagement of the day and travelled to Bangor, Co Down.

On the beachfront of Bangor, which has newly been awarded city status, the Earl and Countess of Wessex joined members of the public to celebrate the Queens platinum jubilee at a vintage, seaside funfair.

Having viewed vehicles from the last 70 years, The Earl visited a 1950s pop-up diner, where he had was able to try his hand at pulling a pint of Guinness.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex attend a Platinum Jubilee celebration in Belfast, as members of the Royal Family visit the nations of the UK to celebrate Queen Elizabeth IIs Platinum Jubilee. Picture date: Saturday June 4,, 2022.

After successfully pulling a pint the famous Irish stout, he served it to a local customer.

Meanwhile, the Countess was put through her paces at a 50s and 60s dance demonstration.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex also met the winner of a local Platinum Jubilee Pudding Competition.

Their Royal Highnesses also meet Royal Navy sailors and RNLI crew.

To end their visit, the Royal couple went head-to-head in a cooking contest, chaired by professional chef Jean-Christophe Novelli.

The pair cooked up some scrambled eggs, with Mr Novelli declaring them joint-winners.

Meanwhile, a number street parties were held in Belfast to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee, including one in the Shankill Road.

Hundreds of locals thronged the closed-off street to watch a re-enactment of the Queen with her son, Prince Charles, as they passed through the area on a horse-drawn carriage.

Locals dressed up as members of the royal family and took part in a parade, while others were bedecked in the Union flag.

Gary Lenaghan beside the new Queen Elizabeth II mural on the Shankill Road (Peter Morrison/PA)

Community worker Gary Lenaghan said it was important to celebrated the Queen.

We as a community have been through a lot. We have had four decades of the Troubles and two years of Covid so this is a community coming together, he said.

Its a community that has always stood by each other and we are proud of its rich history and military history.

Its also recognition of family and what it means to us.

We had the Jubilee parade, we had the unveiling of the Queens mural and had different bands, and Scottish dancers.

It is important that everyone took part in these celebrations.

Shankill native Julie, who did not want her surname published, said: The Shankill has always been British and I believe we should celebrate our wee Queen who has reigned for 70 years.

It is important for us, especially the way the protocol is, to strip away our Britishness, it is important to celebrate today.

We love that the community can get back out today to show that we are still British and we always will be.

I am part of the Womens Act Group who have been getting get people on to the streets, got the mural open and have a festival, to let the Queen know she is not forgotten about.
Ann Turner Cook, whose angelic appearance made her the face of Gerber baby food for more than 90 years, has died at the age of 95.

Gerber is deeply saddened by the passing of Ann Turner Cook, the original Gerber baby, whose face was sketched to become the iconic Gerber logo more than 90 years ago, the company wrote on Instagram Friday.

Many years before becoming an extraordinary mother, teacher and writer, her smile and expressive curiosity captured hearts everywhere and will continue to live on as a symbol for all babies, it continued.

Ann Taylor Cook in her Tampa, Fla., home on Feb. 4, 2004, holding a copy of her photo that is used on all Gerber baby food products.

Ann Taylor Cook in her Tampa, Fla., home on Feb. 4, 2004, holding a copy of her photo that is used on all Gerber baby food products. (CHRIS O'MEARA/)

Gerber was founded in 1927, and a year later, the company was looking to put the perfect image to its product, and invited artists to send submissions

Artist Dorothy Hope Smith, a neighbor of the Turner family, submitted a simple charcoal sketch of Ann, which she said she would complete if she won.

Her drawing competed with elaborate oil paintings, Gerber says on its website, but the judges fell in love with the baby face Smith drew, and when they chose it as the winner, they insisted that the simple illustration remain a sketch.

The image became Gerbers official trademark in 1931, appearing on packaging and advertising to this day.

Cook became an educator at schools in Florida, teaching English, literature and creative writing. Students at Hillsborough High School in Tampa, Fla. dedicated their yearbook to her in 1978.

After retiring from teaching, Cook wrote a series of mystery novels featuring the character Brandy OBannon, a reporter who solves crimes.

Ann Turner Cook, whose baby face launched the iconic Gerber logo, at NBC's

Ann Turner Cook, whose baby face launched the iconic Gerber logo, at NBC's "Today" Show to announce the winner of the 2012 Gerber Generation Photo Search in Manhattan on Nov. 6, 2012. (Amy Sussman/)

Since 2011, Gerber has had a contest each year for a new Gerber Baby, but the original drawing of Cook continues to grace the brands products and website.

Mrs. Cooks sparkling eyes and adorable, curious baby face still personify the Gerber brand, the companys website says.

In a 1998 interview with the Associated Press, Cook downplayed her own cuteness.

All babies are appealing, she said. The reason that drawing has been so popular is the artist captured the appeal that all babies have.
It's not all business as usual for shore towns this summer.

Amid sky-high inflation and a labor market that's deterred low-wage workers from returning to jobs, small businesses at seasonal communities are still struggling to stay afloat.

Cousins Maine Lobster, a "Shark Tank" success story that currently has 40 owned and franchise trucks nationwide with 9 dine-in restaurants, just opened a new location in Asbury Park, New Jersey  a seasonal town that's betting big on the return of the shore.

Investor Barbara Corcoran (who is also a New Jersey native) told Yahoo Finance that communities like Asbury Park are a "walking symbol of what success looks like in tough times."

"When you go to a community like Asbury Park, they've had many stores close. A lot of people can lose faith and think that this is going to be the future," she said, alluding to the various economic challenges businesses face today from inflationary pressures to the tight labor market seen at restaurants, bars and other eateries.

According to official government data, although food service jobs have somewhat bounced back since the start of the pandemic, employment in the sector remains 6.4% below February 2020 levels as customer demand surges.

However, Corcoran said that Cousins' new brick-and-mortar location can serve as inspiration for other small businesses "to make something happen," and revive the local community in the process.

"It's good for everybody. It's like sharing the good news. Everyone does better because of it."

Items served at Cousins Maine Lobster's new Asbury Park location

The real estate mogul went on to explain the benefits of small towns and communities, noting that businesses generally do not see the same level of customer loyalty in larger cities and metropolises.

"People appreciate when you do something for the community. They come back, they give you their loyalty and you become part of the fabric of the town," Corcoran revealed.

"With appreciation, business always does better. You can't underestimate the power of people appreciating that you've brought something good to the community," she continued.

It's good for everybody...Barbara Corcoran on small business boom in beach towns

Sabin Lomac, one of the Cousins Maine Lobster co-founders, added that "having small businesses thrive in communities like this is essential."

Asbury Park is "traditionally a seasonal location when you're at the beach, so making sure that locals come down and they support businesses year-round is super important," he emphasized.

Lomac added that, when it comes to labor, "hiring locally and giving people opportunities to grow within a company" are key elements to success.

"It's fun. It gets people involved and more immersed in the community, and it's a way to be part of something that is a destination location," he continued.

Corcoran: Businesses need to 'welcome change'

Shark Tank's Barbara Corcoran says small businesses need to 'welcome change'

Overall, Corcoran advises all of her business to "welcome change," especially in the midst of a challenging economic environment.

"You have to have a mindset that you're looking for what the change is and that it's not a threat. But, rather, how can I take advantage of it?"

"If I look at all the businesses I've invested on 'Shark Tank'  112 businesses to date  about a third of them have moved forward [amid] the pandemic, but most of them have fallen to the side," the investor noted.

She explained that the "distinction between those who have moved ahead and those who have fallen behind is really an openness for change and love of their people."

"The more you take care of your people, the more they take care of the customer, and the better your business does," she revealed.

"It's that kind of heart and soul that really pushes people ahead, and it's been proven in this last pandemic."

Alexandra is a Senior Entertainment and Food Reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @alliecanal8193 and email her at alexandra.canal@yahoofinance.com

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Fracking pumpjacks in Bakersfield. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday blocked fracking off the California coast, ruling that the federal government must complete a full environmental review before approving permits for such offshore oil drilling platforms.

The decision prevents the Interior Department and other federal agencies from issuing permits for "well stimulation" through hydraulic fracturing until a complete environmental impact statement is issued "rather than the inadequate [environmental assessment] on which they had relied."

Todays decision is a win for our communities, our environment, and the rule of law, California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said in a news release. Offshore drilling  particularly fracking  pollutes our waterways, damages our environment, and exacerbates climate change. We saw the risks of offshore drilling firsthand with the Huntington Beach oil spill last year, and we see it every day in the form of the climate crisis."

Kristen Monsell, oceans program legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity, called the ruling an "amazing victory for California's coast and marine life."

"This decision will prevent more toxic chemicals from poisoning fish, sea otters and other marine life. And it brings us a step closer to ending offshore drilling once and for all," Monsell said.

The decision stems from a 2016 lawsuit brought by the state, the California Coastal Commission and environmental groups alleging that "federal agencies violated environmental laws when they authorized unconventional oil drilling methods on offshore platforms in the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf off the coast of California," according to court records.

The plaintiffs argued that the environmental assessments of fracking done by federal agencies, including the Interior Department, were inadequate and incomplete.

"Environmental groups learned through Freedom of Information Act requests that agencies within the U.S. Department of the Interior had authorized permits for offshore well stimulation treatments without first conducting the normally-required environmental review," the judgment said.

Federal agencies "failed to take the hard look required" by the National Environmental Policy Act when issuing their environmental assessment, the 9th Circuit panel wrote.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
President Biden walks down the stairs of Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base on Thursday on his way to Rehobeth Beach, Del., for the weekend. (Susan Walsh / Associated Press)

A small private airplane mistakenly entered restricted airspace near President Biden's Delaware vacation home Saturday, prompting the brief evacuation of the president and first lady, the White House and the Secret Service said.

The White House said there was no threat to the president or his family and that precautionary measures were taken. After the situation was assessed, Biden and his wife, Jill, returned to their Rehoboth Beach home.

The Secret Service said in a statement that the plane was immediately escorted from the restricted airspace after mistakenly entering a secured area. The agency said it would interview the pilot who, according to a preliminary investigation, was not on the proper radio channel and was not following published flight guidance.

As is standard practice for presidential trips outside Washington, the Federal Aviation Administration published flight restrictions earlier this week before Bidens beach town visit. The restrictions include a 10-mile radius no-fly zone contained with a 30-mile restricted zone.

A CBS News reporter said on Twitter that he saw Biden motorcading to a Rehoboth Beach fire station. The group of reporters that travels with the president was not part of the motorcade.

Federal regulations require pilots to check for flight restrictions along their route before taking off. Still, accidental airspace breaches, particularly around temporary restricted zones, are common.

U.S. military jets and Coast Guard helicopters are often used to intercept aircraft that violate the flight restrictions around the president. Intercepted planes are diverted to a nearby airfield where their crews are interviewed by law enforcement and face potential criminal or civil penalties.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
In a speech Saturday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the U.S. of supporting recent protests in Iran sparked by price hikes and the slashing of subsidies by the government. (Associated Press)

Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei acknowledged Saturday that Iran took the oil from two Greek tankers last month in helicopter-launched raids in the Persian Gulf.

The confiscations were retaliation for Greeces role in the U.S. seizure of crude oil from an Iranian-flagged tanker the same week in the Mediterranean Sea over violating Washingtons sanctions on Tehran.

They steal Iranian oil off the Greek coast, then our brave men who dont fear death respond and seized the enemys oil tanker, Khamenei said during an 80-minute speech on the anniversary of the death of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. But they use their media empire and extensive propaganda to accuse Iran of piracy.

Who is the pirate? You stole our oil, we took it back from you. Taking back stolen property is not called stealing, he added.

The seizures ratcheted up tensions between Iran and the West already simmering over Irans tattered 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Tehran has been enriching more uranium, closer to weapons-grade levels than ever before, causing concern that negotiators wont find a way back to the accord.

Irans seizure of the tankers was the latest in a string of hijackings and explosions to roil a region that includes the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all traded oil passes. The incidents began after then-President Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the nuclear deal, which saw Tehran drastically limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

The U.S. Navy blamed Iran for a series of limpet mine attacks on vessels that damaged tankers in 2019, as well as for a fatal drone attack on an Israeli-linked oil tanker that killed two European crew members in 2021.

Iranian hijackers also stormed and briefly captured a Panama-flagged asphalt tanker off the United Arab Emirates last year and briefly seized and held a Vietnamese tanker in November.

Tehran denies carrying out the attacks, but a wider shadow war between Iran and the West has played out in the regions volatile waters. Tanker seizures have been a part of it since 2019, when Iran seized the British-flagged Stena Impero after the United Kingdom detained an Iranian oil tanker off Gibraltar. Iran released the tanker months later as London also released the Iranian vessel.

Iran last year also seized and held a South Korean-flagged tanker for months amid a dispute over billions of dollars of frozen assets Seoul holds.

Satellite images analyzed by the AP on Wednesday confirmed that one of the two tankers remained off the coast of the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas. Planet Labs PBC images from Tuesday showed the Prudent Warrior between Bandar Abbas and Irans Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz.

It remained unclear where the second ship, the Delta Poseidon, was.

Talks in Vienna on the nuclear deal have been stalled since April. Since the deals collapse, Iran has run advanced centrifuges and has a rapidly growing stockpile of enriched uranium. Nonproliferation experts warn that Iran has enriched enough uranium up to 60% purity  a short technical step from the weapons-grade level of 90%  to make one nuclear weapon if it chooses.

Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes, though United Nations experts and Western intelligence agencies say Tehran had an organized military nuclear program through 2003.

Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, in his speech Saturday also accused the U.S. of supporting recent protests in Iran sparked by price hikes and the slashing of subsidies by the government. Teachers for weeks also demonstrated in favor of better pay and working conditions.

The value of the Iranian currency, the rial, has been weakening for years but recently tumbled to new lows, reflecting growing anxiety over Irans economy.

Khamenei criticized what he called the decades-long U.S. opposition to the nation and said Washington pins its hopes to such protests.

The octogenarian said Irans enemies try to pit Iranian citizens against the Islamic system through psychological warfare, the internet and financial support.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
FILE - Republican candidate for Pennsylvania U.S. Senate Dave McCormick talks to supporters as returns show a close race during his returns watch party in the Pennsylvania primary election May 17, 2022, in Pittsburgh. McCormick conceded the Republican primary in Pennsylvania for U.S. Senate to celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, ending his campaign Friday, June 3, as he acknowledged an ongoing statewide recount wouldn't give him enough votes to make up the deficit. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Former hedge fund CEO David McCormick conceded the Republican primary in Pennsylvania for U.S. Senate to celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, ending his campaign Friday night as he acknowledged an ongoing statewide recount wouldn't give him enough votes to make up the deficit.

McCormick said he had called Oz to concede.

Its now clear to me with the recount now largely complete that we have a nominee, McCormick said at a campaign party at a Pittsburgh hotel. Tonight is really about all us coming together.

Before the recount, Oz led McCormick by 972 votes out of 1.34 million votes counted in the May 17 primary. The Associated Press has not declared a winner in the race because an automatic recount is underway and the margin between the two candidates is just 0.07 percentage points.

Friday's development sets up a general election between Oz, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, and Democrat John Fetterman in what is expected to be one of the nation's premier Senate contests. The race could help determine control of the closely divided chamber.

Fetterman, the state's lieutenant governor, acknowledged earlier Friday in a statement that he nearly died when he suffered a stroke just days before his primary. He said he had ignored warning signs for years and a doctor's advice to take blood thinners.

Oz, who is best known as the host of daytime TVs The Dr. Oz Show, had to overcome millions of dollars in attack ads and misgivings among hard-line Trump backers about his conservative credentials on guns, abortion, transgender rights and other core Republican issues.

The 61-year-old Oz leaned on Trump's endorsement as proof of his conservative bona fides, while Trump attacked Oz's rivals and maintained that Oz has the best chance of winning in November in the presidential battleground state.

Rivals made Ozs dual citizenship in Turkey an issue in the race. If elected, Oz would be the nations first Muslim senator.

Born in the United States, Oz served in Turkeys military and voted in its 2018 election. Oz said he would renounce his Turkish citizenship if he won the November election, and he accused McCormick of making bigoted attacks.

Oz and McCormick blanketed state airwaves with political ads for months, spending millions of their own money. Virtually unknown four months ago, McCormick had to introduce himself to voters, and he mined Ozs long record as a public figure for material in attack ads. He got help from a super PAC supporting him that spent $20 million.

Like McCormick, Oz moved from out of state to run in Pennsylvania.

Oz, a Harvard graduate, New York Times bestselling author and self-styled wellness advocate, lived for the past couple of decades in a mansion in Cliffside Park, New Jersey, above the Hudson River overlooking Manhattan  drawing accusations of being a carpetbagger and political tourist.

The celebrity heart surgeon stressed his connections to Pennsylvania, saying he grew up just over the state border in Delaware, went to medical school in Philadelphia and married a Pennsylvania native.

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Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at twitter.com/timelywriter

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Natalia Tishenko, 46, comforts her son, Yaroslav, 7. The family has spent more than two months underground in a bomb shelter near Velyka Novosilka, Ukraine. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Haggard faces stare blankly from inside minivans ferrying survivors from towns and villages bludgeoned by Russian armor. Ukrainian ambulances carry the wounded and dead from the battlefield, sharing the road with rumbling tanks.

Detonations sound in the distance as lost souls adrift in this ghost city line up for giveaways of food and medicine.

Soon, the shelling will come here, predicts Serhii Barkov, 38, his left arm still bandaged from wounds sustained during Russian bombardment of his eastern Ukraine village, Studenok. Once the shelling starts, you just run wherever your eyes can see, he says, nervously dragging on a cigarette outside the hospital. Things will get worse here in a few days. I need to leave.

For Ukraine, the war has taken a dark, edgy turn in the Donbas, the vast swath of farm towns, coal pits and smokestack cities that forms much of the countrys eastern border with Russia. Divided since 2014 between Ukraine and pro-Russia separatists, the Donbas  home to more than 4 million before Moscows invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24  appears in danger of falling completely to Moscow.

The process could take weeks or months: No decisive breakthrough seemed imminent as the war entered its 100th day this week. Ukrainian commanders still express hope of turning the tide, while engaging in counteroffensives in the south, near the Russian-controlled city of Kherson, and in the northeast outside the city of Kharkiv. But the momentum in the east has clearly shifted under a relentless hail of Russian artillery.

Valentyna Lazarevna, 80, embraces her granddaughter Nina Novokhatskaya, 20, outside a bomb shelter near Velyka Novosilka, Ukraine. Lazarevna said "I want to go home, but it's broken. I'm afraid. The shelling is almost everyday." (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Ukrainian forces that repelled Moscows attacks on the countrys two most populous cities  Kyiv, the capital, and Kharkiv  are now decidedly on the defensive here.

President Biden's announcement this week that Washington was providing advanced rocket systems to Ukraine has bolstered some hopes for a battlefield turnaround. The Pentagon had previously sent more than 100 long-range howitzers.

The Kremlin said the arms transfers amount to pouring fuel on the fire, constituting a proxy war meant to weaken Russia.

But it is unclear to what extent, if any, that the slew of new weapons will disrupt the Russian onslaught.

I wouldnt say thats a game-changer, said Jeffrey Edmonds, an analyst at CNA, a research group based in Arlington, Va.

I think the Russians will feel it. But its not going to suddenly reverse Russian gains, added Edmonds, a former director for Russia on the White House National Security Council.

Despite reports of dispirited Russian troops, obsolete equipment and a sclerotic command structure, Moscow appears to have seized the advantage in the eastern region  at least for now.

Just kilometers away from Russian positions, a Ukrainian soldier walks through a neighborhood damaged by bombardment near Velyka Novosilka, Ukraine. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Residents clear out debris after a bombardment destroyed a house a day before, on the outskirts of Slovyansk, Ukraine, on June 1, 2022. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

What we are seeing is the beginning of a tide that is turning in Russias direction in terms of a war of attrition, said Jonathan Eyal, associate director of the Royal United Services Institute, a British security think tank. [Moscow] has taken on a narrowed task of not trying to overwhelm Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin initially sought to topple Ukraine's government in a few days and install a puppet leader in Kyiv. Now, those aspirations appear to have been scaled back to a land grab that can be touted as triumph to the Russian masses and the countrys compliant media.

At this point, Russia controls some 20% of Ukrainian territory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Luxembourg lawmakers in a video appearance Thursday. That is up from about 7% of Ukraine territory under Russian domination before the Feb. 24 invasion, including Crimea and parts of the Donbas ruled by pro-Russia separatists. Ukraine will never accept the Russian occupation, Zelensky insists. On the other hand, the prospects seem slim that Russia will ever return the land back to Ukraine.

Whether that fundamental impasse about the disputed territories will be resolved  through military force, negotiation or some other means  remains perhaps the major question mark of this grueling conflict.

The war in the east is a protracted, World War I-style slog based largely on artillery fire, dubbed the God of War by none other than Josef Stalin. Gone are the lumbering columns of tanks plodding through enemy territory that stretched supply lines and proved vulnerable to ambush in Russia's disastrous attack on Kyiv at the beginning of the invasion.

Russias subsequent focus on the Donbas, largely waged from pro-Moscow separatist enclaves  and showcasing battle-hardened Ukrainian allies fighting on home terrain  represents a kind of return to Soviet-era military doctrine. It's not new-age warfare: Deliberate ground advances follow scorched-earth artillery barrages that soften opposition targets, decimating not only the Ukrainian military but civilian homes, shops, infrastructure and anything else in the Russian troops path.

A child says goodbye as he and his family leave on an evacuation train in Pokrovsk, Ukraine, on June 2, 2022. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

This is the traditional Soviet and Russian approach: You concentrate a lot of firepower in a small place and you keep going until you destroy your opponent, said Eyal. Theres a large amount of blood expended on these rather miserable victories that Russia can claim for its own.

With neither side in the conflict providing regular casualty updates, the toll in deaths and injuries remains opaque.

Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed, Zelensky told the Luxembourg parliament Thursday. A day earlier, he told Newsmax, the far-right American cable news channel, that between 60 and 100 Ukrainian soldiers are lost on the battlefield each week. An additional 500 are wounded, he said.

Last month, Russia won its biggest victory of the war by overcoming the last defenders of the port city of Mariupol  long a symbol of Ukrainian resistance. Its capitulation, accompanied by images of bedraggled Ukrainian fighters surrendering after months holed up in a metalworks, was a strategic and propaganda coup for the Kremlin.

Mariupol is part of Donetsk province, which, along with adjoining Luhansk, make up the Donbas. The southern city's capture completes a land corridor from Russian-held areas in the Donbas to the Crimea, the peninsula seized by Russian in 2014.

Some 165 miles northeast of Mariupol, Russian forces have now almost completely overrun their next major target: the industrial city of Severodonetsk, which since 2014 has served as Ukraines administrative hub for Luhansk province. Intense shelling has already driven off most residents and left much of the city in ruins, just like Mariupol. Opposing forces have been engaged in street fighting amid the wreckage. The imminent fall of Severodonetsk also threatens Lysychansk, which sits across the Seversky Donets River.

Losing the twin cities would mean that Russia in effect controls the entirety of Luhansk.

Meanwhile, Russia has already accelerated attacks in the direction of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, the two main cities in Donetsk province still under Ukrainian government control.

For more than a month, Russian troops have engaged in shaping operations, attacking villages with indiscriminate artillery barrages outside Severodonetsk with the aim of choking off supply routes for the military and civilian populations.

The Russians' sheer numerical superiority, both in troops and materiel, means that a takeover is usually not a matter of if, but when. They never stop firing, said one Ukrainian soldier stationed near the town of Lyman before it fell into Russian hands last month.

Nadia Schamal, 66, has been living underground in Velyka Novosilka, Ukraine for almost three months since the war began. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Residents come out for fresh air after hiding in a basement in a building damaged by bombardment near Velyka Novosilka, Ukraine. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

The unyielding campaign has transformed once-thriving communities into vast debris fields.

Rubizhne was a quaint city of more than 50,000 outside Severodonetsk until Putin's forces invaded.

The onslaught began in April. Artillery duels ensued over Rubizhne. That gave way to street battles. Ukrainian defenders bunkered in a pharmaceutical plant before finally retreating over a bridge to Severodonetsk. They then blew up the span to slow their pursuers.

A video from a Ukrainian National Guard drone shows the aftermath: Russian soldiers walk through streets with barely a single building standing; none is undamaged, the rubble denuding Rubizhne of almost all colors but gray.

Six weeks later, Rubizhne is firmly under Russian control, one of three staging zones for the all-out assault on Severodonetsk. Residents from nearby cities ask themselves  as they have for months now  if it's time to go.

Times staff writers McDonnell reported from Kramatorsk and Bulos from Severodonetsk and Rubizhne.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The monkeypox virus, which has now been diagnosed in hundreds of people in 26 countries, may have been quietly circulating for years before its sudden emergence worldwide, some scientists speculate.

Infectious disease experts and scientists at genetic labs are urgently looking for clues to explain why a virus that has been found in West Africa for half a century and typically doesnt spread readily from person to person made such a dramatic and troubling appearance in the past month.

There may have been undetected transmission for a while, said Dr. Rosamund Lewis, the World Health Organizations technical lead for monkeypox during a briefing Wednesday. What we dont know is how long that may have been. We dont know if its weeks, months or possibly a couple of years.

At the University of Leuven in Belgium, virology professor Marc Van Ranst told NBC News that his laboratorys sequencing revealed genetic mutations of the virus that were limited and that none of them are smoking guns.

Everybody is interested in more complete genomes to get an idea about quite an important question: How long have these viruses been circulation, under the radar? Van Ranst said. I think nobody believes this jumped out of Africa a couple of weeks ago.

University of Edinburgh scientists recently sequenced samples from the outbreak and posted their findings on May 30. The samples they investigated descended from a version of monkeypox that was identified in Singapore, Israel, Nigeria and the United Kingdom between 2017 and 2019.

While the investigators did identify an unexpectedly large number of changes to the viruss genetic code since that time, some experts do not believe such shifts necessarily explain the breadth of the current outbreak.

In Africa, most human cases of monkeypox have historically occurred through exposure to infected animals such as rodents and not through person-to-person transmission.

Whats likely happened is an endemic infectious disease from Africa found its way into a social and sexual network and then was greatly aided by major amplification events like raves in Belgium to disseminate around the world, Dr. Amesh A. Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said.

And then, Adalja added, because its being transmitted through close contact in sexual encounters, many of the lesions are getting mistaken for other sexually transmitted infections, which may be delaying diagnosis.

monkeypox pictures (www.gov.uk)

Increased vigilance by public health authorities, health care providers and individuals worldwide have dramatically improved detection in recent weeks.

Whenever you start looking for a disease thats new in a population, you find many, many more cases, Dr. David Heymann, a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who formerly led the WHOs Programme on Emerging and other Communicable Diseases, told NBC News.

Heymann supported the theory that the disease may have been present in some populations for several years outside the 11 Central and West Africa countries where the virus has become endemic. Cases may be circulating stealthily among people outside the global gay community, he suggested.

The concern is looking in only one population rather than looking more broadly, he said.

Very mild monkeypox symptoms

The infection, which can cause painful lesions across the body that leave lasting scars, typically runs its course in an individual in about three weeks. Most of the identified cases in Europe and the U.S. outbreak have been mild  some so atypically subtle they have been mistaken for other sexually transmitted infections  and have occurred among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. Experts stress, however, that it is the close physical contact of sexual activity that is the key factor driving transmission.

Unlike what is typically seen in monkeypox cases in Africa, some of the recent infections have led to very, very mild symptoms, perhaps involving only a single lesion, Dr. Sebastien Poulin, an infectious disease specialist at St-Jerome Hospital in Montreal who diagnosed one of the first Canadian outbreak cases, told NBC News. Physicians need to be aware of that.

In addition, monkeypox illness usually starts with fever, but some of the recent U.S. cases have not reported fever or other early signs before the lesions appear, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"For this reason, cases might be confused with more commonly seen infections such as varicella zoster or sexually transmitted infections," such as genital herpes or syphilis, a CDC study released Friday reported.

Sixty-six people have died of the infection in African nations in 2022, according to the World Health Organization. Nigeria has been grappling with its own monkeypox outbreak since 2017  one that may have served as an incubator for the global spread.

There have been no deaths in the current outbreak in Europe or the U.S., although in the U.S. at least one person was been hospitalized to treat severe pain from lesions in the anal region, Capt. Jennifer McQuiston, deputy director of the High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology division at the CDC, said during a briefing Friday.

McQuiston acknowledged the possibility that monkeypox virus cases had been missed previously in the U.S., but "not to any great degree," she said during the briefing. Two cases were detected in the U.S. in 2021  an individual in Texas in July and a separate case in Maryland in November. Both had traveled recently to Nigeria.

Van Ranst said the coming days of the outbreak will be critical for controlling the disease. As of June 1, there were 643 confirmed cases, according to the WHO. If by next week the cumulative case count follows an exponential curve and hits perhaps 4,000, then this is not under control, he said.

If the figure instead only increases to about 1,000, then the outbreak is likely only expanding linearly, which bodes well for global control of the virus, Van Ranst said.
PHNOM PENH, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia exported 149,447 tons of milled rice to China in the first five months of 2022, up 23.6 percent over the same period last year, the Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF) said on Saturday.

China remained the top buyer of Cambodia's rice, followed by the European Union, the CRF said in a news release, adding that export to China accounted for 52.6 percent of Cambodia's total rice export during the January-May period this year.

The southeast Asian nation sold 88,167 tons of rice to the European market during the period, up 49 percent, the CRF said, adding that the European market absorbed 31 percent of the overall market destinations.

"In the first five months of 2022, Cambodia exported all kinds of milled rice to international markets through 53 companies with a total volume of 283,675 tons, up nearly 22 percent, earning 173.47 million U.S. dollars in revenue," the CRF said.

CRF President Song Saran said China is a huge market for Cambodian rice and the kingdom is expected to export more rice to China after the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) entered into force on Jan. 1, 2022.

"The RCEP will further ease trade in goods between Cambodia and China as well as other participating countries," he told Xinhua. "This mega regional trade pact provides a greater market access for Cambodia's products, and I think it will attract more foreign investors to invest in various sectors, including in the rice industry, in order to export finished products to those RCEP countries, with tariff concessions."

Saran, who is also chief executive officer of Amru Rice (Cambodia) Co., Ltd., said currently, his company exports milled rice to China, Singapore and Australia. 
This 1997 image provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows lesions from monkeypox. (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

San Francisco has reported its first suspected case of monkeypox, public health officials said Friday.

The person is a San Francisco resident who traveled to a location with known cases, health officials said. The person is in good condition, is isolating and has reported no close contacts in San Francisco during the time the person was infectious.

The latest case means there are five confirmed or suspected monkeypox cases in California.

Los Angeles County reported its first suspected monkeypox case Thursday. Sacramento County has reported one confirmed case and two suspected cases, both of which are close contacts of the first case.

Health officials say the risk to the general public is low, in part because monkeypox is nowhere near as contagious as COVID-19. L.A. County public health director Barbara Ferrer said Thursday that there is no sign people should worry about a massive outbreak of monkeypox locally, but officials are preparing for more cases.

Monkeypox is far more likely to spread through close, sustained, skin-to-skin contact with someone who has an active rash and monkeypox skin sores. The virus can be spread during sexual and intimate contact and through shared bedding and clothing. It's also possible it can be spread through kissing and breathing at very close range.

In many recent cases, during the early stages of illness, the rash has been mostly in the genital area. The rash can also spread widely across the body.

"We want to emphasize that this is not a disease that spreads easily through the air like COVID-19. However, we do want people who might have been exposed to watch out for symptoms and to see a medical provider immediately if they develop symptoms for an evaluation, San Francisco health officer Dr. Susan Philip said in a statement.

While most cases resolve on their own, monkeypox can be serious in rare cases and we want to prevent further spread in the community," Philip said.

Some recent patients with monkeypox have described intense pain.

"It can be really painful and some patients have reported needing prescription pain medicine to manage that pain. The sores can also cause long-term scarring on the skin," Capt. Jennifer McQuiston, deputy director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, said at a news briefing Friday.

Most of the recent cases of monkeypox in the U.S. known to the CDC have occurred among men who have sex with men; one recent case occurred in a woman who had traveled to west Africa. Officials emphasized that anyone can become infected and spread monkeypox, including healthcare workers and family members caring for those who are ill.

Traditionally, monkeypox is believed to begin with a fever and feeling of being unwell, followed by a rash. But in some cases, the rash has appeared first. Other symptoms can include headache, muscle aches, backache, chills, exhaustion and swollen lymph nodes. Rare complications include lesions that appear in the eye, which can endanger vision.

The monkeypox rash results in well-rounded skin lesions, and as they progress, they turn into papules, which are higher raised areas of the skin that can appear like a pencil eraser, McQuiston said. They can then fill with a clear fluid, which turns into pus.

The rash can appear similar to syphilis and herpes, which are far more common than monkeypox. McQuiston said it can be confusing to initially distinguish monkeypox from other illnesses, and that's why healthcare providers should be on the alert for potential cases and request a test if they think it could be monkeypox. In some recent cases in Europe, people have been infected with both monkeypox and a sexually transmitted infection.

"They should test for monkeypox, even if they think they might have a positive test for another, more common" sexually transmitted infection, McQuiston said.

The recent global monkeypox outbreak has resulted in more than 700 reported cases, McQuiston said. In the U.S., at least 25 cases have been identified in 11 states as of Friday afternoon.

The strain of monkeypox identified in the outbreak is known as the West African strain, which is less severe than other known strains, McQuiston said. In historical outbreaks in Africa, the West African strain has resulted in fewer deaths.

No deaths have been reported in the current monkeypox outbreak worldwide, McQuiston said. Patients whose cases have been reviewed by the CDC as of Friday are either recovering or have already recovered, "and those who still have a rash are being advised to stay home and stay away from other people until they're fully recovered."

Full recovery happens "when all of the sores have scabbed over, the scabs fall off, and new healthy skin has emerged," McQuiston said. A person is no longer contagious once all the scabs have fallen off.

The CDC released new information Friday on the first two cases of monkeypox in this outbreak.

On May 4, two men in the U.S. had symptoms consistent with monkeypox and had recently returned from traveling outside the country, McQuiston said.

In Massachusetts, a man developed a rash with fluid-filled skin lesions and sought outpatient medical care four times. On May 12, he was hospitalized for management of pain from that rash, McQuiston said.

On May 4 in New York City, a man sought treatment for a lesion in the mouth and a painful rash that also developed into blister-like sores, McQuiston said.

By mid-May, news coverage broadened of monkeypox cases in Britain. On May 7, British health officials announced a case of monkeypox in a man who returned to Britain from Nigeria, where there has been a resurgence of monkeypox for the last five years. Then, British health authorities reported more cases on May 14 and May 16 that were not linked from that traveler.

Based on that news coverage from Britain, healthcare providers for the Massachusetts patient on May 17 contacted state and CDC officials requesting testing be done of the patient's viral samples. A Massachusetts lab confirmed the presence of an orthopoxvirus  a group of viruses that includes monkeypox  and confirmatory testing the next day by CDC verified the sample was monkeypox.

Recent monkeypox cases in the U.S. known to CDC officials have been among adults, McQuiston said, and most reported international travel in the 21 days before their symptoms began. It generally takes seven to 14 days for a person to develop symptoms after being exposed to monkeypox, but it can take up to 21 days.

McQuiston said authorities are working hard to contain the outbreak.

"Our containment strategy is focused on identifying cases, identifying their contacts and making sure they get vaccine offered to them and that cases are being isolated to prevent onward spread," McQuiston said.

The recent outbreak is concerning because monkeypox cases are not usually found in the U.S., officials have said.

Monkeypox was discovered in 1958 in colonies of monkeys kept for scientific research. The monkeypox virus is typically found in rodents and primates in central and western Africa, according to the CDC. The first human case was documented in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970.

The only previous U.S. outbreak of monkeypox occurred in 2003, leading to 71 confirmed or suspected cases  mostly in Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois. Those who were infected had come in contact with pet prairie dogs obtained from an animal distributor in suburban Chicago that had been housed near Gambian giant rats and dormice that came from Ghana.

Though monkeypox can be fatal in countries where healthcare resources are poor, the 2003 U.S. outbreak did not lead to any deaths.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
San Francisco Dist. Atty. Chesa Boudin, who was elected in 2019 as part of a movement to elect district attorneys who seek to reimagine public safety and the role of a prosecutor, faces a recall Tuesday. (Eric Risberg / Associated Press)

Hours after winning election as San Francisco district attorney in 2019, Chesa Boudin stood, beaming, inside a packed dive bar in the Mission District.

"What comes next is critical," said the then-39-year-old public defender, part of the nationwide movement to elect district attorneys who seek to reimagine public safety and redefine the role of a prosecutor. "In many ways, getting here today was the easy part."

Those words may have proved grimly prophetic for the newly minted D.A.

Boudin's 2-year tenure as San Francisco's top prosecutor has resembled the "knife fight in a phone booth" adage often used to describe Bay Area politics. He has weathered attacks from across the city's political spectrum; both the historically conservative police union and more moderate politicians such as Mayor London Breed have often criticized the would-be reformer.

His relationship with the city's police department has faltered, and dozens of his own prosecutors have quit  some to help oust Boudin from office.

That fight comes to a head Tuesday, when San Francisco's 500,000 registered voters will decide whether Boudin should keep his job.

The bitter, expensive recall election has turned into a referendum on some of San Francisco's most painful and protracted problems, including homelessness, drug addiction and property crime. The election has also become a test for a liberal city's appetite for continuing to pursue criminal justice reform.

Boudin described his 2019 victory as a sign of a "massive thirst for change." But polls suggest he may not survive the recall. His supporters now fear a result that could have a chilling effect on the nationwide effort to elect reform-minded district attorneys.

Boudin's predecessor, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascon, is also facing his second recall attempt in two years.

Boudin has sought to reshape a criminal justice system that he and his supporters see as profoundly unfair. He has refused to seek the death penalty or try juveniles as adults, significantly reduced the use of sentencing enhancements and sought to push people accused of low-level crimes fueled by drug addiction into treatment instead of a jail cell.

But his message has lost traction among an electorate that has grown increasingly concerned about visible crime and homelessness. Boudin's background has made him an easy target for opponents who paint him as a fringe leader disconnected from his city.

Boudin is a Yale-educated Rhodes scholar who worked as a translator for Venezuelan socialist President Hugo Chavez. His parents were members of the radical left-wing group the Weather Underground. They went to prison when Boudin was a child for their roles in a 1981 armed robbery in New York that left three people dead, including two police officers. His mother, Kathy Boudin, was paroled in 2003 and died of cancer last month. Boudin's father, David Gilbert, received parole last year.

Three polls funded by the recall campaign and its backers earlier this year found a majority of San Francisco voters favored removing Boudin. Polling paid for by the anti-recall campaign last month painted a slightly rosier picture, with 48% of voters described as pro-recall, 38% opposed and 14% undecided.

Criminal justice experts say a prosecutor's policies are unlikely to cause immediate shifts in crime. Property and violent crimes fell in San Francisco during Boudin's first two years in office. Homicides have increased since 2019, when the city had its fewest killings in 50 years.

But recall supporters have told a simple, yet effective, story of a radical district attorney who has worsened many of the city's ills.

The campaign has highlighted shocking videos of smash-and-grab robberies from high-end retailers in Union Square and drug dealing in the city's troubled Tenderloin neighborhood. Some have been featured on Tucker Carlson's Fox News show and in other conservative media.

"Never would I put all this on Chesa's shoulders," said Brooke Jenkins, a former prosecutor in Boudin's office who is now a volunteer spokeswoman for the recall. "But citizens expect that their D.A. is going to try to serve as a deterrent to these criminals. ... He has never shown an interest in doing that  not verbally, and not in his actions."

The recall also has blamed Boudin for several high-profile crimes, including a 2020 New Year's Eve hit-and-run that killed two women. The defendant, Troy McAlister, was on parole for robbery and had been arrested several times in the months before the crash.

Boudin has said he did not charge McAlister in the earlier cases, instead referring them to parole officers in a move he believed was more likely to "protect the public and break this cycle of recidivism."

Boudin's supporters say he has taken meaningful steps to reduce mass incarceration and hold police accountable. A San Francisco police officer stood trial for excessive force this year for the first time in the city's history, though the officer, Terrance Stangle, was ultimately acquitted.

Jim Ross, a consultant for Boudin's anti-recall campaign, said the recall process puts the D.A. at a disadvantage. Unlike the recent attempt to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom, those challenging Boudin do not have to run a replacement candidate. Breed will appoint Boudin's successor if the recall is successful.

"Its an attempt to redo the 2019 election," Ross said. "But instead of making Chesa run against another candidate, where people have a contrast and they can see their records, they can see their policies, they're making him run against himself."

Reformers at the national level have pushed back on the idea that a Boudin loss would ripple beyond the Bay Area.

"It would be a mistake to view this as a stop sign to reform," said Miriam Krinsky, the executive director of Fair and Just Prosecution, a nonprofit that advocates for criminal justice reform.

Compared to other cities, San Francisco is atypical, Krinsky said: Fewer than 6% of city residents are Black, median home sales have topped $1.5 million, and the city has one of the world's highest number of billionaires per capita.

Krinsky also pointed to the recent reelections of Philadelphia Dist. Atty. Larry Krasner and Cook County State's Atty. Kim Foxx in Chicago after they faced similar criticisms as Boudin and Gascon.

The recall is one of the most expensive elections in San Francisco history, according to filings with the city's Ethics Commission. Spending has passed $10 million, with more than two-thirds of that  about $7.3 million  coming from recall backers, including a political action committee partly funded by billionaire hedge-fund manager William Oberndorf. Organizations backing Boudin, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, have spent about $3 million.

Oberndorf has given millions to Republican campaigns  including to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's fund for Republican Senate candidates  and to pro-charter school campaigns and candidates of both political parties.

Boudin's supporters have flooded neighborhoods with mailers that encourage voters to reject the "Republican-funded recall," telling voters that "conservative billionaires" want to "impose their radical conservative agenda in San Francisco."

If Boudin is recalled, Jenkins said, "it will be Democrats that vote him out." Just 6.7% of San Francisco voters are registered Republicans.

San Francisco is viewed nationally as a bastion of liberalism, but the reality is more complicated, said John Hamasaki, a defense attorney and former police commissioner who frequently tangles with recall supporters.

"You could call it the bluest city, but I don't know that it's the most progressive city," Hamasaki said. "It's a city that has become really inundated with tech wealth, and within tech and Silicon Valley there's always been a connection to center-right politics," including billionaires such as Peter Thiel and Elon Musk.

Janice Li, who lives in the city's Inner Richmond neighborhood and sits on the Bay Area Rapid Transit system board of directors, said housing was the top issue for San Francisco residents for years. But since the pandemic, she said, crime and public safety have jumped to the top of the list.

The flurry of campaign messaging has made it hard for residents to understand whether the city faces an actual crime wave, or a few anecdotes have been weaponized to whip up fear, she said.

"Whats been really hard about this recall is that most people don't really know what's happening," said Li, who is voting against the recall. "You can read articles, you can watch TV news, you can look at data. But it's really hard to understand who's at fault."

That's in part because both campaigns have been able to slice the crime data to tell the stories they want.

Property and violent crime both dropped by double-digit percentages from 2019 to 2021, city data show. But some types of crime have exploded in the same time frame. Burglaries are up 47%. Motor vehicle theft increased by 36%. Homicides have also increased since 2019  a national trend  but the city experienced its lowest number of killings in more than a half-century that year.

The rate at which the district attorney's office files charges has also remained relatively stable under Boudin. In Gascon's final two years in office, prosecutors filed approximately 56% of felonies presented by police and 36% of misdemeanors. Last year, prosecutors filed 57% of felonies presented and the share of misdemeanor cases prosecuted jumped to 46%.

Randy Shaw, director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, said the long-blighted neighborhood has gotten worse since Boudin took office. If crime is declining, he said, it's because people have stopped reportingit.

The Tenderloin has become an "open-air drug supermarket," said Shaw, and the district attorney doesn't seem to care. He cited an interview Boudin gave to the Washington Post in February, in which he said that Tenderloin residents "aren't particularly upset that there are drug sales happening." The quote later appeared on a billboard attacking Boudin.

Questions remain about police effectiveness during Boudin's tenure. The rate at which San Francisco police solve robberies, thefts and assaults has fallen from 2019 to 2021, though arrest and solve rates did dip for most police agencies during the pandemic.

Andy Solomon, a 43-year-old high school teacher who lives in Haight-Ashbury, said he decided to vote against the recall after listening to a recent Boudin interview. Crime has become a more tangible issue for the average San Franciscan, Solomon said  a gun fight left bullet holes in his car in October  but he questioned why those issues were not being blamed on the police.

Boudin's "hands are sort of tied on some of that stuff," Solomon said.

As of Friday, about 17% of voters had returned ballots, a far lower turnout rate than during the school board recall held in February. The participation rate was highest among the city's small slice of Republican voters, more than 22% of whom have cast ballots already, officials said.

"People are just fatigued," said Tinisch Hollins, executive director of Californians for Safety and Justice, a criminal justice reform organization. "If it's not about a tangible solution, or a tangible resource, it's not a priority for their attention. That's why this recall effort is hyperpoliticized. It's about people who have the money and have the time to make an issue of something that the majority of them are not affected by."

The city has had three recall elections in the last nine months, including the failed attempt to recall Newsom and the heated February election that unseated three of the seven members of San Francisco's scandal-plagued school board.

San Francisco's ranked-choice election system, in which voters rank the candidates in order of preference, may also have left Boudin vulnerable, said Joshua Spivak, a senior research fellow at UC Berkeley Law School's California Constitution Center.

Boudin was the first choice for 35.6% of voters in 2019. He eventually beat interim Dist. Atty. Suzy Loftus by 2,832 votes, a difference of about 1.66%. That means plenty of people "are opposed to you or not that interested in you and are susceptible to having their mind changed," Spivak said.

Regardless of the outcome of Tuesday's election, Hamasaki said the recall may already have changed how politicians seek to run on criminal justice reform platforms in San Francisco.

I think the impact locally has already happened," he said. "Democratic politicians in San Francisco are less vocal or are silent on police reform, police misconduct and criminal justice reform. ... The first school board recall really put progressive politicians on notice that 'Hey, we're a target.'"

Wiley reported from San Francisco and Nelson and Queally from Los Angeles.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Afghans who fled the Taliban takeover of their country stage a protest at Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo on Wednesday. (Muhammad Arif Sarwari / Associated Press)

For some Afghans who were evacuated as their country fell to the Taliban last summer, the journey to the United States has stalled, and perhaps ended, at a sunbaked cluster of tents and temporary housing on an American military base in the Balkans.

While more than 78,000 Afghans have arrived in the U.S. for resettlement since August, the future for those who have been flagged for additional security vetting and diverted to Camp Bondsteel, in the small nation of Kosovo, remains up in the air. The U.S. wont force the dozens there to return to Afghanistan, where they could face reprisals.

Their frustration is growing. Some Afghans at the base, which has been shrouded in secrecy, took the unusual step last week of staging a protest, holding up signs with messages such as we want justice, according to photos sent to the Associated Press.

They just keep repeating the same things, that it takes time and we must be patient, one of the Afghans, Muhammad Arif Sarwari, said in a text message from the base.

Their complaints open a window into an aspect of the evacuation and resettlement of Afghans that has gotten little attention because U.S. authorities, and the government of Kosovo, have been reluctant to say much about the people sent to Bondsteel.

The base houses a mix of adults and children. Sarwari, a former senior intelligence official with the Afghan government, said there are about 45 people there, representing about 20 or so individual visa cases, after a flight to the U.S. left with 27 of the refugees on Wednesday.

The Biden administration wont provide details, but acknowledges that some of the evacuees did not make it through what it calls a



a multilayered, rigorous screening and vetting process and wont be permitted to enter the U.S.

While the vast majority of Afghan evacuees have been cleared through this process, the small number of individuals who have been denied are examples of the system working exactly as it should, said Sean Savett, a spokesman for the National Security Council.

In all, about 600 Afghans have passed through Bondsteel, according to the government of Kosovo, which initially authorized use of the base for evacuees for a year but recently agreed to extend that authorization until August 2023.

Kosovo, which gained independence from Serbia in 2008 with U.S. support, has provided little information about the Afghans at Bondsteel, citing the privacy of the refugees. Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a statement that the government is proud of its role providing temporary shelter to them.

Afghans are housed in a section of Bondsteel called Camp Liya, named for an Afghan child handed to the U.S. Marines over a fence at the airport in Kabul during the evacuation, according to a U.S. military publication.

It was the chaotic nature of that evacuation that led to the need for an overseas facility in the first place. As the Afghan government collapsed, thousands of people made it onto military transport planes with minimal screening before they arrived at one of several overseas transit points.

The people sent to Bondsteel were stopped and diverted for a host of reasons, including missing or flawed documents or security concerns that emerged during overseas vetting by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, officials have said.

At the same time, some in Congress have criticized the administration for what they say has been inadequate vetting of Afghans.

Sarwari made it to Kuwait from Afghanistan in early September with his wife and two of his daughters and says he doesnt know why hes been held up. He was a prominent figure in Afghanistan, serving as the director of intelligence after the U.S. invasion in 2001. Before that, he was a top official with the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance.

Both positions would make him a target of the Taliban if he were to return.

The vetting team keeps telling us, sorry, Washington is just deciding some political issues, he said.

Sarwari has applied for a special visa issued to people who worked for the U.S. government or its allies during the war. He has not received a response, according to his lawyer, Julie Sirrs.

In theory, he is free to leave, but its not clear where he could go, Sirrs said. He obviously cannot return to Afghanistan. Hes clearly in danger if he returns.

He and others live a circumscribed existence at Bondsteel. Although technically not detained, they cannot leave the arid, rocky base and have spent months in tents, which were adorned with handwritten signs during last weeks protest. One said, Unfair decision, while another said, Children are suffering.

The Biden administration says authorities have determined that some  it wont say how many  simply cannot be allowed to enter the U.S. It is working to find other countries that are willing to accept them for resettlement. No one will be forcibly returned to Afghanistan, the NSC spokesperson said.

Associated Press writer Llazar Semini contributed from Tirana, Albania.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Trump supporters rally at the Georgia state Capitol in Atlanta on Nov. 18, 2020. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Supporters on the fringes of former President Trumps circle explored seeking sweeping authority after the 2020 election to enlist armed private contractors to seize and inspect voting machines and election data with the assistance of U.S. marshals, according to a draft letter asking the president to grant them permission.

The previously undisclosed authorizing letter and accompanying emails were sent on Nov. 21, 2020, from a person involved in efforts to find evidence of fraud in the election that year. The documents, which were reviewed by The Times, are believed to be among those in the possession of the House Jan. 6 committee, which is scheduled to begin public hearings Thursday.

The letter appears to be one of the earliest iterations of a draft executive order presented to the then-president in the Oval Office on Dec. 18, 2020, by then- Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, former national security advisor Michael Flynn and former Overstock.com Chief Executive Patrick Byrne in an effort to take control of voting machines.

The email and attached draft letter were sent to Cyber Ninjas Chief Executive Doug Logan and cybersecurity expert Jim Penrose by Andrew Whitney, a British technology entrepreneur who made his way inside Trumps circle in 2020 after he sought the presidents support for Oleandrin, a toxic botanical extract Whitney claimed was a miracle cure for COVID-19. Logan, who went on to conduct a partisan audit of election results in Maricopa County, Ariz., and Penrose worked for weeks after the 2020 election with a group including Powell, Flynn and Byrne that sought access to voting machines in an attempt to find proof of election fraud.

Whitney and Penrose did not respond to requests from The Times seeking comment, and Logan declined an interview request.

The Nov. 21, 2020, letter includes placeholder text at the top for an introduction conveying the document came from the president. The letter would have granted authority to three third-party companies to seize all election machines and election data at will, and given the companies and their subcontractors the authority to research, obtain and store offsite all data and/or code regarding U.S. election fraud, election manipulation, voter fraud, election interference, voter eligibility, and election systems wherever it resides.

The directive also would have allowed the companies to inspect and analyze any records or equipment related to the election, as well as details about who had contact with them and when. In addition, the letter specified that the U.S. Marshals Service would assist the effort, and the employees of private companies authorized to perform the work would be granted the authority to be armed when conducting these investigations since most of the operations would be conducted under hostile conditions.

Two of the three cyber-security companies named in the letter are led by men who had been part of the weeks-long efforts to find evidence of election fraud: Russell Ramsland of Dallas-based Allied Security Operations Group, who would go on to conduct an audit of the Antrim County, Mich., results that the Trump campaign cited as proof of fraud; and retired Army Col. Phil Waldron of Rising Tide LLC, who worked with the then-presidents attorney, Rudolph W. Giuliani, on efforts to persuade state lawmakers and Republicans in Congress to examine the election results.

Waldron and Ramsland did not respond to requests for comment.

The third company mentioned in the letter, Axon Global Services LLC, has no known connection to efforts to find evidence of fraud during the 2020 election.

When contacted by The Times, company owner Israel Martinez said he was unsure why his name was included in the letter.

I was not privy to the document you mentioned nor was my name nor my company name listed with my authorization. Moreover, I would be angered by any implication that we would take a partisan view in any engagement we are asked to conduct, Martinez said in a statement. We would never approach any potential evaluation of a cyber incident with a partisan view.

Two hours after the email was sent to Logan and Penrose on Nov. 21, 2020, a separate message was sent to pro-Trump attorney Lin Wood with the subject line suggested language for cover letter. The email to Wood, a central figure in the Trump campaigns effort to promote conspiracy theories about the 2020 election in Georgia, included an



attached letter with the same language that was written as if it came from an attorney rather than the president.

I dont deny receiving it, but I didnt do anything with it, Wood said in an interview with The Times. I never reviewed or revised any memo that would have dealt with the confiscation of machines or an executive order for Donald Trump. Of that I am certain.

The idea to obtain access to election machine data to look for fraud  through an executive order or other means  was floated several times after the election, and Waldron repeatedly pushed to take the idea to the president, several people involved in the effort told The Times. In an interview with The Times, Byrne said Waldron and Powell discussed it with Giuliani.



They came back and said Rudy shot them down immediately, Byrne said.

But the idea didnt go away. It is unclear who wrote the final version of the proposed executive order. But in February, Politico published emails dated Dec. 16 and Dec. 17, 2020, that indicated Flynn and Waldron were workshopping a draft of an executive order to seize voting machines and voting data.

The Dec. 16 version of the order would have tasked the Pentagon with seizing voting machines, rather than private companies. The draft dated the following day gave the Department of Homeland Security responsibility for taking possession of the machines and data.

Neither of those versions of the draft order would have given private companies the authority to seize or examine the machines, or allowed their workers to be armed during the process, though the drafts did call for the assistance of the National Guard. Both drafts sought to greenlight the appointment of a special counsel to oversee this operation and institute all criminal and civil proceedings as appropriate based on the evidence collected and provided all resources necessary to carry out her duties consistent with federal laws and the Constitution.

Elizabeth Goitein, co-director of the Brennan Center for Justices Liberty and National Security Program, said the draft outlined in the Nov. 21, 2020, letter reviewed by The Times doesnt meet basic standards of an executive order because it doesnt rely on existing legal authority to justify the actions.

You cant say, Because this is in an executive order I therefore have the authority in the executive order, she said. This appears to be sort of the fever dream of someone who either isnt a lawyer or someone who didnt do very well in law school.

Former U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Christopher Krebs, who was fired by Trump shortly after he made comments affirming the security of election machines, said the Nov. 21 draft appears to have been written by someone unfamiliar with executive orders and the authority they can and cannot grant.

Requesting that private contractors be armed to assist in the process of inspecting machines is chilling and implies that whoever drafted this [letter] ... views this as some sort of warlike event, Krebs said.

Youre talking about issuing letters of marque effectively to a private sector organization to go do some sort of activity on behalf of that executive office of the president, Krebs said. A private sector organization has no authority to go and seize state government equipment. The federal government doesnt even have that authority, particularly in the context of administering elections. And we are looking at a document that says thats OK.





For the record:

11:56 a.m. June 5, 2022: An earlier version of this story noted that Patrick Byrne said Phil Waldron repeatedly pushed to take an idea to obtain access to election machine data to the president. Byrne said that Waldron and Trump attorney Sidney Powell discussed the idea with the presidents attorney, Rudolph W. Giuliani.



This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The U.S. aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, right, and South Korean landing platform helicopter ship Marado, accompanied by smaller vessels, take part in a joint exercise in the Philippine Sea on Saturday. (South Korea Defense Ministry)

The U.S. aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan concluded a naval exercise with South Korea in the Philippine Sea on Saturday, the two militaries said, amid signs that North Korea is possibly preparing to conduct its first nuclear test explosion since 2017.

The three-day exercise that began Thursday in international waters off the Japanese island of Okinawa was apparently the allies first joint drill involving a U.S. aircraft carrier since November 2017.

At that time, the Ronald Reagan joined the USS Theodore Roosevelt and Nimitz in a rare three-carrier exercise with South Korean naval vessels during North Koreas last provocative run of nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests.

The latest drill came weeks after President Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in a summit in Seoul vowed to upgrade defense exercises and discuss ways for Washington to protect its ally in the face of growing North Korean threats.

The U.S. Navys 7th Fleet said that the exercise was aimed at strengthening the interoperability of the two navies.

On Friday, Bidens special envoy for North Korea, Sung Kim, said Washington was preparing for all contingencies in close coordination with South Korea and Japan as it monitors North Korean preparations for a possible nuclear test that could be imminent.

Kim, who was in Seoul for a trilateral meeting with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts to discuss the nuclear standoff with North Korea, said Washington assesses that the North is pressing ahead with preparations at its nuclear testing ground in the northeastern town of Punggye-ri.

The Norths next test would be its seventh since 2006 and the first since September 2017, when it claimed to have detonated a thermonuclear bomb to fit on its intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled since 2019 over disagreements in exchanging the release of crippling U.S.-led sanctions for the Norths disarmament steps.

North Korea has already conducted missile tests 17 times this year, including its first ICBM demonstrations in nearly five years.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Avril Haines, the U.S. director of national intelligence, testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on May 10. (Jose Luis Magana / Associated Press)

The question was posed in a private briefing to U.S. intelligence officials weeks before Russia launched its invasion in late February: Was Ukraines leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, made in the mold of Britains Winston Churchill or Afghanistans Ashraf Ghani?

In other words, would Zelensky lead a historic resistance or flee while his government collapsed?

Ultimately, U.S. intelligence agencies underestimated Zelensky and Ukraine while overestimating Russia and its president, even as they accurately predicted Vladimir Putin would order an invasion.

But Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, did not fall in a few days, as the United States had expected. And while American spy agencies have been credited with supporting Ukraine's resistance, they now face bipartisan pressure to review what they got wrong beforehand  especially after their mistakes in judging Afghanistan last year.

Intelligence officials have begun a review of how their agencies judge the will and ability of foreign governments to fight. The review is taking place while U.S. intelligence continues to have a critical role in Ukraine and as the White House ramps up weapons deliveries and support to Ukraine, trying to predict what Putin might see as escalatory and seeking to avoid a direct war with Russia.

President Biden's administration announced it would give Ukraine a small number of high-tech, medium-range rocket systems, a weapon that Ukraine has long wanted. Since the war began on Feb. 24, the White House has approved shipping drone aircraft, anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems and millions of rounds of ammunition. The U.S. has lifted early restrictions on intelligence sharing to provide information that Ukraine has used to strike critical targets, including the flagship vessel of the Russian navy.

Lawmakers from both parties question whether the U.S. could have done more before Putin invaded and whether the White House held back some support due to pessimistic assessments of Ukraine's ability to resist. Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last month that had we had a better handle on the prediction, we could have done more to assist the Ukrainians earlier."

Ohio Rep. Mike Turner, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said in an interview that he thought the White House and top administration officials had projected "their own bias on the situation in a way that lends itself to inaction.

The Senate Intelligence Committee sent a classified letter last month to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence asking about how intelligence agencies assessed both Ukraine and Afghanistan. CNN first reported the letter.

The director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, told lawmakers in May that the National Intelligence Council would review how the agencies assess both will to fight and capacity to fight. Both issues are quite challenging to provide effective analysis on and were looking at different methodologies for doing so, Haines said.

While there is no announced timetable for the review, which began before the committee's letter, officials have identified some errors. Several people familiar with prewar assessments spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence.

Despite its vast advantages, Russia failed to establish air superiority over Ukraine and failed at basic tasks such as securing its battlefield communications. It has lost thousands of soldiers and at least eight to 10 generals, according to U.S. estimates. Russian and Ukrainian forces are now fighting in fierce, close-quarters combat in eastern Ukraine, far from the swift Russian victory forecast by the U.S. and the West.

While Russia has entered recent proxy wars, it had not directly fought a major land war since the 1980s. That meant many of Russia's projected and claimed capabilities had not been put to the test, posing a challenge for analysts to assess how Russia would perform in a major invasion, some of the people said. Russia's active weapons export industry led some people to believe Moscow would have many more missile systems and planes ready to deploy.

Russia has so far not used chemical or biological weapons, as the U.S. publicly warned it might. One official noted that the U.S. had very strong concerns about a chemical attack, but that Russia may have decided that would raise too much global opposition. Fears that Russia would use a wave of cyberattacks against Ukraine and allies have not been realized to this point.

Other Russian problems were well known, including low troop morale, a prevalence of drug and alcohol abuse among troops and the lack of a noncommissioned officer corps to oversee forces and deliver instructions from commanders.

We knew all of those things existed, said retired Army Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, the former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. But it just became a cascading effect of how overwhelming all of that became when they tried to do even the most simple of operations.

Sue Gordon, the former principal deputy director of national intelligence, said U.S. analysts may have relied too much on counting Russia's inventory of military and cyber tools.

Were going to learn a little bit about how we think about capability and use as not one and the same when you assess outcome, she said at a recent event sponsored by Cipher Brief, an intelligence publication.

Zelensky has received worldwide acclaim for refusing to flee as Russia sent teams to try to capture or kill him. But before the war, there were tensions between Washington and Kyiv about the likelihood of an invasion and whether Ukraine was prepared. One flashpoint, according to people familiar with the dispute, was that the U.S. wanted Ukraine to move forces from its west to bolster defenses around Kyiv.

Until shortly before the war, Zelensky and top Ukrainian officials publicly discounted warnings of an invasion, in part to tamp down panic and protect the economy. One U.S. official said there were doubts that the inexperienced Zelensky could cope with a crisis of the level his country was facing.

Army Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, the current director of the DIA, testified in March that my view was that, based on a variety of factors, that the Ukrainians were not as ready as I thought they should be. Therefore, I 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.

In May, Berrier distanced his own view from that of the entire intelligence community, which he said never had an assessment that said the Ukrainians lacked the will to fight.

There was ample evidence of Ukraines determination before the war. Russias 2014 annexation of Crimea and the eight-year conflict in the eastern Donbas region had hardened public attitudes against Moscow. Ukrainian forces had received years of training and weapons shipments from the U.S. across several administrations along with help bolstering its cyber defenses.

U.S. intelligence had reviewed private polling that suggested strong support in Ukraine for any resistance. In Kharkiv, a mostly Russian-speaking city near the border, citizens were learning to fire guns and training for guerrilla warfare.

Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, saw that determination firsthand during a December trip. Wenstrup witnessed a military ceremony where participants would read the names of every Ukrainian soldier who had died the previous day on the front lines in the Donbas, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian government forces since 2014.

It showed to me that they had a will to fight, he said. This has been brewing for a long time.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Director Chloe Okuno, left, and actor Maika Monroe photographed in Los Angeles. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

At a cultural moment when the rights of women are under direct attack, the new film Watcher feels unnervingly well-timed. Using the genre of the psychological thriller, "Watcher" skillfully examines the experience of unsettled isolation that often comes simply from being a woman in a world that wont listen and wont believe.

Directed by Chloe Okuno from a script co-written by Okuno and Zack Ford, the film stars Maika Monroe in a powerful performance as Julia, a young woman who moves to Bucharest, Romania, when her husband, Francis (Karl Glusman), is transferred for work. A former actress trying to decide what to do next, Julia spends most of her days alone in a place where she does not speak the language. Convinced that a man (Burn Gorman) with an apartment across the way is spying on and even following her around the city, Julia's growing anxiety is compounded by news reports of a brutal serial killer targeting women around her age. And yet no one, including Francis, will believe her concerns about feeling increasingly unsafe.

Having premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival and now playing in wide release and set for a VOD release June 21, Watcher is the feature debut for Okuno, whose work includes 2014 short film Slut and a segment in 2021's anthology V/H/S/94. The screenplay for Watcher originally was set in New York City, but it was relocated to Bucharest for production reasons; Okuno takes full advantage of the citys mix of old-world romanticism and Soviet-era gloom. She even cast an actual museum security guard who had chased her away for taking photographs to do the same to Monroe in the film.

Okuno and Monroe recently got together on Zoom for an interview.

Actor Maika Monroe is known to genre fans for films including "It Follows" and "The Guest." (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

Chloe, youve said the script originally focused more on the couple, it wasn't focused as strongly on Julia. How did you go about reshaping Zack Fords script?

Chloe Okuno: In Zack's original script, it was kind of a two-hander; it was split between Julia and Francis' point of view. I wanted to make this spiritually feel like something in the realm of Rosemary's Baby ... to be a kind of classic psychological thriller, where we're really telling the story from a singular point of view. So it made a lot of sense to me to just make that shift. A lot of my work writing on the script was about pulling in from my own experience about what it's like to be a woman in the world, what it's like to be confronted with people who are doubting you and just knowing that as women, unfortunately, we already know that we're going to be doubted.

We already have to sort of police our own emotions and approach things very delicately, and that in and of itself can be very frustrating. So I feel like that's the journey that you see Julia on in this movie. ... [In Maika's performance] I saw her self-regulating and I saw the sort of quiet frustration in having to do that constantly. And I love the moments in the movie when you see that anger in Maika, because that's what I feel a lot of times as well.

Maika, was that aspect of the story something you recognized as well?

Maika Monroe: Oh yeah, absolutely. I think that's why I connected with this story just immediately. It's obviously a thriller and it's a heightened story, but the character is so grounded and the story that is being told is so grounded and it's believable. Because this sort of stuff happens.

I mean, I've dealt with it. Even within relationships that I've had, that a person that I consider to be maybe one of the closest people in my life, when that person doesn't have my back or doesn't believe me, I think it's the most lonely that I have ever felt. And that's something that Julia experiences  this person that is supposed to be there for her isn't. That's heartbreaking to me.

I feel such sympathy for Karl as a performer because on the one hand, his character is nice enough, but he's just totally oblivious. He doesn't get it. Chloe, what was it like conceiving of that character? He's not bad, but he doesn't exactly help either.

Okuno: There was an earnest effort to keep making Francis less of a d, honestly. Of course at a certain point he's no longer supportive of her, but early on, I feel like he does try to be proactive and he does try to listen to her. But for me, Francis' fundamental failing isn't even that he's an ass or dismissive, it's that he cannot actually empathize with what she's going through because he hasn't really been there himself.

He just fundamentally doesn't understand what it's like to be a woman and to have an experience of being followed and to have that experience supported by a lifetime's worth of little moments that add up to just generally feeling unsafe or always having to look around and always being aware, always having this omnipresent gaze on the back of your head. Ultimately of course he's dismissive. Nobody's rooting for Francis, but I do think in my mind it was more of the tragedy of a lack of basic understanding because he's not capable of it.

Chloe, what draws you to genre filmmaking? The movie made me think about the early films of Kathryn Bigelow or Stephanie Rothman, and I've heard you talk about Mary Harron as an influence. Female filmmakers transform the genre into this space to talk about their experiences. What is it about genre filmmaking that allows like you to explore the issues of being a woman?

Okuno: I was just doing an interview where someone asked me, At what point did you realize that to be a woman is to live inside of a horror movie? And I loved that question and I really feel like there's a lot of truth to it. I feel like that's the reason that I'm so drawn to it and why a lot of women actually love genre and they're very well suited to be filmmakers of genre movies.

I really feel like it's because we, unfortunately, live with a sort of elevated level of fear and anxiety because we live in a world where there is a huge amount of violence against women. A lot of times it happens at the hands of men. And it's just a reality. So for me, it's the only way I can confront those anxieties. Being a filmmaker, of course, so much of it is about being in control. So when I'm shooting a scene that I've written that is essentially some version of a nightmare, it's not like the fear exactly goes away, but it's a way of having some momentary respite because I'm in control of it. I don't know if that's the case for other female filmmakers, but I would bet that's probably a big part of it.

Maika, youre still best known for It Follows, but also with films like The Guest and Greta, you have a lot of experience in genre. What do you like about acting in genre films?

Monroe: I grew up loving horror movies. I loved the feeling that you would get watching them. And in my career, I'm so lucky, but a lot of it is just by chance. I was sent It Follows and I read the script and I was like, This is insane, I don't know about this," but I needed to pay my rent and feed myself. ... Then I auditioned and met with [writer-director] David [Robert Mitchell] and David was incredible. And I saw his previous film ["The Myth of the American Sleepover"] and I was just like, "Oh my God, OK, maybe this will be something cool." And then it came out and it just really kind of changed everything for me.

There's something about shooting genre films that is maybe the most challenging for me. I feel like I grow so much as an actor from these experiences because it's so intense. Its chance that I'm sent these scripts, but I also think genre movies have come such a long way. I think It Follows, The Babadook, The Witch, those all came out around the same time. And I think it was really transformative for the horror genre. There's a lot of really great scripts and great characters. And also a lot of really cool filmmakers, up-and-coming filmmakers, female filmmakers. So here I am.

[Spoiler warning: The rest of this interview addresses the ending of "Watcher." If you haven't yet seen it and want to preserve the suspense, we recommend saving this to read later.]

What are some of the visual strategies to create the sense of isolation for Julia? Chloe, how did you figure out how to convey some of what's going on inside of the character?

Okuno: That for me was the whole trick of the movie  visually, how do I show Julia's interiority? And it was a lot of different things. It's a lot of conversations early on with the production designer and the cinematographer and the costume designer. I think it was important to have a color story that supported her journey. So initially she's wearing these very bright reds that pop because she's sort of unafraid to be bold and a lot of her wardrobe is a little bit more feminine. Then as the movie goes on and as she's feeling more fearful and feeling the weight of this Watcher's gaze upon her, we wanted to put her in these more muted, neutral colors that sort of matched our locations and our sets.

It's like she's physically trying to disappear, up until the very last scene  spoilers  when she's in red again, because she's covered in blood. So that was a big part of it. Of course as a director, I feel like it's your job to come in with ideas, but really you're drawing upon the expertise of all of your collaborators. So of course our set was so brilliantly and beautifully designed. And it was a lot again about color palette, but also about creating a space that has frames within frames. We can use those kind of Polanski-esque compositions. It was about choosing locations that were grand enough that we could have these massive wide shots where Maika was really, really tiny. And as the movie goes on, my DP and I used a combination of longer lenses and wider lenses. And we tried to have that help the story.

There's always exceptions to these rules. If people really break the movie apart, you're going to find moments that don't adhere to this exactly, but early on, we tried to shoot Maika with longer lenses so the camera is physically further away from her. That's a very voyeuristic style of shooting. But then as we progress, we switch to wider lenses. The camera is physically closer to her. You should feel like the camera itself is sort of a stand-in for the Watcher. And the Watcher himself is physically getting closer and closer until that moment on the train, when he's right in her face and we're in these very extreme closeups on both of them.

Chloe Okuno makes her feature directorial debut with "Watcher." (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

One really crucial question that I want to hear both of you talk about is simply that it turns out that Julia was right. The guy she thought was stalking her was totally the guy who was stalking her. From a storytelling standpoint, that almost seems too straightforward, but the truth of that is what's devastating about it. Was it important to you that in this story, where she's not being believed, that she had to be right? It had to be the guy she was saying it was.

Okuno: Yes, absolutely. It would've felt like a betrayal of Julia and a betrayal of what the movie was trying to say to turn around and be like, Oh, actually it was Francis the whole time. I personally love twists, but I don't love twists that are there just to be twists. I like a twist to be connected to some kind of emotion. There were times when I think we discussed, is there an alternate ending to this? Is it too straightforward? But for me, I think the whole point of the movie is that the whole time she's like, Hey, it's this guy, and nobody believes her. And then at the end, it's the guy. The twist is sort of that there is no twist.

Monroe: A reason why I love this script so much is that it was so simple and straightforward. And that's what it needed to be, like Chloe was just saying; that's the point. She needs to be right. Because that's the message that we're saying. And so I loved it. I just thought it was so great, just the blunt end to the movie. There didn't need to be anything else explained. That's it. That's all you're getting.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A weather warning for thunderstorms is set to dampen the Platinum Jubilee with the risk of soggy lunches on the final day of celebrations.

The Met Office has a yellow warning in place for thunderstorms across much of England and Wales from midnight until 6pm on Sunday evening.

Forecasters said the weather may cause travel disruption, with flooding possible in some areas.

 Yellow weather warning issued  Thunderstorms across much of England and Wales, valid Sunday 0000-1800 Latest info  https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs Stay #WeatherAware pic.twitter.com/0QuLof7zOl  Met Office (@metoffice) June 4, 2022

Heavy rain, and potentially even hail, will batter down on day four of Platinum Jubilee events.

Torrential downpours are likely in a few places with parts of the Midlands, East Anglia and southeast England most at risk.

The Met Office said some places could see 15-20mm in an hour, and even up to 50mm.

The thunderstorms will slowly spread into southern parts of northern England on Sunday morning before easing.

Further south, drier conditions are expected to briefly develop on Sunday morning before further showers and thunderstorms develop over some parts of southern England, Wales, the Midlands and East Anglia later.

Royal superfan Donna Werner, from the US, puts on a rain cover on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, on Tuesday (Aaron Chown/PA)

On Saturday, a yellow warning for thunderstorms is in place for parts of southwest England until the early afternoon.

Met Office meteorologist Steven Keates said he would not rule out rain for Saturday nights Party At The Palace in central London.

Theres a potential for a shower there, he said, adding: I think the shower risk overall is low, but the later we go into the evening that shower risk does come up.

Diana Ross, Queen + Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Hans Zimmer, George Ezra, and Eurovision 2022 runner-up Sam Ryder are among the celebrity acts preparing to entertain a live crowd of 22,000 people in the front of Buckingham Palace.

Friday brought sudden, heavy downpours to Wales, with the seaside town of Criccieth receiving 92mm of rain in just six hours.

Homes and businesses were left damaged and some roads impassable while many were celebrating the Jubilee.

Scotland recorded its warmest day of the year on Friday at 21.6C (71F).

The mercury is expected to continue rising north of the border to a high of 23C (73.4F) in the West Highlands on Saturday, with sunshine expected.

The good weather is set to continue in Scotland with more sun and dry conditions on Sunday.

Saturday is expected to bring warm temperatures of around 19C (66.2F) and sunshine for Northern Ireland, with a bit of cloud towards the south.

Cloud will arrive in southern parts of Northern Ireland on Sunday, potentially carrying a risk of rain.
Marysville, CA (95901)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 63F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 63F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Marysville, CA (95901)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 63F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 63F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Photo taken on May 25, 2022 shows a view of the Lahore Converter Station of the 660kV Matiari-Lahore high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) on the outskirts of Lahore, in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province.(Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

ISLAMABAD, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Muhammad Haris Mahmood, a 27-year-old Pakistani operation staff working at the Lahore Converter Station of the 660kV Matiari-Lahore high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line project, is elated on finding the project a great platform to polish his technical skills as he worked with his Chinese colleagues.

"I feel very proud to be working on this first HVDC project in Pakistan," Haris told Xinhua. "This project is a backbone of our transmission system. I am amazed by the reliability and stability this project has brought into our power system."

As a key project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the Matiari-Lahore transmission line project was completed by the Pak Matiari-Lahore Transmission Company (Pvt) Limited and started its commercial operation in September of 2021. It has the maximum capacity to transmit electricity of 35 billion kilowatt-hours annually.

Haris is one of the 38 Pakistani employees who work with the 23 Chinese employees at the Lahore Converter Station all the year round to ensure the smooth operation of the project.

"We adopt a mentor-apprentice training methodology in our work, in which Chinese employees provide one-on-one workshops to Pakistani employees to help them quickly build their operation and maintenance skills," said Wu Mingxing, the Chinese operation and maintenance supervisor at the station.

From personnel training to equipment assistance, the 886 km-long Matiari-Lahore transmission line project has a lot of Chinese features. It was invested, constructed and is being operated by the State Grid Corporation of China in accordance with Chinese standards, with approximately 98 percent of the project's equipment being supplied by Chinese companies.

"The project is guided by the concept of green and low-carbon development which China is actively practicing. It has brought green and clean electricity to Pakistan," said Yuan Jie, deputy director of the construction, operation and maintenance department of the Pak Matiari-Lahore Transmission Company (Pvt) Limited.

"Large capacity, long-distance transmission, high efficiency and low losses are the four main advantages of the project, serving as a guarantee of minimizing its environmental impact," said Yuan.

Insufficient power has always been a pain point plaguing Pakistan's economic development. The transmission line project has resolved an electrical shortfall in about 9.3 million Pakistani households, and around 7,000 jobs had been created for the locals during the construction of the project.

"The transmission project has alleviated the job problem of a portion of the local low-income population, and its long-term benefits will be evident and beneficial to the Pakistani people," Usman Ali Ashraf, CEO of Kamran Steel in the country's eastern city of Lahore, told Xinhua.

"'Made in China' and 'Chinese technology' has taken root in Pakistan thanks to the transmission project, which is consistently helping enhance Pakistan's power grid and foster the country's socio-economic development," said Qu Wentao, station manager of the Lahore Converter Station.

"It is one of the best examples of China-Pakistan friendship through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the CPEC projects," he said. 

Photo taken on Sept. 6, 2021 shows a view of the Lahore Converter Station of the 660kV Matiari-Lahore high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) on the outskirts of Lahore, in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province.(State Grid Corporation of China/Handout via Xinhua)

Technicians work at the Lahore Converter Station of the 660kV Matiari-Lahore high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) on the outskirts of Lahore, in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province on May 25, 2022.(Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

Photo taken on Sept. 6, 2021 shows a view of the Lahore Converter Station of the 660kV Matiari-Lahore high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) on the outskirts of Lahore, in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province.(State Grid Corporation of China/Handout via Xinhua)
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The minister was speaking during an interview at the Globsec 2022 Forum at the Slovak Capital Bratislava where he is on an official visit

New Delhi: The West has squeezed every source of oil that India had access to earlier, including from Iran and Venezuela, and if Europe is continuing to buy Russian gas despite the Ukraine conflict there is no reason why India cannot buy oil at competitive prices including from Russia, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar said on Friday.

He was speaking during an interview at the Globsec 2022 Forum at the Slovak Capital Bratislava where he is on an official visit. The EAM said, Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe's problems are the world's problems but the world's problems are not Europe's problems, adding that the European view seemed to be that if it is you, its yours (crisis) . If it is me, its ours.

The EAM said India would not accept any construct based on choosing between a Western camp and a Russia-China camp, adding that India was entitled to make its choices after examining the issues. He told the interviewer, This is the construct that you are trying to impose on me and I don't accept it.... My choices will not be cynical or transactional. There will be a balance of my values and my interests. There is no country in the world that disregards its interests. I am not sitting on the fence. I am sitting on my ground. The world cannot be that Eurocentric as it used to be in the past.

Asked about India buying nine times the amount of Russian oil since last year, the EAM said the Indian oil imports from Russia were from a very low base, meaning that India imported very less previously. He also referred to how fresh European sanctions on Russian energy had been levied in such a way that the population of Europe would not be exposed to shocks.

Jaishankar said, If you (Europe) can be considerate of yourself, surely you can be considerate of other people. So if Europe says we have to manage it in a way that impact on my economy is not traumatic, that freedom or choice should exist for other people as well.

He added, Today Europe is buying oil and gas (from Russia). I just read the new package of sanctions. It is designed in a way in which consideration has been given to the welfare of the population. So pipelines have a certain carve-out. And timelines have been given. It's not as if everything is going to be cut off tomorrow morning.

The EAM said India had to place certain restrictions on its wheat exports to stop global speculation in wheat stocks and possible hoarding by traders based out of Singapore and Dubai. What we saw happening to vaccines, we don't want it to happen to the wheat. The rich people got vaccinated and the poor were left (out)... ., he pointed out.

The EAM stated, The Ukraine conflict is creating a huge food, fuel and fertiliser crisis. ... Everybody in India is disturbed by the conflict ... they see the pictures... it has begun to impact people's lives, the petrol costs, the wheat cost ... it will impact farmers as they get along with sowing. ... when it disrupts the economy, it shows up in employment.

Asked whether Indian purchases of Russian oil were not funding Russian military operations in Ukraine as per the European argument, the EAM said, We don't send people out there saying go buy Russian oil. We send people out there saying go buy oil. Buy the best oil that you can in the market. I don't think I would attach a political messaging to that. Is (Europe) buying Russian gas not funding the war? Is it only Indian money oil coming to India that funds but not gas coming to Europe that funds (the Ukraine conflict)?

Let's be even-handed out here. Why don't they allow Iranian and Venezuelan oil into the market? They've squeezed every source of oil that we have. And then say you must not go to the market and get the best deal for your people. That's not a fair approach, he said. Dismissing certain allegations of profiteering, Mr. Jaishankar said, A country like India would be crazy to get oil and sell it to someone else (at higher prices). This is nonsense.

On China, the EAM said, We are going through a difficult patch in our relationship with China. We've had our differences in the past but we never had a situation where, after 1962, where agreements over not bringing forces to the border have been disregarded. A very large number of forces have been brought to the border. We've had a clash. People have died. And this has not happened now. It happened two years ago. ... It's also a useful reminder to Europe that there were other things happening in the rest of the world which sometimes Europe perhaps doesn't pay enough attention to.

In response to a question on Indias refusal to condemn Russia and why the West should back India against China, the EAM said many would in turn ask why would anyone in Asia trust Europe at all, adding, We have a difficult position with China. We're perfectly capable of managing it. If we get global support, obviously it is of help to me. But it's not a transaction ... I could point to a lot of issues where Europe has held its peace. ... Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe's problems are the world's problems but the world's problems are not Europe's problems. If it is you, it's yours. If it is me, it's ours.
The controversy was triggered after the US State Department released a 'Report on International Religious Freedom 2021'

New Delhi: Hours after US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken named India as one of the countries where "religious freedom and the rights of religious minorities are under threat," India fired back, saying that "racially and ethnically motivated attacks, hate crimes, and gun violence" on American soil are a source of concern for New Delhi. Urging Washington not to base its assessment on motivated inputs and to avoid biased views, New Delhi averred that the US should not play "vote-bank politics in international relations."

The controversy was triggered after the US State Department released a "Report on International Religious Freedom 2021" that was critical of India and several other nations. Late on Thursday evening (early Friday morning IST), in an embarrassment for New Delhi, Mr Blinken, releasing the report in Washington, said, "The report documents how religious freedom and the rights of religious minorities are under threat in communities around the world. For example, in India, the worlds largest democracy and home to a great diversity of faiths, weve seen rising attacks on people and places of worship."

The US government report was prepared by a team headed by the US Ambassador at Large for International Freedom, Rashad Hussain, who also accused "some officials" in India of "ignoring or even supporting rising attacks on people and places of worship."

The US report stated, "Attacks on members of religious minority communities, including killings, assaults, and intimidation, occurred throughout the year. These included incidents of "cow vigilantism" against non-Hindus based on allegations of cow slaughter or trade in beef... According to the United Christian Forum, the number of violent attacks against Christians in the country rose to 486 during the year from 279 in 2020."

Drawing heavily from media reports to list attacks on religious minorities in various states in India, the US report said, "Ten of 28 states have laws restricting religious conversions. Four state governments have laws imposing penalties against so-called forced religious conversions for the purpose of marriage, although some state high courts have dismissed cases charged under this law... Christians and Muslims were charged during the year under laws restricting conversions and some state governments announced plans to strengthen existing legislation or develop new legislation."

The report will be submitted by the US state department to the US Congress.

Hitting back on Friday evening, India said, "We have noted the release of the US State Department 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom and ill-informed comments by senior US officials. It is unfortunate that vote bank politics is being practiced in international relations. We would urge that assessments based on motivated inputs and biased views be avoided. As a naturally pluralistic society, India values religious freedom and human rights. In our discussions with the US, we have regularly highlighted issues of concern there, including racially and ethnically motivated attacks, hate crimes and gun violence."

The report also lambasted both China and Russia for what it said was a severe crackdown on religious freedom and referred to Chinas treatment of its ethnic Muslim minority, the Uighurs, and also Tibetan Buddhists.

Pakistans record was also criticized. Mr Blinken said, "In Pakistan, at least 16 individuals accused of blasphemy were sentenced to death by Pakistani courts in 2021, though these sentences are yet to be carried out."

On Afghanistan, the report noted that "religious freedom conditions in Afghanistan have deteriorated since the Taliban seized control, (and that) the Taliban regime and rival militant group ISIS-K have detained, intimidated, threatened and attacked members of religious minority communities."
Politics of fairly high stakes are being played out by various parties in choosing candidates for the Upper House

The Rajya Sabha elections for 57 seats to be held next Friday, June 10, has shown the jostling for space in a new light. The Samajwadi Partys decision to back Kapil Sibal, the Supreme Court lawyer and a famous Congress dissident till a few months ago who is contesting as an Independent, as well as Rahstriya Lok Dal president Jayant Chaudhary instead of Akhilesh Yadavs wife Dimple Yadav; or the BJP deciding to support media baron and Independent Subhash Chandra, or another media owner from Haryana, Kartikeya Sharma, reveals the thinking of the party bosses, whose hands could be tied much more in a Lok Sabha or a state Assembly election by caste and regional factors. Akhilesh Yadav has shown a spirit of generosity, which is part of a good political strategist. In the case of the BJP, the move to support Mr Chandra seems to be the tactic of torpedoing the chances of a Congress candidate.

The Rajya Sabha election has also turned out to be a way to offer space for talented individuals who can speak out but who do not stand much of a chance in a popular election. So, we have the BJP renominating finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and commerce, industry and railway minister Piyush Goyal, and the Congress picking former finance minister P. Chidambaram and former environment minister Jairam Ramesh to go to the Rajya Sabha. The BJP sent Jyotiraditya Scindia to the Rajya Sabha when the Congress could not because of internal party tussles, and in the bargain Mr Scindias exit from the Congress with his followers brought the BJP back to power in Madhya Pradesh.

So, politics of fairly high stakes are being played out by various parties in choosing candidates for the Upper House.

The Narendra Modi government over the last eight years had been rather frustrated by the lack of a majority for the party in the Rajya Sabha. It is only now that it has secured the numbers and therefore has the privilege of being in the majority in both Houses of Parliament. It will thus not be dependent on other parties to get various bills passed.

However, the focus of interest in this years Rajya Sabha elections has been on how the Congress would deal with the unrest in party, as the people who became dissidents and who led the G-23 were members of the Rajya Sabha, including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma and Kapil Sibal. Mr Sibal has found his way back with the help of Akhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh. There had been speculation that Mr Azad and Mr Sharma might also be accommodated. But it was not to be so. The Gandhi familys seal of disapproval is evident in the denial of tickets to Mr Azad and Mr Sharma, who had functioned as leader and deputy leader of the party in the House. It can only be speculated that the Congress has now closed the chapter of dissidence by snubbing Mr Azad and Mr Sharma. But dissidence has a way of raising its head, and the Gandhis cant hope to have completely ended it, especially when the party is not in power in the vast majority of states in the country, and it is in a bad shape in both Houses of Parliament.

What is the message that the BJP is sending by not renominating the long-time Muslim in the party, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, minister for minority affairs? The BJP has shown that it doesnt have to play the Congress card of accommodating a member of the religious minority, and that it can win elections without a Muslim. It has proved so in the last two Lok Sabha elections. It appears that by dropping Mr Naqvi, it is almost declaring that it is a party only of the majority community. And it also seems to believe that the interests of the Muslim community can be served by other communities, a dangerous trend despite its apparently benign intent.

However, the BJP is very sensitive on the representation of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). It tried to attract members of these groups as a way of establishing its foothold in these segments in the country at large.

Former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia, a senior BJP leader in her own right, was supposed to have found a place in the Rajya Sabha list, but did not. This is being read as a snub. This time around the party is looking to find a new chief ministerial face for the Assembly election in Rajasthan next year and, given Mr Modis penchant to look for surprise replacements, Ms Scindia stands to lose out. Mr Modis style has been a ruthless one of dropping the old guard and picking new ones. So, as part of this policy, Prakash Javadekar, who has had a good run in New Delhi since he came in 2003 from Maharashtra, seems to have come to a dead end as well, along with Mr Naqvi. So has been Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, chairman of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR), and a man with strong RSS connections. Mr Modi is looking for ways of minimising the presence of not just the old-timers but also the upper castes as part of his social engineering, which has been an ongoing process in the party for decades, something that former BJP ideologue Govindacharya had championed in the 1990s. Mr Modi seems to be quietly, and often not so quietly, bringing forward SCs, STs and OBCs. The RSS has been doing this for a long time, and Mr Modi, like a good RSS preacher, is carrying forward the evangelical work with greater zeal.

Given the populist propensities of most political parties, it seems that they find the Rajya Sabha a useful place, but they fail to recognise its constitutional importance as a House of Elders, which is meant to keep a critical eye over legislation passed by the Lok Sabha. Political leaders, especially those in power at the Centre, want the Rajya Sabha to simply rubber-stamp all that the Lok Sabha passes without any scrutiny. But unintentionally and unconsciously, they send members to the Rajya Sabha who perform a critical role without saying so, though very rarely do bills passed by the Lok Sabha actually get sent back to the Lower House for reconsideration.
The regent and Metropolitan of Australia and New Zealand Mar Yakoob III Danil was chosen. he served in Syria. He succeeds Mar Addai II Gewargis, who passed away in February. Informed sources say that the election represents a setback in talks on possible reunification with the Assyrian Church of the East.

Baghdad (AsiaNews)  The Ancient Church of the East has a new patriarch, elected during a quick two-day synod held a few days ago in Chicago, United States.

The meeting between the leaders of this Eastern Church is expected to put the brakes to the laborious and hard work of reunification with the Assyrian Church of the East; the choice of the new patriarch may not be a fatal blow, but it is certainly a hard one.

The possibility of bringing the two Churches back together had led to some moderate optimism after talks between the two Churches began in the US city on 9 May.

Mar Yakoob III Danil is the new patriarch of the Ancient Church of the East, succeeding the late Mar Addai II Gewargis who died in February. Since then, he acted as regent during the period of vacancy. Hitherto he was Metropolitan of Australia and New Zealand, seat in Sydney, where he arrived in 2005 after serving as bishop in Syria.

Some local Church sources say that the enthronement ceremony will take place in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, seat of the patriarchal see on 19 August.

According to the Baghdadhope website, the synod was quick compared to the usual duration of such assemblies. It was held in the same city where on 9 May the leaders of the Ancient Church of the East and those of the Assyrian Church of the East met to explore the possibility of reunification".

After decades of tensions, the two broke apart with the schism of 1968, when "divergences of different nature ended with the creation of the Ancient Church of the East", which just picked its third patriarch.

As for talks on reunification, although there are no official statements from either Church, well-informed sources, quoted on various websites and social media, suggest that the attempt at bringing the two Churches together are bound to fail.

Nevertheless, Church experts urge caution, to wait until an official confirmation or denial is issued. However, the bishop of Chicago and secretary of the synod of the Ancient Church of the East, Mar Gewargis Younan, spoke off the record, explaining the reasons for the divisions.

For the prelate, the two Churches are still far apart on the name of the reunified Church, on a shared liturgical calendar, and on the patriarchs general procurator. No discussion has been held on this last issue, the most important and hardest to tackle.

The relationship with other churches is another major issue, including with the Roman Catholic Church whose authority neither recognises.

Despite the impasse in the talks, which have been completely unproductive, Mar Gewargis Younan still believes that work towards reunification will continue.
by Sumon Corraya

The prelate warns the faithful and credit unions that the latters original goals are distorted if the former are not properly informed. Some 50 credit unions operate in the dioceses of Rajshahi and Dinajpur. Domestic migrants are made to feel welcome.

Dhaka (AsiaNews)  Bishop Gervas Rozario of Rajshahi, who is vice president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Bangladesh, expressed deep concern over the debts contracted by Christians in his diocese.

"In North Bengal (Uttarbanga), the parishes of Bonpara, Boni, Mathurapur, Faljana and Bhabanipur are supposed to be the richest," the prelate said during yesterdays celebrations marking the silver jubilee of the local Christian Cooperative Credit Union held at Notre Dame College in Dhaka.

Sadly, all the families of these villages have taken loans and some have a debt of 60-70 million taka (around US$ 680,000-785,000). They will not be able to pay them back even if they sold themselves, their wife or children.

The Church did not set up credit unions for this, Bishop Rozario explained. Looking at some beautiful homes in the parishes, he wonders how people could afford to build them. "How are you going to pay off the debts?" he asked people.

In North Bengal, the Christian Cooperative Credit Union was founded in 1996, but the countrys first cooperative credit union was created by American missionary Fr Charles J. Young.

Today, some 50 Christian-run cooperatives operate in the dioceses of Rajshahi and Dinajpur (which cover some 16 districts). Across the country there are around 900.

Unfortunately, some people find themselves unable to repay they debts and so are often forced to sell their assets to Muslims.

Bishop Rozario explained that credit unions have a responsibility to inform people about how to invest their money productively so that they can have a return and repay the loans.

Credit unions require honesty and proper leadership, the prelate said. Coop members often fail to understand [what they are getting into to). It's sad. Thus, some have distorted cooperative societies. But there are also good leaders. Not everyone is bad.

"For those of you who are here in North Bengal, the diocese has much to offer, he told migrants who live in Dhaka but come from the dioceses of Rajshahi and Dinajpur. Do not look to the diocese, but to your brothers and sisters, to the parents who need support.
The generals rejected the appeals, ensuring that the hanging will proceed. Despite the violence of the civil war, Myanmar had not carried out the death penalty since the 1990s. Ko Jimmy and Phyo Zeya Thaw had also opposed the previous military regime.

Yangon (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Myanmars military junta announced yesterday that it had rejected the appeal of two activists sentenced to death, who will be hanged according to prison procedures, said military spokesman Zaw Min Tun.

Kyaw Min Yu, a long-time democracy activist known as "Ko Jimmy" and Phyo Zeyar Thaw, a former hip-hop artist and lawmaker for the National League for Democracy, the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, who led the country before the 1 February 2021 coup, were found guilty of treason and terrorism by a military court in January.

Theirs are the first judicial executions in Myanmar since the 1990s. Two other men, sentenced to death for the murder of a woman believed to be a military informant, will also be put to death.

After the outbreak of civil war, Myanmars military junta imprisoned and killed thousands of civilians, but for decades judicial executions, usually imposed for serious crimes like murder, were not carried out in Myanmar.

The activists continued the legal process of appealing and sending a request letter for the amendment of the sentence, the spokesman said. A date has not yet been set for their execution.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the juntas decision as "a blatant violation to the right to life, liberty and security of person," his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The decision to move towards executing two prominent political leaders will be like pouring gasoline on the fire of popular anti-military resistance in the country, said Phil Robertson, a deputy director at Human Rights Watch.

Ko Jimmy, who was known for participating in the 1988 student uprising against the previous military regime, was arrested in October on charges of inciting unrest with his social media posts.

Phyo Zeya Thaw was jailed in 2008 for membership in an illegal organisation and possession of foreign currency. With his music he irritated the previous military government, but managed to get himself elected to Parliament in 2015 during Myanmar's transition to democracy.

Jailed former pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is set to be tried in-camera; she faces up to 150 years in prison.
A vehicle burned down in a wildfire is seen in Voula, a southern suburb of Athens, Greece, on June 4, 2022. A major wildfire broke out on Saturday afternoon in the southern coastal part of Athens, prompting a large response from the fire service as the blaze was reaching residential areas. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

ATHENS, June 4 (Xinhua) -- A major wildfire broke out on Saturday afternoon in the southern coastal part of Athens, prompting a large response from the fire service as the blaze was reaching residential areas.

Fanned by strong winds, the flames spread quickly across the foothills of Mount Hymettus in Glyfada and Voula regions, posing threat to inhabited areas.

The Civil Protection service issued an emergency 112 alert to residents of neighboring areas, urging them to evacuate their houses.

The fire seriously damaged four homes and burned cars, while one fireman was hospitalized with respiratory problems, according to authorities.

More than 100 firefighters aided by six firefighting aircraft and five helicopters dropped tones of water in an attempt to douse the blaze.

Greece suffers from many wildfires every summer due to high temperatures and arsonists.

In 2021, hundreds of blazes in the wider Athens region, the Peloponnese peninsula and Evia Island among others decimated more than 100,000 hectares of forestry and farmland in the wake of the country's worst heat wave in the last few decades.

In 2018, 102 people died in the coastal resort of Mati, near Athens, in Greece's worst-ever fire disaster. 

Firefighters battle a fire in a house in Voula, a southern suburb of Athens, Greece, on June 4, 2022. A major wildfire broke out on Saturday afternoon in the southern coastal part of Athens, prompting a large response from the fire service as the blaze was reaching residential areas. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

Firefighters battle a fire around a house in Voula, a southern suburb of Athens, Greece, on June 4, 2022. A major wildfire broke out on Saturday afternoon in the southern coastal part of Athens, prompting a large response from the fire service as the blaze was reaching residential areas. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

Smoke from a wildfire rises in Voula, a southern suburb of Athens, Greece, on June 4, 2022. A major wildfire broke out on Saturday afternoon in the southern coastal part of Athens, prompting a large response from the fire service as the blaze was reaching residential areas. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

A firefighter battles a wildfire in Voula, a southern suburb of Athens, Greece, on June 4, 2022. A major wildfire broke out on Saturday afternoon in the southern coastal part of Athens, prompting a large response from the fire service as the blaze was reaching residential areas. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

A firefighter battles a fire outside a house in Voula, a southern suburb of Athens, Greece, on June 4, 2022. A major wildfire broke out on Saturday afternoon in the southern coastal part of Athens, prompting a large response from the fire service as the blaze was reaching residential areas. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

A firefighter battles a fire outside a house in Voula, a southern suburb of Athens, Greece, on June 4, 2022. A major wildfire broke out on Saturday afternoon in the southern coastal part of Athens, prompting a large response from the fire service as the blaze was reaching residential areas. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

A firefighter battles a fire outside a house in Voula, a southern suburb of Athens, Greece, on June 4, 2022. A major wildfire broke out on Saturday afternoon in the southern coastal part of Athens, prompting a large response from the fire service as the blaze was reaching residential areas. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)
The other news of the day: Myanmar junta torched hundreds of homes last week, Sri Lanka hopes to attract foreign investment, supermarkets are stormed in Uzbekistan, Timor Leste inks agreements with China, Hong Kong students hide figurines of the democracy goddess.

PAKISTAN

Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced a ceasefire with the Pakistani government. The two sides held talks in Kabul, which are still ongoing, thanks to the mediation of a jirga, an assembly of leaders, and Afghan Taliban. The current truce will be extended until further notice. The TTPs opposition to Pakistan's security forces is aimed at taking over border areas with Afghanistan and impose Shari'a.

UZBEKISTAN

In Fergana, a city in eastern Uzbekistan, a huge crowd stormed a supermarket and emptied bread shelves after bread prices shot up on Wednesday from 1,500 soms to 3,000 soms.

RUSSIA

The last Sandero Stepway cars by Renault left the Avtovaz assembly line in Moscow. The carmaker also shut down its Mazda Sollers factory in Vladivostok, making all workers redundant. In March, 41,000 lightweight cars were manufactured in Russia, 72 per cent fewer than the previous year, back to the levels of the Soviet Union.

HONG KONG

This week students at Hong Kong University hid figurines of the democracy goddess on the university's campus to mark the anniversary of Tiananmen Square, defying Beijing's crackdown, which banned the annual vigil and closed the museum dedicated to the massacre of 4 June 1989.

CHINA  TIMOR LESTE

The government of Timor Leste signed a number of agreements with China yesterday as Foreign Minister Wang Yi completed a 10-day tour of the Pacific. The deals between the two countries cover technical and economic cooperation, media partnership and the sending of a Chinese medical team to the country. Military and security issues were excluded.

MYANMAR

Last week Myanmar troops set fire to hundreds of homes during a three-day raid in the Sagaing region. The villages of Kinn, Upper Kinn and Ke Taung were the most affected. The junta blames the fires on the resistance led by the People's Defence Forces, which it deems a bunch of "terrorists".

SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka hopes to get a billion dollars in foreign investment following two proposals to build renewable energy plants on the island nation, this according to Renuka Weerakone, general manager of the Board of Investment, which is evaluating at least 49 investment projects from different countries. Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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TIRANA, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Bajram Begaj, the proposed candidate by the ruling Socialist Party was elected as the new president of Albania in the fourth round held here on Saturday at a parliament session. 
Covering a total of 67,000 square miles (174,000 km) of the Alaskan wilderness, the place provides soldiers in the mood to play some games and test their equipment with all kinds of terrain imaginable, including rivers, mountains, and forests.The place is suitable for conducting exercises that involve the Army, Navy, and Air Force , and is used each year by thousands of troops as they go about practicing their routines. Aside from the American military, government and non-governmental agencies, as well as foreign nations, from time to time, go there and do the same.Needless to say that this means a lot of the most modern and potent hardware is tested there in various scenarios. But the place, like the entire Alaska, for that matter, is so spectacular that few human-made machines overshadow it.Take the main phot of this piece, snapped back in mid-April over the Complex, and recently published by the Air Force. It shows two F-35 Lighting IIs of the F-35A variety flying together toward the Indo-Pacific region, as they were looking to modernize defense capabilities in the region.Flown by pilots of the 354th Fighter Wing, stationed at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, and one of the first units to field large numbers of F-35s, the beasts are spectacular, flying over the snow-covered ground below.But despite flexing their muscles in a very impressive way, and the detailed close-up that is this photo, that snow-covered ground below seems to be stealing the spotlight nonetheless, showing that not even war (games) can overshadow nature.
We spend a lot of time talking about Honda s legendary CB750, but lets not forget that a great deal of success was also enjoyed by the smaller CB350. More than 250,000 copies left the factory during the models production run, with sales peaking at a whopping 67,180 units in 1972.By todays standards, classic UJMs are light years away from what most of us would describe as reliable, but the seventies were a different story. I mean, the mere fact that these machines didnt leak oil was enough to bring Japanese manufacturers into the spotlight, though this wasnt the only thing setting them apart from their competition.Briefly speaking, there was no shortage of reasons for buyers to pick a trusty UJM over an English twin or some clunky road behemoth made by Harley. A motorcycle like the 1972 Honda CB350 shown above can really give you a mid-sized taster of what these vintage game-changers were all about. Thus, you may be pleased to learn that its currently up for grabs with 4,500 miles (7,300 km) on the odometer!The no-reserve auction will be open on Bring a Trailer until June 6, and youd only need about three grand to top the highest bid  at least for now. Before you proceed to check this thing out on the BaT website, we invite you to join us for a brief overview of its fundamentals.Drawing power from an air-cooled 325cc parallel-twin mill with four valves actuated via a single overhead cam, the CB350 is able to generate 36 hp and 18 pound-feet (25 Nm) of torque. These figures may not sound like much, but youll have to keep in mind that Hondas gem weighs just 375 pounds (170 kg). With this being said, the bikes power output digits are beginning to sound perfectly adequate, and they can lead to a top speed of 103 mph (165 kph).
NHTSA

ADAS

FSD

Full Self-Driving

EV

If that was not enough, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) discovered that the safety regulator would also release information on crashes involving driving assistance technologies.said it wanted to offer more transparency on crashes involving new(advanced driver-assistance systems). Not by chance, two of the most famous ones available are Autopilot and), both offered by Tesla vehicles.Themaker claims these systems make driving safer. Despite that, at least three fatal crashes involved the use of Autopilot. Tesla blamed the drivers for trusting the system more than they should, as it warns in its legal disclaimer. Philip Koopman called that a moral crumple zone. Elon Musk used to say that there were no crashes involving FSD. After at least three incidents, Tesla advocates changed its defense to nobody died using it.Suppose NHTSA really discloses the information on ADAS crashes this month. In that case, well finally have an official picture of what these systems are doing without having to count on what the media manages to learn. The good news is that the safety agency seems to be going deeper into the possible causes of these crashes.When it comes to Autopilot, the letter NHTSA sent Tesla asks for many more details than the PE started with. According to Associated Press , the safety regulator wants to know the initial speed of when the EVs began to brake, final velocity, average deceleration, if the cars detected obstacles that justified the car braking, and videos of the events.NHTSA also wants to know how Tesla vehicles detect metal bridges, oncoming and cross traffic, s-shaped curves, how Autopilot is able to classify cars of different sizes, the owners names, and how Tesla fixed those cars presenting phantom braking  and if it did. Among these names, we should see Steve Wozniak , who complained about hundreds of phantom braking episodes before he finally sold his Tesla and bought a Lucid Air.The most crucial part of the letter is probably the one in which NHTSA wants to understand how Teslas deal with reflections, glare, and shadows. The safety agency also wants to know how the EV maker prevents issues when snow or heavy rain blocks cameras. Tesla stopped selling its vehicles with radars and decided to rely solely on cameras, a system that the company calls Tesla Vision. We do not doubt the NHTSA will ask why.
Built for him, Moneikos never became a charter yacht, as many millionaire-owned pleasure craft do. This treasured toy with a noble DNA has stayed in the family and wasnt replaced by something flashier, demonstrating its owners consistency and discrete spirit.The man who is currently considered Italys richest, Giovanni Ferrero, inherited his fathers chocolate empire, the famous maker of Nutella. Leonardo Del Vecchio, occupying the second place, is a self-made billionaire. He wasnt born into a rich and famous family  on the contrary, his widowed mother had to send him to an orphanage when he was still a young child. Now, at age 87, he is one of the wealthiest people in the world (ranked #51 by Forbes ).He founded his eyewear company when he was only 25 years old, after having learned about eyewear while he was apprenticing at a car and eyewear parts factory and attending a design school at the same time. Luxottica is now considered the worlds largest glasses and lenses manufacturer, making glasses for numerous luxury brands, such as Chanel and Burberry.His beautiful Moneikos was born in 2006. Already the owner of a 50-meter (164-foot) yacht from the prestigious Codecasa Italian brand, Del Vecchio decided to upgrade. A 62-meter (203-foot) vessel with the same name was built at the Viareggio shipyard. The yards engineers worked with Anna Dellarole of Della Role Design, to deliver the striking ship that was said to cost $40 million at the time.The five-deck yacht designed to offer Del Vecchios family even more space and comfort was built with a steel hull and a lighter, aluminum superstructure, also featuring precious woods such as dark African wenge for the floors and light maple for the walls. Its interior was described as peaceful and Zen-like, due to the minimalistic, ultra-modern approach.Moneikos most striking features are the large rectangular windows and the contrasting dark strips that accentuate each level of the superstructure  as the Superyacht magazine points out, these features make it look like an ancient Mesopotamian tower (ziggurat). Hand-lacquered ceilings and monochromatic bathrooms add to the sophisticated style.On the sundeck, an impressive gym with large sliding doors opens onto the sunbathing area. Here, an oversized swimming pool fitted with a continuous-flow generator (for aqua-therapy) is surrounded by a lavish seating area. Underneath this space, on the upper deck, is where the owners suite and the main dining room are located. The suite features a walk-in closet, a sprawling bathroom, and offers gorgeous 180-degree views. The dining room can seat up to 16 guests, with food being sent up by a silent dumbwaiter from the well-equipped galley.A beautiful staircase and an elevator connect all the decks. Moving on to the main deck, which is the largest, we would find some of the seven guest cabins. All of them feature en-suite bathrooms, private lounges, and writing desks. According to the Superyacht magazine, this deck is also dedicated to kids, who get to enjoy their own dining room and a relaxation room. The babysitters cabin and the laundry room are also located here.The rest of the guest cabins are placed on the lower deck, as well as the crew cabins, and the tender garage. Finally, the engine room houses the twin 2,450 hp Caterpillar engines that allow Moneikos to hit up to 17 knots (19.5 mph/31.4 kph).At an economical speed of 14 knots (16 mph/26 kph) Moneikos can cover 6,000 nautical miles (6,900 miles/11,112 km). This is possible also thanks to the three generators (plus a fourth emergency one) and desalination system that keeps the fresh water supply at optimal levels.The Italian luxury brands seventh-largest superyacht, Moneikos proves to be fitted for a billionaire even after almost two decades. Younger superyachts may be flashier, but theres a reason why the elegance of these old-school private luxury toys is considered timeless. It will be up to Del Vecchios heirs in the future to decide whether Moneikos will stay in the family even longer.
This time, the items include more than just individuals: they are whole vessels, one very large, Russia-based luxury yacht management company and several other smaller ones, relatives of sanctioned oligarchs and their assorted businesses, and aircraft fleets . God is also included on the new list of designations, though not the one up above, but Jewish-Russian God Semenovich Nisanov, the countrys biggest and richest real estate developer.The full list of designations is available at the link , while the press release below offers more details. A cursory glance at the list reveals that many of the superyachts that are already in friendly waters , in places like Turkey and Dubai, having rushed to safety as soon as sanctions went up, are now included. The U.S. is choosing to forgo the whole ordeal about having to establish actual ownership from paper ownership, and is targeting vessels directly.Theres The Flying Fox , the largest superyacht offered for charter in the world and the 19th by size overall, a $400 million vessel by Lurssen, owned by Dmitry Kamenschik, and which was briefly arrested in Costa Rica before it suddenly sailed off and disappeared. Theres Madame Gu and its entire fleet of toys, including the custom (and matching) helicopter 3A-MGU and the P4-MGU private jet. Graceful, one of Putins many yachts and the first one to sail away to safety even before the war started, is now designated. Olympia, another one of Putins yachts, is also included, as are Shellest and Nega: also his, but owned on paper by Non-Profit Partnership Revival of Maritime Traditions.Imperial Yachts, one of the largest yacht management companies in the world and the only one to offer the likes of The Flying Fox for charter, is also on the list. Owned by Evgeniy Borisovich Kochman, Imperial Yachts offers a variety of services, from charter to hiring personnel and taking care of resupplies. In this capacity, it offered Putin and his associates a complex support network to hide, move, and maintain their wealth and luxury assets, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson says in a statement.Now that Imperial Yachts is sanctioned (blocked, as OFAC puts it), it cant do business in the U.S. or with any U.S. partner for any work related to their portfolio of yachts, whether its for parts and service, staff and training, payroll, or supplies.Speaking to The Insider , a spokesperson for the company calls the allegations false, adding that they plan to pursue all available legal remedies to resolve this matter promptly, because Imperial Yachts conducts all its businesses in full compliance with laws and regulations in all jurisdictions in which we operate. We are not involved in our clients' financial affairs.
As frail as it might look with its thin bicycle-like wheels, the Citroen 2CV was designed to be a rugged 4-seater with the ability to go off-road. As Holland puts it, it was only sold to people who needed them, who couldnt afford any type of car.While it doesnt look like anything anyone would fight over at an auction, the Citroen 2CV had a cult-like following during its hay days.While affordable, the 2CV (two-horses) or La Deux-Chevaux isnt the most luxurious or safe. Its name came from fiscal power, according to the French tax system. According to the collection owner, the 2CVs safety is like driving an umbrella.The Citroen 2CV was never a fast car. The initial version came with an air-cooled 2-cylinder, 375 cc engine making 9 hp (9 ps) with a top speed of 40 mph (64 km/h). The 1986 Charleston variant was slightly more powerful, producing 29 hp (29 ps), and could do the 0 to 62 mph (0-100 kph) run in approximately half a minute (about 33-seconds).The Citroen 2CV was all about simplicity. As Holland puts it, instead of trying to make some fancy linkage, they wanted to keep it simple. The shifter is a rod that goes in and attaches to a little L bracket and into the transmission.According to Holland, the more weight you put in, the longer the wheelbase. Therefore, the heavier the load, the more stable the Citroen 2CV got.Behind the wheel, the Citroen 2CV isnt fast or thrilling to drive , not from a performance perspective. The duo reported a lot of lean turning on a full circle. They also recommended taking your time getting into the highway (its snail-paced acceleration could put you in harms way).On a lighter note, James feels the Citroen 2CV is the kind of car hed feel the need to pull over and have a picnic with some wine and cheese.
Palmdale, CA (93550)

Today

Sunny skies with gusty winds developing later in the day. High around 100F. WNW winds at 5 to 10 mph, increasing to 20 to 30 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear skies. Low around 65F. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph.
Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

Sunshine. High around 95F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear. Low 69F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Even for a company with customers and employees spread across 15 countries, it felt a little clunky shuttling between greenhouses in Edison, l
Beaumont ISD Superintendent Shannon Allen has been selected as the Texas Parent Teacher Association's "Superintendent of the Year."

Allen was selected out of 300 nominations at the elementary, secondary and district level across the state, according to a district announcement.

"It is Texas PTA's privilege to highlight the people who work tirelessly in our state's public schools to make a difference," Texas PTA President Suzi Kennon said in the announcement. "We believe that student success is best fostered by collaboration between parents, families and teachers -- that is exactly what these administrators and educators help make a reality every day."

Every year, Texas PTA requests nominations for "outstanding" educators in PTA schools across the state. After a review process, award recipient selections are based on both the nomination and nominee profile.

RELATED: Focused and committed: How BISD's superintendent rose through ranks of leadership

Allen, BISD's first female superintendent, was nominated by West Brook High School PTA President Michelle Rasa who commended Allen's motto, "Every moment matters."

"She has stressed this throughout the district with students, parents, faculty and staff," Rasa said in her nomination. "The initiatives she puts forward throughout the district have this underlining theme of taking advantage of the moments we have with these students both in and out of the classroom. No moments are wasted. When we were hit with the pandemic, rather than focusing on the negative or trying to do just what it takes to get by, she doubled down on her motto, sharing that now, 'Every moment matters -- beast mode.'"

Appointed superintendent in 2019, Allen's tenure has been by tried by a series of crises -- Tropical Depression Imelda shortly after appointment, other weather events and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"Just like many leaders across our nation, we're trying to keep the pandemic from sucking the life out of what it is that we're supposed to be doing, which is to educate our children," Allen told The Enterprise in February. "We're in that transition phase is what I say. We're in it, it's not over, (and we are) transitioning to a new way of educating our students and it's painful. It's hard. But we're going to get through it. I have no doubt we're going to get through it."

RELATED: Beaumont school district to increase employee salary

One of Allen's passions that she's previously discussed is literacy in the community.

She told The Enterprise in February that as superintendent, she wants to break the cycle of poverty in the community by providing an "exemplary education" for students.

Her path toward the superintendent's chair was not straightforward. At times, she was turned down for job opportunities that would have advanced her career, though she never left the district and continued her work.

"I tell anybody, don't mourn a door that's closed because it closed for a reason," she previously said. "I've seen that. If it closed, it will open again. If you're supposed to be somewhere, if you're supposed to have an opportunity, you're going to get that opportunity. Stay focused, stay committed, and keep doing good work."

Allen will be recognized at the Talk of Texas Luncheon during Texas PTA's annual convention in Grapevine in late July where she has been invited to attend.

olivia.malick@hearst.com

twitter.com/OliviaMalick
Nobody likes to travel. It makes everyone want to go to distant places during the holidays. Ooty, Kodaikanal, Shimla and Ladakh are some of the important tourist destinations in India. However, many people avoid foreign travel for the reason that they need to get a visa and know the procedures involved. However, some islands in the world allow travelers to enter without a visa. So look at the islands where Indians can travel without a visa.

Maldives

It is said that you do not need to have a visa to visit these islands located in the Indian Ocean. However, you must have a ticket, hotel booking details, and a bank statement.

Fiji

Fiji, the main island in the Pacific Ocean, also seems to allow Indians to enter without a visa. Situated on one side of the sea and on the other side of the coconut groves, the island attracts tens of thousands of tourists. Deep sea swimming, also known as scuba diving, is very popular here. Indians are said to be able to stay on the island of Fiji for up to 4 months without a visa. As with the rules in the Maldives, you must have a ticket, hotel booking details and a bank statement. Importantly your passport must be valid for at least 6 months.

Jamaica

Jamaica, the fourth largest island in the Caribbean, also seems to allow Indians without a visa. Here are not only islands, but also rainforests, coral reefs, swamps, caves and numerous rivers. Indians can stay here for up to 14 days without a visa. If you have the same documents as in Fiji, Jamaica will warmly welcome you.

Tuvalu

Tuvalu is a beautiful island located in the South Pacific. The blue sea and the dense coconut groves are the highlight of the island. Nearby are small islands. If you want to go to Tuvalu, you need to have a round trip ticket, hotel booking details and a bank statement. Importantly your passport must be valid for at least 6 months.

Mauritius

Mauritius is one of the most important tourist islands in the world, located in North Africa. Mauritius offers magnificent beaches and trekking to tourists. If you are going to this island your passport must be valid for at least 6 months. You will need to have a ticket to visit here, the hotel booking details where you will be staying, and a bank statement.

Many islands, like this one, offer Indians visa-free travel. Before traveling, ask your travel agent for the necessary documents and travel regulations currently in place.
Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. High 74F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming cloudy with periods of rain after midnight. Low 59F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
A vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is displayed on a counter at a pharmacy in Portland, Ore., on, Dec. 27, 2021. On Friday, The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly claiming that a new study from researchers at the National Institutes of Health and Moderna shows COVID-19 mRNA vaccines hurt long-term immunity to Covid after infection."
PITTSFIELD  A judge Friday denied a defense motion to dismiss the case of the vehicular manslaughter against Joseph Thompson, the founding director of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. His trial will begin Monday.

Defense lawyer Timothy Shugrue filed an emergency motion to dismiss on Friday morning, claiming the Berkshire District Attorneys Office shared three sets of information with the defense at a late stage, amounting to what he called prosecutorial misconduct.

After an afternoon hearing, Judge Jennifer Tyne denied Shugrues motion, setting the stage for jury selection to begin at the start of next week.

The jury empanelment process starts Monday morning. Jurors are expected to take a trip to North Adams later that day to view the scene of the July, 20, 2018, crash in the area of Church and Ashland streets.

In his emergency motion seeking to dismiss, Shugrue said the deadline for discovery was last November and that the late breaking disclosure of evidence is highly prejudicial to the Defendant and appears to be vindictive in nature.

The first tranche of information Shugrue said was shared late were 10 photos taken by a crash reconstructionist. The photos depicted Thompsons vehicle, and the motorcycle that Steven Fortier was riding in the crash that killed him.

Tyne agreed the photos were shared late and Assistant District Attorney Melissa Brooks said they should have been turned over.

Brooks said she is prepared to go to trial without them, and Tyne said the elements depicted in the photos are present in other images the defense already had from its expert.

Tyne agreed with Shugrues request to exclude those pictures from the trial.

The second disclosure concerned informal statements Brooks took Wednesday and Thursday from witnesses, which she said she then summarized and shared with Shugrue in an email Thursday afternoon.

Brooks said she came late to the case and needed to speak with the witnesses, adding that Id be remiss if I had these conversations and didnt tell the defense that this is what these people said.

The statements in the email wont be entered into evidence. Tyne indicated the witnesses may be called to testify.

The third disclosure involved about 100 pages of reports by now retired Sgt. James Burdick, the crash reconstructionist from North Adams police, who Shugrue said will testify for the defense.

Brooks said the reports pertained to past crashes Burdick was involved in investigating and will only come into play during cross examination, therefore they werent subject to the discovery deadline.

Shugrue said after the hearing he was very, very surprised and disappointed that all this information is being given to me, literally two business days before trial. It seems like a trial by ambush.

Shugrue is running against incumbent Berkshire DA Andrea Harrington, with about three months before the Democratic primary in September.

Prosecutors will argue that Thompson was at fault for the crash, which Brooks described as a head-on collision, after which Fortiers motorcycle traveled down the side of Thompsons SUV.

The defense will argue that Fortier was intoxicated by alcohol and struck Thompsons SUV at a 45-degree angle after Thompson attempted to avoid crashing into the motorcyclist. Fortier was 49.

The trial will be heard before Tyne and is expected to last through Friday, June 10. The case will be decided by a jury of six, though two alternates are expected to be empaneled.
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A 27-year-old Nampa, Idaho, man is expected to be sentenced later this month after pleading guilty to soliciting sex with a minor online.

Benjamin James Cool pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree child molestation, attempted sexual exploitation of a minor and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes at a May 24 hearing in Yakima County Superior Court. His sentencing is scheduled for June 30.

Cool was one of 15 men arrested in November 2019 as part of Operation Net Nanny, an undercover operation where federal, state and local police went online posing as young children or a mother offering her children to anyone who would have sex with them.

In his plea statement, Cool admitted that he had sent text messages to someone he believed was a minor and arranged to meet with her for sex, as well as asking for an explicit picture of her.

When he arrived at the house where he was to meet a fictitious 13-year-old girl, he was carrying a box of condoms, according to court documents.

In return for his plea, prosecutors are recommending Cool serve 58.5 months in prison, three years of community custody and register as a sex offender for 10 years, according to court documents.

Cool is the third of the 15 to resolve their cases.

Bradley Vincent Tschauner, 32, of Ellensburg entered an Alford plea to first-degree conspiracy to rape a child in April and is scheduled to be sentenced June 10. John Bradley Raymond, 61, of Yakima pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree child rape and was sentenced to slightly more than six years in prison.

Of the other men, all but one is awaiting trial in Yakima County Superior Court, while David Elmo Curry, a 37-year-old Central Washington man, is being tried on attempted enticement of a minor in federal court.
BIG RAPIDS  Police have identified a body found dead along White Pine Trail as 36-year-old Ashley Nicole Godfrey, of Big Rapids.

According to a news release, officers patrolling White Pine Trail discovered Godfrey's body near Colburn Avenue about 1:30 a.m. Friday, June 3.

Through the investigation, police identified a 23-year-old male suspect from Mecosta Township and arrested him for open murder, the release states. Police have determined it an isolated incident, at this time.

The Michigan State Police, MSP Crime Scene Unit, Mecosta County Sheriffs Office and medical examiners office assisted the Big Rapids Police Department with this case.

This is the second homicide case in Mecosta County in a week. On Friday, May 27, Mecosta County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a residence in Austin Township for a report of a male with a gun and shots fired. According to a news release from the Mecosta County Sheriff's Office, deputies arrived to find three children  Katelynn Gillard, 6, Ronald Gillard, 4, and Joshua Gillard, 3  and their mother  Dawn Gillard, 40  dead from gunshot wounds.

In that case, investigators suspect the children's father and Dawn's husband, a 51-year-old male, of shooting them before turning the firearm on himself, according to the release. He was transported to Spectrum Health Big Rapids Hospital, then later transferred to Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids, before being transferred to University of Michigan Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition for his injuries.
The White House plans to sell Kiev four MQ-1C Gray Eagle combat drones, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing three people familiar with the matter.

US President Joe Biden intends to notify Congress of the potential sale in the coming days, the report said.

The Gray Eagle is the US Armys newer version of the MQ-1 Predator attack drone, which has been widely used for airstrikes in the Middle East.

The unmanned aircraft can fly for 40-plus hours and be equipped with up to eight Hellfire missiles.

According to Reuters, the sale could still be blocked by Congress or canceled by the White House. The plan has been under review at the Pentagon for several weeks, the report said.

A White House spokesperson referred Reuters request for comment to the Pentagon, whose spokesperson told the news agency that there was nothing to announce.

Last month, Biden authorized $40 billion worth of military and other aid to Ukraine amid Russias military campaign against the neighboring country. Washington previously vowed to supply Kiev with Switchblade anti-armor kamikaze drones and Puma surveillance drones. Ukraine, meanwhile, has been using Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 attack UAVs on the battlefield.

On Wednesday, Biden confirmed that Washington will be sending HIMARS multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine as part of the latest security assistance package.

Moscow has warned that any foreign-made weapon system will be treated as a legitimate target once it enters Ukrainian territory. Russia also accused the West of flooding Ukraine with arms.

Russia attacked Ukraine in late February, following Kievs failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscows eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German- and French-brokered protocols were designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state.

The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force.
HOUSTON, Tex.  The Rutherford Institute is calling on the City of Houston to address glaring constitutional concerns relating to a recently adopted ordinance that requires private businesses to install citywide digital surveillance cameras that can be accessed by police without a search warrant. The Exterior Security Cameras Ordinance, adopted by the Houston City Council on April 20, 2022, requires private businesses to purchase and install digital surveillance cameras that carry out round-the-clock, citywide surveillance on the populace while allowing police to access the footage at any time, for any reason, and without the need of a court-issued warrant. In a letter to the Houston City Council, Rutherford Institute attorneys warn that the Citys thinly veiled attempt to evade oversight and accountability for Fourth Amendment violations by forcing a quasi-private/public arrangement on private businesses regarding the ownership and governance of digital surveillance cameras will not likely hold up to judicial scrutiny.

By placing the burden of round-the-clock, citywide surveillance on private businesses, the City of Houston is clearly attempting an end-run around the Fourth Amendments warrant requirement as it relates to surveillance by government officials, said constitutional attorney John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute and author of Battlefield America: The War on the American People. This kind of warrantless, citywide surveillance program inevitably gives rise to a suspect society in which the burden of proof is reversed so that guilt is assumed and innocence must be proven.

On April 20, 2022, the Houston City Council passed an ordinance ostensibly aimed at addressing an increase of violent crimes due to the pandemic, social anxiety and economic uncertainty, open carry law and a strained criminal justice system resulting in a criminal backlog of cases. The Exterior Security Cameras Ordinance requires certain private businesses (all bars, nightclubs, sexually-oriented businesses, convenience stores and game rooms inside city limits) to work in consultation with the Houston Police Department in order to install digital surveillance cameras that record the exterior property areas at all times. Business owners must bear the costs of the cameras, ensure the cameras are in proper working order, maintain recordings for at least 30 days, and provide video footage within 72 hours to police upon their request without a search warrant. The Ordinance is slated to take effect mid-July. Failure to comply with the Ordinance is a punishable offense for business owners with fines up to $500 per day. However, as The Rutherford Institute warns, by lodging the responsibility for the cameras with private businesses, the City is proceeding as if it is not bound by the warrant requirements of the Fourth Amendment, giving police carte blanche access to the surveillance footage from these digital cameras. Consequently, the Ordinance does not require a judge or magistrate to confirm that the police demand for video footage is supported by probable cause of criminal activity under oath, it does not limit the scope of the video footage which can be requested by the police in order to prevent obtaining extra and unnecessary video footage, and it does not require the crime to be violent or even serious in relation to the Ordinances stated goal of reducing violent crime. The Ordinance also fails to limit the use and further dissemination of the video footage by the police.

The Rutherford Institute, a nonprofit civil liberties organization, provides legal assistance at no charge to individuals whose constitutional rights have been threatened or violated and educates the public on a wide spectrum of issues affecting their freedoms.
In a major walkback from his campaign pledge to make Saudi Arabia a pariah for human rights abuses like the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, President Biden will reportedly visit Riyadh with the goal of persuading Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to help the US alliance win its economic war against Russia.

The Guardian tells us the trip suggests Biden has prioritized his need to bring oil prices down and thereby punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, over his stand on human rights.

So in order to punish Vladimir Putin for his war crimes and his assault on freedom and democracy, Biden will be courting a tyrannical war criminal whose country has no freedom or democracy.

Washington will be ending its brief diplomatic dry spell with a government that has been waging a horrific war against Yemen while suppressing any semblance of human rights at home in order to more effectively punish Putin for waging a horrific war against Ukraine which were told threatens freedom and democracy throughout the western world.

I am not the first to note the risible irony of this development.

The Biden Administration is openly planning to pay homage to one [of] its closest allies  one of the most despotic and murderous tyrants on the planet, the Saudi Crown Prince  at the same time it convinces Americans its motive for fighting wars is to defend freedom and democracy, tweeted Glenn Greenwald.

The EU literally just banned oil from Russia (mimicking the United States actions) because they dont want to give money to a dictator. So Biden is travelling soon to Saudi Arabia to try and bring energy prices down  which is a vibrant democracy, as you all know, tweeted Richard Medhurst.

As part of mobilizing support for the great war for freedom in Ukraine, Biden will be visiting the great beacon of democracy, Saudi Arabia this month. Whats a little murder and dismemberment between friends? tweeted Joseph Kishore.

Indeed, one wonders if perhaps Putin could settle this whole conflict by staging a few mass beheadings and dismembering a Washington Post reporter with a bone saw to get on Americas good side.

A lot of people talk about the hypocrisy of the US empire, as though being hypocritical is the issue. But the complete lack of moral consistency in US imperial behavior is noteworthy not merely because of hypocrisy: its noteworthy because it shows the US empire has no morality.

Despite the astonishing deluge of propaganda and brazen government disinformation were being blasted in the face with painting the war in Ukraine as a fight between good versus evil, freedom versus tyranny, democracy versus autocracy, the truth is much less flattering to the imperial ego. In reality, the US is waging a proxy war in Ukraine for the exact same reason it remains close with Saudi Arabia: because it advances its own interests to do so.

Thats it. Thats the whole entire story. The US doesnt care about Ukrainian freedom or Ukrainian lives, it cares about strengthening its Eurasian geostrategic hegemony, and it would cheerfully incinerate every Ukrainian alive in order to accomplish that goal.

A lot of commentators like to say the US governments intimacy with Saudi Arabia undermines American values, but thats not true at all. The US isnt undermining its values by cozying up with Saudi Arabia, it is perfectly honoring and representing its values.

One only believes the US is undermining its values by partnering with Saudi Arabia if one assumes that US values include freedom, democracy, justice and peace. This is not an acceptable thing for a grown adult to believe in 2022. US values in the real world are domination and global power. Thats it.

Really if you think about it Saudi Arabia is just a more honest version of the United States. Its tyranny is right out in the open instead of being sneakily disguised under inverted totalitarianism. Its oligarchs and its official government are all the same people. It never tries to pretend its wars are humanitarian in nature. And when it wants to murder an inconvenient journalist it simply does so instead of dishonestly framing it as an espionage case.

In truth, when you look at its overall behavior on the world stage, the US is far more murderous and tyrannical than either Russia or Saudi Arabia . Pretending that Biden is lowering the United States beneath its values by visiting Saudi Arabia is highly flattering to the US. If anything, its the other way around.

______________

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More than a thousand students were praised for their ability to roll with the punches as Assiniboine Community College said farewell to this years group of graduates.

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More than a thousand students were praised for their ability to "roll with the punches" as Assiniboine Community College said farewell to this years group of graduates.

It was the first time in two years the college ran its traditional ceremony format.

TIM SMITH/THE BRANDON SUN Valedictorian Alexis Cinq-Mars receives her diploma from ACC president Mark Frison during Assiniboine Community Colleges 2022 graduation ceremony at Westoba Place Friday.

A total of 1,390 students from the Brandon and Winnipeg campuses, spanning 72 programs, were celebrated at the Keystone Centre Friday.

Graduates and their families enjoyed a barbecue outside of the arena, where many snuck off to take photos under the sunny sky before the procession started.

While "perseverance" was often used to describe what the past two years have been like for graduates, those at the ceremony had to do the same Friday afternoon.

Technical difficulties arose when the crowd was invited to stand for "O Canada." Those in attendance collectively sang the Canadian national anthem acapella, in what was a fitting way to end many students post-secondary careers.

Mark Frison, president of ACC, praised graduates for their unrelenting efforts throughout the pandemic.

"What these students have achieved by rolling with the punches through the various stages theyve been through is nothing short of remarkable," he said.

The community college switched to emergency remote teaching in March 2020 but kept many programs in-person  probably more than most institutions in the country, according to Frison.

TIM SMITH/THE BRANDON SUN Ravneet Kaur reacts as she walks up to receive her certificate during Assiniboine Community Colleges 2022 graduation ceremony at Westoba Place Friday.

"We didnt take a one-size-fits-all approach. Every program had a different experience."

The president also lauded his staffs attitude throughout the unpredictable period.

"[The instructors] were amazing. Beyond them doing a good job adjusting to those changes, I found our staff were good natured about [the pandemic]. I found they rolled with the punches in a way you could be proud of."

Alexis Cinq-Mars held valedictorian honours in this years class.

The 26-year-old graduated with a two-year social service work diploma while being a mother to four children, all seven years old and under.

As if that isnt impressive enough, she was also an Indigenous peer mentor, vice-president of the Assiniboine Community College Students Association and student council, and in her second year was ACCs first vice-president of diversity and inclusion.

She recalled putting her kids to bed at 8 p.m. before sitting down to cram assignments before a midnight deadline, and doing video conferences with a baby on her lap.

Cinq-Mars laughed when she said she wasnt sure if she was going to make it through the pandemic with her busy schedule.

"It was probably one of the most interrupted years," she said on a phone call Thursday afternoon. "I think the most important part is just showing up and being engaged."

"It was a lot of multitasking and staying focused on your work. When youre at home its easy to get distracted by everything else thats going on in your house. It took a lot of motivation to stay focused on the end goal."

Cinq-Mars, an immunocompromised person, said the most difficult part of her schooling was trying to find child care when her program returned to in-person learning.

She credited a great support system that helped her navigate learning in cohorts, to online, to in person, back to cohorts, then in person again.

"It was kind of an unstable year. I feel very lucky to be with all of the graduates who persevered through that."

Cinq-Mars plans to continue a full-time education at Brandon University this fall in gender and women studies.

During her valedictorian speech, she credited ACC for being a safe space where she could advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous women, promote Indigenous well-being and fiercely express her identify.

"Assiniboine [Community College] is a unique place where underrepresented voices can be heard and all it takes is a little courage," she said Friday afternoon.

Cinq-Mars said her goal entering college was to grow personally and be a beacon of hope for those who are underrepresented.

She left her fellow graduates with two important reminders:

"A path with no obstacle probably leads nowhere," and "Not every day will be good, but theres good in everyday," she said.

ACC will hold its second graduation ceremony in Dauphin next week.

 jfrey-sam@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @jfreysam
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Man arrested on fraud warrants

Police arrested a man for fraud Thursday night.

At approximately 9:30 p.m., officers reportedly saw a man sitting outside a residence in the 400 block of Seventh Street who was wanted on two warrants for fraud under $5,000, according to police.

The man allegedly went into the residence when he saw police, so officers acquired a warrant to go inside and arrest him.

The 32-year-old man was scheduled to appear in court Friday.

Man charged in potted plant assault

Police charged a man after he allegedly assaulted a store employee with a potted plant Thursday.

At approximately 4 p.m., police responded to a report a man was attempting to steal from a store in the 1500 block of 18th Street, according to police.

An employee confronted the man, who allegedly punched them and threw potted plants and a sign at a second employee. They did not need medical attention, police say.

The 27-year-old man allegedly kept throwing potted plants at the windows as he left.

Officers arrested him nearby and charged him with assault with a weapon, mischief to property and theft under $5,000. He was scheduled to appear in court Friday.

Man allegedly found riding stolen bike

A man was charged after he was allegedly found with a bike reported stolen from a shed.

At approximately 5 a.m. Thursday, police responded to a report of a shed break-in in the 800 block of Russell Street.

It is unknown if anything was stolen, but police say a second shed in the same block was broken into after the lock was cut. A red and orange CCM fat boy bike with four-inch fat tires was reportedly taken.

A third shed in the 900 block of Russell Street was also reported broken into and another bicycle was stolen.

At approximately 2 a.m. Friday, police allegedly came across a man riding a fat-tire bike that matched the description of one of the bicycles reported stolen.

The 27-year-old man was confirmed to be in possession of one of the stolen bikes and arrested. He was charged with possession of property obtained by crime and scheduled to appear in court on July 28.

Dog bite results in $200 ticket

The owner of a dog that attacked a man downtown last week has been ticketed by police.

The incident happened early in the morning of May 25 at approximately 12:30 a.m. A 63-year-old man previously told the Sun the dog bit him on the calf and the wound became infected.

He was subsequently treated in hospital and given antibiotics.

Brandon police public information officer Sgt. Kirby Sararas confirmed the dogs owner received a ticket after the dog bit the man.

The fine for dog bites is $200, according to the City of Brandon website.

 The Brandon Sun
Preliminary results from a survey indicating half of Prairie Mountain Healths doctors are near or already burning out is a wake-up call for the province, say the leaders of Manitobas NDP and Liberal parties.

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Preliminary results from a survey indicating half of Prairie Mountain Healths doctors are near or already burning out is a "wake-up call" for the province, say the leaders of Manitobas NDP and Liberal parties.

A Community of Practice study of 118 doctors was conducted in partnership with Prairie Mountain Health and Doctors Manitoba over the course of three years, as reported by the Sun Friday.

FILE Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont says physician burnout in Prairie Mountain Health is "beyond a crisis," after a report was released stating that almost half of PMH physicians feel exhausted due to high job demands.

Preliminary data from that study indicated 49 per cent of respondents reported experiencing high or very high levels of burnout. One of the driving factors reported is excessive job demands, such as working more than 40 hours a week (60 per cent reported) and being on call for more than 60 hours a week (52 per cent reported).

Mistreatment by patients, colleagues and workplace authority was also listed as problems physicians have to deal with on the job.

There are 271 doctors in Prairie Mountain Health, according to the study.

The health region is pleased to be involved in the Community of PracticePhysician Health and Wellness Project, said Michelle McKay, director of health services, primary care.

One of its core values is engaging with stakeholders such as physicians, staff, patients, clients and communities. It relies on using a "team approach" in the work it does as a region and placing significant emphasis on listening and moving forward on evidence-based planning and solutions.

This is why it was important to reach out to doctors to hear from them and collate the findings, McKay said.

"The issues and concerns noted from the survey, which contribute to physician turnover and burnout, are not unique to PMH, Manitoba or the country.

"However, the region is fully behind collaborative efforts with Doctors Manitoba and working group leaders to further identify actions and shared solutions. Enhancing strategies that address workflow optimization, mental health and wellness, resiliency, connections to peer and social supports and physician leadership and communication structures are just some of the important goals and objectives as we move forward."

Its no secret doctors in Westman and Manitoba have been working under tremendous pressure and this report is cause for concern, said Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew.

"These findings are a wake-up call and the government needs to do more to ensure physicians, along with other folks in the health-care field like nurses and health-care professionals, maintain work-life balance."

There are many instances of health workers leaving the profession because of burnout, he said. The province cannot afford for this to happen to anyone else in health care.

The NDP is calling on the Progressive Conservatives to address the causes of burnout among health workers.

"Lets ensure that the work level is sustainable and at the end of the day, if we pursue these solutions that patients can get the better care that they need."

He pointed out one of the solutions listed in the survey, which was doctors wanting improved communication between themselves, colleagues and leaders. Kinew said he believes the doctors have a better idea of what is best for their patients and the further away from a patients bed decisions are made, the worse the outcome for the patient.

Other solutions from the report included support for physician professional development, including leadership and wellness training. It also suggested activities and spaces that bring physicians together for discussion and connection.

Respondents also expressed interest in accessing personal-focused and workplace-based health and wellness programs, as well as in-person and web-based training related to physician health and wellness.

Upon receiving the report, Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said he was astonished at the high number of people reporting they were highly stressed, anxious and depressed over their work conditions.

To put it into context, the survey stated the national average for doctors reporting burnout is 39 per cent.

"One-third of physicians in the country [reporting burnout] is a crisis, but what is happening in Prairie Mountain Health is beyond a crisis," he said. "This has been going on for at least four years, but the pandemic has brought this to the forefront."

Another statistic that concerned him was the number of young physicians reporting stress, burnout and not being listened to by administration.

It all leads to communities losing physicians and medical staff and the closure of emergency departments and beds, he said.

"The fact that there are shortages everywhere means the PCs need to double-down on keeping people here," said Lamont. "People will be looking to hire people to leave the province, and the PCs have given people enough reasons to leave. They need to start to give people a reason to stay."

The Sun contacted the minister of health and deputy minister of health offices multiple times Thursday and Friday, but didnt receive a response by press time.

 kmckinley@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @karenleighmcki1
The death of beloved team member Scott Phinney in July 2019 left a gaping hole in the hearts of staff at CW2 Construction and Design.

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The death of beloved team member Scott Phinney in July 2019 left a gaping hole in the hearts of staff at CW2 Construction and Design.

Although Phinney, who loved cats, could never be replaced, the team decided to adopt a furry friend to fill some of the void.

KAREN MCKINLEY/THE BRANDON SUN Phinn, the office cat for CW2 Construction and Design, can be found greeting customers at the front desk and being spoiled by staff.

The following September, the business welcomed Phinn.

"I sent Becky [Farguson] to the pound to pick a deserving cat and we found Phinn and this has been his home ever since," chief operating officer Tanya LaBuick said. "We named him after Phinney to honour him."

Phinn was barely alive when he was brought to the shelter. He weighed only four pounds and was slated to be euthanized due to his poor health, but they took him in and nursed him back to health.

Phinn became a focal point for good energy after the loss of his namesake. Despite his tragic beginning, he has grown into a relaxed and playful cat.

Every morning during the weekly safety meetings, he is front-and-centre, curled up in a T-shirt, sometimes on the meeting table, as the team discusses business.

Most days Phinn splits his time between snoozing, playing with treat-filled toys and greeting customers.

"We have customers who insist they want to come in to pay their bills rather than the mail or electronically because they want to see Phinn," she said. "Even the mail people come in and ask wheres Phinn? Hes become the guy."

His fame has even spilled over onto social media, becoming the face of the company on Twitter, dispensing wisdom and sharing the thoughts of staff.

Having a full-time pet in the office has led to some in-house adventures. Farguson, who is the designated "head spoiler," recalled one time when Phinn found himself stuck in a supply closet with a bag of his dry food. He spent the night chowing down, only to be found the next morning well-fed and the closet needing cleaning after a night of feasting and no litter box.

Food is his greatest motivator. A simple shake from a bag of treats at the front desk and a muffled thud can be heard from upstairs, signalling Phinn is awake and coming for some snacks.

KAREN MCKINLEY/THE BRANDON SUN Ashley Collier, owner of Wildflower Counselling, sits on the couch at her office with Juniper, her family pet and soon-to-be trained therapy dog.

Phinn does get to go outside when he wants to, sometimes bringing back hunting trophies.

"He will bring in mice from the fields and occasionally they will still be alive and we have to chase it down," Farguson said. "There was one time when a customer pointed out a foot on the corner by the stairs to the upstairs offices."

While the firm is his home, there are days, such as extended holiday closures, where he must go home with someone. That duty falls to Travis Chastko.

Making the post-pandemic workspace comfortable has taken on new importance as people adjust to hybrid in-office and work-from-home models. That includes allowing pets to visit, either on occasion or as full-time "morale officers" to give people a break from stressful days.

In some industries, it isnt unusual to see animals, such as counselling, veterinary or agricultural businesses, but they have shown they can be a vital part of the business day in many more areas.

At Donald and Kehler Law Office, at least twice a week a pair of Bernese mountain dogs roam the halls and offices. Maude is 10 years old and a social butterfly while Fern, an outgoing but slightly skittish two-year-old is still getting used to being in a busy office, said owner Rhea Majewski, a barrister, solicitor and notary at the law office. Both dogs split their time either napping and visiting staff and greeting clients.

Maude had been coming to the office only periodically before the pandemic because Majewski would have to go to court. Office visits started when Majewskis house was under renovation and she asked if she could bring the dogs to work.

Then when COVID shutdowns happened, Majewski brought Maude to the office regularly because she wasnt going to court. She has become used to the office as a second home so she is in daily. Fern, however, only comes in twice a week because she is still adjusting due to spending most of the first two years of her life at home and in the office when clients werent coming in. She relies on Maude to reassure her if a person or situation is OK and Majewski has to watch over her in case she gets too excited.

The staff have come to expect Maude and Fern, even when Majewski isnt there.

"The other day I had to go to court for a client and hearing, and the staff were asking where Maude and Fern were, but she doesnt come in when Im not here and they werent happy," she said jokingly. "Whenever I take a vacation, they are like where are the dogs?"

The dogs are a calming presence around the office. Majewski said she finds people are more relaxed when Maude is in their presence. If she is working on a high-stress file or in litigation, she finds petting Maude calms her down. Maude is a very social dog, so having her at home for hours on end without people around causes her stress.

"If theyve had a stressful phone call or file, they will often come in and see the dogs and that chills them out," she said.

There has been at least one occasion where the dogs helped a client through legal proceedings.

KAREN MCKINLEY/THE BRANDON SUN Rhea Majewski offers a few treats to her Bernese mountain dogs Fern (left) and Maude. The dogs are regular visitors to Majewskis workplace, Donald and Kehler Law Office.

"We had one man going through a virtual civil trial and he asked if he could pet the dog during that and I thought it would help," she said. "The judge couldnt see this and it helped keep my client calm during proceedings. Its hard to be apprehensive when a dog is giving you a snuggle."

Pets in the workplace can be good for morale and fit into a more traditional therapeutic role if they have the right personality.

Ashley Collier said she has always loved animals and has seen their effects on people reluctant to talk firsthand. While working at a law office as a receptionist, she met a client who didnt speak much. They had a dog in the office at the time and in short order, the client was petting the dog and talking about how much he loved dogs and eventually shared his life story.

Collier earned a masters degree in counselling in 2018 and eventually opened Wildflower Counselling in Brandon, where she introduced her canine partner, a flat-coated retriever named Juniper, with whom she is working to incorprate pet therapy into her service.

"The night I finished my very last course, a message popped up from Funds for Furry Friends, who I volunteer with, and they had a one-year-old retriever-cross named Juniper," she said. "I said to my partner, Do you think this is fate? Two days later, she came home with us."

She had already been doing some therapy-type work and the foster family caring for her said she would make a great therapy dog.

Describing her as a gentle dog, Collier said shes been a great family pet. Her family calls her a shadow, because she is always following Collier around.

Juniper only comes to Wildflower Counselling as Colliers other workplace doesnt allow for dogs. However, she was acquired to be at Wildflower as a therapy dog and her work companion. Collier said Junipers role so far is informal, greeting people at the door and keeping her company in the office.

Collier and Juniper are receiving training through a group in Edmonton called Dreamcatcher. Juniper will likely have to be tested by the group to ensure she passes their courses before being able to work in a counselling setting.

Junipers role will be optional for clients. She will provide comfort to clients during sessions, as well as incorporate animal-human interaction into the conversation. For example, if Juniper were to get up on the couch and lay next to the person, Collier may ask how that makes them feel. If it is comfort, they may talk about where else could they get comfort like that in their life.

However, there isnt any formal certification at the federal or provincial level, Collier said. There are recognized groups like St. John Ambulance that offer training for therapy dogs visiting places such as hospitals or working in public spaces, but there is no regulated process to become a therapy dog or handler. The Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association has a membership for animal-assisted therapy counsellors in Canada, though, so the benefits are recognized in the industry.

Collier said she hopes someday there will be some kind of formal certification for animal-assisted therapy because she has witnessed the calming abilities. As a volunteer with Funds for Furry Friends, they would bring foster dogs to Brandon University during exam times to give students some relief from the stress of writing their final tests.

Having pets in the workplace isnt new, but it is gaining in popularity. The pandemic motivated people to adopt and purchase pets for companionship.

According to a 2021 pet population survey from the Canadian Animal Health Institute, 58 per cent of Canadian households reported having at least one dog or cat, with a total of 7.7 million dogs and 8.1 million cats. The survey also noted respondents said the special relationship between people and their pets as it kept them healthy, active and improved quality of life and mental health.

However, there are still several legal and financial considerations when a business considers opening its doors to furry friends. There are legal accommodations for service animals, but allowing a pet has its own set of challenges.

A recent study published by the National Library of Medicine titled "Dogs in the Workplace: A Review of the Benefits and Potential Challenges" points out while pets do provide stress reduction and companionship, several aspects need to be considered, such as bites, falls, phobias and allergies.

Not taking those things into consideration could have severe consequences for a business and the pets owner. Not accommodating someone who is allergic or afraid of an animal could run the risk of a human rights violation.

There are ways to address these challenges and protect a business, staff and clients.

It is unknown how many workplaces allow pets in Canada, but more people are bringing their pets to work or seeking out workplaces that allow animals in the workplace, according to an article by Chartered Professional Accountants. Several variables should be taken into account before going ahead with a pet-friendly environment, such as speaking to a buildings landlord to make sure the lease allows for pets.

Considering sensitivities such as allergies and phobias must be considered, the article stated. Legally that person must be accommodated, but workarounds could be discussed, such as proximity and times of day. A plan should be drawn up as well and should include how many pets are allowed and what kinds of pets, such as dogs, cats, fish, even birds and other species. Once a plan is decided, put it in writing and it must include responsibility in case of injury or damage.

Employers should also be upfront with new hires if there is a pet-friendly policy. Dong this will reduce the risk of this being an issue in the future and may help someone determine if this workplace is a good fit for them.

Majewski and LaBuick said allergies have been the main concern regarding pets at the office, but they are upfront with clients and new staff about their pet policy. Majewski said there was one incident where a client refused to come into the office because of the dogs and they had to accommodate by having them sign their paperwork outside. As well, both said they have discussed personal responsibility over any risks with staff.

For LaBuick, Collier and Majewski, having pets in the workplace has been a great success with no regrets.

Labuick said her business is even considering adopting another office cat.

"I think Phinn could use a friend and we would love another cat here."

 kmckinley@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @karenleighmcki1
You could be forgiven for thinking some of Australias society figures had fallen on hard times, based on their Instagram accounts.

Hillsong heiress Laura Toggs is selling her clothes on Depop. Credit:Instagram

The daughter of Hillsong founder Brian Houston has fast become a social media influencer giving her legion of followers a peek into her life as a Christian preacher and glamorous mum of three  not to mention the owner a very enviable designer wardrobe.

Laura Toggs (nee Houston), a pastor for Hillsongs youth ministry alongside her husband, Peter, is now offering up some of her pre-loved pieces for sale, which she promoted on her Instagram account last week.

Toggs, 35, listed a benny shirt by Australian brand Blanca studio on Depop, an online marketplace platform designed to allow people to sell clothes and other items remotely. But if you want to own the wardrobe of the Sydney socialite, youre going to need a fat wallet.
Two out of five young Australians are hesitant about having kids because of climate change, while Australia has ranked 30th of 39 countries on environmental conditions that affect the wellbeing of children.

A survey of 10,000 16- to 25-year-olds in six rich countries  Australia, Portugal, United States, Britain, Finland and France  found one in four young Australians is extremely worried about climate change, second only to Portugal.

Lucinda Crompton and Kaya Ozen are concerned about climate change. Credit:James Alcock

Eighty-two per cent of Australians in this age group are at least moderately worried about climate change, and only 6 per cent are not worried at all.

The survey results were published in The Lancet Planetary Health last year and republished in the Unicef Innocenti Report Card 17, which compares the environment and environmental impact of 39 OECD countries and the impact on under 18-year-olds.
Its not often the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal - and listeners - get to hear allegations of the behind-the-scenes practices of a social media star and celebrity cosmetic surgeon, but a hearing this week heard breathtaking stories of Dr Daniel Aronov at one of the countrys biggest cosmetic surgery practices.

Dr Daniel Lanzer (left) and Dr Daniel Aronov Credit:Stephen Kiprillis

At the same time, one of his colleagues Dr Daniel Darbyshire was down the road facing criminal charges over an alleged unprovoked critical injury assault of a 66-year-old man.

But for Aronov, a former senior associate of controversial celebrity doctor Daniel Lanzer, the allegations came thick and fast, including stories of him throwing human body parts around the theatre, a woman screaming in excruciating pain during surgery as Lanzer and Aronov was smiling, laughing and cracking jokes. In another incident a woman was alledgedly given a bedpan after liposuction, not wiped down, then Aronov proceeded with a tummy tuck.

The tribunal was instigated by Aronov who was seeking an easing of conditions on his medical registration imposed six months ago by the national health regulator.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size In your darkest moment, amazing people come along, says Christine Holgate. For her, that moment began on October 22, 2020 when a Senate estimates hearing in Parliament House heard that, as CEO of Australia Post, Christine had awarded four senior executives Cartier watches worth a total of about $20,000. Within hours, a fired-up Scott Morrison, prime minister at the time, told parliament he was appalled and the gifts were disgraceful. The chief executive  has been instructed to stand aside, if she doesnt wish to do that, she can go, he bellowed. A little over a week later, Christine had left her coveted role. But just as quickly, the amazing people Christine refers to came into her life  and often from the most unlikely of places. Billionaire Clive Palmer ran a newspaper advertisement in support of her. Post office licensees started a campaign of sending $5 notes to the prime ministers office to cover the cost of the watches. When a Senate inquiry was announced into her controversial departure, designer Carla Zampatti rang her to ask, Darling, darling, what are you going to wear? Christine recalls. On day one of the inquiry, she wore a jacket hand-picked by the fashion icon herself. On the morning of going to give evidence, I did wonder why, reflects Christine on the daunting task of taking on the government at the Senate inquiry. But part of it was, all these people have campaigned so much for me. Was I going to let them down? Her friend Carla had died the week before she was due to give evidence. Christine felt she owed it to her  and all of her other supporters  to fight on. Months before the Senate inquiry, a report by law firm Maddocks, hired by the federal government, had found no evidence of fraud or corruption in the gifting of the watches. The Senate inquiry itself would go on to find that Christine deserved an apology because she was denied procedural fairness and natural justice, and senators called on Australia Posts chairman Lucio Di Bartolomeo to quit for his role in her departure. Christine agreed with both recommendations. Neither happened. Fast forward a year to todays Sunday Life photo shoot and interview, Christine has come through these dark times and is now CEO of Toll Global Express, a $3 billion logistics organisation in Australia and New Zealand. Just last month she was awarded the 2022 Australian Award for Excellence in Womens Leadership by Women & Leadership Australia. Previous winners include former prime minister Julia Gillard and former governor-general Quentin Bryce. Christine wears Ginger & Smart jacket and pants, her own blouse, Saint Laurent shoes, and David Yurman jewellery. Credit:Steven Chee

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When meeting Christine, she breaks any outdated stereotypes on what it takes to be a powerful woman in business. She is calm and quietly spoken, with a gentle British accent. Intriguingly her manner is both cool and warm at once. Its easy to imagine that in a boardroom full of people fighting to be heard, her ability to observe and listen would set her apart. Loading Christine first made her name in business circles when she joined vitamins company Blackmores in 2008 as their new CEO. When she took the job, the share price was sitting at about $10. She immediately identified that operations in Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan were neglected, so focused on sales there before planning an entry into the Chinese market. It seems crazy saying this now, but back in 2014, when we were pioneering into South-East Asia and China, most companies were going, Oh, this is crazy, you should be up in the US market,  she recalls. But its a highly competitive market there. In Asia, natural health is part of the DNA of the whole health system. The strategy paid off. During her tenure, the share price had risen to more than $200. My best career moment was standing up and announcing that all employees had got nine weeks extra pay that year. Her huge contribution to Blackmores success was duly recognised, and in 2015, Christine Holgate was the first woman to be named CEO of the Year by The CEO Magazine. But she stresses the success of the company was a team effort. My best career moment was standing up and announcing that all employees had got nine weeks extra pay that year, she says. Rewarding workers for a job well done has always been important to her. After nine years with Blackmores, Christine accepted the role of CEO at Australia Post. It was hard to leave because it was like a family, but the timing felt right, she recalls.

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I remember Marcus [Blackmore, the firms founder and executive director] saying to me that going to Australia Post would be like doing national service, because he had been in the army. And I found it an absolute privilege to go there. I grew up in a rural, farming community in England. The post office plays a really important part in keeping that community connected. But what she wasnt expecting to find when arriving at Australia Post was that it was forecast to lose $426 million in the following three years. It was a slightly bigger economic challenge then I thought it would be, she admits. And I think most people dont realise that Australia Post doesnt receive any funding from the government. So it has to run as a profitable business in its own right. I grew up in a rural, farming community in England. The post office plays a really important part in keeping that community connected. Christine had to look at every part of the business that was making a loss and stop it, unless it was an essential service such as keeping a delivery standard for letters. What became evident from the review was that one of the areas running at a loss was the banking service. This facility allowed customers to do face-to-face transactions as they would at a bank, but it was costing Australia Post $48 million a year. Banks were closing branches, and effectively, what we could evidence was that when the banks close a branch, those transactions dont stop overnight, they just move to post offices. She had the choice of either closing the banking service and cutting it off to the communities who relied on it, or making it profitable. The way to do that was to charge banks a fee. Thats what became Bank@Post. The deal secured $220 million for Australia Post but, more importantly,

it kept face-to-face banking in those communities that needed it most. For Christine, these results warranted a reward for the four executives who helped make it happen. It was a question about: Did you reward four people? Yes, I did. I could have rewarded those people with $150,000 each, but I gave them $5000 watches.

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Christine wears Ginger & Smart jacket, Bianca Spender pants, and Saint Laurent shoes. Credit:Steven Chee So why the outrage from the former PM? It was just showmanship, thats the reality, she suggests. Hed had a bad week in parliament, which is what he says now: It was a robust day. That doesnt excuse anybodys bad behaviour. It was awful and extremely disappointing. Particularly when, just the day before, the prime minister and communications minister had thanked me for my leadership during COVID. It was what followed that outburst on October 22, 2020, which hit hardest. Most people see that moment in parliament, Scott Morrison doing his little thing, as the moment which was the worst. It wasnt. It was what happened in the days later, when [the media] started to make stories up and I had no right of reply. They depicted me in cartoon as a prostitute leaving Scott Morrisons bedroom. That cartoon actually got seen in England by my family. For me, that was probably the lowest. It showed how far people were prepared to go to discredit me. Loading Christine has openly spoken about having suicidal thoughts during this time. It becomes like an addiction, she says, still visibly shaken. It becomes the only thing that you can think of. Even at a table, when people are talking to you about something else, it gets in your mind. And it just feels like, I will be free of this. Everybody else will be free and I will stop all this happening to the people I love. I think it has taught me a lot. I think Im more compassionate having gone through it. I think it has taught me a lot. I think Im more compassionate having gone through it. Christine credits those closest to her, especially her husband, Michael Harding, as helping her get through the dark times. But it was the support of those amazing people that really inspired her to take a stand.

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It will be the biggest single addition to south-east Queenslands public transport system in a generation, but commuters remain in the dark about just how Cross River Rail will integrate with the rest of the train network.

Public transport advocate Robert Dow, from lobby group Rail Back on Track, said the Victorian government had been able to provide operational details for Melbournes Metro Tunnel project which, like Cross River Rail, was due to open in 2025.

A select few got to walk through the Cross River Rail tunnels last week. Credit:Toby Crockford

Dow demanded the same level of transparency from the Queensland government as he called for the updated rail map to be released.

It is not possible to build CRR without knowing how the network will operate, he said.
One-China principle bedrock of China-U.S. ties: Chinese ambassador

Xinhua) 09:01, June 04, 2022

The photo posted on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China shows Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang paying a visit to the Asia Society Texas Center in Houston, Texas, the United States, on June 2, 2022. (Courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China)

U.S. President Joe Biden's commitments must be earnestly followed, and this is the key to taking China-U.S. relations out of the current difficulties, says Qin Gang.

HOUSTON, June 3 (Xinhua) -- The one-China principle is the bedrock of China-U.S. ties, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang said on Thursday.

Addressing the Asia Society Texas Center in Houston, Texas, Qin said the Taiwan question is the most important, sensitive and fundamental issue in China-U.S. relations.

"President Biden clearly stated that the U.S. does not seek to have a new Cold War with China, to change China's system, or to revitalize alliances against China, and that the U.S. does not support 'Taiwan independence' or intend to seek a conflict with China," said the ambassador.

President Biden's commitments must be earnestly followed, and this is the key to taking China-U.S. relations out of the current difficulties, he said.

"The U.S. should abide by its commitments made on the Taiwan question in the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques. It should not keep hollowing out the one-China principle, support and connive at 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces, or claim that Taiwan's status is undetermined, because these moves will only create tension across the Taiwan Strait and endanger regional peace and stability," Qin said.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
Go Cards will no longer be needed for some south-east Queenslanders to take public transport, with a trial of bank-card-based travel to extend to Brisbanes north-west suburbs.

Introduced on the Gold Coast in 2020, new readers will be trialled on Brisbanes Ferny Grove train line from next week.

Local MP Mark Furner and Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey at the new smart gates at the Ferny Grove train station. Credit:Cameron Atfield

But, for now at least, concession cardholders and students will not be included in the trial.

Go Cards will still be accepted, but passengers will also have the option to tap on and off with their smartphones and watches, along with Mastercard, Visa and American Express cards.
It is not for no reason that Australia is known as the lucky country. Our healthcare system, opportunities for success, beautiful weather and landscape are the stuff of envy throughout the world. However, despite these opportunities, it is no secret that Aboriginal Australians have missed out on much of this prosperity. Many Indigenous Australians would also argue that it has come at their expense.

This past week we have celebrated Reconciliation Week, a time for Australians to learn about the history of Aboriginal people and their culture, and how each of us can contribute to a more vibrant and richer Australia.

Reconciliation Week is celebrated in late May and early June, to recognise the 1967 referendum and Mabo native title decision. Credit:Chris Hopkins

It is not random that Reconciliation Week is held at this time of year.

On May 27, 1967, Aboriginal Australians were recognised in the most successful referendum held in Australias history. This referendum saw 90 per cent of Australians vote towards creating powers for the government to recognise Aboriginal people in law and count them in the census.
As the first chill winds of winter hit Sydney, the minds of our well-heeled citizenry often turn to the bucolic surrounds of Bowral, with tech veteran Daniel Petre and his wife Carolyn chief among recent arrivals.

White Birch Farm includes a studio where John Olson painted his mural The King Sun. Credit:

Daniel Petre has joined the throngs of Southern Highlands holiday home owners. Credit:Louie Douvis

On Friday, the philanthropic couple settled on the Robertson weekender White Birch Farm, paying $6 million to investment banker Ray Shorrocks and his wife Stephanie Tetu.

The off-market purchase  through Christies James Hall, according to Instagram  comes at a momentous time for the Lavender Bay-based Petre, regarded as somewhat of a godfather of Sydneys tech scene.
(BoB) is set to benefit from the government's thrust on increased and other investments to revive the economy, its Chairman Hasmukh Adhia said.

Addressing the state-run lender's shareholders in its latest annual report, he further said the bank has a positive outlook for 2022-23.

"The of India has come up with many initiatives for increasing spending on infrastructure projects and other investments to revive the . The banking industry of course would be benefited due to increase in the demand for bank credit and would be a key beneficiary of these developments," he said.

The bank has shown that it is adaptable to change and has been able to respond quickly to the evolving macroeconomic conditions, he said, adding it has fine-tuned its operational capabilities and increased its delivery capacity.

BoB has adopted a 'phygital' model by offering the latest products and services using its strong digital platform along with conventional branch banking, Adhia noted.

The major business goals and objectives of the bank are focused on creating a sustainable and profitable business model with a greater customer-friendly approach, adopting latest technological innovations to increase its brand name, he added.

The bank is now on a firm footing in terms of both operational and financial performance. It is well positioned to support the growth aspirations of the Indian and fulfil the expectations of all stakeholders, the annual report 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.)
Larsen and Toubro Infotech on Saturday said its Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Sanjay Jalona has relinquished office.

Jalona had resigned on May 6 after announcing the merger of Mindtree with Larsen and Toubro Infotech (LTI), citing personal reasons.

"Sanjay Jalona has relinquished the office of chief executive officer and managing director of the company with effect from close of business hours of June 3, 2022," LTI said in a regulatory filing.

The company is yet to announce Jalona's successor.

He joined LTI from Infosys where he worked in various roles for over 15 years.

After putting in his papers, Jalona in a blog post had said his tenure at LTI may not have been the longest one of his career, but it was certainly one of the most memorable.

"I thoroughly enjoyed being on the steering wheel as the company grew from about USD 800 mn to USD 1 billion and then to USD 2 billion. Along the way, we created a unique position for ourselves and also, tremendous value for all stakeholders.

"Today, LTI is well-positioned for continued success and LTItes are confident of competing with anyone in the sector," Jalona had said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indias largest power generating company (genco) has awarded multiple contracts to import 6.25 million tonne (mt) of coal to Adani Enterprises at a cumulative value of Rs 8,308 crore.

The state-owned genco is importing coal to meet the recent directive of the Union power ministry to blend 10 per cent imported coal in order to tackle domestic coal shortage.

The company placed six different tenders and received technical bids from four players  Ahmedabad-based Adi Tradelink, Chennai-based Chettinad Logistics, and Delhi-based Mohit Minerals, along with Adani Enterprises.

In March, when the coal crisis erupted, had issued five tenders for importing 5.75 mt of coal, and all the contracts went to Adani Enterprises. The cumulative amount of these tenders was Rs 8,422 crore. The technical level bidders were the same one as in the latest round.

Company executives had earlier said the imported coal would come from Indonesia and that is not looking to import from Australia. Adani owns and operates Carmichael coal mine in Australia with a capacity of 10 mt per annum.

NTPC is in the process of placing orders for close to 20 mt of imported coal to meet the government-stipulated blending target of 10 per cent.

A senior company executive said 2.5 mt of imported coal arrived at NTPC plants and 1.6 mt was at the ports. The company has placed an order for 10 mt and would soon go for the boards approval for placing an order for another 5 mt, said the person.

Business Standard recently reported that NTPC would see its fuel cost go up to Rs 7-8 per unit from importing coal as against Rs 2 per unit from buying domestic coal from Coal India (CIL). Senior officials said this would increase the final electricity tariff of NTPC by 50-70 paisa which would be passed on to the consumers.

Coal price in the global market is currently 5 times of the CIL-notified coal prices. The imported coal would be used in several stations of NTPC, even the ones closer to a coal mine such as Talcher, Farakka, and Kahalgaon.

Acknowledging that domestic coal stock is not enough to meet the power demand in the country, the Centre two weeks back directed all states and power generating to import coal before monsoon sets in. The coal ministry, however, has maintained that there is enough stock in the country and the should stock up in advance.
The relationship between civil and military aviation is so close that it often goes unnoticed. As many as 23 airports regularly used by civil airlines, are (IAF) or Navy bases. Landing in Pune, Goa, Srinagar or Chandigarh, even frequent fliers seldom realise they are at a military base, even if they notice fighters parked at a distance. Their plane parks in what is called a "civil enclave", where passenger facilities like check-in counters and baggage collection are located.

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Amid the Congress' move to keep its MLAs and supporting legislators together to protect them from horse-trading ahead of the to four seats in Rajasthan, resentment among some of them has come out in the open.

While over 80 MLAs, including some of the independents, have reached a hotel in Udaipur, Soldier Welfare Minister Rajendra Gudha, SC Commission Chairman and MLA Khiladi Bairwa and MLA Girraj Singh Malinga expressed their displeasure in Jaipur.

Gudha is among the six MLAs who had won the 2018 assembly elections as BSP candidates and then defected to the in 2019.

"The MLAs did not get the respect they deserved," he told reporters in Jaipur.

Gudha said is a good city to visit but not for getting locked up at a hotel.

Targeting AICC general secretary in-charge for Rajasthan Ajay Maken, he said the leader had made some commitment to him but failed to keep it. "Commitments should be fulfilled in politics."



Besides Gudha, the other five MLAs are Lakhan Meena, Deepchand Kheria, Sandeep Yadav, Joginder Awana and Wajib Ali. None of them went to the party camp in .

Senior MLA and SC Commission Chairman Khiladi Lal Bairwa also expressed displeasure, saying when MLAs were holed up for 34 days during the political crisis in 2020, it was said that every one of them would get respect.

"But for one-and-a-half years, no one even asked us how we were," he said.

Bairwa said all those MLAs who stayed at the hotel for 34 days had helped save the government.

"During the cabinet reshuffle last year, those who were already ministers were promoted but what was the fault of the remaining MLAs who were not made ministers," he asked.

"Justice was not done to us. The promises made were not fulfilled. Because of this, we are pained," Bairwa said.

He, however, asserted that he is a "true Congressman" and will vote for the Congress only.

Congress MLA from Bari (Dholpur) Girraj Singh Malinga, who was arrested recently for allegedly thrashing electricity department engineers, said he was rewarded for his role in saving the government in 2020 in the form of a police case.

"The reward of my loyalty is the police case. The case was registered in a matter with which I have nothing to do," he said.

Congress leaders claim 126 MLAs, including 108 of the party itself, are with them. It requires a total of 123 votes to win three seats. The party has fielded Mukul Wasnik, Randeep Surjewala and Pramod Tiwari, all from outside the state.

The BJP has fielded one official candidate, Ghanshyam Tiwari, and has backed media baron Subhash Chandra who has filed his nomination as an Independent.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Police on Saturday successfully established a link between the Popular Front of India (PFI) and the based Islamic terror group Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), during an investigation pertaining to the recent crackdown on the ABT module where the police had arrested 16 persons since April. According to the police, some activists are working for ABT-- an Al-Qaeda inspired Islamic extremist group based in and they have been closely monitoring all the activities of in the state. The Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) (Special Branch) of police, Hiren Nath, confirmed that one person among the 16 arrested was the president of PFI's Barpeta district unit. "On April 15, we registered a case in Barpeta district in which some (16) ABT activists were arrested. One of them was Maqibul Hussain," Nath said.

"During the interrogation, Hussain surrendered that he was the president of of Barpeta district. Before joining Ansarullah Bangla Team he was actively working for PFI in the lower Assam, but later resigned to join the said group where he was trained by Mehdi Hasan," he added.

According to the ADGP, so far, the Assam police have registered as many as 18 cases against PFI and CFI. "Out of the 18 cases, 16 are registered against PFI while the other two cases are lodged against the CFI. We have submitted a chargesheet in 12 cases so far and the rest of the cases are being investigated," he said.

Nath in his further conversation revealed the style of working of this group by highlighting that they provoke the people by demonstrating sensitive issues taking place anywhere in the country.

"One of the modus operandi of this group or the workers is that anything happening anywhere in the country which does not even have any connection with Assam--may be some Hijab issue or some temples, mosques-- they will demonstrate it here, especially in the lower Assam region, including Guwahati city, Goalpara, Barpeta, Baksa, Dhubri and some parts of the Barak Valley. They provoking people and it is very dangerous for the country," he asserted. Mentioning that the PFI is currently active in 10 districts of the state, he assured that the police is keeping its sharp eye on their activities.

Recently, the state Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also urged the Centre to ban PFI and CFI organisations. "Two cases were registered in Guwahati and one in Dhubri where they (PFI) published some materials and pamphlets with some anti- and anti-government slangs written over them," he noted.

He further continued by saying that PFI members were doing something very secretly. "We have recovered some printing materials printed in Bengali and Arabic, that contained literature teaching Jihad, how to do Jihad, how to attract people to Jihad, what are the requirements for the Jihadi, and all these things. We are investigating it all," the top cop said. "If anyone tries to disturb the social peace and tranquillity, or take the law into their hands, we will take very strong action against them," Nath assured. Nath also offered to help the Uttar Pradesh police in managing the recent clashes that broke out in Kanpur on Friday.

A violent clash broke out between two groups belonging to different communities allegedly over a matter of market shutdown in Kanpur.

In the aftermath of the clashes, two persons and one policeman were injured.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Bhupender Yadav on Friday met his Brazilian counterpart, Joaquim Leite in Stockholm on the sidelines of the Stockholm+50 conference.

Taking to Twitter, the Indian embassy in said, "On 03.06.2022, Shri. @byadavbjp, Minister of @moefcc had fruitful discussions with Mr. @joaquimleitemma, Minister of @mmeioambienteof on the sidelines of the #Stockholm50."

The Union Minister, who arrived in Stockholm on May 31, had addressed the Stockholm+50 Leadership Dialogue 3 on Friday. At the conference, he said that is making rapid development toward sustainable development and especially in the environment division.

Yadav also pointed out a few examples like the installation of over 90 million new cooking gas in the last few years and around 400 million LED bulb has also been distributed.

"World's first fully solar power airport is in . Indian railway is moving toward complete electrification and increasing the use of solar power," he added.

Earlier, on Wednesday, Union Minister Yadav reached Sweden and participated in the High-Level Dialogue on Industry Transition under the aegis of the Leadership Group for Industry Transition.

"Stated that 'transition' needs to be understood in the right context. The developing world needs not just an industrial 'transition', but an industrial renaissance -- a flowering of industries that will create jobs and prosperity along with a clean environment," he tweeted after the meeting.

"The developed nations, with their historical experiences, must take lead in the global transition towards net-zero and low carbon industry. Green premium associated with zero or low carbon tech must be compensated to trigger demand at required scale in appropriate ways," he added.

Upon arriving in Stockholm, Bhupender Yadav tweeted, "In 1972, the world made a declaration at the same place to protect Today, 50 years later, we stand at an inflection point. Urgent, collective global action with the spirit of equity is required more than ever before."

"Over the next three days in Stockholm, will be participating in deliberations on climate action and related aspects with representatives from the world over and present India's side on all issues," he added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi Chief Minister on Saturday said the conspiracy against stands exposed as he claimed the had admitted in court that the leader was not an 'accused'.

The remarks came after some news reports claimed that the (ED) in the Delhi Hight Court submitted that Jain was not an accused.

The has itself admitted in the court that is not an 'accused'. When he is not an accused, how can they call him corrupt? a statement issued by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) quoted Kejriwal as saying.

leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Singh also hit out at the central government and said the BJP is envious because the Delhi government's mohalla clinics are being praised all over the world, hence they got the city health minister jailed on a fake charge.

Major corrupt business tycoons like Vijay Mallya, Lalit Modi, Nitin Sandesara and Yeddyurappa, Vyapam scamsters, and Eshwarappa are not prosecuted by the Modi government's ED. The BJP-ruled Centre's ED is transforming into an institution that humiliates and imprisons opposition leaders, Singh alleged in a statement.

He said the ED has itself admitted in the High Court that there is no complaint or FIR against Jain.

The MP added that the BJP had been saying that Jain is corrupt and the ED had asked for a 10-day remand for him.

But yesterday, in the High Court, when the case was heard, the ED said there was no FIR or a complaint against Jain. No complaint has been filed against him and yet the ministers of BJP, including Smriti Irani, called him corrupt on television, the statement quoted Singh as saying.

Despite lower court's orders, the ED questioned Jain in the absence of a lawyer and the truth is that they harassed him, Singh alleged.

Union minister Smriti Irani and the BJP should apologise to the people for accusing a minister of corruption against whom no FIR has been filed, he demanded.

Jain was arrested on May 30 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and a trial court remanded him to ED's custody till June 9.

(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.)
(AAP) national convener will hold a 'Tiranga Yatra' cum roadshow in Gujarat's Mehsana city, a BJP stronghold, on June 6.

He will also address a gathering during the roadshow, an AAP leader said on Saturday.

It will be the fourth visit of the Delhi chief minister to Gujarat, where elections are due in December this year, over three months.

"On June 6, Kejriwal will reach Ahmedabad airport at 3 pm and travel to Mehsana. In Mehsana, he will hold a grand 'Tiranga Yatra,' which will roll out from the city municipal shopping centre. He will address people during the roadshow," said AAP president Gopal Italia.

Ahead of the polls, the AAP is trying to project itself as an alternative to the ruling BJP and opposition Congress in .

This is the second 'Tiranga Yatra' in in which Kejriwal will participate.

Earlier, he and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann held their maiden roadshow in Ahmedabad on April 2.

Kejriwal's visit to Gujarat comes at the culmination of the AAP's three-week "Parivartan Yatra".

AAP leaders had tried to reach out to people across all the 182 Assembly constituencies in Gujarat during the yatra to "give a chance to people to voice their concerns."



The Parivartan outreach started on May 15. The yatra will conclude on June 5.

Kejriwal had last visited Gujarat on May 11 when he travelled to Rajkot.

On May 1, he addressed "Adivasi Sankalp Mahasammelan," a tribal rally held at Bharuch with Bharatiya Tribal Party chief Chhotu Vasava.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A day after the first-ever Indian delegation visited Kabul since the took over last year, on Friday said that it would not like any country playing the role of a spoiler in .

For the first time since the Taliban's capture of power in Kabul, on Thursday sent a team led by a senior diplomat to to oversee the delivery of its humanitarian aid and meet with senior members of the .

The team, led by JP Singh, the external affairs ministry's point person for Pakistan, and Iran, met the senior members of the and held discussions on India's humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan, India's Ministry of External Affairs said.

On Friday, Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar, while addressing a weekly press briefing, said that Pakistan's views about India's role in Afghanistan historically are well known



Our views about India's role in Afghanistan historically are well known but in the recent past allowed as a special gesture the transportation of Indian wheat on the request of the Afghan interim authorities, he said when asked about the delegation and reports that is going to reopen their Embassy in Afghanistan.

Pakistan in November 2021 had approved the transportation of 50,000 MTs of wheat and life-saving medicines as assistance from to Afghanistan via Wagah border on exceptional basis for humanitarian purposes.

India had committed 50,000 MT of wheat for Afghanistan because of food shortages in the war-torn country. Pakistan had agreed to facilitate both Afghanistan and India through safe and duty-free transportation of the commodity.

During the briefing, Iftikhar said "Pakistan does not want any nation to play spoiler in the way of a stable and prosperous Afghanistan."



I think what we desire and aspire for is a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan. And we would not like to see anyone playing a role that is negative in any sense, or the role of a spoiler, in this overall context, he said.

To a question about the ongoing back door diplomacy between Pakistan and India, the spokesperson said that he had nothing to share on this.

To a question about the recently held meeting of the Indus Water Commissioner of Pakistan and India, he said Pakistan has valid and justified positions on certain issues and we raised them forcefully and with conviction in this meeting.

And it is our expectation that, whatever objections or observations that have been brought forward by the Pakistani side in the context of the Permanent Indus Commission, in the correct spirit of the treaty, and the working of this Commission, we expect that India would be forthcoming in responding genuinely, so that the purpose of the Commission and its meetings is fulfilled, he said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
barred the entry of a ship carrying 55,000 tonnes of Indian that was originally intended for Turkey, Egyptian plant quarantine chief Ahmed El Attar said on Saturday.

"We rejected the ship before it entered Egypt," he told Reuters, adding that Turkish quarantine authorities had already blocked the arrival of the vessel.

Separately, Egypt, the world's biggest importer of wheat, was expecting the arrival of its first ever Indian shipment later on Saturday, purchased by the Egyptian private sector.

Supply minister Aly Moselhy said in May that a deal with India to directly purchase 500,000 tonnes of outside the usual tender system had been agreed but not yet signed.

In April, Egypt's agriculture ministry announced it had approved India as a source of wheat supplies as the North African country seeks to supplant purchases disrupted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

India's government confirmed that it would still allow shipments awaiting customs clearance and exports to .

Moselhy previously said that the Indian ban would not apply to a government deal with .

Egypt has procured 3.5 million tonnes of local wheat during the harvest season so far, a senior official in the ministry of agriculture told Reuters on Saturday.

The wheat procurement season ends in August, he added.

Amid reports of Turkey rejecting an Indian wheat consignment on quality concerns, Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey on Thursday had said the government has sought details from the Turkish authorities on the matter as the concerned exporter ITC Ltd has claimed that the shipment of 60,000 tonnes had all the required clearances.

Asked about Turkey rejecting the Indian wheat consignment on phytosanitary concerns, Pandey told reporters: "We checked up on this report. It was ITC and it met all the requirement of the quality." The consignment had around 60,000 tonnes of wheat, he said.

ITC, a major wheat exporter, has informed the government that it had sold the wheat to a Geneva-based company, which further sold the commodity to a Turkish firm. All financial transactions had happened, Pandey said.

"Before payment, all local clearances must have been done. Quarantine had happened in India also. This is what the company has told us. ...Their financial transaction...including Turkish importer was complete," he added.

The secretary further said the Agriculture Department and agri-export promotion body APEDA have got in touch with the Turkish quarantine authorities on this issue.

"They have not heard anything from them. There is no formal communication as yet," he noted.

India banned wheat exports on May 13 to keep local prices under control amid a slight estimated fall in domestic output. However, it allowed shipment of those consignments which were registered before the ban came into force.

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Telangana Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali on Saturday said that no leniency is being adopted in the gang-rape case while also clarifying that the state police department works without pressure and does not spare the culprits.

"Action is taken as per the complaint. No leniency is being adopted. Telangana Police works without pressure and doesn't spare culprits. It (arrest) took some time as there was a minor but our police work strictly," the Home Minister told media persons.

This came after Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay has written to Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao demanding to hand over the gang-rape case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and arrest all the accused involved.

Police arrested three accused including two minors in the rape case so far. One accused, who was arrested yesterday, has been identified as Saduddin Malik.

A 17-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped when she was returning home after a party in the Jubilee Hills area of on May 28. Following the incident, the minor girl's father submitted a complaint to the police regarding the incident.

After the victim's father filed a complaint, a police case was registered against five accused involved in the case under sections 354 and 323 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 9 read with 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Demanding justice for the victim girl, the Jana Sena Party leaders and workers staged a protest at Jubliee Hills Police Station. They were later detained.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone) Joel Davis, police have recovered the CCTV footage and identified five culprits with the help of footage and the victim's statement.

The security footage which is viral on social media purportedly showed the girl standing with the suspected attackers outside the pub where she had met them. The boys had offered to drop her home. Instead, she was assaulted inside a parked car in the city. Her attackers took turns raping her while the others stood guard outside the car.

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Deputy Chief Minister on Friday asked a police official to lose weight.

He was giving away keys of modern motorcycles to the force at an event in Pimpri Chinchwad when deputy commissioner of police Kakasaheb Dole came forward and promptly received the "lose weight" advice from the senior NCP leader.

A video of the conversation went viral on social media and was also played on television news channels several times during the day.

Later, at an NCP event in an auditorium here, Pawar asked his partymen to wear masks as the pandemic was yet to disappear.

He cited the examples of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and himself as people who were voluntarily following the mask rule at all times.

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With some cities of witnessing a rise in Covid cases, the state's Health Minister Rajesh Tope said masks should be worn in closed spaces like buses, schools, railways, and offices.

"Masks should be worn in closed spaces like buses, schools, railways, and offices. This is not mandatory, therefore no fine is imposed. But I appeal to the public to wear masks," said Tope.

"There has been some increase in positive cases in limited cluster areas like Mumbai, Pune, Thane, and Palghar districts, leading to the hike in India's active cases. Thus, we appeal to the public to wear masks in areas of surge," said Tope.

The health department on Friday asked district and civic authorities to ramp up testing as the numbers of samples being examined had fallen while cases were rising.

In a letter to collectors, municipal corporations and chief executive officers, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Pradeep Vyas said all districts should ensure the proportion of RT-PCR tests was at least 60 per cent.

In view of rising cases, it said people should be advised to wear masks in closed public spaces like trains, buses, cinemas, auditoriums, offices, hospitals, colleges and schools.

The state government has also asked all district collectors and municipal commissioners to accelerate testing and vaccination. The authorities should monitor whether people are wearing masks at designated places, Tope said.

Maharashtra on Friday recorded 1,134 new infections, the highest daily rise in cases since February 24, and three deaths. The tally of active cases rose 12 per cent to 5,127.

"Testing in the state has considerably reduced despite repeated instructions. As per the June 1 data, there has been gross shortfall in the number of weekly tests conducted in 26 districts which is a major cause of concern. Overall testing in all districts should be increased immediately, the letter said.

The ACS (Health) said the state had last week reported BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants, and while there were no complications associated with these cases, one must not get complacent.

Vyas also asked officials to carry out periodic analysis of new cases with respect to time, place and person so that a localised action plan can be carved out.
On the occasion of World Environment Day, Prime Minister will attend a programme on 'Save Soil Movement' at Delhi's Vigyan Bhawan on Sunday (June 5), the Prime Minister's Office informed on Saturday.

The Prime Minister will also address the gathering during the programme.

'Save Soil Movement' is a global movement to increase awareness about deteriorating soil health and bring about a conscious response to improve it.

The movement was started by Sadhguru in March 2022, who embarked on a 100-day motorcycle journey passing through 27 countries. June 5 marks the 75th day of the 100-day journey.

Prime Minister's participation in the programme will be reflective of the shared concerns and commitment toward improving the health of the soil in India.

is celebrated annually on June 5. It offers a global platform for inspiring positive change in the environment. It also pushes individuals to think about what they consume from the ecosystem and gives them a chance to build a greener future.

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After samples from a five-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, were sent for testing for monkeypox, government health sources have said that it is "unnecessary panic mongering" and that no cases of the disease have been reported from India so far.

"The sample of a suspected monkeypox case in Ghaziabad has been sent for testing, but it's unnecessary panic mongering. No monkeypox case has been reported in India so far," the government sources told ANI.

The health department in Ghaziabad sent the samples of the girl for monkeypox after she complained of itching and rashes on her body.

The Chief Medical Officer of Ghaziabad said the test was just a "precautionary measure" as the girl has no other health issues and did not have close contact with anyone who has travelled abroad in the past month.

"Samples of a five-year-old girl have been collected for testing for monkeypox, as a precautionary measure, as she had complaints of itching and rashes on her body. She has no other health issues and neither she nor any of her close contacts travelled abroad in the past month," CMO Ghaziabad said.

On Tuesday, the Union Health Ministry issued "Guidelines on Management of Monkeypox Disease" to ensure advance preparedness across the country, in view of the rising reports of monkeypox cases in non-endemic countries.

According to the guidelines, a confirmed case is laboratory confirmed for Monkeypox virus by detection of unique sequences of viral DNA either by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or sequencing.

"All the clinical specimens should be transported to the Apex Laboratory of ICMR-NIV (Pune) routed through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) network of the respective district/state," it said in the guidelines.

The Guidelines on Management of Monkeypox Disease include the epidemiology of the disease (including host, incubation period, period of communicability and mode of transmission; contact and case definitions; clinical features and its complication, diagnosis, case management, risk communication, guidance on Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) including use of personal protective equipment.

"Contacts should be monitored at least daily for the onset of signs or symptoms for a period of 21 days (as per case definition) from the last contact with a patient or their contaminated materials during the infectious period," the guidelines read.

Raising awareness of risk factors, it further explained in detail about raising awareness and educating people about the measures for monkeypox virus-like avoiding contact with any material of the sick person, isolation of the infected patient from others, practising good hand hygiene and using appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when caring for patients.

The health ministry also said that the monkeypox has been reported as an endemic in several other central and western African countries such as Cameroon, Central African Republic, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, and Sierra Leone. However, cases have been also reported in certain non-endemic countries e.g. USA, United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Australia, Canada, Austria, Israel, Switzerland etc.

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Security has been heightened in Srirangapatna, the erstwhile capital of 18th century ruler in the district, following Vishwa Hindu Parishad's (VHP) call to perform puja at the Jamia mosque, claiming that it was built after razing a Hanuman temple.

Prohibitory orders have been imposed in the temple town under section 144 of the CrPC to prevent any protest or procession from taking place.

Besides district police force, contingents of State Reserved Police have also been deployed. The roads have been barricaded and security pickets have been erected in the town.

Wearing saffron scarves and holding saffron flags, the Bajrang Dal and VHP activists on motorcycles raised 'Jai Sriram' slogans. Fearing backlash, many shopkeepers around the shrine downed shutters for the day.

Members of fringe Hindu outfits have called for a protest march to the mosque.

However, authorities have denied permission for it.

State Home Minister Araga Jnanendra has given directions to the police to take all the measures to ensure peace and public order in view of VHP's 'Srirangapatna Chalo' campaign.

Meanwhile, the Sriram Sena chief Pramod Muthalik condemned the restrictions saying they should be imposed on 'them'.

"There is a Ganapati temple, a temple tank and a well inside the mosque. Despite all these, running Madrassas and offering Namaz there is wrong. It is 'they' who should be stopped. They should be thrown out. I condemn the BJP government which is trying to stop our protest," Muthalik told reporters.

The right wing organisations have been claiming that the Jamia mosque was an Anjaneya Temple, which had destroyed to build a mosque over it.

The outfits have submitted a memorandum to the district authorities seeking a survey of the mosque and take steps to return the 'Anjaneya Temple' to Hindus if their claim as found to be true.

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Chief Minister on Saturday expressed concern about the "targeted killings of Hindus and Kashmiri Pandits" in the Kashmir Valley.

were fleeing the Valley, Thackeray, who also heads the Shiv Sena, said in a statement here.

" were shown the dream of 'ghar vapasi' (resettlement in the Valley), but they are being targeted and killed. The exodus of Pandits is shocking," he said.

The chief minister assured the Pandit community that " is firmly behind them."



In 1995, when the Shiv Sena-BJP coalition came to power in Maharashtra, Sena founder Bal Thackeray ensured a quota in educational institutes in the state for the children of Kashmiri Pandits, he noted.

"Our government is in touch with Kashmiri Pandit leaders and will do everything it can for their protection," Thackeray further said.

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In his around three-decade-long political career, Chief Minister Manik Saha for the first time would contest a direct election in the June 23 by-polls as he is not a member of the state assembly.

Political pundits say that the by- in four assembly seats will be a multi-cornered contest between the ruling BJP, and the CPI-M-led Left Front, the Congress, and the Trinamool Congress and these by-polls are considered as a semi-final before the next year's general to 60-seat assembly.

BJP spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharjee told IANS that Saha, who assumed office on May 15, a day after Biplab Kumar Deb's resignation from the top post, would contest from the Town Bordowali constituency, which along with three other assembly constituencies -- Agartala, Surma (SC) and Jubarajnagar -- would go to by polls on June 23.

The 69-year-old Congress-turned-BJP leader would contest against Congress' candidate Ashish Kumar Saha and Raghunath Sarkar of Forward Bloc.

Manik Saha, currently a Rajya Sabha member and state BJP President, and Ashish Kumar Saha, have had close relations for several decades but both changed their political platforms on a number of occasions.

Though the BJP's central leaders would announce their candidates on Saturday, Saha's candidature is confirmed for obvious reasons, Bhattacharjee said.

The opposition Congress would also announce the names of the candidates on Saturday or Sunday, though, party sources confirmed that Ashish Kumar Saha would contest from Town Bordowali seat and Sudip Roy Barman would contest from his old seat Agartala constituency.

The Trinamool Congress on Friday announced their candidates -- Panna Deb (Agartala), Neel Kamal Saha (Town Bordowali), Arjun Sarkar (Surma) and Dr Mrinal Kanti Dev (Jubarajnagar).

Both ruling and opposition parties started their campaign immediately after the Election Commission announced the schedule of the politically important by- on May 25.

According to the EC's schedule, the last date of filing of nomination is June 6, the scrutiny will be done on the next day and the last date of withdrawal of nomination is June 9.

The votes will be counted on June 26.

The CPI-M-led Left Front announced their candidates on May 30 and their all four candidates have already submitted their nomination.

Few other smaller parties are also likely to contest the elections.

The by-polls were necessitated after the resignation of three BJP MLAs, and the death of CPI-M legislator Ramendra Chandra Debnath.

Amid open resentment by a section of BJP legislators against then CM Deb, three MLAs, Roy Barman (Agartala), Ashish Kumar Saha (Town Bordowali), Ashis Das (Surma), quit the BJP and the Assembly.

Roy Barman, also a former BJP minister, and Saha joined the Congress in February this year while Das joined Trinamool Congress last year.

Elected from the Jubarajnagar constituency six times, Debnath was Assembly speaker multiple times.

He passed away on February 2 in Kolkata due to kidney failure.

--IANS

sc/pgh

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Nearly a dozen advocacy groups have launched a new campaign against to block his $44 billion takeover deal, as the micro-blogging platform said the waiting period for the deal has expired under the HSR (Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements) Act in the US.

The Stop the Deal campaign is persuading Tesla stockholders to take action against the takeover deal, which has been put on hold by Musk as he wants more information on fake accounts on the platform,

The group with nonprofits like Accountable Tech, Center for Countering Digital Hate, GLAAD and MediaJustice, has also asked Tesla stakeholders to ask advertisers to stop spending on the platform.

Musk "would steamroll basic content moderation safeguards and provide a megaphone to extremists who traffic in white nationalism, hate, disinformation, and harassment, further endangering marginalized communities", the group said in a statement.

Musk would "reinstate accounts of public figures who were banned for inciting violence and spreading dangerous disinformation".

"Elon Musk's takeover of will not lead to more 'free speech' on the platform," Rahna Epting, executive director of MoveOn, said in a statement.

"It will simply lead to more extreme voices exploiting the platform to stoke hate, violence and harassment. Social media platforms that are nothing more than toxic cesspools of disinformation are harmful to our society and our politics."

Meanwhile, said late on Friday that the completion of the deal is now "subject to remaining customary closing conditions, including approval by Twitter stockholders and the receipt of applicable regulatory approvals".

--IANS

na/ksk/

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A ship sent to load metal and ship it to Russia has entered the Ukrainian port of Mariupol, TASS news agency reported on Saturday, the second vessel to arrive in the southeastern city since Russia completed its capture last month.



"The ship has arrived and is in the port," TASS cited a port authority representative as saying, adding that it was to be loaded with metal.



Earlier this week, a ship left Mariupol for Russia with a cargo of metal. said the shipment from the port, whose capture gave Moscow an overland bridge linking mainland Russia and pro-Russian separatist territory to annexed Crimea, amounted to looting.



Russia seized full control of Mariupol earlier this month when more than 2,400 Ukrainian fighters were taken into custody after being ordered to stand down at the besieged Azovstal steelworks. Russia said in late May that the port had been de-mined and was open again to commercial vessels.



(Reporting in Melbourne by Lidia Kelly

Editing by Mark Heinrich)

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US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will visit next week amid growing concerns that may soon conduct a nuclear test.

According to the State Department, Sherman's visit to will be part of a four-nation trip that will also take her to the Philippines, Vietnam and Laos from June 5-14, reports Yonhap News Agency.

"In Seoul, Deputy Secretary Sherman will meet with ROK leaders, including Foreign Minister Park Jin, Unification Minister Kwon Young-se, and First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong," the Department said in a statement late Friday, referring to by its official name, the Republic of Korea.

"The Deputy Secretary will also discuss the importance of women's leadership and economic empowerment with leading women startup entrepreneurs, as well as meet with LGBTQI+ civil society leaders to highlight the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion and mark Pride Month," it added.

Sherman will also hold a trilateral meeting with her South Korean counterpart, Cho, and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori in .

The three will "discuss how the US, the ROK and Japan can continue to work together for the benefit of the region and the world to address the critical challenges of the 21st century", the Department said.

The trip follows 17 rounds of North Korean missile tests this year, each of which has been strongly condemned by the US as serious violations of multiple UN Security Council resolutions, and a threat to peace and stability in the region.

Intelligence officials in and Washington have also noted Pyongyang may soon conduct a nuclear test, saying the country appears to have completed "all preparations" for a test, its first since September 2017.

has so far conducted six nuclear tests.

Sherman's visit to Seoul also follows US President Joe Biden's trip there last month for a summit with his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk-yeol, which was held less than two weeks after the latter took office.

--IANS

ksk/

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has blocked efforts to step up protection of emperor that are increasingly threatened by the effects global warming is having on their natural habitat in Antarctica, officials said on Friday.

Dozens of countries had backed giving the world's largest special protection status at a 10-day meeting in Berlin of parties to the Antarctic Treaty. The treaty was forged in 1959 to ensure that the continent remains the preserve of science, and free of arms.

An overwhelming majority of parties held the opinion that there is sufficient scientific evidence for the species to be put under the special protection, the German government, which hosted the May 22-June 2 meeting, said in a statement Friday.

While a formal decision was blocked by one party," it said that most countries attending the meeting planned nevertheless to put in place national measures to protect emperor .

Chinese officials couldn't immediately be reached for comment. But delegates attending the meeting, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Beijing had made clear it wanted more time to consider the implications of upgrading the protection status of the penguins.

The meeting was partly overshadowed by the war in Ukraine, with many countries speaking out against Russia's attack on the country.

Russia, which like Ukraine is active in Antarctica, was represented at the meeting by an official from its embassy in Berlin, with other delegates participating remotely by video link.

Despite differences with Beijing over the penguins and the deep diplomatic discord between Moscow and the West over Ukraine, the meeting was able to adopt by consensus a package of conservation measures for Antarctica. These included moves to designate four new protected areas in the future and limit tourism to the frozen continent.

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will launch three astronauts on a spacecraft Sunday to work on the final stages of construction of the nations first orbital outpost.



A Long March-2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou-14 spacecraft will blast off at 10:44 a.m. local time Sunday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwest Gobi Desert.

Astronauts will live at the Tiangong space station for six months to complete assembly tasks for what will be a national space laboratory, Lin Xiqiang, deputy head of the Manned Space Agency, told reporters Saturday.

Astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe will be the third crew to travel to work on Tiangong after last year launched its first manned mission in an effort to catch up to the U.S. as a space power.

Tiangong, comprising a core module, Tianhe, and two lab modules -- Wentian and Mengtian -- is expected to operate for up to 15 years.

Wentian, or Quest of the Heavens, is scheduled for launch in July. While Mengtian, or Dreaming of the Heavens, will be sent to dock with the Tiangong station in October, according to state newspaper the China Daily.
The death toll from heavy rains in Recife, capital of the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, and its metropolitan area has risen to 128, local authorities said on Friday.

Over 9,300 people have been evacuated and 34 municipalities have declared a state of emergency, Pernambuco Governor Paulo Camara said at a press conference.

Camara added that rescue efforts for possible survivors have come to an end. Pernambuco has recorded heavy rains since last week, which intensified over the weekend, killing more than 100 people, mostly in foothills that suffered major landslides.

The state government will compensate the families of the deceased and will give 1,500 reals (about 312 U.S. dollars) to all those displaced by the rains, many of whom lost all their property. The rains also affected the Brazilian states of Sergipe, Alagoas, Paraiba and Rio Grande do Norte.

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Lloyd Blankfein, the Group Inc. senior chairman, said people should dial back a bit on their negativity following a series of corporate warnings on the economy.



His comments came the same day that said Inc. will cut its salaried workforce by 10%, and Reuters reported that the automakers chief executive officer told some managers he had a super bad feeling about the economy.

Executives from JPMorgan Chase & Co.s Jamie Dimon to Citigroup Inc.s Jane Fraser and Gary Friedman, head of furniture retailer RH, this week cautioned investors to be wary of an economic downturn. Last month, Blankfein himself urged and consumers to gird for a US recession, saying its a very, very high risk.

The former Goldman CEO said on Twitter Friday while these are riskier times, the economy may yet land softly.
Prime Minister on Saturday hit out at the previous government led by ousted premier for "miserably failing the people of Gwadar, a day after he visited the port city in and inaugurated a six-lane expressway built under the USD 60 billion China- Economic Corridor.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the slow pace of work on projects in Gwadar, the prime minister asserted that the development of was linked with peace, stability and progress in .

The coalition govt aims to assist by working with the provincial govt & local elders to chart the way forward, Sharif said in a tweet on Saturday.

"During my visit to Gwadar, I witnessed how PTI govt miserably failed the people of Gwadar. Despite wasting billions of rupees & precious time, it could not complete any project for resolution of water & electricity issues for the locals who gave great sacrifices for Gwadar port," he said.

During his day-long trip to Balochistan on Friday, Sharif took part in the inauguration ceremony of the Eastbay Expressway and the groundbreaking of seven more development projects for Gwadar. A component of the CPEC, the six-lane Eastbay Expressway would connect the Gwadar Port with the Makran Coastal Highway, also providing a link to Karachi, The Express Tribune reported.

The prime minister also took an overview of the development projects, including the under-construction Gwadar airport which was being built under a Chinese grant and faced a delay in completion.

A desalination plant will be installed and a hospital has been built for the people of Gwadar, while 3,200 solar panels will be distributed among the families here, he said.

He said that due to silting, the depth of the Gwadar seaport was reducing and ordered its dredging to allow the traffic of heavy ships.

The same holds true for Gwadar seaport & construction of Gwadar airport. No dredging was carried out at seaport & thus no large cargo ship can be anchored. Have ordered quick completion of Gwadar University, airport & installation of desalination plant for clean drinking water, Sharif said in another tweet.

Earlier, while addressing officers during his visit to the Command and Staff College in Quetta, the premier emphasised that the country's defence was sacred, and Pakistan's security, sovereignty and integrity would be ensured at all costs.

Paying tribute to the achievements and sacrifices of the forces, he said, Our successes in the wars against terrorism are unparalleled, duly acknowledged by the world.

The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan's Balochistan with China's Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of China's ambitious multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The CPEC is a collection of infrastructure and other projects under construction throughout Pakistan since 2013. Originally valued at USD 46 billion, the projects were worth USD 62 billion as of 2017.

India has protested to China over the CPEC as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The BRI was launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping when he came to power in 2013. It aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea routes. The BRI is seen as an attempt by China to further its influence abroad with infrastructure projects funded by Chinese investments all over the world.

The initiative also led to allegations of smaller countries reeling under mounting Chinese debt, after Sri Lanka gave its Hambantota port in a debt swap to China in 2017 on a 99-year lease.

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President said on Friday he hasn't changed his views on despite his administration's praise of which he'd pledged to make a pariah over its abuses for getting key oil producers to step up production.

Biden said he wasn't sure whether he was going to and has no direct plans at the moment to visit the kingdom.

He acknowledged he expects to meet with the leaders of Israel and some Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, at some point.

The comments come as the White House has sounded more definitive about the trip.

A person familiar with White House planning said Biden has decided to visit as well as Israel, likely adding the stops to an already scheduled trip to Europe for a pair of summits this month, but details have not been finalised. The person was not authorised to comment publicly.

Look, I'm not going to change my view on human rights," Biden told reporters after delivering remarks on the May jobs report, when asked about possible travel to Saudi Arabia.

"But as president of the United States, my job is to bring peace if I can, peace if I can. And that's what I'm going to try to do.

As a candidate for the White House, he pledged to treat Saudis as a pariah for the 2018 killing and dismemberment of US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's brutal ways.

US intelligence officials determined that the crown prince likely approved the killing.

Biden, who is spending the weekend at his Delaware beach home, sidestepped questions from reporters about about whether he would meet with the prince, often referred to by his initials, MBS, should he visit the kingdom.

Look, we're getting way ahead of ourselves here," Biden said when asked about such a meeting.

"What I want to do is see to it that we diminish the likelihood that there's a continuation of this, some of the senseless wars between Israel and the Arab nations, and that's what I'm focused on.

The OPEC+ group - OPEC nations plus Russia announced on Thursday they would raise production by 648,000 barrels per day in July and August, offering modest relief for a struggling global economy that's been impacted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

OPEC, whose de facto leader is Saudi Arabia, had for months resisted pressure from the White House to increase oil supply more quickly.

That stance, along with a European Union agreement to end most oil imports from Russia, has pushed prices higher.

Gasoline and diesel prices have also been rising due to a lack of refining capacity to turn crude into motor fuel.

Biden on Friday called the move by OPEC+ positive, but said that he did not know if it would be significant enough to help Americans at the pump.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Thursday credited Saudi Arabia for its role in achieving consensus within the oil producers' bloc.

In addition to the White House praising Saudi Arabia for its role securing an OPEC+ pledge, the president this week lauded the Saudis for demonstrating courageous leadership by agreeing to a 60-day cease-fire extension in its seven-year-old war with Yemen. The extension was also announced Thursday.

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The state agency investigating the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde has determined that the commander facing criticism for the slow police response was not carrying a radio as the massacre unfolded, a Texas state senator said Friday.

Sen. Roland Gutierrez told The Associated Press in a brief telephone interview that a Texas Department of Public Safety official told him school district police Chief Pete Arredondo was without a radio during the May 24 attack by a lone gunman that left 19 students and two teachers dead. Seventeen more people were injured.

Authorities have not said how other law enforcement officials were communicating with Arredondo on the scene. Arredondo heads the district's small department and was in charge of the multi-agency response to the shooting.

Arredondo has not responded to multiple interview requests from AP since the attack, including a telephone message left with the school district police Friday.

Focus has turned to the chief in recent days after Steven McCraw, the head of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said Arredondo believed the active shooting had turned into a hostage situation, and that he made the wrong decision to not order officers to breach the classroom more quickly to confront the gunman.

Gutierrez, who represents Uvalde, complained Thursday that Arredondo was not informed of panicked 911 calls coming from students trapped inside a classroom where the gunman had holed up. The Democrat called it a system failure.

Police radios are a crucial source of real-time communication during an emergency and, according to experts, often how information from 911 calls is relayed to officers on the ground. It's unclear who at the scene was aware of the calls. Uvalde police did not respond to questions about the calls Thursday.

The Department of Public Safety on Friday referred all questions about the shooting investigation to Uvalde-area District Attorney Christina Mitchell Busbee, who did not immediately return telephone and text messages seeking comment.

The gunman in Uvalde, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, spent roughly 80 minutes inside the school, and more than an hour passed from when the first officers followed him into the building and when he was killed by law enforcement, according to an official timeline.

(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.)
does not hinder the export of Ukrainian grain, Russian President said.

"As for the export of Ukrainian grain. We do not interfere with this. And there are several ways to export grain," Putin said in an interview with the Rossiya 24 broadcaster.

The first way, according to him, is that "you can export through the ports that are under the control of Ukraine, first of all in the Black Sea basin -- Odessa and nearby ports."

"We didn't mine the approaches to the ports. It was Ukraine who mined it," the president stressed.

will not launch any attacks from the sea while Ukraine is demining ports, Putin said.

"We will not take advantage of the demining situation in order to launch, so to speak, attacks from the sea. I have already said this," Putin said.

is ready to ensure the peaceful transportation of grain and the safe entry of ships to the Azov and Black Seas, he said.

"No conditions. Please, we will ensure peaceful passage, guarantee the safety of approaches to these ports, ensure the entry of foreign ships and their movement in the Azov and Black Seas in any direction," he said.

If Ukraine clears the ports of mines, ships with grain will be able to leave without any problems, Putin said.

"It was not us who mined the approach to the port. Ukraine mined it. I have already told all our colleagues many times: let them clear mines, and please let ships with grain leave the ports. We guarantee a peaceful passage without any problems. But no problems, please. They must clear mines and take ships from the floor of the Black Sea there, which were sunk in order to make it difficult to approach these ports in southern Ukraine," he said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Britain's defence ministry said on Saturday that Russian air activity remains high over Ukraine's Donbas region with Russian aircraft carrying out strikes using both guided and unguided munitions.

"The increased use of unguided munitions has led to the widespread destruction of built-up areas in the Donbas and has almost certainly caused substantial collateral damage and civilian casualties," the ministry said in a tweet.



It said increased its use of tactical air to support its creeping advance, combining air strikes and massed artillery attacks to bring its firepower to bear as its operational focus has switched to the Donbas.



(Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru Editing by Mark Heinrich)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amid Sri Lanka's unprecedented economic crisis, its President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has ordered the release of Rs 1.8 billion from COVID-19 Healthcare and Social Security Fund for the import of essential .

The President made this remark during the discussion at its official residence in Colombo regarding matters of urgent concern in the field of the health sector.

The President said that the funds which were given by donors to control the coronavirus disease can be used for health needs as the COVID-19 epidemic is now under control, Colombo Page reported citing President's Media Division.

According to the release, President Rajapaksa pointed out the possibility of rapidly increasing the local pharmaceutical manufacturing and obtaining the necessary raw materials in this regard under the Indian credit line.

There are 12 investors in the pharmaceutical sector in Oyamaduwa and Millewa area in Horana. The production in those factories is expected to begin in the next few months and has the potential to produce more than 200 types of drugs in these regions, the officials said.

President further said that the Ministry of Samurdhi and Education is planning to provide nutritious meals to primary school children and pregnant mothers.

The Officials pointed out that based on the current progress in the health sector it would return to normal within the next three months.

Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella, President's Chief of Staff, Anura Dissanayake, Finance Secretary Mahinda Siriwardena, Secretary to the Ministry of Health S.J.S. Chandragupta, Additional Secretary Saman Ratnayake and Heads of Line Institutions of the Ministry were also present at the discussion, according to Colombo Page.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan President has instructed the officials to maintain adequate stocks of all essential food items to prevent a shortage of goods.

Gotabaya pointed out that it could prevent the organized efforts of some businessmen to increase prices by artificially creating a shortage of goods and acting on people's fears, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said a portion of the agricultural products currently being sent to the wholesale market should be made available directly to grocery stores.

The Sri Lankan president said this would reduce the cost of transportation and enable consumers to purchase goods at lower prices and farmers to obtain higher prices.

Rajapaksa also instructed the Consumer Affairs Authority to take legal action against those who take advantage of the prevailing situation and sell goods at unfair prices.

is mired in an economic and political crisis. Large-scale protests have been taking place for months, leading to the ouster of former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

(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.)
Two Reuters journalists were injured and a driver was killed on Friday in eastern Ukraine, according to media reports.

"Two Reuters journalists injured, driver killed near Sievierodonetsk. Reuters reported that photographer Alexander Ermochenko and cameraman Pavel Klimov had sustained minor injuries after the vehicle they were in came under fire while en route to Sievierodonetsk," The Kyiv Independent said in a Tweet on Saturday.

"They were traveling in a car provided by Russian proxies on a Russian-controlled road. The news agency said it couldn't establish the identity of the driver who had been assigned by the Russian proxies for the reporting trip," The Kyiv Independent said.

On Monday, French journalist Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff was killed in eastern .

"Journalist Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff was in to show the reality of the war. On board a humanitarian bus, alongside civilians forced to flee to escape the Russian bombs, he was fatally shot," Macron tweeted Monday.

Thousands of people have died since Russia's operations in began 100 days ago. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces currently occupy 20 per cent of Ukraine in an address on Thursday.

Zelenskyy said that 50 embassies have resumed operations in Kyiv, Ukraine, and termed it a testament to their faith in the country's victory.

He on Thursday said that this is important news not just practically, but also symbolically. "Every new embassy that returns to our capital is a testament to our faith in our victory," Zelensky said, reported The Kyiv Independent.

Earlier, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said that the Indian Embassy in Ukraine, which was temporarily operating out of Poland, would resume its operation in Kyiv from May 17.

started its military operation in Ukraine on February 24. This large-scale operation has reportedly resulted in a humanitarian crisis, leading to crippling sanctions from Western countries targeting Moscow's high-profile individuals and companies.

(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.)
said it had recaptured a chunk of the factory city of Sievierodonetsk, the focus of a Russian offensive to take the eastern Donbas region, and could hold it for up to two weeks as fighting raged on Saturday.

Sergiy Gaidai, governor of Luhansk province, told national television on Friday that Ukrainian troops had retaken 20% of the territory they had lost in Sievierodonetsk.



It was "not realistic" that the city would fall in the next two weeks even though Russian reinforcements were being deployed, he said.



"As soon as we have enough Western long-range weapons, we will push their artillery away from our positions. And then, believe me, the Russian infantry, they will just run," said Gaidai.



His claim of Ukrainian advances could not immediately be verified. Reuters reached Sievierodonetsk on Thursday and was able to verify that Ukrainians still held part of the city.



Ukraine's military said on Saturday Russia had reinforced its troops and had used artillery to conduct "assault operations" in the city. But it said Russian forces had retreated after failed attempts to advance in the nearby town of Bakhmut and cut off access to Sievierodonetsk.



Gaidai said in a social media post that four people were killed in Russian attacks in the region on Friday, including a mother and a child.



In Ukraine's southern Odesa region on Saturday morning, a missile hit an agricultural storage unit, wounding two people, the regional administration's spokesman wrote on Telegram.



Two people died and at least two were injured in Russian shelling of civilian infrastructure in the northeastern Kharkiv region on Friday, Ukraine's Interfax reported, citing emergency services.



The war in marked its 100th day on Friday. Tens of thousands have died, millions have been uprooted from their homes and the global economy disrupted since Moscow's forces were driven back from Kyiv in the first weeks of the conflict.



Russian President Vladimir Putin denied on Friday that Moscow was preventing Ukrainian ports from exporting grain, blaming rising global food prices on the West.



"We are now seeing attempts to shift the responsibility for what is happening on the world food market, the emerging problems in this market, onto Russia," he said on national television.



He said the best solution would be for Western sanctions on Russia's ally Belarus to be lifted and for to export grain through that country.



Ukrainian officials are counting on advanced missile systems that the United States and Britain recently pledged to swing the war in their favour, and Ukrainian troops have already begun training on them.



While Ukraine's resistance has forced Putin to narrow his immediate goal to conquering the entire Donbas region, Ukrainian officials said he remains intent on subduing the whole country.



"Putin's main goal is the destruction of Ukraine. He is not backing down from his goals, despite the fact that Ukraine won the first stage of this full-scale war," Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar told national television on Friday.



A Russian government spokesman said "certain results have been achieved" in the war and Moscow will continue its military operations until all goals are met.



REUTERS JOURNALISTS WOUNDED



Two Reuters journalists were injured and a driver killed on Friday after their vehicle came under fire as they tried to reach Sievierodonetsk from an area controlled by Russian-backed separatists.



Russian soldiers also attempted to advance towards Lysychansk, across the Siverskyi Donets River from Sievierodonetsk, but were stopped, Ukraine's military general staff said.



In neighbouring Donetsk province, Russian troops were just 15 km (9 miles) outside the city of Sloviansk, regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko told Reuters.



Donetsk will not fall quickly but needs more weapons to keep the attackers at bay, Kyrylenko said.



Moscow says the Western weapons will pour "fuel on the fire," but will not change the course of what it calls a "special military operation" to disarm Ukraine and rid it of dangerous nationalists.



Russia controls around a fifth of the country, about half of that seized in 2014 and the rest captured since launching its invasion on Feb. 24.



For both sides, the massive Russian assault in the east in recent weeks has been one of the deadliest phases of the war, with Ukraine saying it is losing 60 to 100 soldiers every day.



Moscow has made slow but steady progress, squeezing Ukrainian forces inside a pocket in Luhansk and Donetsk provinces, but failing to encircle them.



Kyiv hopes the Russian advance will drain Moscow's forces enough for Ukraine to recapture territory in months to come.



The war has had a devastating impact on the global economy, especially for poor food-importing countries. Ukraine is one of the world's leading sources of grain and cooking oil, but those supplies were cut off by the closure of its Black Sea ports, with more than 20 million tonnes of grain stuck in silos.



United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths on Friday ended two days of "frank and constructive discussions" with Russian officials in Moscow on facilitating exports of Ukraine grain from Black Sea ports, a U.N. spokesman said.



The talks came as U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tries to broker what he calls a "package deal" to resume both Ukrainian food exports and Russian food and fertiliser exports.



Kyiv and its allies blame Moscow for blockading the ports, which Ukraine has mined to prevent a Russian amphibious assault.

Putin blames Western sanctions.



(Reporting by a Reuters journalist in Sievierodonetsk, Natalia Zinets, Pavel Polityuk, Max Hunder and Conor Humphries in Kyiv, and Reuters bureaux; Writing by Jonathan Landay; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kyiv said on Saturday had reinforced its troops around Sievierodonetsk and attempted to cut off Ukraine's access to the industrial city, the focus of a Russian offensive to take the eastern Donbas region.



Serhiy Gaidai, governor of Luhansk province, said Russian forces were blowing up bridges across the Siverskyi Donets river to prevent Ukraine bringing in military reinforcements and delivering aid to civilians in Sievierodonetsk.



"The Russian army, as we understand, is throwing all its efforts, all its reserves in that (Sievierodonetsk) direction," Gaidai said in a live TV broadcast on Saturday.

"Russians are blowing up bridges, so we could not bring in reinforcements to our boys in Sievierodonetsk," he said.



Since being driven back from the capital Kyiv, Russia has launched a massive assault in Luhansk and Donetsk, two provinces that make up the eastern Donbas region.



For both sides, the fighting in the east in recent weeks has been one of the deadliest phases of the war, with Ukraine saying it is losing 60 to 100 soldiers every day.



Ukraine's military said on Saturday Russia had used artillery to conduct "assault operations" in Sievierodonetsk, but Russian forces retreated and Ukrainian troops are holding positions inside the city, around 145 kilometres (90 miles) from the Russian border.



Russian soldiers also attempted to advance towards Lysychansk, across the Siverskyi Donets river from Sievierodonetsk, but were stopped, Ukraine's military general staff said.



Reuters reached Sievierodonetsk on Thursday and was able to verify that Ukrainians still held part of the city.



In neighbouring Donetsk province, Russian troops were just 15 km (9 miles) outside the city of Sloviansk, regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko told Reuters on Friday.



Britain's defence ministry said on Saturday that Russian air activity remains high over Donbas, with Russian aircraft carrying out strikes using both guided and unguided munitions.



In Ukraine's southern Odesa region on Saturday morning, a missile hit an agricultural storage unit, wounding two people, the regional administration's spokesman wrote on Telegram.



GRAIN SUPPLIES CUT OFF

Tens of thousands have died, millions have been uprooted from their homes and the global economy disrupted in a war that marked its 100th day on Friday.



Ukrainian officials are counting on advanced missile systems recently pledged by the and to swing the war in their favour, and Ukrainian troops have already begun training on them.



has said the Western weapons will pour "fuel on the fire," but will not change the course of what it calls a "special military operation" to disarm Ukraine and rid it of dangerous nationalists.



The war has had a devastating impact on the global economy, especially for poor food-importing countries.



Ukraine is one of the world's leading sources of grain and cooking oil, but those supplies were largely cut off by Russia's closure of its Black Sea ports, with more than 20 million tonnes of grain stuck in silos.



Kyiv and its allies blame for blockading the ports.



Russian President Vladimir Putin denied on Friday that Moscow was preventing Ukrainian ports from exporting grain, blaming rising global food prices on the West.



Moscow says sanctions are also hitting its own grain and fertiliser exports, aggravating the shortages.



U.N. Secretary-General has this week tried to broker what he calls a "package deal" to resume both Ukrainian food exports and Russian food and fertiliser exports.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
UN Secretary-General on Friday renewed his call for an immediate halt to violence on the 100th day of the war in Ukraine.

The UN chief also called for urgent protection for civilians, unfettered access to provide them with humanitarian aid and safely evacuate those trapped in areas where fighting is taking place, and respect for human rights.

The conflict has already taken thousands of lives, caused untold destruction, displaced millions of people, resulted in unacceptable violations of human rights and is inflaming a three-dimensional global crisis food, energy and finance that is pummeling the most vulnerable people, countries and economies, Guterres said in a statement Friday.

From the first days of the war, he said the has been supporting the Ukrainian people trying to deal with its humanitarian impact while also drawing attention to the dangers and long-term implications of continued fighting and potential escalation of hostilities for the country, the wider region and the world.

The secretary-general said the UN remains committed to the humanitarian effort, but as I have stressed from the beginning, resolving this conflict will require negotiations and dialogue.

The sooner the parties engage in good-faith diplomatic efforts to end this war, the better for the sake of Ukraine, Russia and the world, Guterres 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.)
Oil settled higher on Friday, supported by expectations that OPEC's decision to increase production targets by slightly more than planned will not add that much to global supply which should tighten as China eases COVID restrictions.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, known as OPEC+, on Thursday agreed to boost output by 648,000 barrels per day (bpd) a month in July and August rather than 432,000 bpd as previously agreed.

Brent crude rose $2.11, or 1.8%, to settle at $119.72 a barrel by 1338 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude advanced $2, or 1.7%, to $118.87. Both benchmarks were up by $3 in after hours trading.

U.S. crude notched a sixth weekly gain on tight U.S. supply, which has prompted talk of fuel export curbs or a windfall tax on oil and gas producers.

"Yesterday's OPEC+ decision and the ongoing acceleration in SPR releases is maintaining crude availability at an ample level especially with demand from the refiners appreciably downsized from a few years ago," said Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch and Associates LLC in Galena, Illinois.

The output hike could undershoot the pledged amount since OPEC+ divided the hike across its members and still included Russia, whose output is falling as sanctions have prompted some countries to avoid buying its oil since the invasion of Ukraine.

President Joe Biden publicly acknowledged that he may travel to Saudi Arabia soon, a trip multiple sources said was expected and could include talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The visit would be aimed at bolstering U.S.-Saudi relations as Biden seeks ways to lower U.S. gasoline prices.

As recently as Wednesday, the White House said Biden still felt bin Salman was a "pariah" for what U.S. intelligence says was his role in the killing and dismembering of a political opponent, Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in Turkey in 2018.

Supplies remain tight. On Thursday, a U.S. weekly inventory report showed crude stockpiles fell by a more-than-expected 5.1 million barrels. Gasoline inventories also dropped. [EIA/S]

U.S. firms this week left oil and natural gas rigs unchanged at 727 in the week to June 3, Baker Hughes Co BKR.N said in its closely followed report on Friday.

Demand is rising too. China's financial hub Shanghai and capital, Beijing, have relaxed COVID-19 restrictions and the Chinese government has vowed to stimulate the economy.

Oil held gains after U.S. data showed employment increased more than expected in May, signs of a tight labor market.

(Additional reporting by Sonali Paul in Melbourne and Muyu Xu in Singapore; Editing by Kirsten Donovan, Edmund Blair and David Gregorio)

(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 PSU lender said that Swarup Kumar Saha assumed the charge as managing director & chief executive officer of the bank on 3 June 2022.

Saha's appointment as MD and CEO is for three years. Prior to his elevation, Saha was executive director of Punjab National Bank since 10 March 2021.

"In a career spanning over three decades, he has vast experience and expertise in Human Resource Development, Treasury, International Banking, Credit, Risk Management, Organization Restructuring and Board matters," the bank said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) vide its letter dated 3 June 2022 has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 27.50 lakh on Punjab & Sind Bank. The penalty was imposed on account of the failure of the bank to comply with certain directions issued by RBI on 'External Benchmark Based Lending'.

Punjab & Sind Bank is a public sector bank. The Government of India held 98.25% stake in the bank as of 31 March 2022. It reported 115.2% jump in net profit to Rs 346.10 crore on a 2.9% rise in total income to Rs 2,007.90 crore in Q4 FY22 over Q4 FY21.

Shares of Punjab & Sind Bank fell 0.97% to end at Rs 15.30 on Friday, 3 June 2022.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

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In the sweltering heat of peak April, I have a breakfast meeting with publisher-poet-photographer Naveen Kishore. It is a morning to be remembered for the mans warmth, generosity and sense of humour. We are in the Sea Lounge of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Apollo Bandar, Colaba. It is a gorgeous heritage structure that still reminds me of the horrible terror attack in 2008 that shook Mumbai, the city that I have lived in for most of my life.

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Ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and senior leader on Friday said that the party will be contesting the polls from all 182 seats in the state.

Sisodia, in Vadodara, said that the people of Gujarat did not have an option in the polls, but with AAP contesting all seats, they will now have a choice.

"We will contest all the seats in Gujarat. Now, the people of Gujarat have to decide. Till now people of Gujarat did not have an option but, now they have an option," he said.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal will visit the state on June 6 to participate in the party's Tiranga Yatra in Mehsana.

Kejriwal had urged the people of Gujarat to give one chance to his party in the forthcoming elections in the state. He said that his party will end the cycle of corruption in the state after coming to power.

After its landslide victory in the recently held Punjab Assembly elections, AAP is seeking to expand its footprint in other states.

The party had made its debut in Gujarat in the 2017 Assembly polls, but could not open its account.

Gujarat will go for Assembly polls this year.

AAP's Gujarat hope has been fuelled by its performance in the February 2021 Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) polls in which the BJP won 93 seats, while bagged 27 seats in the Surat Municipal Corporation election while Congress drew a blank.

(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.)
AAP leader Manish Sisodia on Saturday alleged that Chief Minister gave contracts to companies of his wife and son's business partners to supply PPE kits at "exorbitant rates" in 2020, a charge rebutted by the BJP leader who threatened to file a criminal defamation suit against him.

At a press conference in the national capital, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia said two websites had collaborated on the story on the alleged "scam" and published it two days ago.

government spokesman Pijush Hazarika said the allegations against the Sarma family were ''false, imaginary and malicious". He said there was no scam and asked why are the two media organisations were not going to the court if they have evidence.

Sisodia claimed that while the government procured PPE kits at Rs 600 apiece from other companies, Sarma, who was then the state health minister, gave urgent supply orders to his ''wife's firm, JCB Industries, and Meditime Healthcare, which belonged to a close associate," at Rs 990 apiece "taking advantage of the COVID-19 emergency".

''It is a major scam by the chief minister of Assam and his close associates. It is a solid corruption case and the ED is after (Satyendar) Jain who is working hard to provide quality healthcare to the residents of Delhi," Sisodia said. The ED had arrested Jain, Delhi's health minister and AAP leader, on May 30 in a money laundering case after hours of questioning.

Sarma refuted the allegations, saying his wife's company gifted the PPE kits to the government and that Sisodia was "cherry-picking from half the documents".

The BJP leader said his wife managed to bring in a few kits to save precious lives at a time when Assam did not have a single PPE kit.

"Although the NHM issued order, the company raised no bill and the kits were gifted to the government... not a single penny was transacted, where is the corruption(sic)," he tweeted.

"Due to acute shortage then, every government including yours waived the tender process for PPE kits and went for direct purchase... Don't cherry-pick from half the documents. Have the courage to put all the facts," he added.

The chief minister also attached a letter of appreciation from the then National Health Mission director Dr Lakshmanan for providing the PPE kits as corporate social responsibility during COVID-19 by JCB Industries, of which Sarma's wife Rinki Sarma Bhuyan is a partner.

''Stop sermonising. I will see you in Guwahati as you (Sisodia) will face criminal defamation,'' Sarma said.

Sisodia alleged that business partners of "Sarma's son also got a lucrative order to supply PPE kits at a rate of Rs 990 per piece. Agile Associates, a company owned by a business partner of Sarma's wife, received orders to deliver 10,000 PPE kits for Rs 2,205 per piece".

"Despite an incomplete supply of orders, these close associates of the Sarma family bagged orders to supply more PPE kits at a rate of Rs 1,680 per piece," Sisodia alleged.

The firm belonging to his wife does not even deal in medical equipment, the AAP leader alleged.

Sisodia asked why the members of the BJP were silent on "corruption" by a chief minister of a state ruled by the saffron party.

He claimed the Enforcement Directorate arrested Satyendar Jain on "bogus" charges of corruption and the Centre told the court on Friday that he is "not an accused".

"On the other hand, the central government has turned a blind eye towards corruption by BJP ministers. When will the BJP take action against its ministers?" he asked.

The ED had arrested Jain on May 30 in a money laundering case after hours of questioning.

The agency has alleged that the AAP leader and his wife had amassed disproportionate wealth worth Rs 1.47 crore between February 2015 and May 2017, more than double their known sources of income.

Hazarika, also minister for water resources and information and public relations, said the allegations against the Sarma family "can be attributed as the handiwork of a certain section with vested interests".

At the beginning of the pandemic two years ago, none knew how to deal with the situation and experts said that PPE could provide full protection to deal with COVID infection. But there was no firm in Assam which manufactured the kits, while many other states had stopped transporting them as they themselves needed those, Hazarika said.

''During an emergency situation, it is not possible to follow the general rules and regulations. The Cabinet had taken a decision that a committee will be formed and if its members gave the nod to buy the necessary kits and equipment to deal with the situation, then it can be bought,'' Hazarika, who was then the minister of state for health, said.

Accordingly, orders for PPE kits were placed with 35 firms and finally only nine firms could supply them to the government. An order of only Rs 85 lakh was placed with the firm referred to by the portals, he said.

Some PPE kits were arranged under corporate social responsibility (CSR) but not a single paise went from the government. ''So how can a scam or a scandal take place ?" Hazarika asked.

The chief minister's wife Riniki Sarma Bhuyan tweeted that in the first week of the pandemic not a single PPE kit was available in Assam.

"Taking cognisance of the same, I reached out to a business acquaintance and delivered around 1500 PPE kits to the NHM (National Health Mission) with a lot of effort. Later on, I wrote to the NHM to treat the same as a part of my CSR," she said.

Bhuyan claimed that she did not take a "single penny" for supplying the PPE kits and asserted that she had always been "transparent" about her "giving back to the society" irrespective of her husband's political standing.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Trinamool Congress block president of Belpahari in Jhargram district has quit his post in the wake of the recent diktat by party national general secretary that those occupying positions cannot take up the job of a contractor.

Abhijit Dutta told reporters on Saturday that he had quit the post on Thursday and sent a letter to the district leadership to this effect.

"It is not possible to run the family without the job of contractor. I will remain a loyal soldier, a grassroot party worker. But as directed by our leader to all TMC post holders who are contractors, I am hereby quitting the post of block president," he added.

At a recent public meeting at Haldia in Purba Medinipur, Banerjee had said TMC leaders occupying any post in the party should not run their contractor business.

Banerjee had apparently said so in the wake of allegations by opposition and CPI-M that TMC leaders were amassing money from development projects in rural and urban areas either as contractors or in collusion with contractors.

district president Debashis Kundu said "This is an eye wash. Abhijit will run the show despite not being the president of the block in future. TMC and illegal gratification from projects have become synonymous."



TMC state spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said Banerjee believes that a party functionary should not be involved in contract business. "We believe in transparency and Dutta's decision proves that. should instead hold the mirror to itself.

(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.)
After joining Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Balbir Singh Sidhu said on Saturday that doesn't recognize its workers, while Prime Minister and Union Home Minister give credit to their workers.

Balbir Singh Sidhu said, "I have been in since I was 30-32 years old. Now I am 60-years-old, worked with all my blood and sweat for the party but doesn't recognize its workers. The way Modi Ji and Ji work, they give credit to their workers."

Earlier in the day, seven Congress leaders, including four former Ministers, joined the at the party office in Chandigarh.

Former Ministers Raj Kumar Verka, Balbir Singh Sidhu, Gurpreet Singh Kangar, and Sundar Sham Arora were among the seven Congress leaders who joined the today.

Apart from them, Congress leaders Kewal S Dhillon, Kamaljeet S Dhillon and the sitting Mayor of Congress in Mohali, Amarjeet S Sidhu also joined the here today.

In addition, two Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders Bibi Mohinder Kaur Josh and Sarup Chand Singla also joined the BJP today.

In the past few months, the country has witnessed a number of leaders from various Opposition parties joining the BJP.

On Thursday, former Congress leader Hardik Patel, who quit the Congress last month, joined the BJP- months ahead of the Assembly elections in Gujarat, while the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) retired colonel Ajay Kothiyal joined the party in Uttarakhand on May 24.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a major setback to the in Punjab, four of its leaders and former ministers Raj Kumar Verka, Balbir Singh Sidhu, Sunder Sham Arora and Gurpreet Singh Kangar joined the here on Saturday.

Former MLA from Barnala Kewal Dhillon and former SAD MLAs Sarup Chand Singla and Mohinder Kaur Josh also joined the .

They joined the in the presence of Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Som Parkash, state unit chief Ashwani Sharma, and senior party leaders Dushyant Gautam, Tarun Chugh, Sunil Jakhar and Manjinder Singh Sirsa.

Balbir Sidhu, a three-time MLA from Mohali, was the health minister in the previous government, while Gurpreet Kangar, a three-time MLA from Rampura Phul, was the revenue minister.

Verka, a prominent Dalit leader from the Majha region, is also a three-time legislator and was the minister for social justice and and empowerment and minorities in the previous government.

Sunder Sham Arora, a former MLA from Hoshiarpur, was the industry and commerce minister in the previous Congress government.

Balbir Sidhu's brother Amarjit Singh Sidhu, who is the mayor of Mohali corporation, also joined the BJP.

Union Home Minister arrived in Chandigarh on Saturday for a meeting with party leaders and inaugurating the Khelo India Youth Games in Haryana's Panchkula.

(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.)
South-east carrier on Saturday announced the launch of its direct flight services to the financial capital from Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam, and .

It said services on the Hanoi-Mumbai-Hanoi route will be operated three times a week, while the to will be run four times per week.

started its operations in in December 2019, connecting New Delhi to Hanoi and . The services were discontinued following suspending commercial international passenger flight operations in late March 2020 due to the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic.

After the government lifted the ban on March 27 this year, announced resumption of operations along with expansion of its services between and .

"Following the launch of our New Delhi - Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi services, we are delighted to launch two more direct routes between and .

"We believe that the two services from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to as well as the coming Phu Quoc - Mumbai route will strengthen the on-going relationship of Vietnam's two biggest cities with Mumbai," Vietjet's Vice President Do Xuan Quang said at the launch of the Mumbai flight.

The services on these new routes are expected to be scaled up in the coming times to meet customers' demand, he added.

From September 9, the Mumbai - Phu Quoc route will commence operation with four round trips per week, while the New Delhi - Phu Quoc service will operate with a frequency of three round trips per week, the airline said.

Commenting on the new services from its airport, a spokesperson of the Chhtrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) said, "These services by Vietjet will offer diversified travel destinations and flight schedules, as well as add direct flight options to the Mumbai Airport's route network from the city to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to further boost travel opportunities between the two countries.

(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.)
Gurugram (Haryana) [India], June 4 (ANI/NewsVoir): Brightsun Travel, an international travel company celebrated World Environment Day on June 3 at Brahma Kumari's Om Shanti Retreat Center in Gurugram. Aligning with the theme of UN "Only One Earth", the company organized a cleanliness and tree plantation drive, and donated a park bench at Brahma Kumari Centre. Over 30 fruit and native trees were planted by India Office Head, Sandeep Arora, and team members from across the business who volunteered as part of the company's CSR initiative including a pledge towards environment protection.

Speaking on the occasion, he said, "We hope that our company's effort towards conserving the environment through cleaning and plantation drives will not only resonate with our team members but also motivate the local communities to protect our world and leave it in a better condition for our future generation."

"Brightsun Travel is dedicated to responsible travel that includes advancing the discussion on sustainable tourism, supporting local businesses and communities, and raising awareness amongst the travellers about the positive impact of travelling in more mindful ways. With its diverse activities, such as this campaign, we're committed to our government's vision of Clean and Green India and will continue to enhance its efforts toward a sustainable future."

Established in 1986, Brightsun Travel is a global travel and tour operator, with many awards from the trade. The company is a one-stop shop for an extensive range of travel-related services with offices in Gurugram, London plus hybrid offices in Manchester and India. A team of dedicated travel experts is available 24x7 for flight booking, holiday planning and other travel-related assistance, just a call away on 0124 416 300124.

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.)
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 4 (ANI/SRV): JAIN (Deemed-to-be University) and Futurense Technologies have joined hands to level the playing field for the upcoming talent in India with the launch of their remodelled B.Tech degree programme of Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering with a specialisation in Artificial Intelligence and Data Engineering.

Students will be taught in a sequential manner over a span of 16 terms where they will also get 12+ months of relevant work experience at Futurense Technologies. Students will be facilitated with ClassLabs (Classrooms integrated with labs) in order for them to learn theory and practicals at the same time.

This program follows the formula of Experienced Learning = Learn^3 x Earn^2 where students will get to learn and earn at the same time.

Learn with a multi-disciplinary curriculum across 16 terms.

Learn via hands-on labs and projects from industry practitioners and thought leaders.

Learn from global professors from the top universities in the world.

Earn valuable experience of 12+ months at Futurense Technologies.

Earn guaranteed stipends of up to Rs. 50k/month.

Students will be provided with a conditional letter of intent at the time of admission in order to ensure their job safety after 4 years. This immersive learning model will ensure that the students have the appropriate edification of Data Engineers by the end of their 2nd year, Machine Learning Engineers by the 3rd, and industry-ready AI Engineers by the time they graduate.

Students will also get multiple guaranteed paid internships at Futurense Technologies from the 2nd year of the programme, and will also be provided guaranteed placements. Therefore, by the time the students graduate, they are already possessing valuable experience of 12+ months along with a job in hand from Futurense Technologies.

The students will get to work on top proprietary cloud platforms like AWS (Amazon Web Services) and Microsoft Azure. The multidisciplinary curriculum of the course will ensure that students get the right knowledge about subjects like Product Design, Design Thinking, Environmental Sciences, and more.

Students will be mentored by Global Professors of Practice from the world's top Universities and will also have regular interactions with Industry thought leaders, CxOs, etc. Moreover, they will also have an opportunity to get a certification from Harvard Business Publishing along with an option to study abroad at the University of California Riverside, with complete assistance provided for GMAT/GRE test preparations if they meet the eligibility criteria.

This initiative by JAIN (Deemed-to-be University), in association with Futurense Technologies, will be focused on helping aspiring candidates build a future-proof career in the field of Artificial Intelligence & Data Engineering.

To know more about the program, visit (https://bit.ly/JU-BTech-AIDE)

This story is provided by SRV. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/SRV)

DISCLAIMER

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Photo: Glacier Media North Vancouver RCMP are seeking the public's help in investigating a violent attack with a machete that happened outside the North Vancouver SeaBus terminal Wednesday night.

North Vancouver RCMP are seeking the public's help in investigating a violent attack with a machete that happened outside the North Vancouver SeaBus terminal Wednesday night.

North Vancouver RCMP are appealing for the publics help after a 26-year-old man was reportedly attacked by teens wielding machetes near the North Vancouver SeaBus entrance Wednesday evening (June 1).

Police rushed to the scene after receiving multiple 911 calls around 9:15 p.m. from witnesses who saw the machete attack take place.

Officers arrived to find passersby providing first aid to the man, who had suffered what police described as a significant wound to his arm.

Police immediately provided emergency first aid, which included the use of a police tourniquet to stop the bleeding, and called for paramedics, said Sgt. Peter DeVries, spokesman for the North Vancouver RCMP.

The man was rushed to hospital in serious condition.

There was a significant wound that required surgery, said DeVries.

Police learned from witnesses there had been an altercation between the victim and a group of four to five youths who had fled the scene prior to police arriving, said DeVries.

Some time later, North Vancouver RCMP officers conducting patrols at the Phibbs Exchange bus loop at Main Street and Hwy 1, located two teens who matched descriptions provided by witnesses  a 17-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy. Both were found to be in possession of machetes, said DeVries, and were arrested for possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

Those teens have since been released into the custody of their guardians, on conditions not to possess any weapons and not to go near Lonsdale Quay.

Police said although the victim and the teens didnt know each other, the attack does not appear to be random.

DeVries said they believe there were two or three other youths who were involved in the altercation they would like to identify.

We believe there are people who have video footage on their cellphones, he said. Police are asking anyone who has video footage of the incident to call police at 604-985-1311.

They are also encouraging anyone who may have video surveillance from the area along East Esplanade between Lonsdale Avenue and St. Georges Avenue, between 9 p.m. and 9:45 on June 1, to check for footage.

DeVries described the attack as alarming. Theres absolutely no reason anyone should be walking around North Vancouver with a machete, he said.

Police have not released information about whether the teens arrested are from the North Shore.

No charges have been laid yet. Police said the investigation is continuing.
Photo: The Canadian Press Conservative MP for Yorkton-Melville Cathay Wagantall speaks with reporters outside West Block in the Parliamentary precinct, Friday, June 3, 2022 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

A Conservative MP who refuses to disclose her vaccination status tried to access the House of Commons precinct after a COVID-19 vaccination mandate was imposed last year and was required to leave.

Cathay Wagantall, who represents the Yorkton-Melville riding in Saskatchewan, says at a news conference she held on Parliament Hill that she was informed she would have to leave the House of Commons.

Wagantall says she spoke with the Conservative House leader Friday, who informed her that though she could stay while the House was sitting, she would have to leave by the end of the day.

The House's board of internal economy set a requirement in November 2021 that anyone on the precinct must show proof of vaccination against COVID-19, though Speaker Anthony Rota later ruled the board overstepped its authority.

The Liberals and NDP then joined to pass a motion to extend hybrid sittings of Parliament, which also specified that anyone entering the precinct must be fully immunized against COVID-19 or have a valid medical exemption.

Wagantall says she voluntarily left on her own accord, but believes once the House rose, she would have been apprehended and removed.

She says she came to Ottawa at the end of April and before then has driven to and from Ottawa three times on her own.

Wagantall says she is not permitted in her office and has not accessed it since November 2021.

She says she is not allowed to fly or take a train, noting that it takes about three and a half days driving by car to travel to the national capital from her riding in Saskatchewan.

"Ontario is open. My province has been open for a long time. I'm not making light of anyone who has suffered with COVID.  But regardless, it's time for this country to get on."
Photo: The Canadian Press Lawyer James Lockyer is photographed following a press conference held by Innocence Canada in Toronto on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019. Two Indigenous sisters who have spent nearly 30 years in prison for what they say is a wrongful murder conviction now have reason to hope their names could soon be cleared. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Two Indigenous sisters who have spent nearly 30 years in prison for what they say is a wrongful murder conviction now have reason to hope their names could soon be cleared.

The Justice Department has sent a letter to the lawyer representing Odelia and Nerissa Quewezance saying there may be a reasonable basis to conclude that a miscarriage of justice likely occurred in this matter.

The letter, from the department's Criminal Conviction Review Group, says the matter will now proceed to the investigation stage of the conviction review process.

Once the group completes its investigation, a recommendation will be made to Justice Minister David Lametti for his consideration.

Odelia was 20 years old and Nerissa was 18 when they were arrested for the 1993 stabbing of 70-year-old farmer Anthony Joseph Dolff, near Kamsack, Sask.

Their lawyer, James Lockyer, says the sisters were present when Dolff was killed, but a person who was a youth at the time confessed to the killing and testified the sisters were not involved.

Odelia Quewezance was recently granted a brief release from prison and travelled to Ottawa on Thursday to appeal directly to justice officials and urge release for Nerissa, who remains imprisoned in British Columbia.

Lockyer filed an application with Lametti's office in December seeking a ministerial review of the case.

He says he received the letter from the department on Thursday and now plans to file a bail application later this month or in early July.

"It's a sign that things might be going well for them," Lockyer says of the sisters' reaction to the news. "It's very exciting for them. They can start to see possible overturning of their conviction on the horizon.

"It's really good news, and if I can get them both bail, it's even better news."

The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples says in a release that it is "ecstatic" to learn justice may be coming for the sisters.

Kim Beaudin, national vice-chief of the congress, says it's exciting that "after 30 years of a colossal injustice, the women are one step closer to freedom."

"It must be fate," Beaudin says, of the timing of the letter that reached Lockyer on the same day Odelia Quewezance made her appeal in Ottawa.

Lockyer, a Toronto-based lawyer who helped to exonerate David Milgaard in 1997 and helped found the advocacy organization Innocence Canada, has said he took on the sisters' case because of Milgaard's belief in their innocence.

Odelia has said Milgaard, who spent 23 years in prison for a 1969 rape and murder he didn't commit, was her "biggest supporter" and was "like a brother, an angel" to her. Milgaard died last month.

Lockyer has argued the "two young Indigenous women (were) essentially at the mercy of a whole bunch of RCMP officers for five days with no protection" and the statements they gave were "entirely unreliable."

"Forget for a moment the miscarriage of justice at their trial, they're still (incarcerated), 20 years after they were eligible for parole," Lockyer said in an interview last month.

"They need to be able to live the rest of their lives as free persons."
Photo: pixabay

An East Vancouver retailer said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau triggered a short-term handgun rush on May 30 when he announced a freeze on pistol transactions is coming later this year.

We're obviously selling more than we normally would, because everybody wants to beat the legislation theyre trying to push through, said Victor Camele, general manager of Italian Sporting Goods. But, on the flip side, it's going to destroy our business.

Trudeau announced the Liberal government would be capping the market for handguns, by freezing the importing, buying, selling and transferring firearms. He made the announcement six days after the mass-murder of 19 elementary school students and two of their teachers in a Texas town. But the gunman used assault rifles, not a handgun.

Camele said his stores clientele is mainly target and sport shooters and those rushing to purchase are already licensed. In the long-term, he said the federal move will probably mean a 40% hit to his business, which also includes the sale of ammunition, gun cases and accessories.

Elsewhere, at Lever Arms Service on Vancouvers West Side, the employee who answered the phone after opening on June 1 put a reporter on hold and was heard telling a customer that transfers are delayed by high volume. He returned to the call and declined an interview because his store was too busy.

A Port Coquitlam retailer announced on Facebook May 31 that it closed its storefront to in-person, walk-in customers due to the buying frenzy and urged customers to use its website.

The online catalogue for Tiger Arms Ltd. shows handguns priced from $289.99 for a Norinco CF98 to a $9,299.99 CZ 75B Special Edition. But most handguns are listed as out of stock.

For context, we have sold approximately 450 handguns in the past 24 hours, said the posting on Tiger Arms Facebook page. To clarify, we are not shutting down, just closing the retail storefront.

Another post pleaded with customers to be patient. In light of the recent announcement, we are swamped with orders! Orders are being processed as fast as humanly possible, calling in to check the status of your order only slows everything down.

Nobody from the store responded for comment.

Tiger Arms is named after Rongxiang Tiger Yuan, a director of the company from 2013 to 2020 and a veteran of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army. In July 2016, Yuan made three donations to the Liberal Party, including one to Trudeaus riding association, totalling $4,300.

Since March 2020, Hai Yan Avery Chow of Richmond has been listed as the sole director of Tiger Arms.

Canadian handgun buyers are required to hold a Possession and Acquisition Licence under the Firearms Act. Anyone without a valid firearms licence is required to wait at least 28 days to be licensed and must pass the Canadian Firearms Safety Course. Applicants must undergo background checks that include disclosing current and former conjugal partners and whether they have had criminal, emotional or financial problems.

The federal government said there are 1.1 million registered handguns, a 71% increase from 2010 to 2020. On May 27, the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics released a report looking at firearm-related violent crime from 2009 to 2020. More than six in 10 firearm-related violent crimes in urban areas involved a handgun. In rural areas, the most-common firearm was a rifle or shotgun.

Rates of weapons possession offences have been increasing since 2013, the report said. Other non-violent weapons offences declined or remained stable over this period, with the exception of weapons trafficking, including unauthorized importing or exporting, which increased in both 2019 and 2020.
Photo: The Canadian Press Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says Canada is more resolute than ever in its support for Ukraine as its war with Russia continues after 100 days.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, she said Canada would continue to provide weaponry and other help while applying pressure on Russia with fresh rounds of sanctions.

"Our goal is to make sure we put maximum pressure on Putins regime," she said.

Canada has been inspired by Ukraine's resolute defence of its country, she said, and would continue to back the beleaguered country as the war reaches its "third phase."

"The will Ukrainians have demonstrated is incredible and inspiring," she said. "Nobody thought that Ukraine at the beginning of the war would be able to fight back as they have been able, and are still fighting back and they are not backing down."

After talks with counterparts from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in Quebec City, Joly confirmed on Friday that Canada has increased the deployment of Canadian troops to Latvia, which borders Russia.

The intention to boost Canadian Forces in the Baltics was announced by the prime minister in February. Canada leads a multinational NATO battlegroup in Latvia, one of four in the Baltic states and Poland designed to deter a Russian attack.

"We had 700 troops and we are increasing that now by 450," Joly said. "We are now 1,300 troops in Latvia. We also increased our presence by making sure there is another frigate in the Baltic Sea."

Joly said Canada is also preparing "to put 3,400 soldiers on standby for NATO."

She said Canada is playing a key diplomatic role in support of Ukraine to "keep a strong unity" with the United States, European Union and other allies.

U.S. President Joe Biden this week said he would supply Ukraine with longer-range rocket systems, while Germany promised to send an air defence system.

Joly said it "was important for the U.S. to send  heavy weaponry this week" and Canada would also send more weapons.

She said she has held talks with the United Nations, EU and G7 about a possible diplomatic solution to help Ukraine get millions of tonnes of grain out of its port of Odesa, which is being blockaded by Russia.

Countries in Africa and the Middle East that rely on Ukrainian wheat as a staple food are facing hunger, the UN World Food Program has warned.

Joly said Ukraine needed "to be comfortable with the diplomatic solution because their own security must be ensured."

She said Canada was prepared to send vessels to Romanian ports to ship out the grain and to support its transport by rail and barge to neighbouring European countries.

The minister said she spoke about further support for Ukraine with Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania's foreign affairs minister; Zanda Kalnina-Lukasevica, Latvia's parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs; and Eva-Maria Liimets, Estonia's foreign affairs minister.

The Baltic states were invaded by the Soviet Union in 1940, and then by Nazi Germany in 1941. They were reoccupied later on in the Second World War, becoming part of the Soviet Union until 1991.

"Because they are at the edge of Russia, they understand and feel it every day the threat that Russia poses," Joly said.
China is striving so hard to present itself as a reliable partner for economic recovery post-Covid-19 pandemic in Bangladesh but its economic partnership seems to be turning out as an albatross around their neck for recipient countries.

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming on May 3 lauded Dhaka for successfully continuing its development trend despite facing the pandemic and even took the credit for the country's proper handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Bangladesh Live News reported.

"It makes me so inspired and I'm proud to say that China made due contributions to this great achievement of yours," the ambassador had said.

These statements may show that China is a reliable economic partner but its tax evasion case, and fraud case portrays a different picture. Chinese-driven corruption has permeated into several layers of Bangladeshi business enterprises, even government transactions.

Last year, after the case of embezzlement of funds in megaprojects, came under the spotlight, Bangladesh authorities forced the Chinese government to withdraw from financing three infrastructure projects.

These projects in the railway sector included building a mixed gauge double line from Joydebpur in Gazipur to Ishwardi in Pabna near the capital Dhaka.

In another incident, a Bangladeshi labourer was assaulted by a Chinese project officer over a matter of not wearing the mask properly while he was working at the site. Chinese workers got furious at the worker and beat him up. After this, he was admitted to the Bakerganj Upazila Health Complex, according to Bangladesh Live News.

The ill-treatment of workers is a major concern in the construction process of coal-fired power plants as part of the Chinese megaprojects in Bangladesh.

Last year, in April, a group of workers of the SS Power Plant gathered in Chittagong to peacefully protest for higher wages and reduced working hours. Police authorities intervened to quell the protest through violent means.

The Bangladeshi press recorded five deaths and a dozen injured people in the clash. Indeed, the coal plant and infrastructure implementations are causing widespread displacement of highly populated rural areas by endangering their ecosystem and resources such as water and air pollution. As a result, inhabitants of the impacted areas gathered in protests to stop the land seizing. Furthermore, the increase in the building of coal plants is failing to respect workers' rights, reported Bangladesh Live News.

China expects Bangladesh to be an important player in its South Asian BRI scheme and Dhaka has also shown its interest in joining the scheme. But, according to Publication, Bangladesh should take a lesson from what happened in Sri Lanka after it took heed of China's scheme.

Presently, Sri Lanka is battling a severe economic crisis with food and fuel scarcity affecting a large number of people in the island nation and China is one of the responsible factors.

In a post-pandemic situation where Bangladesh too is looking at economic recovery, it runs the risk of becoming even more dependent on Beijing, which is rife with systemic corruption, paired with a lack of accountability.

Bangladesh carries about USD 8 billion in Chinese debt and its close military relationship, and purchase of many of its latest weapons systems from China are sources of anxiety. Bangladesh has the ability to manage its debt but still, there is no clarity about the details and the financial implications for Dhaka.

(ANI)
UK bilateral aid spending in Pakistan has dramatically decreased since 2016, said a British Foreign Office report that linked the dwindling British assistance with human rights issues.

"It is vital that UK aid partners understand the aims and strategy of UK aid in Pakistan in order to carry out their work as effectively as possible. Aid programmes are most effective when different donors ensure that they complement each other in a joined-up approach. Our evidence suggested that this isn't always the case in Pakistan," said a report by International Development Committee.

The report, released in April, states the UK government should direct its bilateral spending in Pakistan strategically towards supporting marginalised groups to reach their full potential.

According to the report, there is a shrinking space for NGOs in Pakistan, which are seen as promoting a foreign agenda. The restrictions on and harassment towards NGOs in Pakistan threaten the success of UK aid programmes there.

"The FCDO should work with the Pakistani Government and use diplomatic means to ensure that INGOs and NGOs, especially the UK's aid partners, are able to undertake development work in the country without barriers. The FCDO should write to the Committee within nine months to update us on their progress in this area," it said.

The report states that UK aid programmes focused on supporting the development of an open society "do not always fit" with the policy objectives of the Pakistani Government.

However, progress in this area is key to supporting other core elements of UK development work in Pakistan, such as improving opportunities for women and girls and minorities.

"However, the Committee are aware that there has been a change in the federal government in Pakistan, and it is not yet clear how the newly formed Government will address the challenges," it said.

The report further argues that the UK Government should maintain dialogue with the Pakistani Government on the importance of an open society, including the need for civic spaces and religious and media freedom.

"As part of this, the FCDO should increase support to Pakistan's National Commission on the Status of Women and its National Commission on Human Rights," it added.

(ANI)
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The Tennessee RiverLine, North Americas next regional trail system, has announced the launch of its Community Planning Initiative. CPI is a two-year community outreach program that will empower participating river communities with an understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and aspirations relative to their relationship with the Tennessee River, and provide them with tools to make progress toward fulfilling those aspirations.

The multi-phase initiative culminates in fall 2023 with the development of conceptual design and grant application materials for a Tennessee RiverLine project identified by each community, which could include new riverfront parks, campsites and access points, connective trails and greenways, and other related outdoor recreation infrastructure investments.

Phase I of the CPI begins in June 2022 with a public engagement program called 652 to YOU: a series of purposefully designed events and interactive planning activities facilitated in each community by the Tennessee RiverLine team. 652 to YOU is an opportunity for community leaders and residents to provide feedback about existing recreation experiences and infrastructure on or along the river, while also sharing ideas for their improvement and expansion through new investments. The results of 652 to YOU include recommendations for how each community can make progress toward their aspirations related to the Tennessee RiverLine.

Communities participating in Phase I of the CPI, and their 652 to YOU program dates are:



Calvert City, Kentucky: June 9-10

Clifton, Tennessee: June 23-25

Decatur, Alabama: July 9-12

Huntsville, Alabama: July 27-29

Guntersville, Alabama: Aug. 4-6

Hardin County, Tennessee: Aug. 18-20

These six communities will enter Phase II of the CPI in 2023, and will be joined by The Shoals and Bridgeport, Al.; Paducah, Ky.; and Roane County, Tn., who completed the 652 to YOU program in

2019. During Phase II, the Tennessee RiverLine team will continue collaborating with community leaders and residents to develop a conceptual design, a funding strategy, and grant application materials for a single Tennessee RiverLine project identified by each participating community as an investment priority. These materials can then be used to build public support and make progress toward project implementation.

CPI is made possible by funding through the US Department of Agriculture Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge in qualifying rural communities, as well as through the support of 3M Decatur with funds from the 3M Foundation, and the Tennessee RiverLines principal partners, TVA and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

The Tennessee RiverLine Community Planning Initiative will bring capacity, expertise and resources to participating communities that empower them to transform their relationship with their most valuable natural and cultural resource: the Tennessee River, said Brad Collett, Tennessee RiverLine director and associate professor in UT Knoxvilles Herbert College of Agriculture and College of Architecture and Design. Funding from the USDA, 3M, and our principal partners in support of this initiative expands the Tennessee RiverLines capacity to extend support to communities that may not otherwise have planning and design capacity or access to programming resources.

Our work with Tennessee RiverLine will help our neighbors enjoy the Tennessee River, enhance community vibrancy, and help ensure a more interconnected region," said Michelle Howell, site leader of 3M Decatur. "Were honored to support this work and look forward to seeing whats next for our area. 3M works to create opportunity and deliver for our people and our customers  and that applies to building communities where we live and operate in north Alabama and the Tennessee Valley.

Incredible things happen when communities come together to dream, discuss and design their futures," said Allen Clare, vice president of River and Resources Stewardship at TVA. "The Community Planning Initiative is one of the many, outstanding benefits of the 652 to YOU program. As principal partners of the Tennessee RiverLine, we congratulate this years participating communities and look forward to seeing the positive impacts of their efforts realized.

To learn more about the Tennessee RiverLines Community Planning Initiative and sign up for upcoming community engagement events near you, visit the Tennessee RiverLine News Page.
Chattanooga State Community College announced the winners of the 2022 Employee Excellence Awards. Nominees are carefully reviewed by a panel comprised of a Chattanooga State Foundation board member as Selection Committee Chair and two representatives each from the Support Staff Association, Professional Staff Association and Faculty Senate.

The 2022 winners are:



 Teaching Excellence Community College: Michele McCarthy;



 Teaching Excellence Technical College: Janaria McIntosh;

 Teaching Excellence Adjunct: Joanna Long;



 Support Staff (tie): Michael Rhea and Silang Sam; and



 Professional Staff: Marsha Barker.



Described as having a passion for teaching, Ms. McCarthy, an assistant professor in the Nursing department and a certified nurse educator (CNE), also serves in numerous capacities on campus and in the community. On campus, she is chair of the Curriculum Committee, summer transition and night program coordinator and has clinical teaching responsibilities. Her colleagues say she is a role model, a team player, demonstrates trust through integrity and is outcome driven. Micheles community service efforts are far-reaching, and she consistently maintains a positive attitude while seeking opportunities to build relationships, both in the classroom and throughout the community, stated colleague Kristi Argenbright.



With a unique ability to bring out the best in all of her students, Ms. McIntosh, an associate instructor, barbering in TCAT Chattanooga, is determined that graduates from her program enter the workforce with marketable training and service skills, said colleague Diane Jackson. Her resilience and creativity have sparked a remarkable positive change within the barbering program.



The Teaching Excellence Adjunct award was added as a new category in 2022 and Ms. Long, an instructor of American Sign Language in the Social and Behavioral Sciences division, was the first recipient. Tabitha Banks, coordinator, Curriculum and Academic Support, nominated Ms. Long for this inaugural award. Joanna comes to campus with a willing attitude, talks to potential students about the course, and provides options upon completion, said Ms. Banks.



In a tie for the Support Staff award, colleagues Kellie Yates, Juan Antonio Alonso and Stracee Jones had high praise for their respective nominees. As a specialist in the Enrollment Services Center, Mr. Rhea has a friendly disposition and positive attitude that has a lasting effect on students and staff, said Ms. Yates. He has a knack for calming the student and making sure they get the right information at the right time, connects with students to really hear them and provides a great example of someone who understands that everyone matters. In praise for Ms. Sam, an administrative assistant in the Organizational Culture and Engagement division, Mr. Alonso stated, Silang goes above and beyond to contribute global and cultural awareness on campus, sponsors the Asian American Club and organized the Latin Festival. Ms. Jones sees Silang as empathetic with a high degree of professionalism and an essential part of the Bond Arts and Culture Series.



Ms. Barker, director of Adult Services and campus Tennessee Reconnect coordinator, is the consummate student advocate, shared colleague Ed Nichols. Adult students feel safe and valued through Marshas supportive words and encouragement. Colleague Ed Southeard described her as a professional that exhibits a sense of humbleness in serving others and demonstrates leadership abilities that enable others to want to serve. Tennessee Reconnect student Zennia Nesmith said, Marsha works continuously at making sure that every student feels a true sense of belonging.



Chattanooga State Employee Excellence Awards recognize employees who go above and beyond each year. The winning nominees each received a $750 check from the Chattanooga State Foundation.
Restarting China-Australia relations requires concrete actions: Chinese FM

Xinhua) 09:11, June 04, 2022

PORT MORESBY, June 3 (Xinhua) -- There is no "autopilot mode" for improving China-Australia relations, and restarting bilateral ties requires concrete actions, visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Friday.

Wang made the remarks when meeting the press during his visit to Papua New Guinea.

Wang stressed that improving China-Australia ties is a common aspiration of people of both countries and conforms to the trend of the times.

Noting that bilateral ties have run into difficulties in recent years, Wang said the crux of the problem lies in the fact that some political forces in Australia insist on treating China as an adversary rather than a partner, and portraying China's development as a threat rather than an opportunity.

Such moves have led to a significant reversal of Australia's positive and pragmatic China policy pursued for many years, he added.

Wang said the solution is to view China and China-Australia relations rationally and positively, respect each other, seek common ground while shelving differences, and create necessary conditions for bringing bilateral relations back on the right track.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a special ranger-led hike Sunday, June 19, at 2 p.m., to look at General Gordon Granger and his roles in both the Battle of Chickamauga and Juneteenth. This program will start at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center, then caravan to Snodgrass Hill and hike just under a mile to the program location This program will last approximately one hour. Please wear comfortable shoes, bring a bottle of water, and dress for the weather.

On June 19, 1865, General Order No. 3 was issued by US General Gordon Granger upon his arrival in Galveston, Texas, proclaiming freedom for the enslaved people in Texas, many of whom were unaware of the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. Granger became celebrated among the formerly enslaved as the messenger of freedom in Texas. From then on, they would remember him, as well as celebrate the end of the institution of slavery on June 19, or, as it came to be known, Juneteenth. However, prior to his time in Texas, he was one of the heroes of Chickamauga, where his timely arrival on the battlefield, during the critical stand of the US army on Horseshoe Ridge and Snodgrass Hill, helped delay Confederate attacks and their ultimate victory.

For more information about programs at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, contact the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at (706) 866-9241, the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center at 821-7786, or visit the park website at www.nps.gov/chch.






The city of East Ridge installed a universal table in a special designated family restroom at Camp Jordan as part of a multi-organization effort to support adult changing tables in public facilities statewide.

The new Family Restroom with a Universal Changing Table, ready for use beginning Tuesday, June 7, is designed to accommodate individuals with a range of disabilities and medical conditions that require them to receive toileting assistance, such as muscular dystrophy, Parkinson's disease, paraplegia, Cerebral Palsy, or those recovering from a stroke. Having access to such a table will provide a clean and safe environment, eliminating the unhygienic option of placing a loved one on a bathroom floor.

The installation of the adult changing table at Camp Jordan evolved from feedback shared by TennCare MCO BlueCare Tennessees advisory board for members with disabilities, as well as the Tennessee General Assembly's decision to invest $1 million to increase access to universal access to changing tables across the state..

State Rep. Esther Helton, who also serves on the East Ridge City Council, worked with Roddey Coe, a governor-appointed member of the Tennessee Council of Developmental Disabilities, to gain unanimous support from the City Council to install a table at Camp Jordan. Mr. Coe was aware of BlueCares existing member-inspired community initiative to support adult changing tables and connected with the insurer, who agreed to donate an adult changing table for the Camp Jordan site.

Universal Changing tables help everyone, said Rep. Helton. It is a place where caregivers can conveniently and safely assist with bathroom needs for those unable to care for themselves. Everyone deserves a safe, dignified and hygienic space for toileting. I am thrilled that the first table is at Camp Jordan Park in my hometown.

BlueCare will also place additional changing tables at sites in Shelby County, Davidson County, and Knoxville.

We hope this will help end a dilemma that forces families with diverse needs to choose between isolating themselves at home or potentially putting their health and dignity at risk while out in the community, said Jeremy Scruggs, health promotion manager for BlueCare Tennessee.

Beyond the investments from BlueCare and the state legislature, several state organizations have elected to address this community need. Over the next eight to ten years, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has agreed to install adult changing tables in all rest areas and welcome centers. Also, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has agreed to install the changing tables in all state parks.

I want to thank Rep. Helton and Roddey Coe in their efforts to get this amenity off the ground, said East Ridge Mayor Brian Williams. I would also like to thank the East Ridge City Council for their unanimous support along with BlueCare Tennessee, who agreed to partner with the city and donate an adult changing table for installation at the Camp Jordan site.

Mayor Williams conveyed the citys excitement in being able to provide a universal changing table at Camp Jordan, providing families a solution so they can extend their stays and won't have to go out to their cars, or go home early, when someone needs to be changed.

I think this will reduce anxiety for families, said Williams. It will also help to make them feel included - that we have thought of their needs, and they are able to stay longer to enjoy activities at our park. We hope this added amenity enhances their experience in our city.

More information can be found at https://www.tn.gov/cdd/current-priorities/adult-changing-tables.html or by contacting the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities via email tnddc@tn.gov or calling 615-532-6615.
Days of Our Lives spoilers indicate itll be a week of gloom and doom in Salem. Susan Banks (Stacy Haiduk) psychic abilities are in full force as she predicts tragedy is near. Lets look at whats in store for the characters from June 6 through 10.

[Spoiler alert: Potential spoilers for upcoming episodes of Days of Our Lives are ahead.]

Marci Miller and Billy Flynn I Michael Tullberg/Getty Images

Days of Our Lives spoilers imply danger is lurking for Abby Deveraux

Reunited couple Abby Deveraux (Marci Miller) and Chad DiMera (Billy Flynn) are blissfully happy and ready to expand their family. However, little do they realize that their lives will be shattered.

The week starts with Abby investigating a news story whose subject has Chad concerned for his wife. Chads worries over his familys safety increase when Thomas DiMera (Cary Christopher) discovers Leo Stark (Greg Rikaart) hiding in the DiMera mansion. Leos been out for revenge ever since his wedding to Craig Wesley (Kevin Spirtas) was ruined.

The jig is up for Gwen when Abigail confronts her at her wedding to Xander. Watch #DAYS, weekdays on @NBC and stream exclusively on @peacockTV for FREE. pic.twitter.com/81Okj54rqr  Days of our Lives (@nbcdays) April 15, 2022

RELATED: Days of Our Lives Speculation: Abby Killed in Gruesome Murder Mystery

Since Chad was the one who exposed Leos crimes, hes on Mr. Starks enemy list. With Leo breaking into his house, Chad will be on high alert when protecting his family. However, it may be too late.

According to Soaps.com, Days of Our Lives spoilers, Chad makes a horrific discovery by the end of the week. Since there are rumors Abby will meet a gruesome death; one can imagine Chabbys love story comes to a tragic end.

Jan Spears lashes out at Marlena Evans

Whats supposed to be a happy time in Jan Spears (Heather Lindell) life, is unpleasant for others. Jan being pregnant with Shawn Bradys (Brandon Beemer) baby has created turmoil. Shawn and Belle Brady (Martha Madison) have separated, much to Jans delight.

However, her joy is short-lived when she lashes out at Belles mother, Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall). Jan should know by now stress isnt good for the baby. After an argument with Belle, she already had one scare, and more complications could arise. Jan and Shawn will grow closer with their babys health at risk.

Meanwhile, Belle and EJ DiMeras (Dan Feuerriegel) relationship continues to heat up. EJ has a sensual dream about Belle, which will make it more transparent how he feels about his sister-in-law. However, Belle might have doubts.

According to Celeb Dirty Laundry, Days of Our Lives spoilers say that Belle and her dad John Black (Drake Hogestyn), clash over EJ. Being the protective dad he is, maybe John warns his daughter against a romance with EJ.

Days of Our Lives spoilers reveal Sarah Horton confronts Gwen Rizczech

Last week was a massive moment for Xarah fans. Sarah Hortons (Linsey Godfrey) memory is finally returning, and shes ready to reunite with Xander Kiriakis (Paul Telfer). Although Xander got on Sarahs bad side by pretending baby Mickey was still alive, she found it in her heart to forgive him.

Sarah reopens her heart, Abby looks to the future, and Belle deals a big blow.

Watch #DAYS, weekdays on @NBC and stream exclusively on @peacockTV for FREE. pic.twitter.com/b7sHfb7uHC  Days of our Lives (@nbcdays) May 27, 2022

However, she has no forgiveness for her enemy Gwen Rizczech (Emily OBrien). After learning Gwen knew she was being held captive on the island, Sarah has a lot to get off her chest. According to Fame 10, Days of Our Lives spoilers say that Sarah and Gwens jailhouse confrontation will become heated.

Gwens already in a foul mood, but Sarahs visit might be what pushes her over the edge. Being the conniving schemer she is, Gwen isnt finished wreaking havoc in everyones lives, and Sarah may have become enemy number one.

RELATED: Days of Our Lives Speculation: Sarah Reunites With an Ex  but Its Not Xander
Evan Rachel Wood is a powerhouse actor  and, more recently, shes used her voice to empower others. Her breakout role in Thirteen put her on a path to stardom. And shes been a Hollywood force to be reckoned with ever since.

But in addition to being an award-winning performer and fierce advocate for womens rights, shes also a mom. The Westworld star shared sentiments about motherhood this past Mothers Day on Instagram, implying the role of a mother is the most important in her life. Amid the comments, an old friend and co-star made a particularly pointed reference with their well wishes.

Jim Sturgess sends Evan Rachel Wood Mothers Day love

Actress Evan Rachel Wood and actor Jim Sturgess arrive for a special screening of Across The Universe at the El Capitan Theatre on September 18, 2007 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/FilmMagic)

\Wood posted on Instagram for Mothers Day 2022. She didnt just wish her fellow moms a wonderful day but also wrote herself a note of motherhood gratitude. In addition to expressing the difficulty of being a mom, she explains parenting her son Jack saved her life and taught her more than I could have ever imagined.

Wood continued, writing herself a letter of gratitude with a series of thank you statements. Her letter to herself ends with, youve come a long way. I am so proud of you. Happy Mothers Day.

Scrolling through the comments, fans are quick to support Wood. There are responses sending her love and Mothers Day well wishes. But if you look closely, theres another comment with an even deeper meaning. The OfficialJimSturgess commented, All you need, with the emoji of praying hands. The actors comment references the Beatles song, All You Need Is Love. True fans recognize the significance, as Sturgess was once Woods co-star in the movie Across the Universe.

The actors played love interests in Across the Universe

Across the Universe debuted in 2007. The jukebox musical depicts characters (named after Beatles songs) playing out scenarios from the groups greatest hits. Sturgess Jude moves from Liverpool, England, to the U.S., where he meets Lucy (Wood). The film follows their love story and the lives of their friends amid the backdrop of the Vietnam War.

The movies credits list 33 Beatles songs (via IMDb), either in part or in their entirety. This includes beloved Beatles titles like Girl, Helter Skelter, I Want to Hold Your Hand, With a Little Help from My Friends, Come Together, Let It Be, and of course, All You Need Is Love.

What theyve done since

In addition to being a mother, Wood is thriving in her career. Currently, she plays Dolores Abernathy in HBOs Westworld, which has garnered multiple award nominations. Wood is also known as the voice of Queen Iduna in the Disney flick Frozen II.

While Wood had many credits to her name when she starred in Across the Universe, Sturgess didnt. The film marked his first leading role. From there, he appeared in movies like The Other Boleyn Girl and 21. He starred in the maligned Cloud Atlas, as well as TV projects like AMC crime drama Feed the Beast and Apple TV+ mystery series Home Before Dark.

Evan Rachel Wood and Jim Sturgess may have shared screen time in Across the Universe. But with his recent Instagram response and Beatles reference, theyre clearly supportive friends off-screen, as well.

RELATED: Evan Rachel Wood Net Worth and How She Became Famous
During her heyday, actor Joan Crawford was one of the most famous celebrities around. Not always beloved for her acting or personality, Crawford nonetheless had plenty of cash to spend when she shelled out a whopping $57,000 for a house in LAs upscale Brentwood neighborhood. Nearly seven decades later, the six-bedroom, 10-bathroom house sold for $1.5 million.

In case you dont recall who Joan Crawford was

Joan Crawford and Alfred Steele in Paris on this date May 31 in 1955. Photo: AP. pic.twitter.com/GBdALdf0VV  Dr. Jeffrey Guterman (@JeffreyGuterman) May 31, 2022

Crawford was born Lucille Fay LeSueur in San Antonio, Texas on March 23, sometime in the first decade of the 20th century. Her listed birth year alternates from source to source. But the 5-foot-3 actress was 70-something when she died of a heart attack at her Lennox Hill apartment on May 10, 1977. She had a net worth of around $8.5 million.

By the time of her demise, Crawford had appeared in more than 70 movies. These included 1945s Mildred Pierce, for which she was awarded an Oscar, according to The Official Joan Crawford.

Joan Crawford moves into her Brentwood home

Joan Crawford introduces her adopted daughter to guests during a party at her home in Brentwood, California | Bettmann/Contributor

Crawford married Douglas Fairbanks Jr. on June 3, 1929, four years after signing her first contract with MGM. One year prior to marrying the Broken Hearts of Hollywood actor, the former flapper made a $12,000 down payment on the Brentwood estate where she lived for the next three decades.

At the time of the purchase, the property cost $57,000. This seems a small price to pay by todays Hollywood standards. However, those 1928 dollars would be worth $918,596 today, explains Dollar Times.

After marrying Fairbanks, the newlywed couple moved into the two-story house at 426 N. Bristol Avenue that she christened El JoDo as a nod to the Pickfair estate owned by her father-in-law, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., and his wife, actress Mary Pickford.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Crawford renamed the house and bought new toilet seats every time she remarried. Unfortunately, the newspaper did not reveal subsequent names of the property.

Joan Crawfords Brentwood home over the years

Joan Crawford in the sitting room of her spacious Brentwood home | Bettmann/Contributor

Fairbanks and Crawford divorced in 1933. She turned her attention to remodeling and redecorating the property. According to The Concluding Chapter of Crawford, the Dance Fools, Dance star paid nearly $4,000 to add a new bathroom, dressing room, and sitting porch to the already-large house.

In 1934, Crawford again expanded the property, this time adding a home theater with a stage and a 1,000 square foot pool house with four changing rooms. She wasnt done yet, however.

In 1935, Crawford embarked on her most ambitious remodel to date, when she added a 468-square-foot dining room and replaced the original dining room with a wet bar. Crawford had the servants quarters demolished and installed a three-car garage. These remodels came with a price tag of around $9,600 which she easily recouped when she sold the home to actor Donald OConnor in 1960. OConnor in turn sold the property to British actor Anthony Newley for an undisclosed price.

By the time she sold the property to OConnor, Crawford had married Pepsi Cola chairman Alfred Steele and moved to New York where the couple purchased a penthouse apartment at 2 East 70th Street in Manhattan. Crawford lived there for the rest of her life

The 11,000+ square foot property first owned by Crawford changed hands several more times after Newley and sold for a remarkable $1.5 million in 1996, according to Country Living magazine. A year later, the property was divided into two parcels, explains the Concluding Chapter of Crawford.

Crawfords former home at 426 N. Bristol Avenue is not currently listed for sale. However, Trulia values the six-bedroom, 10-bathroom 11,558 square foot house at more than $14 million, as of May 2022.

RELATED: Steven Spielberg Recalls Joan Crawford Selling Pepsi-Cola to His Movie Crew to Force Them to Belch
Anna Duggar has a lot of big decisions to make. The mother of seven seems resolute in her decision to stand behind Josh Duggar, regardless of his conviction on two child pornography charges. She will, however, have to decide how to proceed for the 12 years Josh Duggar will reside behind bars. Could Anna move to be closer to Josh? The two federal prisons being considered are hours from the Duggar familys Springdale, Arkansas compound. Will she get a job? A federal prosecutor suggested it might be a good idea, according to Duggar family followers in the courtroom.

Joshs defense team suggested a long prison stint would penalize Joshs family

In the days leading up to Josh Duggars sentencing, the defense submitted their sentencing memorandum and nearly a dozen letters of support. In the memorandum, Josh Duggars defense team suggested the disgraced father of seven deserved a light prison sentence because his family relies on him for financial support and that they would be penalized unfairly by his absence.

Josh Duggar | Washington County Sheriffs Office via Getty Images

Several of the letters of support touched on similar points, painting Josh as a family man who provides financially and emotionally for his wife and children. Michelle Duggar and Anna Duggar both expressed a desire to have Josh back home as soon as possible.

The prosecution suggested Anna Duggar should get a job

According to Elle Bee and the SoJo Files, two content creators who sat in on the sentencing hearing, the prosecution didnt seem interested in hearing about the financial plight of Anna Duggar. In fact, they had an idea as to how Anna could solve her financial woes.

Anna Duggar and Josh Duggar | Kris Connor/Getty Images

According to the content creators, the prosecution noted that while Josh did financially provide for his family, nothing precluded Anna from getting a job and earning an income. In short, they didnt feel as if Anna and the seven childrens finances should be considered an extenuating circumstance.

Elle Bee is a YouTuber who discusses pop culture, including famous reality TV families, in daily videos. The SoJo Files is a podcast hosted by an anonymous content creator. The true-crime podcaster has recently created a YouTube channel as well.

Has Anna Duggar ever worked outside the home?

Anna Duggar has never worked outside the home and never actually attended any traditional schooling. Like Josh and his 18 siblings, Anna was homeschooled and earned a certificate of completion. Josh proposed to Anna on her 20th birthday. The couple wed just a few months later, and Anna moved to Arkansas to be close to the Duggar family. Shortly after that, the couple had their first child. They have welcomed a new baby roughly every two years since.

The Duggar family | D Dipasupil/Getty Images for Extra

Anna and Joshs newest addition, Madyson Lily Duggar, is their seventh child. She was born just weeks before Josh Duggars trial began. The Duggar family, Josh and Anna included, largely subscribe to traditional gender roles. Anna is not expected to earn money, and Josh was not expected to do much if any, housework or childcare. Presumably, something will need to change.

RELATED: Josh Duggars Sentencing: Content Creators Present in Court Say Anna Duggar Rolled Her Eyes During the Legal Proceedings
In the years since he left his mom and dads house in Gainesville, Florida, to move to Los Angeles, Tom Petty rose to impressive levels of success. He had multiple hit albums, won awards, and even picked up a few acting jobs. His level of fame turned him into a hometown hero. Unfortunately, it also meant he had to sacrifice some things. Pettys brother believed it would be best if he didnt attend their mothers funeral. Given the musicians level of celebrity, he would have caused a commotion.

Tom Petty | Paul Natkin/Getty Images

Tom Petty said his mom helped introduce him to music

Petty grew up in Florida, and his childhood was punctuated by bursts of violence from his father. When his dad was home, Petty tried to be as far from the house as possible.

I learned to absolutely f***ing disappear, he told Mens Journal. I got the f*** away when he was around.

Tom Petty in Florida | Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images

His mother was far gentler, reading to Petty and his brother and introducing them to different styles of music.

She tried to keep an element of civilization in the house to show us there was more to life than rednecks, he said. She read to me a lot. And she liked music: She had a record player and would play Nat King Cole and the West Side Story soundtrack. I think of her every time I hear those songs.

Tom Pettys brother didnt think it would be a good idea for him to attend the funeral

By 1980, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers had released three albums, performed for the first time on Saturday Night Live, and picked up an ever-expanding fan following. They had by no means peaked, but their star was rising, rapidly. In 1981, Pettys mother died. After some consideration, his family decided it would be best if he avoided the funeral.

We knew it would cause a horrible commotion, Petty told Billboard in 2005. My brother actually suggested that it probably wouldnt be a good idea, because even to this day, you know, my family, I go there, and they just get cuckoo. What we didnt want was for it to turn into an autograph fest and the Instamatics come out when it wasnt about that.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at the Gainesville Airport  photographed by Keith Harben, 1980 pic.twitter.com/IbFscxR7lq  Tom Petty (@tompetty) January 13, 2021

Ultimately, Petty made peace with the fact that he couldnt attend.

I dont like funerals anyway. I dont think I missed anything by not going, he said, adding, I made my own peace with my mother.

The musician said his moms death bothered him a great deal

In his life, Petty lost friends, collaborators, and family members. He believed that loss changed his perspective on life.

I think it probably affects the way you live, you know, he said. It makes you realize you really dont want to miss a day.

His mothers death impacted him the most. Petty wished she could have done more.

The biggest one, the one that bothers me the most, is my mother, he said. She could have had everything that shed ever dreamt of and she didnt get to do it, and that one seems the worst to me because you just didnt get the payoff, you know.

RELATED: Tom Petty Was Really Good at Convincing His Friends to Drop Out of School
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2 college students murdered outside Iowa church; gunman shot himself

A gunman shot dead two Iowa State University students as they were going to a church in Ames to attend a college ministry event. One of the victims and the shooter served in the Iowa Army National Guard and were part of the same unit, according to the latest details shared by the Story County Sheriffs Office.

The victims of the shooting that occurred Thursday night at the parking lot of Cornerstone Church have been identified as 22-year-old Eden Mariah Montang and 21-year-old Vivian Renee Flore, KWWL reported.

The shooter, 33-year-old Jonathan Lee Whitlatch, of Boone, Iowa, and who was carrying a 9mm pistol, died from a self-sustained gunshot wound to the head, it said, adding that about 80 other students were at the church when the shooting occurred.

Whitlatch fired several rounds at Flores and Montang and another woman who was with them and managed to find a position of safety, We Are Iowa reported, adding that Montang and Flores were fatally injured.

Citing a Friday press conference by the sheriff's office, the news portal said Whitlatch and Montang were previously in a relationship.

The Iowa National Guard said Montang and Whitlatch both served in the Iowa Army National Guard but were not in active duty status during the shooting, according to KIMT3 News.

Montang joined the Guard in August 2019 and served as a mortuary affairs specialist with Detachment 1, Headquarters Support Company, 248th Aviation Support Battalion in Boone. And Whitlatch joined the Guard in September 2015 and served with the same detachment.

Maj. Gen. Ben Corell, adjutant general of the Iowa National Guard, was quoted as saying: We are devastated by this tragic news. Our hearts are with all who are impacted, including the victims' families, Ames, Iowa State and Cornerstone Church communities, friends, and fellow service members. While working to support those affected, we will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as the investigation continues.

Whitlatch was scheduled to appear in a court hearing next week on a charge of harassing Montang. Whitlatch called a business in Ames several times identifying himself as a police officer to report Montang.

As per a criminal complaint filed last November, Whitlatch was also charged with Assault with Intent to Commit Sexual Abuse in Cedar Falls, and jailed, KWWL said.

On its Facebook page, the church said, We are more than saddened by the events that transpired. Our hearts break for all involved, and we are praying for everyone affected, especially the family of the victims.

It also quoted Psalm 34:18, which says, The Lord is near to the brokenhearted.

Right now, we are brokenhearted, the church said, and we need God to draw near to us.
Religious freedom advocates say State Dept. pushing a 'political narrative' on Nigerian violence

The U.S. State Department says it has raised concerns about religious freedom conditions in Nigeria even though advocates accuse the Biden administration of pushing a "political narrative" as the West African country faces increasing extremist and communal violence.

The State Department released its annual international religious freedom report Thursday, which Secretary of State Antony Blinken described as a "thorough, fact-based review of the state of religious freedom in nearly 200 countries and territories around the world."

The report featured a 25-page section on the state of religious freedom in Nigeria, which was previously included on the State Department's "Countries of Particular Concern" list of governments that engage in or tolerate egregious violations of religious freedom.

Blinken removed Nigeria from the list last November, just under a year after then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo added the West African nation to the list in December 2020. According to advocates, Nigeria was the first secular democracy to be added to the CPC list, which carries the possibility of sanctions.

The new State Department report cited testimony from "civil society organizations and media," who "stated that insecurity was pervasive throughout the country and increased nationwide, particularly in the North West region." As noted in the report, "Islam is the dominant religion in the North West region."

"There was pervasive violence involving predominantly Muslim herders and mostly Christian, but also Muslim, farmers, particularly in the North Central, but also in the North West (where most farmers were Muslim) and South West regions," the report added. "According to the Nigeria security tracker maintained by the Council on Foreign Relations, there were an estimated 10,399 deaths from violent conflict during the year, compared with 9,694 in 2020."

The Council on Foreign Relations estimated that 1,112 deaths "resulted from violence among ethnic groups, herdsmen, and farmers, some of which had implications for religion and religious freedom, according to multiple observers or, in the words of the council, 'sometimes acquires religious overtones.'"

In the heavily Christian southwest portion of Nigeria, local media and officials determined that criminal attacks initially attributed to members of the predominantly Muslim Fulani ethnic group were instead perpetrated by "armed criminal groups of various ethnicities."

Previous Christian Post articles on the killings of Christians were cited in the report, including a June 2 article about the death of a Nigerian Christian pastor and his 3-year-old son at the hands of Fulani radicals and a May 24 article about the arson of a church building by "bandits" who also shot eight Christians to death.

Last November, the same month that the State Department announced Nigeria's removal from the CPC list, Blinken met with high-ranking government officials in Nigeria.

According to the report, Blinken "raised religious freedom issues with government officials in a visit in November, as did embassy and consulate general officials throughout the year."

"Issues included the resolution of widely publicized blasphemy cases and the role of religious leaders in peacebuilding and social trust, and societal abuses affecting religion," the report reads.



Among other officials, Blinken and U.S. diplomats met with President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

"U.S. officials also addressed religious tensions and efforts to bring religious groups together with several state governors  including the governors of Kaduna, Kano, Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba, Borno, Plateau, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, and Abia States  and other government officials throughout the country," the report reads. "They discussed government and government-supported grassroots efforts to reduce violence, combat insecurity, and promote religious freedom and interreligious tolerance."

Stephen Enada, president and founder of the International Committee on Nigeria, told The Christian Post in an email that "Blinken has not provided the needed leadership that can stabilize Nigeria's religious fault lines by removing Nigeria from the CPC designation."

Enada, a Nigerian Christian who fled to the U.S. several years ago after his cousin was killed, warned that violence occurring across multiple regions in the country, including the rise of terrorist groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province in the northeast, is impacting millions.

He said, "religiously motivated killings are ongoing and millions of people are displaced, and teenage girls are sold as sex slaves by the religious extremists."

"The issue of terrorism and other militant activities that have engulfed Nigeria in the past 10 years is as a result of state failure and lack of accountability," he argues.

While Enada suggests that the Nigerian government could do more to protect religious freedom, he praised the Nigerian Constitution for "the absence of a state religion" and it's granting of the right to practice a chosen "religion or faith without any force or coercion."

Nina Shea, the director of the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom, told CP in an email that "the State Department has missed the big picture of vulnerable Christian minorities of northern Nigeria being repeatedly attacked and driven from their villages by Muslim extremists and their agents who act with complete impunity."

"Authorities fail to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators of these large-scale atrocities, and moreover prosecute and threaten local journalists who report on them," she stated.

"There's an incomprehensible gap between the State Department's reporting and what desperate Christians on the ground are reporting to religious freedom advocates here. This gap reflects State's overreliance on sources that it and [United States Agency for International Development] funds, which in turn push a political narrative favored by State. That narrative says that northern violence is driven by a conflict over a scarcity of resources as a result of climate change."

Sam Brownback, who served as ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom in the Trump administration and is the former governor of Kansas, was one of the first religious freedom advocates who condemned Nigeria's removal from the CPC list last fall.

"The sudden removal of Nigeria from the CPC list is a serious blow to religious freedom in both Nigeria and across the region," he said. "Just when we should be doing everything possible to stop the relentless violence that's targeting Christians and others, we do the opposite."

"This rewards the Nigerian government for tolerating severe religious freedom violations and sends a message to extremists that their actions will continue to go unpunished," he added. "People of faith in Nigeria will bear the fallout of this decision, and that's unacceptable."

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, a bipartisan panel tasked with advising the State Department and Congress about religious freedom matters, was critical of Nigeria's removal from the CPC list.

"USCIRF is especially displeased with the removal of Nigeria from its CPC designation, where it was rightfully placed [in 2020]," USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza said at the time.

The State Department's report offered praise to the Nigerian government for its response to the religious violence in the country.

"President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo regularly condemned attacks on places of worship and those attempting to exploit religious differences," the report reads. "Buhari regularly consulted with key Muslim and Christian leaders and celebrated both official Christian and Muslim holidays."

The report pointed to a Feb. 15 statement from Buhari asking religious leaders and government officials to "join hands with the Federal Government to ensure that communities in their domain are not splintered along ethnic and other primordial lines" as evidence of the government's support for religious freedom. Additionally, Buhari vowed that his "government will protect all  religious groups, whether majority or minority, in line with its responsibility under the constitution."

The report also commented on Nigeria's removal from the CPC list, saying that Blinken "determined that Nigeria did not meet the criteria" to remain on the list or be even added to the State Department's second-tier "Special Watch List."

Open Doors USA, an organization that monitors persecution in over 60 countries, ranks Nigeria as the seventh worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution. The religious freedom advocacy group Release International included Nigeria on a list of countries where Christian persecution was expected to worsen in 2022.
Pro-life group 'appalled' Illinois allowing underage girls to get abortions without parents knowledge

As both sides of the abortion debate await a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could overturn Roe v. Wade and return the issue to the states, Illinois lawmakers have moved forward with expanding abortion access for underage girls without parental notification or consent.

A repeal of Illinois' Parental Notice of Abortion Act went into effect on Wednesday, meaning an underage pregnant girl can now undergo an abortion without her parent or guardians' knowledge.

The original 1995 law did not go into effect until 2013, after years of litigation. It required girls to notify their parents before having an abortion. However, the notification requirement could be waived if teenagers met privately with a judge and obtained a judicial bypass.

The state House and Senate voted to enact the Youth Health and Safety Act in October, which repealed the parental notification law. In December, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the new act into law, calling it "dangerous" to require girls to inform their parents about their pregnancy, claiming they could face homelessness or abuse.

Amy Gehrke, executive director of Illinois Right to Life, a Chicago-based organization that advocates against abortion, told The Christian Post they are "appalled" by the law's repeal.

"Gov. Pritzker has told the parents of Illinois that they don't matter and has completely trampled on their rights to be involved in the health decisions of their minor daughters," she said in an interview with CP. "We know that human traffickers and other sexual predators often cover their crimes with abortion. And our Legislature, along with Gov. Pritzker, has given these abusers carte blanche to continue abusing our girls."

Gehrke also noted that the original parental notification law already had safeguards to protect abuse victims. If a girl declared in writing that she was the victim of physical or sexual abuse, the law required abortionists to certify in the girl's medical record they received the notification of abuse.

The judicial bypass option under the original law to override the parental notification requirement served as a potential safeguard for abuse victims, she added. By having a confidential meeting with a judge, girls had the opportunity to tell someone about their situation and seek help.

The executive director of the Chicago-based pro-life group said the decision to repeal the law is proof that Pritzker and Illinois legislators care more about "placating the abortion industry than the will of their constituents."

A March 2021 poll commissioned by the Illinois Family Institute alongside several other groups and conducted by The Tarrance Group polling firm assessed the views of 600 registered Illinois voters. In a poll where 37% of participants identified as pro-life, 72% of respondents said they were in favor of the Parental Notification of Abortion Law.

"This is actually an issue that transcends abortion, and it goes to the heart of parents' rights and protecting young girls from those who would seek to do them harm by covering their crimes with abortion," Gehrke said.

In October, the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois released a statement supporting the repeal of Illinois' parental notification law. The advocacy group asserted there is "no evidence" parental notice laws protect minors who are victims of trafficking, citing a letter released by anti-human trafficking organizations making similar claims.

"This specious argument is being advanced by those who have long promoted parental notice and other limitations on access to abortion care in the state of Illinois," Emily Werth, a lawyer with the ACLU of Illinois, said in the group's statement. "To use the lives of young people who have experienced trafficking in a desperate attempt to maintain dangerous anti-abortion policies in the state of Illinois is the height of hypocrisy."

A 2014 study published by Annals of Health Law found that 55% of sex trafficking victims were forced to undergo abortions, with 30% being forced to have more than one. One survivor told the study authors her trafficker took her to Planned Parenthood for one of her six abortions "because they didn't ask any questions."

Brook Bello, founder and CEO of More Too Life, an organization that assists former human trafficking victims, argued in favor of the law during a March 15 press conference organized by Parents for the Protection of Girls, a coalition of organizations that supported the parental notice law in Illinois.

The CEO was raped when she was 11 years old and trafficked from the age of 13.

"Our traffickers made us get abortions," Bello said. "Had our parents been notified, my mother would have known what city I was in, what street I was on."

In addition to potentially rescuing minors from trafficking, Bello said parental notification laws ensure parents are aware of medical complications that could result from their child undergoing an abortion.

The multiple abortions Bello's traffickers forced her to have irreversibly damaged her fertility. She believes this outcome could have been prevented if her parents had been notified about her abortions.

The repeal of Illinois' parental notice law comes as the Supreme Court considers whether to uphold Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban, which could give states the ability to enact pre-viability abortion restrictions, undermining Roe. The court is expected to issue a ruling sometime this month.

According to a May 2 Politico report, a leaked draft opinion shows that a majority of the justices might be leaning toward reversing Roe. A statement the following day by the court verified the authenticity of the draft opinion but also said the draft does not reflect the final ruling.

Illinois is among 16 states that have over the years enshrined abortion access in case Roe is overturned. According to Illinois.gov, over 46,000 abortions took place in Illinois in 2020, and over 1,000 were done on girls ages 15 to 17.
Actually, our thoughts and prayers are enough. Dont let anyone tell you otherwise

Even as parents in Uvalde, Texas, waited on Tuesday evening to find out if their precious children were alive or dead, outraged social media users were already well into their attacks on those they felt were to blame for the horrific shooting and who they saw as offering little more than well-worn platitudes.

Thoughts and prayers are not enough! they angrily proclaimed. In fact, this statement has become a new, favorite refrain of gun control proponents, who argue that the politicians, pastors, and other Americans who provide sympathy to the victims of mass shootings are covering up their own inaction by invoking the seemingly hollow thoughts and prayers.

Im sick and tired of innocent people being gunned down in innocent places, wrote Florida Rep. Val Demings, D, on Twitter on Wednesday. Thoughts and prayers arent enough. The United States Senate needs to get off their knees and do something about our children being gunned down in school.

Thoughts and prayers are not enough, declared 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. After years of nothing else, we are becoming a nation of anguished screams. We simply need legislators willing to stop the scourge of gun violence in America that is murdering our children.

Sandy Hook was 10 years ago. We keep asking for gun control and we keep getting thoughts and prayers, wrote writer Tony Posnanski, before going so far as to add that Thoughts and prayers are killing a lot of innocent people.

We need gun control, he concluded.

These sentiments were echoed by countless infuriated Twitter users who contrasted thoughts and prayers to the kind of policy they believe would put an end to school shootings.

Putting our nations well-worn policy debate over gun control and gun violence entirely aside, however, the outrage that the American public feels when so many young, innocent lives are cruelly gunned down by a crazed madman is wholly understandable.

As the mother of two boys the same ages as most of the victims in Uvalde, the first sensation I felt was absolute numbness. I couldnt even conceive the magnitude of such a wicked massacre. When sensation returned, it was cruelly painful, even more painful than the entirely-too-tight hugs Ive been giving my boys ever since.

I cant even imagine the grief of those who will never hug their own children again.

So, while it might seem like there is no indignation more righteous than that issued towards politicians and other Americans with nothing more to offer than thoughts and prayers, it entirely misses the point of offering thoughts and prayers.

Sadly, like everything else in our country in 2022, the expression thoughts and prayers has been hyper-politicized, and what prompts outrage is the absence of a vow to commit to banning certain weapons or expanding gun control measures.

Yet if we had a magic, unconstitutional wand that we could wave today that would make all the guns in this country disappear, it would never bring the 19 students and 2 teachers who were killed in cold blood on Tuesday back to life.

We offer thoughts and prayers to provide what no amount of policy change possibly can  comfort from a higher power for the parents and family members who will have to bury their loved ones and live the rest of the life under the shadow of this unthinkably cruel loss.

The Bible tells us that the purpose of government on earth is to punish those who do evil (1 Peter 2:14). Yet it is God who comforts the hearts of the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18).

This kind of divine ministry is something that the state can never do. Its not what it was ordained by God for, and our republic was not established to respond with policy to every emotional whim of the public, no matter how heart-wrenching.

It is currently trendy in the United States to diminish punishments for evildoers, often in the same localities where gun crime is rampant and many favored gun control measures are well established.

Now, we could go back and forth with statistics on crime, violence, our mental health epidemic, the degradation of the family unit, security in schools, and every other factor at play in the Texas school shooting, all of which would look towards policy to prevent another shooting from happening in the future and which is far from entirely invalid. They will all have a place in the conversation in the days ahead.

What has absolutely no place in the conversation, however, is to tell someone who says they will pray for a grieving person that their prayers are not enough.

Prayer is always enough because prayer calls on the Lord to do what no man on earth can do, which is to comfort our hearts in the face of the unthinkable, to give a grieving parent the strength to carry on, and to contextualize human wickedness in the story of His great plan for mankind.

This great plan, of course, is redemption through His Son Jesus Christ, as well as the promise of the Lords return and judgement of every soul on earth, including the soul of the Texas shooter, who will answer to His maker for His crimes and will be administered the justice he deserves  the justice we all deserve apart from Christ.

We pray and appeal to God because He can fix what no amount of policy and politicking ever can  the problem of evil, and He has fixed this problem already with His victory on the cross. The demons are simply wreaking havoc and destruction while waiting for what they know is coming.

So please dont ever let anyone tell you that your thoughts and prayers are not enough. They are more than enough. They go above and beyond our earthly ability to quell violence and save lives. Our prayers have the power to save souls and to bring those devastated by wicked acts into restoration with their Lord, who will make all things right one day.

My thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the Uvalde shooting and their families, and I will never stop praying for them or anyone else who is suffering under the oppression of this wicked world. It is the only way we can move forward.

Originally published at the Standing for Freedom Center.
Stare Decisis or stare de-crisis?

The unprecedented revelation of the draft of a majority opinion by Justice Samuel Alito in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization likely signals a repudiation of the Courts opinion in Roe v. Wade (1973). For close to 50 years, Roe has provided relatively broad nationwide protections for women and their doctors to abort unwanted or dangerous pregnancies.

Although most commentators have argued for or against the decision on policy grounds or on the basis of perceived public opinion, a popular argument against Alitos opinion is that it overturns precedent, or what lawyers and scholars call stare decisis. This criticism is particularly relevant to this case because some sitting justices who appear ready to side with Alito have previously expressed support for this doctrine specifically in reference to the decision in Roe v. Wade during their Senate confirmation hearings. Moreover, the Court supported the application of this doctrine to abortion in Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey (1992).

As that opinion declared, the law provides stability. The longer the law is in place, the greater the presumption for its continuance should be, especially in a decision like Roe, in which the Court was unified (it was a 7-2 decision), and in which it meticulously explained its reasoning. In Planned Parenthood, Justices Sandra Day OConnor, Anthony Kennedy, and David Souter further argued that the decision had proven to be workable, that it had created a strong reliance interest among women who planned their lives knowing they would control the decision to keep or terminate a pregnancy for themselves, and that reversing decisions could undermine the legitimacy of the court.

Despite the strength of such arguments, there are also weaknesses, which Justice Alito has identified. The most obvious is that the U.S. Constitution does not directly address the subject of abortion, and the Courts reasoning in Roe owed more to medical textbooks than to constitutional text. Alito points out that some of the most ardent defenders of the right to choose acknowledged the weak reasoning by which the Court supported it. In arguments that most commentators appear to have ignored, Alito contends that the Courts argument in Roe that abortion went unregulated when the 14th Amendment was adopted in 1868 was simply mistaken. If Alito is correct and Roe was built on faulty historical analysis, then it is even shakier.

It is difficult to argue categorically either for legal instability or for stare decisis. Had stare decisis prevailed in 1943, we might still require public school students to participate in compulsory flag salutes. Had stare decisis prevailed in 1954, we might still have Jim Crow segregation. Had stare decisis prevailed in 1973, the Court would likely have left abortion where it now seeks to place it with the states.

The fact that the country is arguably more divided on the morality of abortion and on the wisdom of abortion legislation than when Roe was decided in 1973 suggests that the issues will continue to evoke passion and erode governmental legitimacy whether Roe stands or falls. Many states permitted abortions prior to Roe, and many will likely continue to do so even if Roe is overturned.

Those who argued for Roe v. Wade asked the Court to intervene in an area that it had previously left to state determination. If Alitos opinion becomes law of the land, current pro-choice advocates of stare decisis will likely urge the Court to right a wrong and return to Roe.

Historically, failing to adhere to stare decisis sometimes remedies a crisis and sometimes exacerbates one. When the Supreme Court issued its decision in the Dred Scott Case in 1857, Abraham Lincoln said that the ultimate decision over slavery remained with the people. They ultimately reversed the decision through the adoption of the 13th and 14th Amendments.

At present, it appears that we will lurch forward without a sufficient consensus to adopt a constitutional amendment or national legislation on the subject and that the Court will abandon Roe and return the issue of abortion to the states for their individual resolution.
The irony in the rise in antisemitism in America

Antisemitism is increasing in modern America  as we continue to jettison our Christian past and move further down the road of secularism and socialism.

Gary Bauer notes: Sadly, antisemitism is on the rise in New Jersey and in New York City. The Times of Israel reports that anti-Semitic incidents in New York City, which is dominated by the left, are up 300% in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the first quarter of 2021.

Scott Phillips is the leader of Passages to Israel. As a Christian, his goal is to foster good relations between Christians and Jews. One of the ways he does this is to help bring young Christians on visits to Israel.

On a radio segment, Phillips told me, Over the past few years, weve been seeing a rise in anti-Semitism ... In essence, Jews in America are afraid to be outwardly Jewish.

I discussed with Phillips some of the moves against Israel in America today  including BDS, which stands for Boycott, Divest, and Sanction. In effect, the left is trying to treat modern Israel as if it were South Africa in the 1980s, with apartheid in full sway.

The left has a constant drumbeat against the nation of Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East. Muslims, and far-left activists have found common cause in hating Israel and wanting to see its demise.

High tech communications exacerbate the problem, says Phillips. He told The Christian Post: I think the rise in social media, in Twitter, all of these types of things, that groups and people that espouse these views have a platform.

The irony of antisemitism in America is the way our nations founders worked to create a safe haven for all, including Jews.

In the 1630s, Rev. Roger Williams, a Puritan leader who didnt get along with fellow Puritans in Massachusetts, created the colony of Rhode Island, specifically as a haven of conscience.

William Penn expanded this idea territorially when he created the colony of Pennsylvania  a holy experiment, where people could practice their faith without fear of punishment.

Christians, by and large, founded America for religious freedom  and extended that religious freedom to others, including Jews.

George Washington did much to promote freedom for all, including Jews.

I recently visited Savannah, Georgia, and I stood in front of the Jewish synagogue that dates back to 1733. President George Washington wrote that synagogue a letter on June 14, 1790.

There is a plaque in front of the building with a portion of that letter.

Wrote President Washington: May the same wonder-working Deity, who long since delivering the Hebrews from their Egyptian Oppressors planted them in the promised land  whose providential agency has lately been conspicuous in establishing these United States as an independent nation  still continue to water them with the dews of Heaven and to make the inhabitants of every denomination participate in the temporal and spiritual blessings of that people whose God is Jehovah.

In short, Washington is saying, the God of the Bible, who delivered your ancestors out of slavery in Egypt, now allows us all freedom in this new land. As Dr. Peter Lillback (author of George Washington and Israel) told me, he is indicating that the God of the Bible has blessed the American cause.

George Washington also wrote a letter to the synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island.

In this missive dated August 17, 1790, he notes: The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind  a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship.

He goes on to quote his favorite Bible verse  Micah 4:4  which provides a metaphor for what America should be: a place where everyone shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.

Rabbi Daniel Lapin made some great observations in our 2006 D. James Kennedy Ministries television special, "What If Jesus Had Never Been Born?"

He commented: No country in the last 2,000 years has provided the same haven of tranquility and prosperity for Jews as had the United States of America. And, this is not in spite of Americans being Christian; it is because of it. You might say that America's Bible belt is the Jewish communitys safety belt.

Lapin adds, I fear for life in America if, heaven forbid, we ever find ourselves in a post-Christian society. Because what will come in its place is not a benign neutrality, but a very sinister form of secularism. And it is one in which life will have diminished value.

Sadly, recent evidence indicates that may be exactly where the left, with its anti-Christian and anti-Jewish sentiment, is trying to take us.
I went to church in the metaverse and this is what I found

After investing more than $300 to purchase the Meta Quest 2 (previously Oculus Quest 2) VR headset, creating an avatar as close as possible to my likeness, and dressing in my best virtual clothes, I went to church with just a few clicks.

I visited the virtual campuses of several churches between Saturday and Sunday. The process was so easy, it was like picking a movie to watch on Netflix.

Im sharing my experience at three of these churches where I had some interaction or spent a meaningful amount of time. They are: Life.Church, Lakeland Community Church, and Faith Church. I accessed the VR campuses of all the churches through Altspace VR, a social VR platform owned by Microsoft.

I had planned to access the VR world through another online VR platform called VR Chat but I got stuck trying to make the platform accept my personally created avatar so I abandoned that ambition. I was able to get started quite quickly with AltspaceVR using my Microsoft account.

Of the three VR church campuses where I spent the most time, the Craig Groeschel-led Life.Church VR campus, which I visited on Sunday, had the most people at any one time. When I entered the Life.Church VR campus there were already a handful of people having conversations in the lobby.

I quickly made my way to the auditorium and found close to 10 or so people listening to the churchs worship service streaming on cinema-like screens. I observed for a while before taking a few virtual photos and heading to my seat. Other avatars  the virtual representations of real people  moved in and out of the auditorium.

Groeschel would soon introduce guest Pastor Herbert Cooper of the Peoples Church, who delivered a pre-recorded message on When you feel abandoned by God.

A woman with a blonde avatar sat in the row behind me. She would say amen from time to time as Cooper preached. I sometimes lifted my own virtual hands in approval or when the pastor asked the church to pray. When the service was over, the VR campus Pastor Steven Roberts introduced himself to the group, then he spoke with some people individually. We chatted briefly and he invited me to return the following week.

Before I left the campus I walked around the building a little and found that there were many rooms and spaces set up for perhaps an expansion of virtual activity at the church.

As soon as I entered the VR campus of Lakeland Community Church on Sunday, I was greeted by a staffer named Kim who told me where to go and what to look out for. There was a lot of information on the virtual walls of the building and there was a nice waterfall that you could watch as you entered and exited the auditorium. The waterfront campus, where Stuart McPherson serves as pastor, seemed thoughtfully created.

When I entered the auditorium, Senior Pastor Josh Amstutzs live sermon was streaming on the screen. At one point I was the only one in the auditorium. You didnt need to be inside to hear Amstutz speak due to the high volume setting on the livestream, so I spent more time exploring the VR waterfront than listening to the message.

For the Missouri headquartered Faith Church which I visited on Sunday evening, their VR campus wasnt as creative as the campuses of Life.Church or Lakeland Community Church. It appeared to be a generic AltspaceVR auditorium with minor modifications. Pastor Obed Martinez preached a message about your condition not being your conclusion. A few people milled in and out of the virtual space until his sermon was over. I waited to see if anything would happen but nothing spectacular did.

For the most part, once you get beyond the VR, everything about church in the metaverse felt familiar. There were overt and not so overt invitations to give generously. There were signs inviting you to join a number of small groups, and then there was preaching.

I noticed that some people would come into the VR church space and look for a while then leave if they found nothing compelling. In a physical church, leaving a service you didnt find interesting would not be as easy due to social pressure. In the metaverse, because youre in avatar state and arent necessarily reflecting your true name in your profile that others can easily view before deciding to talk to you, that social pressure is almost non-existent.

The awareness that there could be a more useful church experience a few clicks away also helps to drive this transient attendance in the metaverse church. The only thing you have to do is go back to the menu of live services and choose the service you find most interesting for the day. If you find a community there then perhaps youll keep going back even if the message isnt great.

In his presentation at the recently held Metaverse Church Summit, Bill Willenbrock, a hospital chaplain who has been leading a Christian fellowship on VRChat for about three years, noted that most of the people he has ministered to in the metaverse are particularly young adult males.

While a majority of the small audience I observed in the VR churches was also male, it didnt seem to me like the audience Willenbrock referenced in his presentation would be interested in experiencing traditional church engagement in VR because their many questions about God in our increasingly pluralistic culture would still be left unanswered.

Last year, a survey from Probe Ministries, a nonprofit that seeks to help the Church in renewing the minds of believers with a Christian worldview, showed that nearly 70% of born-again Christians disagree with the biblical position that Jesus is the only way to God.

The survey, which looked at religious beliefs and attitudes toward cultural behaviors, polled 3,106 Americans ages 18 to 55 from all religious groups, including 717 respondents who identified as born-again Christians.

The survey also found that among the top reasons given by born-again Christians for not telling others about their faith is the acceptance of pluralism. When asked why they dont share their beliefs with others, born-again respondents chose They can get to Heaven through their different religious belief, We shouldnt impose our ideas on others, and The Bible tells us not to judge others as their top three responses, respectively.

A day before attending the VR church services, I found myself in a general faith forum in the metaverse where people from many faiths had open discussion.

I stumbled upon a large group listening to a debate between a Christian man and a Muslim woman who used to be a Christian. I soon discovered there were many former Christians in the room including those who had converted to other faiths or no belief in God at all.

Soon I was getting all kinds of questions from different people asking me why I believed in Jesus after I declared my faith. I shared that I believe because I had a personal encounter with God that lines up with the Bible. I also explained that I have proven from my lived experience that the spiritual principles contained in the Bible are true.

Two men who identified themselves to be in their mid to late 20s told me that they have been trying to hear from God for a long time but all they have heard back is silence.

A Muslim man offered to use logic to prove to them that God exists. I listened and waited as he struggled and ultimately failed to convince them.

I told them I wouldnt try to use logic to prove that God exists because God is beyond human logic. I told them all I could do is be a witness to how God has moved in my life and trust that they will seek after Him and find answers themselves. They listened but said they were frustrated that God never answers them.

I urged them to keep seeking and praying and be patient. I told them about the Holy Spirit. We talked about Nicodemus coming to Jesus by night in the book of John. The conversation was robust but respectful and lasted for at least a couple of hours as people moved in and out of the conversation.

Despite all my testimony, one of the two young men said he still had not been convinced that God exists. I told him it was OK, then asked him if I could pray with him. He said yes and I prayed for about two minutes.

He asked me again why God doesnt speak to him the way He speaks to me. I asked him how does he know that God hasnt been trying to talk to him through our conversation. He said he wanted a personal visitation from God. I told him that no human flesh can stand in the presence of God and live.

In the end both non-believers sent me friend requests. I accepted fully realizing that it had been a very long time since I was asked so many questions about what I believed and why. And even though the young men said they werent yet convinced that God exists, I know that God made a connection with them through our conversation because they opened the door to keep listening.
43K Nigerian Christians killed, 18K disappeared in last 12 years: NGO report

A Nigerian civil society organization estimates around 43,000 Christians have been killed by Nigerian Islamic radicals in the last 12 years, while 18,500 have permanently disappeared and 17,500 churches have been attacked.

The Anambra-based International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) published a new report this week, estimating that about 10 million people have been uprooted in northern Nigeria, where extremist violence is most severe, from July 2009 to July 2021.

During that time, the report states, about 2,000 Christian schools were attacked.

The atrocities include 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 reports.

Intersociety said the mass violence has resulted from the propagation of radical Islamism."

Intersociety is an organization headed by Christian criminologist Emeka Umeagbalasi and relies on what it deems to be credible media reports, government accounts, reports from international rights groups and eyewitness accounts to compile statistical data.

However, a lack of adequate government record-keeping means that death tolls reported by media outlets or the government are estimates that can often be skewed.

"The total number of direct Christian deaths since 2009 or from July 2009 to July 2021; a period of twelve years, is independently put at no fewer than 43,000," the report reads. "The figure arises from total jihadist killing of not less than 72,000 defenseless citizens."

"The total number of moderate Muslims killed by the Jihadists since same July 2009 is independently put at 29,000," the report continued. "Of the no fewer than 43,000 Christian deaths, 20% or over 8,600 deaths are members of the Church of Brethren in Nigeria or EYN."

The deaths, the report explains, are a result of "systematic and coordinated attacks" carried about by Islamic extremists and their collaborators.

The report comes as international human rights advocates have long voiced concern over the increasing violence in Nigeria.

In the northeast, groups like Islamic State and Boko Haram have attacked civilian communities, killing and abducting thousands. In the farm-rich center of the country, attacks have been carried out against predominantly Christian farming communities by suspected radicalized Fulani herders, many of which are Muslim. However, advocates for the herders claim that youths from the farming communities have also attacked their communities in reprisal attacks.

In another report released in July, Intersociety reported that 3,400 Christians had been killed by extremists since January, which nearly surpasses the number of Christian deaths estimated in Nigeria for all of 2020.

It is deeply saddening that till date those responsible for the anti Christian butcheries in the country have continued to evade justice and remained unchecked, untracked, uninvestigated and untried; leading to impunity and repeat-atrocities, Intersociety said in the July report.

The surviving victims and families of the dead victims are also totally abandoned by the Government of Nigeria.

Critics accuse the Nigerian government of failing to protect civilians adequately from radical attacks and failing to hold perpetrators accountable.

Kidnapping for ransom has become a lucrative industry in Nigeria, though the government denies paying ransom to terrorists.

People in Nigerian government and terrorists and jihadists [want] to inflict pain by forcing people to believe what they believe or act the way they want them to act, Hafsat Maina Muhammed, a Nigerian woman and founder of Choice for Peace, Gender and Development, shared during a recent U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom panel discussion.

More Christians are killed in Nigeria than anywhere else globally, Christian persecution watchdog Open Doors USA reports.

Nigeria is Africas most populous country and ranks No. 9 on Open Doors 2021 World Watch List for Christian persecution due to an extreme level of Islamic oppression.

The Global Terrorism Index ranks Nigeria as the third country most affected by terrorism in the world and reports over 22,000 people killed by acts of terror from 2001 to 2019.

Nigeria is the first democratic nation to be added to the U.S. State Department's list of "countries of particular concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act.

Human rights activists have warned Nigeria is headed toward Christian "genocide" if global action is not taken quickly.

Frank Wolf, former U.S. congressman, religious freedom advocate and author of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, shared during a June panel discussion how the U.S. and the international community must intervene in Nigeria.

When the world and the U.S. ignored  genocide in Rwanda, hundreds of thousands of people died, Wolf said. History is repeating itself. Because of the atrocities in Rwanda that we had ignored, President Bill Clinton flew to Rwanda and apologized to the Rwandan people near the end of his term.

If what is happening in Nigeria were happening to nearly any country in Europe, the world would be enraged and engaged," Wolf continued. "But in Nigeria, there is no action."

The population split between Christians and Muslims is roughly even in Nigeria. Around half of Nigeria's population identifies as Christian, and there are over an estimated 95 million believers in the country of over 200 million people.

The Nigerian presidency released a statement last year stating that organizations and groups that claim a religious genocide is taking place in Nigeria are receiving funds from separatist groups. However, some activists have refuted that claim.

Intersociety, which is based in an Igbo-dominated area that seceded from Nigeria as part of an independent Biafra in 1967, told CP that it has received support in the form of free professional resource donations, expert advice, technical assistance and individual cash donations or cash sums that are periodically and voluntarily donated by some concerned citizens who are usually less politically exposed persons.

CP was told that Intersociety has never received sponsorship from a foreign body or international grant sponsorships and its advocacy campaigns on the killing of Christians have been done free of charge "without group sponsorship."
Nigerian priest fears more persecution after Boko Haram leader's death: 'Time bomb waiting to explode' Cleric says Islamic State is 'gathering and absorbing' Boko Haram groups

WASHINGTON  A Nigerian priest is warning that the religious persecution in his home country is a time bomb waiting to explode," adding that the death of the Boko Haram leader during a battle with the Islamic State could worsen the situation.

Among many attendees at this week's International Religious Freedom Summit, was Father Joseph Bature Fidelis, who leads the Human Resource and Skill Acquisition Center for Trauma Care for people displaced by Boko Haram in northeast Nigeria.

Since speaking with The Christian Post during his visit to Washington in early 2020, he told CP on Thursday that the situation in Nigeria has become worse.

It hasnt improved significantly, he said. From  2020 to date, there have been various attacks on Christian communities, attacks on roads, attacks on soft targets, and many people have died, many have also been abducted.

Fidelis summarized the religious freedom violations taking place in Nigeria are "a time bomb that will explode."

"Because nowhere have you found such form of persecution in recent times in magnitude, the intensity, the  number of people killed  the brutality involved," he said.

The United Nations estimates that the Boko Haram insurgency in the Borno state has led to the displacement of over 2 million people in Nigeria. Formed in 2002, Boko Haram split in 2016 after a splinter faction pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The two groups became rivals who've wreaked havoc on civilian populations in northeast Nigeria.

In June, the Islamic State West Africa Province claimed that the notorious Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, was dead after detonating an explosive device to avoid being captured by ISWAP fighters during battle. Boko Haram later confirmed his death.

Fidelis suggested that the death of Shekau would worsen the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

The priest alleged that ISWAP is gathering [and] absorbing the Boko Haram groups, a development that he likened to jumping from [the] frying pan to fire.

Such a larger global networking does not spell good  for the country, for the region," he feared. "Yes  the news is that he has been killed.  That is not a good sign for us."

Fideliss organization works to support those fleeing the violence.

That center is helping to bring healing and psychological healing from trauma from abuse, from torture, especially for women and girls, he explained. We are  trying to help a lot of these women, girls, people who have been abused  tortured  trying to bring them hope, healing and to build their future for them.

Fidelis agreed with a speaker at the conference, Open Doors USA CEO David Curry, who described the situation in the African country as the most overlooked religious freedom issue in the world today.

Some say its a failed state or a state about to fall, so many things," Fidelis stressed. "Everyones agreeing: somethings happening. But do something about it? No. So, hes right, [its] overlooked.

Curry told CP that the nexus between the Fulani [radicals] and Boko Haram in northern Nigeria is bleeding over into Burkina Faso, into Niger, to Cameroon [and] Chad."

The advocate warned: This has the potential to be a caliphate like ISIS.

Fidelis rejoiced that a very significant portion of this summit concentrated on Nigeria.

We appreciate the fact that  there are so many countries around the world  [and] Nigeria was given that emphasis.

As the interview concluded, Fidelis reflected on his time at the International Religious Freedom Summit.

My experience at this summit has been a wonderful moment of learning, of listening because I listened to so many speakers," he said. "And I see the passion of many people. Its the first time for me, as an individual, seeing such a large number of people from various countries across divides.

You had various groups here, people agreeing on one thing: that we need to stand together to promote religious freedom ... for everyone everywhere every time," he added. "And I think that is a beautiful humanity: bipartisan, people from different sides. This is evil against humanity."

While he commended the United States for working to promote religious freedom and advocate for groups that are persecuted, Fidelis argued that as a force to reckon with, the country can do more to help Nigerians and other victims of religious persecution. He urged the religious freedom advocates who attended the summit to keep to your word to help those in need.

The U.S. State Department recognizes Nigeria as a "country of particular concern" for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom. Open Doors USA ranks Nigeria as the ninth-worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution.

In addition to Boko Haram and ISWAP in the northeast, Fulani radicals have attacked predominantly Christian farming villages in Nigeria's Middle Belt. It has been reported that thousands of people have been killed in recent years by Fulani radicals.

In May, a Nigerian Christian pastor and his three-year-old son were killed by Fulani herdsmen who invaded their home, and dozens of children were massacred in a brutal attack on a Christian village.
At least 3,400 Nigerian Christians killed, 3,000 abducted so far in 2021, NGO estimates

A Nigerian civil society organization estimates that over 3,400 Christians have been killed by extremists since January, a number that nearly surpasses the number of Christian deaths Open Doors USA estimated in Nigeria for all of 2020.

The Anambra-based International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) released a report this week estimating that at least 3,462 Christians have been killed by extremists in just 200 days, while at least 3,000 Christians have been abducted. The report also estimates that no fewer than 300 Churches and 10 priests have been attacked.

The report comes as global human rights activists continue to raise the alarm about the troubling trend of deadly attacks carried out on communities in the farming-rich Middle Belt of Nigeria by radicalized Fulani herders and the country's northeast by Islamic extremists.

Intersociety, an organization headed by Christian criminologist Emeka Umeagbalasi, relies on what it deems to be credible local and foreign media reports, government accounts, reports from international rights groups and eyewitness accounts to compile statistical data.

Due to the lack of adequate government record keeping, death tolls reported by media outlets or government are estimates and often are skewed.

The number of Christians killed so far in 2021 is just 68 deaths less than the total deaths of Nigerian Christians for all of last year, which Christian persecution watchdog organization Open Doors reported as 3,530.

Intersociety estimates that Benue state has the highest number of recorded Christian deaths this year, with 450 recorded deaths. Kaduna state was second with 410 Christian deaths, the group noted.

Many have accused the Nigerian government of inadequately responding to protect its citizens.

The Nigerian Government has continued to face sharp criticisms and strong accusations of culpability and complicity in the killings and supervision of same, the Intersociety report reads.

The countrys security forces have so fumbled and compromised that they hardly intervene when the vulnerable Christians are in danger of threats or attacks, but only emerge after such attacks to arrest and frame up the same population threatened or attacked."

Advocates warn that insurgent groups often experience no accountability for their actions or receive ransoms for kidnappings, though the government denies paying ransom to terrorists.

Nigeria, Africas most populous country, is No. 9 on Open Doors 2021 World Watch List for Christian persecution worldwide due to an extreme level of Islamic oppression.

It is deeply saddening that till date those responsible for the anti Christian butcheries in the country have continued to evade justice and remained unchecked, untracked, uninvestigated and untried; leading to impunity and repeat-atrocities, Intersociety said in the report.

The surviving victims and families of the dead victims are also totally abandoned by the Government of Nigeria.

Jihadi attacks in West Africa have been on the rise since the beginning of 2021, and Nigeria is targeted more than any country in the region, the United States-based Chrisitan persecution watchdog group International Christian Concern reports.

Islamic terrorist groups have killed thousands in the region in recent years as they seek to impose a caliphate and Islamic Sharia law.

Christians have been specifically targeted and disproportionately been affected by this violence.  The responses by the government are clearly not enough, since perpetrators of such violence are able to continue attacking Christians, and other Nigerians, with impunity, Illia Djadi, Open Doors senior analyst on freedom of religion and belief in sub-Saharan Africa, said, according to ICC.

The Global Terrorism Index ranks Nigeria as the third country most affected by terrorism in the world. It reports that from 2001 to 2019, over 22,000 were killed by acts of terror.

In December, Nigeria became the first democratic nation to be added to the U.S. State Department's list of "countries of particular concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act.

Human rights activists have warned that the violence in Nigeria is reaching the standard for genocide.

A commissioner from the U.S. Commission on International and Religious Freedom warned in its 2021 annual report that Nigeria will move relentlessly toward a Christian genocide if action is not taken quickly.

When the world and the U.S. ignored  [the] genocide in Rwanda, hundreds of thousands of people died, former Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., said in a panel discussion on Nigeria earlier this month hosted by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

History is repeating itself," he added.

Last year, the Nigerian presidency released a statement stating that groups who claim that a religious genocide is occurring in Nigeria are receiving funding from separatists groups, a claim some activist groups have refuted.
Cora Jakes Coleman addresses adoption rumor after ex-husbands arrest for sexual abuse

A spokesperson for Cora Jakes Coleman, the eldest daughter of megachurch Pastor T.D. Jakes, called online allegations that she manipulated a vulnerable Texas mother into giving up her child for adoption slanderous on Thursday while insisting that all adoptions made by the 34-year-old divorcee were legally executed.

Despite slanderous attempts to smear Cora Jakes, her children were properly adopted through a multi-year process with numerous checks and reviews. This process is afforded to anyone in the United States of America and there was no preferential treatment given to Cora. Any claims to the contrary are false and defamatory, the spokesperson said. As adoptions are bound by law, the applicable documents and court proceedings preclude detailed public commentary.

The response comes after the recent arrest of Cora Jakes former husband, rapper Richard Brandon Coleman, 33, also known by his stage name SkiiVentura, for "continuous sexual abuse of a young child/children." The Wayne McCollum Detention Center in Waxahachie, Texas, confirmed with The Christian Post on Thursday that Richard Coleman has remained in custody on a $150,000 bond since his arrest on May 4.

Cora Jakes, who announced her divorce in January, got married on June 4, 2011, and later adopted two children, Amauri, 13, and Jason, 7, during her union with her ex-husband as she struggles with infertility.

Warning: This video contains strong language.

Shortly after her ex-husbands arrest was made public, Michelle Loud, a Texas hairstylist who identified herself in a tearful video online as Jasons biological mother. She expressed concern for the safety of her son and accused Cora Jakes and her ex-husband of manipulating her into giving up her son while she was in a vulnerable state.

She (Cora) played on my vulnerability, Loud alleged. She had me in front of a f------ MacBook recording and asking me questions talking about it was counseling but it wasnt counseling because later on down the line, a few years later, she would then use that evidence against me in court when I went to fight for my son.

A source close to the family told The Jasmine Brand that Jason was not identified as the victim in the case against Cora Jakes ex-husband.

Since the discovery of the alleged abuse by her ex-husband, Cora Jakes, who directs the childrens ministry at The Potters House of Dallas where her father leads, has been devastated along with her extended family and wasted no time in ensuring the abuse was reported to authorities.

The Jakes family endured a shocking and deeply disturbing event when the ex-husband of Cora Jakes engaged in shameful conduct. After being made aware of the allegations, Cora immediately contacted the authorities, Cora divorced the accused, and the family is attempting to heal at the same time they are fully cooperating with law enforcement, the family spokesperson said.

Despite the familys attempt to do the right thing, the spokesperson noted that media speculation has continued to be mean-spirited and unkind.

Tragically, unkind speculation and baseless false suggestions spread by gossip sites continues to exacerbate the injuries to the family and has made the healing process even more painful and difficult. The public and mean-spirited false gossip is especially shameful since the principal victim is a minor child who will someday read about these events, the spokesperson stated.

It was also made clear in the statement that the Jakes family has been cooperating with authorities in the investigation because they strongly believe in zero tolerance for any kind of abuse.

This matter does not involve The Potters House. Cora is personally devastated by the events and deserves the privacy and respect of someone who wrestles with feeling responsible for events for which she had no control, the statement said.

Loud has insisted on Instagram, however, that she did not lie about being manipulated during the adoption process and said she represented herself in court because she could not afford a lawyer.

The truth is going to outlive a lie any day! she wrote on Tuesday. I need legal representation! I need for my voice and story to be heard and all the ones that have been silenced through the years to speak up and stand with me! Spiritual Manipulation is REAL!

The complete statement from the Jakes family is included below:

The Jakes family endured a shocking and deeply disturbing event when the ex-husband of Cora Jakes engaged in shameful conduct. After being made aware of the allegations, Cora immediately contacted the authorities, Cora divorced the accused, and the family is attempting to heal at the same time they are fully cooperating with law enforcement.

Tragically, unkind speculation and baseless false suggestions spread by gossip sites continues to exacerbate the injuries to the family and has made the healing process even more painful and difficult. The public and mean-spirited false gossip is especially shameful since the principal victim is a minor child who will someday read about these events.

Here are the facts as we know them today. Coras ex-husband is in jail, charged with the sexual abuse of a child. He is in jail because the family immediately reported the abuse to law enforcement authorities and has cooperated at every level with law enforcement and the prosecution. The family acted swiftly and without hesitation as they strongly believe in zero tolerance for any kind of abuse. This matter does not involve The Potters House. Cora is personally devastated by the events and deserves the privacy and respect of someone who wrestles with feeling responsible for events for which she had no control.

Despite slanderous attempts to smear Cora Jakes, her children were properly adopted through a multi-year process with numerous checks and reviews. This process is afforded to anyone in the United States of America and there was no preferential treatment given to Cora. Any claims to the contrary are false and defamatory. As adoptions are bound by law, the applicable documents and court proceedings preclude detailed public commentary.

The Jakes family is attempting to heal itself, the minor child that has been abused, and the adults who are also traumatized by these events. It is unfortunate that perpetuating baseless gossip will only risk greater pain and injury to the minor as this child will have to explain to others in the future what was written about them, even though the child has no voice today.

The Jakes family asks to be included in your prayers as they focus on healing.
Leah Sharibu held captive over 1,500 days in Nigeria, but family advocates haven't lost hope

For more than 1,500 days, Nigerian Christian teenager Leah Sharibu has been held captive by the Boko Haram terrorist group as Christians continue to be the target of attacks in the West African nation.

Gloria Puldu-Samdi, who was with Sharibus family in early May, told The Christian Post in a recent phone interview that despite little tangible hope, they're continuing the search for their daughter, who turned 19 on May 14, marking her fifth birthday in captivity.

Late March marked 1,500 days that Shariby has been in captivity. According to reports, it's unlikely that she would be able to escape because she's ordered to stay near Boko Haram commanders. Because of this, it's been claimed that even a military rescue mission would fail.

Abducted at age 15, along with around 110 other girls from a school in Dapchi in February 2018, Sharibu is now believed to have given birth to two children fathered by Boko Haram militants.

Puldu-Samdi, who leads the LEAH Foundation in honor of the Nigerian teenager whose example of courageous faith has inspired many worldwide, continues to advocate for her release. It has been widely reported that Sharibu has refused to deny Jesus Christ and refused to embrace Islam. That is reportedly why she remains in captivity.

The purpose of creating it is so that we can advocate for her, and for other women and girls who are persecuted for their faith and denied education, who have to pay a great price because of who they have chosen to be or who God has made them as women, Puldu-Samdi said. Its painful to see my people denied education, to see my people denied the right to have religious freedom, to see my communities destroyed.

Puldu-Samdi has many sisters, and her father, who is both Christian and educated, saw the value of girls receiving an education. For her, Sharibu is emblematic of every woman and girl who has been persecuted. Her ordeal and bravery in refusing to renounce Christ in the face of her terrorist captors is recounted in a book Puldu-Samdi co-authored with Peter Fretheim, titled Leah Hero For Jesus: The Real-Life Story of Leah Sharibu.

Her parents continue to call for prayer  that the Lord would keep her faith, her faith that is in her heart, that His presence will be with her," Puldu-Samdi said. "That even if she is forced to wear all the [hijab andabaya] things to show that they have forced her to change, that her heart would be hidden and that her heart would be strong and remain firmly, that she will always have the presence of the Lord. And pray for the release of this young child, that she would be able to get her freedom and that her parents would be strengthened.

Nigeria is increasingly imperiled politically, and attacks on Christian communities by terrorist groups and radical Fulani herders continue to escalate year after year, Puldu-Samdi added. She lamented the lack of attention the rise in violence is receiving worldwide.



On a daily basis, it is saddening, Puldu-Samdi said of the situation in Nigeria.

And Im saddened by what is happening in the situation in Ukraine and other places, but we can see and hear the support that Ukraine is getting. But why is the Nigerian Church being destroyed and the governments of the world are not holding the Nigerian government accountable? Why is every international body, the United Nations silent about what is happening in Nigeria? Why have they not investigated?

Under the Trump administration in 2020, Nigeria was placed on the U.S. State Departments countries of particular concern list. The CPC designation is placed on countries that allow severe violations of religious freedom under the International Religious Freedom Act.

The Biden administration lifted the CDC designation from Nigeria in 2021, drawing criticism from Christian human rights advocates and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Puldu-Samdi has been advocating for Nigeria be placed back on the CPC list, particularly as the persecution of Christians intensifies.

She highlighted reports about Christian student Deborah Samuel who was brutally murdered by stoning and beating with sticks in the northern Sokoto state of Nigeria. Her Muslim classmates had accused her of blaspheming the Islamic prophet Muhammed. While video footage of the gruesome murder circulated online in mid-May as though it had just happened, a Reuters fact check has since claimed that the footage is from August 2021.



Events like these are increasingly common in the villages in the region and are escalating, Puldu-Samdi added, lamenting how the world has largely ignored the plight of Christians in Nigeria.

As Nigeria prepares for a presidential election in 2023, Puldu-Samdi said she and others fear the country might implode. And some believe, according to national intelligence reports, that war in the nation is imminent.

Open Doors USA, a watchdog organization that monitors persecution in over 60 countries, ranks Nigeria as the seventh worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution. Open Doors reports that Christians in northern Nigeria live under the threat of radical Islamic groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, Fulani militants and other criminals who kidnap and murder Christians were "few consequences."

Christians in some northern states live under Shariah law and are treated as "second-class citizens," Open Doors reports in a fact sheet.
For two years, restaurants have faced a relentlessly challenging environment fraught with uncertainty, significant operational changes and supply chain disruptions  not to mention a labor shortage that is costing 71% of restaurants $5,000 or more per month.

So, how have restaurants survived, and even thrived, with the odds stacked against them? The pandemic shined a spotlight on two important factors influencing business performance: 1) the remarkable resilience of restaurant owners and staff and 2) their level of technology usage.

Whether they pivoted to online ordering or re-engineered dining room experiences, restaurants that were already more tech-enabled or quicker to adopt new technologies tended to bounce back faster and withstand additional curveballs as Covid variants made their way through the Greek alphabet.

Seemingly temporary solutions became core to operations, and the increased reliance on technology will continue as restaurants look to boost guest volume, efficiency, sales and profitability. A Popmenu study of 415 U.S. restaurant owners and operators found that 51% plan to automate more online operations in 2022 and 41% plan to automate more on-premise operations.

As restaurants take steps toward recovery and set the stage for post-pandemic growth, it is critical that they continually evaluate their execution in three key areas that can affect whether they land on the higher-performing side of a widening digital divide.

Related: This Is What People Want in a Post-Pandemic Restaurant Experience

Digital divider #1  Online menus

Hands down, the online menu is the most important and most underutilized sales asset for a restaurant. A text-only or PDF experience is not going to do a menu justice and will likely cost a restaurant some business: 30% of U.S. consumers said that if they visit a restaurant's website on their mobile device  which most consumers do  and they see a PDF menu, they will move on to another restaurant.

Quick tips:

Offer an interactive menu with enticing photos, descriptions and the ability to review dishes. Imagine visiting Amazon to buy a pair of shoes, and there are no photos or written details. Chances are, those shoes won't make it into the shopping cart. The same goes for ordering meals. According to Popmenu's research on over 2 million online orders, dishes with photos receive twice as many orders and four times as many reviews.

Leverage the menu for search engine optimization (SEO). Each dish should be set up as a unique and indexed page for search engines. When a restaurant updates the menu, adds new dishes or has reviews posted, that automatically signals search engines that there is new information to read. This helps the restaurant to appear higher in search results and increase website traffic, and the interactive experience helps to increase customer conversions.

Integrate with Google Business Profile. Google owns the vast majority of search engine marketing share, and nearly half of all Google searches are local, like "restaurants near me."

By implementing an SEO-driven online menu and website, The Hampton Social, a coastal-inspired, multi-location restaurant group in Illinois, Florida and Tennessee, experienced a 63% increase in average monthly website sessions within three months (reaching over 285,000) and more than doubled the value of its organic traffic keywords to over $520,000. Texas-based upscale steakhouse, B&B Butchers & Restaurant, drove over $450,000 in online orders since expanding digital capabilities during the pandemic.

Related: These 3 Restaurant Franchises Thrived During the Pandemic. Here's What to Learn From Their Successes

Digital divider #2  Marketing  or lack thereof

Many restaurants do not have dedicated marketing staff, and a lack of time and resources can hinder the ability to attract and re-engage guests. While marketing can seem complex and costly, so much of it is just staying in front of guests with "craveable" assets. A lot can be automated  and at a manageable price point.

Quick tips:

Send automated text messages signaled by guest behavior. When a guest places an order, likes a certain dish or leaves a review, automatically send a follow-up message with a special promotion to incentivize future business. Make sure to invite guests to become a VIP so they can receive exclusive offers, invites to events and other perks.

Stay social. 45% of consumers have tried a restaurant because of a social media post by the establishment. Share info on new dishes, happy hours, trivia nights, wine tastings, guest experiences, etc., posting at least twice a week if not every day.

The Chori-Man, known for chorizo-making artisans in southern California, is very active on social media and other digital marketing channels. They bring their staff and customers into their story and leverage user-generated photos and content in addition to professional visuals. From 2020-2021, The Chori-Man attracted twice as many monthly visitors as they had the previous year and saw a 40% increase in their Instagram following, which is now over 20,000.

Related: Food For Thought: Restaurants Go Digital To Survive and Thrive

Digital divider #3  On-premise execution

Once thought of as a barrier to building guest relationships, technology is now being embraced as a facilitator as restaurants navigate safety mandates and talent deficits. From QR-based, contactless dining on-premise to AI-enabled phone answering, restaurants are continually engaging guests even when they can't be in front of them.

Quick tips:

Be available 24/7. Two-in-five consumers (42%) say, if they call to make a reservation at a restaurant and they get voicemail, they immediately move on to another restaurant. Restaurants can now use AI technology to answer common questions as well as customized ones for their business. AI technology can also send the caller a link to the restaurant's menu, send a link to make a reservation and record voicemails via text so owners can instantly view priority messages.

Use waitlisting as a marketing tool. With new tech, guests automatically receive a link to the menu when they add themselves to a waitlist via a QR code or the restaurant's website. After the meal, guests are invited to submit a review and follow the restaurant, so ongoing engagement is automated.

The Deck on Laguna Beach in California uses automation to support its oceanfront dining experience, ensuring customer inquiries are addressed even if they can't get to the phone. In 30 days, AI-enabled technology answered 1,658 calls, covering everything from restaurant hours and location to reservations and ordering information.

Consumers became accustomed to new ways of doing things during the pandemic with 75% expecting restaurants to offer more digitally-enabled experiences both online and on-premise going forward. As the industry works toward sustained recovery, restaurants that are leaning into technology to drive greater connections and convenience are poised to perform better.

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The call came Thursday, only a day after the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard verdict, to a free legal clinic for domestic violence victims in Athens, Georgia. The woman wanted to pursue her abuse claims, but she was worried.

The fear was that shed be seen to be a liar like Amber Heard, clinic director Christine Scartz said of the woman  the first caller to directly mention the verdict. People do not want to give the most intimate details of their personal life and then be called a liar.

Scartz is among advocates and legal experts who fear that the case  unique as it was for its celebrity lineup, sordid revelations, mutual claims of abuse, and relentless misogyny on social media  will have a real-world chilling effect on women coming forward with abuse claims. The jury, with five men and two women, mostly sided with Depp in the dueling defamation case, ordering Heard to pay him $10 million to the $2 million he must give her.

Although jurors were considering civil libel claims and not criminal abuse charges, the verdict largely vindicated Depp's allegations that Heard lied about abusing her. During testimony, Heard detailed dozens of instances of assault, and Depp emphatically denied ever abusing her. In 2020, a U.K. judge in a civil libel case found that Depp assaulted Heard on a dozen occasions.

For Scartz, who directs the clinic at the University of Georgia's law school, the concern is about the assumptions some will make that women are lying. She fears abusers may be newly emboldened to paint their accusers as liars in retaliation for them coming forward.

Not all experts fear a chilling effect or, as some have framed it, a threat to the #MeToo movement. Debra Katz, a Washington employment attorney and perhaps the nations most prominent #MeToo lawyer, said the Depp case was one of a kind, a thing of itself  who these people were, and the dysfunction in their marriage and the craziness that took place between them. And this was really driven by celebrity.

Still, Katz, who has represented accusers of Brett Kavanaugh, Andrew Cuomo and others, considers the case a setback, because it unfortunately taps into misogyny that already exists, and its terrible that Amber Heard was put through the kind of character assassination, the smear job that she was put through.

During the trial, users of TikTok and Twitter vilified Heard in memes and videos, some using court footage. The social media content, viewed billions of times, blasted her as a liar, an abuser, and a fake crier. #AmberIsALiar and other hashtags became popular search terms.

TikTok has tallied nearly 20 billion views for the hashtag #JusticeForJohnnyDepp, compared with some 78 million for #JusticeForAmberHeard. That amounts to more than 250 posts supporting Depp for each one supporting Heard.

Whats clear, Katz said, is there is still misogyny, deep misogyny in the world, and it still pervades our justice system. However, she said, one shouldn't assume women wont come forward in other cases.

And she said a more important gauge of the #MeToo movement's durability lies in a court decision that came Thursday, a day after the Depp verdict: Harvey Weinsteins loss of his appeal of his rape conviction in New York and 23-year prison sentence. In that case, she said, jurors saw through every single sexist argument that Harvey Weinsteins lawyers made about these women. Thats a much more consequential jury verdict and court victory than anything this Depp-Heard thing suggests.

The organization metoo.International - launched by Tarana Burke, who coined the phrase decades ago through her work with survivors of sexual violence - has rejected efforts to connect the Depp-Heard trial and the movement.

The way in which #MeToo has been co-opted and manipulated during the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial is a toxic catastrophe and one of the biggest defamations of the movement we have ever seen, the group said in a statement issued before the verdict.

What we experienced in the Depp-Heard trial was a public retelling of intimate partner violence between two privileged white celebrities, it said, while also decrying the public humiliation and harassment heaped onto Heard.

Law professor Mary Anne Franks tried to avoid coverage of the trial, only to find herself barraged by these really terrible, out-of-context, completely distorted types of takes whenever she peeked online. She can't help but wonder whether jurors  who weren''ot sequestered, and could use their phones when not in court  caught them, too.

Its crazy to think they are not going to be influenced by whats happening on social media, said Franks, a University of Miami law professor who studies the intersection of civil rights and technology.

Social media, Franks added, amplified the power imbalance between the wealthier, beloved actor and his less famous ex-wife. And the trial came at a critical cultural moment, she noted, as the progress women have made in the last 50 years is increasingly under threat, and the #MeToo movement faces backlash.

When men are being held to account, that resentment, that rage, it might simmer for awhile, but its going to bubble over after at some point, and I think a lot of people were channeling these emotions through this case," Franks said.

While the jury deliberated, the streets outside the Fairfax, Virginia, courtroom became a pro-Depp carnival. The spectacle included a retired detective sporting a pirate hat to pay homage to his Jack Sparrow character and the arrival of a flatbed truck bearing a Pirates of the Caribbean vessel.

During the six-week trial, the national organization RAINN, which combats sexual violence, noted a striking increase in calls to its hotline. It says it provided help to 28% more people in May 2022 than in May 2021, a spike it attributes to news coverage. On verdict day, it served 35% more people than on the average Wednesday, spokeswoman Erinn Robinson said.

Washington lawyer Joseph Cammarata, who represented seven women in a successful defamation suit against Bill Cosby, and Paula Jones in a lawsuit against President Bill Clinton that included a defamation claim, closely followed the courtroom action. He said he understands sex assault victims are increasingly concerned they could be sued if they come forward. But he believes the truth can still prevail.

The trial pitting Heard against Depp, he said, reflected only their relationship and doesn't mean that in all cases, the accused now has an advantage.

It is a story of these two people," he said of the trial. "A public story about their private life. "

And a woman who feels aggrieved, should have an opportunity ... to have her day in court. Her case will be judged on the facts of that case, not on Johnny Depps case, not on any other case, but on her case.

But Scartz, at the Georgia clinic, worries that the accused may decide its worth it to to take a chance, roll the dice and call her a liar. See what happens, you know? You dont lose anything at this point.

Those of us who work on the front lines of all of these sorts of cases  we will do our best to convince our clients to go ahead and seek the relief that they need. But well see. We may never be able to definitively say this had an effect, because you dont know who isnt calling you.
LAPLACE, La. (AP)  With the back-to-back punch of COVID-19 and Hurricane Ida, chef Jarred I. Zeringue decided it was time to shake things up  and finally get out the cookbook he had been working on for several years.

Zeringues Southern and Smoked: Cajun Cooking through the Seasons was released last month by Pelican Publishing.

He said the cookbook is coming out at the perfect time  hes just getting his restaurant, Wayne Jacobs Smokehouse and Restaurant, in LaPlace, back up and running after the building was devastated by Ida.

We started serving plate lunches again in April, Zeringue said. A lot of locals come in and say, I wish my house was this far along. Im so glad youre doing home cooking. I havent had home cooking since August because I still dont have a kitchen. Its humbling.

Wayne Jacobs Smokehouse, a long-standing stop even before there was an Andouille Trail, is a 72-year-old business in St. John the Baptist Parish.

Prior to COVID-19, Zeringue had other restaurants in the French Quarter, including Eat New Orleans, which closed during the pandemic. The lack of tourists forced Zeringue, a Vacherie native, to focus his energies closer to his roots and create the comfort food he believed people were craving.

Zeringues family has lived, worked and farmed in the River Parishes and nearby New Orleans since the early 1700s.

His new cookbook also celebrates those same roots. With beautiful images (taken by Denny Culbert and Joseph Vidrine) on nearly every page, the 208-page full-color cookbook has the feel of a coffee-table book and features more than 80 recipes.

I wrote the cookbook in seasons  winter, spring, summer and fall, Zeringue said. I tried to highlight seasonal dishes and why we eat what we eat when we eat it. I explain the traditions of why we eat gumbo at Christmas and crawfish for Easter for people who may not be from here or havent put two and two together.

But Zeringue goes beyond the most obvious of Louisiana cuisine.

Whether its deer hunting, picking blackberries on the side of the road or the bounty of Creole tomatoes in late spring and early summer, he takes a deep dive at whats available in the River Parishes that stretch along the levees of the Mississippi between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

Beyond looking at just when these things are available, I also worked to give you something to do with the ingredients beyond what youve always done, he said.

Take for example the guy who sells Creole tomatoes across the street from Zeringues smoke shop and restaurant.

I give a few alternative recipes on what to do with okra and Creole tomatoes, and other ingredients as well, he said.

Additionally, he looks at the diverse mix of people beyond Cajun and Creole, including the German, French, Spanish, African and Native Americans, whose heritages have mingled in the heat and humidity of Louisiana for more than 300 years to produce deliciousness from the largesse that the land and water offers.

In doing so, he draws on his own family history and its traditions, including boucheries.

My cousin came and brought pictures of my family at a boucherie in 1950. My grandparents were on a date that day, he said. I had never seen those pictures before. Creating this cookbook helped me to research where my own family came from and when they arrived here.

The cookbook is priced at $35 and is widely available.
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP)  A federal agency has delivered a big setback to a company's controversial plan to mine near the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp and its vast wildlife refuge.

A government memo said Friday that the Army Corps of Engineers is reasserting jurisdiction over Twin Pines Minerals' proposal to mine minerals just outside the Okefenokee, home to the largest U.S. wildlife refuge east of the Mississippi River.

Scientists have warned that mining close to the swamp's bowl-like rim could damage its ability to hold water. They urged the Army Corps of Engineers to deny the project a permit. But the agency declared in 2020 it no longer had that authority after regulatory rollbacks under then-President Donald Trump narrowed the types of waterways qualifying for protection under the Clean Water Act.

Trump's rollbacks were later scrapped by federal courts. President Joe Biden's administration has sought to restore federal oversight of development projects that under Trump had been allowed to sidestep regulations to prevent pollution of streams or draining of wetlands.

Michael Connor, the assistant Army secretary for civil works, said in the Friday memo that prior decisions waiving the Army Corps' jurisdiction over the Georgia mining plan and another proposed mine outside Tucson, Arizona, had been reversed.

Connor wrote that both projects would have to start over with new applications for federal permits. He said the prior decisions allowing them to bypass federal regulators are not valid because tribal governments with ancestral ties to the proposed mining sites had not been consulted.

The Twin Pines project in Georgia will require consultation with the Muscogee Creek Nation before it can move forward, the memo said.

We have said from the day we announced our plans that we would follow the regulations before us at any given time, Steve Ingle, president of Twin Pines, said in a statement. He added: We intend to move forward with our application and fulfill all requirements."

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Georgia Democrat who has fought the proposed mine outside the Okefenokee since he took office last year, called the decision a major victory.

I am pleased to announce the restoration of protection for this wildlife refuge and its surrounding wetlands, Ossoff said in a statement late Friday. "The Okefenokee is a natural wonder and one of Georgias most precious lands. I will continue fighting to protect it for future generations.

Alabama-based Twin Pines had been awaiting a permitting decision by Georgia's Environmental Protection Division, the sole regulator with oversight over the project before the federal government's Friday decision, which restores the Army Corps regulatory authority over 556 acres (225 hectares) of wetlands in the proposed mining area.

The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge covers nearly 630 square miles (1,630 square kilometers) in southeast Georgia and is home to alligators, bald eagles and other protected species. The swamps wildlife, cypress forests and flooded prairies draw roughly 600,000 visitors each year, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the refuge.

Two decades ago, chemical giant DuPont retreated from plans to mine outside the Okefenokee after meeting fierce resistance. Twin Pines wants permits to mine a small fraction of the acreage DuPont pursued. Ingle has insisted his company can mine the site without harming the swamp.

Government scientists have been skeptical. In February 2019, the Fish and Wildlife Service wrote that the proposed mine could pose substantial risks to the swamp, including its ability to hold water. Some impacts, it said, may not be able to be reversed, repaired, or mitigated for.

Conservation groups cheered the federal government's decision.

Mining on the doorstep of a rare ecological treasure like Georgias Okefenokee Swamp defies common sense," Kelly Moser, an attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center who specializes in clean water issues, said in a statement. "And we are thrilled that this announcement removes the threat to hundreds of acres of critically important wetlands.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The question was posed in a private briefing to U.S. intelligence officials weeks before Russia launched its invasion in late February: Was Ukraines leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, made in the mold of Britains Winston Churchill or Afghanistans Ashraf Ghani?

In other words, would Zelenskyy lead a historic resistance or flee while his government collapsed?

Ultimately, U.S. intelligence agencies underestimated Zelenskyy and Ukraine while overestimating Russia and its president, even as they accurately predicted Vladimir Putin would order an invasion.

But Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, did not fall in a few days, as the the United States had expected. And while American spy agencies have been credited with supporting Ukraine's resistance, they now face bipartisan pressure to review what they got wrong beforehand  especially after their mistakes in judging Afghanistan last year.

Intelligence officials have begun a review of how their agencies judge the will and ability of foreign governments to fight. The review is taking place while U.S. intelligence continues to have a critical role in Ukraine and as the White House ramps up weapons deliveries and support to Ukraine, trying to predict what Putin might see as escalatory and seeking to avoid a direct war with Russia.

President Joe Biden's administration announced it would give Ukraine a small number of high-tech, medium-range rocket systems, a weapon that Ukraine has long wanted. Since the war began on Feb. 24, the White House has approved shipping drones, anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems, and millions of rounds of ammunition. The U.S. has lifted early restrictions on intelligence-sharing to provide information that Ukraine has used to strike critical targets, including the flagship of the Russian navy.

Lawmakers from both parties question whether the U.S. could have done more before Putin invaded and whether the White House held back some support due to pessimistic assessments of Ukraine. Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, told officials at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last month that had we had a better handle on the prediction, we could have done more to assist the Ukrainians earlier."

Ohio Rep. Mike Turner, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said in an interview that he thought the White House and top administration officials had projected "their own bias on the situation in a way that lends itself to inaction.

The Senate Intelligence Committee sent a classified letter last month to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence asking about how intelligence agencies assessed both Ukraine and Afghanistan. CNN first reported the letter.

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told lawmakers in May that the National Intelligence Council would review how the agencies assess both will to fight and capacity to fight. Both issues are quite challenging to provide effective analysis on and were looking at different methodologies for doing so, Haines said.

While there is no announced timetable on the review, which began before the committee's letter, officials have identified some errors. Several people familiar with prewar assessments spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence.

Despite its vast advantages, Russia failed to establish air superiority over Ukraine and failed at basic tasks such as securing its battlefield communications. It has lost thousands of soldiers and at least eight to 10 generals, according to U.S. estimates. Russian and Ukrainian forces are now fighting in fierce, close quarters combat in eastern Ukraine, far from the swift Russian victory forecast by the U.S. and the West.

While Russia has entered recent proxy wars, it had not directly fought a major land war since the 1980s. That meant many of Russia's projected and claimed capabilities had not been put to the test, posing a challenge for analysts to assess how Russia it would perform in a major invasion, some of the people said. Russia's active weapons export industry led some people to believe Moscow would have many more missile systems and planes ready to deploy.

Russia has not used chemical or biological weapons, as the U.S. publicly warned it might. One official noted that the U.S. had very strong concerns about a chemical attack, but that Russia may have decided that would cause too much global opposition. Fears that Russia would use a wave of cyberattacks against Ukraine and allies have not materialized so far.

Other Russian problems were well-known, including low troop morale, a prevalence of drug and alcohol abuse among troops, and the lack of a noncommissioned officer corps to oversee forces and deliver instructions from commanders.

We knew all of those things existed, said retired Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, the former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. But it just became a cascading effect of how overwhelming all of that became when they tried to do even the most simple of operations.

Sue Gordon, the former principal deputy director of national intelligence, said analysts may have relied too much on counting Russia's inventory of military and cyber tools.

Were going to learn a little bit about how we think about capability and use as not one and the same when you assess outcome, she said at a recent event sponsored by The Cipher Brief, an intelligence publication.

Zelenskyy has received worldwide acclaim for refusing to flee as Russia sent teams to try to capture or kill him. Britain's Churchill, throughout the yearlong blitz of London by German fighter aircraft during World War II, often watched the bombing raids from rooftops and he made special effort to walk the streets in places where thousands were killed.

In contrast, Afghanistan's Ghani slipped out of his country on Sunday last August, lonely and isolated, a few months after America's top diplomat had urged him to forge a united stand as the American military pullout neared. Ghani did not even tell other political leaders who had been negotiating a peaceful transition of power with the Taliban that he was heading for the exit. His sudden and secret departure left Kabul, the capital, rudderless as U.S. and NATO forces were in the final stages of their chaotic withdrawal from the country after 20 years.

For Zelenskyy, before the war there were tensions, too, with Washington about the likelihood of a Russian invasion and whether Ukraine was prepared. One flashpoint, according to people familiar with the dispute, was that the U.S. wanted Ukraine to move forces from its west to bolster defenses around Kyiv.

Until shortly before the war, Zelenskyy and top Ukrainian officials discounted warnings of an invasion, in part to tamp down public panic and protect the economy. One U.S. official said there was a belief that Zelenskyy had never been tested in a crisis of the level his country was facing.

Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, the current director of the DIA, testified in March that my view was that, based on a variety of factors, that the Ukrainians were not as ready as I thought they should be. Therefore, I 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.

In May, Berrier distanced his own view from that of the entire intelligence community, which he said never had an assessment that said the Ukrainians lacked the will to fight.

There was ample evidence of Ukraines determination before the war. Russias 2014 annexation of Crimea and the eight-year conflict in the Donbas region had hardened public attitudes against Moscow. Ukrainian forces had received years of training and weapons shipments from the U.S. across several administrations along with help bolstering its cyber defenses.

U.S. intelligence had reviewed private polling suggested strong support in Ukraine for any resistance. In Kharkiv, a mostly Russian-speaking city near the border, citizens were learning to fire guns and training for guerrilla warfare.

Rep. Brad Wenstrup, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, saw that determination firsthand during a December trip. Wenstrup, R-Ohio, witnessed a military ceremony where participants would read the names of every Ukrainian soldier who had died the previous day on the front lines in the Donbas, the region in eastern Ukraine where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian government forces since 2014.

It showed to me that they had a will to fight, he said. This has been brewing for a long time.

___

Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.
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TOKYO (AP)  An 83-year-old Japanese adventurer returned home Saturday after successfully completing his solo, nonstop voyage across the Pacific, becoming the oldest person to reach the milestone.

Kenichi Horie arrived in the Kii Strait off Japans western coast, completing his trans-Pacific voyage in 69 days after leaving a yacht harbor in San Francisco in March.

It was the latest achievement for the octogenarian adventurer, who in 1962 became the first person in the world to successfully complete a solo nonstop voyage across the Pacific from Japan to San Francisco.

Sixty years later, he traveled the opposite route.

I just crossed the finish line. Im tired, he wrote in his blog after reaching Japan in the early hours of Saturday.

He said that his sailing boat, Suntory Mermaid III, was to be toed after the sunrise for an expected arrival at his home port of Shin Nishinomiya yacht harbor in the evening. Local media said a welcome ceremony will be held Sunday.

His achievement came after three days of struggle with the pushback from a strong tide. He wrote in his blog Friday that he succeeded but was exhausted and took a nap after feeling assured that his yacht was now on the right track to the finish line.

Hories return to Japan makes him the worlds oldest person to complete a solo, nonstop crossing of the Pacific, according to his sponsors.

Horie has also achieved a number of other long distance solo voyages, including sailing around the world in 1974. His latest expedition was the first since his 2008 solo non-stop voyage on a wave-powered boat from Hawaii to the Kii Strait.
ANEGADA, British Virgin Islands - Michael Young stands on a low bluff near a salt pond, gestures toward a snarl of head-high shrubs and says, "You can be certain there are some iguanas near here."

The flat, arid, salt-blasted island looks like a tough place to scratch out a living. But to the Anegada rock iguana, Cyclura pinguis, this is more than home.

"This is paradise for them," says Young, who works on iguana conservation for the National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands.

The 10-mile island has fewer than 300 residents and is best known for its extensive coral reef, sandy beaches and flock of flamingos.

For millions of years, the iguanas - up to five-feet-long and 15 pounds - were the largest vertebrates on this landscape. Though the adults are fierce, the iguanas have been brought to their scaly knees by improbable predators - feral cats that prey on juveniles.

- - -

Unlike the superabundant green iguana, which is native to Central and South America and widely introduced elsewhere, there are exceedingly few Anegada rock iguanas. By the 1990s, the presettlement population of about 10,000 iguanas had fallen to about 200. A simple conservation strategy has doubled the population since. But recent setbacks show the limits of the work.

The iguanas are especially vulnerable when they emerge from eggs buried in sandy nests. Kelly Bradley, a conservation biologist with the Fort Worth Zoo who has been working with these iguanas since 2001, estimates that as many as half of the juveniles are eaten in their first week by native snakes and birds - Puerto Rican racers and American kestrels.

This is natural, these animals evolved together for thousands of years. What has tipped the balance are nonnative feral cats that are efficient predators. They eat baby iguanas like popcorn, and very few iguanas survive to adulthood.

The cats probably arrived with colonial settlers in the 1700s and have spread across the island. They have no natural predators, and as their numbers grew, the iguana population declined to a critical threshold that demanded human intervention.

Near the bluff, Young beats a few yards into the thorny brush, scanning the ground. He soon finds a horseshoe-shaped scrape in the sandy soil. It doesn't look like much, but it's an old nest, where an iguana laid its eggs in a recent year.

Each summer, he and Bradley painstakingly search for new nests excavated by the iguanas - tunnels leading to deep chambers where they lay their eggs. It can take days to find even one nest.

When they find a nest, they place large steel hoops to trap the emerging hatchlings, more than 40 in a good year. They bring them to a "head-start" facility, cages where they are raised for several years until they are large enough to defend themselves against cats. Then they are released back into the wild.

- -

The program has released 274 iguanas. Bradley has radio-tracked dozens and more than 80% survived the first two years after release. But as long as cats remain abundant on Anegada, Bradley says the iguanas will be a "conservation-dependent species" - one whose survival is predicated upon human intervention. Recent events show the limits of such intervention.

In 2017, Hurricane Irma hammered Anegada just before the trapping season. The team captured no juveniles that year. Then, while the island was still recovering from the hurricane, the British Virgin Islands was locked down during the pandemic. Both events have limited Bradley's fieldwork in recent years, and she and Young have gathered fewer iguanas.

Walking among the cages at the head-start facility, Young says there have been as many as 64 captive iguanas in years past, but there are now 48. The facility is a project of the National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands, featuring educational panels about the iguanas and island flora and fauna. When four American tourists arrive, Young shows them around.

Young says one occasional visitor, who typically arrives barefoot with a small group of companions, is Richard Branson. The billionaire owns nearby Necker Island, one of several smaller islands with introduced populations of Anegada iguanas. Bradley says there are now more iguanas on those islands than on Anegada itself, but because they are all descended from just eight animals taken from Anegada in the 1980s, they lack genetic diversity, so their conservation value is limited.

Tandora Grant, a conservation program specialist with San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and an officer with the Iguana Specialist Group, says when most people think of iguanas, they think only of the green iguana, Iguana iguana. Its abundance obscures the scarcity of its cousins. As a family, Grant says, iguanas are among the world's most endangered animals.

"There are 45 different species of iguanas," Grant says, "and only one is the pest species that has been transported all over the place."

There are 10 species of iguanas in the genus Cyclura, all endemic to West Indian islands (another went extinct sometime in the 1900s), and molecular analysis suggests they are all descended from the Anegada rock iguana. When sea levels dropped during glaciations, the Anegada iguanas spread to other parts of the Caribbean, Grant says. When the sea rose again, those iguanas became isolated on islands and evolved into species that look distinctly different.

Other Cyclura species on Jamaica and Grand Cayman also have head-start programs to help them survive predation. These populations are growing, like that of Anegada. But without the programs, Grant says, all would again plummet.

"We have to keep doing that until all the threats are really and truly mitigated, that's why they are conservation dependent," Grant says. "If we could get the money together, and the political will, to eliminate all cats on Anegada, we could go home."

"Head starting is not a solution, it's just a Band-Aid," Bradley says. "We've doubled the population on Anegada, and that sounds great, but it's not enough. The cause of the decline hasn't been removed or addressed."

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) still considers Anegada rock iguanas critically endangered and includes them on its "red list" of threatened species.

Cassander Titley-O'Neal, director of the National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands, says an ongoing spaying and neutering project aims to limit Anegada's cat population. She does not envision a more ambitious cat-control program for now, but says conserving the iguanas is a long-term priority for the agency.

"The conservation status by IUCN says it all," Titley-O'Neal said. "They are critically endangered and need to be protected for generations to come."
EDITOR'S NOTE: With an increasing call for mental health services as a way to address school violence, the Record Patriot took a closer look at the resources available to Benzie County's schools. This is the last in a series of articles showcasing the programs helping Benzie County students with their emotional needs.

A northern Michigan mental health service provider has found a way to be proactive in helping students in Benzie and Manistee county schools get the mental and emotional health support they need.

Centra Wellness has partnered with both Benzie County Central and Frankfort-Elberta Area Schools to provide counselors through a program called SafeNet for over 20 years, according to Karen Goodman, chief operating officer at Centra Wellness.

The program is a prevention service that has been functioning for 20 years in the school systems, Goodman said. Our employees work in the school system. We first operated the program in Benzie County, and we expanded into Manistee.

Goodman said SafeNet is an evidence-based program that has been studied and found to be successful in giving not only students the skills for managing emotional needs, but also giving teachers and caregivers the skills to help students when theyre struggling.

If you have a student that is distraught and caught in high emotions, there can be anger and agitation, Goodman said. That student could be referred to a SafeNet worker, who meets with the student.

Goodman said depending on the situation, SafeNet workers can help in a variety of ways.

If the student has a significant problem, the SafeNet counselor can link them to other mental health services and reach out to parents, she said. Or the counselor can have a session with the student and work on problem solving. Maybe the student had a fight with their friends. The worker can meet with everybody involved.

Goodman said in more recent years, SafeNet workers helped students deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and the mental health struggles that came with it, like the death of loved ones due to the virus.

SafeNet counselors try to make themselves visible, so they can be approachable, Goodman said. It teaches kids it's OK to seek out help. Our society is biased toward people who need help with their mental health, and were trying to break that stereotype down. Its OK. Everybody needs somebody to talk to.

Goodman said there were grade specific programs, as well, including the Guiding Good Choices program, which helps give students and their parents or caregivers tools to avoid common pitfalls in the transition from middle school to high school, such as drug and alcohol use.

Similar programs, like the Botvin LifeSkills program, provide similar tools to students from elementary school through high school.

Goodman said some of the SafeNet counselors in schools are also therapists, like Kristi Morrow, who works at Frankfort-Elberta Area Schools as well as Benzie County Central Schools.

Morrow is a school clinical specialist who works to support students at the middle and high school level and provides both prevention and mental health therapy services.

The nice piece about her being a therapist is she can continue therapy services all throughout the summer, Goodman said. She can meet with the students during the summer and keep them engaged and learning and practicing life skills.

Goodman said the SafeNet program can also provide crisis interventions.

Our counselors can be called in to de-escalate a situation, she said. Thats whats good about embedding them in the school systems: They can be right there, in the school. The students get used to them and will come up to them for help.

Amiee Erfourth, Benzie County Central Schools superintendent, said she appreciates that the program is proactive.

The program is meant to be proactive and support students at risk, she said. The counselors can help with homework, assist students in the classroom and help cultivate coping skills. We are fortunate to have so many supports available to other students."

Ron Stoneman, Manistee Area Public Schools superintendent, said both Jefferson Elementary and Kennedy Elementary have a SafeNet worker.

Without hesitation I can easily say they are an integral part of our operations that continue to evolve and support our mission to support the needs of all students, Stoneman said. ... Centra Wellness has been supporting these positions for decades and we are very proud of this collaboration.

Stoneman said behavior and physical health has been a priority for the district over the past few years, and working with Centra Wellness supplements other services the school district has implemented.

See the full series from the start:

 Part 1  Benzie at a glance

 Part 2  Frankfort at a glance

 Part 3  Closer look at programs at Benzie

 Part 4  Centra Wellness SafeNet program
David Kenyon/MI Dept. of Natural Resources Tyler Leipprandt/MI Dept. of Natural Resources On June 11 and 12, residents and out-of-state visitors can enjoy two full days of outdoor fun for free.

People can take advantage of the free services being offered next weekend by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The department announced its "three free" weekend in a press release on Thursday, explaining on Saturday, June 11, and Sunday, June 12, residents and out-of-state visitors can grab a fishing rod, ride the off-road trails and visit state parks and boating access sites all free of charge.
STOCKHOLM -- The United States prepared Saturday to launch a sprawling naval exercise in the Baltic Sea with Sweden, Finland and 13 NATO allies, a visible sign of an expanding partnership as Stockholm and Helsinki apply to join the military alliance following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Baltic Operations exercise involves more than 40 warships and has been held annually for decades, but will shift this year to include more involvement from Finland and Sweden, said Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He visited Stockholm on Saturday in a show of support for Sweden's membership bid, one day after a similar stop in Finland.

The two countries have long partnered with the U.S. military but resisted applying to join NATO until last month out of concerns that it would anger Moscow. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, however, that changed with significant shifts in public opinion in favor of joining the military alliance in both countries.

The new dynamic was evident as the 843-foot amphibious warship USS Kearsarge sat in a narrow waterway running through Stockholm while packed with attack helicopters and other aircraft and more than 2,000 U.S. Marines and sailors.

The United States has never moved such a large warship into this capital city of nearly 1 million people, Milley said. Doing so created a spectacle for tourists snapping pictures and challenges for U.S. troops and Swedish personnel who squeezed the ship into the city.

"That was a big evolution for us to pull in," said Tera Geoffrey, a lieutenant junior grade assigned to the ship. "Our depth beneath the keel sometimes was less than 10 feet."

Milley told reporters aboard the Kearsarge that President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have asked the Pentagon to develop new options to "modestly increase" American military involvement in Sweden where it is appropriate. Meanwhile, other long-scheduled operations like the naval exercise will continue.

"We're looking at things we can do on the ground with either the Marines or Army, things we can do with Special Forces, things we can do with the air or maritime forces," Milley said.

While the NATO alliance is designed to be defensive, Sweden and Finland joining would further enclose the Baltic Sea with NATO countries, something that would be "very problematic" for Russia militarily and "very advantageous" to NATO, Milley said. The Swedish military is not large, Milley said, but it has an excellent navy, modern equipment and well-trained ground forces.

The membership applications come as a NATO ally, Turkey, threatens to block Finland and Sweden from joining the alliance, citing the presence in their countries of militants from the PKK, a Kurdish separatist group that the U.S. and Turkish governments have labeled terrorist organizations.

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, appearing alongside Milley, said that the Finnish and Swedish governments will continue to discuss Turkey's concerns but that Sweden has taken a "very clear stance against terrorists."

"There's no question about Sweden's position in that respect," she said.

As Russia threatened and ultimately launched its invasion, the Pentagon expanded its number of forces in Europe from about 80,000 to more than 100,000 -- including Marines and sailors at sea. Maj. Gen. Frank Donovan, who oversees personnel from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, of Camp Lejeune, N.C., said that the unit has in the past few months visited Iceland, Norway, Estonia, Greece and Turkey.

"We're able to tailor the force for what the task is, and we're very maneuverable," Donovan said.

The Marines have deployed with newly adapted radar initially designed to help fishermen find a potential catch, Donovan said. It has been adapted to be placed on islands or shorelines to track the movement of vessels up to 60 miles away, with data tracked on a tablet device, he said.
BEIJING (AP)  The driver of a high-speed train in southern China was killed and eight people were injured when two cars derailed early Saturday after hitting a mudslide, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

The accident occurred midmorning as the train was entering a tunnel in the inland southern province of Guizhou. It had been traveling on a regular route to the coastal business center of Guangzhou.

Those injured were in stable condition and the other 136 people aboard the train were evacuated safely, CCTV said.

The cause of the accident is under investigation. Landslides have become common in the region from a combination of heavy precipitation and the development of infrastructure in mountainous areas.

China has the world's most extensive high-speed rail network, with 40,000 kilometers (24,855 miles) of tracks nationwide and trains running at more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) per hour. Hundreds of millions of passengers are carried annually, although that figure has been severely reduced under pandemic-related travel restrictions.

The system's safety record has been generally good, with the exception of a 2011 collision between two trains outside the southern city of Wenzhou that left at least 40 people dead and prompted a public uproar over an apparent effort to cover up the extent of the damage.

China's aviation sector has also come under scrutiny lately following the still unexplained crash of a China Eastern Airlines passenger jet on March 21 in which all 132 people on board were killed.

And on May 12, a Tibet Airlines flight with 122 people on board was departing from the southwestern city of Chongqing when it veered off the runway and caught fire. No one was killed, but several passengers were hospitalized with minor injuries.
Almost a year after the formation of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, lawmakers are set to take their case public.

On Thursday night, Chairman Bennie G. Thompson, D-Miss., and Vice Chairwoman Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., will launch a series of televised hearings featuring a combination of live witnesses, pretaped interviews with figures that include Trump family members and previously unseen video footage.

The hearings mark the culmination of an inquiry that has involved more than 1,000 interviews and reviews of more than 125,000 records. Taken together, the work represents the most comprehensive record yet of the deadly assault, and which panel members have come to believe stands out as only the most visible evidence of a broader plot to undermine American democracy -- one that emanated from the White House.

To tell that story, the committee will draw on testimony from administration insiders, including a previously obscure aide who has given the committee a detailed reconstruction of meetings and movements in the West Wing. The committee also has video recordings of interviews with Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, that some inside the process believe will make for gripping television.

But the end result of the committee's efforts remains an open question. Public opinions about Jan. 6 and about former president Donald Trump have long since hardened into competing blocs, making it difficult to break through, even with prime-time programming. The committee also has been bedeviled by a lack of cooperation from some Republicans -- including some of those closest to Trump -- leaving potential gaps in the evidence and an apparent deficit of high-profile figures willing to take the witness stand.

Legally, meanwhile, the investigation may have limited direct consequence: Although the committee can refer cases for prosecution, it is the Justice Department that will ultimately decide whether to file any charges.

Still, a criminal referral by Congress of a former U.S. president would be an extraordinary step. And whether it is taken or not, the hearings will represent a historic moment, one in which the committee unveils evidence of what it has described in court filings as "a criminal conspiracy to defraud the United States."

"Either way, these hearings are very important in getting that information out there," said Norm Eisen, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who served as counsel to House Democrats for Trump's first impeachment trial.

The first hearing is likely to provide the American public with an opening argument and overview of the events on the day rioters assaulted the Capitol, as well as the weeks that preceded it.

Lawmakers are also expected to focus on the ways in which Trump's false claims of fraud continue to proliferate and threaten the integrity of future U.S. elections, according to people involved with the investigation who, like others interviewed for this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. They cautioned that much of the plan remains under discussion and subject to change.

The witnesses set to appear at the first hearing have yet to be announced. But the committee will attempt to place the story of the violence at the Capitol in the context of a broader, multi-tentacled plot to overturn the results of Joe Biden's electoral victory, with Trump's involvement serving as the through line.

The hearings that follow this month -- there are expected to be at least six -- will drill down on particular aspects of that plot. Another hearing, for example, is likely to focus at least in part on alternate slates of Trump electors that could have been used to try to undermine Biden's legitimacy, according to people involved with the investigation.

The final hearing is likely to be led by Reps. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., and Elaine Luria, D-Va., and focused primarily on Trump: what he did, what went on around him, and what he said before Jan. 6 and on that day. A person familiar with the planning said the few remaining "bombshells" will come in the final hearing, though the person cautioned that the most notable piece of evidence against the former president -- that he allegedly expressed support for hanging Vice President Mike Pence -- has been reported.

The committee -- which includes two Republican members and seven Democrats -- is still finalizing witnesses. But the hearings are likely to feature senior officials in the Trump Justice Department and advisers in Pence's inner circle. Investigators also have secured cooperation from relatively junior administration staffers who were witness to crucial moments.

People familiar with the committee's dynamics said Cheney is taking an aggressive role in organizing the hearings. Members have debated over which witnesses should be featured, and several people involved said there was frustration among lawmakers that key final decisions had not yet been made.

Cassidy Hutchinson, a top aide to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, has sat for multiple depositions with investigators -- more than 20 hours -- and is expected to play a starring role in the hearings, according to people familiar with the matter. Hutchinson, people familiar with the committee said, has provided extensive information about Meadows's activities in trying to overturn the election.

Meadows, through his lawyer, declined to provide comment.

The Washington Post reported late last month that Hutchinson had told the committee that Meadows remarked to others that Trump indicated support for hanging his vice president after rioters who stormed the Capitol on that day started chanting, "Hang Mike Pence!"

"Cassidy Hutchinson might turn out to be the next John Dean," Eisen added, referring to the former presidential counsel who accused President Richard Nixon of having direct involvement in the Watergate scandal to Senate investigators and federal prosecutors.

Hutchinson is likely to testify live before the committee, complimented by video footage of previous interviews before investigators, according to a person familiar with the investigation.

Hutchinson has recalled for the committee various episodes in the chaotic scramble to sustain Trump's election-fraud lie. A former mid-level aide, she kept detailed schedules of movements in the West Wing and had extensive conversations with Meadows.

Court filings show Hutchinson detailing a meeting in the lead-up to Jan. 6 between Meadows and House Republican lawmakers in which they discussed delaying the Joint Session of Congress -- or altogether preventing the counting of electoral votes -- so that state legislatures could select different electors.

Investigators have come to view Meadows as a key actor in the efforts to overturn the results of the election. He was in close touch with Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and his outside legal team, which was operating out of the Willard hotel in Washington, according to people familiar with their interactions.

"Meadows would tell Trump we wanted to talk to him," said a person involved with the operation.

Meadows was also warned before Jan. 6 about the prospect of violence that day, according to Hutchinson's testimony. She told congressional investigators that Anthony Ornato, a senior Secret Service official who also held the role of political adviser at the White House, told Meadows "we had intel reports saying that there could potentially be violence on the 6th."

Meadows initially cooperated with the investigation, providing his text messages among other records. But like many of those close to Trump, he ultimately refused to testify.

The committee referred criminal charges against Meadows and top Trump advisers Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino to the Justice Department, for defying committee subpoenas. The department announced Friday that it had indicted Navarro, but would not be pursuing charges against Meadows and Scavino. Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon was charged with two counts of contempt last year, and is set to go on trial in July.

Unlike other boldfaced names who have been subpoenaed by the committee, Hutchinson is no longer a figure in Trump's orbit or Republican politics.

Other mid- and low-level administration, campaign and Capitol Hill staffers have described their participation with the investigation as an opportunity to say their piece to the American public after a traumatizing experience. The committee has agreed to anonymize accounts from those who have expressed fear or discomfort with publicly coming forward, according to people involved with the investigation.

"You're going to hear from people who you haven't heard from before or who haven't had the opportunity to do any media," said a person who provided a recorded account for the committee.

Although the committee has not made a final decision, people familiar with the investigation believe the panel will screen footage of testimony from Ivanka Trump and Kushner -- including Trump's account of her father's actions in the West Wing on Jan. 6.

"Everybody will pay attention when Jared and Ivanka talk on video. It doesn't matter how damning the presentations are," said a person close to the investigation.

Accounts from panel members and testimony released in court filings depict a daughter who was in and out of her father's presence while the Capitol was under siege, repeatedly attempting to get him to respond to the violence.

Former Trump national security adviser Keith Kellogg told investigators during his December appearance before the committee that, on the day after the riot, he had told Ivanka that he "appreciated what she did that day and by talking to her dad. And I said: 'You know, I just thought what you did was to me pretty heroic.' And she said: 'Well, my dad's stubborn.' And I said: 'Your whole family's stubborn.'"

Michael Luttig -- a conservative lawyer and former appeals court judge who advised Pence -- is expected to appear as a witness, as are Pence's former chief of staff Marc Short and the vice president's former chief counsel, Greg Jacob, according to people familiar with the plans for the hearings.

Jacob and Short were in the room for a meeting on Jan. 4, 2021, among Trump, Pence and John Eastman, an attorney for Trump. In that session, Eastman made the case for Pence to unilaterally act during the counting of electoral college votes to halt Trump's defeat, The Post has previously reported.

Jacob and Short were also with Pence, who had been presiding in the Senate, on Jan. 6.

Jeffrey Rosen, the former acting attorney general, and other Justice Department officials are expected to receive formal invitations to testify in the coming days, a person familiar with the matter said.

Despite securing a handful of key witnesses and extensive closed-door testimony from former senior officials -- including former attorney general William Barr -- some former congressional investigators and individuals close to the committee fear that it does not have enough big names featured publicly.

"This has been their problem from the beginning: They have no one big who will talk to them -- including Pence," said a person close to the committee's work.
PHOENIX (AP)  A federal judge is considering whether to postpone the execution of an Arizona prisoner who argues the states death penalty procedures would violate his rights by subjecting him to unimaginable pain.

Attorneys for Frank Atwood said their client would undergo excruciating suffering if he were strapped to the execution gurney while lying on his back because he has a degenerative spinal condition that has left him in a wheelchair. Atwood is scheduled to be lethally injected Wednesday for his murder conviction in the 1984 killing of 8-year-old Vicki Hoskinson.

At a court hearing Friday, Atwood's lawyers questioned whether the compounded pentobarbital to be used in the execution meets pharmaceutical standards and whether the state has met a requirement that the drugs expiration date falls after the execution date. They also are challenging Arizonas protocol for gas chamber executions.

Prosecutors say Atwood is trying to indefinitely postpone his execution through legal maneuvers.

Judge Michael Liburdi said he will likely issue an order over the weekend.

Two weeks ago, Atwood declined to choose between lethal injection or the gas chamber, leaving him to be put to death by lethal injection, the states default execution method.

Even though he didnt pick the gas chamber, he is still challenging the states lethal gas protocol that calls for the use of hydrogen cyanide gas, which was used in some past U.S. executions and by Nazis to kill 865,000 Jews at the Auschwitz concentration camp alone. His lawyers say hydrogen cyanide gas is unconstitutional and produces agonizing levels of pain in executions.

Without explicitly saying Atwood wants to die by the gas chamber, his lawyers argue he has a right to choose between methods of execution that are constitutional and said the state should switch its lethal gas from hydrogen cyanide gas to nitrogen gas because nitrogen would produce painless deaths.

They could do that tomorrow, Joseph Perkovich, one of Atwoods attorneys, said about nitrogen gas.

Arizona, California, Missouri and Wyoming are the only states with decades-old lethal-gas execution laws still on the books. Arizona, which carried out the last gas chamber execution in the United States more than two decades ago, is the only state to still have a working gas chamber.

In recent years, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Alabama have passed laws allowing executions with nitrogen gas, at least in some circumstances, though experts say it has never been done and no state has established a protocol that would allow it.

Atwoods lawyers also said Arizona could take up executions by firing squad -- a method of execution not used in the state.

Prosecutors say Atwoods challenge is not aimed at minimizing the pain he will feel when he is put to death, but rather to delay the execution indefinitely by requesting alternative methods of execution that he knows the state is unable to provide without changes to its execution protocol and the state constitution.

Prosecutors say Atwood can alleviate pain caused by lying on his back by propping himself up with a pillow and using the tilt function on the execution table. They say he will be allowed to continue taking pain medications and will be provided a mild sedative before his execution.

Arizona prosecutors also said nitrogen gas remains untested in executions and that Atwoods attorneys hadnt established that nitrogen gas or a firing squad would reduce the risk of severe pain.

Jeffrey Sparks, a lawyer for the state, argued Atwoods legal claims about lethal gas are moot, saying the execution will be carried out by lethal injection.

Authorities have said Atwood kidnapped Hoskinson, whose remains were discovered in the desert northwest of Tucson nearly seven months after her disappearance. Experts could not determine the cause of death from the remains that were found, according to court records.

Atwood maintains that he is innocent.

Last week, a federal appeals court denied a request by Atwoods lawyers to make new arguments in a bid to overturn his death sentence.

Atwoods lawyers have said that last summer they discovered an FBI memo describing an anonymous caller claiming to have seen the girl in a vehicle not associated with Atwood, but which could be linked to a woman. A panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said it couldnt conclude that the disclosure of the unreported anonymous call would have had any effect on Atwoods trial and conviction.

On Friday, Atwoods lawyers also asked the Arizona Supreme Court to stay his execution, making similar arguments about what they said was new evidence of his innocence related to the woman.

Until last month, Arizona went almost eight years without carrying out an execution.

The hiatus has been attributed to the difficulty of securing lethal injection drugs as manufacturers refuse to supply them and to problems encountered during the July 2014 execution of Joseph Wood, who was given 15 doses of a two-drug combination over nearly two hours. Wood snorted repeatedly and gasped before he died. His attorney said the execution had been botched.

The hiatus ended on May 11 when the state executed Clarence Dixon for his murder conviction in the 1978 killing of Deana Bowdoin, a 21-year-old Arizona State University student.
DUSON, La. (AP)  When Emily Wortman was a high school junior in New Orleans, her art teacher brought out a potters wheel.

It shone; angels sang, she said with a smile. I had no idea about pottery until I was in art class at Academy of Sacred Heart.

That day put her on a new trajectory. She stuck with pottery through high school and into college, studying ceramics at Tulane University, where she met a graduate student just as in love with pottery.

She met David Wortman 45 years ago. After marrying, they officially started the family business, Wortman Pottery, in 1977.

And to think it all started for Emily that day in high school art.

Thats why its really vital to have an art department in schools, she said.

Davids love of working with clay began much earlier. When the Lafayette native was 6 years old, he visited the well-known Shearwater Pottery while on a family vacation to the Mississippi coast. There he saw not only all what could be made with clay but also vibrant colors many potters dont use.

Many (potters) grow up in a more limited range of colors  a lot of browns and tans  but Shearwater Pottery has a range of colors," he said. I grew up very confident working with a lot of colors.

He grew up making pottery in his childhood kitchen.

I just grew up really adoring clay, he said. I revered clay. It was like heaven.

But he chose to pursue photography for his first college degree. He started at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, then called the University of Southwestern Louisiana. He completed his core academic courses in his hometown before moving to Santa Barbara Art Institute in California. There he earned his Bachelors in Fine Arts in photography and then a Masters in Fine Arts, emphasis in clay, at Tulane.

They moved to property that had been the Wortmans family farm outside of Duson. The land has been in their family more than 100 years, and today there is a workshop, showroom and their home where there was once just fields.

They lived in the workshop for years as they built their home. Today the shop holds a slab roller, clay mixer, large industrial trash cans filled with different colors of glaze, a gas kiln and electric kiln, and oodles of supplies and ceramic works in progress.

Emily, 65, was out in the shop this week turning over pots that David, 70, had thrown on the potters wheel a few days earlier. They monitor the drying and wait until theyre at the right hardness to trim the foot.

There are shelves of mugs, platters and chalices. Some are gray, having not been fired yet. Those that have are more pink. The ones in muted colors are covered in glaze, which will brighten or deepen upon firing.

It takes eight hours to fire glaze from cold to finish, Emily said.

The chalices and other religious ceremonial items are for churches around the world. Emily, whos in charge of shipping, recently sent an order to a Greek Orthodox archbishop in Australia.

Very few potters do liturgical items, David said.

It is a niche, Emily added.

This niche has expanded their business around the globe, but it began with local churches.

It just started with a priest saying I want clay for Lent; make me a chalice, David said.

Other items in their workshop and showroom feature hand-built pieces like oysters on platters and crawfish as a mug handle. Emily does most of the hand-building, adding interest to pieces thrown by David.

A lot of it is a joint effort, she said. Over time we figured out who does what best.

They both agree their work has progressed and improved over their decades of working and learning together.

After all these years its still a learning experience, Emily said.
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LOS ANGELES (AP)  Naason Joaquin Garcia, the leader of Mexican megachurch La Luz del Mundo, who had been facing child rape and other charges, admitted just days before trial that he sexually abused three girls, California state prosecutors said.

Garcia, 53, pleaded guilty Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court to two counts of forcible oral copulation involving minors and one count of a lewd act upon a child who was 15. He had faced jury selection Monday in his trial on charges that included child rape and human trafficking to produce child pornography.

Garcia, leader of a church founded by his grandfather that has 5 million worldwide followers, was considered the apostle of Jesus Christ who could lead worshippers to salvation. Prosecutors said he wielded his spiritual influence to have sex with several female followers.

Garcia used his power to take advantage of children," Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. He relied on those around him to groom congregants for the purposes of sexual assault. Todays conviction can never undo the harm, but it will help protect future generations.

The guilty plea was an abrupt turn of events from the vigorous denials by his lawyers and ardent support from the Guadalajara-based church that is also known by its English name, The Light of the World. The church and Garcias lawyers did not immediately comment on the guilty plea.

Garcia faces up to 16 years and eight months in prison when sentenced Wednesday. He remains jailed on $90 million bail.

Garcia was arrested in 2019 and charged along with two women followers who were accused of helping facilitate the abuse.

In addition to facing his accusers at trial, Garcia was also facing the prospect of having to challenge one of his accomplices.

Alondra Ocampo, who had pleaded guilty and admitted to helping find his victims and participate in the abuse, was poised to testify against him.

Attorney Fred Thiagarajah, who represents the former church youth group leader, said Ocampo would have been the star witness who could corroborate the testimony of victims and provide context for the prosecutors case.

She actively recruited and groomed girls for him, Thiagarajah said. She would target girls and bring them into his inner fold. She was tasked with sexualizing these girls and facilitating their abuse.

Ocampo told girls that if they rebuffed the wishes and desires of the apostle, they were going against God, according to the charges.

She encouraged girls to wear skimpy outfits and dance for Garcia, who then gave them a speech about a king having mistresses and stated that an apostle of God can never be judged for his actions, the charges stated.

Ocampo told three girls that Garcia would be pleased to receive nude selfies of them and she even orchestrated pornographic photo shoots of them touching each other that she said would be sent to Garcia.

Garcia thanked the girls for the photos, according to court documents.

Another female co-defendant who was a member of the church, Susana Medina Oaxaca, 27, pleaded guilty Friday to assault likely to cause great bodily injury, a misdemeanor.

Attorney Pat Carey said Oaxaca had faced up to 10 years in prison if convicted at trial and the guilty plea was in her best interests.

It was also a relief to put a 3-year process behind her rather than endure a lengthy jury trial, 98% of which involved evidence that had nothing to do with her, Carey said in an email.

Garcia had previously pleaded not guilty to 19 counts that included forcible rape of a minor and unlawful sexual intercourse. A judge had thrown out four counts of extortion and sentencing enhancements for great bodily injury for lack of evidence.

Ocampo, 39, was charged with many of the same counts as Garcia  as well as additional charges. She pleaded guilty to three counts of contact with a minor for a sexual offense and one count of forcible sexual penetration involving four accusers. She will serve four years in prison under the agreement with prosecutors, Thiagarajah said.

Defense lawyers had said prosecutors were operating under a far-fetched legal theory that Garcia used spiritual coercion for sexual pleasure.

Prosecutors have repeated ad nauseum their novel theory that the majority of crimes charged in this case occurred not because of physical restraint, physical force, or fear of physical force but because the complaining witnesses had no other choice but to comply because they were under the complete mental and spiritual thrall of Mr. Garcia and the La Luz Del Mundo Church, defense attorney Alan Jackson wrote in a court filing. It is a fantasy seemingly invented out of whole cloth.

Prosecutors said the victims were essentially brainwashed by Garcia and felt they would be ostracized by the insular church community if they didnt submit to his desires. In denying a defense motion to dismiss the case, a judge said Garcia used religion as invisible handcuffs to exploit his victims.

Garcias grandfather founded the Guadalajara-based fundamentalist Christian church in 1926.

The church has tried to cultivate a law-abiding, hard-working image in Mexico  where it counts about 1.8 million followers. Its male members favor suits and short hair, and female members wear veils that cover their hair and modest dresses. There are about 1 million U.S. members.

Garcia took over as apostle after his father, Samuel Joaquin Flores, died in 2014.

Flores was also the subject of child sex abuse allegations in 1997, but authorities in Mexico never filed criminal charges.

Ocampo said she was sexually abused by Flores, Thiagarajah said.

Ocampo had faced a lot of pressure from the church community and her own family when she turned on Garcia, Thiagarajah said. Ocampos mother said she doesnt believe her and accused her of working for Satan.

This church is a very dark institution, Thiagarajah said. The scope of the abuse this guy has committed on women and children is staggering and its been going on for generations.
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FITZGERALD, Ga. (AP)  Two weeks after a jury acquitted a south Georgia man of murdering a teacher in 2005  but convicted him of a lesser charge  the man was indicted on new charges in a neighboring county.

A grand jury on Friday indicted Ryan Duke on six counts including concealing a death, hindering apprehension of a criminal, concealing facts and evidence tampering in the death of Tara Grinstead of Ocilla.

Grinstead vanished in 2005 and her disappearance from Irwin County remained a mystery for more than a decade until Dukes 2017 confession.

But during a trial last month, Duke testified that his confession was false. Defense attorney John Merchant told jurors a friend, Bo Dukes, instead killed Grinstead. Dukes was convicted in 2019 of helping move and burn Grinsteads body but was never charged with murder.

Duke said Dukes woke him up at the mobile home where they lived together in 2005 and said he had killed Grinstead and showed Duke the teachers purse and wallet. Duke testified that he lied to investigators because Dukes had already killed one person and he was afraid.

Duke was acquitted of murder but found guilty of concealing a death in the Irwin County trial and sentenced to a total of 10 years in prison. Having already served five years in jail, Duke could serve five more years.

The new charges could add much more time onto Dukes sentence. Building off his testimony at trial, hes accused of concealing Grinsteads body, moving her body, burning the body in the pecan orchard to keep officials from arresting Dukes and not telling officials where the remains were.

Dukes was found guilty by jurors in 2019 of lying to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, hindering the arrest of Duke, and concealing Grinsteads death. He told ultimately told investigators that Duke confessed to him that Duke had strangled Grinstead and had used Dukes' pickup truck to move the body. Dukes said Duke took him to a pecan orchard, showed him Grinstead's body lying in tall grass, and the two burned the body for two days until it looked like it was all ash.

Dukes is serving a 25-year-prison sentence. He has not been charged with murder.

While Duke was previously charged in Irwin County, Friday's indictments were issued in Ben Hill County, which neighbors Irwin County to the north.

Dukes also faces additional concealment charges issued earlier in Ben Hill County. His previous trial was in Wilcox County, where he was interviewed by GBI agents.

Grinstead was last seen leaving an evening cookout in rural south Georgia. A history teacher and former beauty queen, Grinstead was 30 when she disappeared.

Duke led investigators to the pecan grove owned by Dukes uncle in Ben Hill County where he said the two burned Grinsteads body. Investigators recovered bone fragments, which prosecution witnesses at trial said was consistent with one adult. However, DNA analysis was inconclusive.

A latex glove found in the front yard of Grinsteads home contained her DNA, that of Duke, and a third person who could not be conclusively identified.

Mercer University Law Professor David Oedel told WMAZ-TV earlier this week, before Duke was indicted again, that Dukes may be able to argue that he's facing double jeopardy  illegally being charged twice for the same crime.

"Its a question of how much you view the different indictments, the different charges as overlapping, Oedel said.
NEW YORK (AP)  Privacy advocates are urging New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to affix her signature on a bill that would protect sensitive information gathered from people being vaccinated against COVID-19.

Advocates say the unfettered sharing of information could be misused by a raft of entities, including law enforcement who the New York Civil Liberties Union suggests could use that data in criminal proceedings.

That possibility, the group said, could be having a chilling effect in the rate of vaccinations among some groups  and hinder public health efforts to further protect the public from the ongoing pandemic and other potential health crises.

Vaccine clinics collect a host of personal information, including addresses, phone numbers, insurance information and medical history. Those seeking vaccines are also asked to produce legal identification and, in some cases, been asked to provide Social Security numbers.

Any number of people are likely to be chilled from receiving vaccines if they believe their personal information will be shared broadly within the government, said Allie Bohm, the policy counsel for the New York Civil Liberties Union.

Were also thrilled lawmakers took this important stride to make sure vaccine passports do not become another tool that disproportionately hurt people who have suffered the most throughout the pandemic, and we urge Governor Hochul to sign this into law immediately, Bohm said in a statement.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the federal law better known as HIPAA, protects some information but generally applies only to health care providers. New York's law seeks to cover any gaps in federal law, including third parties and personal information not necessarily covered by HIPAA.

While the pandemic might have been the driving force behind the legislation, which cleared both chambers of the state Legislature on Friday, the proposed law has wider ramifications.

With the spread of monkeypox, some health advocates worry that sharing information collected in administering vaccines for the disease could result in privacy violations in the most intimate way.

While anyone can be infected by the virus that causes monkeypox, the recent spread has mostly affected men who have had sex with other men.
HONOLULU (AP)  The coronavirus pandemic is delaying a trial for two Hawaii men charged with a hate crime for allegedly beating a white man in 2014.

The trial for Kaulana Alo Kaonohi and Levi Aki, Jr. was scheduled for July. They have pleaded not guilty.

An indictment last year charged Kaonohi and Aki with a hate crime after they allegedly attacked a white man who was attempting to move into their Maui neighborhood. They face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Court documents said the men punched, kicked and used a shovel to beat a man who was knocked unconscious. He suffered a concussion and two broken ribs, prosecutors said.

The defendants are accused of saying the man was in the wrong place, didnt belong there and that no white man is ever going to live in this house or neighborhood.

U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright said Friday that he's concerned about Hawaii's rising COVID-19 cases. He said more time is needed to arrange a jury selection process with safety measures, including distancing of potential jurors in the Honolulu courtroom where the trial will take place.

Defense attorneys and prosecutors didn't object to the postponement. They said they will aim for an August trial date.
CHESTERFIELD, Va. (AP)  A 20-year-old man was fatally shot and seven other young people were injured after gunfire erupted during a graduation party in central Virginia, police said Saturday.

Two separate fights between attendees of the mostly outdoor party in Chester were reported shortly before police received a call about shots fired late Friday night, Chesterfield County Police Maj. Brad Badgerow said at a news conference.

It was not immediately clear whether the incident was a gunfight with multiple shooters, Badgerow said, though he noted officers had recovered more than 50 casings of four different calibers.

Whether that means it was four people shooting  I can't tell you that. But it looks like there were at least four different weapons that were fired, he said.

The department said when officers arrived at the scene, they discovered 20-year-old Taborri J. Carter of Petersburg suffering from a gunshot wound. Officers rendered aid, but he died at the scene. Five other shooting victims had already left the scene before police arrived, according to a news release that said their injuries appeared to be non-life-threatening.

Two other people were injured when they were struck by a vehicle as they fled the shooting, police said. Those injured ranged in age from 16 to 21 and were from Chesterfield or nearby localities. The party, which had been advertised on social media, drew about 50 to 100 people, Badgerow said.

An investigation is ongoing. No arrests or suspect information had been released as of Saturday afternoon.

The party took place in a residential area of Chester, which is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of Richmond.
RENO, Nev. (AP)  Reno police are searching for a gunman who shot at the outside of city hall.

Police say the driver of a passenger car fired at least five rounds at the downtown building across the street from the Truckee River at about 2:30 a.m. Friday.
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Reinforced Russian troops backed by airstrikes pummeled a portion of eastern Ukraine on Saturday, blowing up bridges and shelling apartment buildings as they fought to capture two cities that would put a contested province under Moscow's control, Ukrainian officials said.

Russian and Ukrainian forces battled street-by-street in Sievierodonetsk and neighboring Lysychansk, regional governor Serhiy Haidai said. Russian strikes killed four people, including a mother and child, in the nearby village of Hirske, Haidai said.

The cities are the last major areas of Luhansk province still held by Ukraine. The Russian attacks are central to the Kremlin's reduced wartime goal of seizing the entire Donbas region, where Moscow-backed separatists have fought Ukrainian forces for eight years and established self-proclaimed republics.

Russia also escalated attacks in Donetsk, the other province that makes up the Donbas, the Ukrainian military said as the war reached its 101st day.

Reflecting the close combat, Russian and Ukrainian military officers blamed each other for a fire that destroyed a 1912 wooden church at the Sviatohirsk monastery, one of Ukraine's holiest Orthodox Christian sites. The sprawling, 16th-century monastery, which sits on the bank of the Siverskiy Donets River, has been hit several times previously during the war, most recently on Wednesday, when three monks were killed.

In his nightly video address Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of deliberately and systematically destroying Ukrainian culture and its historical heritage, along with social infrastructure like housing and everything needed for normal life.

Zelenskyy said 113 churches have been damaged or destroyed during the invasion, including some that survived the battles of World War II.

In recent days Russian forces have focused on capturing Sievierodonetsk, which had a prewar population of about 100,000. At one point they held 90% of the city, but Ukrainian soldiers clawed back some ground, Haidai reported Friday. Zelenskyy described the citys situation as extremely difficult on Saturday.

Western military analysts said Russia was devoting significant troop strength and firepower to what British officials called a creeping advance in the Donbas.

The combined use of air and artillery strikes has been a key factor in Russias recent tactical successes in the region, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said in a Saturday assessment. The ministry warned that after launching so many guided missiles, Russia was employing unguided missiles that have almost certainly caused substantial collateral damage and civilian casualties.

The Ukrainian military reported that it repulsed nine attacks in the Donbas over 24 hours. The claim could not be independently verified.

While Russian forces are concentrated on the Donbas, Ukraine has staged counterattacks to try to regain territory in the south.

After seizing most of the Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk regions, as well as the port city of Mariupol, Moscow has installed local administrators, offered residents Russian passports and taken other steps to consolidate its hold on occupied areas.

Russian shelling killed at least three civilians in the Black Sea port city of Mykolaiv, Mayor Oleksandr Senkevich said Saturday.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said Russian-installed officials and troops face growing resistance among the local population and an increase in partisan activity in southern Ukraine.

The institute cited accounts on Russian Telegram channels of threats against locals who received Russian passports.

The Ukrainian Center for National Resistance, which established a website to advise people on sabotage and other techniques, said Kherson residents were encouraged to burn down a Russian passport center.

The Ukrainian military noted with approval the trouble that occupation authorities were encountering, saying Russian-installed leaders in Kherson were wearing bulletproof vests and traveling in armored vehicles.

In other developments:

 Ukraines foreign minister denounced Frances president for saying the West shouldnt humiliate Russian President Vladimir Putin. French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with French newspapers Friday that Putin made a historic error in invading but world powers shouldnt "humiliate Russia, so that when the fighting stops, we can build a way out together via diplomatic paths. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted in response: Calls to avoid humiliation of Russia can only humiliate France and every other country that would call for it. ... We all better focus on how to put Russia in its place. This will bring peace and save lives.

 The bodies of more than 1,300 civilians have been exhumed so far in the region around Ukraine's capital following Russias military retreat from the area, Ukraines Interior Ministry reported Saturday. The bodies were sent to morgues for forensic examination, and some 200 of the victims have not been identified, ministry spokeswoman Alyona Matveyeva said. Since Russian forces left the region in early April, Ukrainian authorities have been collecting the dead, exhuming bodies from mass graves and collecting evidence for possible war crimes investigations and prosecutions.

 A Russian rocket hit an agricultural site Saturday in the Odesa region, wounding two people, according to a regional military chief. A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said a missile attack destroyed a base of foreign mercenaries. Odesa is home to Ukraine's largest seaport and therefore vital to the country's ability to ship grain and other commodities. The attack came hours after Kuleba, the foreign minister, tweeted: Ukraine is ready to create necessary conditions to resume exports from the port of Odesa. The question is how to make sure that Russia doesnt abuse the trade route to attack the city."

 Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said in an interview published Saturday that Russia is suffering significantly fewer military casualties compared with the first six weeks of the war. The lower figures might make Russian commanders think that they are fighting successfully, the website Meduza quoted Podolyak as saying. Speaking on Ukrainian television, he expressed optimism that new Western-supplied weaponry could change the mathematics of the war.

 Pope Francis said he needs to wait for the right moment to go to Ukraine. A Ukrainian refugee who was in a group of children visiting the Vatican asked the pontiff if he would go to his homeland. Francis told the boy he thinks a lot about the children in Ukraine and has a desire to go there. He said its not easy to take a decision that could do more harm to all the world than good. I must find the right moment to do it. The pope said he would discuss the issue next week when Ukrainian government representatives visit the Vatican.

___

Varenytsia and Rosa reported from Sloviansk, Ukraine.

___

Follow AP's coverage of the Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP)  A man who was convicted of killing a perceived romantic rival and a woman he mistook for his ex-girlfriend at a Southern California condominium was sentenced Friday to two consecutive life sentences without chance of parole.

Jamon Buggs, 47, of Huntington Beach, was convicted last month of two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances and other crimes for the April 20, 2019, slayings.

Prosecutors said Jamon Buggs shot Darren Partch, 38, and Wendi Miller, 48, in a fit of jealousy.

Buggs defense attorneys never disputed that he killed the pair. Instead, they argued that Buggs committed the slayings in the heat of passion and should be convicted of a lesser charge.

At his sentencing, relatives of the victims applauded as Buggs was led out of the courtroom, the Orange County District Attorney's Office said in a statement.

Darren and Wendi were killed for absolutely no reason," DA Todd Spitzer said. The monster who shot them in the head did not care about their lives or the lives that were shattered into a million pieces the second he pulled the trigger."

The Orange County Register said Buggs apologized to the family of the victims before he was sentenced.

Im sorry this happened, I apologize, I stand accountable for what I did, Buggs said. I sinned and I ask you for forgiveness.

Before the hearing, a judge ruled that Spitzer violated the states new racial justice law when, during a meeting over whether to seek the death penalty for Buggs, the DA asked about the race of Buggs previous girlfriends.

Spitzer argued race was an issue because Buggs mistakenly thought Partch was dating his ex-girlfriend, who is white.

Spitzer has said Buggs was obsessed with his ex-girlfriend and would have kept killing perceived rivals if he hadn't been arrested.

Buggs had twice previously threatened Partch, warning him to stay away from his girlfriend, and Partch agreed even though he denied having a romantic relationship with her, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said Buggs, a personal trainer, killed Miller, who was from Costa Mesa, after she had given Partch a ride back to his Newport Beach condominium, authorities said.

The defense argued this was a case of mistaken identity because Buggs ex-girlfriend had blonde wavy hair like Wendi Miller and the murders were committed in a dark room in the middle of the night," the DA's office statement said.

Some 18 hours after the killings, Buggs climbed to a balcony and tried to break into an Irvine apartment he wrongly believed belonged to a chiropractor he suspected was also having a relationship with her ex-girlfriend, prosecutors said.

He was spotted and fired a shot before fleeing but he returned the next night. Police were watching the apartment and arrested him after a high-speed chase and a lengthy neighborhood search, authorities said.
BIG RAPIDS  Spectrum Health West Michigan broke ground on the new facility planned for Big Rapids next to Menards on 215th Avenue during a ceremony Thursday.

Andrea Leslie, president of Spectrum Health Big Rapids and Reed City thanked those who gathered for the groundbreaking, saying she was grateful to be able to celebrate this new chapter of healthcare in Big Rapids.

Coming off of two years of a pandemic that tested all of us in health care, I am personally very excited to be standing here today to focus on something so positive and so energizing for our community and for our team members, Leslie said. This is a dynamic and growing community and Spectrum Health is committed to providing both critical and routine care for the people in and around Big Rapids.

She added that Spectrum Health is proud of their history in Big Rapids and are excited to be able to bring the new facility to the community.

The shovels in the ground today will signify the building project that will culminate next year when we open a brand new, state of the art facility, Leslie said. Our teams will have more space to provide top-notch care to our community in an updated environment.

Being close to U.S. 131 and Perry Avenue, our hope is that this location will provide convenience for anyone coming here from any direction to receive their care and we plan to provide care in this community for years to come, she said.

The 33,000 square foot facility will house Big Rapids Family Medicine, the first Spectrum Health urgent care clinic in the area, outpatient rehabilitation, occupational health, a lab, and a walk-in clinic, she said.

Spectrum Health West Michigan president Darryl Elmouchi told those in attendance, the organization was very excited to be building the new facility in Big Rapids.

I think we have learned a lot from the pandemic, Elmouchi said. Big Rapids Hospital now takes care of much sicker patients than it ever has before, we have learned how to do things remotely with virtual appointments, and our doctors and nurses are doing a great job taking care of people and keeping them at home. With this new facility we will be able to do even more.

Our goal is to keep care close to home, to keep people in their homes and not in the hospital, he continued. Taking care of ambulatory as they walk in is far better and we are thrilled to do it.

'A WIN-WIN FOR ALL'

Dr. Peter Macdonald and Dr. Scott VanderHill, two physicians that have served the Big Rapids community for many years, will work in the new facility once it is completed.

Macdonald said he was delighted to be at the groundbreaking and excited about the next chapter of health care in the community.

Having worked in Big Rapids for 20 years, I am excited to stand here today as we break ground, Macdonald said. I first arrived in 2002, and although we were the new kids on the block, we soon became the largest practice in the area. Despite multiple refurbishments, we have outgrown our home and are looking forward to a state-of-the art facility where we will continue to expand and serve our patients.

This location will make primary care more accessible to the populations we serve, he continued. Located near the working population of the city, the facility will have Big Rapids first urgent care, which will allow patients to get bloodwork and imaging performed on the same site. With the walk-in clinic, the workload on the ER will decrease as the slack is taken up by the new facility. This is a win-win for all.

Macdonald added that physicians will be able to converse with occupational medicine and physical therapy colleagues, which will optimize care.

We will be the envy of primary care from Grand Rapids to Cadillac, he said.

VanderHill echoed the excitement of the others, saying, It is and honor to be here to mark the beginning of a new chapter in the delivery of health care in our community.

He said he has been practicing medicine in Big Rapids for 31 years, and it has been a wonderful career, and living and working in Big Rapids has been a great fit for him.

I have been very blessed by this community, VanderHill said. The work has remained very challenging and very fulfilling, but one thing has remained constant  the pressing need for more medical services for everyone that lives in this area. I am glad to see that we are growing more and more.

We have seen tremendous growth from when I first came to town and now, we stand at the threshold of another very important step in meeting the pressing need for medical care, he continued. Our new integrated center will be a powerful source for medical care along with the hospital and many other sources of medical care in Big Rapids."

Spectrum Health team members were presented with a commemorative shovel to close the formal portion of the ceremony, followed by the breaking ground and throwing of the first shovel of dirt.

Spectrum announced their plans to build the new facility in January. Elmouchi said at the time that they listened to the physicians and the community in prioritizing building projects to improve access to medical care.

The project is part of a $151 million investment by Spectrum Health to expand its outpatient services and provide increased access to primary and specialty care, a news release from the organization said.

The new facility is expected to be completed and open in spring of 2023.
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TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei acknowledged Saturday that Iran took two Greek oil tankers last month in helicopter-launched raids in the Persian Gulf.

The confiscations were retaliation for Greece's role in the U.S. seizure of crude oil from an Iranian-flagged tanker the same week in the Mediterranean Sea over violating Washingtons harsh sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

They steal Iranian oil off the Greek coast, then our brave men who dont fear death respond and seized the enemys oil tanker," Khamenei said during an 80-minute speech on the anniversary of the death of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. But they use their media empire and extensive propaganda to accuse Iran of piracy.

Who is the pirate? You stole our oil, we took it back from you. Taking back a stolen property is not called stealing, he added.

The seizures ratcheted up tensions between Iran and the West already simmering over Iran's tattered 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Tehran has been enriching more uranium, closer to weapons-grade levels than ever before, causing concern that negotiators wont find a way back to the accord and raising the risk of a wider war.

Irans seizure of the tankers was the latest in a string of hijackings and explosions to roil a region that includes the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all traded oil passes. The incidents began after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the nuclear deal, which saw Tehran drastically limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

The U.S. Navy blamed Iran for a series of limpet mine attacks on vessels that damaged tankers in 2019, as well as for a fatal drone attack on an Israeli-linked oil tanker that killed two European crew members in 2021.

Iranian hijackers also stormed and briefly captured a Panama-flagged asphalt tanker off the United Arab Emirates last year and briefly seized and held a Vietnamese tanker in November.

Tehran denies carrying out the attacks but a wider shadow war between Iran and the West has played out in the regions volatile waters. Tanker seizures have been a part of it since 2019, when Iran seized the British-flagged Stena Impero after the United Kingdom detained an Iranian oil tanker off Gibraltar. Iran released the tanker months later as London also released the Iranian vessel.

Iran last year also seized and held a South Korean-flagged tanker for months amid a dispute over billions of dollars of frozen assets Seoul holds.

Satellite images analyzed by the AP on Wednesday confirmed that one of the two tankers remained off the coast of the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas. The Planet Labs PBC images from Tuesday showed the Prudent Warrior between Bandar Abbas and Irans Qeshm Island near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all the worlds oil traded passes.

It remained unclear where the second ship, the Delta Poseidon, was.

Talks in Vienna on the nuclear deal have been stalled since April. Since the deals collapse, Iran has run advanced centrifuges and has a rapidly growing stockpile of enriched uranium. Nonproliferation experts warn Iran has enriched enough up to 60% purity  a short technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%  to make one nuclear weapon if it chooses.

Iran insists its program is for peaceful purposes, though United Nations experts and Western intelligence agencies say Iran had an organized military nuclear program through 2003.

Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, in his speech Saturday also accused the U.S. of supporting recent protests in Iran sparked by price hikes and the slashing of subsidies by the government. Teachers for weeks also demonstrated in favor of better pay and working conditions.

The value of the Iranian currency, the rial, has been weakening for years but recently tumbled to new lows, reflecting growing anxiety over Irans economy,

Khamenei criticized what he called the decades-long U.S. opposition to the nation and said Washington pins its hopes to such protests. Khamenei, 82, said Iran's enemies try to pit Iranian citizens against the Islamic system through psychological warfare, the internet and financial support.
TAIPEI, Taiwan - At an exhibit hall in central Taipei, artists set up sculptures, churches held live-streamed prayer sessions, and activists read poems at a vigil near the president's office, while participants dressed in black held small electric candles and observed 64 seconds of silence.

On the 33rd anniversary of the crushing of pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, Taiwan has emerged as one of the last places in the Chinese-speaking world remembering the deaths of thousands at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party, after authorities banned such demonstrations in Hong Kong.

"Taiwan has become very important. It has become the only place in the Chinese-speaking world where June 4th can be openly remembered," said Wu Renhua, a former protester in Tiananmen, speaking from a stage in Taipei's Liberty Square. "Preserving history is also a form of resistance," he said.

For more than three decades, activists held an annual candlelight vigil in Hong Kong's Victoria Park to remember the incident also known simply as June 4th. Under a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing, the vigil - now a broader symbol of political expression in the city - has been banned. Hong Kong authorities, barring any assembly "to express certain views" in or near the park, warned citizens last week not to "test the boundaries."

In Taipei, this year's events are centered on Hong Kong, which has become a cautionary tale for Taiwan as Beijing ramps up threats to take over the self-governed democratic island it claims as its own.

The exhibit, titled "Rather than die in silence, live in resistance," includes art inspired by objects from the Hong Kong protests, such as molotov cocktails and gas masks, photos of street protests in 2019 and films about the movement. The exhibit includes a restored version of the Pillar of Shame, a 26-foot sculpture depicting victims of the massacre. It was removed by Hong Kong authorities in December after being displayed at Hong Kong University for almost 25 years.

In Taipei and Tainan in the south of Taiwan, groups are hosting screenings of a play about an elderly couple in Beijing whose son was killed in the protests. The play ends with a rendition of the protest song, "Glory to Hong Kong." A church in Tamsui, north of Taipei, whose congregants are mostly from Hong Kong live-streamed a prayer session in commemoration of those who died.

"It's a responsibility we cannot relinquish," said Tseng Chien-yuan, president of New School for Democracy, which organized this year's vigil in Taipei. "This is a war on memory. Our duty is to make people remember this incident."

For Tseng, it is important that Taiwan picks up the baton to commemorate June 4, because remembering Tiananmen is a way to support democracy and protect human rights in the region. The art exhibit includes references to Taiwan's authoritarian past during martial law and Myanmar's military takeover.

"Over the past 33 years, the meaning of June 4 is expanding," he said. "This means the regime that cracked down on its people is getting stronger, and we face more difficulties defending democracy."

In Taiwan - where student protests broke out a year after the Tiananmen crackdown and marked a key turning point in Taiwan's democratization - June 4 has traditionally not aroused as much public sympathy as in Hong Kong. Small-scale events have been held for years, garnering little attention compared to the vigil in Hong Kong.

But as more Hong Kong activists and dissidents retreat to Taiwan amid arrests and expanding repression in the city, the anniversary has taken on new significance.

"Taiwan and Hong Kong share a similar fate that connects us because we're facing the same enemy," said Kacey Wong, a dissident artist from Hong Kong who is participating in the June 4 art exhibit in Taipei. "It's like a reserve base."

Wong created a cardboard sculpture based on a Japanese manga series about monster-like giants who feed on humans. "I'm using it as a metaphor that mainland China is coming into Hong Kong and eating people. Of course, now it's coming for Taiwan after it ate up Hong Kong," said Wong, who moved to Taiwan in July 2021.

Former student protesters say that whether Taiwan truly takes up the mantle for remembering Tiananmen depends on Taiwanese residents, many of whom see themselves as disconnected from China or Hong Kong and their struggles for democracy.

In March, when Tseng's organization launched a fundraising campaign to restore the Pillar of Shame and display it permanently in Taipei, online backlash was swift. Critics said the events of Tiananmen have nothing to do with Taiwan, emphasizing that Taiwan is not part of China despite Beijing's repeated claims.

"Some people say that Chinese matters have nothing to do with the Taiwanese," Tseng said.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said in a statement Saturday on Facebook: "We believe such brute force cannot erase people's memories. When democracy is under threat . . . it is more necessary to uphold democratic values."

In Hong Kong, police patrolled Victoria Park, where the annual vigil was held, having blocked off parts of it since late Friday. Still residents found ways to remember, by walking past the park in black T-shirts or displaying a picture of a candle on their phones.

Some students appeared to have gathered 3D-printed miniature figurines of the Goddess of Democracy - a symbol of the 1989 Beijing protests that was removed in December - and planted them around the Chinese University of Hong Kong's campus.

On Saturday evening, a man dressed in black sat on a bench alone outside the park. Disclosing only his surname out of security concerns, Tseng said he has joined the June 4 vigil since 1989.

"I cannot forget," he said. "I am just sitting on a bench with nothing in my hands. If Hong Kong doesn't have freedom like this, there will be nothing left."

Chiu Yan-loy, a former member of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance, which once organized the June 4 vigil, said the key is to continue to remember it in different ways. "Although we cannot remember publicly, no one can stop us from privately remembering victims who sacrificed for democracy," he said.

On Saturday, about 2,000 demonstrators gathered in the heat of an early summer evening in Taipei's Liberty Square. Activists, dressed in black and wearing gas masks and hard hats - the unofficial uniform of the Hong Kong protests - erected a miniature version of the Pillar of Shame sculpture. From the crowd, participants yelled, "Glory to Hong Kong."

Liao Yiwu - a prominent Chinese dissident writer who was jailed for four years after publishing his poem "Massacre" in 1990 - attended the vigil. "What happened in Hong Kong was miserable," said Liao, who was in Taiwan for a writing project. At the vigil in Taipei, he recited a new poem, "The Second Massacre," dedicated to the Hong Kong protesters.

Jonni, 19, a Hong Konger who moved to Taiwan last year and who gave only his first name out of security concerns, said he hoped Taiwan would pay more attention to China's threat to its democracy.

"June 4th is a warning," he said, watching the events from the back of the crowd. "Do not be too complacent. The threat Taiwan faces is even bigger."

- - -

The Washington Post's Lily Kuo in Taipei and Theodora Yu in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP)  Five minutes is plenty of time for those trying out what its like to live with dementia.

Once-familiar carpeted hallways transform into a maze with no solution. Locating a coffee cup, feather duster or book lying about the house feels cumbersome; remembering what you planned to do with those items is worse.

By altering sight, sound and touch, the dementia simulation house at the University of Northern Iowa sends people into that world with a higher purpose.

What were trying to do is educate people in the community, so that when people with dementia seek out their services, theyre a little bit more understanding, said Elaine Eshbaugh, a professor of gerontology at UNI. Our goal really is to keep people with dementia in the community just a little bit longer.

The simulation house is operated within UNIs gerontology program. The field of study draws an average of 12 students annually who plan to make a career of working with people much older than themselves.

Anyone can sign up online for the free simulation in a three-bedroom Cedar Falls home, complete with family pictures on the wall and coffee in the cupboard. The setting places it apart from other dementia simulations, in Iowa or elsewhere, which are often smallerscale and portable.

But the setting is also purposeful: Four out of five people with dementia live in a home, not an assisted living facility. And the population, numbering 6.5 million people with Alzheimers alone in the United States, could more than double by 2050, based on some projections, as a result of the aging baby boomer generation.

Eshbaugh wants the simulation to attract more than just people who work in assisted living facilities. Her hope is to educate members of the public who encounter people with dementia regularly, such as those who work at the local dentists office or hair salon.

She says if the average person has 100 emotional pennies to spend throughout the day, someone with dementia has 12. And those pennies are spent quickly when someone with dementia is put in a situation  often unintentionally  that causes guilt, confusion or physical discomfort.

Eshbaugh and other UNI educators want to dish out strategies that keep more pennies in peoples pockets.

So far, they say, its working. Before the simulation houses soft opening in February, Eshbaugh wondered if anyone would come.

And (now) were just full. All the time, she said.

Entering the house at 8712 University Ave., participants are asked to accomplish activities they could encounter in everyday life.

Most forget what they were supposed to do. UNI staff stand nearby, ready to give reminders. But they also give a warning: They will respond as if they have already been asked dozens of times.

Often, those undergoing the simulation end up milling about the house, looking confused in their goggles, headphones and gloves.

I think the biggest thing I learned is just the importance of giving people grace, UNI social work major Hannah Kelley said after a simulation recently. You dont know whats going on in their head or with them physically. You can only see what you can see about another person.

Much of the 40-minute simulation is spent sitting on patterned living room couches, debriefing. If its confusing for people in the simulation to walk about the house, Eshbaugh pointed out, imagine having dementia and trying to hold a conversation.

In explaining memory loss, she said to imagine there is an older man who keeps packing a bag of clothes, saying he and his wife are going to Nebraska.

But he cant drive, and his wife died 10 years ago. One option is to tell him the truth. But doing so will revive the pain of that reality, just to be forgotten minutes later.

A better option is what Eshbaugh calls therapeutic fibbing, more commonly known as validation therapy. The respondent will play along and redirect the conversation. Something like, Oh shoot, we forgot to tell you your car is in the shop. Could we postpone for a week?

To have that conversation with anybody who has dementia, Eshbaugh said she would begin 6 feet away and introduce herself by name. Once recognized, she would move in to 3 feet.

Thats because dementia alters spatial awareness. Entering someones personal space too quickly or indirectly can be shocking; someones face can appear broken into pieces, like a puzzle that is hard to put back together.

Even a touch on the shoulder as a greeting could be alarming, because a brain with dementia struggles to interpret physical touch and texture the way it previously could.

Its why a flu shot could feel like a knife stabbing the arm, or nothing at all. The Iowa winter could feel balmy against bare skin. Water in a scalding bathtub could feel lukewarm. A gooey brownie could feel like sandpaper, and a cotton sweatshirt could feel constricting and itchy.

Many participants are surprised to learn how much dementia goes beyond memory loss, said Carly Spies, one of the UNI students who helps run the simulation.

The 22-year-old, who is pursing a double major in communication disorders and gerontology, said theres a lot of life to live after a diagnosis, especially with the right knowledge.

I think thats the really cool thing, is people walk away (from the house) with more confidence in helping people with dementia, Spies said.

Its hard to make those years great: Program prepares young people to care for older generations

UNI senior Olivia Clark said its not always easy to watch people experience the simulation. Often, she sees caregivers realize they should change their behavior.

That can be difficult, said Clark, 22. But for the most part, even those difficult conversations are uplifting in a sense, because theyre coming together and having an understanding about something they didnt previously.

Clark once planned to major in graphic design. Then her grandfather, who had Alzheimers, died last summer.

My mom has a lot of siblings, and watching a family of seven navigate that was kind of challenging for me. And thats when I became aware about the lack of resources available to the aging population, she said.

Now shes going into long-term care administration, one of the tracks within UNIs gerontology major. She said its hard to listen to people talk about the age they think is old, or become afraid of spending their later years in an assisted living facility.

I would like to be a part of that change; addressing those issues, she said. As a society, because we see it that way, its hard to make those years great.

Eshbaugh runs the gerontology program with that in mind. She wants to see culture shift away from older adults being served to being part of a community.

Because when we just say, Youre here and we take care of you, what that does is it takes away their sense of purpose and their sense of meaning, Eshbaugh said.

Much of that culture change needs to come from educating staff who work directly with older populations, she said. Lack of proper education is a disservice to the staff  they arent being prepared to thrive in their jobs, driving turnover  as well as the people whom they care for.

If you see different faces in and out, particularly if youre someone who has dementia, thats traumatizing and confusing, she said.

UNIs gerontology program awarded 120 majors from 2011 to 2021.

Im not focused on whether my future nursing home administrators can name off every part of the brain and how its impacted by Alzheimers, Eshbaugh said. But they need to know how to interact with someone who has Alzheimers.
A new report published Friday by The New York Times has unearthed more damning details regarding the slow police response to May 24's mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.

Pieced together from dozens of interviews with law enforcement officials, students who survived the shooting, parents of victims and policing experts, the Times article forges a new, troubling timeline of law enforcement's actions over the course of the more than hour-long attackthe events of which have been revised numerous times since initial police reports were proved inaccurate.

The Times' sources allege that the incident commander leading the police response at Robb Elementary did not have a police radio in the early stages of the shooting, which saw 18-year-old Uvalde resident Salvador Ramos shoot and killed 19 students and two teachers.

The report also states that the tactical group that ultimately killed Ramos was a collection of frustrated officers, some with tactical training, who ignored orders to not breach the classroom before entering and killing the suspect.

According to experts interviewed by the Times, early decisions and communication errors made by Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo set the table for the calamitous delay between the arrival of first responders and the shooters' death more than an hour later.

Issues began two minutes into the attack when Arredondo arrived in the hall outside the classroom where Ramos was located and began giving orders without a police radio. According to the Times report, Arredondo and responding officers approached the classroom door and began taking fire, with two supervisors from the local police department receiving grazing bullet wounds. At this point, Arredondo ordered officers to fall back and used his cell phone to call a police land line, stating officers had "contained" the shooter and were retreating to a defensive position to await backup.

Arredondo's framing of the attack as a contained, barricaded-subject situation likely contributed to the long interval between officers arriving at Robb Elementary and their entry into the classroom. The Times reports that at one point, more than a half-hour into the attack, students in the classroom were calling 911 operators asking for help. In one instance gunfire could be heard in the background, though it's unclear whether Arredondo had a police radio at this point or if he was receiving information from dispatchers handling calls from within the classroom.

Another revelation from the Times report alleges that the "tactical team" that ultimately shot and killed Ramos had not arrived at the school an hour after the shooting began, as first indicated by police. Rather, the group that took down the shooter was an "ad hoc" amalgamation of frustrated officers from different departments who had grown tired of waiting in the hall outside the classroom as the attack unfolded. Its members included specially trained Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and a sheriffs deputy, according to the Times. When the group approached the door to the classroom, one member received a stand-down order in his earpiece: "Do not breach."

The group ignored the command and, using a janitor's key, entered the room and engaged Ramos, shooting and killing the 18-year-old gunman.

Arredondo did not respond to the Times' calls for comment. Officials with the Texas Department of Public Safety, which is presiding over an investigation into the police response to the shooting, told reporters last Friday that the police chief was no longer cooperating with the departmenta claim Arredono denies.
WFO AMARILLO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, June 3, 2022

_____

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

Special Weather Statement

National Weather Service Amarillo TX

612 PM CDT Fri Jun 3 2022

...Strong thunderstorms will impact portions of western Oldham and

western Hartley Counties through 645 PM CDT...

At 612 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along

a line extending from 10 miles south of Amistad to 11 miles south of

Nara Visa. Movement was northeast at 25 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.

Locations impacted include...

Romero.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

These storms may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio

stations and available television stations for additional information

and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.

LAT...LON 3605 10304 3605 10286 3529 10264 3522 10304

TIME...MOT...LOC 2312Z 230DEG 23KT 3577 10320 3544 10312

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN

MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH

The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

West central Calhoun County in south Texas...

South central Victoria County in south central Texas...

Northeastern Refugio County in south central Texas...

* Until 645 PM CDT.

* At 612 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near McFaddin, and

is nearly stationary.

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...

Tivoli.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

...FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 915 PM CDT THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Urban and small stream flooding caused by excessive

rainfall is expected.

* WHERE...A portion of north central Texas, including the following

county, Tarrant.

* WHEN...Until 915 PM CDT.

* IMPACTS...Minor flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...

- Doppler radar and automated rain gauges indicated heavy rain

due to thunderstorms. This will likely cause urban and small

stream flooding. Low lying and/or poor drainage areas will

experience minor flooding in the advisory area. Between 1 and

2 inches of rain have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts up

to 1 inch are possible.

- Some locations that will experience flooding include...

Fort Worth, Arlington, Mansfield, Euless, Bedford, Grapevine,

Haltom City, Keller, Hurst, Burleson, Southlake, Watauga,

Colleyville, Benbrook, and Saginaw.

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood

deaths occur in vehicles.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO DALLAS / FT. WORTH Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, June 3, 2022

_____

FLASH FLOOD WARNING

The National Weather Service in Fort Worth has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...

Southeastern Tarrant County in north central Texas...

* Until 845 PM CDT.

* At 646 PM CDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing

heavy rain across the warned area. Between 2 and 3 inches of rain

have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are

possible. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly.

HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.

SOURCE...Radar.

IMPACT...Flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas,

highways, streets, and underpasses as well as other

poor drainage and low lying areas.

* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...

Fort Worth, Arlington, Mansfield, Euless, Bedford, Haltom City,

Hurst, Burleson, Watauga, Colleyville, Crowley, Forest Hill,

Richland Hills, Kennedale, Everman, Rendon, North Richland Hills,

Edgecliff Village, Pantego and Edgecliff.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood

deaths occur in vehicles.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO MIDLAND/ODESSA Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, June 3, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Midland has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Northwestern Reeves County in southwestern Texas...

Northeastern Culberson County in southwestern Texas...

Northwestern Loving County in western Texas...

* Until 900 PM CDT.

* At 810 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 14 miles southwest

of Red Bluff Reservoir, or 34 miles west of Mentone, moving east at

15 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...

Red Bluff Reservoir, Orla and Red Bluff.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

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.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO MIDLAND/ODESSA Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, June 3, 2022

_____

AREAL FLOOD ADVISORY

Flood Advisory

National Weather Service Midland/Odessa TX

713 PM MDT Fri Jun 3 2022

...FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 1015 PM MDT/1115 PM CDT/ THIS

EVENING...

* WHAT...Arroyo and small stream flooding caused by excessive

rainfall is expected.

* WHERE...Portions of southeast New Mexico and southwest Texas,

including the following counties, in southeast New Mexico, Eddy.

In southwest Texas, Culberson.

* WHEN...Until 1015 PM MDT /1115 PM CDT/.

* IMPACTS...Minor flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...

- At 713 PM MDT /813 PM CDT/, Doppler radar indicated heavy

rain due to thunderstorms. This will cause arroyo and small

stream flooding. Between 1.5 and 2.5 inches of rain have

fallen.

- This includes the following streams and drainages...

Hay Hollow, Owl Draw, Delaware River, Black River and Red

Bluff Draw.

- Some locations that will experience flooding include...

mainly rural areas of South Central Eddy and Northeastern

Culberson Counties

- http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood

deaths occur in vehicles.

Please report observed flooding to local emergency services or law

enforcement and request they pass this information to the National

Weather Service when you can do so safely.

The National Weather Service in Midland has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

South central Lea County in southeastern New Mexico...

Northwestern Ward County in western Texas...

Western Winkler County in western Texas...

Eastern Loving County in western Texas...

* Until 900 PM CDT/800 PM MDT/.

* At 813 PM CDT/713 PM MDT/, a severe thunderstorm was located 15

miles southwest of Jal, moving southeast at 30 mph.

HAZARD...70 mph wind gusts and half dollar 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...

Kermit, Wink and Winkler County Airport.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

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.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO MIDLAND/ODESSA Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, June 3, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Midland has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

North central Midland County in western Texas...

Southwestern Martin County in western Texas...

* Until 930 PM CDT.

* At 838 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 14 miles west of

Lenorah, or 21 miles north of Midland, moving southeast at 25 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...

Midland, Greenwood, Stanton, Lenorah, Tarzan, Courtney and Stanton

Municipal Aiport.

This includes Interstate 20 between mile markers 140 and 161.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

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.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
Just in time for summer, pop duo the Lockyer Boys are back with a brand new single and video 'LATKD' out today on all digital streaming platforms. Watch video here.
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Beginning in 2023, period products and diapers will be exempt from sales tax in Colorado  thanks to legislation signed into law on Friday.

House Bill 1055 expands sales tax exemptions for the products, including tampons, pads, menstrual cups, sponges, sanitary napkins and panty liners, as well as adult and youth diapers starting on Jan. 1 of next year.

For too long, too many Coloradans have been going without period products, diapers and essential hygiene products, said Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver, who sponsored the bill. Our law slashes the state sales tax on these items because theyre essential for millions of people. Together, were moving closer to a future of affordable hygiene products for all.

Nationally, one in four teenagers reported missing school because they did not have access to period products, according to a 2019 study commissioned by Thinx and PERIOD. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, one in three American families could not afford needed diapers, said the baby gear nonprofit WeeCycle.

Colorado families spend an average of $15 per month on period products per family member who needs them, according to the Womens Foundation of Colorado. For diapers, families spend approximately $75 per month per child. The state estimates the new tax exemption will save Colorado consumers approximately $9.1 million annually.

Other products currently exempt from sales tax in Colorado are unprepared food, corrective eyeglasses, contact lenses, hearing aids and medications, including Viagra.

Every Coloradan deserves to live with dignity, but for far too many, their inability to pay for basic human needs like period products and diapers means they cant, said bill sponsor Sen. Faith Winter, D-Westminster. This is a commonsense step in the right direction that will help countless families afford these products so they can maintain their own health and care for their loved ones.

The bill received substantial bipartisan support in the legislature, passing the Senate in a 26-9 vote and the House in a 50-13 vote. In both chambers, only Republican lawmakers voted against the bill.

Opponents in the Senate did not explain their no votes, but in the House, many said the bill doesn't go far enough to save families money and that it should also provide tax exemptions for baby formula.
05/30/2018

Wei Huang had only passed away the previous week when Tesla publicly shared details about his final moments in a Model X.

An engineer for Apple, Huang was driving on a California highway while using the cars experimental Autopilot technology when he crashed into a concrete barrier in late March. He later died at the hospital.

One week later, Tesla offered condolences in a blog post before explaining where Huang went wrong. According to Tesla, the drivers hands were not detected on the wheel for six seconds prior to his fatal crash. Whats more, Teslas data logs apparently knew that Huang had an unobstructed view of the concrete barrier for 150 meters and five seconds, but the vehicle logs show that no action was taken, Tesla wrote.

Federal regulators investigating the crash were reportedly unhappy with Tesla for publicizing details so soon after the crash and kicked the company off the investigation. In a post on Twitter, Elon Musk said that public safety was too important to abide by the governments rules.

Tesla releases critical crash data affecting public safety immediately & always will, Musk wrote in April. To do otherwise would be unsafe.

Tesla fights to keep data

The seemingly all-knowing capabilities of Teslas data logs, as well as the public assurances about transparency and public safety delivered straight from Musk himself, have given some Tesla drivers the expectation that data from their own wrecked cars would be handed over immediately and free-of-charge upon request.

But other Tesla drivers involved in car crashes say that Tesla has not been so generous in providing data upon request, particularly when they are at odds with the company over whether driver error or defective technology caused a crash, as Consumer Affairs reported earlier this year.

One complaint that a driver sent to federal regulators in January claimed that they were told by Tesla to get a subpoena if they wanted access to their own data.

An email that another driver received from a top engineer at Tesla and recently forwarded to ConsumerAffairs now appears to confirm that requiring subpoenas is an established practice for dealing with drivers who want data from their own cars.

 we are happy to provide applicable data upon receipt of a subpoena as per our standard policy, says an email signed on April 28 by Matthew Schwall, who was the companys Director of Field Performance Engineering before moving to Waymo, another self-driving company, several weeks later.

Its a message that didn't sit well with Raj Parikh, a New Jersey driver who wanted access to his data. Parikh, also an engineer, planned to eventually buy a Tesla after leasing his Model S for two years. But a bizarre parking lot car crash on April 20 left him doubting the companys commitment to improving its technology.

Parikh described Schwall, the top Tesla engineer he dealt with, as respectful and professional in their interactions over the phone and in emails, even though he didnt agree with Schwalls final conclusions about the cause of his accident or his interpretation of the data that Parikh could not directly see.

To Parikh, the request for a subpoena sounded like he would need to get a lawyer, an exercise that seemed pointless in dealing with a company as well-funded and popular as Tesla.

"I don't have time or money to waste subpoenaing a company of that size, Parikh tells ConsumerAffairs.

Teslas response

When asked why Tesla has an apparent policy requiring drivers who want their own data to file for a subpoena, a spokesperson framed it as a privacy issue.

We handle all customer data in accordance with our Owners Manual and privacy policy, which clearly outlines the type of data we collect and the lengths that we go to protect a customers privacy in the process, Tesla said via email, referencing back to a statement on the Tesla website about the companys data collection practices.

The spokesman also said that consumers can directly access Event Record Data, or data that provides information when a vehicle has been involved in a crash or crash-like event. But accessing that service requires a $995 payment to a third-party vendor called Crash Data Group, which makes no promises about whether its kits do in fact capture the events in question.

This kit contains all the hardware required to download the Event Data Recorder (EDR) data that may be stored in Tesla Model 3, Model S and Model X vehicles, the companys promotional material says.

By contrast, Tesla engineers have given consumers like Parikh the impression that they already have extensive data, not just about the crash itself but about the actions that drivers took leading up to the crash.

The companys policy, it appears, is to describe the data to consumers who want it in place of showing them the data directly. If a customer is involved in an incident and asks to understand what the data shows, we provide the customer with a description of the data, the Tesla spokesperson explains in an email.

The accident in a parking lot

Parikh tells ConsumerAffairs that he was out running errands on April 20. He describes rolling into a space on the second level of a parking garage when his car suddenly shot forward and hit a parked car.

Parikh says he slammed his right foot on the brake, but the Tesla would not stop. He then placed both feet on the brake, which he says finally forced the vehicle to stop -- but not before he hit a second parked car. No one was hurt, but the crash was bad enough that the airbags deployed and cracked the windows.

I literally pushed the brakes with my two feet as hard as I could, to make the car stop, Parikh says.

Parikhs account of sudden unintended acceleration, at just the moment he was trying to pull into a parking spot, is similar to what three other drivers described in complaints they sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in January 2018. In those cases, the drivers also said that Tesla vehicles spontaneously took off as they were about to park. Afterward, the drivers said they were told by Tesla that they had mistakenly floored the accelerator pedal.

When I asked for more details about the approach to the parking space, for a copy of the report, they said they would not provide it without a subpoena, one of the consumers told NHTSA in January.

Since then, seven other complaints have been filed to NHTSA this year. Each one describes Tesla cars that spontaneously accelerated as the driver was pulling into a parking spot, a review of NHTSAs database shows.

Separately, Tesla also faced a class-action lawsuit last year from Ji Chang Son, a California Model X owner who claimed his car accelerated on its own and crashed into his house as he pulled into his garage. In that case, Tesla had said that Son, who previously worked as an actor in South Korea, had threatened to use his celebrity status in Korea to hurt Tesla unless we agreed to make a financial payment and acknowledge that the vehicle accelerated on its own.

Tesla, like the numerous other car companies hit with sudden acceleration complaints, has maintained that pedal misapplication is the problem. Some engineers who study the issue say that unintended acceleration is a real and underreported phenomenon in cars, but federal regulators have generally sided with the automotive industry in blaming drivers.

An engineer who said it happened to him

Parikh, 72, is the CEO and chairman of a green engineering firm based in the New York City area. In Paramus, New Jersey, he is occasionally featured in the local news for The Zenesis House, a model home he and his firm created that uses solar energy to melt snow.

In other words, Parikh, though perhaps older than the average Tesla driver, believes he is too alert and familiar with how a car works to make a error so obvious as to mistake the gas pedal for a brake pedal.

In an interview, Parikh said he had hoped that Tesla would work with him to fix the technical problem. Use me to help you [repair] those glitches. Don't just neglect me or tell me to go hire a lawyer, he says.

After the traumatic crash, Parikh and his family were eager to follow up with Tesla about what happened. In phone conversations, Tesla representatives repeatedly referenced the data, explaining it showed that Parikh mistakenly pressed the gas pedal.

Unconvinced, Parikh asked to see a copy of the data logs himself and to speak with a higher-level engineer in the company. Thats how he eventually secured a phone call with Schwall, the Tesla engineer who was the companys director of field performance until several weeks ago.

On April 25, Schwall followed up on the calls with an email to Parikh. As discussed, based on our review, we determined that the vehicle operated without fault with respect to the accident and that the accelerator pedal was manually pressed by the driver immediately prior to the accident, the Tesla engineer reiterated.

Immediately before the crash, the accelerator pedal increased from 0% to 100%, Tesla claimed the data showed.

For viewing the data directly, Schwall recommended that Parikh use the $995 service provided by Crash Data Group. He said the data would potentially show the final five seconds leading up to the crash.

Parikh countered that he wanted data from the last sixty seconds before the crash occurred. He asked that it be provided to him in a format displaying time against acceleration pressure and brake pressure.

He also asked for a general description of how the brake system worked and how Autopilot could affect it, which Schwall provided. But the data from Parikhs own car would not be made available without a subpoena, Tesla said.

My letter includes all the relevant data points and summarizes the information relative to the accident so that you know what the data shows, Schwall added.

Parikh and his son, who also spoke with Schwall, were unconvinced and frustrated with that response. Like similar complaints from other consumers, they do not believe that Teslas description of data logs is an adequate replacement for the raw information.

Using data to protect itself

The way Elon Musk and his company spins it, Tesla collects data on its cars and the people who drive them at a level that is unprecedented in volume and sophistication.

The company's detailed computers and cameras -- which one executive said collect a million miles worth of data every 10 hours -- help the company improve Autopilot and its other experimental technology, as Tesla has repeatedly claimed.

But drivers who have dared complain about their stylish electric cars via lawsuits, online Tesla fan clubs, the news media, or other public forums have discovered that Teslas data logs serve a second purpose, one that is less appealing from a consumer perspective: helping Tesla defend its own technology against outside criticism.

That includes people like Jared Overton, a Model S owner in Utah who claimed in an interview with a local news station that his car turned on all by itself and slammed into a trailer when he was not even inside the vehicle.

Tesla said its data showed that Overton had activated the cars Summon feature, and that it even knew exactly how he did so -- by a double-press of the gear selector stalk button according to Teslas version of events.

The vehicle's behavior was the result of the driver's own actions, says a letter signed by a Tesla regional service manager and provided to tech reporting site The Verge several years back.

Albert Scaglione, an art dealer who told police in 2016 that his Model X was in Autopilot mode shortly before he crashed into a guardrail in Pennsylvania, had not actually engaged Autopilot mode, according to a conflicting account delivered personally by Elon Musk via Twitter.

Musks version of events then went a step further. Moreover, [the] crash would not have occurred if it was on, Musk asserted.

Puzant Ozbog, another driver who claimed his Tesla spontaeneously accelerated while parking, was traveling at 6 mph when the accelerator pedal was abruptly increased to 100%, Tesla told the site Electrek, explaining that its data logs showed that the driver mistakenly pressed the Model Xs gas pedal.

Such an incident, Electrek concluded, shows why Tesla keeps detailed logs  the logs dont lie. 

Sharing personal details

In the past, the data and information that Tesla has shared publicly has occasionally gone outside the vehicle, instead revealing information about the drivers themselves.

In 2016, Pete Cordaro was in a rural area in Pennsylvania, on a trip to pick mushrooms with his wife, when he hit a pothole and heard a snap. He stepped outside and, to his surprise, saw the drivers side wheel of his Model S had completely fallen off.

Tesla initially stuck Cordaro with the bill. When he complained, Tesla agreed to cover half the cost -- on the condition that he sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Cordaro, using his real name, consulted other people in an online Tesla forum for advice, and reporters began calling him not long after. Tesla eventually responded to the negative publicity that year by agreeing to shelve its non-disclosure agreements.

But Tesla also took time to publish a blog post characterizing Cordaro as someone who did not take care of his Model S.

"The suspension ball joint experienced very abnormal rust, Tesla said of his car, adding that Cordaro lives down such a long dirt road that it required two tow trucks to retrieve the car. The car, Tesla also added, was caked in dirt."

With the experience now in the rearview mirror, Cordaro can laugh about Teslas response and says he still likes Tesla cars and receives good service when he takes his in.

Still, he only remembers seeing one tow truck retrieve his car that fateful day, not two. Whats more, he does not live on a dirt road. The mushroom hunting expedition was a rare off-road adventure for his Model S, he says.

Reflecting a year and a half later on his car service issue that turned into a national news story, he theorizes that corporate headquarters were probably trying to make me look like I abused the car and that I was an idiot.

Tesla's full statement to ConsumerAffairs is below:

"We handle all customer data in accordance with our Owners Manual and privacy policy, which clearly outlines the type of data we collect and the lengths that we go to protect a customers privacy in the process: https://www.tesla.com/about/ legal

"Customers can also access EDR (event data recorder) data from their Tesla Model S, Model X, and Model 3 vehicle provided they have physical access to the inside of the vehicle. Generally, this data provides specific vehicle information when a vehicle has been involved in a crash or crash-like event: https://edr.tesla.com/.

"Furthermore, if a customer is involved in an incident and asks to understand what the data shows, we provide the customer with a description of the data."
Hyderabad: Tension prevailed at the Jubilee Hills police station premises on Friday evening where BJP activists staged a protest to demand the arrest of the accused in the minor girls rape case. They alleged that the police were trying to hush up the incident to safeguard the kin of TRS and MIM leaders.

BJP state president Bandi Sanjay said that he strongly condemned the heinous gangrape of a minor. The incident reportedly involves ruling party allies. Is KCR waiting for Owaisi's permission to act against the perpetrators, he asked.

Women are not even safe in posh areas like Jubilee Hills, which speaks a lot about state of affairs. What is the use of CCTV cameras when they can't nab the accused immediately? Why didn't the police act immediately when the incident happened? What caused the delay and who are they shielding? The police should reveal full details of the accused publicly instead of playing hide and seek, Sanjay said.

All India Congress Committee spokesperson Dr Dasoju Sravan said that the Telangana police had not taken action in the rape case as children of influential politicians from the TRS and MIM are involved. It is disheartening that this grievous incident occurred in the heart of Hyderabad. We demand that the Telangana police arrest all of the accused, else the Congress will launch a mass agitation if the police attempt to save the guilty just because they are from influential political families, he said.

IT minister K.T. Rama Rao took to Twitter and expressed shock and outrage at the incident. Rama Rao requested home minister Mohd Mahmood Ali, Director-General of Police M. Mahendar Reddy and city police commissioner C.V. Anand to take immediate and stern action.

Outraged & shocked with the news of the rape of a minor in Hyderabad, he said in the Tweet, Please dont spare anyone involved irrespective of their status or (political) affiliation (sic).

Responding to his Tweet, home minister Mohd Mahmood Ali said, It is a ghastly incident. Strong action will be taken against all the offenders, irrespective of their background. He said the DGP and the police commissioner had been directed to arrest all the accused at the earliest and take strong action as per law.

Later in the night, police stalled former Union minister Renuka Chowdary, Mahila Congress state president Sunitha Rao, NSUI state president Balmuri Venkat at the Minister's quarters during a protest. Renuka Chowdary tried to meet home minister Mahmood Ali, but police prevented her.

She argued with police and expressed anger over the delay in the arrest of the accused. Congress leaders alleged that the sons of TRS and MIM leaders were involved in the rape case and the police had delayed the investigation to help them. AICC Telangana incharge Manickam Tagore demanded the immediate arrest of the accused.
Over the past decade, solar panel installations have been rapidly popping up all over the globe. Thanks to price reductions and green energy goals, solar power is now more affordable, accessible and prevalent than ever before. With so many different applications, including residential, commercial and utility-scale power, solar panel installation differs from project to project. For most homeowners, however, it'll look pretty similar  weve broken down the process into six steps. Key insights The solar panel installation experience depends largely on location.

Permits and approval are time-consuming and usually require professional assistance.

You can expect to produce solar power 90 to 120 days after signing a contract, on average.

1. Contract and financing Once you sign your contract, a team of professional installers and electricians design a solar power system for your home that maximizes performance and safety. Its important to pick a solar company with a history of good customer service and quality installation  ideally, youll work with a rep like the one this reviewer from Santa Barbara, California, raved about on our site: I worked with Mike at Zenernet to create a very comprehensive and competitive proposal for solar panel installation on my home. Mike was very professional and knowledgeable, but never pushy. Youll also have to decide how you want to pay for your installation  most homeowners opt for solar loans, leases or power purchase agreements (PPAs). Cash purchases and financing Although an outright cash purchase or solar financing requires a significant upfront cost, purchasing or financing a system qualifies you for federal and local tax credits and rebates. According to John Striebel of Apollo Energy in Denver, Colorado, You can apply for your solar credit when you file your taxes the following year. So, if you purchase a system in 2022, youll apply for your tax credit between January and April of 2023. With a solar PPA, you can access the energy your solar system creates (usually at a good rate), but you dont own the system once its installed. Solar leases and power purchase agreements (PPAs) Paying outright for a solar setup isnt realistic for most homeowners; many people sign leases or power purchase agreements (PPAs) instead. These payment options came about when solar energy systems first grew more popular for residential use because there needed to be creative ways to finance solar, according to Striebel. With a lease or PPA, a homeowner essentially rents out their roof space to a development company that maintains ownership of the solar energy system once its installed. When you enter into a lease or PPA, the solar company lets you use the energy produced on your roof at a (usually) lower rate than the local utility offers.

2. Engineering evaluation You need an engineering evaluation to make sure the installation is completely viable. In this crucial step, a professional visits your property to make sure its suited for solar panels. Technicians may physically measure your roofs pitch and dimensions to ensure the proposed system will fit and comply with local regulations related to panel spacing and roofline setback requirements. If you plan to install a rooftop system, engineers may need to enter your home or attic to evaluate your roofs rating in relation to the weight of the panels. If youre installing a ground-mounted system, the company representative will identify the best location to generate solar energy while minimizing efficiency loss and wire trenching costs.

3. Permits Once your solar system design is ready, its time to get permits from local authorities. This is often the longest and most difficult part of the entire installation process, but many solar energy companies help with this step. Standards and requirements for individual solar panel installations are highly variable across the country, with dramatic differences between even neighboring jurisdictions. Getting the proper permits from local authorities is likely to be the most time-intensive step in the process. Building permits For the safety of your home and neighborhood, a permit from the local building authority is required to install a solar energy system. Permits ensure that a photovoltaic system adheres to local building, fire and electrical codes. You can get a building permit from your local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ), which may be at the state, county or municipal level, depending on your location. AHJs across the country vary widely in terms of permit requirements, costs and general timelines. If you belong to a homeowners association, its a good idea to check whether it has banned solar installation in your area. Fortunately, to encourage renewable energy production, many states have created access laws that prevent HOAs from prohibiting reasonable solar panel installations. Interconnection permits You need approval from the local electric utility before installing grid-tied solar energy systems. Completely off-grid solar panel installations dont require these interconnection permits, but grid-tied and hybrid systems (grid-tied plus battery storage) cant operate without one. Typically, youll have to provide a detailed list of system parts and wiring diagrams as well as approval from a licensed electrician.

4. Panels and parts Once you have approval from your local AHJ and utility, its time to obtain the physical elements of your solar panel system. In most cases, your solar company orders your panels and system parts for you, especially in the event of a lease or PPA. If youve skipped a few steps and already have your solar panels, some contractors may be willing to install your rooftop array and complete the system with any other components necessary for safe and efficient operation. You should receive your panels and other parts by delivery before the day of installation, but most solar companies want to avoid having the equipment sit idle on your property for long.

5. Installation In an ideal scenario, a professional solar company arrives on the scheduled day of installation with all the equipment and materials and the labor force necessary to complete the task at hand efficiently. Many companies specialize in rooftop solar installations and can complete most residential installations in one day, though larger projects and homes with complicated roofs may take several days. The process may also be delayed by unforeseen circumstances, such as unsafe weather conditions.

6. Inspection, approval and getting on the grid Once your system is installed and ready to go, its time for your solar company to coordinate on-site visits with the local AHJ and utility company to complete a final safety inspection and grid interconnection approval. If everythings in order, a licensed electrician literally flips the switch so your solar panels can generate electricity and feed it into the electrical grid.

Find a Solar Energy partner near you. Zip code Find My Match Take a quiz, get matched with an Authorized Partner!

FAQ How much do solar panels cost? If youre looking to install a complete photovoltaic energy system, you can expect to spend between $10,000 and $20,000 on solar panels. The total price of installation depends on the size of the array and other system parts (inverters, microinverters, batteries, etc.) as well as your eligibility for tax credits and other incentives. How many solar panels do I need? The number of solar panels you need depends on the amount of electricity you use at home and other factors, such as how much energy each panel produces. Many solar panel systems are built to produce 100% of a propertys annual electricity consumption, which usually requires somewhere between 25 and 35 solar panels for residential single-family homes. How do solar panels work? Solar panels work by harnessing sunlight and generating direct current (DC) electricity. Once this energy is processed by an inverter, it can power a home or commercial property, or it can enter the power grid as alternating current (AC). Solar panels work best with direct sunlight, but theyre still capable of generating some electricity on cloudy days.

Bottom line The solar installation process can be long and complicated, but a good solar company can help you through each step. Although the logistics of a solar installation are fairly universal for American homeowners, cost, regulations and project timelines are all extremely variable throughout the country. When its all said and done, you can expect at least a few months between signing a solar contract and grid interconnection. The average timeline for a homeowner going solar is about 90 to 120 days, though, according to Striebel. Occasionally there are installation hiccups, and sometimes approval can even be faster if there is no homeowners association or any other overseeing bodies, he said.

Article sources ConsumerAffairs writers primarily rely on government data, industry experts and original research from other reputable publications to inform their work. To learn more about the content on our site, visit our FAQ page. U.S. Department of Energy, Solar Energy in the United States.Accessed May 25, 2022. Clean Energy States Alliance, Standards and Requirements for Solar Equipment, Installation, and Licensing and Certification. Accessed May 26, 2022
Hidden truths of an avoidable conflict: how U.S. hegemony endangers world peace

09:22, June 04, 2022 By Lu Jiafei ( Xinhua

* While most of the world is working to help achieve a peaceful settlement, Washington is erecting a slew of roadblocks in the way of Russia-Ukraine negotiations, including providing massive military aid for Ukraine and coercing other countries into sanctioning Russia.

* "The West's military aid seeks to exhaust and drain Russia's capabilities, and the Russians understand this," said Tariq Fahmy, a political science professor at the Cairo University in Egypt.

* Despite Washington's pressure to take sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, many Asian, African, and Latin American countries have chosen to remain neutral and advocate peaceful solutions.

BEIJING, June 3 (Xinhua) -- With the Russia-Ukraine conflict entering its 100th day and still dragging on, the call for a peaceful resolution is growing stronger.

However, while most of the world is working to help achieve a peaceful settlement, Washington is erecting a slew of roadblocks in the way of Russia-Ukraine negotiations, including providing massive military aid for Ukraine and coercing other countries into sanctioning Russia.

The bleak reality on the ground begs the question of how the world can prevent such a conflict from recurring. Experts believe that the Ukraine crisis has highlighted the dangers Cold War-era security concepts, such as bloc confrontation, pose to global peace and stability.

Photo taken on March 7, 2022 shows a view of the third round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations at the Belovezhskaya Pushcha. (Belta News Agency/Handout via Xinhua)

BLOC CONFRONTATION IN NATURE

Following a visit to Ukraine's capital city of Kiev in late April, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was asked by reporters to define "America's goals for success" in Ukraine.

After repeating Washington's talking points that Ukraine would remain "a sovereign country, a democratic country, able to protect its sovereign territory," Austin revealed that the United States hopes Russia will be "weakened" by the conflict.

"It (Russia) has already lost a lot of military capability and a lot of its troops, quite frankly, and we want to see them not have the capability to very quickly reproduce that capability," he said.

Austin's admission that Washington wishes to "weaken" Russia made many wonder what America's true goal for the Russia-Ukraine conflict is.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (4th R) and visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (4th L) and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (3rd L) meet in Kiev, Ukraine, April 24, 2022.

(Ukrainian Presidential Office/Handout via Xinhua)

"The West's military aid seeks to exhaust and drain Russia's capabilities, and the Russians understand this," said Tariq Fahmy, a political science professor at the Cairo University in Egypt.

"Instead of pacifying or resolving this crisis through diplomacy, the United States has begun to play around with it a little more," according to Umit Alperen, an analyst with Turkey's Ankara Policy Center.

"The United States most likely wants the conflict to continue, and that is its intention from the beginning," said Alperen.

While the Western media has overwhelmingly painted Russia's special military operation in Ukraine as entirely unprovoked, many scholars, including Robert Kagan, Stephen and Barbara Friedman Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, argued that such an association is misleading.

"Just as Pearl Harbor was the consequence of U.S. efforts to blunt Japanese expansion on the Asian mainland, and just as the 9/11 attacks were partly a response to the United States' dominant presence in the Middle East after the first Gulf War, so Russian decisions have been a response to the expanding post-Cold War hegemony of the United States and its allies in Europe," Kagan wrote.

What Kagan was referring to was U.S.-led NATO's relentless expansion at the expense of Russia's security concerns. Since 1999, NATO has expanded eastward five times, advancing more than 1,000 km all the way to the Russian border, gradually pushing Russia into a corner.

As the Russia-Ukraine conflict grinds on, the United States has increased its support for Ukraine with a 40-billion-U.S.-dollar aid package, including 20 billion dollars in military assistance. Washington has also attempted to corral its allies as a bloc to economically sanction Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meet to discuss the security situation around Ukraine in Kiev, Ukraine, Jan. 19, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Office/Handout via Xinhua)

According to John Pang, a senior fellow at New York-based Bard College, the sanctions smack of the Cold War as they "attempt to impose a binary opposition, to divide the world into 'with-us and against-us-countries'."

The sanctions were part of this attempt to globalize the conflict and to polarize the world against Russia, Pang said, adding that the aim is to defend the unipolar world order that has been in place since the fall of the Soviet Union.

ANACHRONISM OF U.S. HEGEMONY

Despite Washington's pressure to take sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, many Asian, African, and Latin American countries have chosen to remain neutral and advocate peaceful solutions.

After 17 African nations abstained and another eight African nations did not vote in a UN vote condemning Russia in early March, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield "practically demanded that they (African countries) take a stance that follows the American position," as commented by Murtaza Hussain, a reporter with The Intercept.

Thomas-Greenfield reportedly said then that she believed that "we have to do additional work to help these countries to understand the impact" of the Ukraine crisis.

In their interviews with Xinhua, African scholars argued that because developing countries are on the receiving end of Western sanctions against Russia, they understand better than U.S. politicians the impact of an unstable world on their countries.

"The arms industry in America is one of the biggest beneficiaries. And then, of course, by putting sanctions on Russia, they want to make sure that Russia's economy is battered," said Stephen Ndegwa, an international relations lecturer at the Nairobi-based United States International University-Africa in Kenya.

"With high oil prices and supply chain disruptions, Africa and other developing countries are experiencing one of the most significant increases in essential commodities," Ndegwa said.

Thomas-Greenfield's choice of words "not only smacks of hubris, it paints a picture of African countries as moral adolescents who require Western supervision in order to understand and do what is right," wrote Ebenezer Obadare, Douglas Dillon Senior Fellow for Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, adding that there is a longstanding perception that powerful Western countries, and the United States in particular, do not always live up to their own moral rhetoric.

Most countries have refrained from supporting America and its Atlantic Alliance, according to Adnan Bourji, director of the Lebanese National Center for Studies, "because they (the West) have provided the world with nothing but wars, devastation, and destruction for many decades."

A staff member hangs a U.S. national flag before U.S. President Joe Biden arrives for the European Council meeting in Brussels, Belgium, March 24, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

People in most parts of the world will never forget that "Western progress was built on the resources of the poor countries that they have colonized for centuries, and that the American administration is responsible for the majority of modern-era wars," said Bourji.

For the New York-based scholar Pang, "it is a very interesting moment in world history in which the West have never been more separate from the rest of the world."

"They have never seemed so disconnected in their views from attitudes in other parts of the world," said Pang.

Some people in the West have also pondered the mere anachronism of U.S. hegemony in an increasingly multipolar world.

"Over the longer term, Americans must realize that in an increasingly multipolar world, reckoning with the limits of their power is critical for achieving a more peaceful and just world," Zeeshan Aleem, an opinion columnist with MSNBC, wrote in March.

"The U.S. may want to be the only great power in the world, free to expand its hegemony with impunity, but it is not. Refusing to see this is dangerous for us all," the article concluded.

Across the Atlantic, former French Ambassador to the United States Gerard Araud lamented that Western countries "underestimate the resentment of the rest of the world against us."

"I am convinced that even if they don't particularly like Russia, a lot of non-westerners are supporting it only because it is confronting us," he tweeted.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Friday directed the state government to strictly follow terms and conditions of GO 88 issued on August 28, 2010, while extending rehabilitation and resettlement benefits like wages and house pattas to all project-affected families. GO 88 prescribes parameters like extending R&R benefits to daughters, who are majors, on par with sons in families that have been affected.

The court was dealing with a petition filed by 79 women from Thallapally village in Mancherial district, complaining that they were not getting R&R benefits, which was contrary to the GO 88 provisions. Thallapally has been declared as a project-affected zone after its acquisition for converting Srirampur 2 and 2A mines into open cast.

The petitioners said they were residing in the village on the day the land acquisition notification was issued. They argued that as majors they were entitled to get benefits on par with their brothers. However, the counsel for Singareni Collieries and land acquisition department argued that on the day the notification was issued most of the petitioners were living elsewhere after marriage.

The court made it clear that extending the benefits to a daughter should be that she should be a major as on the date of notification under Section 4(1) and should be dependent on the head of the family. After identifying daughters who meet the criterion, authorities should extend benefits to daughters, who are majors, of project displaced families, the court said.
Cotton farmers are looking for a hike in the existing MSP of Rs 625 for cotton, offered by the central government, in the hope that they got a good price for cotton in the market in the last season. (Representational Photo: AFP)

ADILABAD: Cotton farmers are looking for a hike in the existing MSP of Rs 625 for cotton, offered by the central government, in the hope that they got a good price for cotton in the market in the last season.

News spread among farmer that the central government may hike 10-15 per cent in the MSP for cotton this Kharif season. It is expected that this time also the price may touch Rs 10,000.

Recently, the price of cotton touched Rs 14, 000 in the Karimnagar district of Telangana. Farmers are showing interest in cotton this season, hoping to get a good price and yield.

It is expected that cotton may be cultivated in 4 lakh acres, up from 3.85 lakh in the last Kharif, in Adilabad district this Kharif season.

Cotton fetched good price in Telangana following the rise in demand and price for the commodity in international market.

Former chairman of Adilabad market committee, Sanjeev Reddy, said the good yield for cotton in the last Kharif season and the good price on offer raised the hopes of cotton farmers. This will lead to a major increase in the area under cotton cultivation this Kharif in Adilabad district, he said.

He himself is preparing to sow cotton in his 40 acres of land this Kharif.

The majority of farmers got a good price for their cotton in the last Kharif though the yield was affected by rain and floods.

Sanjeev Reddy said farmers are preparing to sow cotton seeds on June 6 or 8 as they considered these days as auspicious and also mirugu; and that the good days will continue for the next three days.

Most cotton farmers got Rs 8,000 last Kharif while the MSP was Rs 6,025; and farmers got Rs 7,800 for soya though the MSP was Rs 4,500, the last season.

Farmers strongly believe that they will get 40 quintals of yield more for one acre if they sow cotton seeds on mirugu or the auspicious days, with the onset of rains. Two or three spells of rains are required for the germination of the seeds.

However, he said a risk is involved in sowing the cotton seeds on the day of mirugu.

There are those who say farmers will become stable for ten years if they get a good price and yield for cotton continuously for four seasons and then the farmers would not look for loans from private moneylenders.
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ENFIELD  For the first time in more than 35 years, there are plans for trains to stop in Enfield, with construction of a new station to begin in less than two years.

Designs will be completed in the summer of 2023, with plans to go out to bid for the project that fall, Garrett Eucalitto, deputy commissioner of the Department of Transportation, said at an announcement of the project Thursday.

Construction should start in early of 2024, Eucalitto said. ConnDOTs been working on the design in the hope we will get the federal funds and be ready to go with construction starting in about a year and a half after that.

The new train station in Enfield will cost about $32 million. The project is funded through a near-even split of state bonding and federal grants, DOT Commissioner Joe Giulietti said.

The state bonding will supply $15.86 million, according to a DOT statement. Through the federal Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant program, the project received $13.86 million.

Enfield will be the newest stop on CTrail Hartford Line, connecting riders from to Amtrak and Metro-North.

We had to assure Amtrak everything we were doing fit into their new plans with how many trains they intend to fund on this line going forward, Giulietti said. A new accessible station with a high-level platform will be constructed here. Riders can board and head north to Springfield  or south to New Haven and New York.

The project is part of an effort by the state to improve rail service and by the town of Enfield to advance its Transit Oriented District plans.

There were joined at the announcement by several other officials, including Gov. Ned Lamont, U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, and U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, both D-Conn.

No airport link

Direct train transportation from Enfield, or anywhere in the state, to Bradley International Airport is still a dream, Giulietti said.

I would love nothing more than to be coming up here and saying, Yeah, we are putting a rail line right into that airport, because thats what modern cities do. Its one of the things well work on toward the future. But in the meantime, we are setting up direct connects from both Hartford to the airport and as well from Windsor Locks to the airport, he said.

We can have regular service with a bus that will make the direct connection in going right in to provide the quickest service we can right now, whether we go with rapid transit bus or rail connection in the future.

Bringing back the Enfield train station is one step in that process of increasing connectivity and reducing the need for cars in the state, Giulietti said.

The Enfield station will be intermodal, with passengers able to transfer to other rail services as well as to the states bus system, Courtney said. An additional $2.5 million was provided through a federal earmark and will assist in making the project intermodal, he said.

This is going to be an intermodal project, not just a train station. People literally wont have to get into an automobile to get the benefits of this service, Courtney said. This is a competitive grant. Its almost cutthroat because there are so many applicants around the country going for a limited pot of money. For every award there were five applications across the country.

While the $32 million will all go toward the Enfield station, officials hope to acquire funds to construct four other stations across the state: in Windsor, Windsor Locks, West Hartford and North Haven, along with Enfield, Blumenthal said.

Theyre going to be on a map of train transportation in a much bigger way, enabling the kind of development you see right here, he said.

The increase in federal funds received for transportation in Connecticut is partially due to the states investment in its transportation and infrastructure improvements, Murphy said.

We are able to win federal grants at a pretty dizzying pace for transportation projects in Connecticut because the DOT and White House knows that that money is going to be well spent in Connecticut and its going to be matched by state dollars, Murphy said.

abigail.brone@hearstmediact.com

This story and headline are updated to correct that the new Enfield train station is budgeted at $32 million, with four other new train stations in the planning stages.
WHITERIVER, Ariz. (AP)  A tribal police officer was fatally shot during a traffic stop on a reservation in Arizona and the suspect was killed in a subsequent shootout that left another officer wounded, officials said Friday.

Adrian Lopez Sr., 35, was identified as the White Mountain Apache Police officer shot and killed Thursday night in the town of Whiteriver on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. He had only been with the department since January, according to the Navajo County Sheriff's Office. Prior to that he served as a federal Bureau of Indian Affairs police officer from March 2021 through December.

Theres no possible way to try to outline the chaotic event that this was, Chief Deputy Brian Swanty said at a news conference.

An altercation broke out after Lopez stopped a car driven by Kevin Dwight Nashio, 25, near the downtown area, authorities said. Nashio, a resident of Whiteriver known to local police, shot Lopez, Swanty said.

Nashio took off in Lopez's marked police vehicle. Several officers pursued him through rugged areas for at least 40 miles (64 kilometers) and a rolling gun battle took place, according to authorities.

Nashio crashed the car into a tree near a lake that is a popular tourist draw. A second gun battle erupted that resulted in Sgt. Lonnie Thompson, 29, getting wounded and Nashio being killed.

The sergeant was airlifted to a Phoenix hospital. Swanty on Friday said his injuries were not considered to be life-threatening but could certainly be debilitating.

The FBI is leading the investigation into the shootings. The agency is gathering information to present to the U.S. Attorney's Office but cannot share any details, FBI Special Agent Sam Davenport said.

Swanty would not elaborate on how Nashio was already known to police. He also said it has not yet been determined why Lopez pulled him over.

Gov. Doug Ducey ordered flags at all state buildings lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Monday.

There is no greater act of selflessness than for one to lay down his life for another, Ducey said in a statement. Officer Lopez will be remembered as a selfless and brave protector.

Meanwhile, tribal Chairman Kasey Velasquez said all flags on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation will be flown at half-staff until further notice. He called Lopez, who leaves a behind a wife and child, a beacon of light, a bulwark against the darkness.

Last night the unimaginable happened. Our hearts are once again broken by the loss of one of our best and bravest White Mountain Apache police officers, Velasquez said.

The eastern Arizona tribe is still mourning the death a young officer from two years ago. White Mountain Apache police Officer David Kellywood, 26, was killed in February 2020 while responding to a report of shots fired outside a casino. He struggled with a suspect who then shot him. A second officer fatally shot the suspect.

Kellywood had only been with the department for nine months.
DEAR ABBY: My dad, who is nearing 80, has been married to my stepmom, "Ruth," for nearly 35 years. She has always been temperamental and controlling to a degree, but during the last few years it has become abundantly clear that she's emotionally abusive to my dad.

Twenty years ago, I moved to another coast, and although Dad wanted to visit, the decision was always up to Ruth, so they never did. However, when it comes to her immediate family, Dad is required to attend every event. During COVID I moved just a few states away, and that's when I got the full picture. Ruth took away Dad's cellphone and sold his car, so he is virtually stuck. She will not even let him mention purchasing a vehicle. He's an artist, and she never "allowed" him to get a studio.

The list is long, sad and frustrating. He forbids me to confront her, but it is giving me daily stress because I love my dad and I fear her control is something he has grown accustomed to. Any advice?

 DISTRESSED DAUGHTER IN THE SOUTH

DEAR DAUGHTER: As repugnant as the situation may be to you, I do not think you should try to reduce your stress by creating more for your father. He has forbidden you from confronting his wife about her hypercontrolling behavior, and you should respect his wishes. I don't have to like it; you don't have to like it. But this is what your father has been willing to accept for the last 35 years. He and only he could have put a stop to it or left her if he had really wanted to.

DEAR ABBY: I'm a college student who broke up with my long-term high school boyfriend a few months ago. He was a cheating dirtbag, so I moved on quickly. I have been enjoying the single life, but now find myself in a bit of a love triangle.

"Derek" is blond and short, and loves to go to the gym. He's kind and attentive, and he seems to care very much for me. He invited me to his formal dance, but I turned him down because I didn't know him very well. He didn't take anyone else even though he had plenty of time to find a date. My friend at the dance said he didn't even talk to another girl, so I know he's very loyal already.

The other contender, "Shay," is taller and has dark hair. He has kind, blue eyes and a shy personality, although with me he really opens up and talks. He always checks in to see how I'm doing when I've had a rough day. In the simplest terms, he puts up with my nonsense. He has seen me at some of my worst moments and still showed compassion.

I'm genuinely torn between these two and don't know how to choose because I don't want to lose either of them. What do I do?

 BOY CRAZY IN IOWA

DEAR BOY CRAZY: I have good news. Because nowhere in your letter did you mention that either of these young men have asked you for an exclusive relationship, you do not "have" to make a difficult choice. Some people like both chocolate AND vanilla ice cream. I suggest you be honest with them and enjoy seeing them both until the answer to your question becomes obvious. (Feel free to write me again if you meet a handsome redhead.)

DEAR ABBY: I survived 17 years of abuse. I'm slowly healing and now in a healthy relationship I enjoy. My ex did what most abusers do in these situations: He isolated me from my family. He would force me to say mean things to my sisters and parents to keep them away and make them hate me.

Now that I'm out of that situation, I want a relationship with them again. Sadly, my sisters say I must apologize for my behavior (again), which I'm not comfortable doing. I did apologize once, but it wasn't good enough for them, since I stated that I was sorry HE MADE ME do those things. What should I do?

 GETTING PAST IT IN KANSAS

DEAR GETTING PAST: I'm not sure why your sisters are insisting you apologize again, but if I were you, I would do it to try to smooth things over. At that time I would explain to them about Stockholm syndrome, which sometimes happens when people are kidnapped, held prisoner and eventually begin to identify with their captors. Something similar may have happened between you and your abuser because, in a sense, you were being held hostage.

DEAR ABBY: My precious dog, "Rover," died nearly a year ago. I have grieved deeply, and feel I have handled it in a healthy way. I now have a new dog, "Spot," who has brought new energy to my home. I keep a few pictures of Rover around the house, as well as pictures of Spot.

Part of me feels it's weird to have pictures of a deceased pet on display and that it may not be healthy. Yet, I also feel it's fine, as long as it isn't a shrine to him. Sometimes I stop and look at Rover's pictures and smile; other times, I feel an ache in my stomach and tear up. What is your take on this?

 STILL HEALING IN FLORIDA

DEAR STILL HEALING: My "take" is that although you have moved on to a great degree, you are still grieving. Rover is part of your history. If photos of him bring you pleasure, continue to display them. However, if more often they make you sad, consider putting them away until more time has elapsed since his passing.

DEAR ABBY: I want to give a monetary gift to some close friends of ours before we die. It's in my will, but it occurred to me that they might as well enjoy it now, while they can. The rub is they're very proud and stubborn and won't let us "treat" them to anything.

I have given other people money and made clear, "I won't ask what you do with it nor ever mention it again. I just want you to enjoy it." Do you have advice on whether I should do this? And, if so, how? I don't want to damage our friendship.

 FRIENDLY GIFT

DEAR FRIENDLY: You are very generous. This is a question that should be discussed with your attorney or accountant. Of course, when you send the funds, there should be a letter explaining your intentions. This "transfer of assets" is sometimes done in families. Your legal or financial adviser can explain the details and whether other options exist. Then cross your fingers and hope your fortunate friends will accept the gift. However, if they don't, do not continue to press the issue.
It was about 15 years ago and I was city editor at the Stamford Advocate, roaming the newsroom to quietly coax other editors into the 5 p.m. news meeting.

An editorial assistant interrupted to tell me Barry Hoffman was on the phone.

Ill call him back, but say these exact words. Tell him I said he should know better than to call at 5 oclock. It is Showtime.

Barry was the papers managing editor from 1985 to 1995, a bridge between journalism generations. He didnt merely emerge from his glass office at 5 p.m. every day to summon the troops, he did it like he was on horseback barking orders to the infantry.

ITS SHOWTIME!

After learning of Barrys death at age 79 in his native Dallas, Texas, I reached out to some of his former colleagues, seeking stories about him. Its perilous to ask journalists to share personal stories. Its about the only time they prefer going off the record. But Barrys life was packed with front page news.

At 21, he was among the phalanx of journalists who welcomed the Beatles to America in 1964. He described the Fabs as puppies and shared Marlboros with them.

These girls would be in the fountains outside the Plaza Hotel and ask me if Id seen them, he once recalled. I said, Saw them? They bummed a cigarette from me, and then flick them the butt.

Barry was a United Press International reporter at the time, two years after starting out as a copy boy for the New York Herald Tribune. By 1968 he was serving in the U.S. Army in Vietnam as a broadcast specialist and combat reporter. After his tenure in Stamford, he was a founder of HealthDay, an international news service with Norwalk origins.

I grew up reading his byline in Westchester newspapers. Bylines are stealth, so I couldnt know what to expect when we met. I certainly didnt expect a man who liked to drawl the catchphrase, Im just a Jew from Texas, and relished being characterized as a human version of the cartoon rooster Foghorn Leghorn.

Arthur H. Gunther III, retired Rockland editorial page editor of The Journal News, makes it clear Barrys hybrid Texan/New Yorker attitude was well-defined before he came to Connecticut.

Barry Hoffman never walked into the newsroom  he burst in as if the presses had to halt for an Extra!, Gunther wrote. He bubbled with enthusiasm over uncovering political corruption; he urged reporters to look for all the facts, relentlessly; he went to tears over a babys death. He was Damon Runyonesque and a character out of The Front Page.

Barry kept a framed front page in his Advocate office from an unforgettable story he was involved in covering, the 1981 Brinks bank robbery in Nanuet, N.Y., which resulted in the deaths of two police officers and a guard. When Kathy Boudin, a member of the Weather Underground involved in the crime, died last month, former Advocate reporter Dan Mangan (now with CNBC.com) reached out to Barry to break the news.

It was a terrible incident but a terrific story to chase, Barry responded.

Former U.S. Rep Chris Shays recalls that Barry was always accessible, and felt as managing editor he had a mission as important as any elected official, but treated those in public office with appreciation and respect.

Barry took the news seriously, but had a sweet tooth for serving readers a little dessert.

Former Advocate News Editor Dan Berman recalls that a bear sighting in North Stamford inspired Barry to offer $100 to any reporter or photographer who could get a photo of it.

No one collected.

When temperatures on July 24, 1987 soared into the 90s, the Texan sent a writer to Bedford Street in Stamford to determine if it was hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk.

Intern Alan Cullison, then attending University of Chicago, got the assignment. His former Stamford High School guidance counselor happened to pass by to find him crouching with his reporters notebook over a decidedly unfried egg.

Alan, whatever are you doing? she inquired.

I think she maybe had higher hopes for me, Cullison reflects.

She had no need to fear. Cullisons byline now appears in the Wall Street Journal, where he has covered Moscow and national security.

Back in 1987, though, Cullison had not written for his school papers and found reporting extremely stressful.

I didnt like it at first, he recalls. I was gobsmacked by the idea that I could write something and 10,000 people could read it. I couldnt believe the amount of responsibility this wild man was putting upon me.

Cullison does a passable impersonation of Barry. He cranks the volume to 11 and steers his tones south when recalling greetings such as What ya doin today kid?

In recalling sources for the summer story, Cullison slips and refers to an eggspert.

It took you 35 years to come up with that pun, I tease.

Which reminds me to reach out to the only former staffer I know who once won the Punderdome pun contest.

A humor column had been Jerry Zezimas dream as Stamford Catholic High Schools class clown. After Zezima wrote his first one for the Advocate in 1985, Barry announced, Ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves a humorist.

Since then, Zezima has written six books and 1,300 columns.

Some of Barrys management style wouldnt fly today. Ken Best, who was editor of the Weekend section at the time, said I always think of Barry as the Advocates version of Lou Grant.

Grant was a great boss, but his job interview style was already recognized as anachronistic when he asked Mary Richards her religion on the first episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1970.

Beth (Cooney) Fitzpatrick essentially played Mary to Barrys Lou when she was hired at the Advocate.

He asked me if I was the kind of girl who was Into dead things. she recalls.

Dead things?

You know. Hair. Nails. Dead things, Barry clarified.

He was trying to get a pulse on whether I was shallow and vapid or just cute, she reflects. I realize he could get fired for that line of inquiry today, but I sort of admired the creativity and humor that went into the prodding as he tried to size me up. He wasnt wrong, by the way. I was always into hair, nails and journalism.

She moved from covering courts to features, but retains the unflinching attitude of a news reporter. When recalling Barrys departure from the paper, she reminded me, he was fired, please dont sugarcoat that and that the reporters and junior editors were all heartbroken.

At a farewell party for Barry, former Arts Editor Geoffrey F.X. OConnell wrote lyrics to the tune of Billy Joels Piano Man with the chorus, Sing us a song, youre the Showtime Man.

When I returned Barrys call after that news meeting 15 years ago, he clearly appreciated being remembered.

Aww man, that was great, he said. I got a little choked up.

John Breunig is editorial page editor of the Stamford Advocate and Greenwich Time. jbreunig@scni.com; twitter.com/johnbreunig.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, Colo. (AP)  Authorities have released the name of a man who was killed in a rock fall and avalanche that also injured two other climbers at Rocky Mountain National Park.

The Boulder County coroner's office identified the victim Friday as 25-year-old Christopher Clark, of Land O Lakes, Florida.
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HONG KONG (AP)  Heavy police force patrolled Hong Kongs Victoria Park on Saturday after authorities for a third consecutive year banned public commemoration of the anniversary of the deadly Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989, with vigils overseas the only place marking the event.

For decades, Hong Kong and nearby Macao were the only places in China allowed to commemorate the violent suppression by army troops of student protesters demanding greater democracy in Beijings Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989. Hundreds, if not thousands, were killed.

The ban is seen as part of a move to snuff out political dissent and a sign that Hong Kong is losing its freedoms as Beijing tightens its grip over the semi-autonomous Chinese city.

The vigil organizers, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, disbanded last year after many of its leaders were arrested on suspicion of violating the national security law, which was imposed following massive pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Authorities have cited risks from the coronavirus for banning the public commemoration over the past three years. Critics say the pandemic is used as an excuse to infringe on the right to assemble.

A government statement Friday said that parts of Victoria Park, which traditionally served as the venue for the candlelight vigil, will be closed as it may be used for illegal activities. The move was to prevent any unauthorized assemblies in the park and to reduce the possibility of COVID-19 spread.

Earlier in the week, a police superintendent warned that anyone who gathered in a group at the same place, with the same time and with a common purpose to express certain views could be considered part of an unauthorized assembly.

Despite the ban, some residents wore black in a silent show of support, and some even carried bouquets of flowers, held candles or turned on the flashlight on their cellphones.

Today, this is to commemorate June 4th. Every year I have to do it, said Man Yuen, who appeared in a black T-shirt with the words the people will not forget while walking down the streets carrying an unlit candle.

Police stopped and searched several people, some of whom were dressed in black. It is unclear if any arrests were made.

I am disappointed because although no one organized any commemoration event, the authorities are already on high alert, said Donald Tam, who was shopping in the Causeway Bay district, where the park is located.

Since the British handed over Hong Kong to China in 1997, the city has been governed under a one country, two systems framework that promised it liberties not found on the mainland, including freedom of speech and assembly. It meant Hong Kong and nearby Macao, the other semi-autonomous territory, were allowed to commemorate the 1989 crackdown. Elsewhere in China, keywords such as Tiananmen massacre and June 4 are strictly censored online, and people are not allowed to publicly mark the event.

Outside China, vigils were held to remember the Tiananmen victims.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said even though Chinese and Hong Kong were attempting to suppress the memories of the crackdown, his government would continue to speak out and promote accountability on human rights abuses by China, including those in Hong Kong, against Muslim minorities in the western Xinjiang region as well as Tibet.

To the people of China and to those who continue to stand against injustice and seek freedom, we will not forget June 4, he said.

The U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong lit candles in the windows of the building.

In Taiwan, a self-ruled island claimed by Beijing as part of its territory, hundreds took part in the vigil. The Foreign Ministry wrote on Facebook that when this time of year comes around, there is a lot one cant say, a lot one cant write, and a lot one cant even look up on the internet.

The post encouraged Chinese citizens who use a VPN to access Facebook, which is blocked in China, and search for information on the Tiananmen Square massacre to see what their country is hiding from them.

Taiwan has been commemorating the June 4 massacre before Hong Kong did, and each place (in the rest of the world) that holds this event interprets it in its own ways, said Taiwan democracy activist Lee Ming-che. We must be aware of Chinas threats and protect Taiwans values of democracy, human rights, and freedom.

Graduate student Joanna Chen said that commemorating the June 4 massacre is important because Taiwan is one of the few places in Greater China to commemorate such an event publicly.

We must remind the Taiwanese people that democracy should not be taken for granted, she said.

In Sydney, about 50 pro-democracy supporters lit candles outside the Chinese Consulate to mark the massacre, as several police officers kept watch.

In the Indian city of Dharmsala, home to Tibets exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, activists organized a street theater to mark the Tiananmen anniversary. They used a cutout of a Chinese tank to recreate the tank man, an iconic image taken by The Associated Press of a student standing in front of a tank, which came to symbolize courage in the face of Chinese governments crackdown of the protest.

For the first time in 30 years, Hong Kong's Catholic churches also skipped Mass for the Tiananmen victims, after the diocese expressed concerns that such events could violate the national security law.

Authorities have been using the law to crack down on the opposition, with over 150 people arrested on suspicion of offences that include subversion, secession, terrorism and foreign collusion to intervene in the citys affairs.

The clampdown has included universities as well. In December 2021, a sculpture called Pillar of Shame, which depicts torn and twisted bodies symbolizing the lives lost during the massacre, was taken down at the University of Hong Kong. Officials said that no approval had been obtained to display the sculpture.

A day later, two other universities in the city removed monuments related to the commemoration.

In response, Jens Galschioet, the artist who created Pillar of Shame, last week unveiled a full-scale replica of the 8-meter- (26 foot) tall sculpture at the University of Oslo in Norway.

___

Associated Press journalists Alice Fung in Hong Kong, Taijing Wu in Taipei, Taiwan, Mark Baker in Sydney, and Ashwini Bhatia in Dharmsala, India, contributed to this report.
SEYMOUR - Renovating a storefront, or expanding a business can be expensive but Seymour business can now count on a town loan program to help them with the process.

First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis announced the Showtime for Seymour Grant and Loan Program at a Board of Selectman meeting on May 17. The board approved the program by a 6-0 vote.

According to Drugonis, the $50,000 program will give interest-free loans from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to small businesses in the town. Economic development consultant Sheila OMalley said the program would help revitalize the downtown area as the town takes on a more proactive approach to economic development.

The town previously tried to shepherd downtown development with the Downtown Action Committee but that committee disbanded in 2016. OMalley said the new program, which is the first of its kind in town, is another tool to help businesses in the area.

This loan/grant program is another tool in Seymours toolbox for economic growth. This will help attract, retain and expand business in Seymour. Coupled with the City and Town Development Act, we want people to know its Showtime in Seymour, OMalley said.

Businesses can apply for loans of up to $5,000 but some of those loans can be turned into grants based on need. This is especially good news for businesses recovering from a natural disaster or accident such as the fire that destroyed a historic building last month, according to Drugonis.

OMalley said the loans are for businesses needing money for improvement projects and the program is self-funding. Applications are already available.

For the ones that got pushed out from the fire, we were thinking maybe a grant for a couple months rent in Seymour, or just to pay the lease down for a few months, OMalley said.

OMalley said the town would spread the word about the program at the Strand Theater later in the summer with advertisements during movie screenings.

The programs name, Showtime for Seymour, also ties into its planned advertising campaign, she said.

The plan was to coordinate with the Strand Theater. And thats why I said, Showtime for Seymour, because thats going to be the theme that were going to showcase our businesses. Every month, we will have an event at the Strand and try to promote local businesses, she said.

Drugonis said while the loans are meant for the downtown area, any business within the town limits can qualify.

I want to be sure everyone knows that Seymour is open for business and that business development is a priority, she said. This is an incentive program that provides a small sum of money that can help our businesses and demonstrates that we care. Its essentially focused on the downtown, but can be for any business in Seymour.

Valley Chamber of Commerce President Bill Purcell said the program comes as businesses are still struggling with the pandemic. Purcell said this program along with the existing tax incentive program sends a message to local businesses that the town cares about their survival.

This is just another example of the towns responsiveness to the needs of business. Its been a difficult time, the last couple of years for small business and large business, Purcell said.
BRIDGEPORT  After Takina Pollock Shafer took up roller skating a few years ago, she noticed plenty of others expressing an interest in her new, eight-wheeled hobby  an activity some in 2022 might dismiss as the stuff of childhood birthday parties.

I swear I had 20 people I know personally that were like, You have skates? I want to get skates, too, and skate with you, Shafer, 29, recalled this week.

She also credited the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on indoor socializing, at least in 2020 during the pre-vaccination days of the global health crisis when the public was encouraged not to gather to prevent the illness spread.

Daniel Recinos / Contributed photos

When COVID happened a lot of other people started picking it (roller skating) up, Shafer said. I had been skating around for a year and a half at that point. Its a nice mental break and way to get in touch with your body and, during COVID, to get outside in a different way.

And now Shafer is not only doing more to share her hobby with others, but considering going into the skating business and opening a permanent rink.

She, through her Skateport organization, has been bringing rollerskating back, Bridgeport style by organizing all-ages, temporary open air parties on sections of downtown streets for her and others to display their skills and teach any interested novices.

Attendees must bring their own skates, while Skateport provides the space, which is permitted through the city, and the music. Skateport already held one event May 21 and has two others scheduled for July 23 and Oct. 1.

Seasoned skaters, new skaters, aspiring skaters, and spectators are invited to join us! reads the website.

Daniel Recinos / Contributed photos

Shafer is receiving financial help from the Downtown Special Services District, which recently received a $22,300 cultural grant from the state to help its mission of marking the neighborhood as a friendly, eclectic business and residential community.

Its simple and fun and people like it, Lauren Coakley Vincent, president of DSSD, said of Skateport.

Skateport is also later this month planning on hosting a screening of United Skates, a 2019 HBO documentary film that focuses on the underground African-American subculture of rollerskating and its impact on music.

Shafer is not only a Bridgeport native, but also oversees the Bridgeport Farmers Market Collaboratives programs, including the annual downtown market at McLevy Green. She graduated from the University of Connecticuts department of allied health sciences  she had initially wanted to pursue a career in physical therapy  then obtained a masters degree in global development and peace from the University of Bridgeport.

She said bringing a permanent roller-skating rink back to Connecticuts largest municipality might be in her future.

My mom used to talk about the rink that was downtown on State Street all the time, Shafer said. I think its something we really need in Bridgeport and will do really well.

According to forgettenrollerrinksofthepast.com, a now demolished mosque-style building at 1035 State St  currently a grassy site at the corner of Wordin Ave.  was, from the 1940s through the 1970s, home to Hollands Skateland, then Park City Skateland, then Mosque Rollaway, and lastly the Fairfield County Roller Dome.

Bridgeport does have the municipally-owned, privately-run Wonderland of Ice but, as Shafer noted, some people, herself included, Dont like to be cold.

I want to start with a mobile rink and eventually a brick-and-mortar location and Bridgeport is ideal, Shafer said. Its something thats fairly simple to pick up (and) its a really flexible hobby thats really nostalgic for a lot of people. You have everything from 5-year-olds to 65-year-olds all out and skating. That really appeals to me.

Another benefit of having mastered roller-skating is that Shafer has more opportunities to experience how others feel on those eight wheels.

Once I got better and stopped looking at my feet and could look up and look at peoples faces, everybody was smiling, Shafer said. Its a really joyful thing to watch.
When the news was announced that Johnny Depp had won his defamation case against Amber Heard, I was out with a girlfriend. We both instinctively let out a little whoop. Another friend texted me: Am so pleased for Johnny. Even my mother couldnt resist: Johnny has achieved Heard immunity! she messaged.

Fascinating. First of all because none of us has ever met Johnny Depp, nor are we ever likely to. So why would we care about a middle-aged actor and his squabbles with his ex-wife? Secondly, because we are all women and so  theoretically at least  we ought to be on Heards side.

And yet I dont know a single woman who is. All my female friends, without exception, even the younger, woker ones, took against Heard during the course of this trial.

Even if they didnt all exactly sympathise with Depp, they were united in acknowledging there was much more to the case than man bad, woman victim.

Depp is no saint, theres no doubt about that. But its one thing to be a troubled individual with multiple substance and behavioural issues and quite another to be an abuser. You can be a fundamentally decent human and still make a complete and utter Horlicks of your life, as Depp has proved. But you can also have the face of an angel and be very far from perfect underneath. That is what this trial reminds us. That is why it has caught the attention of millions.

When the news was announced that Johnny Depp had won his defamation case against Amber Heard, I was out with a girlfriend

It exposed not only Heards somewhat tenuous relationship with the facts, but also the other side of the story  a side that in the age of #MeToo is not often acknowledged. A universal truth, experienced by many: that sometimes a relationship can be so toxic it turns both of you into monsters. But also a far more uncomfortable truth (deep breath): women dont have a monopoly on victimhood.

When Heard wrote that now infamous piece for The Washington Post about how she had been the victim of domestic abuse, the #MeToo movement was at its height. The (admittedly shocking) experiences and (admittedly revolting) behaviour of a small but significant group of people had lit a fuse that snaked all around the globe, reconfiguring attitudes to male/female relationships and characterising men as predators, women as victims.

At the time many women, myself included, felt this was a dangerous generalisation. Relationships are complex, people are complex, not everything is black and white, we argued. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, we said. Nope. We were accused of victim blaming and shaming. There was only one acceptable narrative: a woman can do no wrong, all men are animals. End of.

We both instinctively let out a little whoop. Another friend texted me: Am so pleased for Johnny

That was the climate in which Heard wrote her piece, and so perhaps its understandable that she felt empowered to make such damaging assertions (and that The Washington Post saw fit to publish them). The last thing she would have expected would have been for Depp to challenge her.

Having been cancelled, lost all his film roles and marked down as a wife beater, presumably she thought he would just curl up in a corner and die quietly, allowing her to bask in the sympathy and solidarity of the sisterhood.

And for a while, that was the case. But then he fought back, and the rest is history. Of course, it helps that he is a wealthy star  many in his position are not, so dont have his options.

But the fact is that Depp now stands for every man who has ever been wrongly accused of abusing a woman, while Amber is not only the girl who cried wolf, shes someone who weaponised the #MeToo movement for her own gain.

Fascinating. First of all because none of us has ever met Johnny Depp, nor are we ever likely to. So why would we care about a middle-aged actor and his squabbles with his ex-wife? Secondly, because we are all women and so  theoretically at least  we ought to be on Heards side

That goes to the heart of why so few women feel empathy for her. Real domestic abuse victims struggle, sometimes for years, to have their voices heard. They suffer at the hands of their aggressors, often trapped in toxic situations through lack of money, opportunities or the constraints of their culture.

For Heard to jump on the #MeToo bandwagon under false pretences feels like the ultimate betrayal, as did the fact that she lied about donating the proceeds of her divorce settlement to charity.

She gives all women a bad name, and in many ways undoes years of work building up credibility for victims of domestic violence. She claimed in her statement that the verdict was a setback for women, but thats not true: she is the one who has set back the cause for women. That, Im afraid, is the hard truth she must now accept.

She gives all women a bad name, and in many ways undoes years of work building up credibility for victims of domestic violence

Women who use gas and air during labour are harming the planet, according to new research. Apparently inhaling Entonox, the most commonly used form of nitrous oxide, for four hours has the same environmental impact as driving 850 miles. Great. As if new mothers didnt have enough to worry about.

My favourite moment from the Jubilee so far is an interview with former Royal Protection Officer Richard Griffin, who tells how he was picnicking with the Queen near Balmoral when a pair of American hikers approached. Have you ever met the Queen? one asked the Queen, clearly not having recognised her. I havent, she replied, but Dick here meets her regularly. Whereupon the tourist handed his camera to Her Majesty and asked her to take a photo of him and Griffin. She gracefully obliged. Nothing sums up the humility, humour and humanity of the woman more than that simple yet telling anecdote.

Jubilee or no Jubilee, Im afraid I must draw the line at the use of the Union Jack as a form of sartorial expression. The only person who ever vaguely managed to get away with it was Ginger Spice, aka Geri Halliwell, and even that was questionable.

Jubilee or no Jubilee, Im afraid I must draw the line at the use of the Union Jack as a form of sartorial expression. The only person who ever vaguely managed to get away with it was Ginger Spice, aka Geri Halliwell, and even that was questionable

In her first interview since announcing shes stepping down, Facebook boss Sheryl Sandberg uses a term Ive never heard before to describe midlife women: queenager. In a week when weve been celebrating the ultimate Queen, Elizabeth II, it seems the perfect way to describe all those women juggling work and family, all the while struggling to remain relevant in a world that still favours youth and beauty over age and experience.

I don't know why but I find Dan Walkers bleating about his income a real turn-off. I am embarrassed by the amount I earn, the TV presenter says. If thats the case, why accept a job at Channel 5 for a reported 1.5millon over three years? Look, Dan, you are good at what you do. Theres nothing wrong with being rewarded for that. But moaning about it is just self-indulgent.

I don't know why but I find Dan Walkers bleating about his income a real turn-off

My run-in with Pimms police

I took my son and a couple of his friends away for a few days during half-term. We went to a supermarket to stock up on the sort of thing 17-year-old boys like to eat. At one point, I asked my son to put a case of beer and a bottle of Pimms in the trolley (I was expecting some friends, and have a bad back). At the checkout I was approached by a member of the security staff. Had I ever heard of a proxy sale, he asked me. No I had not, I replied, scanning my sausages. Well, he informed me, he had reason to suspect I was attempting one. Apparently, security cameras had spotted my son putting the alcohol into the trolley, and staff suspected me of attempting to purchase it on his behalf. I tried to explain that, as the childs mother, I had no intention of letting him drink any alcohol, but my assurances fell on deaf ears. In the end I gave up on the drinks, mindful that the poor man was just doing his job. But talk about a police state. Ive rarely been made to feel like such a criminal.

Heres my view on the Tory rebels. The Prime Minister should call their bluff. He would almost certainly win a vote of no confidence, and if he did it would give him a fresh mandate as leader, and allow him to reshuffle. Its his best chance of drawing a line under Partygate, which he absolutely needs to do. And if he loses  well, so be it. Better that than this constant carping, death by 1,000 cuts, a Tory Party divided  and certain defeat at the next Election.

Il Portico, Londons oldest family-run restaurant, has been vandalised just days after it hosted a fundraiser for Ukraine attended by, among others, J.K. Rowling. The vandals motives have not been made clear, but it is perhaps no coincidence that following the event the owner, James Chiavarini, was trolled on Twitter and accused of transphobia. Once again, proof that no good deed goes unpunished in this crazy world of ours.
This is a unique moment of serious national reflection. We are plainly nearing the end of one of the most momentous eras in our history. Our Queen, more personally beloved than any previous Monarch, is still with us but will now plainly be seen less and less until, in the fullness of time, we will have to learn to cope without her genius for reconciliation and generosity, her patience, her personal modesty and specifically Christian approach to duty and to forbearance.

It is hard to see how we could have got through the past 70 years without her.

That is why the past few days have been a moment of mingled rejoicing and sadness. We all know it is most unlikely that we will see such a celebration again, and that we have been privileged to witness this one.

So let us learn from her while we can, in every aspect of our lives.

Many difficulties and opportunities lie ahead for this nation, which during her reign has transformed itself from a mighty, tightly disciplined empire into a modern beacon of tolerance, inventiveness and openness to the whole world.

That this change has happened peacefully and mainly happily is largely due to the personal statecraft of the Queen, most of whose Ministers have had the sense to listen to her wisdom. It is also due to our constitution, which has allowed us to continue to respect and admire our head of state even while millions, on one side or the other, have felt it hard to admire or respect our political leaders.

There is nothing wrong with that. For many centuries we have avoided tyranny, fascism and communism precisely because we are loyal above all to the Crown, and can cope with a fair amount of hurly-burly in a noisy and adversarial Parliament.

If a British politician is booed in the street, that is just the normal red-blooded behaviour of a free people towards its elected leaders. It does not shake the foundations of society.

If a British politician is booed in the street, that is just the normal red-blooded behaviour of a free people towards its elected leaders. It does not shake the foundations of society. Pictured: Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie at the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral, London, on day two of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations on Friday

In fact, this form of government is so good that most of the longest-lasting free nations on the planet are constitutional monarchies like ours.

So let us bless and praise and give thanks for the Monarchy, and hope that Her Majesty, her heirs and successors, will reign over us far into the future.

And then we can turn to the other pressing matter in our public affairs, the supposed Tory revolt against Boris Johnson. This, too, requires serious reflection.

Of course there is discontent against the Prime Minister. He has been in office for almost three turbulent and difficult years, beginning with the challenge of Brexit, with which he dealt decisively when others had hesitated and failed.

These have been tough and challenging times, from the pandemic to the cost of living crisis, the many and various legacies of our long national shutdown and now the war in Ukraine, with all its ramifications.

No doubt Mr Johnson made some mistakes during his handling of these matters, but in general this country has emerged less damaged by Covid than most other major societies, and much of this is directly due to decisions taken by him.

One thing that is absolutely certain is that the Labour Opposition would have made a worse job of it, confining us with tighter regulations and reluctant to relax lockdowns.

Labour partisans have made what they could of 'Partygate'. After all, what else do they have to offer the British people, apart from cynical pacts with the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish Nationalists? They must grasp at anything that will serve to make themselves look like an effective alternative government, which they are not.

In any case, they have lost much of their zeal and self-righteousness since Sir Keir Starmer ran into troubles of his own over beer and curry in Durham.

But what on earth are Tory MPs up to, trying to make trouble for Mr Johnson?

In any case, they have lost much of their zeal and self-righteousness since Sir Keir Starmer (pictured on Friday for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations at The Guildhall in London) ran into troubles of his own over beer and curry in Durham

What do these rebels, egged on of course by the BBC, hope to achieve? Have they not noticed that it is the enemies of Tory Britain who rejoice at their efforts, while praising and publicising every whinge and whimper that comes from them?

'Rebels', an expression that suggests romance and bravery, is not really the word for them. They are pygmies and narcissists, who could easily sentence this country to a forever coalition of socialists, Scottish separatists, fanatical Greens and Liberal Democrats, all of course yearning to get this country back into the EU, which we escaped with such difficulty.

Make no mistake, this would not be temporary. The rapidly solidifying coalition of the new Left dreams of abolishing our traditional first-past-the-post voting system and bringing in Continental-style elections under which we could never again get rid of the liberal elite.

The stakes could not be higher.

A split Tory Party would be doomed at the polls. The public will never tolerate division of this kind. The only beneficiary of a rebellion against Boris Johnson would be Labour.

Does the country really want Sir Keir Starmer in charge?

Yet these rebels could make this happen. Once across the threshold of Downing Street, he would begin the break-up of the United Kingdom  something the Queen has done so much to hold together.

His government would be dedicated to colossal spending and taxation. And it would surrender happily to the woke culture that in recent years has bent out of shape so many things we've taken for granted for generations, from the British sense of fair play and justice to simple biological definitions of men and women.

What we have experienced up until now will be nothing compared to what will then follow.

Governments should be changed by the voting population  not by a rabble of embittered, grudge-driven nobodies, some of whom are merely motivated by self-love or the fact they have been justifiably sacked from high office, or rightly denied promotion.

Many Tory MPs have never forgiven Boris Johnson for succeeding where they had failed, especially over Brexit.

Mr Johnson's whispering attackers seem to be cowards as well as narcissists.

For example, one of the suspected main rebel-rousers is alleged to be a man in the pocket of the gambling industry who is now prepared to bet Britain's future on a Conservative leadership election.

There seems to be no one brave enough to be the leader of the so-called 'Jubilee Coup'.

If their case is so good, why is there such a shortage of credible alternative Premiers?

Jeremy Hunt? One Minister has described him witheringly as 'Theresa May in trousers without the charisma'  a double blow, since Mrs May was never famous for her charisma.

What has he done? He would never have pushed Brexit through. He was Health Secretary for an unusually long stint. Yet the NHS is still not fixed. The best way for him to show leadership would be for him to come out and condemn the plotting.

Rishi Sunak, who once allowed himself to be talked of as a potential successor, has destroyed his own reputation at the Treasury. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is at best entirely untested. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, though plainly ambitious, remains an insubstantial figure.

Yes, Boris Johnson has many failings. But his internal enemies and his Left-wing opponents have many more.

Political leadership does not require spotless saints but competent, experienced men and women who can get things done when others dither or fail.

Many of our greatest national leaders have been deeply flawed, yet they have served the people well.

Even if Boris Johnson's opponents had any serious alternative to offer, they would be playing with fire in trying to unseat him at this stage in a Parliament. As they do not have any such alternative, their actions are futile and wrong. They should put duty before self-indulgence, and devote all their efforts to ensuring a Conservative victory at the next election.
As the various working members of the Royal Family fanned out across the country yesterday  the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in Wales, Princess Anne at Epsom, the Earl and Countess of Wessex in Belfast  the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were celebrating their daughter Lilibets first birthday in Windsor.

Might they have popped over to the castle to visit the Queen? One can imagine Her Majesty  who had never met her great-granddaughter until last week  would have been delighted.

Under normal circumstances it might even have been turned into a bigger occasion, a chance for several generations of the family to come together and create some memories, as she herself put it recently.

After all, the Queen is not the only relative Lilibet  or, for that matter, her older brother Archie  has had little chance to get to know.

Uncles, aunts, cousins, their grandfather Prince Charles  all remain virtual strangers to the Sussex children. Which is a shame because, as Prince Harry knows from his close friendship with his own cousins, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, family ties do matter.

Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, pictured leaving the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral yesterday

Theres a shared experience that can be invaluable, especially when things get tough. It seems sad to deprive the little Sussexes of that.

But it was not to be, not on this occasion anyway. Although we dont know for sure, it seems unlikely that Princes George and Charlotte attended Lilibets birthday given that they were in Cardiff with their parents.

As for William and Kate themselves, one gets the distinct impression that they would rather attend the opening of an envelope on Mars than come face to face with Harry and Meghan.

That was certainly the impression given at St Pauls Cathedral on Friday, where not a single glance passed between the two couples.

Fair enough, they were on opposite sides of the cathedral and arrived separately. But you would never have known the brothers were even related, let alone once so close they used to finish each others sentences.

Prince Harry, pictured, was stoney-faced at the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral on Friday

The only thing they seemed to have in common were their stony-faced expressions.

If there was ever a time to bury the hatchet, this celebration of the Queens very special Jubilee was it. After all, no one understands better than Her Majesty the need sometimes to set aside ones own emotions for the greater good.

It would have been a grown-up and meaningful gesture, a genuine tribute to her sacrifice. And yet not even for her could they manage it. Quite honestly, I felt like banging both their thick skulls together.

That said, I still harboured a vague hope that it was protocol, not pride, keeping them apart at St Pauls. After all, it was a highly formal setting, and some things are much easier done in a more relaxed environment.

Last nights Buckingham Palace concert, in the presence of rock royalty, might have been the perfect chance to clear the air more casually. A hug, a shared lyric, a bit of a bop  everything seems less serious when youre having fun. But no. Not even that. Harry and Meghan were reportedly holed up at Frogmore Cottage (current cost per stay somewhere north of a week at The Ritz).

A cynic might say the only reason the Sussexes showed up was to get that all-important snap of Lilibet with Lilibet, and to recharge their Royal status for Netflix.

Equally though, its clear that Prince William is in no mood for compromise. Perhaps he knows something we dont. After all, the much talked about tell-all memoir by Harry was scheduled for publication this autumn. Its hard to imagine any revelations more damning than those in the Oprah interview, but you never know.

And why should the Cambridges always be the ones to offer the olive branch, especially when they only end up getting poked in the eye with it?

Either way, one thing is clear. Not even the Queen herself, with her remarkable ability to bring people of all different backgrounds together, can bridge the current abyss between these two brothers. A sad footnote to an otherwise joyous weekend.
Yes, it's true. Stephen Merchant really did get Hollywood legend Christopher Walken to destroy a real-life Banksy painting worth millions.

'It just seemed like a funny gag,' he says, laughing, having somehow persuaded the world's most famous guerrilla artist to spray-paint one of his iconic rats on a wall just so it could be painted over by the star of The Deer Hunter, who was playing a dodgy pensioner called Frank in crime comedy The Outlaws.

'I love it. Even the maddest ideas are potentially achievable, there is no locked door you can't knock on.'

Maybe not if your shelves groan with Emmys and BAFTAs, you created The Office and Extras with Ricky Gervais, have sold out stand up tours and appeared in a Marvel movie. The Outlaws, created by Stephen, won acclaim last year as a funny yet gritty BBC comedy-drama about misfits brought together to do community service.

Stephen Merchant (left) with his girlfriend, American actress Mircea Monroe (right). The comedian, 47, resides between London and LA and says he loves his freedom

They include influencer Lady Gabby (Poldark's Eleanor Tomlinson), security guard Christian (Gamba Cole) and nervy lawyer Greg, played by Stephen himself.

The show is set in Bristol, home town of both Merchant and Banksy, so it was apt to have Frank unwittingly splosh paint over the priceless rat as the climax of series one. 'I went to Christopher Walken in his trailer and said, "How about destroying a Banksy today?"

He knew who Banksy was. We had one shot and there it was.

Surreal as it must have been, that starry moment of destruction shows how far Stephen Merchant has come since the days in the 90s when 'I died on my a***' telling jokes at the Bristol Comedy Box.

Something about this 6ft 7in gentle giant appealed to the head of speech at the radio station XFM when he gave Merchant a job there in 1997.

The new boss was called Ricky Gervais and together they made a short film that became The Office, one of the most successful sitcoms of all time.

Fans would love an Office reunion, so could it happen? 'I'd love to work with Ricky again but I don't know if bringing back The Office is the way to do it.

The mob mentality has taken hold. It would be very sad if my career was over photographs: because of a glib remark

'I feel that'll never be as delicious as everyone thinks it would,' he says. 'What's an office existence going to look like now anyway?

'David Brent talking on Zoom and everyone else working from their back bedrooms?'

He and Ricky both have homes in north London, so are they still mates? 'We're still in contact, but we never really socialised.

'I'm younger than him. His joke was that I was just discovering my favourite hip-hop album and he'd discovered his favourite chair. He never was one for late-night ribaldry.'

For the last four years Stephen, 47, has been with American actress Mircea Monroe, who starred in Episodes. They met at an awards ceremony, so what was his chat-up line?

'I don't operate with the line, "Hi, I'm Stephen Merchant. Would you like to see my BAFTAs?" It's not as sexy as you think. We just got talking, then we hit it off.'

Stephen with Ricky Gervais on Comic Relief. The pair made a short film that became The Office, one of the most successful sitcoms of all time

Today we're at their home in the hills above Los Angeles, a spectacular mansion once owned by the chat show host Ellen DeGeneres. While Ricky Gervais made a huge noise about conquering Hollywood, appearing as a leading man and roasting fellow celebrities as host of the Golden Globes, Stephen did it by stealth, behind the scenes.

'Most of my life is writing, really,' he says, but those credits include Life's Too Short, An Idiot Abroad and the reality show Lip Sync Battle, as well as executive producing the US version of The Office. He's been in The Big Bang Theory, Hot Fuzz, Gnomeo & Juliet and a West End play, as well as Wolverine sequel Logan.

So is he sipping cocktails by the pool with Tom Cruise every night?

How I got Christopher Walken to destroy a real-life Banksy In The Outlaws, Banksy agreed to produce an artwork that Christopher Walken's character (pictured) could paint over Because both Stephen and the famous graffiti artist both hail from Bristol, Banksy agreed to produce an artwork that Christopher Walken's character could paint over in The Outlaws. But the piece would be worth millions, so Banksy was very clear, says Stephen. 'The deal was that after we painted over it we had to grind away what was left and send film of that to his people, so they knew it was destroyed, because the intention was only for it to exist for the show.' Advertisement

'Oh yeah, I'm Mr Hollywood,' he says, sarcastically. 'I'm not hanging out with Tom Cruise every five minutes, no.

'I've encountered people like Tom Cruise and had a perfectly pleasant evening. I like him very much, but you end up with the friends that you end up with.

'Some of them are showbusiness people and some are not.'

When I ask how he and Mircea manage to run working lives on both sides of the Atlantic, he says, 'I'm lucky I don't have kids. My partner and I can do what we want, in terms of which country we're in.

'I love London and I love Britain. I also like coming here for the sun, for the people I know, for the city's creativity.'

Would he want kids?

'I've never particularly had that desire. I have nothing against children, but I'm probably quite selfish. I like the life I have and the freedom to do what I do,' he says.

'I liked writing before I was paid for it, so why wouldn't I do it all the time? Performing was always fun to me, so why would I not do that?

'I think there's part of me that's like, "Children will just stop me doing what I want." He pauses for a moment, perhaps thinking about how this may sound to others.

'I'm not saying they don't bring in any other rewards.'

The natural caution that makes him say that is reflected in his style on social media, so is he worried about cancel culture? 'It plays on my mind in the sense it'd be very sad if my career was over because of a glib remark I made on a talk show,' he says.

'The mob mentality has taken hold. When you stop letting people speak their mind, it doesn't feel healthy.

'It's the idea you can't retract or apologise, you can't learn or educate. I understand things now in a way I didn't a year ago.'

Back then he was preparing to play the Grindr killer Stephen Port in the drama Four Lives, a career swerve that won him great praise. 'I'd like to do more serious acting.

'My plan was to try to make him seem awkward and childlike, and any eeriness would come from that.' Port himself said he should have been played by someone more handsome like Kevin Bacon.

'It's funny how weirdos always want handsome leading men to play them. No! The fact is they should let us weirdos play he weirdos, and handsome leading men play handsome leading men.'

There's an irony in that, given he somehow persuaded one of the great Hollywood leading men to play weirdo Frank in The Outlaws. 'We always liked the idea there was this character like The Man Who Fell To Earth [David Bowie's movie about a stranded alien] who feels other worldly, then we reveal him to be a petty criminal, another small person among others.

Bring back The Office? With David Brent on Zoom and everyone else working in their bedrooms?

'Christopher Walken was at the top of the list, because he can do funny and charming, but also scary and mysterious.'

Getting the script to him was a challenge. 'He doesn't have a mobile phone or a computer. I think we faxed him.'

Once Walken was in Britain, Merchant took him on a day trip. 'If you told the 14-year-old me, aspiring to be in showbusiness, that one day I'd visit Stonehenge during a break in filming with Christopher Walken, I'd have laughed at you.'

The Covid lockdown happened just a few days into shooting, so they chose to make another series while everyone was still there. Will they make a third?

'We're working up stories. We just have to wait for the powers to authorise it.'

The show's second series, which hits screens this week, has the community-service misfits drawn into the world of drug dealing to help their friends. It's a surprisingly sympathetic portrayal of drug dealers.

'I find the idea of demonising criminals without trying to understand what leads them there a very reductive process,' says Merchant.

'Yes, we have our Mr Big at the top of the chain [played by Dracula's Claes Bang], but otherwise it's about what has led people to the positions they have in life, the choices they've made and how they've been exploited. It all comes from a well of empathy.'

There is a laugh-out-loud moment when a character condemns 'lefty hypocrites' who buy organic vegan food but don't care where the drugs they snort come from. 'Oh, who do we think is buying these drugs that are criminalised and that people are going to jail for?'

He's talking about the middle-class customers whose money keeps gangs in business. 'It's preposterous that we're still not even having sensible debates about drug policy, and the government has just closed its ears to even the proper legalisation of cannabis.

'I'm not suggesting I have the answers, I'm just saying we can't keep pretending that it's about good and evil.'

He smiles, remembering that we also want to laugh. 'Alongside all that there's a couple of d*** jokes and me hitting my head on a chandelier, so something for everyone!'
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Kate Middleton paid a discreet homage to the Queen as she attended the thanksgiving service in the Monarch's honour at St Paul's Cathedral yesterday.

The Duchess of Cambridge, 40, paid a touching tribute to both the Monarch and to her own late mother-in-law Princess Diana as she borrowed a pair of pearl drop earrings from Her Majesty's personal collection, to the poignant service.

The mother-of-three swept her hair into an intricate bun, revealing the Bahrain Pearl Diamond Drop Earrings which also came from Her Majesty's private collection, and were also worn by Diana in 1982. The earrings were crafted from pearls gifted to the Queen and Philip from the ruler of Bahrain at the time of their wedding in 1947.

The monarch famously wore the jewels in her first Royal Command portrait by Dorothy Wilding in July 1952.

This is not the first time Kate has borrowed the earrings. She first wore them in 2016 for the Remembrance Day service at Westminster Abbey. She also wore them to attend Prince Philip's funeral in 2021.

The Duchess of Cambridge, 40, donned a pair of drop pearl earring the Queen wore in her first Royal Command portrait by Dorothy Wilding in July 1952

The Queen loaned the jewels to Diana for a banquet given by Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus of the Netherlands at Hampton Court Palace during the Dutch royal family's visit to the UK - one of her first royal engagements a year after her marriage to Prince Charles

The Queen wore the earrings several times throughout her reign, and she has also lent them to her daughter-in-law Sophie Wessex, 57, on occasion.

Kate looked glamorous in a custom Emilia Wickstead yellow dress yesterday as she joined Prince William and other senior royals at the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee.

The Duchess walked in to the Cathedral with her husband, while their children Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince George, eight, and Prince Louis, four, stayed at home.

She paired the gorgeous lemon dress with a Philip Treacy hat - a favourite milliner of the royal family - and 560 mauve Gianvito Rossi pumps, which she owns in at least six colours.

Kate looked glamorous in an Emilia Wickstead yellow dress as she joined Prince William and other senior royals at the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee

Future King and Queen! William and Kate are seen leaving St Paul's Cathedral following the service to honour the Queen

Strutting her stuff! Duchess of Cambridge arrives for the Lord Mayor's reception after the service

Kate wore no nail polish and appeared to have a small cut on her thumb which was covered by a plaster as she left the Cathedral

Kate arrives for reception hosted by the Lord Mayor of London at The Guildhall in London following the service

Kate looked delighted to pay tribute to The Queen. She is pictured at St Paul's Cathedral with Princess Anne and Prince William

Kate has long been a fan of Emilia Wickstead dresses and worn them on dozens of occasions.

Prince Charles showed a moment of warm affection towards Kate at St Paul's Cathedral when he blew his daughter-in-law a kiss as they met.

Once the Prince of Wales and Camilla had arrived for the Service of Thanksgiving, the two met with William and Kate before they walked together to their seats.

On previous occasions, Prince Charles has been seen greeting his daughter-in-law with a kiss on both cheeks, but cameras captured the sweet moment when the heir to the throne gently blew Kate a kiss, as they met.

However, the Prince of Wales was not seen greeting or interacting with his other daughter-in-law Meghan Markle, after royal aides carefully managed the seating plan to keep Charles, Camilla and the Cambridges separate from the Sussexes.

Harry and William have had a long-standing feud, while Harry has accused his father Charles of cutting him off financially and Meghan claimed an unnamed royal made a comment about Archie's skin tone before he was born  with the Sussexes having a war of words with the Palace following last year's bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview.

It was the first time Harry and Meghan, who now live in California, had been on full public view alongside the Windsors since they quit the monarchy for a new life in the US two years ago.

Prince Charles showed a moment of warm affection towards Kate Middleton at St Paul's Cathedral when he blew his daughter-in-law a kiss as they met

It has been said Kate has always had a good relationship with Prince Charles, long before he became her father-in-law, seen here just before the four walk together to their seats for the Service of Thanksgiving

The four exchange some words as they meet inside St Paul's Cathedral before the Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (left, circled) sat alongside Prince Charles and Camilla - across the aisle from the Sussexes (right, circled) at St Paul's

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex looked to be enjoying the occasion as they chatted to fellow royals seated around them (Pictured from right: Lady Sarah Chatto, the Sussexes, Jack Brooksbank, Princess Eugenie, bottom row from left, the Duke of Kent, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex's son James, Viscount Severn)

Kate is known to have a warm relationship with her father-in-law and has reportedly helped smooth the sometimes fractious relationship between the heir to the throne and his son, William.

The Duchess was warmly welcomed into the family by Charles after her engagement to William, and she's been heard affectionately calling him Grandpa in public on previous occasions.

However, there was no interaction captured on camera between Prince Charles and his younger son Prince Harry at the service.

The couple were kept apart from Prince William, Kate, Prince Charles and Camilla after royal aides ensured they sat on the other side of the aisle - and they later left separately.

The Sussexes did not attend a reception straight after at the nearby Guildhall which featured a series of other Royal Family members and politicians including Prime Minster Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel.

Prince Charles and Camilla speak with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge after arriving at St Paul's Cathedral

A friendly display! Prince Charles and Kate were seen chatting (left) with the Duchess apparently making the Prince of Wales chuckle during the event (right)

The Prince of Wales was seen giggling after chatting with his eldest son Prince William and Kate Middleton during the event earlier

Prince Charles and Duchess of Cornwall leave St Paul's Cathedral after the Service of Thanksgiving , on the second day of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations

Charles and Camilla stand and sing mid service in St Paul's Cathedral, London,

The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles sit down at the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral

Buckingham Palace officials took great care to try to avoid a repeat of the frosty scenes when the Sussexes and Cambridges sat near each other and left together at their last joint event in March 2020 at Westminster Abbey.

And aides would have been delighted that the service in front of 2,000 guests passed without any such incident or negative 'optics' given the attempts to ensure the day was about the Queen and her 70-year reign.

Kate and William chatted to Prince Charles and Camilla inside the cathedral, but there was no sign of the same rapport with Harry and Meghan who sat in between Lady Sarah Chatto and Princess Eugenie's husband Jack Brooksbank, and were under strict instructions to keep a low profile during the event.

Harry and Megan walked down the aisle of St Paul's hand-in-hand after the service, joined by other members of the royal family and following Charles and Camilla and William and Kate - but did not appear with them outside.

The Sussexes turned to talk to Lady Sarah Chatto, who had been sat next to Meghan, and her husband Daniel Chatto. Senior clerics waited to bid the congregation goodbye and Meghan shared a joke with the Archbishop of York and touched Harry's arm as he joined the conversation. The trio then laughed before the Sussexes moved on.

How Prince Charles and Kate Middleton's bond has become more apparent in the past year - with sweet greetings at public events Prince Charles and Kate Middleton have shown several public signs of their close relationship over the past year. In April 2021, the Duchess shared a kiss on the cheek with her grief-stricken father-in-law as they left Prince Philip's funeral. Kate consoled Prince Charles as the pair walked out of St George's Chapel following the emotional service in memory of the Duke of Edinburgh. Photographs show Kate comforting the Prince of Wales over the loss of his father by putting her hand on his shoulder. She then kisses him on the cheek as they set off from the entrance of the chapel. Prince Charles had earlier been visibly emotional as he walked in the procession. And in June, the Duchess of Cambridge lovingly called father-in-law Prince Charles 'grandpa' when she greeted him at a G7 reception. Kate used the family nickname while speaking to Charles at a reception at the Eden Project, in Cornwall. Meanwhile in September, she attended the James Bond premiere alongside her father-in-law, greeting him with a close embrace as they met at Royal Albert Hall in London Advertisement

Kate and William, walk alongside Charles and Camilla to their seats in St Paul's Cathedral before the service begins

The Princess Royal, the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke of Cambridge take their seats in St Paul's Cathedral

A source said palace aides had been acutely aware of 'the optics' - how things would look from the outside - and ensured that the couple were only attending events where there would be minimal interactions with other senior royals in public

Megxit stage left: Harry and Meghan return to Frogmore Cottage while other royals mingle with St Paul's guests at reception after William and Kate kept their distance at carefully stage-managed service Prince Harry and Meghan Markle returned to their Windsor home of Frogmore Cottage yesterday, leaving the rest of the Royal Family to attend a reception without them following the Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen. The Duke of Sussex was seen smiling next to his wife while being driven in a Range Rover with another car carrying security personnel behind them, after what was the couple's first joint royal engagement in two years. They had been at St Paul's Cathedral for the service, but were kept apart from Prince William, Kate, Prince Charles and Camilla after royal aides ensured they sat on the other side of the aisle - and they later left separately. The Sussexes did not attend a reception straight after at the nearby Guildhall which featured a series of other Royal Family members and politicians including Prime Minster and Home Secretary Priti Patel. Kate and William chatted to Prince Charles and Camilla inside the cathedral, but there was no sign of the same rapport with Harry and Meghan who sat in between Lady Sarah Chatto and Princess Eugenie's husband Jack Brooksbank, and were under strict instructions to keep a low profile during the event. Advertisement

Members of the crowd outside St Paul's sang the National Anthem while they waited for the Royal Family to leave at the end, before Charles and Camilla were the first to walk out as the bells began to toll at the end of the service.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed, with Kate waving cheerily to the crowds while chatting to her husband. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex left holding hands and were seen chatting to Zara Tindall and her husband Mike. Both Harry and Meghan shook hands with the Lord Mayor before getting into a car.

During the service, there were smiles from the Earl and Countess of Wessex as the Archbishop of York referred to the Queen's love of horse racing, while the Princess Royal nodded her head in approval.

The Archbishop of York said the Queen was 'still in the saddle', as he thanked her for 'staying the course'.

In his sermon at St Paul's, The Most Rev Stephen Cottrell compared the monarch's well-known love of horse racing to her long reign, suggesting it 'reflects the distance of Aintree more than the sprints of Epsom'.

Mr Cottrell told the congregation, which included senior members of the Royal Family, he was 'sorry' the Queen could not attend, but glad there is 'still more to come'.

He said: 'It is well known that Her Majesty likes horse racing.

'I don't have any great tips for the Derby tomorrow, but since the scriptures describe life as a race set before us, let me observe that her long reign reflects the distance of Aintree more than the sprints of Epsom.

'Certainly, less dressage than most people imagine. But with endurance, through times of change and challenge, joy and sorrow, she continues to offer herself in the service of our country and the Commonwealth.

'Your Majesty, we're sorry you're not with us this morning in person, but you are still in the saddle. And we are all glad that there is still more to come.'

In his address, the Archbishop said the best leaders are those who 'know how to be led' and 'lead for others, not themselves'.

'People whose heart's desire is to serve the common good and build up the common life; who don't try to do it all themselves, or act in their own strength alone; people who take a longer view; and who seek out places of replenishing, even places where they might learn the mind of Christ,' he said.

'I say this today, knowing that in Her Majesty the Queen we see an example of this kind of service; a staunch constancy and a steadfast consistency; a faithfulness to God, an obedience to a vocation that is the bedrock of her life.'

The Queen missed out on the service yesterday, due to episodic mobility issues that she's been experiencing.

Buckingham Palace revealed Her Majesty 'greatly enjoyed' her birthday parade and flypast but 'did experience some discomfort'.

Buckingham Palace said: 'Taking into account the journey and activity required to participate in tomorrow's National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral, Her Majesty, with great reluctance, has concluded that she will not attend.'

Princess Anne, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William read from hymn sheet as they mark Queen's 70 years

Kate looked delighted to pay tribute to The Queen. She is pictured at St Paul's Cathedral with Princess Anne and Prince William

The future Queen looked delighted to be celebrating her husband's grandmother - and smiled and waved at crowds yesterday
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Members of the royal family have shared their Happy Birthday messages with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daughter Lilibet amid the Jubilee celebrations.

The youngster will celebrate her first third birthday today far away from her $14 million home in Montecito - and instead is believed to be spending the day privately with her parents the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and elder brother Archie, at their UK base of Frogmore Cottage.

To mark the occasion, the Queen, Prince Charles and Camilla, Kate Middleton and Prince William shared their greetings on social media at the exact same time.

But with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle fiercely protective of their daughters privacy, previously sharing just one photograph of the little girl over the last 12 months, the royals were unable to post a snap of Lilibet.

It comes after The Queen reportedly met her great-granddaughter Lilibet for the first time after Prince Harry and Meghan had lunch with the monarch and senior royals behind closed doors as part of Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Meanwhile royal fans have been desperate to catch a glimpse of three-year-old Archie and Lilibet. Many have bemoaned the absence of Archie and Lilibet from the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Yesterday, the Duchess' hairdresser and close friend has revealed how the Duke and Duchess' son Archie is the 'cutest, well mannered boy' while Lilibet is 'beautiful'.

Members of the royal family have shared their Happy Birthday messages with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daughter Lilibet amid the Jubilee celebrations

To mark the occasion, the Queen, Prince Charles and Camilla, shared their greetings on social media at the exact same time (pictured)

But with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle fiercely protective of their daughters privacy, previously sharing just one photograph of the little girl over the last 12 months, both Prince Charles and the Queen were unable to post a snap of Lilibet

While the official Twitter account for the Queen posted: 'Wishing Lilibet a very Happy 1st Birthday!', the account for Prince Charles shared an almost identical message.

The words posted on the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall's social media read: 'Wishing Lilibet a very happy 1st birthday today' along with a cake emoji.

It is believed that Harry and Meghan took their children to Windsor Castle to see their great-grandmother soon after they arrived in the UK, given the Queens current mobility problems  although this has not yet been officially confirmed.

Lilibet is today celebrating her first birthday in the UK and it is anticipated that the Queen will make time to see her grandson and his children again, given that she has cancelled her trip to the Epsom Derby and will not be attending tonights Party at the Palace.

It comes after The Queen reportedly met her great-granddaughter Lilibet for the first time after Prince Harry and Meghan had lunch with the monarch and senior royals behind closed doors as part of Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

It is not yet known whether the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have met Lilibet in person during the Jubilee celebrations

It is also very likely that Prince Charles will get to meet his grandchildren too. It is understood that he and Camilla met Harry and Meghan privately.

It comes after George Northwood, who recently jetted out to the Netherlands to do Meghan's beauty while she attended the Invictus Games with husband, shared a post on Instagram with several images of the Duchess yesterday.

In a gushing caption, he posted: 'So nostalgic and wonderful to be reunited Harry, Meghan and their family in the UK. Archie has grown to be the cutest, well mannered little boy and Lilibet is just beautiful.'

The royal couple have shared very few photographs of Archie, while they have only released one image of Lili - a Christmas card which the Duke and Duchess shared on their Archewell website in December.

Archie has rarely been seen since the couple stepped back as senior royals in March last year, with the couple releasing a few sparing pictures of him showing him with his back to the camera.

During the Oprah Winfrey interview and Prince Harry's mental health documentary, he made an appearance but royal fans were only be able to get a glimpse of the youngster's face.

It also marked the first time royal fans have been able to see Lilibet's face. Meghan is thought to have revealed a grainy first photograph of her second child after a framed picture of Prince Harry kissing a newborn baby took pride of place on her desk in a video for her 40th birthday.

Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's second child, was born on June 4 in Santa Barbara, California, at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, and is eighth in line to the throne.

She was named after the Queen's childhood nickname, while her middle name Diana was in tribute to Harry's late mother. The baby weighed 7lbs 11oz.

No photographs of Lilibet were released following her birth, unlike her brother Archie, who had a photocall at Windsor Castle in 2019.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at St Paul's Cathedral (left) and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Guildhall (right)

Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex attend the Service of Thanksgiving for The Queen's reign at St Paul's Cathedral

Prince Harry and Meghan arrive to attend a Service of Thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II this morning

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex leave St Paul's Cathedral after the Service of Thanksgiving for the Platinum Jubilee toda

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are said to have introduced their little girl to the Queen - nicknamed Lilibet as a child - yesterday at Windsor after attending a private Royal Family lunch at Buckingham Palace following Trooping the Colour.

News of the Queen's alleged meeting with Lilibet yesterday  which comes ahead of her first birthday tomorrow  was revealed on BBC Breakfast by royal commentator Omid Scobie, who is friendly with the Sussexes.

He said: 'I think people are expecting some sort of big birthday extravagant event, that we're going to see photographs from. From what I'm told, we shouldn't expect anything. Those moments with Lilibet are very much private between them and the Queen and of course we know how much she's been looking forward to it.

'They've been held back by a pandemic. Of course the times that Harry has been here it's just been by himself for quite sombre occasions.

'And so this really was the first time. Of course we know the Queen went back to Windsor Castle yesterday, the couple went back to Windsor as well where they're staying at Frogmore Cottage. So that would have been the first moment or the first chance for her to meet her namesake.'

Harry and Meghan are expected to remain mostly low-profile over the four-day Jubilee weekend, with no sign of the Netflix cameras that followed them around at the Invictus Games in the Netherlands in April.

So just when HAVE Harry and Meghan shared a glimpse of Archie and Lilibet with desperate royal fans? 8 May 2019 - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle appear in photo-call for Archie at Windsor Castle. When asked to expose more of their baby's face to the cameras, the Duchess laughed as Harry joked: 'Hes already got a little bit of facial hair as well, wonderful.' 6 July 2019 - Meghan and Harry hold private christening for Archie and release two images of the event on Sussex Royal. It offers royal fans their first real glimpse at Archie 10 July 2019 - Meghan cradles Archie in her arms as they join Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at a polo match September 25 2019 - Meghan and Prince Harry appear in front of cameras with Archie as they meet with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his wife Leah at the Tutu foundation in Cape Town 24 December 2019 - Meghan and Harry release their holiday card for the year, with their son taking centre stage in the black-and-white snap 31 December 2019 - Duke and Duchess also share a snap of Prince Harry cradling Archie during their 'break' in Canada on Vancouver Island on their Instagram page 6 May 2020 - Meghan and Archie appear in a video for Save the Children to mark youngster's first birthday where Duchess reads Duck or Goose 23 December 2020 - Duke and Duchess release an illustrated Christmas card in which Archie's face is not visible 8 March 2021 - Archie appears briefly in Meghan and Harry's Oprah Winfrey interview as he runs along beach, but his face is barely visible 9 March 2021 - Meghan and Harry share a snap cuddling with Archie in their garden - but his face is buried in Meghan's shoulder 6 May 2021 - Meghan and Harry release photograph of Archie from behind for his 2nd birthday 21 May 2021 - Archie, from behind, appears on swings with Prince Harry in The Me You You Can't See documentary 6 June 2021 - Meghan releases her children's book the bench, in which both her children are illustrated 7 June 2021 - Meghan and Harry announce their daughter Lilibet has been born, but do not release any photographs 4 August 2021 - Meghan releases video to mark her 40th birthday, in which there appears to be a blurry image of Harry kissing a newborn in the background, thought to be Lilibet. There are also several blurry images of Archie. 18 November 2021 - Meghan shares another picture of Archie from behind as she appears on The Ellen Show 23 December 2021 - The Duke and Duchess share an image of their family, including Archie and Lilibet, in which their faces are all visible to the camera Advertisement

The couple returned to their Windsor home of Frogmore Cottage this afternoon, leaving the rest of the Royal Family to attend a reception without them following the Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen.

The Duke was seen smiling next to his wife while being driven in a Range Rover with another car carrying security personnel behind, after what was the couple's first joint royal engagement in two years.

Meghan Markle's hairdresser who has become a close friend George Northwood: The hairdresser, whose other clients include Alexa Chung, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Alicia Vikander, was a regular part of team Sussex when Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, lived in the UK, and was trusted with doing the Duchess's locks on her wedding day. Northwood last worked with the Duchess of Sussex on her final royal engagements in March 2020 and thought at the time they would be seeing each other at the Invictus Games the following month. The pandemic meant the pair were unable to reunite until the long-delayed event was held last month. Advertisement

They had been at St Paul's Cathedral for the service, but were kept apart from Prince William, Kate, Prince Charles and Camilla after royal aides ensured they sat on the other side of the aisle - and they later left separately.

The Sussexes did not attend a reception straight after at the nearby Guildhall which featured a series of other Royal Family members and politicians including Prime Minster Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel.

Buckingham Palace officials took great care to try to avoid a repeat of the frosty scenes when the Sussexes and Cambridges sat near each other and left together at their last joint event in March 2020 at Westminster Abbey.

And aides would have been delighted that the service in front of 2,000 guests passed without any such incident or negative 'optics' given the attempts to ensure the day was about the Queen and her 70-year reign.

Kate and William chatted to Prince Charles and Camilla inside the cathedral, but there was no sign of the same rapport with Harry and Meghan who sat in between Lady Sarah Chatto and Princess Eugenie's husband Jack Brooksbank, and were under strict instructions to keep a low profile during the event.

Harry and William have had a long-standing feud, while Harry has accused his father Charles of cutting him off financially and Meghan claimed an unnamed royal made a comment about Archie's skin tone before he was born  with the Sussexes having a war of words with the Palace following last year's bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview.

It was the first time Harry and Meghan, who now live in California, had been on full public view alongside the Windsors since they quit the monarchy for a new life in the US two years ago. Crowds cheered the pair as they arrived, with the couple smiling and waving, but both boos and cheers could be heard as they departed.

Charles officially represented the absent 96-year-old monarch at the service in London which began at 11.30am. The Queen missed the historic event following a last-minute decision announced by Buckingham Palace at 7.30pm yesterday after she experienced 'discomfort' during Trooping The Colour events earlier in the day.

There was also no appearance at St Paul's by Prince Andrew after he tested positive for coronavirus earlier this week. The Queen watched the service from her residence of Windsor Castle, and it was broadcast on BBC One.

The Sussexes, who are staying at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor while visiting from California, were not allowed on the Buckingham Palace balcony yesterday and instead watched proceedings from Horse Guards Parade.

Prince Charles and Camilla speak with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge after arriving at St Paul's Cathedral

The Queen's niece, Lady Sarah, pictured behind her brother David Linley (far right), arrived by bus for the service on Friday morning with her sons, Arthur, far left, and Samuel, (second from right) who wore military uniform, and her nephew Charles Armstrong-Jones (second from left)

Princess Margaret's daughter Lady Sarah Chatto, 58, appeared to be deep in chat with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as she took a seat next to the couple in St Paul's Cathedral for the National Service of Thanksgiving on Friday

Lady Louise Windsor was seated between her mother Sophie Wessex and brother James, Viscount Severn, for the service

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie Johnson look at each other next to Liz Truss and Priti Patel this morning

Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi arrive for the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral

The Duchess of Sussex carried a pair of cream leather gloves in her hand as she climbed the steps at the cathedral

Yesterday, Harry and Meghan made a concerted effort not to be seen by prying eyes as they watched Trooping the Colour yesterday, arriving incognito at Horse Guards Parade and studiously keeping away from most - although not all - of the waiting photographers.

The couple arrived in the UK on Wednesday afternoon, flying in by private jet from Los Angeles to Farnborough Airport in Hampshire, where they were picked up by royal bodyguards and taken to Frogmore Cottage.

Yesterday a Range Rover with a modest escort swept them in to Central London and onto Whitehall, where they took up position in the Major General's Office overlooking the parade ground ready for the other royals to arrive.

Among the first to greet them were Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edo, as well as the Queen's grandson Peter Phillips.

Meghan was seen kissing his elder daughter, Savannah, 11, as his younger daughter, Isla, 10, held Zara and Mike Tindall's younger daughter Lena, almost four.

As Princess Beatrice's husband, Edo Mapelli-Mozzi, looked on, Meghan, 40, appeared to be sharing a secret with the youngsters, who were joined by the Tindalls' eldest daughter Mia, eight.

Meghan, wearing a large wide-brimmed navy and white hat, put her finger mysteriously to her lips as the girls mimicked her, laughing.

However, the non-appearance of the couple's own children, Archie, three and Lilibet, who turns one on Saturday, was noted by many on social media.

One wrote: 'I'm praying the Queen gets some time with Archie and Lilibet. She's been waiting so long. I also hope that there is a special christening for Lilibet before Harry returns to the USA.'

Another tweeted: 'Where is their family? I can understand the baby staying with the nanny, but where was Archie? Why wasn't he at the window watching with the other children?'

A third added: 'Queen Elizabeth n Louis on the balcony were just a grandmother n her grandson!! Wish Archie n Lilibet were with her!!'
US President Joe Biden says that the US energy crisis can be solved soon when Russia sells its oil at a discount, which the Kremlin vehemently denies. The Kremlin shot back that the US leader asserting he was very mistaken and said Russia would not sell the oil at a loss.

No Cheap Oil for the US, Allies

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made it clear that oil should earn a profit, and the US dictating a discount is preposterous when it and the EU prohibit nearly all oil imports, reported RT.

He responded to remarks made by US President Joe Biden, who suggested on Wednesday that due to the EU oil embargo.

Russia will be forced to sell its oil at a steep discount to foreign buyers, according to Biden, which is a wrong assumption.

Biden stated there would be an overpowering need for the Russians to sell it, and it would be purchased at a significantly lower price than the market is currently generating.

According to Peskov, this is unlikely to happen because world oil market forces might work against it.

He also stated that all sales would be profitable, even though demand may fall in one location while increasing in another. Supply chains will reorient as parties seek the best trade conditions, noted the Press United.

The EU agreed to cut most Russian oil imports this week, with the bloc's leadership promising to halt 75 percent of trade by the end of the year and 90 percent by the end of the year.

In early March, Joe Biden prohibited all hydrocarbon imports from Russia, resulting in an energy crisis, but Moscow said no to selling cheap oil.

Read Also: Vladimir Putin Net Worth 2022: Does Anyone Know Russian President's Hidden Wealth?

Russian oil producers have diverted supplies to Asian markets like India, giving significant discounts to market crude prices, which have been rising since mid-2020.

White House Wants Cheaper Source of Crude

US President Biden may not get cheap oil when an EU oil embargo lowered the price last Wednesday.

He spoke to the media about the unavailability of baby milk, expensive goods, and higher gas prices. He tried to convince Saudi Arabia to step up oil production but was ignored, noted the NY Post.

Claiming credit for trying to prevent US gas prices, which are already at all-time highs, from increasing even further.

The food shortage is blamed on the Ukraine conflict, with high energy prices that his administration alleged as Russia's fault.

About the sixth sanction on Russia, he added that the EU is going all out to punish the Kremlin for invading, but it's not going well for them.

Many American voters are presently most genuinely worried about rising prices. Political experts estimate that Biden's Democratic Party will be annihilated at the polls in November only if his administration can rapidly constrain rising prices.

The White House has repetitively faulted Russia, President Vladimir Putin in particular, for the persistent issues. Even invented the term "Putin's price hike" to show why American middle-class families are trying to find it more challenging to make ends meet each month.

But the Kremlin said prices had risen before February 24 due to a disrupted supply chain due to Covid-19. Also, it was the Biden administration as the cause but denied it.

This energy crisis that Joe Biden hopes can be solved by getting cheap oil by pressuring Moscow which resulted in another slam of the US leader.

Related Article: Turkey Still Blocks Finland, Sweden From Joining NATO Despite Pressure From the Military Alliance

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The Queen's lifelong love for horses is on display in new unseen footage where she affectionately pets and feeds the animals in Sandringham.

The monarch, 96, described one of the horses as an 'extraordinary girl' and is heard to say she wonders what goes through the creature's head.

The clips, filmed at the Royal Stud in Sandringham in April, will be shown in a special feature as part of ITV's Saturday Platinum Jubilee coverage.

The Queen, a keen horseracing fan, will not attend the Epsom Derby this weekend, but will be watching on television.

In the clips, the monarch, wearing a black coat and with a floral headscarf wrapped around her head, observed various horses and foals, alongside her trusted bloodstock and racing adviser John Warren.

The Queen's lifelong love for horses is on display in new unseen footage where she affectionately pets and feeds the animals in Sandringham

In the clips, the monarch, wearing a black coat and with a floral headscarf wrapped around her head, observed various horses and foals

Mr Warren, who has been an adviser to the monarch for more than 13 years and also represents other leading horse owners from across the globe, was made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (RVO) in the latest Queen's honours.

Gently stroking the coat of one of the horses, the Queen is heard to say: 'Well it must be three or four years when she came down into Windsor yard, but behaved as though she'd always been there.'

Admiring the horse, she added: 'Extraordinary girl, aren't you?'

Another clip showed the Queen asking a horse 'would you like another one?', before picking a carrot from a bowl and feeding it.

Later, observing two horses walking alongside each other in the yard, the Queen is heard to say: 'I often wonder what goes through her head'.

Gently stroking the coat of one of the horses, the Queen can be heard praising one of the horses for their behaviour while in the Windsor yard

Another clip showed the Queen asking a horse 'would you like another one?', before picking a carrot from a bowl and feeding it

Trainer Sir Michael Stoute and jockey Ryan Moore also feature in the ITV special with presenter Ed Chamberlin, which was filmed at The Jockey Club Rooms in Newmarket in May.

In the ITV feature, Mr Moore praised the Queen for letting him ride with 'complete freedom'.

He said: 'There is no pressure at all... she's always let me ride with complete freedom and it's been a tremendous honour for me.'

Her Majesty's fondness of horses began when she was just four after her grandfather, King George V, gave her a little Shetland pony.

The clips, filmed at the Royal Stud in Sandringham in April, will be shown in a special feature as part of ITV's Saturday Platinum Jubilee coverage

The Queen appears in the footage alongside her trusted bloodstock and racing adviser John Warren (left) as she observes the horses and foals (right)

The Queen's love for the animals is evident in the previously unseen foortage. The monarch has had a fondness for horses since she was four

By the age of six she had fallen in love with riding, becoming an accomplished equestrian in her teenage years and has continued to ride for pleasure throughout her life.

From her first appearance at the annual Trooping the Colour to 1986, the monarch would attend the ceremony on horseback.

She first attended the Royal Windsor Horse Show as a horse-mad teenager in 1943. Together with Princess Margaret, the 17-year-old showed off her equestrian prowess by winning the Pony & Dogcart class.

The Queen owns several thoroughbreds for racing after she initially inherited King George's breeding and racing stock following his death in February 1952.

In 1974, the monarch's interest in horses was the subject of a documentary title, The Queen's Race Horses: a Private View, which she herself narrated.

Later, observing two horses walking alongside each other in the yard, the Queen is heard to saying she wondered 'what goes through their heads

Trainer Sir Michael Stoute and jockey Ryan Moore also feature in the ITV special with presenter Ed Chamberlin, which was filmed at The Jockey Club Rooms in Newmarket in May

In May, the Queen attended the Windsor Horse Show and was also the guest of honour at the equestrian extravaganza A Gallop Through History, the first major event of the Jubilee festivities.

The Queen will not attend the Epsom Derby tomorrow, Buckingham Palace has announced.

The monarch, who is said to be 'fine' despite the announcement, is however expected to watch the major sporting event on television from Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace confirmed.

The news comes after Her Majesty was forced to pull out of today's Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral, with Buckingham Palace saying she was suffering from 'discomfort' following her appearances yesterday.

The Queen appeared twice on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch Trooping the Colour and the flypast of 71 aircraft and then travelled back to Windsor Castle to light the first in a chain of more than 3,500 Platinum Jubilee beacons.

Pictured, A lady-in-waiting taking the then Princess Elizabeth and her younger sister Princess Margaret on a visit to Pets Corner at London Zoo in 1937

From her first appearance at the annual Trooping the Colour to 1986, the monarch would attend the ceremony on horseback. Then Princess Elizabeth is pictured during on of her early ceremonies (left). After discovering her love for horses, the Queen has continued to ride for pleasure throughout her life. Her Majesty is pictured horse riding through Windsor in 2015 (right)

The Queen celebrated her most recent birthday with a photograph standing beside two of her favourite fell ponies, Bybeck Nightingale and Bybeck Katie

The Queen has been forced to cancel a string of engagements in recent months and most recently missed the State Opening of Parliament in May. Her son, Prince Charles, and grandson, Prince William, stood in for her.

Today's service at St Paul's was attended by more than 2,000 guests, including senior royals and politicians.

Harry and Meghan Markle were kept apart from Prince William, Kate, Prince Charles and Camilla, with royal aides ensuring they sat on the other side of the aisle - and they later left separately.

Straight afterwards, Charles, Camilla, William and Kate arrived for a reception the nearby Guildhall.

The Duchess of Cambridge is said to have told an attendee the Queen is 'fine' but had found the day 'very tiring'.

Gill Smallwood, from Bolton spoke with Kate and asked how the Queen was doing.

Ms Smallwood said of the conversation: 'She [Kate] said 'yes, she was fine, it was just very tiring yesterday, and she (the Queen) had had a lovely, lovely time'.'

Buckingham Palace officials took great care to try to avoid a repeat of the frosty scenes when the Sussexes and Cambridges sat near each other and left together at their last joint event in March 2020 at Westminster Abbey.

And aides would have been delighted that today's service passed without any such incident or negative 'optics' given the attempts to ensure today was about the Queen and her 70-year reign.

The Queen - a passionate horse owner and breeder - would have been looking forward to seeing her horse running on Saturday during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Despite 'episodic' mobility issues that forced her to miss the State Opening of Parliament, Her Majesty has attended a string of engagements in recent weeks, including the Chelsea Flower Show and the Royal Windsor Horse Show.

Her appearances yesterday delighted Britons who had turned out in the tens of thousands in central London and Windsor in the hope of catching a glimpse of Her Majesty.

Today's Guildhall attendee Ms Smallwood added that Kate also said Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte also 'had a lovely time' at yesterday's celebrations.

All three Cambridge children appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony, with Prince Louis, aged four, delighting fans with his animated display.

The Queen will not attend the Epsom Derby tomorrow, Buckingham Palace has announced. The news comes after Her Majesty was forced to pull out of today's Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral

Ms Smallwood, chief executive of domestic violence charity Fortalice, was made an MBE in the New Year honours and was among those invited to the St Paul's service and a reception at the Guildhall afterwards.

She said it had been a 'real honour' to be at the service and described it as 'absolutely beautiful'.

The announcement that she would not attend the St Paul's service came before she lit the principle beacon at Windsor Castle.

The Palace said: 'The Queen greatly enjoyed today's Birthday Parade and Flypast but did experience some discomfort.'

In a full statement a spokesperson added: 'Taking into account the journey and activity required participate in tomorrow's National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral, Her Majesty with great reluctance has concluded that she will not attend.'

(From left) Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, Princess Anne, Camilla, Prince Charles, the Queen, Prince Louis, the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Prince William and Sophie, Countess of Wessex at Buckingham Palace today

'The Queen is looking forward to participating in tonight's Beacon lighting event at Windsor Castle and would like to thank all those who made today such a memorable occasion.'

Today's announcement about Her Majesty missing the Epsom Derby is the latest sign of the problems caused by the monarch's advancing age.

In May, she was forced to miss the State Opening of Parliament for the first time in 59 years, due to what her spokesman described as 'episodic mobility problems' which they said she was continuing to experience.

The only other times she had missed the hugely important occasion were in 1959 and 1963, when she was pregnant with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward respectively.

In her place, Prince Charles, who was accompanied by Prince William, read her speech for the first time as the Queen watched on TV from Windsor Castle, but the Sovereign's Throne in the House of Lords remained symbolically empty.

Palace's plan to get Queen ready for Sunday's Jubilee finale: Royal aides are taking a 'bookend' approach to four-day celebrations in hope of getting monarch back on royal balcony for Sunday's showstopper pageant - after Epsom Derby disappointment

ByLaurence Dollimore For Mailonlineand Rebecca English For Daily Mail

Royal aides are said to be taking a 'bookend' approach to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations as they prioritise getting the monarch on the Buckingham Palace balcony for Sunday's show-stopping finale pageant.

It comes after the 96-year-old head of state was forced to pull out of two key events after suffering 'discomfort' related to her mobility issues - Friday's thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral and Saturday's Epsom Derby.

The Queen has been forced to cancel a string of engagements in recent months and most recently missed the State Opening of Parliament in May. Her son, Prince Charles, and grandson, Prince William, stood in for her.

A senior royal source told the Daily Mail that while the Queen enjoyed the opening day of festivities 'immensely', the 'episodic mobility issues' she had suffered since last autumn 'were experienced during the course of the day'.

Royal aides stressed that it had always been Her Majesty's 'hope' to attend rather than a firm commitment.

Buckingham Palace said it will confirm whether she will attend other events over the next two days as soon as possible.

It is thought royal aides may be trying to help her rest to ensure she will be able to make an appearance at Sunday's closing Platinum Jubilee Pageant.

'It seems the palace are taking a 'book-end' approach, allowing her to attend at the start and finish without taxing her too much in between,' a source said.

It is thought royal aides may be trying to help the Queen rest to ensure she will be able to make an appearance at Sunday's closing Platinum Jubilee Pageant. (Pictured: Queen on balcony on Thursday)

Royal aides are said to be taking a 'bookend' approach to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations as they prioritise getting the monarch on the Buckingham Palace balcony for Sunday's show-stopping finale pageant. (Pictured Thursday at Buckingham Palace, from left: Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, Princess Anne, Camilla, Prince Charles, the Queen, Prince Louis, the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Prince William and Sophie, Countess of Wessex)

The Queen will not attend the Epsom Derby Saturday, Buckingham Palace announced. The news came after Her Majesty was forced to pull out of Friday's Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral

The head of state is a passionate horse owner and breeder and would have been looking forward to seeing her horse running on Saturday during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Above: Hukum ridden by Jim Crowley wins the Dahlbury Coronation Cup on Ladies Day during the Cazoo Derby Festival 2022 at Epsom Racecourse today

The news comes after Her Majesty was forced to pull out of today's Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral, with Buckingham Palace saying she was suffering from 'discomfort' following her appearances yesterday. Above: Her Majesty during yesterday's flypast

The Queen approaches the Commonwealth Nations Globe to start the lighting ceremony at Windsor Castle on Thursday evening, despite suffering from 'discomfort'

As the sovereign placed her finger on the globe, bright white lights raced along the Quadrangle towards Windsor's famous Round Tower

Her Majesty, pictured here reviewing mounted troops at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, has a well known love of horses

On Thursday it emerged that the Duke of York, who has had contact with the Queen recently, had Covid, meaning he would be a no-show at any future Jubilee event.

On Friday, the Duchess of Cambridge revealed that the Queen had a 'lovely' time at the opening Platinum Jubilee celebrations, but had found the day 'very tiring'.

Her Majesty made three memorable public appearances on Thursday, including the lighting of the Principal Platinum Jubilee Beacon ceremony at Windsor Castle, but had experienced 'some discomfort'.

Her attendance at the Epsom Derby had been considered one of the high spots of the weekend's events, particularly for royal herself.

It is the only one of the 'classics' she has never won in her long career as a racehorse owner.

The Jockey Club had spent the past few months making extensive plans to facilitate her attendance, including allowing her car to drive right up the course and pull up outside the Queen Elizabeth stand where the Royal Box is located.

But on Friday afternoon Buckingham Palace announced that she had decided not to attend, and would instead watch the racing on television at Windsor Castle.

Princess Anne is now expected to represent her mother at Epsom and is likely to be accompanied by her family.

No other senior royals will be there as many have engagements on behalf of the Queen elsewhere or will be preparing for Saturday night's Party at the Palace concert.

Phil White, London regional director for The Jockey Club, said: 'It is a rare occasion that the Queen is unable to join us at Epsom, but we are delighted she plans to enjoy Derby Day on television.

'We have big plans to celebrate Her Majesty's contribution to horseracing and the nation, and these will continue in full.'

The plans include many of the Queen's former jockeys, such as Willie Carson, forming a guard of honour in her distinctive racing silks.

Friday's service at St Paul's was attended by more than 2,000 guests, including senior royals and politicians.

Harry and Meghan Markle were kept apart from Prince William, Kate, Prince Charles and Camilla, with royal aides ensuring they sat on the other side of the aisle - and they later left separately.

Straight afterwards, Charles, Camilla, William and Kate arrived for a reception the nearby Guildhall.

The Duchess of Cambridge is said to have told an attendee the Queen is 'fine' but had found the day 'very tiring'.

Gill Smallwood, from Bolton, spoke with Kate and asked how the Queen was doing.

Ms Smallwood said of the conversation: 'She [Kate] said 'yes, she was fine, it was just very tiring yesterday, and she (the Queen) had had a lovely, lovely time'.'

Buckingham Palace officials took great care to try to avoid a repeat of the frosty scenes when the Sussexes and Cambridges sat near each other and left together at their last joint event in March 2020 at Westminster Abbey.

And aides would have been delighted that today's service passed without any such incident or negative 'optics' given the attempts to ensure today was about the Queen and her 70-year reign.

The Queen smiles as Prince Louis covers his ears during the flypast over Buckingham Palace in London on Thursday afternoon

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at St Paul's Cathedral (left) and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Guildhall (right) on Friday

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral in London on Friday morning, with the Queen noticeably absent

Prince Harry and Meghan arrive to attend a Service of Thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II

Prince Charles and Camilla speak with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge after arriving at St Paul's Cathedral Friday

The announcement about Her Majesty missing the Epsom Derby is the latest sign of the problems caused by the monarch's advancing age.

In May, she was forced to miss the State Opening of Parliament for the first time in 59 years, due to what her spokesman described as 'episodic mobility problems' which they said she was continuing to experience.

The only other times she had missed the hugely important occasion were in 1959 and 1963, when she was pregnant with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward respectively.

In her place, Prince Charles, who was accompanied by Prince William, read her speech for the first time as the Queen watched on TV from Windsor Castle, but the Sovereign's Throne in the House of Lords remained symbolically empty.

It came after she had to skip the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in mid-March due to her physical struggles and also did not attend the traditional Maundy Thursday service at Windsor Castle.

The Queen's health took a turn for the worse after her husband Prince Philip's death last April.

In October 2021 - after working ten of the previous 20 days - she spent a rare night in hospital that forced her to miss a visit to Northern Ireland.

But she was back at her desk within hours of being discharged, despite having to cancel an appearance at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow.

In February, she tested positive for Covid-19 which prompted her to cancel a series of engagements, including virtual audiences. She suffered from what were described as 'mild, cold-like symptoms'.

The Queen, who in recent weeks has used a walking stick - including at yesterday's events - was told by doctors to rest for three months.

She gave a hint about her health when she remarked during an audience at Windsor Castle in February: 'Well, as you can see, I can't move.'

She later admitted that covid had left her exhausted.

Her Majesty's hopes of winning on Epsom Derby day have already come to an end after her only runner was pulled out of a race.

Just Fine had been entered to feature in the penultimate race, the World Pool Northern Dancer Handicap, staged over the full Derby course and distance of one mile and four furlongs.

However, it was removed at Thursday's 48-hour declaration stage.

In May, her horse Reach For The Moon, who was among the favourites, and two others were withdrawn.

The Jockey Club announced the three thoroughbreds were among a large number who had been 'scratched' from the entry list.

Thoroughbreds owned by the Queen have won four out of the five flat racing classics - the 1,000 Guineas and 2,000 Guineas, the Oaks and the St Leger - with only the Derby eluding her.

Phil White, London regional director for The Jockey Club, said today: 'We would like to wish Her Majesty The Queen a wonderful Platinum Jubilee.

'It is a rare occasion that the Queen is unable to join us at Epsom Downs but we are delighted she plans to enjoy Derby Day on television.

'We have big plans to celebrate Her Majesty's contribution to horseracing and the nation, and these will continue in full tomorrow.

'The Derby is a unique race and we are looking forward to welcoming people in their thousands to help us create a spectacular carnival atmosphere.'
Dame Deborah James has revealed some happy news for her family amid her battle with terminal cancer - as she shared her brother has got engaged to his girlfriend of 11 years.

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 in the autumn of 2021.

At the start of the year, the mother-of-two, 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 is now receiving end of life care bowel cancer at her parents' home in Woking and has raised over 6 million in the weeks since she announced the news.

And earlier today, she revealed some joyful news on Instagram, writing: 'Ashley Hall and Benjamin James have finally 'put a ring on it'. I cried and cried...Even Prince William asked my brother why he hadn't done it yet.'

Dame Deborah James has revealed some happy news for her family amid her battle with terminal cancer - as she shared her brother has got engaged to his girlfriend of 11 years

Meanwhile she revealed how a visit from Prince William, who met with the family at home in Woking last month, had prompted the proposal

Posting a gallery of snaps online, the mother-of-two wrote: 'He finally put a ring on it! Congratulations to @benjaminrjames and @ashleyclairehall for finally getting engaged after 11 years!

'If you ever followed my podcasts, brother banter features highly, and even Prince William joined in on the action recently!

'The question to my brother has always been why havent you proposed! As a family everyone knew they both wanted to, it wasnt like the its been off the cards its just always been apparently about the right time.'

She continued: 'So they finally did it and then face timed me from Cornwall and then friends all afterwards - my mouth was still opened for the rest of the day!

The mother-of-two posted a number of pictures with her brother and her sister-in-law to be on her Instagram page

The family met the Duke of Cambridge last month in Woking, when Prince William apparently asked why Benjamin hadn't proposed to his girlfreiend yet

HOW DEPUTY HEAD TURNED SOCIAL MEDIA STAR HAS TRANSFORMED BOWEL CANCER AWARENESS 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.' 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

'I couldnt be prouder to be able to finally say that @ashleyclairehall will be my sister in law - I adore her. And she makes @benjaminrjames happy which is all that matters and vice versa.'

Deborah added: 'Of course Im sad I wont see the weddding but it gave me an excuse to throw my last impromptu party (and I even sat at the table for a bit of it!!).'

The family went on to celebrate with a stunning meal outside to mark the occasion, with Deborah writing: 'With the help of my sister and niece - it was days of @cricut , kids baked a cake and exploded a mess, and I tracked down all the last minute silver fairy lights, I could find!

'I love curating table scapes and parties and whilst that was the last one in me, Eloise has truly now outdone me so I feel chuffed I can pass on the party train trait! A memory made without us even trying to make it a memory! Win!

'Luckily the rain just held off and my body kept awake for a few hours! Ashley welcome officially to a slightly mad family, but we couldnt be happier you are here.'

The post came hours after Deborah shared her anger amid her incurable bowel cancer battle and admitted that she finds the pressure of 'making memories' difficult to deal with.

She told The Sun: 'Dying is really hard, I've been consumed by anger this week, in all honesty, I've been a real b***h.'

Deborah, who shares her children Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, with her husband Sebastien, admitted she keeps shouting at her loved ones and pushing them away due to her anger at her disease.

The campaigner candidly spoke about the trials of her terminal illness, saying she struggles to deal with the pressure to make memories because she isn't always able to when she is 'exhausted, sick and in pain'.

'Making memories is really, really hard when you don't have the physical capacity,' she explained.

Deborah and her family are instead focusing on the small moments, including hosting an impromptu sleepover party last week.

The mother-of-two, who recently made the difficult decision to only spend time with her family and not see her friends, admitted she spent a lot of the slumber party in tears but described it as 'so special'.

The radio host said she doesn't think she will ever come to terms with her incurable diagnosis, saying she finds it heartbreaking to see her body change as she battles the illness.

She said she also finds it difficult that people don't speak openly about death, saying she hopes she can give others comfort by talking about her own experiences.

Deborah, who was awarded a damehood by Prince William last month, has been busy campaigning and has raised more than 6.6million for Cancer Research UK through her BowelBabe fund.

Addressing why she has decided to fundraise, including selling her Rebellious Hope T-shirts, Deborah candidly said it has given her purpose during her end of life care.

Former deputy head teacher Deborah also penned her second book How To Live When You Could Be Dead, which was released in April and details her life after getting an incurable bowel cancer diagnosis.

As she receives support at her parents' home, Deborah said she finds it important to get dressed and put make-up on everyday so she can feel more like herself.

Detailing how she is spending her days, she said she sits in the conservatory in her wheelchair as she puts on her make-up, does crafts and cooks for her family, which she said she enjoys despite not having much of an appetite herself.

Speaking about how her loved ones have supported her, Deborah tearfully admitted that she has become much closer with her siblings over the past few weeks and described her parents as 'amazing'.

Cancer: Speaking about her cancer battle, Deborah said she has been 'consumed by anger' over the last week as she is supported by her husband Sebastien and kids Hugo and Eloise

Quality time: She said she struggles to deal with the pressure to make memories, so instead focuses on the small moments, including having a sleepover party with her family (pictured)

Deborah said her husband Sebastien has also been a huge support for her, and said she has enjoyed spending time with her children, though she admitted she finds it difficult for them to see her unwell.

Her comments come after she took to Instagram to share sweet photos from a 'girls night in' sleepover with her mother, sister and daughter Eloise.

She said her family managed to 'put a smile on her face' after spending 'most of yesterday in tears' with the impromptu party.

Adorable photos showed Deborah with her family in matching pink satin pyjamas and face masks, on futons covered with pink sheets and dozens of teepees.

Writing on Instagram alongside a collage of sweet family photos she wrote: 'Making memories can be hard why you are dying! Oh the pressure!!.

Struggles: She said she doesn't think she will ever come to terms with her terminal diagnosis, saying she is finding it heartbreaking to see her body change as she battles the illness

'I'm now only getting some very grabbed hours between the sleeping and side effects, but this girly sleepover managed to put such a smile to my face having spent most of yesterday in tears!

'I'm getting less and less able to leave the house, or bed really now, so was feeling pretty down about it. Or do anything for that matter!

'But my sister suggested a party sleepover! She managed to call a very local Woking company (Teepee Vibe Tribe), that morning, who said, yes we'll come and help and make the whole thing so easy and enjoyable all within 3 hours notice.

'I was feeling awful after a bad day, so didn't watch the set up of anything.

'Actually I just cried over my leaking drains next door! But with the help of my sister and bro, managed to calm down and then they wheeled me into the room last night and yes I cried over the fairy lights! Good tears! It was just perfect!

'I went from staying in my wheelchair to ending up everyone helping to get me into an actually Tee pee to watch Cinderella with the gang and sit their like a 5 year old with a huge Cheshire Cat smile on my face next to my daughter and sister!

Fun times: Her comments come after she took to Instagram to share sweet photos from a 'girls night in' sleepover with her mother, sister and daughter Eloise

'We booked the experience as regular customer but they refused payment so have donated it to Bowel Babe Fund instead.

'But I wanted to give a big shout out to Teepee Vibe Tribe because they were local, just so good and made something that meant a a lot to me just so effortless. Today I sleep! But with another memory and a smile.'

Deborah was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in December 2016, and was told early on that she might not live beyond five years - a milestone that passed in the autumn of 2021.

She shared an Instagram post earlier this month revealing that 'nobody knows how long she has left'.

She wrote: 'The message I never wanted to write. We have tried everything, but my body simply isn't playing ball.

Illness: She is receiving hospice care at her parents' home in Woking, to spare her children the difficult memories of her spending her final days at the family home in London

'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 is receiving hospice care at her parents' home in Woking, to spare her children the difficult memories of her spending her final days at the family home in London.

The news comes days after she told The Sun that she was 'scared to fall asleep' because she does not know how long she has got left.

She added she had felt a 'deep love' from her family, saying: 'I think my family are knackered, they have all been incredible - going above and beyond to look after me and nurse me.'

And speaking of her end of life care recently, she added: 'I feel very strongly that I don't want my kids to see me agitated and distressed. I want to make sure they see me when I'm having a good days.'
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Royal fans have been going wild over the moment Princess Charlotte was snapped sneaking a peek into the Duchess of Cornwall's handbag during Trooping the Colour this week.

The seven-year-old daughter of Prince William and Kate Middleton joined her brothers Prince George, eight, and Prince Louis, four, as well as the Duchess of Cambridge, and the Duchess of Cornwall as they made their way down the Mall to Horse Guards Parade for the historic parade on Thursday,

An adorable series of photographs sees the seven-year-old, who looked elegant in a cornflower chiffon blue dress with bow detail by Patachou, and wore her hair loose with a neat braid and matching blue ribbon, leaning across in the carriage to rifle through Camilla's handbag.

Princess Charlotte has become a favourite of royal fans thanks to her sassy personality. The princess has been snapped pulling funny faces, waving to photographers - and even sticking her tongue out on a family outing.

Sharing the snaps online, one royal fan account wrote: 'Princess Charlotte snooping in Camillas bag yesterday is everything!'

Royal fans have been going wild over the moment Princess Charlotte was snapped sneaking a peek into the Duchess of Cornwall's handbag during Trooping the Colour this week

The seven-year-old daughter of Prince William and Kate Middleton joined her brothers Prince George, eight, and Prince Louis, four, as well as the Duchess of Cambridge, and the Duchess of Cornwall as they made their way down the Mall to Horse Guards Parade for the historic parade on Thursday

Meanwhile another added: 'Aw this might be one of my favourite photos now!!'

Others speculated whether the Duchess of Cornwall had tucked sweets into her bag to keep the children well-behaved, with one writing: 'I wonder if Camilla is the type of grandma that would smuggle sweets in her handbag for the kids to 'secretly' give them (and Kate very obviously ignoring it).'

Charlotte was on typically cheeky form at the event, and an adorable clip showed the seven-year-old telling Prince Louis to 'stop waving!' as they made their journey through the crowds.

Charlotte was later spotted play-fighting with her cousin Mia Tindall, 8, in the window of the Major General's Office overlooking the Whitehall parade ground.

Kate did not look impressed and had to step in to separate them.

Royal fans went wild over the moment online, with many speculating that the Duchess of Cornwall might have been carrying sweets in her handbag

Prince William and Kate Middleton's oldest child Prince George, eight, who was dressed in a sharp navy suit, with matching blue tie, looked on as the minor squabble broke out in the royal carriage.

Little Prince Louis, stealing the fashion show in a pristine white sailor suit and bearing a striking resemblance to his father at the same age, who wore a similar outfit at the 1985 Trooping the Colour event, looked unperturbed by his sister's chastisement and continued to wave anyway.

Nudged up between his siblings, the young Prince appeared comfortable in the public eye as he looked at the thousands of crowds gathered for the historic spectacle.

Clearly enjoying the day too, the Duchess of Cambridge was thought to have told her children 'Look at these colours and all the flags!' as they bypassed thousands of well-wishers on the Mall. Kate is thought to have added: 'This is wonderful! look at all these people!'

The adorable moment between the Duchess of Cornwall and Princess Charlotte appeared to happen as the youngster was climbing into the carriage (left and right)

After she had taken a seat alongside her brothers in the carriage, the little princess was snapped rifling through Camilla's bag

Kate looked chic in a white coat dress by Alexander McQueen, wearing her hair loosely plaited and tucked under a glamorous white and navy wide-brimmed hat by A-list milliner Philip Treacy.

According to a lipreader, the carriage's young royals were clearly amazed by just how many people had turned out to mark the Platinum Jubilee at Buckingham Palace.

The most au fait with royal occasions, Prince George appeared to turn to the crowd and say 'wow', as he noted the thousands of people at all the people.

A giggling Princess Charlotte also remarked 'wow', while Prince George was seen saying: 'This is great'.

Showing respect for their great grandmother, the Cambridge children dutifully bowed their heads when the national anthem was played on their arrival into Horse Guards Parade.

They arrived at Horse Guards Parade alongside their mother and grandmother in a carriage. The Duchess of Cambridge was wearing a white coat dress by Alexander McQueen and a hat by Philip Treacy.

Riding horses were the Prince of Wales on George, the Duke of Cambridge on Derby and the Princess Royal on Sir John.

Yesterday, the Duke and Duchess attended the service at St Paul's without their children.

Big day for the Cambridges: Kate was seen chatting to her children, from left, George, Louis and Charlotte, as they left Buckingham Palace on the first day of the bank holiday celebrations

Kate offered beaming smile as she joins her three children and the Duchess of Cornwall to head down the Mall; it's thought the royal told her three children: 'Look at these colours and all the flags!' as they headed to Horse Guards Parade

Prince Louis, four, is thought to have spotted his father Prince William, telling his mother 'Look, there's Dad!'

Kate paid a discreet homage to the Queen as she attended the thanksgiving service in the Monarch's honour.

The Duchess paid a touching tribute to both the Monarch and to her own late mother-in-law Princess Diana as she borrowed a pair of pearl drop earrings from Her Majesty's personal collection, to the poignant service.

The mother-of-three swept her hair into an intricate bun, revealing the Bahrain Pearl Diamond Drop Earrings which also came from Her Majesty's private collection, and were also worn by Diana in 1982. The earrings were crafted from pearls gifted to the Queen and Philip from the ruler of Bahrain at the time of their wedding in 1947.

The monarch famously wore the jewels in her first Royal Command portrait by Dorothy Wilding in July 1952.

Showing respect for their great grandmother, the Cambridge children dutifully bowed their heads when the national anthem was played on their arrival into Horse Guards Parade

Seen from above, the horse-drawn carriage makes its way through the crowds towards Horse Guards Parade

This is not the first time Kate has borrowed the earrings. She first wore them in 2016 for the Remembrance Day service at Westminster Abbey. She also wore them to attend Prince Philip's funeral in 2021.

The Queen wore the earrings several times throughout her reign, and she has also lent them to her daughter-in-law Sophie Wessex, 57, on occasion.

Kate looked glamorous in a custom Emilia Wickstead yellow dress yesterday as she joined Prince William and other senior royals at the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee.

She paired the gorgeous lemon dress with a Philip Treacy hat - a favourite milliner of the royal family - and 560 mauve Gianvito Rossi pumps, which she owns in at least six colours.

Girl gang! Charlotte later joined her cousins inside Buckingham Palace Savannah (left) 11, is the Queen's eldest greatgrandchild and the daughter of Peter Philips and his ex-wife Autumn Kelly. She was joined by sister Isla (second right), 10. Meanwhile, Mia (right) eight, and Lena (front) three, are the daughters of Peter's sister Zara and her husband Mike Tindall

Princess Charlotte (left) and Mia Grace Tindall watched the Trooping of the Colour ceremony at Horse Guards Parade. The cousins are close in age and often play together

Cousins Mia Tindall, eight, and Princess Charlotte, seven, were spotted giggling through the window at Buckingham Palace as they prepared to watch the gun salute and flypast

Prince Charles showed a moment of warm affection towards Kate at St Paul's Cathedral when he blew his daughter-in-law a kiss as they met.

Once the Prince of Wales and Camilla had arrived for the Service of Thanksgiving, the two met with William and Kate before they walked together to their seats.

On previous occasions, Prince Charles has been seen greeting his daughter-in-law with a kiss on both cheeks, but cameras captured the sweet moment when the heir to the throne gently blew Kate a kiss, as they met.

However, the Prince of Wales was not seen greeting or interacting with his other daughter-in-law Meghan Markle, after royal aides carefully managed the seating plan to keep Charles, Camilla and the Cambridges separate from the Sussexes.

Harry and William have had a long-standing feud, while Harry has accused his father Charles of cutting him off financially and Meghan claimed an unnamed royal made a comment about Archie's skin tone before he was born  with the Sussexes having a war of words with the Palace following last year's bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview.

Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis wave during the flypast as they stand on the Buckingham Palace balcony
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Sophie Wessex looked stylish in a 380 floral ME+EM printed dress as she arrived in Belfast for a visit marking the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

The 57-year-old smiled as she arrived in the city alongside her husband Prince Edward, 58, with the pair leaving their children Lady Louise Windsor, 18, and James, Viscount Severn, 14, at home.

Sophie sported a flower patterned ME+EM dress for the occasion, which features tiered detailing across the maxi hemline. It is currently out of stock.

Meanwhile she wore her blonde hair loosely curled and elegantly tucked behind her left ear.

Sophie Wessex, 57, (pictured) sported a stylish cream, navy and blue tiered maxi dress from ME+EM as she arrived in Belfast

The Earl and Countess of Wessex (pictured) are visiting Belfast where they will join members of the public at a 1950s-themed celebration on Royal Avenue in the city

The royal opted for natural make up, with bronzer to give her a natural glow and pale pink lipstick.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex are visiting Belfast where they will join members of the public at a 1950s-themed celebration on Royal Avenue in the city.

The couple are meeting groups of performers, including the Belfast Busking Band, and will hear stories of the city's diverse communities over the last 70 years, which will be explored through fashion, photography, music and dance.

Edward, 58, will also meet older members of the local community, brought together by Age Friendly Belfast to share their memories and experiences.

Meanwhile, Sophie will join in with special platinum jubilee craft activities, making crowns and corgis with school children, before viewing a showcase of fashion through the ages.

The couple will also try a local delicacy, the Belfast Bap, and will visit stalls at the Retro Jubilee Market.

The Countess swept her blonde locks behind her ear for the occasion and could be seen chatting with children who came out to greet the couple

The mother-of-two appeared in high spirits as she met with crowds of royal fans during the outing to Belfast earlier this afternoon

Before leaving Belfast, the earl and countess will watch a community dance group perform a routine that celebrates the last seven decades.

The royal couple will then travel to their second engagement in Northern Ireland this afternoon.

Prince Charles and Prince William are scheduled to address a live audience of 22,000 at a special concert in front of Buckingham Palace today, as millions the third day of the Platinum Jubilee extravaganza marking her 70 years on the throne.

The event featuring Diana Ross, Queen + Adam Lambert and Alicia Keys will take place in a temporary amphitheater built around the Victoria Memorial outside the palace.

The 96-year-old monarch isn't expected to attend the nighttime outdoor event with rain in the forecast. Problems moving around, which the palace describes as "episodic mobility issues," have limited the queen's public appearances in recent months.

The sovereign opted not to attend the Epsom Derby on Saturday, the second time in as many days that her troubles in getting around have robbed crowds of a chance to see her. On Friday, the queen skipped a special service of Thanksgiving in her honor at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

Sophie is pictured here greeting well wishes as she arrives for a Platinum Jubilee celebration in Belfast

The royal opted for natural make up, with bronzer to give her a natural glow and pale pink lipstick

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, were among nearly 50 members of the royal family who gathered to honor the absent head of state. It was their first public appearance in the U.K. since stepping back from royal duties two years ago.

Sophie looked glamorous yesterday as she joined other royals at the Service of Thanksgiving on the second day of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

She arrived for the Service at St Paul's Cathedral with husband Prince Edward, and their children Lady Louise Windsor, 18, and James, Viscount Severn, 14.

Sophie sported a sparkly dress by brand Suzannah for the event celebrating her mother-in-law the Queen's 70 years on the throne, teaming the dress with a bespoke dyed cocktail hat from Jane Taylor millinery.

The royal sweetly co-ordinated with her daughter Lady Louise, 18, who was wearing a pale link silk dress and a sequinned band from the same milliner.

Sophie complemented her look with a pale pink hat, keeping her makeup minimal.

She wore her blonde locks slicked back in a chic bun with elegant dangling earrings framing her face.
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Princess Charlotte proved she is following in her mother's thrifty footsteps today as she rewore her navy 140 Amaia coat as she arrived at Cardiff Castle for her first royal engagement.

The seven-year-old joined her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as well as her brother Prince George, eight, for the visit to Wales earlier this afternoon.

The little royal wore a navy blue button up coat dress from Amaia London, which she previously wore to Prince Philip's memorial service in March of this year.

It is described to have a fitted shape and is a warm, easy to wear coat for children.

Charlotte looked casual and chic as she paired it with white ankle socks and blue Mary Jane shoes.

Princess Charlotte proved she is following in her mother's thrifty footsteps today as she rewore her navy 140 Amaia coat as she arrived at Cardiff Castle for her first royal engagement

The little royal wore a navy blue button up coat dress from Amaia London, which she previously wore to Prince Philip 's memorial service in March of this year

The family met performers and crew involved in a special Platinum Jubilee Celebration Concert taking place within the grounds of the castle, including Bonnie Tyler and Owain Wynn Evans.

William and Kate seemed to encourage their shy-looking children to shake hands and introduce themselves to dignitaries as they arrived in the Welsh capital. It is believed to be George and Charlotte's first official royal visit

The Cambridges and their children will later be introduced to a number of West End performers, Rubicon Dance Company and the Wales Youth Choir for Good.

Missing was Prince Louis who stole the show when he appeared on Buckingham Palace's balcony with his family and the Queen after the Trooping the Colour ceremony on Thursday.

Princess Charlotte of Cambridge departs after a visit of Cardiff Castle for the Platinum Jubilee with her family

Princess Charlotte appeared to offer her older brother a flower as they walked around Cardiff Castle with their parents this afternoon

The Cambridges seemed in high spirits as they left Cardiff Castle this afternoon following their appearance

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte visit Cardiff Castle

Prince William speaks to his children as the family leave Cardiff Castle after greeting royal well wishers during Jubilee celebrations

The family appeared as tight-knit as usual as they arrived in Cardiff ahead of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in Wales

Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, with their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte at Cardiff Castle in Wales

The family met performers and crew involved in a special Platinum Jubilee Celebration Concert taking place within the grounds of the castle, including Bonnie Tyler and Owain Wynn Evans

The Cambridges took the time to greet royal fans as they arrived in Cardiff for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations

The visit is one of a number members of the royal household are carrying out across the UK to mark the Jubilee. While the Cambridges visited Cardiff, Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex arrived in Northern Ireland.

Harry and Meghan, on the other hand, are expected to be absent from Jubilee celebrations today, as they celebrate daughter Lilibet's first birthday at Windsor and continue to keep a low-profile.

According to Omid Scobie, they will mark the birthday 'together privately as a family'. The Queen, Prince Charles and Camilla and the Cambridges all wished Lilibet a happy birthday through their social media accounts.

Later, William and his father Prince Charles will take centre stage in front of a crowd of 22,000 to pay tribute to the Queen during a star-studded Jubilee concert outside Buckingham Palace.

Princess Charlotte previously wore the smart 140 coat for her beloved great-grandfather's memorial service in March (pictured)

The father and son - both future kings - will speak separately in honour of the monarch towards the end of the BBC's open-air Party at the Palace show, on the third evening of the four-day Jubilee festivities.

Despite the event not starting until 8pm, royal fans began arriving at The Mall from 8am to get the best spot.

It is thought unlikely the Queen will attend the concert but confirmation of any movements will be released later today. She will also not attend today's Epsom Derby Day, but is expected to be glued to the TV, watching the developments from Windsor. Princess Anne will appear in her place.

Meanwhile, Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo were pictured leaving the Maison Estelle private member's club at 1am last night.

The Met Office has warned of thunder and downpours this morning - but a second round of storms is set to miss concert-goers at the Party at the Palace.
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The Queen's grandson Peter Phillips has made his public debut with his new girlfriend, a year after divorcing his wife Autumn.

Peter, 44, was joined by Lindsay Wallace, an old school friend, as he attended the Epsom Derby with his mother Princess Anne and sister and brother-in-law Zara and Mike Tindall.

Peter, who shares daughters Savannah, 11, and Isla, 10, with his ex-wife, joined royals including the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for the Queen's Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral, but Ms Wallace did not attend.

Rumours of a romance between Peter and Lindsay first emerged when he made a visit to see her in March 2021 - raising questions around whether he had broken lockdown restrictions. Eight months later, he showed he was serious about his new relationship when he brought Ms Wallace as his date to his nephew Lucas's christening.

The couple were photographed in a car together ahead of the Royal Family gathering.

Peter, the elder child of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips, then took the highly significant step of introducing Ms Wallace, the daughter of an oil tycoon, to his grandmother the Queen, who is said to have been 'delighted'.

Ms Wallace was introduced to Her Majesty at a shooting party at Windsor and the encounter was described as 'warm' by a source.

Going public! Peter Phillips was joined by girlfriend Lindsay Wallace as he attended the Epsom Derby with his family. Rumours of a relationship between the pair, who know each other from school, emerged last year but this is their most public outing

Finding love: Peter, who divorced his wife Autumn in June 2021, has already taken the highly significant step of introducing Ms Wallace to his grandmother the Queen. Today the couple took their relationship to the next level at the Epsom Derby

Bright and beautiful! Lindsay Wallace looked radiant in a coral long-sleeved dress with cream accessories as she joined her boyfriend and his family at Epsom Racecourse on Saturday afternoon

Meeting the family: In a show of how invested he is in the relationship, Peter Phillips brought Ms Wallace as his date to his nephew's Christening in November last year. The event was private so today marks their first outing in public

Making an entrance: Peter and Lindsay arriving at the Epsom Derby on Saturday, joining Princess Anne, and Zara and Mike

A spokesman for Mr Phillips confirmed at the time that Ms Wallace, 40, had accompanied him to the joint christening of Zara and Mike Tindall's son, Lucas, and Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's son, August, in Windsor yesterday.

Oil tycoon's daughter Ms Wallace, a mother of two, knows Mr Phillips and his sister, Zara Tindall, from their school days at 40,000-a-year Gordonstoun.

It is understood Ms Wallace and Mr Phillips have become close after spending time together following the breakdown of both of their marriages. Mr Phillips finalised his divorce from wife Autumn in June, 16 months after announcing their separation.

The couple share daughters Savannah, 11, and Isla, 10, and continue to live on Princess Anne's Gatcombe Park estate, in Gloucestershire.

Mr Phillips made headlines in March 2021 when he was spotted visiting Ms Wallace's home in St Cyrus, near Montrose, Aberdeenshire, sparking concerns he had breached lockdown restrictions to make the 460-mile round trip from his Gloucestershire home.

Zara put on a stunning display in a vibrant blue dress as she joined her husband at the Epsom Derby on Saturday afternoon

Princess Anne was typically elegant in a cream coat and matching dress as she attended the event with her children

Princess Anne was joined by her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence at the Epsom Derby on Saturday

Glamorous racegoers paid tribute to the Queen today as they arrived at the Cazoo Derby at Epsom Downs racecourse in Surrey this morning

It appeared the monarch was on the minds of many of those elegant attendees of the race today, who dressed to the nines in high heels, flowing summer frocks and elaborate hats

Hold onto your hats: In a sea of top hats these two women in the crowd are holding onto their intricately designed large pale hats

And they're off: Racegoers wear Union Jack Flag hats as they cheer on the Cazoo Handicap Stakes as they approach the finish line

Elle and the Pocketbelles pose for a photo during the Cazoo Derby Festival in matching dresses and gold heels

At the time the royal insisted the trip to Scotland was made as a marketing consultant for company XF Medical, set up last June to provide rapid Covid tests and antibody tests for businesses, although sources said he was 'besotted' by Ms Wallace.

Ms Wallace, who has also split from her husband, was in the same year as Zara at Gordonstoun, the respected Scottish school also attended by Prince Charles. She was among the guests at the royal's 2011 wedding to rugby star Mike Tindall.

The 'friendship' between Mr Phillips and Ms Wallace first came to light when furious locals called the police on seeing Peter's car at Ms Wallace's 475,000 home in the village of St Cyrus in March.

Officers 'issued advice' but Peter said he was staying there overnight while on business, leading Police Scotland to conclude he was not breaking lockdown rules that only allowed 'essential travel' to the country. He had reportedly visited Ms Wallace in August 2020.

Yesterday Peter Phillips was spotted chatting to his sister Zara and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at St Paul's Cathedral

The couple certainly looked perfectly at ease in each other's company as they arrived at Epsom Racecourse today.

Lindsay looked radiant in a long-sleeved coral dress, which she paired with white shoes and a white clutch, while Peter looked dapper in morning dress.

The Princess Royal was grinning from ear to ear as she arrived at Epsom Racecourse for the Derby Day to stand in for Her Majesty the Queen, who is watching the horse racing from home at Windsor Castle after pulling out of another Jubilee event.

The monarch, who is said to be 'fine' despite the announcement that she decided against going to of one of her favourite events, is expected to watch the major sporting event on television from Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace confirmed.

Her Majesty has been sent a souvenir race card to follow the action from home.

Representing the Queen in her absence is Anne, Princess Royal, who has arrived at Epsom alongside her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.

Peter, 44, was accompanied by oil tycoon's daughter Lindsay Wallace, 40, as he drove into Windsor Great Park yesterday for the joint christening of Zara and Mike Tindall's son, Lucas, and Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's son, August

Daughter of a well-off oil tycoon, mother-of-two Ms Wallace, left, who has also split from her husband, is a close friend of Zara (right together) from their days at 40,000-a-year Gordonstoun and was invited to the royal's wedding

Ms Wallace is understood to be separated from her husband. She was was pictured laughing and cheering (at the back wearing a cream-coloured top and a pink hat) at Zara's wedding to rugby star Mike Tindall in 2011
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Zara Tindall put on yet another vibrant display as she joined husband Mike at the Epsom Derby on Saturday.

The Queen's granddaughter, 41, stepped out in a 480 blue DVF dress and matching hat to take in the action at the Surrey racecourse.

It has been a busy few days for Zara, following her appearance at Trooping the Colour on Thursday and the Queen's Service of Thanksgiving on Friday.

Zara Tindall, 41, opted for a standout blue frock to attend the Epsom Derby with her husband Mike Tindall, 43

Zara wore a 480 blue DVF dress and matching hat to take in the action at the Surrey racecourse

The Queen's eldest granddaughter accessorised her stunning outfit with Laurence Coste earrings

Today Zara stepped out in a dress by Diane von Furstenberg, a brand known for its use of bold colours and abstract prints. The midi dress featured an elegant high neck, three-quarter length sleeves and flattered her figure perfectly.

She pinned her blonde hair up in a chignon and wore subtle make up including a pale pink lipstick, so as not to distract from her standout dress.

The royal finished the look with a pair of metallic silver point toe pumps and a matching metallic silver bag.

Her husband allowed her to shine, as he opted for a grey tailcoat suit, with matching blue tie and black top hat.

The couple were joined at the event by Princess Anne and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, and Peter Phillips and his girlfriend Lindsay Wallace.

It marked Peter's first public appearance with Ms Wallace and comes a year after his divorce from wife Autumn was finalised.

Yesterday Zara sported a fuchsia Laura green dress, and added an extra splash of colour by teaming it with a Juliette Botterill hat in lilac, trimmed with flowers.

Pictured here next to Clare Badling, left, and with husband Mike, Zara paired her outfit with a pale lilac Aspinall bag and LK Bennett shoes in a similar shade

Zara arrives at the Epsom Racecourse, accompanied by her husband Mike Tindall and Clare Balding

Mike Tindall matched his tie to his wife's dress, but let her shine as he opted for a more subtle grey suit

The Queen's granddaughter elegantly pinned her blonde hair up and wore subtle make up including a pale pink lipstick, so as not to distract from her standout dress

She accessorised with Laurence Coste earrings and teamed her outfit with a pale lilac Aspinall bag and LK Bennett shoes in a similar shade.

Mike Tindall shared a glimpse into his Jubilee celebrations as he playfully tried on his wife Zara's fascinators and compared her outfit to a Starburst sweet.

The former England rugby star posted snaps of his celebrations marking the Queen's 70 years on the throne on his Instagram page.

The father-of-three shared a snapshot of his wife alongside her cousin Princess Eugenie on his social media, playfully writing: 'When you combine your favourite Starbursts!! Two world class ladies!! #starburst #platinumjubilee.'

It was a rare public snap for the cousins, whose parents Prince Andrew and Princess Anne are siblings.

Mike Tindall shared a glimpse into his Jubilee celebrations as he playfully tried on his wife Zara's fascinators and compared her outfit to a Starburst sweet yesterday

Waiting around: Mike and Zara Tindall are joined by Clare Balding as they wander around the racecourse

Going public! Peter Phillips was joined by girlfriend Lindsay Wallace as he attended the Epsom Derby with his family. Rumours of a relationship between the pair, who know each other from school, emerged last year but this is their most public outing

Meeting the family: In a show of how invested he is in the relationship, Peter Phillips brought Ms Wallace as his date to his nephew's Christening in November last year. The event was private so today marks their first outing in public

Princess Anne was typically elegant in a cream coat and matching dress as she attended the event with her children

Princess Anne was joined by her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence at the Epsom Derby on Saturday

The father-of-three also shared a number of snaps posing in his wife's fascinators after they attended Trooping the Colour and the Service of Thanksgiving today.

He also posted two similar photos as he posed in his wife's fascinator. Earlier today, he shared the snap, writing: 'Hats day 2! Fave so far! What colour do you think tomorrow will be?'

And following Trooping the Colour yesterday, Mike shared a photo in Zara's red headpiece which perfectly matched his tie.

He wrote: 'Personal fave of mine! I definitely need to wear more hats.'

Posting on Thursday, Mike shared a photo of the pair stopping off at The Stafford, London, to support Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity GOSH, of which the Queen is patron, and artist Carne Griffiths on the release of his portrait 'The Platinum Queen' before heading to Buckingham Palace for the Trooping The Colour ceremony.

In an Instagram post, he said they were looking forward to the next few days 'celebrating one of the greatest woman on this planet'.

Glamorous racegoers paid tribute to the Queen today as they arrived at the Cazoo Derby at Epsom Downs racecourse in Surrey this morning

It appeared the monarch was on the minds of many of those elegant attendees of the race today, who dressed to the nines in high heels, flowing summer frocks and elaborate hats

And they're off: Racegoers wear Union Jack Flag hats as they cheer on the Cazoo Handicap Stakes as they approach the finish line

Elle and the Pocketbelles pose for a photo during the Cazoo Derby Festival in matching dresses and gold heels
Sophie Wessex showed off her best moves as she was twirled across the floor by a dancer on a visit to Northern Ireland today to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

The Countess of Wessex, 57, was put through her paces at a 50s and 60s dance demonstration in Bangor.

Crowds cheered as the Countess spun across the checkerboard floor, all while holding hands with the dance instructor who got rather close to the royal.

Sophie and her husband Prince Edward were in Northern Ireland as part of a series of coordinated visits to mark Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were in Wales, while Princess Anne and her children attended the Epsom Derby.

Sophie Wessex showed off her best moves as she was twirled across the floor by a dancer on a visit to Northern Ireland today to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee

The Countess of Wessex, 57, was put through her paces at a 50s and 60s dance demonstration in Bangor

Prince Edward and his wife Sophie started their day in Belfast, where the Royal couple were joined by throngs of enthusiastic onlookers at a 1950s-themed celebration on Royal Avenue in the city.

Afterwards, they were greeted by the Lord Mayor of Belfast Tina Black and watched a folk performance by children in traditional dress.

The couple also tried a local delicacy - the Belfast Bap - and visited stalls at the Retro Jubilee Market before heading off to Bangor for the next part of their visit.

In Bangor, the prince was seen behind the bar of a kiosk serving pints of Guinness to members of the public.

Sophie looked stunning in a floral midi dress which featured several different colours of blue

The Countess of Wessex beamed as she carried a small black handbag and a bouquet of flowers

Sophie cut a stylish figure as she waved her stunning blonde tresses and pinned them back with a white pearl clip

The Royals met young children following watching them perform in Ireland

Edward and Sophie couldn't contain their smiles as they watched a performance in celebration for The Platinum Jubilee

The Earl of Wessex and Countess watched a performance with Belfast's Lord Mayor Tina Black

Then, the Royal couple faced each other in an omelette cook-off judged by professional chef Jean-Christophe Novelli. Their visit marks the third day of festivities in honour of the Queen's seven decades on the throne.

In Belfast, the earl and countess met groups of performers, including the Belfast Busking Band, and heard stories of the city's diverse communities over the last 70 years, which will be explored through fashion, photography, music and dance.

The earl also chatted to elderly residents, brought together by Age Friendly Belfast, to share their memories and experiences.

Meanwhile, the countess joined in with a special platinum jubilee range of craft activities, making crowns and corgis with school children, before viewing a showcase of fashion through the ages.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex arrived in Northern Ireland today for a celebration in honour of the Queen 's Platinum Jubilee

Prince Edward and his wife Sophie have so far visited Belfast, where the Royal couple were joined by throngs of enthusiastic onlookers at a 1950s-themed celebration on Royal Avenue in the city

The Royal couple then moved on to their second engagement in Bangor this afternoon.

On the beachfront of Bangor, which has newly been awarded city status, the pair joined members of the public at a vintage, seaside funfair.

Having viewed vehicles from the last 70 years, The Earl visited a 1950s pop-up diner, where he had was able to try his hand at pulling a pint of Guinness.

Meanwhile, the Countess was put through her paces at a 50s and 60s dance demonstration.

In Bangor, the prince was seen behind the bar of a kiosk serving pints of Guinness to members of the public

Prince Edward seemed in high spirits as he passed over a pint of Guinness to a member of the public

The Earl and Countess of Wessex also met the winner of a local Platinum Jubilee pudding competition.

Their Royal Highnesses also greeted Royal Navy sailors and RNLI crew.

To end their visit, the Royal couple went head-to-head in a cooking contest, chaired by professional chef Jean-Christophe Novelli, preparing omelettes. Mr Novelli declaring them joint-winners.
Australian sisters have turned a small market stall in Hobart into a multi-millionaire jewellery empire in a decade with no business experience - and given close to $1million to charities along the way.

Hannah, 32, and Rachel Vasicek, 26, taught themselves how to make jewellery as teenagers as a way to pass the time while living in a small coastal town in NSW.

After their family moved to the 'big smoke' of Hobart, Tasmania, the pair began to sell the creations at the famous Salamanca Markets under the brand name 'Handmade by Hannah'.

Although in her early teens at the time, Rachel would spend every Saturday with Hannah pulling 5am starts at the markets selling their handmade jewellery to locals and tourists who stopped in from the cruise ships.

After a few years of market weekends, the sisters were able to recognise their more regular customers and their styles, and from this 'Francesca' the brand was born.

Hannah, 32, and Rachel Vasicek, 26, taught themselves how to make jewellery as teenagers as a way to pass the time while living in a small coastal town in NSW

After a few years of market weekends, the sisters were able to recognise their more regular customers and their styles, and from this ' Francesca ' the brand was born

Hannah and Rachel put in 10 years at the Salamanca Markets until their brand grew to the point that they could say farewell the 5am weekend starts.

As their loyal customer base grew, the girls launched a small store in Tasmania, followed by an online store and then a store at Melbourne Central.

Initially aiming to be a quick-moving, fashion-trend focused brand, the sisters eventually found their niche with the launch of 'Francesca Create' - a range of customisable jewellery that gives customers the power to create their perfect signature piece.

As the demand for customised jewellery increases, the Francesca brand has exploded and has become a cult-favourite item with some of Australia's biggest influencers including Steph Claire Smith, Emilee Hembrow and Sophie Cachia.

Hannah, who has a law degree, was planning to specialise in IP law after university, with the jewellery company just a 'pastime' while she studied.

Hannah, who has a law degree, was planning to specialise in IP law after university, with the jewellery company just a 'pastime' while she studied

But Rachel joined Hannah in the business full-time once she finished high school, with what was meant to be a gap year turning to be a gap decade

But Rachel joined Hannah in the business full-time once she finished high school, with what was meant to be a gap year turning to be a gap decade.

Both women are completely self taught in all aspects of running a business - using the business as an opportunity to upskill what they had basic understanding of, like product photography for Instagram.

But a background in law has come in handy for Hannah as the business has grown and contracts have been drawn up to sign.

'Early on we could not afford employees so between the two of us we had no choice but to upskill ourselves and wear all of the business hats, which was quite taxing on both of us,' Hannah said.

The signature style for Francesca is the personalised range, especially the locket collection.

'We love adding meaning to jewellery and giving customers the opportunity to create a piece that is truly special to them and tells a story,' Rachel said.

The signature style for Francesca is the personalised range, especially the locket collection

'Our lockets have definitely been our most popular product, we have sold over 20,000 lockets within 12 months of launching them.'

But the road to success and an eight-figure company hasn't always been easy.

'In 2014 our first store was broken into... everything was taken, and at the time we couldn't afford insurance so we weren't able to get anything back,' Hannah said.

'All of our products were handmade so after the robbery we had to completely start from scratch.'

Rachel added: 'In the early days, our biggest challenge was getting banks to believe in us enough to loan us the money to fund our first store.

Rachel added: 'In the early days, our biggest challenge was getting banks to believe in us enough to loan us the money to fund our first store

'We didn't have any business trading history outside of the markets, or business experience as owners, and in the end Hannah ended up selling her car to help fund the very basic fit out of our first store.

'There were times early on when we would have to borrow money from loved ones just to make payroll for the week because cash-flow was so tight.'

But they have grand plans for the future, including donating $2million to charities by 2025.
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Whether you want to embrace the cold and cosy up by a fireplace in a Blue Mountain cottage or escape the chilly weather and head north to Queensland's tropical rainforests, there are some incredible travel gems to add to your list this winter.

From a Scandinavian-inspired little cabin in the snow covered Blue Mountains woods to a luxury eco retreat in one of Australia's most epic national parks, there are countless places to escape to that are right on your doorstep.

Here FEMAIL looks at six of Australia's most spectacular spots perfect for a winter getaway and being a tourist in your own country has ever looked more appealing.

From a Scandi-inspired little cabin in the snow covered Blue Mountains woods to a luxury eco retreat in one of Australia's most epic national parks, below FEMAIL look at six of Australia's most spectacular travel gems perfect for a winter getaway.

1. WONDERNEST - BLACKHEATH, NSW

Tucked away in the pristine bushlands of towering eucalyptus in the Blue Mountains is the quaint black wood cabin dubbed with a chic Scandinavian-inspired interior.

The Wondernest just outside the village town of Blackheath near the highest point of the Blue Mountains and was a finalist in AirBnb's Best Designed Stay in Australia award last year.

Inside, the calming textures of smooth pale timber walls and the cosy fireplace create warmth and tranquility and a deep window seat is the perfect reading nook or spot to take in the leafy forest views.

Upstairs, there are two luxurious chalet bedrooms with skylights to let sunlight in during the day and gaze at the stars from the queen-sized bed at night.

Tucked away in the pristine bushlands of towering eucalyptus in the Blue Mountains is the quaint black wood cabin dubbed with a chic Scandinavian-inspired interior

The Wondernest just outside the village town of Blackheath near the highest point of the Blue Mountains and was a finalist in AirBnb's Best Designed Stay in Australia award last year

Upstairs, there are two luxurious chalet bedrooms with skylights to let sunlight in during the day and gaze at the stars from the queen-sized bed at night

2. KARIJINI ECO RETREAT - KARIJINI NATIONAL PARK, WA

Keen road-trippers who love all-year round summer weather will want to put Karijini Eco Retreat on their travel bucket list

Keen road-trippers who love all-year round summer weather will want to put Karijini Eco Retreat on their travel bucket list.

The retreat is the epitome of remote in the breath-taking Karijini National Park, an hour out of the mining town of Tom Price which is a short flight, just shy of two hours, from Perth.

The Deluxe Eco tents give guests the perfect camping experience for those who don't like camping with luxurious beds and an open air ensuite with a flushing toilet and running water.

For the more experienced outback adventurers who aren't afraid to rough it, there are unpowered campsites as well as eco tents with shared bathroom facilities.

Visitors can enjoy the ombre sunset skies that look like a painting and rugged red dirt bushland peppered with striking white ghost gums trees from their private patios or from the high-end outback style restaurant.

The retreat is the epitome of remote in the breath-taking Karijini National Park, an hour out of the mining town of Tom Price which is a short flight, just shy of two hours, from Perth

The Deluxe Eco tents give guests the perfect camping experience for those who don't like camping with luxurious beds and an open air ensuite with a flushing toilet and running water

3. CAPTAIN'S REST - STRAHAN, TAS

Captain's Rest was transformed into a picture of elegant luxury with white interiors, large windows and stylish wood-burning stove by a former scientist with a love of interior design.

Sarah Andrews was sailing alone off the coast of Mexico in 2008, when a storm rolled in and took her boat home with her, leaving her stranded until she stumbled upon a run-down cottage in Strahan, four hours drive from Launceston, and fell in love with it.

The one-bedroom, one bathroom cottage is much more than the sum of its parts, thanks to Sarah's attention to detail.

The bathroom basin, for instance, is made of an antique desk, while there is also an old-fashioned clawfoot bath and private jetty.

Some of the highlights of the property include a beautiful daybed beside the window where you can sit and watch the water.

Captain's Rest also boasts a series of antique oil paintings on the walls which were inspired by Sarah's mother, as well as a palette of white deep greens, blues, and greys.

Captain's Rest was transformed into a picture of elegant luxury with white interiors, large windows and stylish wood-burning stove by a former scientist with a love of interior design

Sarah Andrews was sailing off the coast of Mexico in 2008, when a storm rolled in and took her boat home with her, leaving her stranded until she stumbled upon a run-down cottage in Strahan, four hours drive from Launceston, and fell in love with it

Captain's Rest boasts a series of antique oil paintings on the walls which were inspired by Sarah's mother, as well as a palette of white deep greens, blues, and greys

4. LITTLE RED BARN - NOOSA, QLD

The 'Little Red Barn' has become one of the most 'wish-listed' holiday properties in Australia in AirBnb and it's not hard to see why.

Perched on a raised timber platform, on a secluded plot in semirural Doonan, a 15-minute drive from Noosa, the 'Little Red Barn' makes for a quaint summer getaway with all the trimmings.

Guests can take a dip in the sparkling circular concrete swimming pool or have a refreshing bath in the outdoor freestanding tub.

The magnificent barn has been lovingly renovated and features an open-plan family room with a lounge, dining space and kitchen, sky-high vaulted wooden ceilings, picturesque views of the countryside and three luxurious bedrooms.

The ' Little Red Barn ' has become one of the most 'wish-listed' holiday properties in Australia in AirBnb and it's not hard to see why

Perched on a raised timber platform, on a secluded plot in semirural Doonan, a 15-minute drive from Noosa, the 'Little Red Barn' makes for a quaint summer getaway with all the trimmings

The magnificent barn has been lovingly renovated and features an open-plan family room with a lounge, dining space and kitchen, sky-high vaulted wooden ceilings, picturesque views of the countryside and three luxurious bedrooms

Guests can take a dip in the sparkling circular concrete swimming pool or have a refreshing bath in the outdoor freestanding tub

5. DAWESLEY COTTAGE - DAWESLEY, SA

A stone cottage looks like something out of a fairy tale with a romantic four-poster bed adorned with fairylights, and a huge brick fireplace all set in the idyllic countryside.

Dawesley Cottage is in the small rural township of the same name in the Adelaide Hills, only 40 minutes south east of the South Australian capital's city centre.

The historical home used to be the office to an old copper smelter and has been restored and renovated to create an enchanting couple's retreat.

A stylish polished terrazzo flooring is warmed by the fireplace as well as period details like the brass tapware and antique classic gramophone and the exposed wooden ceiling beams add to the rustic charm.

A stone cottage looks like something out of a fairy tale with a romantic four-poster bed adorned with fairylights, and a huge brick fireplace all set in the idyllic countryside

A stylish polished terrazzo flooring is warmed by the fireplace as well as period details like the brass tapware and antique classic gramophone and the exposed wooden ceiling beams add to the rustic charm

Dawesley Cottage is in the small rural township of the same name in the Adelaide Hills, only 40 minutes south east of the South Australian capital's city centre

Poll Which stay would you escape to this winter? The Wondernest, Blackheath Karijini Eco Retreat, Karijini Captain's Rest, Strahan The Little Red Barn, Noosa Dawesley Cottage, Adelaide Hills Silky Oaks Lodge, Port Douglas Which stay would you escape to this winter? The Wondernest, Blackheath 5 votes

Karijini Eco Retreat, Karijini 1 votes

Captain's Rest, Strahan 2 votes

The Little Red Barn, Noosa 2 votes

Dawesley Cottage, Adelaide Hills 1 votes

Silky Oaks Lodge, Port Douglas 4 votes Now share your opinion





6. SILKY OAKS LODGE - PORT DOUGLAS, QLD

The renowned Silky Oaks Lodge sits on the Mossman River near Port Douglas in Queensland's world heritage listed Daintree Rainforest.

Newly reopened, the luxury lodge this month made Conde Nast Traveler's 2022 hot list of best new hotel openings in the world.

There are 40 private treehouses surrounded by lush greenery for guests to relax under the stunning canopy of the world's old living rainforest.

Some of the incredible rooms have outdoor fireplaces for cooler nights and others have their own luxurious alfresco bathtub for guests to bathe feeling like they're suspended among the trees.

There is also the ultra-luxe Daintree Pavilion which is the ultimate tranquil hideaway with two king bedrooms and its own infinity pool and spa.

Guests who really want to pamper themselves can head to the Healing Waters Spa for a range of treatments to unwind and recharge in the midst of nature.

Mossman Gorge is a short distance from the lodge and has been a hot spot for domestic and international travellers alike for its incredible crystal clear waters, trickling waterfalls and rushing rapids.

Newly reopened, the renowned Silky Oaks Lodge this month made Conde Nast Traveler's 2022 hot list of best new hotel openings in the world

The luxury lodge sits on the Mossman River near Port Douglas in Queensland's world heritage listed Daintree Rainforest
The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider strategic bomber is the most crucial weapon in the US arsenal, capable of long-range bombing without getting detected. It is supposed to have its maiden flight in 2022, but unexplained delays make it impossible to fulfill.

Premiere US Bomber First Launch Encounters Problems

The B-21 is unable to fly because of unforeseen dilemmas with the supply chains, labor shortage, and performance problems associated with the plane, Military Watch Magazine reported.

Nonetheless, an Air Force spokeswoman told Air Force Magazine that production of the new aircraft would continue.

According to the statement, it is still within acquiring program's cost, timetable, and efficiency baselines set in place at the Milestone B award, which is based on an independent government approximate for the program.

To push an efficient flight test campaign and quickly field this critical combat capability, the B-21 event will ensure the first flight test aircraft is a high-quality build and manufacturing.

Previous post-Cold War programs, especially those involving stealth aircraft and ships, have been plagued by years-long delays, heavy cost overruns, and severe performance issues.

It has long been anticipated that the B-21 will encounter similar problems, with current delays potentially being the first of many.

USAF Stealth Bomber Project

Other than the B-2 Spirit, which saw production reduced to just 20 serial airframes caused by extreme budget cuts as well as wide-ranging performance issues, the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider strategic bomber is the first new Western bomber to be created since the 1970s, which positions a tremendous burden on the project, noted the EurAsian Times.

Read Also: Xi Jinping Net Worth 2022: How Wealthy Is China's President

When the new stealth bomber is in service, it replaces the bomber fleets B-1 and b-2 bombers, with more than one squadron equipped with these stealth raiders. Making the airframe more versatile will be the basis for tankers, even a stealth version of early warning aircraft planned by the USAF.

The slow retirement of the B-1 is starting with units leaving service and decommissioning by the air force. Becoming obsolete and may not be suitable for today's combat environment, the Raider is the only next-generation bomber the US has.

Others are catching up, like Russia and China, through the Russian program, and the PAKDA has its problems. The Chinese H-20 could be in service sooner or simultaneously as the Raider.

Some think the Chinese flying wing could beat the US stealth bomber to punch as many units as the USAF plans.

The B-21 is expected to have well over 100 airframes built. Some sources are guessing that over 200 might enter service to modernize the fleet and establish dozens of new squadrons, partly overturning post-Cold War bomber cutbacks.

These aircraft's capacity to achieve operations and maintenance cost and maintenance targets is crucial to its capacity to attain its objectives, that what previous American stealth aircraft and stealth ships have consistently failed to do, pressuring the Pentagon to make major cuts to scheduled purchases.

Getting the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider strategic bomber operational and ready for service at a time when Moscow threatens the US and Beijing arming up in another power struggle following the Cold Wars end.

Related Article: B-21 Raider New Images Released by the US Air Force After Much Speculation from the Lack of Information

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Patients with severe bowel disease could benefit from a new drug that can eliminate their distressing symptoms within just three months.

Once-a-day tablet etrasimod treats the condition ulcerative colitis by binding to immune cells and preventing them from mistakenly attacking healthy tissue in the lining of the gut.

In a recent trial, 27 per cent of sufferers who had failed to respond to any other treatment were found to be in remission after just 12 weeks, and 32 per cent were symptom-free after a year.

Ulcerative colitis can be debilitating, causing bloody diarrhoea, extreme fatigue, loss of appetite and weight loss.

It can also trigger symptoms such an abdominal pain and digestive discomfort  similar to the more common problem irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Once-a-day tablet etrasimod treats the condition ulcerative colitis by binding to immune cells and preventing them from mistakenly attacking healthy tissue in the lining of the gut

Dr Sami Hoque, a gastroenterologist at Barts Health NHS Trust in London who ran the UK arm of the etrasimod trial, described its results as 'astonishing'.

He added: 'When I started treating ulcerative colitis, there were very few options available, and what we did have caused severe side effects. The advantage of etrasimod is that it is very selective, able to target unruly inflammatory cells without affecting the immune system as a whole.

It's a significant addition to existing treatments for bowel disease and, unlike other therapies which involve injections, it comes as a once-daily tablet. This puts the power in the hands of patients, meaning they can avoid regular visits to hospital.'

Ulcerative colitis is a long-term disorder that occurs when, for reasons not fully understood, the immune system goes into overdrive and attacks healthy body tissue in the lining of the large bowel or colon, causing inflammation and ulcers. It is one of two major types of inflammatory bowel disease, alongside Crohn's disease.

Struggled to get colitis drugs? We want to hear your story. Email us at health@mailonsunday.co.uk Advertisement

The condition affects roughly 146,000 people in the UK, but experts suggest many more could be undiagnosed and that as many as one in ten over-50s may have some form of the disease.

Patients can go for months without symptoms before being struck by a flare-up. During these episodes, some patients also experience sore joints, mouth ulcers and irritated red eyes. In the most severe cases, they may also suffer shortness of breath, palpitations and a fever.

If doctors suspect colitis they first take a stool sample to test for a protein called calprotectin  a sign of inflammation in the gut.

If there is a positive result, a gastroenterologist will conduct further tests to look for physical signs of damage. This usually involves a colonoscopy, where a camera is inserted into the back passage and tissue is cut out for testing.

First-line treatment involves tablets or suppositories containing anti-inflammatory drugs called aminosalicylates. These help to manage mild flare-ups, but their effect wears off over time.

Other options include powerful steroids that lower inflammation but come with the risk of unpleasant side effects such as acne, mood swings and diabetes. Drugs that suppress the immune system can also be used, but these can leave patients vulnerable to infections.

If these options fail, as in 15 per cent of cases, surgery to remove the bowel may be the only option.

Dr Hoque said: 'Etrasimod could be used in combination with existing treatments to reinforce the body's defences and stave off the need for surgery.'

The drug isn't yet approved. However, experts hope that process will begin later this year.

Romit Zutshi, 42, from Chigwell in Essex, was diagnosed with bowel disease in 2015 and has been treated with etrasimod as part of the Barts trial.

The married father-of-one first went to his GP after he began to see blood in his stool and needed to go to the toilet up to eight times a day.

He said: 'Not knowing what was wrong with me was scary. I began to lose weight and was constantly tired due to waking up through the night to rush to the toilet.'

Having failed to respond to other drugs he was enrolled on the etrasimod trial at Barts in 2020 and noticed 'a drastic improvement'.

He added: 'I feel more confident and am able to live more or less like a normal person. Previously, I would be constantly worried about being near a toilet when I left the house and couldn't exercise properly because I would tire so easily, but that's not a problem any more.'

WEIRD SCIENCE: Home-made drug that left man with fungus in his veins At hospital, tests showed the man's liver and kidneys were failing as the fungus psilocybe cubensis was growing in his blood A man developed a life-threatening fungal infection after mushrooms began growing in his bloodstream. The 30-year-old American told doctors he had been trying to find a way to treat his mental health problems. After reading that psilocybin, a hallucinogenic compound found in magic mushrooms, could help cancer patients with anxiety and depression, he boiled them into a tea and injected it. In the following days he became nauseous, confused and began vomiting blood. At hospital, tests showed his liver and kidneys were failing as the fungus psilocybe cubensis was growing in his blood. The man spent 22 days in hospital, eight of them in intensive care, having his blood filtered and two courses of antibiotics, according to the Journal Of The Academy Of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. Advertisement

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Thousands of people suffering with agonising and recurring bladder infections are missing out on a simple antiseptic treatment that wipes out the bacteria in urine.

The tablet  methenamine hippurate  sidesteps increasingly common problems with traditional antibiotic treatments that can damage the liver and kidneys or even become useless in the face of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Also known by the brand name Hiprex, studies show it can be just as effective when used to tackle persistent infections as antibiotics. Yet experts warn that too few patients are benefiting from it, owing to outdated prescribing guidance and that many doctors may not even know it exists as an alternative.

Each year more than a million Britons, 80 per cent of them women, develop a bladder or urinary tract infection (UTI). Symptoms include burning pain when passing urine, frequent urination and a feeling of needing the loo even when the bladder is empty.

Older people are more at risk, as the bladder works less well with age and may not empty fully when going to the toilet, so bacteria remain in the urinary tract.

Thousands of people suffering with agonising and recurring bladder infections are missing out on a simple antiseptic treatment that wipes out the bacteria in urine. The tablet - methenamine hippurate - sidesteps increasingly common problems with traditional antibiotic treatments that can damage the liver and kidneys or even become useless in the face of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Post-menopausal women are also more prone as the female sex hormone oestrogen helps maintain the lower urinary tract's tissues and, as its levels drop, they become more vulnerable to infections.

One in ten women over 65, and nearly three in ten women over 85, will have experienced a UTI in the past year. In older patients they can cause a dementia-like condition called delirium, and there is also a risk of sepsis, which leads to about 10,000 deaths a year.

For most, a short course of antibiotics clears up the infection within days, but as many as 1.6 million people in the UK suffer from chronic UTIs  classed as three or more infections a year.

The first-line treatment for these patients is to stay on a low-dose antibiotics permanently, but about a fifth experience side effects that can damage the liver and kidneys. Antibiotics are also increasingly ineffective as the bacteria become resistant to the drugs.

'Hiprex has changed my life,' says Helen Rawnsley (above), 27, from Birmingham. She was prescribed the drug in October 2020 by a private urologist when, after suffering for three months from repeat UTIs, antibiotics stopped working

Hiprex offers an alternative option for these patients. The drug is broken down by the body, releasing ammonia and formaldehyde which inhibit bacterial growth  and experts believe the pathogens that cause UTIs are incapable of becoming resistant to them.

Reports from women suffering chronic UTIs suggest that the drug is highly effective.

'Hiprex has changed my life,' says Helen Rawnsley, 27, from Birmingham. She was prescribed the drug in October 2020 by a private urologist when, after suffering for three months from repeat UTIs, antibiotics stopped working.

'It was hell,' she says. 'I remember breaking down, thinking, 'I can't live like this.' ' Her last bout of severe symptoms was in June 2021. Since then she has taken two Hiprex tablets each day.

However, not all women are able to access the drug as quickly as she was. This newspaper has heard the accounts of numerous women who either cannot get a prescription for Hiprex or cannot get their pharmacist to sign off a prescription, even when it's provided by a consultant urologist.

Dr Cat Anderson, a women's health expert who runs a clinic in London specialising in recurrent urine infections, repeated a claim made by a number of experts contacted by The Mail on Sunday that it is common for GPs to have never even heard of methenamine.

She adds: 'Many doctors, GPs and pharmacists are uncomfortable with prescribing methenamine hippurate due to a lack of knowledge about how it works.

What's the difference... between efficacy and effectiveness? The terms are often used synonymously. However, in a medical context they have very different meanings. Broadly speaking, efficacy relates to how well drugs or other interventions perform in clinical trials. So, for example, the trial results of a new vaccine might show it has an efficacy of 80 per cent  meaning those who had the jab had an 80 per cent lower risk of infection than those who didn't. Effectiveness, in medicine, refers to how well a treatment performs in the real world. This is because that same new vaccine might become gradually less potent over time  as we saw in Covid, which was due to protective antibodies waning and the virus mutating. It might then be deemed to be, say, just 30 per cent effective. Advertisement

'From the 1950s onward, antibiotics were seen as a sort of panacea, and other treatments were pushed into the background. But we now know that antibiotics alone aren't enough to treat many chronic urinary tract infections.'

Guidelines set by the UK's drugs watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), state that methenamine hippurate is 'less effective' than antibiotics for treating recurrent UTIs. This, however, is based on an outdated 2016 study.

A 2019 review suggested it was effective, particularly in middle-aged and older women, while another study, published earlier this year, concluded, on average, women on methenamine hippurate had no more than one extra UTI a year than those on antibiotics.

Professor Chris Harding, a consultant urologist at Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust who led the trial, said he was optimistic that the results could encourage a shift in prescribing guidelines.

Mother-of-two Lisa Walton, 50, from Fleet, Hampshire, has spent thousands on methenamine privately over the past five years as her NHS GP refuses to prescribe it.

Before this, Lisa tried multiple rounds of antibiotics, saw a series of doctors and even underwent surgery to expand her urethra  the narrow tube through which urine leaves the body  to prevent bacteria getting trapped.

She says methenamine has been absolutely crucial to her recovery, adding: 'I'm grateful I can afford it, but it's absolutely essential more people have access to it.'

Some GPs have refused to prescribe methenamine for long-term use due to the potential health risks from the release of formaldehyde, a known carcinogen  something that could cause cancer.

However, Prof Harding believes the levels of formaldehyde are too low to pose a risk, while Dr Anderson says the benefits of taking methenamine far outweigh this risk, adding: 'Patients with chronic UTIs suffer a living hell. Many would see improvements if only they could get hold of this drug.'
A new website aims to beat the postcode lottery Britons endure in waiting for operations  with some left in pain for up to three times longer for hip and hernia surgeries simply because of where they live.

Data compiled by Health Compare shows how long patients will wait, on average, for a particular surgery at their local hospital, and then lists others nearby, including private clinics, with shorter queues.

Health Compare chief executive Andrew Burgess claimed the site empowers NHS patients to make informed choices because they are legally entitled to choose the hospital they are referred to for treatment  and this can be anywhere in the country.

He added: 'Exercising their rights might mean patients could possibly be treated months sooner.'

A new website aims to beat the postcode lottery Britons endure in waiting for operations  with some left in pain for up to three times longer for hip and hernia surgeries simply because of where they live. (File image)

Health Compare's nationwide data has revealed that people in West Sussex face delays of eight months for a hernia operation compared with two-and-a-half months in South Yorkshire. It even highlights how North Londoners wait twice as long as South Londoners for hip replacements.

The site, which is free to use, claims to offer a more accurate prediction of waiting times than figures on the NHS website  which are usually two months out of date  because it collates information from multiple sources, including from health watchdog the Care Quality Commission.

Users type into the website the treatment they need, their postcode and the distance they are prepared to travel. It then generates a list of hospitals that offer the procedure, along with waiting times, how they are rated for quality of care and the number of cancelled operations.

NHS patients also have the right to change hospitals if they have waited more than 18 weeks for an appointment with a consultant.

One patient who slashed his waiting time was Dominic Moss, a 58-year-old solicitor from Cheshire who needed a hip replacement. The father-of-four faced a minimum three-month wait at his local hospital, but after researching online he found that one in St Leonards-on-Sea, 250 miles away in East Sussex, had shorter waiting times.

He then secured a referral from his GP and had his operation the following month.

He said: 'If more people knew they could get their operation done quicker elsewhere in the country, I'm sure a lot of people would.'

www.healthcompare.co.uk
Men Cert: 15, 1hr 40mins

Rating:

Bergman Island Cert: 15, 1hr 52mins

Rating:

Dashcam Cert: 18, 1hr 17mins

Rating:

Alex Garland first came to fame as writer of the screenplay for the zombie flick 28 Days Later and the original novel for The Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

More recently, however, hes moved into directing too, delivering the cult sci-fi film Ex Machina, and Annihilation, which flopped in the States before finding new life on Netflix.

And now here he is with his third film, Men, an exemplar of the popular folk-horror genre, very much in the tradition of The Wicker Man and Midsommar. Yes, theres something nasty lurking in our green and pleasant land again.

Jessie Buckley (above) plays Harper, a young businesswoman renting in the West Country to recover from the violent end to her unhappy marriage

The story is relatively simple, with Harper (Jessie Buckley), a young businesswoman renting in the West Country as she recovers from what striking opening scenes would suggest is the violent end to her unhappy marriage.

The house is huge and rambling  far too big for one person  but she is made clumsily welcome by its owner, the posh but thick Geoffrey (Rory Kinnear).

But theres something about the speed with which Harry Enfields comedy character Tim Nice-But-Dim comes immediately to mind that is distracting.

Despite the evident quality of Buckleys performance and the layers of autumnal, Cotswold-like atmosphere, might this actually be being played partially for laughs?

Harper is made clumsily welcome by the house's owner, the posh but thick Geoffrey (Rory Kinnear, above), who for some reason plays virtually all the male characters

Unhelpfully, its not the last time that thought occurs, especially once it becomes clear that Kinnear is playing virtually all the male characters. Little Britain, anyone?

What is Garland, who supplies his own screenplay, trying to tell us? That all men are the same  threatening, angry, libidinous?

The film is at its best when its on British horror ground, as Harper explores the soon sinister countryside, and has an alarming encounter with a naked man. But is he flasher, stalker or Green Man of folklore?

But those nagging doubts about humour, together with uncertainties about what its actually about, never quite go away.

Ive quite enjoyed some of the films made by French director Mia Hansen-Love but Bergman Island is not one of them.

Despite a lovely performance from Mia Wasikowska (above, left, with Anders Danielsen Lie), I (Matthew Bond) slightly lost the will to live

For a picture with a running time of under two hours, it seems to last an eternity, as film-making couple Tony (Tim Roth) and Chris (Vicky Krieps) travel to the Swedish island of Faro, where acclaimed film director Ingmar Bergman lived and worked.

They bicker over their respective views of the great man, they sleep in the house where Scenes From A Marriage was shot and try to get on with their respective screenplays.

And then, with important-feeling storylines simply petering out, a very long film within a film begins, and I slightly lost the will to live, despite a lovely performance from Mia Wasikowska.

In Dashcam, Annie Hardy plays possibly the most annoying video blogger in the world, who travels to the UK to escape lockdown life in LA and continues to livestream just about everything she does.

Which, as shes about to fall violently out with an old friend, steal his car and give a lift to an incontinent old woman with a thirst for blood well, its unfortunate, to say the least.

With horror specialist Jason Blum co-producing and Rob Savage  of Host fame  directing, its low-budget yucky chaos but cleverer than it looks and, at times, very funny. Keep an eye on those online comments.
The Cut That Wouldn't Heal

William Leith Bloomsbury 16.99

Rating:

No faffing about: William Leith gets straight to the point. Ten seconds before my fathers death, reads the first sentence, I have a premonition  that the breath he is taking will be his last.

Leith has long specialised in unblinkered descriptions of his own mishaps and miseries.

Two of his books are called The Hungry Years: Confessions Of A Food Addict and Bits Of Me Are Falling Apart: Dark Thoughts From The Middle Years.

William Leith (above, before he gave up alcohol) has long specialised in unblinkered descriptions of his own mishaps and miseries, turning anxiety into its own art form

Over the course of his career he has turned self-absorption, anxiety and neurosis into their own art form.

In this book he writes in passing of his former partner: I think she thinks Im a deadbeat because my career is not exactly taking off I think she smells failure on me, which might be why were estranged.

Hes a far cry from Jeffrey Archer. A few years ago, as part of an excellent series on the London Underground, Leith was commissioned by Penguin to write a short book about the Northern Line.

Other authors in the series had written about the various stops along their own particular lines, or the people they encountered, but Leith devoted his entire book to describing a panic attack he had suffered while waiting for a train.

It turned out to be a little masterpiece, by turns funny and frightening.

As well as being a meditation on our reactions to death, the memoir is an exploration of the emotional chasm between father and son. Above: William Leith (left) with his father, George

Early in this new book he recalls his mother once asking him what he was writing about.

When he tells her he is writing about being an alcoholic, she replies: But youre not an alcoholic! Youre the opposite of an alcoholic! How can you say youre an alcoholic when you dont even drink!

Thats why I dont drink  because Im an alcoholic!

Well, if you are why why must you tell the world? Why do you want to tell the world all the bad things about yourself?

I  

Just tell me that. Why?

 I cant do anything else.

His new memoir comes with the subtitle Finding My Father. As well as being a meditation on our reactions to death, it is an exploration of the emotional chasm between father and son.

Did William ever really know his father? We were never close, by the way, he tells the reader in his breezily conversational way, as he recalls, in the unforgiving present tense, sitting at his fathers hospital deathbed.

This, these last few days, is the closest weve been for years, maybe decades.

Other authors in middle age have written about the deaths of their fathers, notably Philip Roth, who, in keeping with the unseemliness of my profession, promised his father he wouldnt describe him dying, and then went ahead and described it anyway.

Writers have many annoying characteristics, not the least of which is always having the final say.

As Adam Mars-Jones put it, in a memoir of his father: In writing about the dead, its not possible to give them the last word, except in the most artificial, self-admiring way. There cant be a power struggle  the writer, the survivor, has all the power.

The Cut That Wouldnt Heal is artfully formed of a series of very short, blunt chapters, many of them describing Leiths fathers death, over and over again, each time from slightly different angles.

Its a morbid Groundhog Day of speculations and regrets and contradictory thoughts. These musings are bound to ring a bell with anyone familiar with visits to the dying, when even the most logical can-do minds go haywire.

I want to be with him when he dies, writes Leith. But I dont want to be with him when he dies.

Leiths father was an academic, a psychologist whose primary interest was finding out how the mind worked. He was a distant, unemotional man.

As far as I could tell, his mood hardly varied, whatever was going on around him. A sort of cynicism that stopped just short of depression.

But vague melancholy had its benefits: unlike other fathers, he rarely got involved with his son and let him make his own mistakes. He was always very tolerant. I would be drunk or high, and he never seemed to mind.

Why was he always on the move? This was the abiding mystery of his fathers life. His work as an academic took him to every corner of the globe and gave him the excuse for not coming home, but he took his absence to extremes.

My mother said that my father would come home at weekends. He did come to see us occasionally. But I never got the sense that he was coming home. He was visiting. Mostly we went to see him, once or twice a year, in Swiss, German and French cities, the locations of conferences and seminars.

The late John Mortimer once wrote a touching autobiographical play called A Voyage Around My Father, in which he examined his father, and the fluctuations of the father-son relationship, in a series of overlapping vignettes.

Leith uses a similar technique, though his outlook is much bleaker and more distant, almost as though he were peering at his father through binoculars turned the wrong way around.

Whenever my father did something questionable, or unexpected my mother would tell me that it was because of his bad childhood. He suddenly moved to Canada: it was because of his bad childhood. Ditto Germany: bad childhood. Ditto Holland. Ditto Canada again.

Its a book about distance, both geographical and emotional. His father kept vanishing, and refused to say why. In a short chapter  barely more than a page  called Something I Have Never Done, Leith recaptures the time his father was particularly sulky. He wont talk to me. I keep trying. One afternoon I do something I have never done. I ask him what the matter is. He says he cant tell me. I ask him why. He stares at me. He is silent for what seems a long time. Shortly after this, he will move to Holland. The rest of us will not go with him.

Finally  and I can remember the precise tone of voice, the harshness and pain in the tone of voice  he says: Because youll blab. 

While reading The Cut That Wouldnt Heal, a part of me kept hoping for some appalling revelation about Leith senior  a creepy double life, perhaps, or an unusually gothic childhood trauma.

But when it emerges, the key to his distant character is less dramatic: he was bullied at school and had two older sisters, never spoken about, who had both died of pneumonia.

In his sons words, He was always running away from anything that reminded him of his childhood.

Touching on so many gloomy topics, The Cut That Wouldnt Heal should be depressing, but it is in fact weirdly exhilarating, largely because the author tracks his own feelings, however untoward, with a darkly comical precision.

As his father lies dying, Leith tries to keep talking in an upbeat manner. Im the talk-show host. Talk-show hosts talk about life as if everything was very slightly surprising and totally positive.

Even at this most poignant of times, Leith still cannot stop questioning the integrity of his own motives. Is it possible that Im talking to him about certain things so that I can tell other people that Ive talked to him about these things?

His father finally breathes his last. The nurse confirms that he is dead. Alone with his fathers corpse, William is unsure how to behave.

I havent planned anything. I just blurt out whats on my mind. I start telling him, in an apologetic tone, that I have some bad news, that the nurses have told me  I try to give him the impression that this is not me, not my opinion, but strictly the opinion of the nurses the thing is, I say, they think you have died. But, I say, Ill still chat to you. For a while. 

I suppose, in the broadest sense, you could call this a misery memoir. The stories of both father and son contain most of the staples of that grim, overworked genre  bullying, paedophilia, dementia, alcoholism, violence, neurosis, a car crash.

One chapter is even called, almost self-parodically, Something Really Nasty.

But Leith chronicles his own inappropriate thoughts with such unswerving dedication that what might, in other hands, have been simply macabre becomes peculiarly mesmerising.
Russia: Revolution And Civil War 1917-1921

Antony Beevor W&N 30

Rating:

In the late summer of 1914 a small, nasty man was arrested as an enemy alien in a remote corner of the Austrian empire.

Six years later that same man, by then much nastier, was the murderous ruler of one sixth of the Earths surface, and the Austrian empire had ceased to exist.

The man was Vladimir Lenin. He hated Russia, his own country, and he invented the ruthless modern form of Communism that went on to tyrannise Europe and Asia. He was the bitter enemy of all empires except his own.

In the late summer of 1914 a small, nasty man was arrested as an enemy alien in a remote corner of the Austrian empire. The man was Vladimir Lenin (above)

Yet the Austrian and German empires thought they could use him. They appreciated his efforts to promote Ukrainian nationalism.

Then, these ultra-conservative monarchists sprang him from prison and conveyed him to safety in neutral Switzerland.

Later, they arranged for him and his clique of Bolshevik agitators (whom they would normally have arrested on sight) to return to Russia across Germany. And there they supplied his movement with nine tons of gold to help him ruin Russia.

Thanks to them he was able to overthrow Russias first liberal democracy in a ruthless putsch, which was the beginning of 70 years of police-state terror.

In return for these favours, Lenin pulled Russia out of the First World War, so allowing Germany to send huge numbers of troops to the Western Front. There they came within an inch of breaking through to the Channel and defeating Britain and France.

He also handed Germany vast slices of Russian territory, not least Ukraine, important then, as now, as a pivot of power.

All this is known, including the role in it of the most sinister and cynical secret agent ever known, the weirdly named Parvus Helphand. Yet you will barely find a word of this in Antony Beevors new book about the Russian Revolution.

Mr Beevor is a fine historian  diligent, conscientious and knowledgeable, with a long list of excellent books behind him. This volume is well researched and full of telling detail. I have read every word of it.

But, like so many before him, he has not felt quite able to acknowledge the role of Germany and its Austrian ally in the deliberate crushing of Russian freedom and the creation of the Soviet prison state.

For many decades, widespread Left-wing admiration for the Soviet Union made it hard to tell the squalid truth, that Lenin was a German agent and the much-romanticised revolution a miserable foreign-inspired coup detat.

Now there is a new problem.

Post-Communist Russia, trying to grope its way back to the lost democracy of 1917, was dismissed as a pariah state by Western neo-conservatives such as Paul Wolfowitz long before Vladimir Putin launched his stupid, barbaric war in Ukraine.

Russia and Russians are increasingly portrayed as paranoid and obsessed with plots to encircle and attack them. If the truth were better known, perhaps more people would realise that Russians have good reason to fear for their security and stability.





Ritual

Dimitris Xygalatas Profile 20

Rating:

Every year in the Spanish village of San Pedro, as part of its San Juan festival, a group of local men and women walk on fire.

In a stone amphitheatre, a long fire pit heats glowing coals to 677 degrees Centigrade, before they clamber over them, often carrying family members or girlfriends on their shoulders.

Though it can be performed safely, the risk of burns and injuries is tremendous, and it takes great skill to keep steady while the arena swells with the music and chanting of the spectators.

Every year in the Spanish village of San Pedro, as part of its San Juan festival, a group of local men and women walk on fire

Dimitris Xygalatass new book sets out to answer the question of why humanity puts itself through seemingly pointless rituals and ceremonies like this.

Though the most memorable events he encounters are, like the San Juan ceremony, dangerous and exotic, part of Xygalatass argument is that rituals recur across all of our lives.

Weddings, graduation ceremonies, spectator sports, funerals  all of these ritualistic ceremonies are filled with a collective meaning that can be hard to pin down.

Xygalatas sees ritual as part of our evolution into a social species.

After the development of agriculture 12,000 years ago, human life became filled with anxiety and stress, while larger populations grouped in cities made the need for social solidarity greater.

In response, humanity developed rituals, symbolic practices which, without any obvious logical purpose, promote wellbeing and unity across a community.

And thanks to recent advances in anthropology, this unity can be measured: one of Xygalatass experiments shows the heartbeats of those attending the San Juan festival become synchronous during the fire-walking display.

This fascinating book is the product of years of research, and one of its many strengths is the way in which we see Xygalatas conducting each of his experiments in the field, giving his chapters a pacy, adventurous feel.

But his conclusions also give it an optimistically topical aspect, calling for a greater emphasis on positive ritual practices today as an answer to the transactional and impersonal elements of 21st Century living.

Nicholas Harris
Just how does one best celebrate the landmark anniversary of a rock-solid paragon of civic duty?

Not the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations but, rather, of the Honda Civic, which this year marks its 50th anniversary with a new hybrid-only incarnation.

First launched in 1972, the new 11th generation Civic e:HEV will be available to order from July from about 23,000.

It features Honda's award-winning e:HEV full hybrid powertrain  which shifts seamlessly between pure electric EV, hybrid and engine driving with no need for input from the driver  and fulfils the Japanese car maker's plans to electrify all mainstream models by the end of this year.

Landmark: Honda Civic is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a hybrid version

The self-charging hybrid set-up combines a new 2-litre petrol engine with two electric motors to produce 181bhp.

It promises more than 50mpg and CO2 emissions of 108g/km.

Styling is evolutionary rather than revolutionary, but there is more of a fastback look with a sloping roof and an extra 35mm on the wheelbase.

There are three trim levels: Elegance, Sport and Advance. Honda promises it will also be more fun to drive thanks to a series of engineering tweaks. Inside is a practical interior with a free-standing 9-inch infotainment system.

The Civic was built at Honda's Swindon plant in the UK until it closed in 2019 and is now built in Japan for the European market. Since its launch, the Civic has sold more than 27.5 million models across 170 countries.

To help celebrate the Civic's 50th anniversary, Honda teamed up with Magic Radio's Home Run DJ presenter Simon Phillips to compile the ultimate driving playlist, featuring a track from every year through the five decades since the original version was launched.

The full line-up of 50 tracks is available on Spotify.

Next year, Honda is set to launch a small all-electric SUV, a compact hybrid SUV and a new generation CR-V 4x4.

A Honda survey of 2,000 UK motorists showed a quarter of people have built their own motoring playlist, and almost half (48 per cent) of respondents saying that they experience a lift in mood when they listen to music in the car, with four in 10 saying they feel more relaxed at the wheel when listening to music. Nearly a quarter (24 per cent) feel more focused with music on in the car, and 22 per cent said they found music made them feel more energy at the wheel.

Honda's UK head of automobile Rebecca Adamson said: 'In a time where we're surrounded by noise, hitting the open road with your favourite tracks playing, or hearing a new song for the first time on the radio is a timeless luxury.

Happy anniversary: The original Honda Civic (pictured above) was launched in 1972

'With the all-new Honda Civic e:HEV careful attention has been paid to the hybrid drivetrain and noise management to create a refined cabin. This, combined with an updated infotainment system complete with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto makes for ideal listening conditions.'

A separate survey of parent drivers by Honda revealed that 2,496 songs are played every year in the typical family car. Honda also did a poll of its own audience, who nominated songs to be added to the list.

She added: 'Since we launched the Honda Civic, the analogue radios and tape decks may have evolved into touch screens, but the principle remains the same. There are few better pairings than a road trip with a brilliant playlist.'

List of top 50 Honda playlist tunes - 1972 to 2022 1972 Alice Cooper - Schools Out 1973 The Jackson 5 - Dancing Machine 1974 Queen - Killer Queen 1975 Average White Band - Pick Up The Pieces 1976 Chicago - If You Leave Me Now 1977 Earth, Wind & Fire - Fantasy 1978 Ian Dury & The Blockheads - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick 1979 The Specials - A Message To You Rudy 1980 Pink Floyd - Another Brick In The Wall 1981 Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime 1982 Imagination - Just an Illusion 1983 Herbie Hancock - Rockit 1984 Wham!  Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go 1985 Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule The World 1986 Bruce Hornsby - The Way It Is 1987 Eric B & Rakim - Paid In Full - Seven Minutes Of Madness - The Coldcut Remix 1988 Inner City - Big Fun 1989 Soul II Soul - Back To Life (However Do You Want Me) 1990 Oleta Adams - Get Here 1991 Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy 1992 Arrested Development - People Everyday 1993 Jamiroquai - Blow Your Mind 1994 Youssou N'Dour Feat Neneh Cherry - 7 Seconds 1995 Oasis - Wonderwall 1996 Faithless - Insomnia 1997 Ultra Nate - Free 1998 Brandy & Monica - The Boy Is Mine 1999 Moloko - Sing It back 2000 Coldplay - Trouble 2001 David Gray - Sail Away 2002 Justin Timberlake - Like I Love You 2003 Beyonce  Crazy In Love 2004 Keane - Somewhere Only We Know 2005 Jennifer Lopez - Get Right 2006 Gnarls Barkley - Crazy 2007 Timbaland Feat Keri Hilson & D.O.E - The Way I Are 2008 Madonna Feat Justin Timberlake & Timbaland - 4 Minutes 2009 Black Eyed Peas - Boom Boom Pow 2010 Lady A  Need You Now 2011 Bruno Mars  Grenade 2012 Emeli Sande - Next To Me 2013 Daft Punk  Get Lucky 2014 James Bay - Hold Back The River 2015 Hozier - Take Me To Church 2016 Drake Feat Wizkid & Kyla - One Dance 2017 Sam Smith - Too Good At Goodbyes 2018 RagnBone Man - Human 2019 Calvin Harris and Rag n Bone Man - Giant 2020 The Weeknd - Blinding Lights 2021 Silk Sonic Feat Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak - Leave The Door Open 2022 Dave  Starlight Compiled by Magic Home Run Presenter Simon Philips
New footage gives an inside view of the Ukrainian army's audacious reinforcement runs into Mariupol under heavy Russian fire.

Clips released by Kyiv's Ministry of Defence show Intelligence Directorate and Azov Regiment fighters fly low and fast above wreckage into the Azovstal steelworks.

Beginning their voyage from safe takeoff points more than 100km (60 miles) outside Mariupol, the helicopters venture into the warzone despite a vious Russian siege.

Video shows the helicopter approach Azovstal before landing, with soldiers rushing to disembark and take crucial supplies to the site's struggling population.

The Ministry of Defence footage shot from the helicopter shows the bold journey into Azovstal

Footage then shows the armoured helicopters evacuating the scene, Dnepr Express reported.

Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians fought fiercely to defend the key strategic supply point from Russian invaders.

Despite their valiant efforts, Putin's forces took control of Azovstal two weeks ago following civilian evacuations.

As many as 2,500 Ukrainian soldiers stayed behind - with Kyiv claiming its troops are now being tortured with pliers and electric shocks.

Seven missions involving 16 Mi-8 military helicopters successfully reached Azovstal in the final days of the Russian siege, the Ukrainian army claimed.

The pilots are seen flying low and fast into the warzone to drop off essential army supplies

A soldier is seen urging fellow troops off the helicopter during the light-speed operation

Food, water, medicine, medics, ammunition and even soldiers were transported.

During one journey, five doctors including a surgeon and an anesthesiologist flew in.

In another, 72 soldiers from the Azov Regiment were brought in as reinforcements.

Yet not all the ventures were entirely successful, with Ukrainian military helicopters shot down during the fifth and seventh missions, Pravda Ukraine reported.

The Ukrainian army has not disclosed the number of casualties, but judging by the number of key supplies taken in, it's possible the missions saved hundreds of lives.

The incredible video then shows the military helicopter make a swift Top Gun-style getaway

President Zelensky said ninety per cent of pilots who flew the highly dangerous missions into Mariupol were either killed or stayed behind, Babel Ukraine reported.

He said: 'A very large number of our pilots died.

'Absolutely heroic people who knew that it was difficult to fly to Azovstal and [brought] them medicine, food, water, [and] picked up the bodies of the wounded.

'Imagine what these people did. They were absolutely heroic.'

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Azovstal was finally evacuated of all civilians on May 20.

Moscow claims it captured 2,439 Ukrainian soldiers still at the plant, although Kyiv disputes this figure.

The Ukrainian soldiers still in Azovstal are now reportedly being tortured.

In an 80-minute phone call with Putin over the weekend, the presidents of France and Germany urged the Kremlin to release its prisoners of war.

Other soldiers have allegedly been injected with unknown drugs and forced to record confessions, singing the Russian national anthem and begging for mercy.

It came as Mr Zelensky said he expects good news about the provision of long-range missile systems from the West this week.
Father-of-three worked at his parents' hair and beauty supply shop for 13 years

The 38-year-old was the mayor of Ryde and is now dating a motivational speaker

She says a Liberal staffer claimed to have seen the photos after their break-up

Jerome Laxale, 38, is the member for Bennelong

A rookie Labor MP embroiled in a nude selfie saga insists there was no relationship with a young childcare worker.

She tells a different story.

The drama erupted when the Daily Telegraph on Thursday detailed sensational claims the new member for Bennelong, Jerome Laxale, had allegedly failed to delete naked photos she had sent to him during an alleged 'intimate online relationship'.

The woman, 27, demanded Prime Minister Anthony Albanese investigate after being told her private photos had allegedly been seen by Liberal staffers.

The accusation, coming less than two weeks after Mr Laxale's election victory in ex-PM John Howard's old seat, has cast a shadow over the newly-minted MP and thrust the treatment of women in politics back into the spotlight.

In her version of events, she met Mr Laxale at a Labor Party function in 2018, before they mutually decided to pursue their year-long 'intimate, online' relationship in October 2020 using encrypted messaging app, Signal.

Messages sent using Signal are encrypted so they can't be read by a third party. The app also has a 'self-destruct' feature, which means some messages disappear after a period of time.

She claims the 38-year-old asked her for the photos, however, a source close to Mr Laxale told Daily Mail Australia the photos were 'unsolicited' and he never had a relationship with the woman.

It is understood that the woman approached Jerome Laxale and his partner, Jo Taranto (pictured together), about the images

'He cut off all contact when [she sent the photos] - there was no "relationship",' the source said.

The woman also contacted Mr Laxale's partner, Jo Taranto, about the photos after the federal election.

'He is devastated, Jo is devastated,' the source said.

'But he can't speak because there's an investigation underway.'

Mr Laxale claims he blocked the woman on social media after she sent the photos.

The 27-year-old, who said the couple had an 'amicable' breakup in November 2021, claims she was blocked when she asked why a Liberal Party staffer claimed to have seen her nudes during the election campaign.

Jerome Laxale won the seat of Bennelong during the federal election in May. He is pictured with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

Jerome Laxale has three children with his ex wife, Karyn (pictured together following the birth of their son)

She lodged a formal complaint with NSW Labor after the election, but said the party gave her the rule book so she could 'make an informed decision about how your would like your complaints to be dealt with'.

Ultimately, she said she felt as though the issue had been swept aside.

A Labor NSW spokesman said the party 'takes all complaints very seriously and treats them with the utmost confidentiality.'

Labor NSW has launched an investigation into the woman's claims but, with two very different versions of events, it is unlikely both parties will be happy with the outcome.

Mr Laxale won the seat of Bennelong on May 21 by just 1600 votes following a 9.2 per cent swing against the Liberal Party.

Jerome Laxale enjoys KFC for lunch on Christmas Day (pictured on Christmas Day in 2021)

He is first-generation Australian - his parents were born in Mauritius and Reunion, two French-speaking island nations off the east coast of Madagascar.

Prior to running for the seat of Bennelong, he was forced to renounce his French citizenship - proudly posting a picture of his Australian citizenship certificate on Twitter.

Mr Laxale's ex-wife Karyn, who works in public affairs and is mum to his three kids, supported his campaign ahead of the NSW state election in 2019 - handing out flyers to businesses on the streets in Bennelong, but they announced their split soon after.

He became treasurer of Local Government NSW in 2019 - the year he met the young woman embroiled in the nude photo claims.

He is currently dating Sydney-based motivational speaker and mother-of-two, Jo Taranto, who publicly supports his campaign.
Merna Kasha was forbidden from going near her own mother after threatening to kill her during a heated argument.

The 19-year-old's body was recovered from Green Valley Creek in Canley Heights about 2pm on Saturday after a month-long search.

Investigations are ongoing but her death is not believed to be suspicious.

She was regularly smoking marijuana and told police during an arrest she used it to 'cope with stress'.

Friends told Daily Mail Australia Ms Kasha had a strained relationship with her family in the months leading to her death and had alienated herself from loved ones as she became consumed by a new relationship.

Just weeks before she vanished on April 28 - two days after her 19th birthday - Ms Kasha's mother was forced to take out an apprehended violence order against the teen.

Merna Kasha was forbidden from going near her own mother after threatening to kill her during a heated argument

She'd shown increasingly violent and paranoid tendencies culminating to an altercation between the two women on the morning of February 26.

Ms Kasha woke about 8am and walked downstairs, telling her mother she was unable to breathe in her bedroom.

The teenager had convinced herself her neighbours were 'releasing gas into her room which was vacuuming all the oxygen', court documents state.

Despite repeated assurances from her mother that this was not the case, Ms Kasha became increasingly irate and eventually went to her neighbour's house.

As she 'furiously knocked on her neighbour's door', Ms Kasha's desperate mother called the police.

Ms Kasha returned home to find her mother on the phone to authorities and, according to documents, lost her temper.

'She said ''why did you call the police? I'm going to kill you'' and walked past the hallway toward the kitchen,' police facts state.

A body believed to be that of 18-year-old Merna Kasha was found about 2pm on Saturday afternoon in the Green Valley Creek in Canley Heights - a month after she mysteriously disappeared

Her mother was concerned she was going to grab a knife from the kitchen and tried to contain her in a bear hug, which prompted the altercation.

Ms Kasha bit her mother and scratched her face. Her brother, who witnessed the altercation, again called police.

She was arrested and charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, destroying property and stalking.

An apprehended violence order was put in place to protect her mother - which she breached on several occasions before her disappearance.

She was convicted over the matters and sentenced to a seven month community corrections order.

One friend, who did not want to be named, said the 19-year-old 'felt like everyone was against her' and 'wasn't acting like herself'.

Ms Kasha was convinced 'she didn't have anyone to talk to about her problems' and began smoking marijuana to cope.

Merna Kasha, 18, disappeared on April 28 but police believe she communicated with family for several days after she was last seen

On March 30 she was arrested with 1.5 grams of cannibas and a bong in her possession. She told police she'd 'smoked earlier in the day and would also smoke the bong again later', adding it 'helped with her stress'.

Ms Kasha would often smoke marijuana in the staircase of a public car parking lot in Fairfield as she 'waited on her boyfriend to call or message her'.

I have no idea why she would have been at the creek Merna Kasha's friend

But she had never mentioned going down to Greek Valley Creek and friends say they can't imagine why she'd ever head there alone.

By the time Ms Kasha disappeared on April 28, she'd either blocked or deleted most of her old friends. Her Instagram account was made private and she'd stopped replying to messages from people trying to check in on her.

'She was a really sweet hearted girl,' the friend said. 'My heart is just broken.'

Police appealed for information into her mystery disappearance as recently as last Wednesday, which suggests new evidence came to light which prompted their discovery.

Police at the scene on Saturday after receiving reports a body had been discovered

The creek where Ms Kasha's decomposed body was found is just seven minutes from her family home.

About 8pm on April 28 - the day of her disappearance - the teenager was dropped on a street just eight minutes from the creek.

While she was never seen again, detectives believe she was in touch with family several times in the days after she vanished before contact stopped entirely.

It's understood she was distressed about her mounting legal woes.

The 18-year-old had no criminal history until March 2022, but in the six weeks prior to her disappearance she fronted up to court on seven occasions as her life spiralled out of control.

Her matters last appeared in court on May 11, where she was convicted in absence for drug possession.

Significant rainfall in recent weeks has helped to fill the creek, and police divers were required at the scene on Monday morning to aid in the investigation

Ms Kasha was ordered not to be anywhere near her mother's home and told she must undertake drug and alcohol counselling as part of her community corrections order.

Friends say she became increasingly private about her relationship with both her boyfriend and her family prior to disappearing.

'She really wanted to make things work. She never even told me his name,' one friend said of her boyfriend.

The teenager's distressed parents were comforted by loved ones as detectives sifted through her belongings at the family home in Fairfield on Monday afternoon.

'They're devastated. Their baby is dead, how do you go on after that?' one family friend, who did not want to be named, said as she left the home.

'We're all mourning. What has happened with Merna is a tragedy.'
A federal grand jury charged Peter Navarro, a former White House adviser to former President Donald Trump who ignored a subpoena to disclose material to the House committee investigating the Capitol attack, on counts of contempt of Congress on Friday.

The indictment, filed in Federal District Court in Washington, was the first time an official from Trump's White House was accused in connection with the attack on Jan. 6, 2021.

Former Trump Adviser Faces Contempt Charges

Navarro, 72, was charged with a misdemeanor process offense after failing to attend for a deposition or submit documents to congressional investigators in response to a subpoena issued by the House committee on February 9. According to the indictment, he faces two counts of criminal contempt, each of which carries a potential term of one year in jail and a fine of up to $100,000.

Per New York Times, Navarro did not immediately reply to a request for comment after being detained and brought into federal detention. On Friday afternoon, he appeared in court on his own behalf, telling a federal magistrate judge that the congressional subpoena he had been handed was "illegal and unenforceable."

Navarro stated in court Friday that he was held at the airport on his way to Nashville for a television appearance, later informing reporters it was for a show hosted by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. He was freed without bond and told to appear in court in Washington, DC on June 17, NBC News reported.

The government has confirmed in a court statement that notifying Navarro of his arrest ahead of time "would allow the Defendant the chance to escape, tamper with witnesses or evidence, or take other efforts to interfere with the criminal prosecution."

According to the grand jury indictment, Navarro is a "private individual" who never appeared before the House committee or requested an extension of time after being subpoenaed. In April, the House decided to report Navarro to the Justice Department for contempt. According to the committee, Navarro, a trade adviser during the Trump administration, was instrumental "in the ex-campaign president's to reverse the 2020 election."

Read Also: Vladimir Putin Cancer, Assassination Attempt: US Intel Sources Claim Russian President's End Is Near After Several Life Battles

Navarro Claims He Was Prohibited From Speaking to the Committee

Navarro said that executive privilege barred him from speaking to the committee and that he would only do so if Trump gave him permission. The Jan. 6 committee observed that Navarro has openly boasted about his intentions to overturn election results, and that he wrote a book last year referring to the idea as the "Green Bay Sweep." Navarro has also publicly stated that Trump is "on board with the approach."

The House of Representatives voted in April to hold Navarro and former Deputy White House Chief of Staff Dan Scavino in contempt of Congress and recommend them to the Justice Department for prosecution, citing their unwillingness to comply with the subpoena.

During his arraignment, Navarro stated that he would represent himself pro se and claimed "prosecutorial misconduct," noting that he was not permitted to make a phone call while in jail. On the day before the grand jury accepted the charge against him, Navarro penned an op-ed in the conservative Washington Times labeling the select committee a "kangaroo court," as per Independent.

Related Article: Nancy Pelosi Canceled: Why Is the Catholic Church Banning the House Speaker From Getting Communion?

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A grandfather, 66, and his four grandsons were slain by a Mexican mafia member on the run after he came across them in the family's remote Texas cabin.

Convicted killer Gonzalo Lopez, 46, murdered Mark Collins, 66, and his grandsons: Waylon, 18, Carson, 16, and twins Hudson and Bryson, 11, before stealing his car and AR-15.

Lopez was eventually hunted down and killed in a shootout with police.

Waylon graduated from high school last week, according to the grandfather's brother-in-law, who posted on Facebook about the murder.

He described the loss of his family members as 'unbearable.'

According to a Facebook post from the Tomball Little League, the oldest child was an umpire.

Mark Collins, 66, was murdered with his four grandchildren by an escaped convict

From left: Waylon Collins, 18, Carson Collins, 16, and Hudson Collins, 11. They were killed by an escaped convict

Eleven-year-old Bryson Collins was killed alongside his siblings and grandfather at the family cabin

People gather for a community vigil at Tomball High School for the five members of the Collins family on Friday

The moment that Lopez - a convicted murderer and Mexican mafia member- made his dramatic escape from a prison bus on May 12 was captured on a cellphone by a local resident.

Lopez can be seen in the clip running into a wooded area.

The video was shot by fourth grader Braxton Tieperman who was in the car with his mother, Melanie, when the crash happened in Leon County, Texas.

Braxton can be heard saying: 'Yo, we saw the inmate! What the heck?'

Melanie Tieperman later told KAGS TV: 'There was an inmate in a white suit that was out of the bus, jumped the fence he then ran up the hill and into the woods.

'The Jewett police officer was there and he didn't try to pursue the inmate.'

Lopez had been the subject of an intensive search since his escape. He was shot dead by officers in Jourdantown, Texas, on June 2

At one point of the video, it appears as if Lopez is running towards a house.

Braxton remarks: 'Whoever is in that house might want to be careful.'

Lopez was serving a life sentence for a 2005 capital murder and a 2004 attempted capital murder when he escaped in Leon County.

He was reportedly being transported in a caged section of the prison bus for a medical appointment.

Authorities say he freed himself from his restraints, stabbed the bus driver and hijacked bus.

After crashing the bus in a cow pasture and escaping into the woods, Lopez killed Collins and the children in their cabin.

Police were first alerted by a relative that the Centerville man was not answering calls.

The crashed prison bus that Lopez was traveling in

Lopez was serving two consecutive life sentences when he escaped

The suspect was being transported for medical reasons in a caged area of a prison bus when he escaped

An official described Lopez as 'crafty' and said that the suspect had escaped from custody before

That led officers to a rural cabin near Centerville in Leon County, in the same area where Lopez had escaped the bus.

The family's 1999 Chevrolet Silverado pickup was stolen by Lopez.

Authorities in Atascosa County  about 220 miles southwest of the cabin  spotted the stolen pickup late Thursday evening and followed it, staying behind so as to not alert him of their presence, said Sheriff David Soward.

Officers with Jourdanton police then used spike strips to flatten the truck's tires.

Lopez was still able to keep driving and stick his rifle out the window and fire several shots at officers before he hit two telephone poles and a fence, Soward said.

'He exited his truck. He fired additional rounds. At least four officers returned fire at the suspect,' Soward said.

When Lopez was shot and killed, he had an AR-15-style rifle and a pistol that authorities say may have been taken from the cabin, said Jason Clark, spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

This photo was taken by Melanie Tieperman shortly after her son recorded Lopez making his escape

Officials said that 'a serious incident review' is underway with regard to Lopez's escape

'We are very saddened that the murders happened, but I will tell you that we are breathing a sigh of relief that Lopez will not be able to hurt anybody else,' Clark said.

Clark said 'a serious incident review' into the escape will be conducted.

'It's incumbent upon us to go backwards to figure out how did he escape, how did he beat our security protocols in order to leave that transport vehicle,' Clark said.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Robert Hurst earlier described Lopez as 'crafty.'

Hurst said that Lopez had previously escaped in Webb County, Texas, where he hid out for nine days before being recaptured, reports CBS News.

Lopez was being transported from a prison in Gatesville to one in Huntsville for a medical appointment, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice has said.

This undated photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows white Chevy pickup truck that Lopez was driving in when he was shot dead by authorities

He escaped in Leon County, a rural area between Dallas and Houston, that's more than 100 miles east of Gatesville.

According to the US Marshal's service, Lopez was associated with the Mexican mafia.

Officials were offering $50,000 for information that led to his arrest.

Lopez had a lengthy criminal record that included a conviction in 1996 for two-counts of aggravated assault.

In 2006, Lopez was convicted of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping, receiving a life sentence. A year later, Lopez received another life sentence after being convicted of attempted capital murder.

Lopez would have been up for parole in April 2045.

Braxton Tieperman received a commendation from the Texas Rangers for his role in recording Lopez's escape and being able to offer a description of where he saw the suspect running

Texas Ranger John T. Vance sent a letter to Braxton Tieperman to thank him for his role in directing officers to where he had seen Lopez running from the prison bus.

Vance wrote in part: 'The state of Texas needs more young citizens who stand in the gap and help us do our job of protecting the citizens of Texas against evil.'

He added: 'After graduating high school, I hope consider joining me in protecting the State of Texas.'
A Texas stepmother who was sentenced to life without parole following the death of her six-year-old stepson, who drowned while under her care, was confronted by the little boy's father a week before his death about a murder she had committed thirty years earlier.

Laura Day, 57, was convicted of capital murder in 2013 following the October 2012 death of young Taylor Syring, but unbeknownst to her husband, David Syring, she had also been convicted of killing an ex-boyfriend three decades earlier in 1982.

When confronted, Day explained it as a case of mistaken identity saying that it wasn't her, but the facts gave police pause for thought and the suggestion that she might be capable of murder once more.

Day is now behind bars for Taylor's killing but she is speaking out in her first television interview and maintaining her innocence, claiming the little boy's death at a Texas beach was simply an accident.

Speaking from jail, Day has given her version of events in an attempt to have her side of the story be told.

'A tragic accident happened. I tried to save him,' she told ABC News.

Texas housewife Laura Da yis speaking out after being sentenced to life in prison without parole for the drowning death of her six-year-old stepson, Taylor Syring, in 2012

Six-year-old Taylor drowned on a beach trip with stepmother Laura Day

Day said she picked Taylor up from his school in Corpus Christi.

'He said he wanted to have a picnic on the beach. It was a spur of the moment decision,' Day explained.

The pair picked up towels and swimsuits before driving to a secluded stretch of sand noting she put a lifejacket on the little boy before taking it off because it was irritating him.

'It was giving him a rash, clearly. I said, "If you can show me that you're OK and you feel safe enough to dive under the waves and you feel comfortable, then I'll let you swim and play in the shallow water, without your lifejacket," said Day.

Within an instant, she claims Taylor disappeared.

Day claims the little boy, pictured in his younger years, had wanted to go to the beach that day

Day claimed that she took of the little boy's life jacket because it was giving him a rash. She turned around for a brief moment and said that he had disappeared beneath the waves

'At first, I didn't understand. I thought maybe he'd dived under the waves and he was swimming, but then I realized he didn't surface and I ran in the water to where he was and he was gone And then I saw him floating, face down.

'I tried to get the water out of his lungs. And it just wasn't coming out. I didn't know why. I panicked. And I was disoriented. I wasn't thinking clearly,' she said.

But instead of calling 911 for help, she drove Taylor who was unconscious to a hospital 12 miles away. By the time the pair arrived, Taylor was dead.

Investigators questioned Day's story from the outset believing it to be suspicious she took the boy to a hospital because she 'thought paramedics would take too long to get to the beach.'

A nearby firehouse with firefighters and EMTs were just three miles away.

Police also found it strange that despite Day knowing CPR, she decided not to perform it on her stepson that day.

Three days later, Day was arrested on child endangerment charges.

Taylor's father, David Syring, met Laura Day as the pair embarked on an affair together. He stood by her during her trial but a decade on feels that jail is now the right place for her

Upon digging a little deeper, investigators found that Day had been having an affair with Taylor's father, David Syring and had been married for just two months at the time of his death.

The pair got married relatively quickly, once David had divorced his ex-wife, Kelly Syring, Taylor's birth mother.

Kelly had insisted a clause be inserted into the divorce decree that overnight guests would not allowed around Taylor unless David was married to them.

So, just three months after his divorce, David married Laura Day.

'I didn't handle things properly with the way our relationship ended, but there was issues, because it seemed like Kelly wanted to make it hard, especially for Laura,' David Syring said to ABC. 'Laura was afraid that, given my close bondness to Taylor, that I would eventually one day maybe go back to Kelly.'

Speaking from jail, Day says she was never jealous of David Syring's relationship with his ex-wife or that they shared a child together.

Laura Lee Day, is pictured at her January 2013 murder trial in Corpus Christi, Texas

Day was sentenced to life without parole on a capital murder charge after her six-year-old stepson drowned while in her care during a beach outing in October 2012

'I was very secure in my relationship with David at the time. I was not jealous of anybody.' Day even said she loved Taylor like he was her own child.

But investigators recorded phonecalls where Day could be heard asking Syring if he loved her more than his ex-wife.

'Despite, you know, me telling her, over and over, that I was there with her,' said David Syring. 'She wanted it to just be us.'

Day said she loved Taylor like he was her own child.

On the day of Taylor's death, while at the Corpus Christi Police Department for questioning, David Syring mentioned to cops that he had only found out one week earlier how Day had been connected to a series of crimes, including another murder.

Day had told him that 'it was not her.'

'I took her word for it she gave me an explanation as to these circumstances. And gave me explanations that seemed believable and plausible,' said Syring. 'And I believed her.'

Taylor's birth mother, Kelly Syring had insisted a clause be inserted into the divorce decree that overnight guests would not allowed around Taylor unless David was married to them

Mom, Kelly Syring shares a meal and a loving look with her son, Taylor

The murder, in May 1982, saw 17-year-old Laura dating James Kendall, a 21-year-old college student from in Laguna Beach, California.

When Kendall ended the relationship, Day shot and killed him before turning the gun on herself.

She told investigators that she was a victim of abuse and acting in self-defense.

Investigators could never find any evidence that Kendall had been abusive.

Day pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to the California Youth Authority rather than prison.

After her release, Day changed her last name and remarried several times managing to rack up a litany of other crimes including convictions for theft, fraud, burglary and bigamy.

After Day was charged with child endangerment over Taylor's death, she posted $50,000 bail and came home within 24 hours but David Syring said she was acting 'strange'.

'Laura was just trying to get back to life as usual. Trying to figure out whatever it would take to keep me happy. Talking about the possibility of us packing up and moving, and going to Florida. Trying to get me to get past my feelings, trying to get me back to acting normal, which seemed a little strange to me. I mean just so sudden.'

A break in the case occurred when a witness, Rene Ruiz, seen right, approached police who claims that Day seemed in a hurry to leave the beach and waved at him as she did so

But then a break in the case occurred when a witness, Rene Ruiz, approached police who claims that Day seemed in a hurry to leave the beach and waved at him as she did so.

Day was charged with capital murder in addition to the earlier child endangerment charges in January 2013.

A drowning expert decided to look into conditions on the day of Taylor's death and found several anomalies.

'When Laura Day stated that Taylor Syring's body sunk, and then popped up 50 yards to the right, the problem was that was the wrong direction. Based on the conditions and the wind and everything else that day, it would've gone left and not right,' said former prosecutor Brittany Jensen.

'It is highly improbable that she would have been able to locate him quickly, unless she was right next to him. Everything was all lies.'

Day was found guilty of first-degree capital murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole following a six day trial.

At the time, her husband, David Syring, was convinced his wife was still innocent.

Another drowning prevention expert has said that the waves at the beach could have gone the other way.

'Depending on the direction the waves are coming, the long shore drift can go in either direction and that's a common factor on most beaches,' said John Fletemeyer. 'It certainly could explain why the little boy was 50 yards down the beach.'

Day is now hoping the Texas Court of Criminals will allow her to have a new trial after a drowning expert back her version of events

Day is now hoping the Texas Court of Criminals will allow her to have a new trial.

Syring and Day are now divorced with him believing that justice prevailed.

'I believe that this is probably the worst punishment for her. To be in prison. She has never said sorry for what she's done. I feel so stupid to have been this naive and to have stuck by her as long as I did, said Syring.

'I was so wrapped up in, tangled up in all of this, that so many things, so many red flags, escaped me. I don't know if it was just, you know, the trauma of losing my son, I don't know if it was her being a great manipulator. I can't explain it.'

20/20 airs Friday, June 3 (9-11pm EDT), on ABC, and the next day on Hulu.
An Uvalde elementary school teacher says she was traumatized and 'heartbroken' after police wrongly implied she enabled mass shooter Salvador Rolando Ramos to enter the school by leaving a door propped open.

Police initially claimed Ramos had been able to enter Robb Elementary School, where he massacred 19 children and two teachers, by the back door which they said had been propped open by a rock by teacher Emilia Marin.

It wasn't until days later that police corrected their statement to confirm that Marin in fact closed the door when she saw the 18-year-old killer approaching, but that the door did not lock as it was intended to.

An attorney for Marin, Don Flanary, told CNN on Friday that those days of blame have left Marin psychologically scarred and seeking neurological treatment.

Emilia Marin, a speech pathology clerk at the Robb Elementary School, who police falsely said failed to close a door and allowed the shooter to enter the building

Children flee to safety after escaping through a window of Robb Elementary school during the mass shooting on May 24

'She can't stop shaking,' Flanary told CNN.

'It's traumatic for her when it's insinuated that she's involved,' Flanary said, 'She's heartbroken.'

Marin was outside the school helping a co-working bring in food for an end of year party on May 24, when she saw a car crash into a ditch across the street.

She returned inside to call 911, propping the door open with a rock on the way. When she returned back outside, she saw her co-worker running and heard somebody yell 'he's got a gun!' Flanary told CNN.

Marin saw the gunman heading towards her and the door, so she kicked the rock holding it open away and let it swing shut, where by design it was supposed to automatically lock.

Salvador Rolando Ramos, 18, the gunman in the May 24 Robb Elementary School mass shooting

This order of events was confirmed by Travis Considine, chief communications officer for the Texas Department of Public Safety, on May 31.

'She came back out while on her phone, she heard someone yell, 'He has a gun!,' she saw him jump the fence and that he had a gun, so she ran back inside,' removing the rock when she did,' Considine said during a press conference.

'We did verify she closed the door,' he said. 'The door did not lock. We know that much and now investigators are looking into why it did not lock.'

Investigators confirmed the detail through additional video footage reviewed since a May 27 news conference when authorities first said that the door had been left propped open.

But those days of implied culpability took a toll on Marin, who according to Flanary had already experienced 'the most horrific thing anyone could have endured,'

'She felt alone, like she couldn't even grieve,' Flanary told CNN, 'She second-guessed herself, like 'did I not do that?''

A memorial for the 21 victims of the May 24 mass shooting at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas

The police line blocking access to the Robb Elementary School after the mass shooting on May 24

'She heard every gunshot,' he said, 'She was in the center of it. She's just as much of a victim as anyone else that survived in there.'

Flanary said that investigators made a point of letting Marin know that she was not responsible once they fully reviewed security footage.

'No, we watched the video, you didn't do anything wrong,' investigators told Marin, according to Flanary.

But those days between blame and exoneration took their toll on Marin, who Flanary says is seeking neurological treatment to deal with constant shaking.

Despite her suffering, Flanary said that Marin has no plans to take legal action against the school, the school district, or police.

Flanary is however assisting Marin in a potential civil claim against the maker of the weapon used in the attack, Daniel Defense. A petition was filed on Thursday to investigate whether there is a basis to file claims against the company.
Wealthy Los Angeles socialite and philanthropist Rebecca Grossman appeared in Los Angeles court to be arraigned on murder charges for a hit and run accident that killed two young boys.

On Friday Grossman, 58, appeared in court wearing a mask and a long sleeve black dress with white checkered stripes with her blonde hair styled in a side swept ponytail.

She appeared stoic next to her attorney and at one point bowed her head and closed her eyes looking morose.

The socialite faces murder charges for running over and killing two young brothers while allegedly racing in her Mercedes

Grossman pleaded not guilty to all charges, including second-degree murder.

In a statement, Grossman's latest attorney Tony Buzbee said the 58-year-old has been 'overcharged' and said her legal team wont allow her to be 'bullied.'

'The prosecutions continued insistence on making this a murder case by overcharging my client, a pillar of this community, with murder is nothing more than a transparent effort to force her to plea, Buzbee said. 'Such acts of gamesmanship impede progress in this important case. We wont allow Rebecca to be bullied this way.'

Her attorney went on to blame the car accident on a 'poorly marked, unguarded and unlit' crosswalk.

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On Friday Grossman, 58, showed up in court in a long sleeve black dress with white checkered stripes and her blonde hair in a side swept ponytail

In a statement , Grossman's latest attorney Tony Buzbee said the 57-year-old has 'overcharged' and said her legal team wont allow her to be 'bullied'

Grossman appeared stoic next to her attorney and at one point bowed her head and closed her eyes looking morose

Grossman pleaded not guilty to all charges, including second-degree murder, and denied all special circumstance allegations

Grossman appeared before Judge Joseph Brandolino (pictured) on Friday on murder charges for a 2020 hit and run accident

Despite the severity of the the crimes she's accused of the co-founder of the Grossman Burns Foundation has spent nearly two years free on $2 million bail.

She was charged last year with two counts of murder, two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, and one count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death for a September 29, 2020 crash that killed brothers Mark and Jacob Iskander, 11 and 9, in Westlake Village, California.

The boys were walking with their family about 7:10 p.m. and crossing a three-way intersection with a marked crosswalk - but no stoplight - when their parents heard a speeding car approaching.

They reached out to protect their children, but could only grab their two other children Zackary and Violet. Mark and Jacob were too far away and were hit by the white Mercedes, police said.

One boy was allegedly carried 100ft on the hood of the car before Grossman braked, at which point he fell off the car and she ran him over again as she fled the scene.

Mark died at the scene and Jacob died in a hospital a few hours later.

Police claim that when the boys were hit by her car, Grossman was driving over the 45mph speed limit and may have been racing with her friend and near-neighbor, World Series-winning pitcher Scott Erickson, 54, while the two were on their way to the same house party.

The Iskanders in their final photo together: parents Nancy and Karim with their sons, Zachary, Jacob and Mark; and baby daughter, Violet

Mark (left) died at the scene and Jacob (right) died in a hospital a few hours later

The brothers are pictured in this undated school photos. One was declared dead at the scene while the other died in hospital

The Mercedes that struck and killed two brothers. Investigators said street racing may have been involved in the crash, which happened at the intersection of Triunfo Canyon Road and Saddle Mountain Drive

The Iskander brothers had been walking across a crosswalk with their parents and two siblings, Zackary and Violet, when they were struck

Karim and Nancy Iskander parents of Mark and Jacob Iskander leave Los Angeles Superior Court in April following a hearing for Rebecca Grossman

Erickson, who won his ring in 1991 with the Minnesota Twins, has been charged with reckless driving but he has not been accused of any other offenses connected with the brothers' deaths.

With her husband, prominent plastic surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman, 59, Grossman is the founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation and ex-publisher of Westlake Magazine.

But the slow pace of court proceedings  including several hearings where Grossman didn't show up  have sparked outrage from protesters who believe her wealth and 'connections' have kept her out of jail.

Two petitions, claiming to have a combined total of more than 50,000 signatures, have been circulating, calling for Grossman to be locked up.

'Justice must be served, regardless of Grossman's financial means, status, privilege and connections,' declared one.

At a hearing in March, Judge Shellie Samuels apologized to the victims' patents, Nancy and Karim Iskander, for the many continuances and postponement in the case, the most recent of which was Grossman's need to look for and hire a new lawyer after her previous attorney fell ill.

'This case has taken way too long,' said the judge. 'I do apologize for the delays.'

It wasn't the first time that Judge Samuels has expressed sorrow over the many holdups in the case against Grossman.

At a hearing last December, the judge also said that the victims' parents, have been enduring 'torture and heartbreak' while the case drags on.

On September 14, Samuels blasted Grossman for not showing up at her previous five scheduled court appearances, all of which were continued.

'We can't keep continuing this. This is a serious case. These victims lost two children. It's detrimental to them that this is taking so long. The family is suffering.

Grossman lives in a $9.5 million, nine-bed, 12-bath mansion, in nearby Hidden Hills, on the same street as Full House actress Lori Loughlin.

According to its website, the Grossman Burn Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Grossman Burn Centers Inc, which treats the victims of severe burns all over the world.

Grossman has also been involved in other humanitarian causes, including the prevention of violence against women, human rights and the American Heart Association, from whom she won a 'Woman of the Year' award in 2007.
'The following is my record of the Hit & Run/Attempted Murder by KB:

August 6, 2021 is a day I will never forget. August 6, 2021 is the day KB tried to murder me and my 8-month-old baby. We were out for a walk, my baby was in his stroller. It was 8:40am on a clear day with blue skies, beautiful and warm. I noticed a black car speeding towards us going the wrong direction down the one-way street we were walking. The car was driving very fast in a 15 MPH zone. The street is more-or-less an alley that is intended for vehicles accessing their homes. It is a residential street, not a thoroughfare, and has no sidewalks. For reference, the street gets more pedestrian usage than it does vehicle usage. All day long you can see mothers, fathers and nannies pushing babies in strollers and walking dogs down this particular street.

As the car approached me and my child, I stopped walking and moved the stroller and myself up against a building on the right side of the road to ensure that we gave the reckless driver plenty of room to pass. As the car got dangerously close to us, KB turned the wheels in our direction and accelerated as he aimed to kill us. I screamed at the top of my lungs for him to stop. I made eye contact with KB, whose face had no look of fear, surprise, or regret. He stared right at me with a look of intention.

There was nowhere for me and my baby to go and I knew we were going to get plowed and pinned against that wall. In the last moment to try to save my child, I stepped away from the wall and directly in front of the car to create space for me to throw the stroller up into the air in an effort to prevent my child from being killed by the nose of the car. I have fragments of memories: of watching the car hit us, me hitting the windshield with my body and head, hitting the ground. I saw a tire as I fell to the ground and thought my head was going to get run over, that my life was over. I assumed my baby was already dead.

People who witnessed the incident use the term 'miracle' and 'act of God' when they describe what happened and how we survived. We are indeed very fortunate to be alive but make no mistake; my son would be dead if it wasn't for my actions in those last moments. Had I not thrown my child into the air and instead had left him on the ground in his stroller, KB would have succeeded in killing my baby by driving the nose of his stollen car right into my child's face.

In my victim's statement to Police Officer Kwan, I told him that certainly the driver must have been high on drugs. He looked me stone cold in the eyes. I could see the whites of his eyes. 'Certainly,' I thought, 'nobody would purposely drive into a mother and baby.'I later learned that even though he did test positive for two drugs being in his system, they were likely only remnants of what he had taken the night before due to the trace amounts. KB was, in fact, NOT high when he drove into us. He was not drunk. He tried to kill us for sport.

There are no words to describe the feeling of helplessness, worry, and devastation that I felt when I realized my baby was going to get hit by the car and there was nothing I could do to save him. I thought those were the last moments of our lives; we were dead. That feeling, along with the memory of a car accelerating directly into us, will haunt me forever. After we were hit, I looked up and saw KB speeding away. He only slowed when he saw an oncoming vehicle driving the correct direction down the one-way street, tried to swerve around them, and in doing so, crashed into a telephone pole. He did not stop or slow to see if we were okay. That alone tells me everything I need to know about KB.

After I managed to pick my throbbing body up off the ground, I was shocked to find my baby alive, screaming, and thankfully still strapped into his stroller. The stroller had been struck by the car and was lying on its side. I immediately noticed marks on his forehead. He had abrasions on his forehead and knees, and tire marks on the back of his head.

This entire scene was captured on camera by neighboring security cameras. When you play the video in slow motion, frame by frame, like I have a million times, you see me lift the stroller just high enough so that the nose of the car hits the stroller's left wheel, which then catapults the stroller into the wall, flipping it upside down and leaving my baby hanging in suspension with his head, arms and legs dangling, at which point upon descent the back of his dangling head is grazed by the left front wheel of the vehicle, leaving tire marks on his head.

We were rushed by ambulance to the hospital. I was forced to wear a massive foam neck brace which made it impossible to hold and comfort my hysterical child during the most traumatic time of our lives. At the hospital, my baby had to be restrained with surgical tape to a cold, metal board so that they could keep him still enough for a CT scan. His head was taped to a board. His arms and legs were strapped to the board. He was left all alone, screaming, in shock and in pain, and being sent into a large, loud, cold, scary CT machine for several minutes. KB did this. I had the wherewithal to take pictures and video of this, documenting his hysterical screams, so that it could be used in evidence, which apparently has not been seen by the judge.

I was left with blood all over my body. I needed stitches in my right elbow after it split open when I hit the ground after rolling off of the windshield. The top of my right shoulder was skinned nearly to the bone, but you can't stitch that skin together. I was left with road rash all over both arms, wrists, and elbows. Shards of glass continued to work their way out of my skin for 2 months after the attack. I had massive bruising up and down my left side body from where the car hit my leg and how I landed on the hood and windshield and bruising on my hips from car impact and also the fall down to the asphalt.

This assault has radically impacted my life and my family's lives. Because of KB, I now have 1 disc protrusion and 2-disc bulges in my spine. There's nothing that can be done to fix them. I will live with this for the rest of my life, and the pain will only get harder to manage as I age. My back muscles are always incredibly tight. My mother had to live with us for several weeks after the attack because I was incapable of taking care of my child while my husband had to work. I've had to call my husband home from work several times because of panic attacks that I have and have felt incapable of taking care of our child. I live with constant back pain and as a result I have trouble sleeping at night. I have scars on my wrist, elbow, arm, and shoulder that I see every day. They're a constant reminder of what happened to us. I have to take extra precaution going into the sun because of these scars. I cover them when I go out in public because I don't want people to ask me how I got them.

I am terrified to walk my child in his stroller. I almost never do it. I think every car that is driving past us is going to swerve to hit us. I live in fear of cars and monsters like KB. I haven't had psychological therapy yet, but I certainly need to. I can't bring myself to go to the physical therapy that I desperately need or get the mental help I need because I am terrified to leave my child with a babysitter because nobody can be trusted to protect my child the way I can. I don't know if or when things will ever get better.

I had intended to go back to work once my child turned 1 year old, but that has not happened, and I don't know if it will. My husband and I had been counting on that source of income, but my child's safety takes priority. I cannot leave him in someone else's care. I don't know how or if I'll ever be able to leave him for an extended period of time. I can't begin to wrap my head around even sending him to school. Every mass shooting that happens is magnified for me. Will I have to find a school that makes children walk through metal detectors so that I know he isn't going to be shot by a classmate or a deranged adult? I was dumbfounded when I learned that KB had only been cited out and was never arrested for our attempted murder. Thank goodness he skipped his hearing and was issued a bench warrant, because I would still be living in fear that he was going to come back to kill us. I lived with this fear for 7 months until his arrest. It sounds like I will have only another 4-6 months of peace until I will resume living with that fear again.

For two months after the attempted murder, my baby had day and night terrors. We could have been playing with toys and out of nowhere he would hysterically scream, cry, flail his limbs and become inconsolable. It was heartbreaking, terrifying, and infuriating  infuriating because KB did this to him. I hope KB experiences in his life the fear and heartbreak I felt and continue to feel to this day.

The detective on our case, along with the Juvenile DA in Inglewood, have all of this evidence in the record  the video, the photos, the statements - so I cannot for the life of me begin to understand how this was not presented to the judge prior to KB's sentencing.

Sometimes I feel like my heart is going to explode because I love my baby so much. And sometimes I actually find myself feeling sorry for you because certainly you don't know what love is, or what it's like to be loved. Nobody really loves you, because how could somebody who is loved turn into such a monster? I have empathy for you, and you probably don't even know what that word means.

You are no doubt a product of the environment in which you were raised by your felon father, and I think that's really sad. You certainly have no self-respect, and in turn nobody respects you. Just as I start to feel a little sorry for you I remember what you did to us. You tried to kill me and my baby. You know it and I know it. And anyone who watches that video knows it, too. Regardless of what you say or what anyone else says or determines, you tried to kill us, and you showed everyone what kind of person you are by driving away. You hit a mother and child with a car and you drove away.

Your Parole Officer called me and she asked me what I'd like to see happen to you. I told her the worst possible thing imaginable. If I thought you had any decency or remorse for what you've done, or if it had been an accident, I'd have said I hope you could learn to be a better person and become a contributing member of society. In my heart I know you're the loser that you appear and act to be. I have no hope that the measly 5-7 months of Camp you've been sentenced to will do anything to change your ways or who you are at your core, and that you'll come out the same loser you were when you went in. So, what would I like to see happen to you? What kind of punishment would I like for you? I'd like to run you over with my car when you're up against a wall and have nowhere to go. That seems fair. Life is hard and it only gets harder as you get older. You will continue to follow in your loser Father's footsteps and lead a pathetic life, and who knows, maybe you'll end up dead in a ditch from an overdose or because your gang got attached by another gang. And when that happens, nobody will care. And that's when justice will be served. Karma will get you. It always does.

This following is directed at the Court:

Is it illegal to steal a car? Is it illegal to speed at excess of 100% over the speed limit? Is it against the law to drive the wrong way down a one-way street? Is it illegal to drive without a license? Is it illegal to try to murder people? Is it against the law to attempt murder by intentionally accelerating a stolen car into a mother and child who are walking down the street and then drive away? I would assume all of those scenarios are illegal, but the justice system is telling me otherwise.

Being a law-abiding, tax-paying citizen, I have always believed, albeit naively, that the justice system would do its best to protect me and do right by me should something really bad ever happen. I have never been more surprised or disappointed, and in fact I have never felt so victimized as I have by the system and current policies of LA's DA, George Gascon. My heart breaks when I think about all of the other victims out there, less fortunate than me, whose murderers are getting lenient sentences and being released from prison before their sentences are complete.

When I met with the Juvenile DA in Inglewood, I was told that Gascon's policy of 'delivering the lightest touch possible' for minors would prevent us from ever seeing any justice. What about my child, also a minor? He was 8 months old when KB tried to kill him. I was told by that Deputy DA that their hands were tied by Gascon's sweeping mandates and that little punishment, if any at all, would be given to KB. I was also told that his record would be wiped clean when he turns 18. How on earth can that be? He tried to murder two innocent pedestrians. Murder. And we have video evidence. My child would be dead if I hadn't been there to protect him.

George Gascon doesn't value my life or the life of my child, or any other victim out there, and would rather reward the monsters like KB by demonstrating to them that their actions have no consequences. DA Gascon is telling him and every other thug in LA County that it doesn't matter if you try to murder people. Why are Gascon's policies prioritizing the livelihood of rotten monsters when my child, my baby, who is incapable of protecting himself, is left to fend for himself, and is essentially being told his life doesn't matter? Why is a degenerate's life valued more by our DA than my innocent child's? We are left living with the consequences of KB's actions, but KB is not.

KB was never even arrested; just given a traffic citation. It's almost comical  a traffic citation to someone who doesn't even have a license to drive. A traffic citation for attempted murder. I have lost all faith in the justice system. So much so that my family is leaving LA. Los Angeles has become increasingly dangerous since George Gascon took office and implemented these crippling mandates and I am not going to stick around to see how things play out or continue to feel vulnerable and scared for my family's safety.

How is it that the evidence  video footage of KB steering the car towards us but skillfully missing that wall we were up against, pictures of the physical damage my child and I suffered  how is it that this was not shared with the Judge when our Detective and the Deputy DA in Inglewood both have these items in their files? How does this happen? How is it that the evidence doesn't yield greater punishment than 5-7 months in a camp? I was promised this Victim Impact Statement prior to KB's sentencing so that I could hopefully influence it. Why didn't I get that opportunity? What good does this do us now? I would like to ask that the Judge review our evidence and that KB's sentence be reevaluated.

On top of the physical, mental, and emotional damage KB has caused me and my family, this entire process has been incredibly frustrating and seemingly a royal waste of time. Our time and efforts have yielded no results. The fact that I'm delivering a victim impact statement after the judge has already ruled on sentencing is infuriating and inconsequential. Will it leave no impact? Does my voice matter? The head space and the energy, and the time I've spent having meetings with lawyers, the meetings I've had with DAs and law enforcement  it's all proving to be an expensive lesson in injustice and all-in-all, worthless.

I mentioned earlier that I have never felt more victimized than I do by the justice system under Gascon's policies. You would think that is a crazy statement because someone tried to kill me and my child. We survived the attack. In that sense, we won. After being hit, the attack was all I could think about. It was all I cared about because I trusted that the justice system would send KB away for a long time. My husband and I heard rumblings about how the DA's policies are extremely lax when it comes to juveniles. That made me mad, but I still thought he'd be sent away for at least 5 years. When I was told by our detective that we shouldn't expect any justice, I took that as an exaggeration. When I learned from the Juvenile DA and our attorney that in fact, likely nothing would happen to KB, I nearly puked. I felt like I had been sucker punched. Insult added to injury. Salt in the wound. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around this. There's no justice; only injustice. I asked once already, and I am asking again. Please, will the judge take a look at the evidence and consider reevaluating KB's sentencing? Thank you, Rachel'
A Scotland Yard chief suspended on full pay for nearly two years refused to take a drugs test out of fear it would embarrass his force if he failed it, the Daily Mail can reveal.

Commander Julian Bennett, who wrote the Mets drugs strategy, has pocketed around 250,000 after being taken off duty over hotly disputed allegations he used cannabis, LSD and magic mushrooms.

He had been due to face gross misconduct charges in February this year, but at the 11th hour the tribunal was postponed to May at the request of Mr Bennetts lawyers.

Now the hearing has been delayed again until later in the summer when it will have been more than two years since he was suspended.

Commander Julian Bennett (pictured), who wrote the Mets drugs strategy, has pocketed around 250,000 after being taken off duty over hotly disputed allegations he used cannabis, LSD and magic mushrooms

This newspaper can also reveal that even if the veteran commander is found guilty of gross misconduct and fired, he will not lose any of his pension. This is because of his age  he is in his 60s  and his 45 years of service. Legal sources said his pension was bomb proof.

He is thought to earn more than 128,000 a year, and could be entitled to a pension payout of around 400,000 when he leaves the Met, in addition to an index-linked pension income of half his leaving salary.

Mr Bennett, pictured, is nicknamed Sacker for the high number of dismissals when he presided over disciplinary hearings.

Last night the Mets handling of the drawn-out case came under fire. Retired Met chief superintendent Phil Flower, who worked in the forces professional standards department, said: The police disciplinary process has become far too bureaucratic... This could have been dealt with in six months. Instead, he has sat at home doing nothing for two years on full pay. It is absolutely wrong.

Bennett (above) had been due to face gross misconduct charges in February this year, but at the 11th hour the tribunal was postponed to May at the request of Mr Bennetts lawyers

In February, a misconduct hearing heard Mr Bennett allegedly took banned substances while on holiday and that he is accused of refusing to take a drugs test and lying about why.

Mr Bennett, who was suspended on full pay in July 2020, is said to have claimed he had taken CBD (cannabidiol), a legal derivative of cannabis, for the medical condition facial palsy as an explanation for his refusal, an excuse he knew to be untrue.

Last night, details emerged of a letter sent by Mr Bennetts lawyers to his colleagues, asking them to consider being character witnesses.

It says: Given his rank, he knew that had he taken the test and failed it, this would have caused embarrassment to the MPS. He now accepts that... he should have realised the CBD products he used almost certainly would not have caused him to fail the test.

Regarding the latest delay in proceedings, the Met said: The decision was taken by an independent legally qualified chair.
A teenage boy has been fatally stabbed in Sydney's west with police now investigating the death.

Emergency services were called to the Ropes Crossing house early on Saturday morning to find the boy, 16, suffering a stab wound.

Police performed CPR before paramedics arrived but the boy died at the scene.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Tickner said the alleged offender was the boyfriend of a mutual friend who had been invited to the party by a teenage girl at the gathering.

'Young boys, probably with some hormones running through their system, and somebody thought they had to defend the rights of their girlfriend at the scene,' he said.

Detectives from Mt Druitt Police Area Command are now investigating, assisted by the state's homicide investigations squad, after a 16-year-old boy was stabbed at Ropes Crossing

'Unfortunately it's led to a young boy being killed. They shouldn't have been carrying knives in the first place.'

The mutual friend's boyfriend brought two other males with him.

Detectives from Mt Druitt Police Area Command are now investigating, assisted by the state's homicide investigations squad.

The family of the dead boy arrived at the scene shortly after the incident and were assisted by police. He is yet to be formally identified.

No arrests have been made but officers are speaking with a number of witnesses and looking for the alleged offender.

Investigators said there was no evidence to suggest the stabbing was gang related or connected to any other incidents.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Mt Druitt Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
More than 10,000 migrants have crossed the Channel this year despite the threat of being deported to Rwanda.

The number of would-be refugees arriving by dinghy is more than double the figure for this time last year, official figures show.

And the record arrivals have continued this week even after the first rejected asylum seekers were told they will be put on a one-way flight to East Africa, sparking hunger strikes and suicide attempts in detention centres.

It has led to renewed concern that the Governments flagship plan to end the people-smuggling route risks failure.

Dozens were brought ashore at Dover by Border Force officials, taking the total for the week to more than 600

Former Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib told Talk TV yesterday: If the aim of the Rwanda plan was to deter people coming across the Channel, its not actually working.

Since they announced it weve had record numbers coming across. Weve got to stop this movement of people illegally across the Channel.

Figures from the Ministry of Defence showed 139 migrants in six boats crossed the Dover Strait  the narrowest part of the Channel  on Thursday.

Dozens were brought ashore at Dover by Border Force officials, taking the total for the week to more than 600.

It means 10,057 migrants have been intercepted so far this year. By this time last year the figure for arrivals by small boat was just over 4,200 and the 10,000 milestone was not reached until August.

The number of would-be refugees arriving by dinghy is more than double the figure for this time last year, official figures show

About 100 people deemed to have crossed the Channel illegally in dinghies have been sent removal notices by the Home Office, telling them they will be deported to Rwanda.

The first flight is due to take off on June 14 but last-minute legal challenges are expected.

A group of 17 failed asylum seekers at Brook House detention centre near Gatwick airport staged a five-day hunger strike over the controversial policy, while others are said to have attempted suicide.

Home Office figures show how the number of migrants arriving by dinghy has soared.

Only 299 were detected crossing the Channel by small boat in 2018, rising to 1,843 in 2019. By 2020 it was 8,466 and then 28,526 last year.

With more than 10,000 so far in 2022, there are fears it will be another record-breaking year despite the Governments efforts to crack down.
Boris Johnson could face a Tory leadership challenge every three months under a new plans to cut the time-limit on no confidence votes, it is understood.

Sir Graham Brady, the chairman the powerful Tory 1922 Committee, has 'taken soundings' from Conservative party members on cutting the time-limit from a year to three to six months, reports The Sun.

Sir Graham is reportedly considering reducing the time limit - or axing the limit altogether - amid the controversy over Partygate.

Speculation has reached fever pitch over the scandal, with Conservative critics racking up.

Concerns could have been further fuelled by apparent booking for Mr Johnson as he arrived for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee service on Friday morning - although there were also cheers.

Boris Johnson (pictured at St Paul's church for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations with his wife Carrie on Friday) could face a Tory leadership challenge every three months under a new plans to cut the time-limit on no confidence votes, it is understood

Sir Graham Brady, the chairman the powerful Tory 1922 Committee, has reportedly 'taken soundings' from Conservative party members on cutting the time-limit from a year to three to six months

In order to trigger a confidence vote, 54 letters from Conservative MPs must be submitted to Sir Graham.

Under current rules, if Mr Johnson won a vote of no confidence, the Prime Minister would be immune to another for a year.

But under the new reported plans, the limit could be reduced to three months - meaning Mr Johnson could face a rolling leadership threat.

How could Boris Johnson be ousted by Tory MPs? What is the mechanism for removing the Tory leader? Tory Party rules allow the MPs to force a vote of no confidence in their leader. How is that triggered? A vote is in the hands of the chairman of the Tory Party's backbench 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady. A vote of no confidence must be held if 15 per cent of Tory MPs write to the chairman. Currently that threshold is 54 MPs. Letters are confidential unless the MP sending it makes it public. This means only Sir Graham knows how many letters there are. What happens when the threshold is reached? A vote is held, with the leader technically only needing to win support from a simple majority of MPs But in reality, a solid victory is essential for them to stay in post. What happens if the leader loses? The leader is sacked if they do not win a majority of votes from MPs, and a leadership contest begins in which they cannot stand. However, they typically stay on as Prime Minister until a replacement is elected. Advertisement

Sources close to Sir Graham denied that such plans are being considered by the chairman. The Conservative Party have been contacted for comment.

It comes as the Tory revolt against Mr Johnson is threatening to descend into chaos as MPs squabble over Brexit and how soon to launch a coup.

The rebellion does not appear to be well coordinated, and anti-Boris factions are split on how soon to make their move.

Some MPs fear that Mr Johnson will win easily if the threshold of 54 no-confidence letters is hit on Monday or Tuesday, triggering a full ballot. Instead they are urging colleagues to hold off until after two crunch by-elections on June 23.

Meanwhile, ringleaders are embroiled in bitter infighting after former minister Tobias Ellwood suggested the UK should rejoin the EU's single market, even if it means accepting the free movement of people.

Foreign Affairs committee chair Tom Tugendhat, who has openly said he wants to be the next leader, quickly distanced himself from the stance.

'Tobias is wrong. The Single Market puts the EU in charge,' he tweeted. 'We need a deal British people control not foreign laws with no say.'

Ex-chief whip Mark Harper, who has himself submitted a letter calling for Mr Johnson to face a confidence vote, also dismissed the idea.

'The UK voted to leave the EU. That meant leaving the Single Market and putting an end to freedom of movement. The end,' he tweeted.

Under Conservative party rules, Mr Johnson will face a confidence vote amongst Tory MPs if 54 write to Sir Graham, chairman of the 1922 committee, demanding one.

While only around 20 MPs have publicly indicated they have sent letters, many more have been critical. Some might have .

There was apparent booing for Boris Johnson as he arrived with wife Carrie for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee service this morning - although there were also cheers

How many MPs have sent no-confidence letters? It is hard to gauge accurately how close we are to the threshold of 54 no-confidence letters sent to the 1922 committee. That is the number that would trigger a full vote. Some MPs have publicly announced sending a letter - although even that does not guarantee they really have. Others have been heavily critical, or even called for Mr Johnson to resign, without confirming letters. Then there are thought to be letter-writers who have not spoken out. And two of the MPs declared as having sent letters are urging Mr Johnson to have a vote to clear up speculation, rather than saying he should definitely be ousted. At least one MP who previously submitted a letter - Charles Walker - has since withdrawn it. Here are the MPs who have definitely sent a letter: Caroline Nokes - 'I have not withdrawn the letter... I wrote months ago... because to do so would be letting down all of those people who spent the pandemic doing the right thing.' Andrew Bridgen - resubmitted the letter he previously withdrew following 'further revelations over the past week'. Aaron Bell - 'I wrote my letter following PMQs on 12 January, when I could not square the prime minister's words from the dispatch box with his previous statements to the house before Christmas.' Peter Aldous - 'I have therefore written to the Chairman of the 1922 Committee of Backbench Conservative MPs, advising him that I have no confidence in the Prime Minister.' Steve Brine - 'All I can do as a backbencher is seek to trigger that process and (some time ago actually) I have done that.' Elliot Colburn - nothing 'has convinced me that my decision to submit a letter to the 1922 Committee (which I did some time ago) was the wrong one'. Tobias Ellwood - 'You can't ignore the fact that our party lost its way.' Roger Gale - 'I have already indicated publicly that I have submitted a formal letter to the Chairman of the 1922 Committee calling for a Leadership Election.' Nick Gibb - 'We need to face up to hard truths. To restore trust, we need to change the Prime Minister.' Stephen Hammond - 'All I can do as a backbencher is speak out and submit a letter I have said for several months I already have done all I can as a backbencher.' Mark Harper - 'I have formally submitted a letter of no confidence in the prime minister to Sir Graham Brady MP. Anne-Marie Morris - 'Given my increasing displeasure with the ongoing events in the latter part of 2021, I submitted a letter of no confidence to Sir Graham Brady before Christmas.' Anthony Mangnall - 'His actions and mistruths are overshadowing the extraordinary work of so many excellent ministers and colleagues.' Bob Neill - 'With a heavy heart, I submitted a letter of no confidence to Sir Graham Brady.' John Stevenson - 'The only option is for Conservative MPs to facilitate a vote of confidence. I have already taken the appropriate action.' Gary Streeter - 'I cannot reconcile the pain and sacrifice of the vast majority of the British public during lockdown with the attitude and activities of those working in Downing Street.' Advertisement

Sir Graham famously never reveals the numbers until the threshold is reached.

If a confidence vote is called, the PM's opponents would need more than half of the party's MPs to back removing him - a very high bar, although anything short of an overwhelming victory could inflict terminal damage.

In theory if Mr Johnson wins be any margin he cannot be challenged again for a year.

Allies of Mr Johnson have dismissed suggestions the rebels have the numbers.

Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said on Wednesday he did not believe a vote will be triggered next week as he 'doubts' there are even 40 letters in.

Conservative MPs are a notoriously duplicitous electorate. There was a much more organised revolt against Theresa May, and the ringleaders still struggled to keep track of how many were genuinely calling for a confidence vote.

One of the main issues for the would-be coup is the lack of an obvious successor.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak, previously the favourite, also received a fine over Partygate and has been damaged by the cost-of-living crisis.

Former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, Mr Tugendhat and trade minister Penny Mordaunt have been mooted as potential replacements for the PM.

From the current cabinet, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace are also seen as being in the running.

However, there has been strong backing for Mr Johnson from his existing team.

Mr Johnson said earlier this week that quitting over the 'miserable' partygate scandal would be irresponsible, and denied suggestions he is an 'habitual liar'.

He cited 'huge pressures' on the economy, the war in Ukraine and his 'massive agenda which I was elected to deliver' as his reasons for remaining in post and not seeking to 'abandon' ship.

In an interview with Mumsnet released on Wednesday, he was told he was considered to be a 'habitual liar'.

The Prime Minister replied: 'First of all, I don't agree with the conclusion with the question asked or the premise of the question.'

Told a teacher would have lost their job if they had broken the law and asked why the same did not apply to him, Mr Johnson replied: 'If people look at the event in question it felt to me like a work event, I was there for a very short period of time in the Cabinet Office at my desk and, you know, I was very, very surprised and taken aback to get an FPN but of course I paid it.

'I think that on why am I still here, I'm still here because we've got huge pressures economically, we've got to get on, you know, we've got the biggest war in Europe for 80 years, and we've got a massive agenda to deliver which I was elected to deliver.

'I've thought about all these questions a lot, as you can imagine, and I just cannot see how actually it'd be responsible right now - given everything that is going on simply to abandon a) the project which I embarked on but b)...'

At this point, Mr Johnson was interrupted and told some believe he has lost the trust of the people, to which the Prime Minister replied: 'Let's see about that and, yeah, I'm not going to deny the whole thing hasn't been a totally miserable experience for people in Government and we've got to learn from it and understand the mistakes we made and we've got to move forward.'

However, Simon Fell, elected Conservative MP for Barrow and Furness in 2019, was the latest to be reported to have raised concerns and criticised the 'corrosive culture and a failure of leadership' that allowed the incidents to happen.

Mr Johnson's own ethics adviser also slated his handling of Partygate, with Lord Geidt suggesting Mr Johnson's fixed penalty notice (FPN) may have breached the ministerial code.

Lord Geidt, the independent adviser on the ministerial code, said a 'legitimate question' had arisen as to whether the FPN might have constituted a breach of the 'overarching duty within the ministerial code of complying with the law'.
Four people were stabbed at the Encino Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles on Friday afternoon.

The victims included two nurses and a doctor, according to LAPD. Those three are said to be in critical condition.

The male attacker holed up in a room inside the hospital after the stabbing.

The assailant was taken into custody at 5pm PST, according a representative for the hospital.

One of the victims of the Encino Hospital stabbing being taken away on a stretcher on June 3

A victim being being brought out of Encino Hospital after being stabbed by an attacker on Friday afternoon

Footage from KTLA News 5 shows a victim being taken out of the Encino Hospital in a wheelchair after being stabbed

Four people were stabbed at the Encino Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles on Friday afternoon

The attack began around 3:50pm, and took place in the vicinity of the hospital's emergency room

The attack began around 3:50pm, and took place in the vicinity of the hospital's emergency room.

LAPD said that the suspect had a lengthy record, including two arrests last year for resisting arrest, and for battery of a police officer.

The hospital declared an 'internal disaster,' and halted admitting new patients or allowing visitors to enter.

The victims were transferred to Northridge Hospital for treatment.

Footage from ABC 7 showed a victim being wheeled out on a stretcher, while scenes from KTLA News 5 showed another victim being taken out in a wheelchair.

The victims' identities are not yet known, but a witness told NBC LA that they saw two nurses and a female doctor with wounds.

A stretch of Ventura Boulevard outside the hospital remains closed.

The suspect (head visible at center) being loaded into an ambulance after being apprehended

Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton updates the media after the suspect was taken into custody
Elon Musk shares "super bad" feeling about the U.S. economy, causing Democratic Joe Biden to fire back at the Tesla and SpaceX CEO with a sarcastic moon jab.

The U.S. president, during his televised press conference on the state of the country's economy, was asked for his thoughts regarding Musk's pessimistic assessment of the situation of the country and where things were headed. In his response, the Democrat dismissed the world's richest man, wishing him, "luck on his trip to the moon."

Elon Musk vs Joe Biden

The feud between the billionaire entrepreneur and the Democratic president has generated a buzz among media figures on social media giant Twitter. On Thursday, news reported that the Tesla CEO had emailed company executives that he planned to cut 10% of the electric car company's jobs and put in place a hiring freeze due to his fears about the state of the economy.

The world's richest man did not mince words and told executives that he had a "super bad feeling" about the country's economy right now. The email was not the first time this week that has turned people's heads, as per Fox News.

Previously, the tech billionaire also sent out an email to Tesla executives, requiring them to make sure that all employees were coming into the office for work. He added that everyone working at the electric vehicle manufacturing company was required to spend a minimum of 40 hours in the office per week.

Read Also: Biden Administration Divided Over Russian Sanctions That Have Not Deterred Putin; Instead Boomeranged Back on the US

During Biden's press conference, the president also fired back with a few comments about how other major car companies making electric vehicles were investing in the economy. The Democrat noted that Ford was increasing their investment overwhelmingly which includes new electric vehicles, 6,000 new employees, and union employees.

According to Yahoo News, Biden also noted that the former Chrysler Corporation was also making similar investments in electric vehicles. Furthermore, Intel was found to be planning to add 20,000 new jobs making computer chips.

U.S. Economy

Musk's comments on the economy, and his previous emails to Tesla's executives, came after the company's shares fell more than 8% as of Friday. The billionaire entrepreneur also made headlines previously for his floundering attempts to take full control of Twitter. The company's shareholders recently hit Musk with a lawsuit alleging he has criticized the company in a deliberate attempt to sow doubts about the deal and drive its value down.

Despite his comments about the economy of the United States. Musk last week wrote that a recession would be a "good thing" because it has already been "raining money on fools for too long."

While President Biden touted last month's jobs report and projected confidence in the nation's economic trajectory, he also acknowledged that many Americans were anxious about the high prices of gas and food products.

The Democrat further placed blame on Russian President Vladimir Putin and his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. He said, "I understand that families who are struggling probably don't care why the prices are up. They just want them to go down," CNN reported.



Related Article: Twitter Payments Coming Soon? Elon Musk Hints "Slight Cost" for Business, Government Users

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A senior Government advisor has warned 'political correctness' and fear of being seen as racist is stopping officials reporting potential threats.

Dame Sara Khan, the independent advisor for social cohesion, said there is a 'genuine fear' of being called racist that was preventing people from getting in touch with the authorities over potential terrorism.

Ms Khan added she thought the Prevent anti-terror scheme, which is meant to prevent people from becoming radicalised, is actually creating a 'vacuum' for extremists.

The 42-year-old said the scheme is failing to engage with Muslim communities in the UK, and that the purpose of Prevent had not been adequately explained to these groups, leaving them mistrustful of it.

Speaking to Nick Robinson on the BBC's Political Thinking podcast, Ms Khan said she had encountered councillors who 'just could not talk about' Islamic extremism and the radicalisation of Muslims in their area.

She said: 'There's a genuine fear, a lack of confidence, a lack of understanding.'

Dame Sara Khan says some officials are failing to report threats to the authorities over fears of being labelled as racist

The human rights activist added: 'They felt that somehow they were going to be offending Muslims, somehow it was being racist and Islamaphobic.

'I thought 'you're not doing a service to Muslims in this country if you think that.'

'Not talking about the threat of Islamist extremism is totally unacceptable.

'You're actually discriminating against Muslims because you're more concerned about political correctness and the fear of being labelled racist [than] actually helping Muslims.'

Ms Khan said the Prevent scheme, which is set up to counter threats from across society, including far-left, far-right and Islamic terrorism, had not engaged properly with the Muslim community.

'There's far right, Islamist, Sikh, there's Hindu nationalism, there's all different types of extremism  there's far left, for example,' she said.

'You've got to deal with all of those types of problems, and only trying to focus on one at the expense of others is totally counterproductive.

Police marksmen on London Bridge following a terror attack in June 2017. Ms Khan said the Government's Prevent anti-terror scheme is failing to engage with Muslim communities

'They didn't go out and explain to Muslim communities what Prevent is about. In essence, they left a vacuum.'

She added that some Muslim groups are making claims of Islamaphobia to 'use it as a cover for Islamic extremism'.

'So for example, when Islamist groups say if I talk or you talk and condemn Islamist extremism and now we are suddenly labelled Islamophobic, thats totally and utterly unacceptable,' she said.

'And what thats trying to do is actually silence dissent, its actually creating a climate of censorship and fear.'

It comes a day after the five year anniversary of the Westminster Bridge and Borough Market terror attack.

Wreathes and floral tributes left by a plaque which was unveiled at a service of commemoration on the fifth anniversary of the London Bridge terror attack

A memorial service was held at Southwark Cathedral on Friday to commemorate the eight people who lost their lives when terrorists ploughed into pedestrians in a hired van, then ran amok with 12-inch knives.

Amir Eden, the chair of not-for-profit Living Bankside  which works with those in the Southbank area who may need support with their health or wellbeing, read the poem Heavy by Mary Oliver.

He told the PA news agency: 'Today was a very important day. It was important to reflect and reconcile and to never forget what had happened  eight people lost their lives, many injured and hundreds traumatised.

'The service has allowed us to look for the light, to look for the future. In our community, we have seen time and time again, that unity, compassion and hope have shone through.'

Candles were lit and placed on a table to illuminate the altar, to honour those who died or were injured in the attacks.

Christine Archibald, 30, and Xavier Thomas, 45, died after being struck by the van on the bridge.

Khuram Shazad Butt (left), Rachid Redouane (centre) and Youssef Zaghba (right) were all shot dead by police after conducting a terror attack on London Bridge five years ago

Alexandre Pigeard, 26, Sara Zelenak, 21, Kirsty Boden, 28, Sebastien Belanger, 36, and James McMullan, 32, were stabbed near the Boro Bistro on the South Bank.

Ignacio Echeverria, 39, died as he tried to protect others from being attacked on nearby Borough High Street.

Ringleader Khuram Butt, 27, Rachid Redouane, 30, and Youssef Zaghba, 22, were confronted in Stoney Street and shot dead by police marksmen.

It would later be revealed that Butt had been reported to the police by his own family 18 months before the attack as they grew concerned by his increasingly extremist views.
A transcript of a 911 call from one of the students inside the Uvalde classroom that was targeted by Ramos Salvador has revealed that one of the two teachers killed in the massacre may have survived if cops had not waited an hour to take out the gunman.

'There is a lot of bodies,' 10-year-old Khloie Torres told a 911 dispatcher 12:10 pm on May 24 after Ramos opened fire at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, the New York Times reported.

Khloie added that one of her teachers had been shot but was still alive and begged for help.

'I don't want to die, my teacher is dead, my teacher is dead, please send help, send help for my teacher, she is shot but still alive,' the desperate girl pleaded.

The fourth grader did not specify if it was Irma Garcia or Eva Mireles- the two teachers shot and killed- who was injured.

The 10-year-old stayed on the line for about 17 minutes- and 11 minutes into the call, the sound of gunfire could be heard in the background.

'There is a lot of bodies,' 10-year-old Khloie Torres (pictured with her parents) told a 911 dispatcher 12:10 pm on the day of the Texas school shooting

Teachers Irma Garcia (left) and Eva Mireless (right) were killed in the massacre

Khloie said her fourth grade classroom in Room 112 were watching a movie when her teacher, Irma Garcia, told the class to go into lockdown- turning off the movie and rushing to lock the classroom door, the Times reported.

But Garcia struggled to find the keys to the door and by the time she found the right key 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos was outside the door.

'He grabbed the door, and he opened it,' Khloie said.

As Khloie and her classmates hid under tables she said she heard Ramos say 'you'll die' and fire his gun while Garcia tried to protect her students.

The 10-year-old said she also heard Ramos say 'good night' before shooting at her classmates.

When one student who was struck shouted out 'I'm shot' he caught Ramos's attention, who returned to the wounded child and shot them dead, Khloie told the Times.

As Ramos moved between the adjoining classroom where teacher Eva Mireles was, Khloie said she took the chance to call out quietly: 'Is anybody OK? Is anybody hurt?' to which one classmate responded: 'Yeah'

Khloie's 911 call is another piece of evidence that proves if police had acted more swiftly lives could have been saved

The school district's police force continues to face scrutiny for their handling of the shooting

During a bombshell presser in the wake of the shooting, Texas Department of Public Safety head Steven McCraw slammed Chief Pete Arredondo for failing to engage Ramos

'Just be quiet, so he doesn't come back in here,' Khloie said she replied.

She said one of her other classmates asked for help getting Ms. Garcia's body off her.

The 10-year-old's call came 37 minutes after Ramos entered the campus and an entire 40 minutes before authorities swooped in and shot and killed the gunman.

Her 911 call is another piece of evidence that proves if police had acted more swiftly lives could have been saved.

'I don't understand why somebody did not go in,' Khloie's mother Jamie Torres told the Times.

Torres said although there would have been casualties 'it would have been way less than 21'

During a bombshell presser in the wake of the shooting, Texas Department of Public Safety head Steven McCraw slammed Chief Pete Arredondo for failing to engage Ramos, mistakenly believing the teen had finished his killing spree and was hiding out from cops.

'With the benefit of hindsight, from where I'm sitting now, of course it was not the right decision. It was the wrong decision, period,' McCraw said.

The assertion from the state safety official comes as the the school district's police force continues to face scrutiny for their handling of the shooting.

McCraw revealed that 911 calls had been made by students while locked in the classroom with Ramos, as Arredondo and his men waited outside the room for more than an hour.

Eventually, Border Patrol agents who rushed to the scene after hearing the incident unfold on scanners, breached the locked classroom door, with one fatally shooting Ramos.

According to a law enforcement official who anonymously spoke to The New York Times, the agents had been puzzled as to why they were being told not to enter the school and engage the gunman.

Law enforcement officers gather outside of Robb Elementary School following the mass shooting

Uvalde School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo reportedly did not have his radio on him when he arrived on seen at the Robb Elementary School shooting, where 21 people were killed, including 19 children.

McCraw asserted that Arredondo, identifying the district chief by title and not by name, made a miscalculation assuming the active shooter situation had become a barricade event.

Arredondo, 50, become the focus of backlash from parents wondering if their children could have been saved.

Arredondo believed that Ramos was barricaded alone inside the building, and waited over an hour before breaching the classrooms - where 19 children and two teachers had been killed.

It continues the theme of the story regarding the Uvalde School District Police's attempts to stop the shooter shifting, including a teacher initially blamed wrongly to have left a door open that allowed Ramos to get in. It has since been confirmed by the Texas Department of Public Safety that he entered via an unlocked door.

It was revealed last week that the Uvalde Schools Police Department ignored several protocols from their own active shooter training drills, which they had practiced just two months ago.

Arredondo has spoken to the Texas Rangers, who are handling interviews on behalf of the state's department of public safety investigation into the massacre.

The Rangers, the U.S. Department of Justice and the local district attorney's office are all investigating.
War crimes investigators are looking into forced deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia as part of a possible genocide.

Ukrainian prosecutors are examining the allegations that Russia is forcing Ukrainian children into their lands in an attempt to eradicate their identity, with 20 cases already said to be on their books.

International humanitarian law classifies the forced mass deportation of people during a conflict as a war crime under the 1948 Genocide Convention.

Russian state media has claimed that '1.55 million people who arrived from the territory of Ukraine and Donbas have crossed the border with the Russian Federation.'

Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova, who is overseeing multiple war crimes inquiries in Ukraine

The Russian state TASS news agency added that 'more than 254,000 children' had allegedly crossed the border

The Russian state TASS news agency added that 'more than 254,000 children' had allegedly crossed the border.

Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova, who is overseeing multiple war crimes inquiries in Ukraine, said: 'We have more than 20 cases about forcible transfer of people' to Russia from various regions across the eastern European country since the invasion began on February 24.

'From the first days of the war, we started this case about genocide,' Venediktova told Reuters.

She said that, amid the chaos and destruction wrought by Russia's assault, focusing on the removal of children offered the best way to secure the evidence needed to meet the rigorous legal definition of genocide: 'That's why this forcible transfer of children is very important for us.'

Venediktova declined to provide a number for how many victims had been forcibly transferred.

However, Ukraine's human rights ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova said in mid May that Russia had relocated more than 210,000 children during the conflict, part of more than 1.2 million Ukrainians who Kyiv said have been deported against their will.

A Kremlin spokesman did not respond to a request for comment on Venediktova's remarks nor the figures on Ukrainians on Russian soil.

Russia in the past has said that it is offering humanitarian aid to those wishing to flee Ukraine voluntarily.

The inquiries come as the war reached its 100th day today as Russian forces bear down on the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.

A key Ukrainian stronghold in the Donbas appears on the verge of falling to Russia as the region's governor began openly talking of surrendering the city today.

Serhiy Haidai, the governor of Luhansk province, said Russia is now attacking the city of Severodonetsk from all sides and that - if his is given the order by Kyiv to surrender the city - then he would be willing to do so.

A Russian tank painted with the 'Z' symbol that has become synonymous with Putin's war is pictured moving through the city of Popansa, heading for Severodonetsk

Haidai said the decision to abandon Severodonetsk - one of the last Ukrainian strongholds in his province - will not be taken lightly but that 'the war is the bigger priority', according to a morning briefing from the BBC.

It came as heavy fighting also broke out to the north of Slovyansk, another key city in neighbouring Donetsk province, with Russian bombardment cutting water, power and gas supplies - leaving the last remaining citizens facing the prospect of a siege.

Capturing the Luhansk and Donetsk regions - which together make up the Donbas - is now the chief aim of Vladimir Putin's 'special military operation' which entered its 100th day today, after attempts at a rapid victory with an attack on Kyiv failed.

Russia has been tightening its grip on the Donbas in recent days - making slow, costly, but steady progress in subduing the region with withering artillery fire.

A Russian armoured vehicle painted with symbols identifying it to other units is pictured rolling through the city of Popansa, on its way to Severodonetsk

Severodonetsk appears on the verge of falling to Russia as the region's governor talks openly of retreat, while nearby Slovyansk is also under heavy bombardment

Kyiv says Putin's army is now in control of 20 per cent of Ukraine's territory, compared to around 7 per cent when the invasion began on February 24.

President Zelensky admitted yesterday that up to 100 men are dying every day, most of them in Donbas, while another 500 are being wounded - a staggering casualty toll that will be difficult to maintain even as reserves and conscripts are called up.

Severodonetsk's Azot factory, one of Europe's biggest chemical plants, was targeted by Russian soldiers who fired on one of its administrative buildings and a warehouse where methanol was stored.

Ukrainian troops were still holding an industrial zone, Gaiday said, a situation reminiscent of Mariupol, where a huge steelworks was the southeastern port city's last holdout until Ukrainian troops finally surrendered in late May.
A Navy pilot is dead after a fighter jet crashed Friday in the Southern California desert.

Navy officials confirmed that on Friday F/A-18E Super Hornet that was based at Naval Air Station Lemoore went down at about 2:30 pm in the area of Trona, an unincorporated Mojave Desert community in San Bernardino County about 236 miles southeast of the air station.

The pilot flying the jet was killed in the crash and Navy officials said they are waiting to notify next of kin before releasing the identity of the pilot.

Navy officials confirmed that on Friday F/A-18E Super Hornet (pictured) that was based at Naval Air Station Lemoore went down at about 2:30 pm in the area of Trona

While details on what led to the crash weren't immediately released, officials confirmed no other aircraft was involved and no one the ground was hurt.

Lemoore is home to Commander Strike Fighter Wing Pacific and Commander Joint Strike Fighter Wing and hosts 16 operational Strike Fighter squadrons, according to its website.

Naval Air Station Lemoore (pictured) is home to Commander Strike Fighter Wing Pacific and Commander Joint Strike Fighter Wing and hosts 16 operational Strike Fighter squadrons,

The F/A-18E Super Hornet The F/A-18 forms the backbone of the Navy's fighter jet fleet, and the Super Hornet variant became operational in 2001. The jet is an updated version of the F-18C/D, and features a 20 percent larger airframe, 7,000 lb. heavier empty weight, and 15,000 lb. heavier maximum weight than the original Hornet, Military.com reported. The Super Hornet is able to carry 33 percent more internal fuel, increasing the jet's mission range by 41 percent and endurance by 50 percent over the previous Hornet. The Super Hornet saw initial combat action on November 6, 2002 with VFA-115 when they participated in a strike on hostile targets in the 'no-fly' zone in Iraq, Military.com reported. Advertisement

In 2019, a Navy Super Hornet crashed in Death Valley National Park during a routine training mission, killing the pilot and slightly injuring seven park visitors who were struck by debris. They had gathered at a scenic overlook where aviation enthusiasts watch military pilots speeding low through a chasm dubbed Star Wars Canyon, officials said.

Last October, a Navy Super Hornet from Naval Air Station China Lake also crashed, and in 2020 another from Lemoore went down, both during training missions. The pilots safely ejected, one in a remote southern area of Death Valley National Park near the Nevada border and the other in the Mojave Desert.

The jet is similar to the one Tom Cruise flies in his latest hit movie Top Gun: Maverick.

Cruise is seen apparently flying the Super Hornet via cameras installed  but with experienced Navy pilots are holding the stick.

Cruise underwent a full Aviation Survival Training Curriculum before going up in the US Navy F-18, as did his co-stars. They worked up to the supersonic jets by going up in a succession of slower planes first over many months.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer said that Cruise had filed a request to be allowed to fly the plane, but was denied clearance by the Navy  presumably on the grounds that the $70 million plane was simply too expensive to be entrusted someone who is not actually a fighter pilot.
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The jilted boyfriend who shot dead his ex and her friend before turning the gun on himself outside an Iowa church was arrested for harassing her just days before the massacre.

Jonathan Lee Whitlatch, 33, was arrested on May 31 in Boone County, Iowa, for impersonating a public official and third-degree harassment of Eden Mariah Montang, 22, after she ended their relationship.

Montag was granted a retraining order against him, while Whitlatch posted bond and was scheduled to appear in court June 10.

Two days after his arrest, Whitlatch fatally shot Montang and her friend Vivian Renee Flores, 21, in the parking lot outside Cornerstone Church of Armes, near Des Moines, Sheriff Paul Fitzgerald said. He then turned the gun on himself.

The suspect had also been awaiting trial on a charge of sexual abuse stemming from an incident last October when he twice put his hand down a woman's pants and attempted to penetrate her at a nightclub in Cedar Falls, according to the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. The alleged victim was not Montang nor Flores.

The incident was caught on surveillance cameras. Whitlatch told authorities he didn't remember much about the incident because he'd been drinking. Deposition interviews in the case were scheduled to start later this month.

Meanwhile, Montang, 22, a devout Christian and Iowa State University student, had posted about abusive relationships just a week before she was killed.

'It's not about who YOU are - how smart you are, or how confident you are - it's about who THEY are,' she wrote, 'The way they make manipulation look like they have your best interest at heart, the way they're in fact sincere when they are sorry but don't end up changing their behavior, their abusive upbringing that perpetuates pain. Hurt people - hurt people.'

And on May 11, Montang posted another message: 'Be careful. Manipulation can feel like love.'

On Friday, her father, Terry Montang, paid tribute to his daughter.

'I'm proud to have been her father,' Montang said from the church stage, 'And I don't know what more there is to say that she's with the Lord. And she did her best to walk the walk.'

The attack was the latest deadly shooting to rock the US, following killings in New York, Texas, California and Oklahoma in recent weeks.

A photo of Jonathan Lee Whitlatch and Eden Montang together from Montang's Facebook profile. Just one week prior to her murder, Montang made a post on Instagram talking about abusive relationships

Jonathan Lee Whitlatch, 33, (left in his mugshot when he was arrested for third-degree harassment and impersonating a public official after a domestic situation), fatally shot, Eden Mariah Montang, 22, (right)and Vivian Renee Flores, 21, in the parking lot outside Cornerstone Church of Armes, near Des Moines, Sheriff Paul Fitzgerald said

Authorities conducted a search of Whitlatch's residence after the shooting and discovered ammo for the 9MM pistol that had been purchased just an hour prior to the shooting, as well as an AR-15 unrelated to the attack.

Montang and Flores were attending a bible study at Cornerstone Church in Ames, where both went to Iowa State University.

It was a program both were encouraged to attend that co-mingled students with high schoolers. There were 80 people in attendance which led Fitzgerald to suggest that the shooting could have been much worse.

'He was there for a specific purpose, which he accomplished,' the sheriff said.

The church held a service to pray for the victims on Friday morning, with several members embracing each other while unable to hold back tears.

Whitlatch and Montang together in a social media photo. Whitlatch murdered Montang with a 9MM pistol following a fallout with her, the local sheriff said at a Friday press conference

Jonathan Whitlatch and Eden Montang pictured with Eden's father, Terry Montang (far left). Terry spoke in tribute to his daughter at a service on Friday

Whitlatch and Montang together. A search of Whitlatch's home revealed that the ammunition he used to murder Montang was purchased an hour before the act

Cornerstone Church released a statement confirming that the women killed were 'young members of our community,' but did not give other details about the victims or shooter, citing the ongoing police investigation.

'Our hearts break for all involved, and we are praying for everyone affected, especially the family of the victims,' the church said in the statement. The church also planned to hold a prayer service for the victims Friday.

The attack came during the Summer Salt, a program for college-aged members, said Lennie.

It is estimated that around 1,300 students gather weekly for the program. Thursday was the first meeting of the summer.

When deputies arrived on scene they found all three dead, Lennie said, adding he could not provide identities nor disclose what the relationship between them may have been.

'This appears to be an isolated, single-shooter incident,' Lennie said. Lennie told the Des Moines Register that he was 'shocked' by the shooting a member of 'law enforcement.'

The shooting took place at Cornerstone Church of Armes (pictured), near Des Moines

People mourn in the Cornerstone Church parking lot Friday morning, June 3, 2022 in Ames, Iow

The church held a service to pray for the victims on Friday morning, with several members embracing each other while unable to hold back tears

People embrace outside the Cornerstone Church after the shooting on Thursday. Two members of the church were killed by a gunman in the parking lot

Story Country Sheriff Paul Fitzgerald, right, and Story County Chief Deputy Nicholas Lennie provide more information about the shooting at Ames' Cornerstone Church

'We prepare and we train hard for this, but when it happens, it's obviously chaotic until you get it under control,' he told the Des Moines Register.

'I would also like to take a moment to just extend our condolences to those involved, the victims involved, the families, the witnesses that were here at the church.'

DailyMail.com has attempted to contact the Sherriff's Office and church for comment.

The church said it was 'saddened' by the event in a statement on its Facebook page, writing: 'Our hearts break for all involved, and we are praying for everyone affected, especially the family of the victims.

The Salt Company, which hosts the weekly program, said: 'We are grieving deeply. Tonight, a tragic shooting occurred involving two young members of our Cornerstone Church community. It is believed that an adult male shot these two victims and then took his own life.'

The church said it was 'saddened' and 'heartbroken' about the event in a statement

Vance declined to give further details about the incident, citing the ongoing investigation.

Churchgoers reportedly remained on the grounds and inside the church for hours after the shooting, and photos from the scene showed groups of people hugging one another in tears.

In a tweet, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds characterized the shooting as 'senseless violence.'

'Tonight's act of senseless violence took the lives of two innocent victims at their place of worship. Kevin and I grieve for the families who have suffered an unfathomable loss.'

The shooting is the latest in a string of mass-shootings that have plagued the US in recent weeks.

On May 14, an 18-year old white supremacist, Payton Gendron, murdered 10 people inside a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, with an assault rifle.

Then on May 24, another 18-year-old shooter murdered 19 elementary school students and two teachers at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

The following holiday weekend there were at least 14 'mass shootings' across the US according to the Gun Violence Archive, an institute tracking shootings in the country.

On June 1, 45-year old Michael Louis shot four people dead at the Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was targeting a doctor he blamed for his chronic back pain.

In a rare evening address on Thursday, President Biden characterized American communities as 'killing fields,' while calling for a ban on assault weapons.

'Enough, enough. It's time for each of us to do our part,' the president said, 'For the children we've lost. For the children we can save. For the nation we love. Let's meet the moment. Let us finally do something.'
The Justice Department has decided not to charge former White House Chief-of-Staff under the Trump administration Mark Meadows and Deputy Chief-of-Staff for Communications Dan Scavino.

The pair had been subpoenaed by the House January 6 Committee investigating the Capitol riot.

The Democratic-controlled House recommended the contempt charges in April for Scavino. In December, the chamber voted in favor of a contempt charge for Meadows, a former House member who became Trump's chief of staff.

The New York Times reported late on Friday that the Justice Department had decided against charging Meadows and Scavino with contempt of Congress.

The House last month voted 220-203 to hold Trump insiders Navarro and Dan Scavino in contempt of Congress, but the DOJ has decided not to charge either of the men

Former President Donald Trump and his allies are planning efforts to counter-program start of prime time hearings by the January 6th committee next week

The newspaper cited people familiar with the matter and a letter it reviewed from a prosecutor informing the House general counsel of the decision.

'Based on the individual facts and circumstances of their alleged contempt, my office will not be initiating prosecutions for criminal contempt as requested in the referral against Messrs. Meadows and Scavino,' Matthew M. Graves, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, wrote to Douglas N. Letter, general counsel of the House.

'My office's review of each of the contempt referrals arising from the Jan. 6 committee's investigation is complete.'

Meadows had initially been cooperating with the panel and had handed over a trove of communications however he has since stopped assisting.

Mark Meadows had initially been cooperating with the panel and had handed over a trove of communications however he has since stopped assisting

Dan Scavino began negotiating through his lawyers but refused to cooperate.

Scavino began negotiating through his lawyers but refused to cooperate.

The flurry of activity comes just days before the House committee leading the investigation into the riot at the Capitol holds a primetime hearing aimed at presenting the American public with evidence it has collected about how the assault unfolded.

The split decisions show how the Justice Department has opted to evaluate on a case-by-case basis contempt referrals it has received from Congress rather than automatically pursue charges against each and every Trump aide who has resisted congressional subpoenas.

The committee's leaders called the decision to not prosecute Meadows and Scavino 'puzzling.' In a statement late Friday, Reps. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said: 'We hope the Department provides greater clarity on this matter. ... No one is above the law.'

'Who are these people? This is not America,' Navarro, pictured outside court on Friday, said. 'I was a distinguished public servant for four years!'

Earlier on Friday, Peter Navarro, a former top adviser to ex-President Donald Trump, was been charged with contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with the House of Representatives committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

A federal grand jury charged Navarro with one count involving his refusal to appear for a deposition before the January 6 Select Committee and another for his refusal to produce documents in response to a subpoena, the department said.

Navarro did not enter a plea at his 72-minute hearing before Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

The former Trump adviser accused the Justice Department of 'prosecutorial misconduct' for arresting him at a local airport as he tried to depart on a trip to Nashville and New York.

Navarro said authorities ignored his request for them to contact an attorney and refused to allow him to make a phone call during his arrest. 'I am ... disappointed in our republic,' he told the judge. His next court appearance was set for June 17.

The 88-page suit also takes aim at members of the House January 6 committee

A longtime China hawk, Navarro advised Trump on trade issues and also served on his COVID-19 task force. He has contended previously that his communications are protected by executive privilege, a legal principle protecting a president's communications.

His indictment came a week before the committee is due on June 9 to hold the first in a series of public hearings on its investigation. And it came two days after Navarro filed a civil lawsuit against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the House committee.

Trump has urged associates not to cooperate with the Democratic-led investigation, calling it politically motivated.

In its subpoena, the committee said it had reason to believe that Navarro, 72, had information relevant to its investigation.

Navarro has said in media interviews and in his book that he helped coordinate an effort - known as the 'Green Bay Sweep' - to halt certification of Biden's victory and keep Trump in power.

Navarro faces up to a year in prison on each count, if convicted. He also faces fines but a court-appointed attorney disputed a Department of Justice assertion that he could be fined as much as $100,000 on each count, arguing instead that the maximum penalty should be $1,000.

Navarro argued at length for delaying the criminal proceedings and instead moving forward with his civil suit against the committee, arguing that the case against him stems from collusion between the Justice Department, Congress and the Biden White House.

'The prosecution has put me in an untenable position of conflicting constitutional interpretations,' Navarro said. 'This is something that needs to get to the Supreme Court.'

Stephen Bannon, at one time the chief strategist for the former Republican president, was criminally charged in November for defying a subpoena

Navarro is the second prominent Trump adviser to face criminal charges in the investigation.

Stephen Bannon, at one time the chief strategist for the former Republican president, was criminally charged in November for defying a subpoena.

The Select Committee has conducted more than 1,000 interviews, including many with former White House aides, as it investigates the assault by thousands of Trump supporters on January 6, 2021, as Vice President Mike Pence and lawmakers gathered to certify Democrat Joe Biden's victory in the November 2020 presidential election.

After Trump repeated his false claims at a raucous rally that his defeat was the result of fraud, mobs rampaged through the Capitol, injuring police officers and sending Pence, lawmakers, staff and journalists fleeing for safety.

Four people died on the day of the attack, and one Capitol Police officer who fought with rioters died the next day. Four officers have since taken their own lives.
This is the terrifying moment a stripper's home is robbed at gunpoint by a pair of masked thugs who spotted her lavish lifestyle on social media and planted tracking devices in her car.

The dancer's husband was zip-tied by the suspects - who also pointed a gun at their two children - after they stormed their apartment when she was in Dominican Republic.

The men, named as Romel Catoe, 32, and Mathew Sanchez, 29, made off with wads of cash during brazen raid in Queens, New York.

They returned for a second robbery when the stripper had returned nine days later and tied them both up in the bathroom as they ransacked the place before one of her children dialed 911.

But one of them left behind a phone, which cops used to hunt the vile invaders and arrested them.

The duo made off with $79,000 in mostly singles and $100,000 worth of Hermes and Christian Dior bags. The cash belonged to the stripper and another she knew.

Following their first successful heist, the cocky robbers returned to the home just nine days later for another robbery

Footage, released by cops yesterday, shows one of the thugs pointing his gun at the husband of one of the strippers after breaking into their apartment.

He aims the weapon at the victim's back before using zip-ties to cuff his hands together as he lies on the floor.

The other suspect takes over and keeps his pistol trained on the man before they made off with their loot.

The stripper had been away in the Dominican Republic at the time of the attack, though the reason for her trip is not clear.

In the second robbery they ordered the stripper and her husband into the bathroom at gunpoint, where they were zip-tied, prosecutors said

Catoe and Sanchez also allegedly stormed their house again but were forced to abandon the raid when one of the children rang 911.

Police said the pair plotted out the heists after scoping the two strippers' social media pages that showed them with wads of cash, jewelry and expensive handbags.

Prosecutors claimed the suspects also installed GPS tracking devices on their cars to hunt them down.

The brazen thugs even discussed whether to carry out the attack if the children were home on January 27 and February 3 last year.

The men targeted the Queens home of one of the strippers in two separate armed robberies

'I'm ready thou like I'm ready ready,' Catoe texted Sanchez 'Are we getting this?'

The men were charged with robbery conspiracy, robbery, money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to receive stolen property.

Prosecutors said in between the two robberies the men swapped thousands of the smaller bills stolen for bigger bills at a bank near Philadelphia.




Anthony Albanese has revealed he will be living at The Lodge in Canberra rather than staying at Kirribilli House in Sydney, even after Scott Morrison finally moved out of the harbourside residence.

The prime minister has already begun to move his possessions to the premises located in the suburb of Deakin as he prepares to call the Australian capital his new home.

Mr Albanese has made the bold decision to not stay in Sydney even though he was born in Camperdown and bought a home in Marrickville.

The move comes as a surprise for some Australians who believed he would be moving into Kirribilli House - an Australian prime minister's official Sydney residence - and that he was waiting for his predecessor Scott Morrison to vacate the premises.

Anthony Albanese has decided he will be living in The Lodge in Canberra rather than staying at Kirribilli House in Sydney like his predecessor Scott Morrison

The prime minister has already begun to move his possessions to the premises located in the suburb of Deakin as he prepares to call the Australian capital his new home

The former prime minister had been living at the premises for more than one-and-a-half weeks after losing the federal election on May 21 - earning him the nickname 'Squat' Morrison.

Mr Albanese had to meet government officials at his own Marrickville home, in Sydney's inner-west, while he waited for Mr Morrison to move out.

Mr Morrison finally appeared to be finally leaving the residence when two bright orange Allied removal trucks arrived at the heritage-listed home on Friday.

A comedian plastered mock eviction notices on the gates and wall of Kirribilli House to mock the Morrison family's near-record delay in vacating the premises.

Mr Albanese revealed he is abandoning his home city as he believed Canberra had been 'ignored largely by the government'.

'I'm already at The Lodge,' he told the Canberra Times.

'I have moved most of my personal effects from my flat in Canberra there across to The Lodge plus some things down from Sydney.'

Mr Albanese will still make trips to Sydney to visit his 21-year-old son Nathan.

The prime minister also indicated he plans to boost infrastructure spending in the nation's capital and improve the public service.

The move comes as a surprise for some Australians who believed he would be moving into Kirribilli House and that he was waiting for Mr Morrison to vacate the premises

Mr Morrison finally appeared to be finally leaving the residence when two bright orange Allied removal trucks arrived at the heritage-listed home on Friday

'When you look at the last major infrastructure project funded by the federal government [in Canberra], it was the Majura Parkway, which was funded when I was the [infrastructure] minister,' he said.

Mr Albanese was reportedly being pressured by government officials to move to Canberra as some felt forgotten by Mr Morrison.

Mr Albanese said parliament needed to function better and that it had previously not been 'worthy of the Australian people'.

Parliament will return on July 26 when Mr Albanese intends to immediately begin delivering on his election promises.

In his sights is the formation of a national integrity commission and a boost to the minimum wage.

Mr Albanese said during the election campaign he would 'absolutely' back a 5.1 per cent increase.
If you think Tim Tams, ciggies and toilet paper are legit work-related deductions in your tax return, be warned: the Australian Taxation Office is ready for you.

The ATO will begin scrutinising claims with returns being lodged from July 7 and expects to start paying refunds from July 16.

Aussies have a long history of dubious deductions sought at tax time and the ATO is likely to be dusting off its index of illegal and frankly bizarre claims.

The ATO will begin scrutinising claims with returns being lodged from July 7 and expects to start paying refunds from July 16. But it has warned it is on the lookout for dubious claims for work-related expenses. Gym membership is one such claim

One Australian taxpayer claimed dog food provided to his pet was a work-related expense

Some of the weirder claims Aussies have tried to get money back from the ATO include dog food, dental work, gambling losses, toilet paper, cigarettes, vapes and holidays that were not only unrelated to work, they were entirely faked.

In 2020 a NSW man was fined $1,500 and given a criminal conviction for falsely claiming a fake holiday.

'The bank exec claimed more than $15,000 in travel expenses for overseas conferences even though he hadnt left the country that financial year' the ATO explained.

Another taxpayer claimed a fantasy holiday that never even happened, stating it was for a convention

Even though you need these, they are not and never will be tax-deductible as a work-related expense

Even though the rules are clear - a deduction needs to be related to earning an income and we need proof the amount has been spent - Australians cannot seem to resist trying our luck at tax time.

'No matter how clear, people try to bend these rules,' said a statement from ITP Accounting Professionals.

'Many dubious claims are made in the other expenses column, including non-allowable items such as wedding reception costs, dental, childcare, gambling losses, alcohol, and even cigarettes.'

ATO assistant commissioner Tim Loh ([pictured) said toilet paper, tea, coffee and Tim Tams are examples of personal expenses that are not related to earning an income but have been claimed before

Coffee may help you to get started for the work day but it isn't a work-related expense

ATO assistant commissioner Tim Loh said toilet paper, tea, coffee and Tim Tams are examples of personal expenses that are not related to the earning of income but have been claimed before.

He added that people need to avoid 'copying and pasting' deductions from previous years.

What was valid one year may not be true of the past 12 months - because, for instance, your employer may have reimbursed you.

Aussies have a long history of dubious deductions sought at tax time and the ATO is likely to be dusting off its index of illegal and frankly bizarre claims. Tim Tams are one such strange claim

People try to make work-related claims that are real 'doozies', according to Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand tax leader Michael Croker.

Dog food, claimed as a 'security cost', was one example, he told news.com.au.

'While feeding a guard dog may be deductible in some cases, your household pet doesnt quite make the cut,' Mr Croker said.

Much of the time people's claims are the result of not understanding the law.

For instance, it's a common misconception that personal self improvement is tax deductible because it often seems to help with employment.

That means your gym membership, yoga class, meditation app and tooth whitener are not tax deductions.

Taxpayers have even attempted to claim cigarettes as a work-related expense

One type of deduction often overlooked that is often legitimate is education.

New data has revealed at least 30 per cent of Australians are spending up to $1,936 on employment-related learning every year, a cost that is tax deductible.

Accounting for the other 70 per cent of Aussies who don't spend any of their money on personal education, the average spent each year is about $587.

The average return for Australians is $2,600 according to blog taxback.com.

The deadline for lodging your tax return for the fiscal year July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022 is 31 October, 2022.

Most people won't receive their annual Pay As You Go payment summary from their employer until July 14.

The ATO said in 2022 it aims to finalise returns within 12 days of receiving them.
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Prince Charles and Prince William will take centre stage in front of a crowd of 22,000 to pay tribute to the Queen during a star-studded Jubilee concert this evening.

The father and son - both future kings - will speak separately in honour of the monarch towards the end of the BBC's open-air Party at the Palace show, staged in the front of Buckingham Palace on Saturday evening.

Clarence House and Kensington Palace announced both Charles and William would address the crowds at the high profile event, which falls on the third evening of the four-day Jubilee festivities. Despite the event not starting until 8pm, royal fans began arriving at The Mall from 8am to get the best spot.

It is thought unlikely the Queen will attend the concert but confirmation of any movements will be released later today.

She will also not attend Saturday's Epsom Derby Day, but is expected to be glued to the TV, watching the developments from Windsor. Princess Anne will appear in her place.

Harry and Meghan are also expected to be absent from Jubilee celebrations today, with the couple celebrating daughter Lilibet's first birthday at Windsor as they continue to keep a low-profile.

According to Omid Scobie, they will mark the birthday 'together privately as a family'.

The Queen, Prince Charles and Camilla and the Cambridges all wished Lilibet a happy birthday through their social media accounts.

William and Kate are set to visit concert rehearsals in Cardiff Castle as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, while Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex are to travel to Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo were pictured leaving the Maison Estelle private member's club at 1am last night.

The Met Office has warned of thunder and downpours this morning - but a second round of storms is set to miss concert-goers at the Party at the Palace.

William and Kate, alongside Prince George, eight, and Princess Charlotte, seven, are in Cardiff ahead of a performance in celebration of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee

Prince William, Kate, Prince Charles and Camilla depart the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral

Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attend the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral

Revellers arrive at The Mall to attend the jubilee concerts which will be held outside Buckingham Palace as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie, Countess of Wessex attend a Platinum Jubilee celebration in Belfast this morning

Sophie, Countess of Wessex greets well wishers as she arrives for a Platinum Jubilee celebration in Belfast this morning

The Earl and Countess of Wessex are visiting Northern Ireland to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. They will first visit Belfast, where the Royal couple will join members of the public at a 1950s-themed celebration on Royal Avenue in the city

British Eurovision star Sam Ryder rehearsing outside Buckingham Palace ahead of the BBC's Party at the Palace concert

Artist impression of the stage outside Buckingham Palace for the Platinum Party at the Palace which will be shown live on BBC One as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebration

Princess Beatrice and husband Edoardo went to the private member's club Maison Estelle for drinks last night

They were pictured leaving the Maison Estelle private member's club at 1am last night

It is thought royal aides may be trying to help the Queen rest to ensure she will be able to make an appearance at Sunday's closing Platinum Jubilee Pageant (Pictured: Queen on balcony on Thursday)

Prince Harry smiles as he arrives back at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor after attending the service at St Paul's Cathedral yesterday

People wrapped in Union Jack flags pose as they gather on The Mall ahead of a concert outside Buckingham Palace

A person holds a Union Jack themed umbrella as people gather on The Mall ahead of a concert outside Buckingham Palace

People gather on The Mall ahead of a concert outside Buckingham Palace later this evening for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee

The Queen delighted crowds on Thursday with an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony, where she is expected to appear again after the Pageant parade finale on Sunday.

However she was unable to attend the service of thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral on Friday, after experiencing some 'discomfort' during the first day of celebrations.

She has also spent some personal time with the Sussexes, who have brought their children Archie and Lilibet over from the US - the latter of whom the monarch has met for the first time this weekend.

The Derby on Saturday June 4 was to be a personal highlight for the Queen during the four days of Jubilee festivities.

The head of state, a passionate horse owner and breeder, was due to be greeted on the course with a special guard of honour including up to 40 of her past and present jockeys.

In the evening today, the BBC's Party at the Palace  set on three stages in front of Buckingham Palace  will entertain a live crowd of 22,000 people and a television audience of millions.

Diana Ross, Queen + Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Hans Zimmer, George Ezra, and Eurovision 2022 runner-up Sam Ryder are among the celebrity acts set to perform.

Three interconnected stages have been erected around the Victoria Memorial at the top of The Mall. The design incorporates 70 illuminated columns, one for each year of the Queens reign.

The Queen, 96, who has been facing ongoing mobility problems, pulled out of attending the service of thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral on Friday after experiencing discomfort following two balcony appearances and a beacon lighting on Thursday.

Nearly 50 members of the royal family including the Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined in honour of the absent head of state for the religious occasion.

The Duchess of Cambridge said later the Queen had enjoyed Thursday's celebrations but the day had been 'very tiring'.

Saturday is the first birthday of Harry and Meghan's daughter Lilibet, who travelled with the Sussexes and older brother Archie for her first visit to the UK.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex are visiting Northern Ireland to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

They will first visit Belfast, where the Royal couple will join members of the public at a 1950s-themed celebration on Royal Avenue in the city.

The earl and countess are meeting groups of performers, including the Belfast Busking Band, and will hear stories of the city's diverse communities over the last 70 years, which will be explored through fashion, photography, music and dance.

The earl will also meet older members of the local community, brought together by Age Friendly Belfast to share their memories and experiences.

Meanwhile, the countess will join in with special platinum jubilee craft activities, making crowns and corgis with school children, before viewing a showcase of fashion through the ages.

The couple will also try a local delicacy, the Belfast Bap, and will visit stalls at the Retro Jubilee Market.

Before leaving Belfast, the earl and countess will watch a community dance group perform a routine that celebrates the last seven decades.

The royal couple will then travel to their second engagement in the region on Saturday afternoon.

Revellers arrive at The Mall to attend the jubilee concerts which will be held outside Buckingham Palace as part of the four day platinum jubilee celebrations

A woman wears a plastic crown as people gather on The Mall ahead of a concert outside Buckingham Palace this evening

Revellers bring their camping gear at The Mall for the concerts which will be held outside Buckingham Palace this evening

In the evening today, the BBC's Party at the Palace  set on three stages in front of Buckingham Palace  will entertain a live crowd of 22,000 people and a television audience of millions

The Party at the Palace will be set on three stages in front of the Queen's London residence. Soul legend Ross will close the two-and-a-half hour show with her first UK live performance in 15 years

Royal aides are said to be taking a 'bookend' approach to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations as they prioritise getting the monarch on the Buckingham Palace balcony for Sunday's show-stopping finale pageant. (Pictured Thursday at Buckingham Palace, from left: Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, Princess Anne, Camilla, Prince Charles, the Queen, Prince Louis, the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Prince William and Sophie, Countess of Wessex)

The Party at the Palace will be set on three stages in front of the Queen's London residence.

Soul legend Ross will close the two-and-a-half hour show with her first UK live performance in 15 years.

Star including Sir David Attenborough, Emma Raducanu, David Beckham and Stephen Fry will also feature, as well as a specially recorded performance from Sir Elton John.

The evening will highlight global themes that have emerged or evolved during the the Queen's reign including British and Commonwealth contributions in the fields of fashion, sport, the environment and pop music.

The Queen finally got to meet her great-granddaughter Lilibet in a private meeting at Windsor.

It is believed that Harry and Meghan took their children to Windsor Castle to see their great-grandmother soon after they arrived in the UK, given the Queen's current mobility problems, although this has not yet been officially confirmed.

Lilibet was, somewhat controversially, named in tribute to the Queen, whose childhood nickname was Lilibet. It was coined when the then Princess Elizabeth was a toddler in the 1920s and struggled to pronounce her own name properly.

The Queen's father George VI was quoted as saying of his daughters: 'Lilibet is my pride. Margaret is my joy.'

The nickname was also used by the monarch's late husband, Prince Philip, as well as close family and friends.

At the time, many saw the Sussexes' decision to name their daughter after the Queen as an attempt to emphasise their links with the Royal Family at a time when they were setting up lucrative commercial deals as part of their new independent lives in the US.

Buckingham Palace also became embroiled in a row over whether the Queen was consulted over the name in advance.

The BBC reported that the Sussexes had not asked permission to use the name and that none had been granted.

Prince Harry hugging their son Archie, as Meghan raises Lilibet into the air

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral in London on Friday morning, with the Queen noticeably absent

But a spokesman for the couple insisted that Lilibet's great-grandmother was told in advance and that they would not have used the name had the monarch disapproved of it.

The spokesman said: 'The duke spoke with his family in advance of the announcement  in fact, his grandmother was the first family member he called.

'During that conversation, he shared their hope of naming their daughter Lilibet in her honour. Had she not been supportive, they would not have used the name.'

Harry also threatened legal action against the broadcaster, asserting that the claims were 'false and defamatory'.

Some royal sources have waspishly indicated that there was a world of difference between asking permission and presenting it as a fait accompli.

Meanwhile, palace aides were said to have choreographed timings for the Platinum Jubilee service at St Paul's Cathedral on Friday to ensure that Prince William and Kate Middleton didn't bump into Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

It was Harry and Meghan's first royal engagement with senior royals since the frosty Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in March 2020, shortly before they officially stepped down as senior royals for a life in the United States.

But in their first public engagement in two years, the couple sat apart from Prince William, Kate, Prince Charles and Camilla in the church after royal aides ensured they sat on separate sides of the aisle in a carefully orchestrated plan.

Palace aides were said to have choreographed timings for the Platinum Jubilee service at St Paul's Cathedral on Friday to ensure Prince William and Kate Middleton (right) didn't bump into Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (left)

In their first public engagement in two years, the Sussexes sat apart from Prince William, Kate, Prince Charles and Camilla in the church after royal aides ensured they sat on different sides and left separately in a carefully orchestrated plan

As well as the seating arrangements in the cathedral, timings were also carefully considered by Palace aides, with the couple arriving and leaving the service at different times to William and Kate to avoid bumping into each other.

Harry and William have had a long-standing feud, while Harry has accused his father Charles of cutting him off financially and Meghan claimed an unnamed royal made a comment about Archie's skin tone before he was born  with the Sussexes having a war of words with the Palace following last year's bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview.

Amid the feud, a source said palace aides had been acutely aware of 'the optics' - how things would look from the outside - and ensured that the couple were only attending events where there would be minimal interactions with other senior royals in public.

Asked if the Sussexes would appear at any other events over the weekend, particularly with their children, the source said: 'I really wouldn't expect them at everything.'

They added: 'It's a typically elegant solution as you would expect. The Queen wants her family there and they are still part of it. But in a carefully controlled fashion.'

Elsewhere, Omid Scobie told BBC Breakfast that 'people close to the couple' said they 'wanted to be as low profile as possible during this trip', while a royal insider said they believed the couple had taken their 'low-key' cue from the Queen.

Palace's plan to get Queen ready for Sunday's Jubilee finale: Royal aides are taking a 'bookend' approach to four-day celebrations in hope of getting monarch back on royal balcony for Sunday's showstopper pageant - after Epsom Derby disappointment

BY LAURENCE DOLLIMORE FOR MAILONLINE

Royal aides are said to be taking a 'bookend' approach to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations as they prioritise getting the monarch on the Buckingham Palace balcony for Sunday's show-stopping finale pageant.

It comes after the 96-year-old head of state was forced to pull out of two key events after suffering 'discomfort' related to her mobility issues - Friday's thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral and today's Epsom Derby.

The Queen has been forced to cancel a string of engagements in recent months and most recently missed the State Opening of Parliament in May. Her son, Prince Charles, and grandson, Prince William, stood in for her.

A senior royal source told the Daily Mail that while the Queen enjoyed the opening day of festivities 'immensely', the 'episodic mobility issues' she had suffered since last autumn 'were experienced during the course of the day'.

Royal aides stressed that it had always been Her Majesty's 'hope' to attend rather than a firm commitment.

Buckingham Palace said it will confirm whether she will attend other events over the next two days as soon as possible.

It is thought royal aides may be trying to help her rest to ensure she will be able to make an appearance at Sunday's closing Platinum Jubilee Pageant.

'It seems the palace are taking a 'book-end' approach, allowing her to attend at the start and finish without taxing her too much in between,' a source said.

It is thought royal aides may be trying to help the Queen rest to ensure she will be able to make an appearance at Sunday's closing Platinum Jubilee Pageant. (Pictured: Queen on balcony on Thursday)

Royal aides are said to be taking a 'bookend' approach to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations as they prioritise getting the monarch on the Buckingham Palace balcony for Sunday's show-stopping finale pageant. (Pictured Thursday at Buckingham Palace, from left: Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, Princess Anne, Camilla, Prince Charles, the Queen, Prince Louis, the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Prince William and Sophie, Countess of Wessex)

The Queen will not attend the Epsom Derby Saturday, Buckingham Palace announced. The news came after Her Majesty was forced to pull out of Friday's Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral

The head of state is a passionate horse owner and breeder and would have been looking forward to seeing her horse running on Saturday during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Above: Hukum ridden by Jim Crowley wins the Dahlbury Coronation Cup on Ladies Day during the Cazoo Derby Festival 2022 at Epsom Racecourse today

The news comes after Her Majesty was forced to pull out of today's Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral, with Buckingham Palace saying she was suffering from 'discomfort' following her appearances yesterday. Above: Her Majesty during yesterday's flypast

The Queen approaches the Commonwealth Nations Globe to start the lighting ceremony at Windsor Castle on Thursday evening, despite suffering from 'discomfort'

As the sovereign placed her finger on the globe, bright white lights raced along the Quadrangle towards Windsor's famous Round Tower

Her Majesty, pictured here reviewing mounted troops at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, has a well known love of horses

On Thursday it emerged that the Duke of York, who has had contact with the Queen recently, had Covid, meaning he would be a no-show at any future Jubilee event.

On Friday, the Duchess of Cambridge revealed that the Queen had a 'lovely' time at the opening Platinum Jubilee celebrations, but had found the day 'very tiring'.

Her Majesty made three memorable public appearances on Thursday, including the lighting of the Principal Platinum Jubilee Beacon ceremony at Windsor Castle, but had experienced 'some discomfort'.

Her attendance at the Epsom Derby had been considered one of the high spots of the weekend's events, particularly for royal herself.

It is the only one of the 'classics' she has never won in her long career as a racehorse owner.

The Jockey Club had spent the past few months making extensive plans to facilitate her attendance, including allowing her car to drive right up the course and pull up outside the Queen Elizabeth stand where the Royal Box is located.

But on Friday afternoon Buckingham Palace announced that she had decided not to attend, and would instead watch the racing on television at Windsor Castle.

Princess Anne is now expected to represent her mother at Epsom and is likely to be accompanied by her family.

No other senior royals will be there as many have engagements on behalf of the Queen elsewhere or will be preparing for Saturday night's Party at the Palace concert.

Phil White, London regional director for The Jockey Club, said: 'It is a rare occasion that the Queen is unable to join us at Epsom, but we are delighted she plans to enjoy Derby Day on television.

'We have big plans to celebrate Her Majesty's contribution to horseracing and the nation, and these will continue in full.'

The plans include many of the Queen's former jockeys, such as Willie Carson, forming a guard of honour in her distinctive racing silks.

Friday's service at St Paul's was attended by more than 2,000 guests, including senior royals and politicians.

Harry and Meghan Markle were kept apart from Prince William, Kate, Prince Charles and Camilla, with royal aides ensuring they sat on the other side of the aisle - and they later left separately.

Straight afterwards, Charles, Camilla, William and Kate arrived for a reception the nearby Guildhall.

The Duchess of Cambridge is said to have told an attendee the Queen is 'fine' but had found the day 'very tiring'.

Gill Smallwood, from Bolton, spoke with Kate and asked how the Queen was doing.

Ms Smallwood said of the conversation: 'She [Kate] said 'yes, she was fine, it was just very tiring yesterday, and she (the Queen) had had a lovely, lovely time'.'

Buckingham Palace officials took great care to try to avoid a repeat of the frosty scenes when the Sussexes and Cambridges sat near each other and left together at their last joint event in March 2020 at Westminster Abbey.

And aides would have been delighted that today's service passed without any such incident or negative 'optics' given the attempts to ensure today was about the Queen and her 70-year reign.

The Queen smiles as Prince Louis covers his ears during the flypast over Buckingham Palace in London on Thursday afternoon

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at St Paul's Cathedral (left) and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Guildhall (right) on Friday

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral in London on Friday morning, with the Queen noticeably absent

Prince Harry and Meghan arrive to attend a Service of Thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II

Prince Charles and Camilla speak with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge after arriving at St Paul's Cathedral Friday

The announcement about Her Majesty missing the Epsom Derby is the latest sign of the problems caused by the monarch's advancing age.

In May, she was forced to miss the State Opening of Parliament for the first time in 59 years, due to what her spokesman described as 'episodic mobility problems' which they said she was continuing to experience.

The only other times she had missed the hugely important occasion were in 1959 and 1963, when she was pregnant with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward respectively.

In her place, Prince Charles, who was accompanied by Prince William, read her speech for the first time as the Queen watched on TV from Windsor Castle, but the Sovereign's Throne in the House of Lords remained symbolically empty.

It came after she had to skip the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in mid-March due to her physical struggles and also did not attend the traditional Maundy Thursday service at Windsor Castle.

The Queen's health took a turn for the worse after her husband Prince Philip's death last April.

In October 2021 - after working ten of the previous 20 days - she spent a rare night in hospital that forced her to miss a visit to Northern Ireland.

But she was back at her desk within hours of being discharged, despite having to cancel an appearance at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow.

In February, she tested positive for Covid-19 which prompted her to cancel a series of engagements, including virtual audiences. She suffered from what were described as 'mild, cold-like symptoms'.

The Queen, who in recent weeks has used a walking stick - including at yesterday's events - was told by doctors to rest for three months.

She gave a hint about her health when she remarked during an audience at Windsor Castle in February: 'Well, as you can see, I can't move.'

She later admitted that covid had left her exhausted.

Her Majesty's hopes of winning on Epsom Derby day have already come to an end after her only runner was pulled out of a race.

Just Fine had been entered to feature in the penultimate race, the World Pool Northern Dancer Handicap, staged over the full Derby course and distance of one mile and four furlongs.

However, it was removed at Thursday's 48-hour declaration stage.

In May, her horse Reach For The Moon, who was among the favourites, and two others were withdrawn.

The Jockey Club announced the three thoroughbreds were among a large number who had been 'scratched' from the entry list.

Thoroughbreds owned by the Queen have won four out of the five flat racing classics - the 1,000 Guineas and 2,000 Guineas, the Oaks and the St Leger - with only the Derby eluding her.

Phil White, London regional director for The Jockey Club, said today: 'We would like to wish Her Majesty The Queen a wonderful Platinum Jubilee.

'It is a rare occasion that the Queen is unable to join us at Epsom Downs but we are delighted she plans to enjoy Derby Day on television.

'We have big plans to celebrate Her Majesty's contribution to horseracing and the nation, and these will continue in full tomorrow.

'The Derby is a unique race and we are looking forward to welcoming people in their thousands to help us create a spectacular carnival atmosphere.'
Brad Johnson, the star of 'Melrose Place,' died at 62. A representative for the actor revealed that the 'Marlboro Man' died on February 18 in Fort Worth, Texas, as a result of COVID-19 complications.

Brad Johnson is best known for his appearances in Steven Spielberg's 1989 film 'Always' and in the drama series 'Melrose Place.' He also played a bombardier in the 1991 action film 'Flight of the Intruder' with Danny Glover and Willem Dafoe, as per Fox News.

Brad Johnson's Career

The actor also dabbled in rodeo, which took him from his native state of Arizona to Dallas, Texas. A talent scout approached Brad Johnson while he was working the rodeo, according to the news release.

Before becoming famous in Hollywood, he was cast as the 'Marlboro Man' in cigarette ads and Calvin Klein commercials. Brad Johnson first appeared on 'Dallas' in an episode in 1986 before winning the role in 'Always.'

Johnson was cast in the film 'Treasure Valley' in 2021, but work was halted after actor-writer Jay Pickett died suddenly in July. Laurie Johnson and their eight children, Shane, Bellamy, Eliana, Eden, Rebekah, Annabeth, William, and Rachel, survive Johnson.

He also played Ted Baker, a rising pilot, in Spileberg's romantic fantasy blockbuster Always, released in 1989. In the mid-80s, the former rodeo cowboy had his big break as the famed 'Marlboro Man' cigarette mascot, which brought him to Spielberg's notice. In 1990, he was included in People's 'Most Beautiful' issue.

His other notable performances include a regular position on CSI, Captain Rayford Steele in Kirk Cameron's Christian trilogy Left Behind, and the syndicated TV series Soldier of Fortune, Inc.

According to Daily Mail, his most recent performance is in the 2015 cowboy flick Nail 32. Johnson was born in Tucson, Arizona, on October 24, 1959, to a horse trader father.

Brad Johnson began his career as a professional rodeo cowboy in 1984 before becoming a Marlboro cigarette and Calvin Klein pitchman. In 1986, he retired from rodeo after damaging his knee; and in the following year, he was approached by a movie scout, which led to the start of his acting career.

The former cowboy got his big break on TV with a guest stint on CBS's Dallas, and he went on to star in films including Nam Angels and Always with Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, John Goodman, and Audrey Hepburn in her final film performance.

Brad Johnson has been mainly missing from cinema and television in recent years, but he has kept busy with other endeavors. He built a hunting lodge in New Mexico and also worked repairing vintage weapons and marketing ranch real estate in North Texas. His repair work had been presented all around the world, and he'd earned a reputation as a great craftsman, according to his family.

Read Also: Amber Heard Net Worth 2022: 'Aquaman' Actress Allegedly 'Broke' | What Happens If She Can't Pay Johnny Depp?

Who Is Brad Johnson?

Brad Johnson was born on October 24, 1959, and spent most of his childhood in Tuscon, Arizona. He began to have a professional breakthrough in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as per The Sun.

In Steven Spielberg's 1989 film Always, he starred with Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, and Audrey Hepburn. Flight of the Intruder and Sketch Artist were among Brad Johnson's subsequent roles.

He appeared in shows such as Melrose Place, Silk Hope, and Rough Riders on television. Brad Johnson married Laurie, his girlfriend at the time, on October 11, 1986. Brad Johnson and Laurie had been dating for a year after meeting in Dallas, Texas, before marrying. They have eight children together, six daughters and two sons.

Related Article: 'Goodfellas' Star Ray Liotta Cause of Death, Revealed

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NSW has confirmed its fourth, and identified a probable fifth, case of monkeypox.

Two men in their 30s recently returned from Europe, where they had travelled together, and developed symptoms after landing in Sydney.

One of the men has been confirmed to have monkeypox while NSW Health says the other man is probably also infectious.

Two men in their 30s recently returned from Europe, where they had travelled together, and developed Monkeypox (above) symptoms after landing in Sydney

They are both isolating at home.

Tracing is being conducted but so far no high-risk contacts have been identified.

The two men are not connected to the three previous cases reported in the state so far.

NSW Health says monkeypox does not pose a threat of transmission in the general community. It is generally spread through close contact.

Both of the confirmed and probably monkeypox patients are isolating at home (not pictured)

Monkeypox is endemic in some parts of Africa but a number of cases have been reported in several countries around the world over the past month.

Six cases have so far been confirmed in Australia.

Victoria confirmed its second case on Friday in a man in his 30s who had returned from the UK.
The sister of a man who stole a car with a baby inside says the four-month-old should never have been left alone in the vehicle.

Ilias Latsis, 37, was captured on CCTV hopping into a white Honda Jazz parked outside a deli in Klemzig, in Adelaide's north on Monday before speeding off.

Erika Carter, 27, had moments earlier parked the car with baby Jordan in the back and the engine running as she dashed into the store to get some bread.

But while Ms Carter was still inside the deli, Latsis jumped into the vehicle tore off, with the frantic mother chasing after him.

The car was eventually found three hours later with baby Jordan inside and unharmed.

The man's sister Athina Latsis said her brother, who 'has the kindest heart in the world', was supposed to just steal a car and not kidnap a baby.

Erika Carter, 27, is seen trying to stop Ilias Latsis from stealing her car with her baby son inside after she parked at a deli in Klemzig, Adelaide on Monday morning

Ms Carter (pictured with baby Jordan) told 7NEWS she 'went for a quick trip to get a loaf of bed and made the wrong decision to leave bubs for that split second'.

'It would not be an abduction or kidnapping if this mother did not leave the child in the car,' she told 7NEWS.

'My brother was going to steal a car and that was it.'

Ms Latsis, a mother herself, said she would 'never' have left her child alone, whether it was for 'five seconds or three minutes'.

Latsis pleaded guilty on Tuesday to abduction and theft charges at Adelaide Magistrates' Court, and expressed his remorse for driving off with baby Jordan inside.

Ms Carter refuses to accept his apology, adding he should've called police when he saw the baby in the back.

South Australian police allege that Latsis turned up at the location in a stolen Mazda Ute before swapping cars with Ms Carter's Honda.

CCTV from the harrowing incident shows Ms Carter getting out of the car to duck into the shop.

Seconds later, Latsis pulls up alongside the Honda Jazz in a black Mazda BT-50 police allege was stolen from Black Forest earlier on Monday morning.

Footage shows the man looking through the rear window of the Honda Jazz and realising the motor is still running with no one behind the wheel.

He returns to the Mazda to retrieve a backpack before jumping into the Honda and reverses out.

A frantic Ms Carter races into the carpark and jumps in front of the car, screaming at the thief to stop as he speeds away.

The distraught mum raced back into the shop to raise the alarm and was later seen being consoled by police as an urgent manhunt was launched.

Her vehicle was located without the driver about three hours later, 5km away in a nearby suburb - with the baby still inside and unharmed.

Erika Carter (pictured) was finally reunited with her baby boy after about a three hour search by police

Ms Carter (above) revealed she had been the victim of an attempted abduction when she was 11, just 5km from where Jordan was later taken

Baby Jordan is reportedly in good health, despite being left in the car amid chilly temperatures of around 12C.

Police located Latsis in a home later that day and arrested him.

Ms Carter regrets leaving her son in the car alone and said the hours leading up to police finding her boy were 'the longest few hours of her life'.

She said she 'made the wrong decision' and upon hearing her car ignition turn on, her heart 'sank'.

In an odd twist Ms Carter revealed on Friday she had been a victim of an attempted abduction herself when she was 11.

She said she had been walking her mum's dog in Holden Hill - just 5km from where Jordan was later abducted - when she was 'grabbed and put into a car'.

'My dog bit the abductor, and I managed to unlock the passenger's door and get out but that took me years to get over,' she said.

Latsis will reappear in court later this month.
A cab driver has avoided being thrown behind bars after sexually assaulting a female passenger who had earlier hugged and kissed him on the cheek.

The 29-year-old taxi driver, Harmeet Singh, had driven a 34-year-old woman home after she'd been out drinking in Cairns, in northern Queensland, in September last year.

Singh pleaded guilty to sexual assault after kissing the woman twice on the mouth and touching her breast as she tried to flee the cab.

The judge cited Singh's lack of criminal history and acknowledged a custodial sentence would mean he would be deported before he could accept a job offer with a Cairns telecommunications company.

During sentencing on Friday in the Cairns District Court, it was heard the 34-year-old had confided in the driver about her ex-partner during the trip.

The 29-year-old taxi driver, Harmeet Singh, had driven a 34-year-old woman home after she'd been out drinking in Cairns, in northern Queensland, in September last year (stock image)

When Singh pulled in front of her apartment complex he asked the woman what her plans were.

She told Singh she'd be by herself, he told her that wasn't good, adding 'you could do something for me', when she tried to leave the taxi.

The woman gave Singh a high-five, hugged him, and said 'love you' several times, kissing him on the cheek, the court heard.

She then tried to pull away but the driver kissed her twice on the mouth and touched her breast and her upper thigh.

The victim then ran out of the cab, thanking Singh and shutting the door behind her.

Singh attempted to pursue her into the apartment complex before the victim was able to shut the door on him and lock him out.

The judge labelled Singh's offence 'impulsive and 'opportunistic'.

'I do take into account there was a consensual hug at the start and she said she loved you and kissed you, which puts into context the charged act,' Judge Paul Smith said, 7 News reported.

'It doesn't excuse your conduct at all, but it explains why you did act as you did.'

Singh was sentenced to six months jail to be suspended immediately. He has been ordered to pay $2,000 to his victim.

CCTV from the assault shown to the court showed the woman repeatedly telling Singh to 'let me go'.

The judge accepted Singh's letter of apology as genuine.
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The boss of Ryanair has suggested calling in the military to solve long queues at airports as families endure another fraught weekend of travel chaos while seeking to return from their half-term breaks.

The airline's chief executive Michael O'Leary has also advised passengers to travel mid-week to avoid difficulties, stick to 'hand luggage only' and to buy socks and other small items when on holiday.

Mr O'Leary told The Times: 'My tip would be to travel midweek, because you'll almost certainly have no difficulties and travel with hand luggage only. This reduces the time you spend in airports. Buy socks and jocks and stuff when you get there.

'If you really want to eliminate the security queues at airports for the next eight to 12 weeks and ensure that hard-pressed British families can get a well deserved holiday, call in the defence forces because they can solve the problem.

'The British have the best trained military personnel in Europe. They can go in and help out, particularly at weekends, at airport security where the airports are short-staffed. They haven't opened up all the x-ray machines and you could open up all the machines if you had additional army personnel.'

UK airports are said to be preparing for their busiest weekend since the start of the pandemic as families return from half-term holidays.

The half-term break combined with the platinum Jubilee weekend has led to a surge in holidaymakers, with lengthy queues pictured this morning at Manchester and Bristol Airports.

Carriers have struggled to cope with demand, with hundreds of flights cancelled by Easyjet, TUI and British Airways.

Gatwick and Bristol are expecting to see their highest record of passengers since 2019, with as many as 30,000 travellers being processed through Bristol on some days.

Holidaymakers and commuters flying from Bristol Airport endure lengthy queues once again

Some travellers set up camp in the departures lounge of Bristol Airport as they waited for their flight gates to open

Swarms of passengers were pictured queuing at Manchester airport this morning

Long queues of passengers waited to check-in at Manchester Airport this morning, following a week in which hundreds of flights were cancelled

Ryanair's chief executive Michael O'Leary advised passengers to travel mid-week to avoid difficulties, stick to 'hand luggage only' and to buy socks, jocks and other small items when on holiday

Customers queue at the Vueling and EasyJet check in desks at Gatwick Airport

Chaos continues at Stansted Airport in Essex today with long queues and passengers sleeping on the floors

Staff shortages at Stansted Airport are leading to queues at security and check in desks as the travel industry picks up after Covid pandemic lockdowns

This morning, travellers vented their frustration as they waited to reclaim their baggage at Gatwick Airport amid empty conveyor belts.

Ian Smith tweeted: 'How long do we need to wait for luggage? Landed from Heraklion an hour agao and still no sign!! Same for other flights too. not on.'

Wayne M added: 'I know you guys at Gatwick Airport have been waiting hours for baggage reclaim - we landed 30 mins ago. What's the crack? People are getting itchy - trust is low.'

Ryannair is one of few carriers that has not cancelled flights over the Jubilee break, while Easyjet, Tui and British Airways have axed hundreds - allegedly due to staffing woes.

Steve Heapy, the boss of Jet2, said that airports were struggling to recruit staff, with Brexit cited as a problem.

The industry wants post-Brexit rules relaxed so that they can hire foreign staff, rather than relying on British applicants who have missed interviews or failed aptitude tests.

Elsewhere, a family have described feeling 'trapped' and 'scared' after their flights were cancelled at the last minute, stranding them in Turkey, leading to costs of nearly 2,500 for new flights and hotels. It comes amid more chaos at Manchester Airport as mountains of abandoned bags are left after arrivals.

Michael Tierney and his family, including nine-month-old Ralphie, flew to Antalya, Turkey, 14-days ago and were due to fly back late on Tuesday, May 31. However, they say they arrived to find their EasyJet flight had been cancelled, leading to chaotic scenes for the many families present with no way of getting back home.

Michael Tierney (middle) with his partner Amy MacDonald (left) pictured with their children Darcey, nine, Corey, 14, and Ralphie aged nine months. The family was stranded in Turkey for three nights after their flight home to Manchester was cancelled and were forced to spend nearly 2,500 on new flights and hotels

Baby Ralphie cried so much he fainted and many others were left with no option other than to stay at the airport overnight, hoping for another flight to come up. Reports over recent days have suggested it is not just UK airports where travellers are facing troubles, with flight cancellations and passport checks causing chaos abroad.

Speaking after arriving home to Oldham, Mr Tierney said: 'I should have been back three days ago. We were checking the flights on the app when we were travelling there on Tuesday night and it didn't say anything had changed.

'But, when we got there people were running around as the flight had been cancelled with no notice. We found a member of staff and asked what we could do but they just told us there were no more flights.

'We were just told to make our own way back and to sort it ourselves, a lot of people there had no money to do that. People just ended up on the floor with loads of kids crying. The only solution were were offered were flights the next day from Dalaman which is miles away.'

Mr Tierney's brother was able to book him a flight back, but they had to wait three days for this. In this time, he had to buy more food for the baby and book more travel and hotels, coming to just under 2,500.

They say that other airlines were offering flights back to England for inflated prices after this, and all easyJet could offer him was a flight back to London, but without his whole family.

Mr Tierney's children Corey, Darcey and Ralphie were stranded with their parents in Turkey for three days after their flight home to Manchester was cancelled at the last minute

The queues at Manchester Airport showed no signs of letting up this morning after a week of fraught travel for passengers

Long-winded waits were the order of the day at Bristol Airport this morning

There are triple the number of passengers flying in and out of Britian's airports this half term compared to last year (pictured: passenger numbers at Stansted Airport)

Hundreds of flights are being delayed or cancelled as there are not enough staff to cope with the booming demand (Pictured: weary travellers rest on the floor at Stansted Airport)

Yesterday, it was reported furious passengers at Manchester airport storm behind the carousel curtain to try and locate their lost luggage forcing police to step in - as the boss of Ryanair has called on the government to deploy the army to help ease the 'shambolic' airport crisis.

The chaotic scenes at Manchester Airport were filmed after passengers on a Ryanair flight arrived from Porto in Portugal on Monday. The footage shows armed police being called to the carousel amid lengthy delays.

The woman, who recorded the footage but has remained anonymous, said by the time she reached the baggage hall 'there were hundreds of people waiting' and 'luggage had been left everywhere over the floor' - with some bags 'dated from May 27' - meaning it would have been there for three days.

She told Manchester Evening News: 'Border Control came to calm some passengers. They were saying that there was no one to get the bags. A lot of people were angry. People were offering to go and help put the bags on the carousel from behind to speed up the process.

'It was worse for people with kids. There was nowhere to sit or get a drink or something to eat. A lot of people were just leaving their bags and coming back to get them on another day.'

Ryanair boss Mr O'Leary, meanwhile, told ITV News: 'Bringing in the army, which they do at many other European airports, would, at a stroke, relieve the pressure on airport security and would mean that people have a much better experience  not just this weekend, but for each weekend over the next three, four months.'

Britons returning from their holidays have complained of 'three hour delays' at baggage reclaim across UK airports and 'abandoned' luggage 'left in stacks' at Heathrow this morning - travellers have also said 'their luggage has been diverted to another airport', while others have reported their baggage missing altogether.

Tui customers have been left furious by 'awful service' after their flights landed at 3am this morning at Manchester Airport, forcing families to put their children to sleep on the floor as the crisis continues to cause disruption.

The reason for the ongoing chaos has been due to a aviation staffing crisis - recruiting for roles such as security staff, ground handlers and check-in staff which is seeing passengers advised to arrive much earlier than normal for their flights because they are facing long queues.

While many businesses in the aviation sector are struggling to rehire staff after many were let go during the pandemic due to a collapse in demand thanks to successive lockdowns, high levels of staff sickness for those who are still employed is also having an impact.

Manchester Airport: One group of returning passengers took matters into their own hands and climbed behind the plastic curtain to get their baggage after 'serious delays'

Heathrow Airport: Britons returning from their holidays have complained of 'three hour delays' at baggage reclaim across UK airports and 'abandoned' luggage 'left in stacks' at Heathrow this morning

Manchester Airport: Hundreds of passengers travel plans for the Jubilee celebrations have been thrown into disarray for the sixth day running after an 'awful' week of flight cancellations and painfully-long queues as the staffing crisis continues to cause mayhem at UK airports

Bristol Airport: Holidaymakers and commuters flying from Bristol endure lengthy queues outside the terminal building and flight delays once again as the Jubilee holiday weekend continues

Manchester Airport: The queues were 'slowly moving', according to one passenger at Manchester Airport this morning

Michael O'Leary, 61, Ryanair's chief executive, (pictured) said 'defence personnel with experience providing security' should be drafted in for the next 'three to four months' to help ease the ongoing travel disruption at airports across the country

Manchester Airport: Passengers queue for security at Manchester Airport's Terminal 1 today

Birmingham Airport: Passengers check the departures board to make sure they don't miss their flights amid lengthy queues at Britain's travel hubs

Heathrow Airport: One passenger called Heathrow Airport an 'absolute shambles' after stacks of 'abandoned luggage' were left in 'stacks' across the floor

Bristol Airport: The chaotic scenes came after Andy Prendergast, national secretary of the GMB union that represents aviation workers, said passengers should 'pack light' and only take a rucksack to the airport

Manchester Airport: Manchester Airport has experienced chaotic scenes all week - with new figures revealing 332,000 passengers are booked to fly through the travel-hub over the Jubilee weekend

Bristol Airport: Holidaymakers experience lengthy queues this morning outside the front entrance of Bristol Airport

Heathrow Airport: Passengers continue to face delays travelling through the departures and arrivals halls in Terminal 2

Heathrow Airport: Passengers are pictured queuing at Terminal 2 this morning as delays across the country continue

Manchester Airport: Travellers at Manchester airport this morning continue to experience queues as they attempt to jet off on their holiday

Manchester Airport: Queues at the airport continue to experience queues as the attempt to jet off from the airport

Manchester Airport: Painfully-long queues were seen a the check-in area at Manchester Airport

Manchester Airport: Travellers at Manchester airport this morning continue to experience queues as they attempt to jet off from the airport this morning

Today holidaymakers are facing even more travel chaos - with exceptionally lengthy queues at Bristol and Manchester Airport at 6am this morning - with one passenger at Heathrow claiming the a 'security guard' was busy 'playing candy crush

DUBLIN AIRPORT: Running 'very efficiently' ahead of the Platinum Jubilee weekend: Dublin Airport is running 'very efficiently' on Friday morning, as around 200,000 people are set to travel through the airport over the bank holiday weekend. Ireland's busiest airport has been at the centre of a political storm in recent days, after last weekend saw around 1,000 passengers miss flights as lengthy queues extended outside the terminals. DAA, which runs the airport, admitted that mistakes had been made but insisted that lessons were learned ahead of the coming June 6 bank holiday. New measures, including the installation of marquees at Terminal 1, forced passengers to queue outside to control queues New measures, including the installation of marquees at Terminal 1 for passengers forced to queue outside, have been deployed. Extra staff are also now working. A DAA spokesperson said the early morning wave of departures on Friday has 'run very efficiently'. The spokesperson said it was a 'result of extra staff, the maximum number of security lanes open and an improvement in queue management for passengers entering the terminals for check-in, bag drop and security. 'By six o'clock this morning queue times under 10 minutes were being experienced by early morning travellers in both terminal 1 and 2. 'Today is the start of a very busy bank holiday weekend of air travel with up to 50,000 passengers a day departing from Dublin Airport.' In advice to passengers, Dublin Airport is asking travellers to arrive two-and-a-half hours before a short-haul flight and three-and-a-half hours before a long-haul flight. If a bag needs to be checked in, leaving an extra hour is also advised. Transport Minister Eamon Ryan on Thursday urged passengers to follow the advice from the airport and said he was 'confident' people should be able to get through the airport with minimal difficulties in the coming days. Passengers arrive at Dublin airport on Friday morning as around 200,000 people are set to travel through the airport over the bank holiday weekend Advertisement

The airport chaos has been described as the 'perfect storm' by travel experts due to the ending of Covid restrictions encouraging more people to travel amid the four-day bank holiday weekend.

Today holidaymakers are facing even more travel chaos - with exceptionally lengthy queues at Bristol and Manchester Airport at 6am this morning - with one passenger at Heathrow claiming the a 'security guard' was busy 'playing candy crush'.

The aviation industry is suffering from staff shortages after letting thousands of people go during the coronavirus pandemic.

Over 2,500 departures are expected to leave UK airports across the country today, carrying an average of 500,000 passengers, new figures have revealed.

The chaotic scenes came after Andy Prendergast, national secretary of the GMB union that represents aviation workers, said passengers should 'pack light' and only take a rucksack to the airport - meaning passengers will have to purchase toiletries and clothing abroad - to avoid delays.

He also said it was 'disingenuous' for the Transport Secretary to speak out about chaotic scenes at Britain's airports as issues with staffing 'have been on the radar for a long time'.

Mr Prendergast told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme on Thursday: 'This unfortunately was a foreseeable problem, it was one we warned about at the point at which the mass redundancies were made.

'We asked the Government to look at the aviation industry as a special case and they refused. And now, quite frankly, for Grant Shapps to come out as he has in the last 24 hours is a little bit disingenuous considering these problems have been on the radar for a long time.'

George Morgan-Grenville, chief executive of Red Savannah Luxury Travel, added: 'It is an unfortunate perfect storm and airlines and airports are trying to ramp up again after the pandemic.

'The travel industry is not an industry that can be turned on and then off again and it was inevitable it was going to take time. My own feeling is I don't think we are going to see a problem-free summer by any stretch of the imagination. If it is as bad as it has been purported to be, I think you will get a lot of very upset people.'

Manchester Airport has experienced chaotic scenes all week - with new figures revealing 332,000 passengers are booked to fly through the travel-hub over the Jubilee weekend.

There had been hopes that bosses at Manchester Airport were getting to grips with the staffing crisis which resulted in security queues and disruption earlier in the year. But the scenes emerging from the terminals over recent days have raised questions around how well the hub and its partners are weathering the storm as they emerge from the pandemic.

Reports include queues which extend into car parks, missing baggage spotted from 1,300 miles away, police rescues after flights failed to take off and even food shortages for those passengers actually able to board their flights. More than 30,000 TUI customers have received messages cancelling their trips.

Last month, Charlie Cornish, Manchester Airports Group (MAG) boss, issued a candid apology, admitting that the staffing crisis - caused by mass redundancies during the pandemic then a sudden surge in passengers when restrictions were lifted - meant service was suffering. Many of the workers who left the hub have now found other jobs.

This year, more than 800 workers have been hired to replace them. Of those, 340 are already on the floor, with a further 500 going through security and background checks. As a result, bosses say that in May, 91 per cent of passengers got through security in less than 30 minutes, and 70 per cent under 15 minutes. They said security queues could still take up to an hour at busy times but that, if passengers arrive three hours early over the coming days, they are confident they will 'get them through on time.
The Queen's Platinum Jubilee has got many hearts racing with a mix of patriotism and anticipation, but coverage of the celebration has not been limited to the UK alone.

Across the world the media has paid tribute to the 96-year-old monarch's 70-year reign.

From Sydney to Paris, the global press has spread Jubilee joy as the Queen and her people celebrate across the four-day bank holiday.

Coverage was most exuberant in the Commonwealth and in English-speaking countries.

However, other countries' journalists also sang her praises on television and the front pages of their newspapers.

Here, MailOnline takes a look at coverage of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee from around the world...

The Queen's Platinum Jubilee has got many hearts racing with a mix of patriotism and anticipation, but coverage of the celebration has not been limited to the UK alone. Across the word the media has paid tribute to the 96-year-old monarch's 70-year reign. Pictured: The Queen watches a flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Colour on June 2

Australia

The Sydney Morning Herald led the way with a beaming Queen looking over the celebrations and flypast from the balcony at Buckingham Palace with the headline 'A party fit for a Queen'.

It added: 'There was no hiding Queen Elizabeth's delight as she took the salute from the Trooping the Colour at Buckingham Palace in one of the key events of her Jubilee.'

Meanwhile, Sydney tabloid the Daily Telegraph used a front page photo with the headline 'Onya, Your Majesty', which is an informal exclamation of approval in Australia.

National daily paper The Australian reported: 'The roar began in the distance, rolling forward towards The Mall as a smiling Queen emerged on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to kick start four days of celebrations marking her Platinum Jubilee.'

The Sydney Morning Herald led the way with a beaming Queen looking over the celebrations and flypast from the balcony at Buckingham Palace with the headline 'A party fit for a Queen'

United States of America

In America euphoria around the Royals has reached fever pitch with the Jubilee celebrations.

The New York Times devoted a live blog to the celebrations with constant updates while

The Wall Street Journal had the Jubilee as its leading video, while The New York Times had a dedicated liveblog of the festivities.

The LA Times used a picture of prince Louis covering his ears with his hands on the balcony at Buckingham Palace, although they used the event to reference potential troubles in the monarch's family with the headline: 'Questions lurk behind a jubilant front.'

Meanwhile, one Washington Post columnist compared the celebrations from the Queen's great-great grandmother's Diamond Jubilee to this weekend's merrymaking, saying: 'Far from possessing the epoch-defining power that Victoria did, Elizabeth and her kin now rule mostly over the realms of kitsch and gossip... To a gawking public, they are objects of curiosity and even pity.'

The Wall Street Journal had the Jubilee as its leading video, while The New York Times had a dedicated liveblog of the festivities

Royal aides are said to be taking a 'bookend' approach to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations as they prioritise getting the monarch on the Buckingham Palace balcony for Sunday's show-stopping finale pageant. (Pictured Thursday at Buckingham Palace, from left: Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, Princess Anne, Camilla, Prince Charles, the Queen, Prince Louis, the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Prince William and Sophie, Countess of Wessex)

The LA Times used a picture of prince Louis covering his ears with his hands on the balcony at Buckingham Palace, although they used the event to reference potential troubles in the monarch's family with the headline: 'Questions lurk behind a jubilant front'

At times, the occasion seemed like too much for the four-year-old, who was snapped pulling a range of faces (pictured) during his public appearance

At one point while watching Trooping the Colour, the young royal appeared to be overwhelmed by the noise, and was seen covering his ears while shouting

Spain

Spain, which itself is only one of twelve European countries with a sovereign monarchy, gave positive coverage to the Jubilee.

Alongside a photo of the Queen on the balcony at Buckingham Palace El Pais centred its coverage on how the monarch is a steadfast symbol in a modern and fast-evolving society.

It said she was 'as familiar as the cliffs of Dover, the English rain or the waiting gesture of her son Charles'.

Meanwhile, El Mundo used a photo of the Queen smiling with the headline 'Elizabeth II asks for "confidence in the future"'.

Alongside a photo of the Queen on the balcony at Buckingham Palace El Pais centred its coverage on how the monarch is a steadfast symbol in a modern and fast-evolving society

El Mundo used a photo of the Queen smiling with the headline 'Elizabeth II asks for 'confidence in the future''

El Periodico de Espana led with the line that the 96-year-old monarch has spent a whopping 70 years on the throne

France

Le Parisien used a front-page picture of the Queen with a headline celebrating the Queen's 70-year reign.

In the tabloid's editorial it said the monarch had 'made her mark as the eternal queen'.

Conservative paper Le Figaro said: 'The United Kingdom celebrates the historic reign of Elizabeth II,' while Liberation also used a picture of the Queen on the front page.

Liberation used a picture of the Queen on the balcony at Buckingham Palace on its front page

Ouest France had a similar take on the celebrations for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee

Le Soir had the headline of 'a historic jubilee, an unwavering popularity' above a photo of the Queen beside Prince Charles

L'est Republicain labelled the Queen as 'radiant' as the monarch oversaw a day of glorious celebration in her name

Germany

Germany went all out in its coverage of the Jubilee. Most of the coverage of the 96-year-old monarch's Platinum Jubilee had a positive outlook.

RTL showed more than 12 hours of live celebrations and public TV stations ARD and ZDF ran show after show about the Queen and Princess Diana.

Frankfurter Allgemeine used one of the most popular photos in the foreign press of the Queen alongside Prince Louis holding his hands over his ears with the headline 'much noise about everything'.

Frankfurter Allgemeine used one of the most popular photos in the foreign press of the Queen alongside Prince Louis holding his hands over his ears with the headline 'much noise about everything'

Nigeria

In Nigeria, the Queen was pictured smiling beside Prince Charles on the balcony at Buckingham Palace on the front page of The Punch, one of the country's bestselling papers.

Japan

Japanese national broadcaster NHK dedicated two hours to the Jubilee with a special programme in addition to a long bulletin about the celebrations on the nine o'clock news.

Professor Naotaka Kimizuka, an expert on the British royal family at Kanto Gakuin University, said: 'In a most rapidly changing society, she remains a constant presence, and that is great. People trust her.'

People wrapped in Union Jack flags pose as they gather on The Mall ahead of a concert outside Buckingham Palace

Revellers arrive at The Mall to attend the jubilee concerts which will be held outside Buckingham Palace as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations

A woman wears a plastic crown as people gather on The Mall ahead of a concert outside Buckingham Palace this evening

Russia

Russian state TV mocked Britain's 'opulent' celebration of the Queen's platinum jubilee, claiming the event is a distraction from Downing Street parties and a general decline in living standards brought about by its sanctions against Vladimir Putin.

'The UK, which as a consequence of its sanctions against Russia is bracing for power cuts, has found the money for an opulent celebration of the Queen's platinum jubilee,' said the evening news on Kremlin-controlled Rossiya-1 channel in a report from London.

'The reign of Elizabeth II has seen the final collapse of the British empire.'

Russian state TV mocked Britain's celebration of the Queen's platinum jubilee in a broadcast from London

'The reign of Elizabeth II has seen the final collapse of the British empire,' said the broadcast

Rossiya-1 said former colonies in the Caribbean now wanted to ditch the queen as head of state and were markedly anti-British, with demands for apologies and reparations for slavery.

A 'greater threat to the realm' was Sinn Fein's election victory, said the report, suggesting this paved the way for a united Ireland.

'The imperial functions of the Anglo-Saxon world long ago passed to the United States, even though Boris Johnson is trying to revive British influence on the European continent by actively interfering in events in Ukraine,' stated the sour report.

'[The aim is to] deflect attention from domestic problems like Downing Street parties during lockdown and a general decline in living standards.'
A London restaurateur who defended J.K. Rowling in a online spat with trans activists has shared images after the windows of one his businesses were smashed open.

Last week, the Harry Potter author and journalist Suzanne Moore - both of whom have voiced gender-critical opinions - held an event at Pino's Italian restaurant in Kensington for Ukrainian children's charity Lumos, raising a total of 18,500.

James Chiavarini, who owns Pino's and nearby Il Portico, which is billed as London's oldest Italian family eaterie, tweeted his thanks for the pair's custom.

But within days, his restaurants were trolled by one-star web reviews, with one dubbing his venue 'a supporter of transphobia' and another which stated: 'If you're trans, you aren't welcome here.'

Yesterday morning, Mr Chiavarini arrived at Il Portico to find the business's windows had been smashed open.

Businessman James Chiavarini tweeted an image of the damage at his restaurant Il Portico, just a week after a fundraiser was hosted by J.K. Rowling at his other restaurant Pino's

James Chiavarini, outside his restaurant Il Portico in Kensington, says the windows of his business were smashed open days after a 'pile-on' from trans rights activists

He tweeted: 'In the same week as online accusations of being homophobe for sticking up for JK Rowling and Suzanne Moore, followed the fake bad reviews, now someone has smashed in the windows at portico and ransacked the place.

'Could obviously be a coincidence, but what a few days!'

In subsequent tweets, Mr Chiavarini clarified that the glass was tempered and smashed from the outside.

He added: 'The organised pile on from extremist TRAs [trans right activists] is real for everyone to see. They have slandered by business and my character with false accusations in an attempt at vengeance because I (proudly) stand with Suzanne Moore and JK Rowling, both of whom I admire and respect greatly.

'The ransacking of my business happened the same week as the pile on. As things stand, it is impossible to prove that the two are related.

'I suspect that I will never know for sure. For now, there is no hard evidence, only a coincidence.'

Mr Chiavarini has been inundated with support over the incident.

Feminist journalist Hadley Freeman wrote: 'Oh my God, James, this is horrific! I'm so sorry you're having to deal with this!'

Piers Morgan branded the vandalism 'disgusting' and added: 'This restaurant helped local people in Kensington throughout the pandemic including dropping meals around to those who most needed them in lockdown.

'Please go and support it with your custom, to show these vile bullies they will never win.'

A source told the Daily Mail: 'James is absolutely distraught and has been completely taken by surprise by this. The matter is now with the police, who are investigating. The restaurant has CCTV, so hopefully those who smashed it up will be found.'

'James thought he was doing a decent thing by hosting an event for such a good cause and has been left shocked by the backlash.

'He also has a number of regular customers from the trans community and would hate to think they might believe there to be any truth in these online comments.

'His restaurants welcome everyone and always have done. To suggest that James is anti-anything is absolute rubbish.'

Rowling declined to comment on the incident but has promised to match the fundraising for Lumos, which is almost at the 1 million mark.
Police have carried out a controlled explosion in Trafalgar Square this morning, after evacuating the public in a security scare  hours before thousands are set to gather at Party at The Palace.

Police tape can be seen in video footage shared from the London site, with officers redirecting cars and people after receiving a call about a suspicious vehicle.

The force has now given the all clear and confirmed that the incident was not terrorism related.

It carried out a controlled explosion, with people reporting a loud band, after a suspicious vehicle had been found.

The road was closed off and pedestrians were being told to get out of the area. The Trafalgar St. James hotel was also evacuated, and the front of the National Gallery  overlooking the square  was locked.

A police vehicle removes a car following a security incident near Trafalgar Square

The car was towed away by officers, after a controlled explosion was organised

Pedestrians were asked to leave the area, with police putting a cordon in place

A police territorial support van was spotted at the scene, as people were evacuated

Officers were redirecting people out of the area, with police tape in place

The road was closed and cars were also being redirected out of the area

There was a controlled explosion, after a suspicious vehicle had been found

Officers were redirecting people down the street. They have now given the all clear

Catherine Strina told MailOnline that she had travelled to London for tonight's jubilee concert.

'We were in the Trafalgar Square area and realised something was going on,' she said. 'Police told us all we couldn't go any further, we then heard an explosion so just ran  scary times.

'It was very frightening, we all just ran to Charing Cross station and waited outside. It was a very loud bang, hopefully it was something under control.'

A journalist at the scene, Jon Hansen, said on Twitter that he was rushed out of The Trafalgar St. James hotel.

'Vehicle left out overnight,' he wrote. 'Saw all four windows of the car smashed out. Told us they were waiting for controlled explosion.

'They rushed us down the street. When we reached the other side of Trafalgar (around the back) heard loud explosion.'

He said that there was 'no panic' and that police kept moving people back.

'Police seemed to have it under control,' he wrote. 'The hotel staff had told us they wanted us all out before the police detonated the suspicious car or perhaps a package inside of it.'

Others also reported hearing a loud bang.

Westminster Police on Twitter said: 'Officers are currently at Trafalgar Square where they have evacuated the scene. Please do not travel to the area.

'Police remain on scene. The incident has now been concluded and the square will reopen in due course.'

The force later added: 'Police attended a report from a member of the public at 09:22hrs of a suspicious vehicle in Trafalgar Square. This was investigated and after police took action we have no further concern. This was not terrorism related.'

The fire brigade were also attending the scene. Ambulance crews are aware of the incident but had not been called.
Parents claimed their kids are 'terrified' to go to class at a West Australian school after one student shared a video of himself holding a gun.

Police have told families from the Kalgoorlie-Boulder Community High School in the state's Goldfields region that there is no risk to students' safety but it has done little to alleviate concerns .

A male student last week posted a series of videos and photos to Snapchat of him brandishing a handgun, while another student warned there would be a potential 'shoot up' at the school.

Police attended the high school, but confirmed there was no 'active shooter threat' and that the gun was never brought on grounds, adding students were not at any risk.

An auntie of two boys at the school said children were still scared to even show up.

A West Australian student posted a video of him holding a handgun and listening to rap music to Snapchat

WA Police immediately sent officers to Kalgoorlie-Boulder Community High School but said there was no 'active shooter threat' and confirmed the gun hadn't entered the grounds

'I had one boy that didn't even want to go to school. He was crying, and telling my sister ''no, I don't want to go to school'' because he's terrified,' she told the Kalgoorlie Miner.

She said the claims from police were 'ridiculous'.

'Just ask the kids, they will tell you. It doesn't stray, each time you ask a different kid, they all say the same thing,' she added.

'My nephew said to me, ''Aunty, they don't just bash you, they'll stab you'' and it's like what? Where are we?'.

Earlier this year one student was reportedly injured by another holding a 'bladed weapon'.

The boy had a bag around his head as he brandished the gun while listening to a hip hop song

WA Department of Education director-general Lisa Rodgers earlier said a small number of students at Kalgoorlie-Boulder Community High School have been involved in violent incidents.

'We have deployed additional staff to provide support and increase supervision before and after school hours,' she said.

'It's disappointing that the choices and actions of a very small group of students at the school have disrupted the learning of the majority of students who continue to do the right thing.

'Violence is never OK, and any students involved in fights in public schools may be suspended or, in serious cases, face further disciplinary action such as exclusion in line with the State Government's action plan against violence.'

The gun fears were sparked by the student who took to Snapchat to post a series of photos and a video of himself brandishing the weapon last week.

The video shows the armed boy holding the gun and listening to a hip hop song with a bag around his neck. The West reported he was reloading the gun in the clip.

At the time, the Department of Education and WA Police sent officers to the school to investigate, not long before a second student shared a separate post to social media warning that boy would bring the handgun to a school building for a 'school shoot up', telling students not to go to school.

The boy, from Kalgoorlie-Boulder Community High School in Western Australia, allegedly made the threat last week after 19 students and two teachers were gunned down during US school shooting in Texas

It's also not known whether the boy had access to weapons, with Police Commissioner Chris Dawson assuring the community they were safe.

Premier Mark McGowan said the threat was another reminder Australia must ensure it keeps its gun laws strict.

'Obviously, there's very heightened concerns about firearms in light of what occurred in America,' he said, referencing the recent school shooting in Texas.

'No matter what happens, we never, never, never want to get down the road that America has now.'
The Earl and Countess of Wessex have arrived in Northern Ireland today for a celebration in honour of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Prince Edward and his wife Sophie have so far visited Belfast, where the Royal couple were joined by throngs of enthusiastic onlookers at a 1950s-themed celebration on Royal Avenue in the city.

Afterwards, they were greeted by the Lord Mayor of Belfast Tina Black and watched a folk performance by children in traditional dress.

The couple also tried a local delicacy - the Belfast Bap - and visited stalls at the Retro Jubilee Market before heading off to Bangor for the next part of their visit.

In Bangor, the prince was seen behind the bar of a kiosk serving pints of Guinness to members of the public.

Then, the Royal couple faced each other in an omelette cook-off judged by professional chef Jean-Christophe Novelli.

Their visit marks the third day of festivities in honour of the Queen's seven decades on the throne.

Not your everyday barman! Prince Edward serves a pint of Guinness for a woman during a visit to Bangor in Northern Ireland

The Royal couple went head-to-head in a cooking contest, chaired by professional chef Jean-Christophe Novelli, preparing omelettes. Mr Novelli declaring them joint-winners

The Earl and Countess of Wessex were presented with the Belfast bap - a local delicacy

Sophie, Countess of Wessex, greets well wishers in Belfast this morning as she arrives for a Platinum Jubilee celebration

The countess proved a hit with the crowds who lined the streets for the Royal couple's visit

Prince Edward and his wife Sophie joined members of the public at a 1950s-themed celebration at Royal Avenue in Belfast today

Sophie, Countess of Wessex, speak to children in Belfast as they arrive to attend celebrations marking the Queen's Platinum Jubilee

The Earl and Countess of Wessex sit with Belfast Lord Mayor Tina Black to watch a performance by local artists to celebrate the Queen's long reign

The Royal couple met local schoolchildren who performed a traditional folk dance

Children chatted excitedly with the Countess of Wessex after wowing her with their folk ensemble

Enthusiastic crowds lined the streets of Belfast hoping for a glimpse of the Earl and Countess of Wessex

In Belfast, the earl and countess met groups of performers, including the Belfast Busking Band, and heard stories of the city's diverse communities over the last 70 years, which will be explored through fashion, photography, music and dance.

The earl also chatted to elderly residents, brought together by Age Friendly Belfast, to share their memories and experiences.

Meanwhile, the countess joined in with a special platinum jubilee range of craft activities, making crowns and corgis with school children, before viewing a showcase of fashion through the ages.

The Royal couple then moved on to their second engagement in Bangor this afternoon.

On the beachfront of Bangor, which has newly been awarded city status, the pair joined members of the public at a vintage, seaside funfair.

Having viewed vehicles from the last 70 years, The Earl visited a 1950s pop-up diner, where he had was able to try his hand at pulling a pint of Guinness.

Meanwhile, the Countess was put through her paces at a 50s and 60s dance demonstration.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex also met the winner of a local Platinum Jubilee pudding competition.

Their Royal Highnesses also greeted Royal Navy sailors and RNLI crew.

To end their visit, the Royal couple went head-to-head in a cooking contest, chaired by professional chef Jean-Christophe Novelli, preparing omelettes. Mr Novelli declaring them joint-winners.

Prince Charles and Prince William are scheduled to address a live audience of 22,000 at a special concert in front of Buckingham Palace today, as millions the third day of the Platinum Jubilee extravaganza marking her 70 years on the throne.

The couple will also try a local delicacy, the Belfast Bap, and will visit stalls at the Retro Jubilee Market

Prince Edward is greeted by lord Mayor of Belfast Tina Black on an official visit celebrating the Platinum Jubilee

The Countess of Wessex carries a bouquet of flowers as she is greeted by spectators upon her arrival into Belfast

The Countess of Wessex arrived to meet many of the city's performers in fields as as diverse as fashion, photography, music and dance

Before leaving Belfast, the earl and countess watched a community dance group perform a routine that celebrates the last seven decades

The event featuring Diana Ross, Queen + Adam Lambert and Alicia Keys will take place in a temporary amphitheater built around the Victoria Memorial outside the palace.

The 96-year-old monarch isn't expected to attend the nighttime outdoor event with rain in the forecast. Problems moving around, which the palace describes as "episodic mobility issues," have limited the queen's public appearances in recent months.

The sovereign opted not to attend the Epsom Derby on Saturday, the second time in as many days that her troubles in getting around have robbed crowds of a chance to see her. On Friday, the queen skipped a special service of Thanksgiving in her honor at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, were among nearly 50 members of the royal family who gathered to honor the absent head of state. It was their first public appearance in the U.K. since stepping back from royal duties two years ago.
A 12th Century abbey was saved from an alleged arson attack by residents and restaurant staff who rushed to extinguish the flames with buckets of water.

Firefighters rushed to reports of a blaze at Malmesbury Abbey in Wiltshire shortly after 9pm on Friday evening .

But after a 10-mile dash from from Chippenham the fire crew discovered that the blaze was under control.

Local residents, including staff from The Bird Cage restaurant, The Old Bell Hotel and Co-op Food store, brought the flames under control using buckets of water and extinguishers.

One local resident praised their efforts on social media, writing: 'It could have been a very different ending without everyone being so incredible. Well done everyone!'

Firefighters rushed to reports of a blaze at Malmesbury Abbey in Wiltshire shortly after 9pm on Friday evening after the 12th century building was attacked by an arsonist

Local residents and businesses were able to extinguish the blaze before the arrival of the fire brigade

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said firefighters used one hose reel, drags and a thermal imaging camera to fully extinguish the flames.

The fire is believed to have started when yobs set fire to waste and refuse outside the abbey, which dates from the 12th century.

The Grade I listed abbey is built on the site of a former Saxon monastery dating back to AD700.

Athelstan, the first king of all England, was buried in Malmesbury Abbey when he died in 939.

By the 12th-century it was an important Benedictine Abbey and a noted seat of learning.

At that time it possessed the second largest library in Europe and one of its community was the 12th-century historian William of Malmesbury.

It was given a Grade I listing in 1949, having survived previous fires and the English Civil War.
China Focus: Dragon Boat Festival: A celebration of patriotism

Xinhua) 09:24, June 04, 2022

BEIJING, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Dragon Boat Festival is an important traditional festival in China. It fell on Friday this year and was celebrated across China, embodying the Chinese people's love for their country.

The festival, also called Duanwu Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar.

"There are many versions concerning the origin of the festival, and the most influential one is related to Qu Yuan," said Shao Fengli, an associate professor at Liaoning University, adding that it reflects Chinese people's love of the poet, and also the patriotism that remains the backbone of Chinese culture.

Qu Yuan is a well-known poet and served as a minister of the State of Chu during the Warring States Period (475 -221 BC). As a poet, Qu Yuan is known today for his patriotism and contributions to classical verse. Lines such as "The way ahead is long and has no ending, yet high and low I'll search with my will unbending" are still spread widely.

"The spirit of patriotism has been deeply embedded into the blood of all Chinese people and has become an important spiritual symbol of the nation," Shao said.

After Qu Yuan drowned himself in the Miluo River, local people rowed out on the river to search for his body, and many boats could be seen on the wide river. Dragon boat races have thus become one of the most important customs of the festival, said Luo Haobo, head of the Qu Yuan memorial hall in Miluo city, central China's Hunan Province.

Gao Hu, head of a dragon boat manufacturing plant in the city, said that there were more than 100 dragon boat orders this year, and he is making a 30-meter-long traditional dragon boat for a customer in east China's Anhui Province, which can be rowed by more than 60 people.

Beijing aims to hold more than 240 online cultural events during this year's Dragon Boat Festival holiday from June 3 to 5.

"Traditional festivals are formed through thousands of years of inheritance. They have rich cultural significance and represent the beliefs of the Chinese people," Shao said.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
Turkey is now recognized as "Turkiye" by the United Nations, which approved the Turkish government's request for change on Wednesday as part of its rebranding campaign.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the rebranding process, which started in December, was the initiative of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "in order to increase our country's brand value."

In the letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Cavusoglu wrote: "I would like to inform you that, in line with the Presidential Circular ... dated December 2, 2021, on the use of the word 'Turkiye' in foreign languages and the subsequent branding strategy, the Government of the Republic of Turkiye, henceforth will start using 'Turkiye' to replace the words such as 'Turkey,' 'Turkei' and 'Turquie' that have been used in the past to refer to the 'Republic of Turkiye.'"

According to CNN, UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Thursday that the UN accepted the alteration and that it took effect as soon as they received the request and verified the document's authenticity on Wednesday.

Is Turkey's Name Change Just a Distraction?

Dujarric said it is "not an issue" for the UN to accept or reject a request for country name changes.

"Countries are free to choose the way they want to be named. It doesn't happen every day but it's not unusual that countries change their names," he said.

The majority of Turks refer to their motherland as Turkiye. However, the anglicized term Turkey is often used even within the country.

Read Also: US, Saudi Arabia Leaders To Meet After Agreement on Two Key Deals Related to Oil Production

TRT, the country's public broadcaster, was fast to make a move after it was announced last year, citing the relationship with the bird generally associated with Christmas, New Year, or Thanksgiving as one of the grounds for the rebranding.

It also stated that one of the definitions of the word is "something that fails badly" or "a stupid or silly person," per the Cambridge English Dictionary.

"Made in Turkiye" will appear on all exported items as part of the rebranding, and a tourist campaign with the catchphrase "Hello Turkiye" was launched in January, as per a report from BBC.

The move has elicited a mixed response online. Although some government officials approve of it, others argue that it is a distraction as the president prepares for elections in 2023 amid an economic crisis.

Other Countries That Changed Their Names

In the past, several countries have changed their names, according to a report from WION. One of them is Iran, which was known as Persia. In March 1935, the move was initiated by the Iranian ambassador to Germany, who was under the influence of the Nazis.

After becoming a constitutional monarchy in 1939, Siam's name was changed to Thailand. In the local language, it is pronounced Prathet Thai, which means "free people's country."

The government of the Netherlands likewise changed its image by dropping the name Holland. Business leaders, the tourism board, and the central government are calling the country the Netherlands as of 2020.

North and South Holland are now simply two of the European country's 12 provinces.

The name change was part of a drive to distance the country from its associations with recreational drug use and legal prostitution, both of which are strong attractions for foreign visitors to Amsterdam, located in the province of North Holland.

Related Article: Turkey Still Blocks Finland, Sweden From Joining NATO Despite Pressure From the Military Alliance

North and South Holland are now simply two of the European country's 12 provinces.

The name change was part of a drive to distance the country from its associations with recreational drug use and legal prostitution, both of which are strong attractions for foreign visitors to Amsterdam, which is located in the province of North Holland.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Amerie Jo Garza, 10

Amerie Jo Garza (right)

Amerie Jo Garza, a fourth grader at Robb Elementary, was one of 19 students confirmed to be killed Tuesday morning by Ramos, who cops say was carrying a handgun and an AR-15 during the attack that also killed two teachers in the classroom.

Her grandmother, Berlinda Irene Arreola, said the 10-year-old was killed as she tried to phone 911 while sitting next to her best friend, who ended up 'covered in her blood.'

Arreola said Ramos told the students and staffers inside the room, 'You're going to die,' before opening fire - shooting her granddaughter dead as she tried to phone for help.

'So the gunman went in and he told the children, 'You're going to die,' Berlinda told The Daily Beast.

'And [Amerie] had her phone and she called 911. And instead of grabbing it and breaking it or taking it from her, he shot her. She was sitting right next to her best friend. Her best friend was covered in her blood.'

Uziyah Garcia

Uziyah Garcia, 8

Uziyah Garcia, the youngest victim at age eight, was also killed in the attack.

The child's family announced he was killed hours after announcing he was among the many children unaccounted for following the tragedy.

The boy's grandfather, Manny Renfro, broke the news early Wednesday after being notified by authorities.

'[He was] the sweetest little boy that I've ever known,' Renfro said. 'I'm not just saying that because he was my grandkid.'

Renfro recalled how Uziyah last visited him in San Angelo over spring break.

'We started throwing the football together and I was teaching him pass patterns.

'Such a fast little boy and he could catch a ball so good,' the grieving grandad said.

'There were certain plays that I would call that he would remember and he would do it exactly like we practiced.'

Makenna Elrod, 10

Makenna Lee Elrod

Makenna Elrod, 10, had also been among the missing in the chaos that followed the massacre, with her father, Brandon Elrod telling reporters at the time he feared 'she may not be alive.'

Her death was eventually confirmed by a family friend on Wednesday. 'It's pretty sad what this world's coming to,' the girl's father told local outlet KTRK after the shooting.

A mother of one of Makenna's friends lamented the loss in a post to Facebook.

'Sweet Makenna Rest in Paradise!! My heart is shattered as my daughter Chloe loved her so much!!' the mom wrote. A relative Wednesday confirmed that the girl had been among the victims.

Xavier Lopez, 10

Xavier Lopez

Xavier Lopez, 10, was the first student victim to be identified as one of Ramos' victims.

The child's mother, Felicha Martinez, told the Washington Post Tuesday that just hours before the massacre, the mom had been at the school to see her son participate an honor roll ceremony.

She took a picture showing her son showing off his certificate.

In the last exchange she had with the child, the mom heartbreakingly told the boy that she was proud of him and that she loved him, giving him a hug goodbye - not knowing it would be the last time she would see him alive.

'He was funny, never serious and his smile that smile I will never forget,' she recalled after learning of his death from police. 'It would always cheer anyone up.'

The boy's cousin, Lisa Garza, 54, of Arlington, said Xavier enjoyed swimming and had been looking forward to the summer.

'He was just a loving 10-year-old little boy, just enjoying life, not knowing that this tragedy was going to happen today,' she said.

'He was very bubbly, loved to dance with his brothers, his mom. This has just taken a toll on all of us.'

Amelia Sandoval, Lopez's grandmother, said: 'It's just so hard... you send your kids to school thinking they are going to make it back home but they're not.'

Eliahana Torres, 10

Eliahana Cruz Torres

Eliahana Cruz Torres, 10, had also been missing for hours until she was confirmed to be among the dead.

Adolfo Cruz, her great-grandfather, said she didn't want to attend school the day of the shooting - but was told by her family that she had to attend.

He said he remained outside the school gates throughout the night until he leanrned of her fate from local authorities.

'I hope she is alive,' he said at the time.

Torres was an avid baseball player and played the sport in a local little league.

Ellie Lugo, 10

Ellie Lugo

Ellie Lugo was named as a victim of Tuesday's attack by her parents, with Steven Garcia and Jennifer Lugo confirming her death several hours after she was listed among the missing.

'It's hard to issue out a statement on anything right now my mind is going at 1000 miles per hour but I do wanna send our thoughts and prayers to those who also didn't make it home tonight!!! Our Ellie was a doll and was the happiest ever,' Steven Lugo said Wednesday.

'Mom and Dad love you never forget that and please try and stay by our side.'

Nevaeh Bravo, 10

Nevaeh Bravo

Nevaeh Bravo was confirmed to be among the dead late Tuesday, after her cousin posted on social media following the shooting to ask for helping the girl.

Around 9 pm, she broke the news on Twitter.

'Unfortunately my beautiful Nevaeh was one of the many victims from todays tragedy,' she wrote.

Sje said the schoolchild was 'flying high' and asked for the family to be kept in people's prayers

'Our Nevaeh has been found. She is flying with the angels above. We love you Navaeh very much princess.'

'Thank you for the support and help,' she wrote. 'Rest in peace my sweet girl, you didn't deserve this.'

Bravo's age could not immediately be confirmed.

Tess Marie Mata

Tess Marie Mata

Tess Marie Mata was also among those to perish in the attack, her sister, Faith Mata, revealed in a post to Facebook Wednesday.

'I honestly have no words just sadness, confusion, and anger,' she wrote.

'I'm sad because we will never get to tag team on mom and dad again and tell each other how much we mean to each other, I'm confused because how can something like this happen to my sweet, caring, and beautiful sister, and I'm angry because a coward took you from us.'

Photos shared with the post showed Tess smiling in a baby photo, snuggling with a cat, doing gymnastics, flashing a peace sign, and posing in front of a large heart mural.

'Sissy I miss you so much, I just want to hold you and tell you how pretty you are, I want to take you outside and practice softball, I want to go on one last family vacation, I want to hear your contagious laugh, and I want you to hear me tell you how much I love you,' she wrote.

Her age could not immediately be confirmed.

Rojelio Torres, 10

Rojelio Torres

Rojelio Torres, 10, was initially reported missing by his father, but on Wednesday was confirmed dead by his family.

A person who said she was the boy's cousin wrote on Twitter: 'It breaks my heart to say my rojelio is now with the angels I'll forever miss you and love you my angel.'

The child's father , Federico Torres, told Houston reporters that he was at work when he learned about the shooting and immediately raced to the school.

'They sent us to the hospital, to the civic center, to the hospital and here again, nothing, not even in San Antonio,' he said. 'They don't tell us anything, only a photo, wait, hope that everything is well.'

Nearly half a day later, cops broke the news to the boy's family.

'Our entire family waited almost 12 hours since the shooting to find out Rojelio Torres, my 10-year-old nephew, was killed in this tragedy,' Torres' aunt, Precious Perez, told KSAT. 'We are devastated and heartbroken. Rojer was a very intelligent, hard-working and helpful person. He will be missed and never forgotten.'

Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, 10

Jayce Luevanos

Jayce Luevanos, 10, died in the shooting along with his ten-year-old cousin, Jailah, the child's mother said Wednesday.

In a Facebook post, uncle Unberto Gonzalez shared photos of both kids while offering a touching tribute.

'My babies going to miss them like crazy!!!,' Gonzalez wrote. 'We luv y'all so much!!! I'm just lost right now!!! Fly high my beautiful Angels!!'

Jailah Nicole Silguero, 10

Jailah Nicole Silguero

Ten-year-old Jailah Nicole Silguero was also killed in the shooting, her mother, Veronica Luevanos, tearfully revealed to Univision Wednesday.

She also lost her 10-year-old nephew Jayce to the tragedy.

She said Jailah loved to dance and film videos on TikTok.

The child reportedly also asked her mom the morning of the shooting if she could stay home from school - a request the now mourning mom rebuffed.

'I took her to school, but she didn't want to go. She told her father, 'Can I stay home?'' Luevanos said, noting that it was not a common occurrence for her daughter to make such a request. 'I think she knew something would happen.'

Luevanos' mom confirmed the loss on Facebook Wednesday.

'Fly high my angels. We're going to miss yall so much,' wrote Veronica Luevanos - whose dad had died just a week earlier.

'I'm so heart broken,' she wrote with a photo of her daughter and nephew.

'My baby I love u so much  fly high baby girl.'

Alithia Ramirez, 10

Alithia Ramirez

Fourth grader Alithia Ramirez was confirmed dead early Wednesday by her father, Ryan Ramirez, who shared a post to Facebook showing the 10-year-old with angel's wings. He had used the same photo the previous day as he pleaded for help finding her after the massacre

He had heartbreakingly used the same photo the previous day as he desperately pleaded for help finding her after the massacre.

'Trying to find my daughter Alithia. I called all the hospitals and nothing,' he wrote at the time.

He also reporters during his frantic search, 'I'm trying to find out where my baby's at.'

Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10

Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez

Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10, was another killed by Ramos Tuesday - along with her cousin, who has yet to be identified.

Annabell's father spent the afternoon after the shooting in frantic search for his daughter.

Speaking to KHOU11 Tuesday, he lamented at how he was at a loss as to what do, having little success with the search.

'They're not letting us in at the hospital right now so we don't know where to go.'

She has since been declared to be among the dead.

Miranda Mathis, 11

Miranda Mathis

Miranda Mathis, 11, was also confirmed as another casualty from the mass shooting early Wednesday, in a Facebook post by an older cousin who earlier that day had posted a desperate plea for help in locating the child.

'My sweet baby cousin we loved u dearly,' Deanna Miller wrote alongside a photo of the child with angel wings.

'I'm so sorry this happen to u baby please keep my family in your prayers,' she grieved.

Miller's kids had also been at the school at the time of the shooting, but survived the attack.

One of her sons told her that they were ushered out of a window by staffers during the attack and subsequently ran to a nearby funeral home after 'he heard the shooter say he was gonna kill all the kids.'

Alexandria 'Lexi' Aniyah Rubio, 10

Alexandria Aniyah Rubio

Alexandria Aniyah Rubio - who was better known to friends as 'Lexi' - was confirmed dead just before midnight on Tuesday.

The ten-year-old was shot dead just hours after posing for a photo with her parents at the school's honor roll ceremony.

Kimberly Mata-Rubio, the girl's mother, wrote of the loss: 'My beautiful, smart, Alexandria Aniyah Rubio was recognized today for All-A honor roll. She also received the good citizen award. We told her we loved her and would pick her up after school. We had no idea this was goodbye.'

Maite Yuleana

Maite Yuleana

Maite Yuleana was another student to die in the attack that had attended the honor roll ceremony just hours before.

A cousin of the girl's mother, Ana Rodriguez, announced the loss Wednesday.

'It is with a heavy heart I come on here on behalf of my cousin Ana who lost her sweet baby girl in yesterday's senseless shooting.

'We are deeply saddened by the lose [sic] of this sweet smart little girl. God bless and may she R.I.P Maite Rodriguez we love you.'

Another relative shared a photo of Maite with her honor roll certificate.

Her age could not immediately be confirmed.

Jose Flores Jr, 10

Jose Flores

Jose Flores, 10, was also killed in the shooting after attending the honor roll ceremony, where he was pictured triumphantly clutching a certificate celebrating the accomplishment.

Uncle Christopher Salazar confirmed to the Washington Post Wednesday that his 10-year-old nephew was among the dead, after sharing a tribute to the child on Facebook.

'I love you and I miss you,' Salazar wrote in the post.

The boy's father described Jose to CNN as an amazing boy and big brother to his two younger siblings.

'He was always fill of energy,' Jose Flores Sr. said. 'Ready to play till the night.'

He said the boy loved playing baseball and video games.

Jackie Cazares

Jackie Cazares, 10

Jackie Cazares, 10, was another to be killed during the vicious attack at the elementary school.

Her father Jacinto confirmed she lost her life inside her fourth-grade classroom.

'My baby girl has been taken away from my family and I,' the grieving father said in an online post.

'We're devastated in ways I hope no one ever goes through. ... It hurts us to our souls.'

Cazares said his daughter, who was with her cousin, Annabell Rodriguez, when she died, was 'full of life and love'.

Layla Salazar, 10

The 10-year-old student was the last of the slaying victims to be identified.

Vincent Salazar told the Philadelphia Inquirer his young daughter was among those killed.

He said she was 'a lot of fun' and recalled how they sang along to 'Sweet Child O' Mine' by Guns 'n' Roses whenever he drove her to school.

Layla Salazar

Irma Garcia, 46 - fourth grade teacher

Irma Garcia

Irma Garcia, who co-taught with Mireles for the last five year, had been at Robb Elementary for 23 years.

Married to Joe for 24 years, she was a mother of four - Cristian, completing Marine boot camp; Jose, attending Texas State university University; Lyliana, a sophomore in high school; and Alysandra, a 7th grader.

'My tia did not make it, she sacrificed herself protecting the kids in her classroom, i beg of you to keep my family including all of her family in y'all's prayers , IRMA GARCIA IS HER NAME and she died a HERO,' tweeted her nephew John.

'She was loved by many and will truly be missed.'

She was nominated as teacher of the year for the 2018-19 awards, organized by Trinity University.

Eva Mireles, 44 - fourth grade teacher

Eva Mireles

Eva Mireles, a fourth grade teacher, was identified by her family as being one of the staff members shot dead. She had worked in education for 17 years.

Her husband Ruben Ruiz, a veteran detective and SWAT team member currently serving as a police officer with the school district, held regular active shooter drills for the schools - most recently at the end of March.
Bill Maher has argued Republicans could easily 'steal' the issue of federal marijuana legalization by making it an issue about freedom after Democrats inserted 'too much stuff' about racial 'equity' in the House-passed measure aimed to decriminalize pot.

The comedian, 66, who often draws the ire of both liberals and conservatives on his long-running HBO show Real Time, argued Friday night that legalization of marijuana swings in the favor of Republicans and is 'something we ought to do.'

'Republicans are gonna steal the issue. I think eventually,' Maher told former Attorney General Eric Holder after being asked why President Joe Biden hadn't yet pushed for federal legalization of pot. 'I mean, it could be one of those freedom issues.'

He also noted how Republicans opposed the marijuana legislation passed by the House in April because of its language surrounding racial equity.

'Now I understand the impetus to want to, like, for example, if you're gonna have new businesses that are legal in the marijuana field, yeah, they probably should go to the people who suffered the most during the drug war,' Maher said. 'Republicans, of course, are saying this is a deal-breaker.'

Bill Maher argued Republicans could easily 'steal' the issue of federal marijuana legalization by making it an issue about freedom after Democrats inserted 'too much stuff' about racial 'equity' in the House-passed measure aimed to decriminalize pot

Maher alleged that although Republicans may support legalizing pot, they aren't going to endorse legislation riddled with racial undertones.

'What do you want, half a loaf? If they said okay, no equity, is it better to have the law passed or changed or is it better to hold out for equity?,' he questioned.

'It's better to have the law changed,' Holder answered. 'Deal with the societal reality that we have and, you know, and try to make it as equitable as you possibly can, but I wouldn't want to stop the movement that I think makes sense for the sake of equity.'

Maher also joked the GOP could get on board with the federal legalization of marijuana because some Republicans are directly tied to the business, such as former House Speaker John Boehner who is currently on the board of the cannabis company Acreage Holdings.

'I mean, someone like John Boehner works for a marijuana company now,' Maher argued. 'And, of course, Republicans smoke lots of pot too.'

Holder replied: 'Not enough. They need to mellow out just a little more.'

Boehner joined the Acreage Holdings board in 2018 and later became the chair of the National Cannabis Roundtable, a pro-marijuana lobbying group.

Similarly, a 2021 Quinnipiac University poll revealed that 62 percent of Republicans surveyed supported legalization of marijuana. Seventy-eight percent of participants who identified as Democrats also supported the measure.

Regardless, only three GOP lawmakers - Florida Reps. Matt Gaetz, Brian Mast and Tom McClintock, of California - voted in favor of April's bill to legalize marijuana nationwide.

Maher (left) told former Attorney General Eric Holder (right) the GOP could get on board with the federal legalization of marijuana because some party members are directly tied to the business and because 'Republicans smoke lots of pot too.' Holder replied: 'Not enough. They need to mellow out just a little more'

Maher pointed out how former House Speaker John Boehner (pictured in March 2016, mowing his lawn during retirement) 'works for a marijuana company now'. Boehner also became the chair of the National Cannabis Roundtable, a pro-marijuana lobbying group

The House passed the bill to federally legalize marijuana on April 1 with a vote of 220-204, mostly along party lines, sending the legislation to the Senate.

It marked the second time the Democrat-led House passed a bill to decriminalize pot, the first happening in December 2020.

The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (H.R. 3617) decriminalizes possession, distribution and manufacture of cannabis - and no longer classifies it as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act.

However, Republicans alleged the bill was half-baked and failed to address the 'clear consequences' of legalizing marijuana.

While the Senate has not yet voted on H.R. 3617, The Hill reported last month that momentum is growing in the Senate for another piece of cannabis legislation.

The newspaper argued that bipartisan lawmakers are pushing to have key marijuana banking legislation tucked into the proposed SAFE Banking Act, which intends to strengthen the country's supply chains and manufacturing.

The House passed the bill to federally legalize marijuana on April 1 with a vote of 220-204, mostly along party lines, sending the legislation to the Senate

However, Republicans alleged the bill was half-baked and failed to address the 'clear consequences' of legalizing marijuana

A map of the United States showing the legality of marijuana by state

If the marijuana component is included in the legislation, the SAFE Banking Act would enable cannabis firms to use banking services.

'This is a cash-only business right now. It's dangerous for the employees,' Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) told The Hill on May 4. 'It's dangerous for the patrons, and it can be fixed.'

'We've got nine Republican co-sponsors officially on it, close to 50 Democrats,' bill co-sponsor Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) said. 'There are some other Republicans that I'm confident, if we had a vote, would vote for it. So, we've got the votes to pass the SAFE Banking Act as a standalone, if we'd like to.'

Other Republicans have argued the bill is an essential step for changing the current system which encourages crime and 'prevents proper tracking of billions of dollars' in marijuana sales.

However, there is speculation that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will likely block 'marijuana banking' from being included in the measure.
The original Gerber baby, whose face has been on the jar for more than 90 years, died at age 95 on Friday, the company confirmed.

The firm said it was 'deeply saddened' by the loss of Ann Turner Cook and offered their condolences to the family.

'Many years before becoming an extraordinary mother, teacher and writer, her smile and expressive curiosity captured hearts everywhere and will continue to live on as a symbol for all babies,' Gerber wrote in an Instagram tribute.

Cook, who was born in 1926, only spent a few months of her life not being the iconic face of the one the biggest American baby brands.

Her neighbor, Dorothy Hope Smith, drew the little girl using charcoal and entered her sketch into a 1928 baby food advertising campaign held by Gerber. The company wanted to change up their packaging from ABC blocks to an actual baby's face.

Smith noted to the company that she would complete the sketch and make it into an oil painting if she were to win, but the company loved the basic sketch so much, they decided to keep it.

The sketch that started it all: Ann Taylor Cook was only a few months old when her neighbor sketched her portrait in 1926

Cook (pictured in 2013) died in on Friday at the age of 95 and has been on the Gerber logo for more than 90 years

Cook's face became the trademark of the brand in 1991 and they copyrighted it in 1993 after it gained so much popularity.

The original sketch is actually framed and still at the company's Fremont, Michigan headquarters.

Over the years, speculation and rumors swirled that the famous baby was the likes of 'Humphrey Bogart or Elizabeth Taylor or Senator Bob Dole,' the company remarked. Gerber hid the Cook's identity for 40 years, only revealing the beloved face's name in 1978 after doing a survey for fans to guess who it was.

Cook herself didn't even know she was face of the baby brand until she was three years old.

Cook, who became a teacher and writer, holding a copy of the sketch

Gerber wanted to change their brand packaging to ABC blocks to an actual baby's face

'I was probably about 3 years old when mother pointed at a baby food jar and said that was my picture,' she said in an interview with CBS Sunday Mornings in 2013. 'I thought it was quite a lovely thing.'

The teacher and writer even recalled her 'own children going through a grocery story and they would point to the Gerber baby food and say: "That's my mother's picture," to whoever was walking by.

'I didn't know whether to stop and explain, because it's kind of a complicated story or just kind of grin and go on,' she said in 2013.

Gerber would eventually pay Cook for her role in the brand, which she bought a 'modest house' and a 'first car' with. Smith, however, was only compensated a few hundred for her sketch, according to CBS Sunday Mornings.

The most important part of her role, according to Cook: Becoming a symbol for babies.

'I can't think of anything nicer than becoming a symbol for babies, and I think that's what I became,' she said in 2013.

Gerber started changing the baby every year in 2011 - although Cook's face still remains on the packaging.

Cook said in 2013 her own children use to put out her face on the baby food jars and tell random people in grocery stores that it was their mother

The icon herself didn't know she was baby until her mother told her when she was around three years old

The company has gone on to picking twins, a baby with down syndrome, and an adopted baby.

Gerber went against the status quo in 2014 when they picked twins for the first time.

Paxton and Levi Strickland, now six, were picked out of more than 150,000 applications and their mother Amanda screamed so loud when she found out, the boy's father Matt thought something was wrong, according to AOL.

The family won $50,000 and said they would put it toward the boys' college fund.

In 2018, Lucas Warren would become the first ever Gerber baby with down syndrome.

'We're hoping this will impact everyone  that it will shed a little bit of light on the special needs community and help more individuals with special needs be accepted and not limited,' his father Jason said, according to People.

'They have the potential to change the world, just like everybody else.'

One of the most famous Gerber baby was Magnolia Earl in 2020. She was the brand's first adopted baby and she captured the hearts of the nation.

Just last month, the baby brand revealed it's 2022 baby: Isa Slish. She will assume the adorable role of Chief Growing Officer (CGO) on the brand's executive board, according to People.

Isa will also get to the Chief Taster Tester and offer advice on new Gerber products.

Isa also has a physical disability, where she is missing a femur or a fibula in her right leg.

Her mother Meredith said she 'hopes Isa's story can bring more awareness for limb differences and create greater inclusion for children like her. Because, just like Isa, they too can be or do anything they want!'
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**What are YOU doing to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee?** Email: katie.feehan@mailonline.co.uk and pictures@mailonline.co.uk Advertisement

Britons across the country are celebrating day three of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee today ahead of the Party at the Palace this evening.

Up and down the country, local streets have been covered in red, white and blue just like they did for Her Majesty's Coronation in June 1953.

Families and neighbours have all joined together to celebrate the Queen in her 70 long years reigning Great Britain, and the country as a whole has pulled no punches when it comes to decorating with miles of bunting and Jubilee memorabilia.

While there are clouds and some risk of showers in parts of the south of England, large parts of the country is expected to be dry with sun this afternoon meaning preparations are well underway for the third day of celebrations.

The Queen's Platinum Jubilee official celebrations enter their third day today with the Epsom Derby and Party at the Palace concert, featuring Sir Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, Sam Ryder and more.

The concert is the highlight of the third day of public events to mark the 96-year-old monarch's record-breaking Platinum Jubilee with 22,000 people set to attend in person outside Buckingham Palace.

Motown legend Ross, performing for the first time in Britain in 15 years, is a star attraction at the event, to be held on a purpose-built 360-degree stage outside the queen's central London residence.

Britons across the country are getting ready to celebrate day three of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee today ahead of the Party at the Palace this evening. Pictured: The community in Sidmouth, Devon, gather for a party on day three of celebrations

Local residents in Blackpool get in the Jubilee spirit by holding a street party to commemorate the Queens Platinum Jubilee. Pictured: Rory Roberts, age 4, Maggie-Mae White, aged 3, and Darcy Roberts, who is seven, dressed for the occasion

Patriotic: Elsewhere in Blackpool, residents have spared no expense decking their street out with red, white and blue bunting

Steve Edge (right) with his wife Lyndsey Edge and children Jess Edge (left) and Lucy Edge (2nd left) at a Jubilee Street Party

Pictured: Residents pin down the Union Jack tablecloths. Residents battle strong winds to set up their delayed street party on Brunswick Terrace on the seafront in Weymouth, Dorset, as the weather turns on the third day of celebrations

Rockers Queen + Adam Lambert will open the concert, with Italian opera star Bocelli and James Bond composer Hans Zimmer also featuring in the line-up.

Other performers include Alicia Keys, Craig David and Rod Stewart, George Ezra and Eurovision 2022 runner-up Sam Ryder. Elton John has recorded a tribute.

The queen - the longest-reigning monarch in British history - is not expected to attend the two-and-a-half-hour event in person but will instead watch on television at Windsor Castle.

Her heir Prince Charles, 73, and his eldest son, Prince William, 39, will be in attendance.

Jess Edge (right) celebrates with sister Lucy Edge left) at a Jubilee Street Party in Trafford on day three of the Platinum Jubilee

Bunting at the ready: Neighbours in Sidmouth, Devon, enjoy cakes, sandwiches and desserts on day three of celebrations

Getting ready: In Kent, Conservative MP Rehman Chishti shared pictures of a street party being held in Twydall (pictured)

Conservative MP Rehman Chishti shared pictures of a street party getting underway in Twydall, Kent, earlier today

Residents in Kent have decked out their homes in red, white and blue bunting in preparation for their jubilee party today

They are part of a series of major events scheduled for the four-day extravaganza, which began on Thursday with Trooping the Colour and a jaw-dropping 71-aircraft Flypast, and which will end on Sunday with a special Pageant celebrating the life of the nation's longest-reigning monarch.

Royal Family members will also visit every corner of the UK over the weekend for official engagements - with William and Kate going to Wales; Edward and Sophie travelling to Northern Ireland; and Anne to Scotland.

Meanwhile, families, friends and neighbours are joining in with the pageantry and dressing their homes and streets in red, white and blue bunting, setting up marquees and long tables in preparation for day three street parties.

Residents in Blackpool were taking advantage of the good weather and getting in the patriotic spirit with dozens of street parties set to take place today.

In Leeds, revellers got in the mood for the jubilee by donning royalty-themed fancy dress to celebrate the Queen's jubilee

Drinkers enjoying the Otley Run in Leeds donned Union Jack-inspired outfits as they enjoyed the extended bank holiday

Bunting at the ready: Drinkers in Leeds took their own bunting with them as they enjoyed the extended bank holiday today

Cheers: Fancy dress in Leeds on Saturday had a distinct royal flavour on Saturday as drinkers marked the Platinum jubilee

Here's to the Queen: Revellers in Leeds showed their patriotism by donning English-themed fancy dress this afternoon

Meanwhile, in Dorset, conditions are a little less favourable with neighbours battling blustery conditions but still pushing ahead with their plans to celebrate the jubilee with street parties today.

In Kent, Conservative MP Rehman Chishti shared pictures of a street party being held in Twydall. The Conservative MP said: 'A real pleasure to meet local residents in Hawthorne Avenue (Twydall) setting up for their HM #Jubilee Street Party. Have a fantastic day. Despite the cold windy conditions terrific to see amazing community spirit.'

It follows yesterday's royal celebrations which began with a service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral in central London. At 10.50am, Great Paul, the largest church bell in the country at 16.5tons, pealed to herald service of thanksgiving for the Queen's long reign.

Her Majesty had been hoping to be able to attend the service but has since had to pull out after experiencing 'discomfort' on the first day of celebrations. Buckingham Palace has also announced the the Queen will not be attending the Epsom Derby today.
Dr. Anthony Fauci has taken thinly veiled swipes at Donald Trump and the GOP in a college commencement address, days after saying he would stay out of politics.

Fauci, the Biden administration's chief medical advisor, gave the keynote address on Friday at the City College of New York commencement ceremony in Harlem, the New York Post reported.

The highlight of his speech was a denunciation of 'the normalization of untruths' that seemed to echo widespread criticisms of Republicans, particularly Trump.

'It is blatantly obvious that we are experiencing a deepening divisiveness in our nation, fed by a flagrant devaluation of the truth,' Fauci said in his speech.

Fauci, the Biden administration's chief medical advisor, gave the keynote address on Friday at the City College of New York commencement ceremony in Harlem

'While genuine differences of opinion or ideology are part of a healthy society, increasingly we are hearing, reading and seeing outlandish statements and pronouncements propped up by deliberate distortions of reality,' he continued.

'Fabrications, conspiracy theories and outright lies are becoming commonplace from radical fringe groups as well as from people who you would hope would know better  and you know who they are,' he added, drawing laughter and applause from the audience.

'Yet sections of our society have grown increasingly inured to such falsehoods, while the outrage and dissent against this alarming trend have been relatively muted, and when voiced are regularly castigated,' he continued.

Earlier this week, the 81-year-old Fauci said he plans to step down from his government posts by the 2024 presidential election, regardless of who runs or wins.

'Well, I'm not going to get involved in any politics about who is or is not going in the White House,' he said in an interview with Fox News.

Nevertheless, his apparently political jabs during the commencement speech were well received by the students in the audience, according to the Post.

The highlight of Fauci's speech was a denunciation of 'the normalization of untruths' that seemed to echo widespread criticisms of Republicans, particularly Trump

Fauci's remark that 'you know who they are' drew laughter and applause from the audience

Graduate Daisy Pinos, 24, told the outlet: 'I think it was a bold and correct move by Fauci to speak on that and bring that light to that at our graduation.'

'He definitely has the right audience here, and he knew that,' she added.

Fauci has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, a remarkable tenure spanning seven different presidential administrations.

During Trump's tenure in office, tension between the doctor and the politician was barely concealed, and it was widely expected that if Trump had won a second term, Fauci would have been sent packing.

Biden's Chief Medical Advisor was reportedly sidelined by the Trump White House, rarely appearing in press briefings and kept from doing interviews with major news outlets.

Fauci is seen at Friday's commencement ceremony for City College in Harlem

Graduating seniors celebrate at Friday's commencement ceremony for City College

He often resorted to spreading his message about COVID through local news interviews and podcasts.

Meanwhile, Trump made his displeasure with Fauci known, at one point calling him an 'idiot', and publicly mulling firing him.

Speaking to CNN's Jim Acosta last month, Fauci said he would likely resign before serving as an advisor to Trump again.

'If Trump were to return to the White House as President, and COVID was still a threat or there was some other public health emergency, would you have confidence in his ability to deal with a pandemic of this nature? Would you want to stay on at your post?' Acosta asked Fauci.

'Well, no to the second question,' Fauci answered between nervous laughs.

'The first question, if you look at the history of what the response was during the administration, I think at best you could say it wasn't optimal.'

He continued: 'And I think just history will speak for itself. I don't need to make any further comment about that, it's not productive.'
Australia's Governor-General has suggested the country could become a republic after the Queen dies.

The Queen's representative to Australia, David Hurley, was in London for the Jubilee celebrations honouring her 70 years of service where he was asked about the chances of Australia ditching ties with the monarchy.

'I think at the moment people centre on the Queen, and then when she goes, when she passes, then the succession comes in, there's a new discussion in Australia,' he told reporters.

Australia's Governor-General has suggested the country could become a republic after the Queen dies

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured, left) lauded Her Majesty the Queen in a speech on Saturday, unveiling a monument in her honour on Saturday

Mr Hurley said there was an 'enormous well of emotional support' for Her Majesty, but things could change under a new monarch.

Poll Do you think Australia should become a republic? Yes No Do you think Australia should become a republic? Yes 58 votes

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It comes after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese renamed an island on Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin to Queen Elizabeth II Island to mark the Jubilee milestone.

Mr Albanese lauded the Queen in a speech on Saturday, unveiling a monument in her honour.

'She has stood with Australia as a true and steadfast friend,' Mr Albanese said.

'We give her name to this place in the heart of our capital  a place where history and progress meet.

'It is a fitting salute to Her Majesty, and celebrates her long life and 70 years of service to Australia and the Commonwealth, including her 16 visits to our shores.'

Known for his staunch support of the nation becoming a republic, Mr Albanese told reporters on Saturday that Aussies 'will determine the future themselves'.

'Today is not the day for those discussions, today's a day to pay tribute to Her Majesty and her service to Australia,' Mr Albanese said.

Mr Albanese's government has promised Australians will face another republican referendum if their government wins a second term in 2025.

Australians have already rejected the constitutional change in a referendum held in 1999.

Matt Thistlethwaite was appointed new assistant minister for the republic last month after Labor won government.

Mr Thistlethwaite has said it was time to start having discussions on the country's future.

'I think at the moment people centre on the Queen, and then when she goes, when she passes, then the succession comes in, there's a new discussion in Australia,' Governor General David Hurley (pictured) said.

'I'd like to congratulate the Queen on her jubilee and her reign I think she's been a fantastic monarch and leader of the commonwealth,' he told Sky News Australia.

'But as she comes to the twilight of her reign I think Australians are naturally beginning to ask themselves what comes next for Australia.

'Do we want King Charles or are we mature enough or independent enough to look to appoint one of our own as our head of state?'

The Queen was the first British monarch to come to the country, her last visit being in 2011.
The U.S. aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan concluded a naval exercise with South Korea in the Philippine Sea on Saturday, the two militaries said, amid signs that North Korea is possibly preparing to conduct its first nuclear test explosion since 2017.

The three-day exercise that began Thursday in international waters off the Japanese island of Okinawa was apparently the allies' first joint drill involving a U.S. aircraft carrier since November 2017.

The Ronald Reagan then joined the USS Theodore Roosevelt and Nimitz in a rare three-carrier exercise with South Korean naval vessels during North Koreas last provocative run in nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests.

The latest drill came weeks after President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met in a summit in Seoul vowed to upgrade defense exercises and discuss ways to for Washington to protect its ally in the face of growing North Korean threats.

In this photo provided by South Korea's Defense Ministry, U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, right, and South Korea's landing platform helicopter (LPH) ship Marado, second from left, sail during a joint military exercise in the Philippine Sea

The exercises were carried out with the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet and comes amid fears North Korea will conduct its first nuclear test explosion since 2017

The exercises kicked off last week as the South Korea Defense Ministry showed off its Air Force's F-15K fighter jets on May 24

The South Korean army also flexed its missiles as a show of strength to its hostile neighbor

The latest drill came weeks after President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met in a summit in Seoul vowed to upgrade defense exercises

The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said that the exercise was aimed at strengthening the interoperability of the two navies.

On Friday, Bidens special envoy for North Korea, Sung Kim, said Washington is 'preparing for all contingencies' in close coordination with South Korea and Japan as it monitors North Korean arrangements for a possible nuclear test that could be imminent.

Kim, who was in Seoul for a trilateral meeting with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts to discuss the nuclear standoff with North Korea, said Washington assesses that the North is pressing ahead with preparations at its nuclear testing ground in the northeastern town of Punggye-ri.

The Norths next test would be its seventh since 2006 and the first since September 2017, when it claimed to have detonated a thermonuclear bomb to fit on its intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled since 2019 over disagreements in exchanging the release of crippling U.S.-led sanctions for the Norths disarmament steps.

North Korea has already conducted missile tests 17 times this year, including its first ICBM demonstrations in nearly five years.

The military exercises went on for more than a week as American and South Korean forces recommitted their united efforts to keep North Korea in check

President Joe Biden's special envoy for North Korea, Sung Kim (pictured), said Washington is 'preparing for all contingencies' in close coordination with South Korea and Japan

Together, the countries tested their missile systems at an undisclosed sit in South Korea

South Korean soldiers were also pictured training near the border with the north

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said last month that U.S. intelligence said there's a 'genuine possibility' that North Korea could conduct a missile or nuclear test when the exercises were scheduled to happen.

'We are preparing for all contingencies, including the possibility that such a provocation would occur while we are in Korea or in Japan,' Sullivan said during a press briefing.

Meanwhile, Biden is looking to reaffirm his administration's commitment to allies and partners in the region who fear China's increased aggression against Taiwan and in the South China Sea.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was inaugurated earlier this month, has pledged that he would not ease sanctions on his northern neighbor until Kim made 'active efforts in complete and verifiable denuclearization.'

In his inaugural address earlier this month, Yoon pushed an 'audacious plan' to boost North Korea's economy in exchange for denuclearization.
An ex-KGB agent accused of poisoning Putin critic Alexander Litvinenko in London has died of Covid.

Dmitry Kovtun, 56, was alleged by Britain to have laced the former spy and British citizen's green tea with polonium in 2006.

Kovtun and associate Andrei Lugovoy had met Mr Litvinenko earlier on November 1, 2006, the day he fell ill, at Mayfair's Millennium Hotel.

Traces of radioactive substance polonium-210 were found on the aeroplane seat Kovtun took home from London to Hamburg.

Traces of radioactive polonium-210 used to kill Litvinenko were found on the aeroplane seat of Dmitry Kovtun (pictured during a Moscow Radio appearance in 2006). He denied involvement

Evidence of his involvement in the sensational murder was found in Kovtun's car and at numerous spots the pair travelled to, including offices and Emirates Stadium.

German officials also found traces of polonium-210 on a sofa in his ex-wife's flat.

After three weeks in a London hospital bed, Litvinenko died on 23 November.

He was the world's first confirmed victim of lethal polonium-210-induced acute radiation syndrome.

A longtime critic of President Putin, Mr Litvinenko accused the dictator of ordering his assassination.

Alleged assassins Andrei Lugovoy (right) and Kovtun (left) pictured together in 2007

He said from his deathbed: 'You may succeed in silencing one man but the howl of protest from around the world, Mr Putin, will reverberate in your ears for the rest of your life.'

Upon hearing of his death, Putin said: 'Mr Litvinenko is, unfortunately, not Lazarus.'

Lugovoy described Kovtun as a 'dear friend'.

He said: 'Today we have the sad news that my close and loyal friend Dmitry Kovtun passed away suddenly as a result of a serious illness linked to a coronavirus infection.

'This is an irreplaceable and difficult loss for us.

'From the bottom of my heart I express my deepest condolences to all of [wife] Dima's relatives and friends.

Mr Litvinenko at University College Hospital, three days before his death in November 2006

'Sleep well, dear friend! We will never forget you.'

Kovtun and Lugovoy, who is now an ultra-nationalist member of the Russian parliament, consistently denied any involvement in the killing.

Kovtun developed his own symptoms of radiation poisoning, Russian prosecutors said in 2007.

In September 2021, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the Russian state was responsible for Litvinenko's killing.

It ordered the Kremlin to pay 105,000 to the dead businessman's family.

Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, was quick to dismiss the findings - calling them 'unfounded' and adding: 'We are not prepared to accept such decisions'.

Lugovoy also dismissed the ruling, calling it 'absolutely politically motivated'.

Vladimir Putin (pictured on Thursday) is thought to have personally ordered the killing

Alexander's wife Marina - who married then-FSB agent Alexander in 1994 and had a son, Anatoly, with him - claimed 3million in punitive damages for his death and the loss of income.

As part of the ruling, the judges said Marina was not entitled to money spent on 'expensive lawyers' - which at one point had included Kier Starmer, before he became Labour Party leader.

Litvinenko fell out with FSB leadership in the late-1990s when he backed employer and oligarch Boris Berezovsky against claims the service ordered his killing.

Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov fiercely denied any Kremlin responsibility for the murder

The ex-spy was then dismissed, arrested, and twice appeared in court on charges of exceeding his authority - but saw both cases quashed.

Fearing for his life, Litvinenko fled to London in 2000 with Marina and was granted asylum in London.

He then moved to Boston, Lincolnshire, where he worked as a journalist, author, and a consultant for British intelligence.
A woman in her 40s has died and two children aged between 10 and 12 were rushed to hospital after the car they were travelling in crashed into a city centre river.

The two children were able to escape from the back seat of car as it sank into the River Lee in County Cork.

A major operation involving the Fire Brigade, Coast Guard, RNLI, Gardai and Cork City Missing Persons Search and Rescue.

A woman in her 40s has died after a car entered the River Lee in Cork city last night.

Two children were rescued from the water and were taken to Cork University Hospital to receive treatment for non-life threatening injuries.

The incident took place at Kennedy Quay at around 8.45pm on Friday.

The body of the woman was later removed from the water by the Irish Naval Services' dive team, and taken to Cork University Hospital.

The results of the post-mortem examination will determine the course of the Garda investigation into the incident.

The car crashed into the River Lee in Cork City pictured. where a woman died and two children escaped

The car tumbled off the edge of the quay and into the river below where the woman was unable to free herself

Cork City Missing Persons Search and Recovery were involved with several other agencies in trying to rescue the woman. They have expressed their condolences with the woman's family

Gardai are continuing to investigate the circumstances leading up to the death of a woman who died when her car entered the River Lee.

The woman, who was from Douglas, Co Cork, died after her car entered the river at Kennedy Quay in Cork city.

Specialist officers are investigating the lead up to the incident. At present, the woman's death is being a treated as a tragic accident.

The woman, who was from Douglas, Co Cork, died after her car entered the river at Kennedy Quay in Cork city.

Cork City Missing Persons Search and Recovery said they would like to offer their sincerest condolencies .

In a Facebook post earlier today, CMPSAR said: 'Volunteers were tasked late yesterday evening by Gardai to assist in a multi-agency search and recovery operation in the Kennedy Quay area where it was reported that a vehicle had entered the water.

'We immediately raced to the scene to assist the gardai, fire service and Crosshaven coast guard and we deployed our boat, our vehicles and sonar team to the scene.

'We pinpointed the exact location of the vehicle on the riverbed and the naval dive unit recovered a person from the vehicle and they also recovered the vehicle.

'We would like to pass on our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.'
A royal barge created for the Diamond Jubilee led a flotilla through Windsor on the River Thames today, as part of the third day of celebrations to mark Her Majesty's 70 years on the throne.

The rowing procession was led by Gloriana, The Queens Row Barge, which was built in 2012 and led the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant in London.

The 88ft royal row barge cost 1 million and was the first to be built for more than a century. It was painstakingly hand built over four years by 60 craftsmen.

Decorated with gold leaf and ornately carved, with 3ft golden lions, the boat harks back 200 years to when kings and queens travelled by water in opulent style.

The procession included up to 30 different types of craft, including racing boats, 10 touring quads and up to a dozen skiffs.

There was also a Bedford Whaler, an outrigger kayak and a dragon boat joining the group.

The procession passed through Windsor to hordes of crowds waving flags, as the Queen spends the day at the Castle, and is expected to watch the Epsom Derby from the television, after being unable to attend in person.

The rowing procession was led by Gloriana, The Queens Row Barge, which was built in 2012 and led the Diamond Jubilee Flotilla in London

The Gloriana was powered by a crew of sweep rowers dressed in red

The procession included up to 30 different types of craft, including racing boats, 10 touring quads and up to a dozen skiffs

The golden Gloriana took centre stage and was saluted by those in the procession

Rowers raise their oars during the celebratory procession in Windsor

The Queen's 2million royal barge Gloriana leading manpowered craft towards Westminster Bridge during Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the Thames in June 2012

It travelled downstream from Boveney Lock, through Windsor on its journey to Staines.

Representatives from rowing clubs in the area took part, along with rowers from The Windsor Boys' School.

The group saluted by raising their oars in the air before the Gloriana continued its journey towards Romney Lock.

On board the row barge was Lord Sterling, the Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire, along with other dignitaries and invited guests.

People gathered along the riverbank and on the Windsor and Eton pedestrian bridge to watch as the spectacle travelled by.

The Gloriana led row boats as they travelled downstream from Boveney Lock, through Windsor

Crowds gathered in the royal town to watch the procession from the riverbank and bridges

People watched the group as it made its way down the River Thames, through Windsor

On board the Gloriana was Lord Sterling, the Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire, along with other dignitaries and invited guests

@twbs brilliant, grand sight of the Royal barge Gloriana and a flotilla of boats including WBSBC rowing down the Thames to be greeted in Windsor as part of the Jubilee celebrations ! pic.twitter.com/aYpl6RMNa4  WBSBC (@WBSBC) June 4, 2022

Just enjoyed a front row seat for the #PlatinumJubilee flotilla along the Thames at Windsor. More great views from the #GB70E special events station #AmateurRadio pic.twitter.com/UkESIl5U6w  GB70 (@GB70_SES) June 4, 2022

At noon, ships across the UK sounded their horns for a nation-wide salute to the Queen.

The UK Chamber of Shipping organised the simultaneous salute to celebrate Her Majesty's links with the maritime world.

The Royal Family has sailed on 83 royal yachts, including HMY Britannia.

All Royal Navy, Merchant Navy and recreational boats were invited to take part, irrespective of their size, MyLondon reported.

The Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps, described Britain as a 'proud maritime nation' as he discussed the synchronised salute.

Rowers on board the Gloriana raise their oars as other crafts gather for the procession

Rowers participating in the rowing procession make a salute on the river with their hats

Donned in Union flags, two rowers are led by a coxswain guiding their route down the river

Representatives from rowing clubs in the area took part, along with rowers from The Windsor Boys' School

Union flags were seen everywhere, with bunting on canal boats and a kayak

A man paddles his kayak decorated in flags as part of the jubilee celebration

He had a special Platinum Jubilee flag flying from the kayak

Rowers on a dragon boat power down the river with tiaras on their heads

Face painted union flags, themed oars and tiaras were seen on the dragon boat

Union flag cowboy hats, balloons and bunting all made an appearance on the river

A man waves his union flag hat from a canal boat decorated for the occasion
Kyiv's ambassador to Ankara on Friday said that Turkish buyers were among those receiving grain that Russia has stolen from Ukraine, adding that he has already sought Turkey's assistance in identifying and capturing individuals responsible for stealing the shipments.

Russia and Ukraine account for nearly a third of the total global supply of wheat while the former also heavily exports fertilizer and the latter corn and sunflower oil. However, Ukrainian grain shipments from its Black Sea ports have stalled since Moscow's invasion, with some 20 million tons of grain stuck in the waters.

Stolen Ukrainian Grain

In a statement, Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar said that Russia was shipping the stolen grains out of Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, adding that Kyiv was working together with Turkey and Interpol to find the criminals responsible.

While in Ankara, Bodnar said that Russia was shamelessly stealing Ukrainian grains and getting them out of the invaded Crimea. He noted that the products were supposed to be shipped to other foreign countries, including Turkey, as per Reuters.

Bodnar said that they have already made their appeal for Turkey's assistance and upon their suggestion, are launching criminal cases regarding the parties stealing and selling the grains illegally. The Ukrainian Embassy later added that the vessels that were involved in the stolen grain shipments were the Nadezhda, Finikia, Sormivskiy, Vera, and Mikhail Nenashev ships.

Read Also: Vladimir Putin Cancer, Assassination Attempt: US Intel Sources Claim Russian President's End Is Near After Several Life Battles

The Ukrainian embassy in Beirut, on the other hand, said that this week, Russia had sent its ally Syria some 100,000 tons of stolen wheat. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has fueled a global food crisis, prompting the United Nations to pitch the plan to reopen shipping routes from Odesa and other Ukrainian ports.

According to Newsweek, on Friday, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced that Sergei Lavrov would meet his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, on June 8. The meeting will be held in Ankara and will include discussions that will focus on the situation in Ukraine as well as "prospects for stepping up bilateral cooperation."

Russia-Ukraine War

Turkey is a crucial player in the war between the two European nations and President Tayyip Erdogan has criticized Russia's invasion and has opted to supply Kyiv with unmanned Bayraktar TB2 combat drones and other weapons.

Meanwhile, Turkey has also opposed the NATO membership applications of Finland and Sweden, whose inclusion in the Western military alliance requires the backing of all members. Ukraine has also repeatedly claimed that Russia has stolen large quantities of grain rice since the start of the unprovoked war, which entered its 100th day on Friday.

Ukraine's first deputy minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, Taras Vysotskyi, this week said that Russia had stolen almost half a million tons of grain that had been illegally exported from the country. The official noted there was evidence that the grain had been taken from "all the temporarily occupied regions."

Putin's special envoy for the Middle East and Africa and deputy foreign minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, said, "We will have very important contacts and negotiations. Lavrov will go there to meet with them. There will be a military component, our colleagues from the Defense Ministry, I think all these issues will be discussed and clarified," News.am reported.



Related Article: Volodymyr Zelensky Confesses Harsh Reality of War as Russia Takes 20% of Ukraine

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The woman who confronted her former pastor during a service and accused him of sexually abusing her when she was 16 said she felt obligated to maintain a code of silence - until this year when her brother told her he'd seen the cleric in bed with her while she was half-naked as a child.

Bobi Gephart, now 43, said her brother, Edgar Wolfe, 45, had been 'haunted' by the memory of seeing 'his pastor in bed with his younger sister, T-shirt and underwear on.'

After he told his sister, Gephart revealed she had been groomed and sexually abused by Pastor John B. Lowe II of the New Life Christian Church & World Outreach aged 16.

Wolfe immediately confronted Lowe by text, calling on him to resign.

Bobi Gephart with her brother Edgar Wolfe. Together they have forced Lowe to leave the church that he built from scratch in Warsaw, Indiana

Gephart says she has felt 'overwhelming support' from people all over the world after she confronted Pastor John B. Lowe II

'I texted Lowe and I said 'you are done, you will resign, you will make a public confession and you will face criminal charges most likely'.

'He said, 'you're right, I'm done, do whatever you want. There is no defense for me'.'

'He gave lip service by not following through on Sunday,' added Wolfe, referring to Lowe's sermon at the New Life Christian Church & World Outreach in Warsaw, Indiana, on May 22, where he admitted to 'adultery' but did not confess it had been with a teen.

'When he got up there it was half the confession,' Wolfe added.

After the 'half confession' was when Gephart and her husband Nate decided to storm the stage to blow the whistle on the years of sexual abuse she allegedly suffered at the hands of the church's pastor and founder, Lowe.

Pastor John B. Lowe II and his wife Debra who admits that at 16 she left her home in Upstate New York to work as a stripper

She told the congregation the 'adultery' Lowe had previously confessed to, had actually been her rape when she was just 16, which she said occurred 27 years ago. At the time Gephart was known by her maiden name Bobi Wolfe.

The video of the incident has been viewed close to a million times on Facebook.

Gephart said that over the years a few people within her abuser's congregation knew of his horrific acts. She and her family were among those who regularly attended his services.

Due to the church being her family's place of worship, Gephart said that she felt obliged to keep the fact that she was being sexually abused by the pastor a secret.

Gephart said nobody who knew about what was going on ever helped her to get counseling. She had never even told her husband about the abuse.

In an interview with DailyMail.com earlier this week, Wolfe recalled the moment he saw his younger sister in bed with Lowe.

He said it had been early morning in the Lowes' home in Warsaw, with the pastor's former teenage stripper wife Debbie, 64, away when he walked into the master bedroom 'and I discovered him and my sister under covers'.

'He was shirtless and she was in underwear and a t-shirt,' said Wolfe, who was 16 at the time.

Pastor John Lowe was found shirtless in bed with Bobi Gephart when she was underage, her brother told DailyMail.com. Bobi was wearing a T-shirt and underwear

'I looked puzzled so he said, she just came in to say good morning and it was cold. They were in bed under a duvet and his wife was gone. And it was early.

'I was trying to think it through. In my innocence I believed what he said. And I thought we're family, he wouldn't do anything, he's our pastor and I'll trust it.

'Bobi is about 18 months younger than me so she would have been either 14 or 15 at the time. In my young mind I thought, it's a good thing nobody else saw this or they would call the cops, and they wouldn't even know that it was innocent.'

Edgar explained the Lowe and Wolfe families were firm friends through the church and looked after each other's children during frequent trips away by both couples. The pastor and his wife went on Christian missions abroad and Karen and her late husband Eddie drove a truck.

Gephart and her husband Nate told the congregation that Lowe's church in Warsaw, Indiana, was built 'on lies'

Gephart danced with her father Eddie at her wedding to Nate Gephart. Eddie died two years ago aged 70. 'I'm glad my husband isn't here to see it because if he wasn't already dead it would have killed him,' said his widow Karen

That's the reason Gephart, Edgar and their older sister Stacy, now 47, were at the Lowe home that fateful morning the pastor was caught out. Incidentally, the video of Gephart confronting Lowe was filmed by Stacy's daughter, Maisie.

Edgar, now a retired Army intelligence warrant officer, tried to mentally suppress the image for years and didn't say anything, but said he was often troubled by it.

'It upset me. So as I got older and started to question these things I realized that I probably should have called the cops. And should have done something,' he added.

While Gephart and Wolfe's mother told DailyMail.com that she only learned of her daughter's suffering at the hands of Lowe following after her son made his revelation to the family in early May.

Gephart's mother Karen Wolfe said: 'My kids worshipped this man Lowe. He was their hero. I looked after their kids, they looked after my kids. We were like family'

The pair's mother, Karen, said: 'My kids worshipped this man Lowe. He was their hero. I looked after their kids, they looked after my kids. We were like family,' she said.

'I considered him a protector of my children, not a predator of my children. But that's exactly how it went.

'For Bobi, I felt mad for her, I was devastated for her when I found out. There were so many emotions at the beginning, because I'm thinking, can this actually have happened? And I felt betrayed by Lowe.

Gephart said Lowe began to talk to some in the church after her brother's allegations, confessing to adultery but not telling the whole story.

The church formed an advisory committee, which said in a later statement it hadn't finished investigating, couldn't verify the accuracy of Lowe's version and had advised him not to make the May 22 confession.

According to Gephart's latest interview The Associated Press, she hadn't even planned to go to church that day.

Gephart and her husband knew of Lowe's intended confession. She changed her mind about going when she realized that she could not trust the man who had abused her at 16.

Upon arrival, the couple stormed the stage.

'If you love us, please let us talk,' Nate said, handing the mic to his wife.

It was 27 years, she said, not 20, that she had 'lived in a prison of lies and shame.'

The large brick church can hold more than 500 congregants. It was started by Lowe in the basement of a house in Warsaw in the 1980s and quickly flourished to its present success

A plaque announcing that John and Debbie Lowe are pastors at New Life was still on the church building a week after they had quit

'For years, I thought I was a horrible person, having suicidal thoughts, not realizing what had truly been done to me, that I was a victim,' she told him. 'I was just 16 when you took my virginity on your office floor. Do you remember that? I know you do.'

She told Lowe 'you kept me in your prison,' but 'Im a prisoner no longer.'

Gephart, now 43, told The Associated Press she wanted the church community to know the truth and had no idea the video, recorded by a family member in the congregation, would generate such a viral response. She's received 'overwhelming support,' she said.

'I didnt realize how much this is helping and will help people,' she said. People 'not just in this area but all over the world are reaching out to me. Their stories are so heartbreaking.'

Lowe resigned as pastor, the church said in a statement on May 23. The church said no one on staff had previously known about what happened, and it offered to help Gephart with 'healing in any way in which we are able.'

In the church's May 29 service, Lowe's son, associate pastor Bryan Lowe, read a statement saying the church would be restructuring and holding meetings with members.

Indiana State Police, in a statement, asked anyone with 'information as a victim or a witness' about the situation to contact investigators.

John Lowe only told his congregation that he had committed adultery, but did not say that it was with a teenage member of his own church

Gephart said she spoke with police but acknowledged prosecution of Lowe may be unlikely because of the passage of time and because Indiana law defines the age of sexual consent at 16. She said shes aware of other past abuse within the church.

She did say Lowe began 'grooming' - in which a sexual predator gains the trust of a victim through favors and other means - before she was 16. The sexual relationship continued into her early 20s. Lowe, now 65, was more than 20 years older than her.

Gephart said from the time she was young, her family's life 'revolved around the church and the Lowes.'

'We were like family with them,' she said, and when one set of parents was traveling, the other would often watch over the children.

Victim advocates say such sexual activity by clergy is beyond 'adultery,' which implies consent among equals. They say it amounts to an abuse of power by a spiritual authority. Some denominations, such as the Catholic Church, define clergy sexual abuse as involving any victim under 18.

New Life is an independent church.

Bobi and her husband then left the church stage and were comforted by other members of the congregation

After Gephart confronted Lowe at the service, Nate Gephart tossed a necklace Lowe had given Gephart onto the podium, followed by her 'covenant purity ring,' which many churches have given to youths to promote virginity before marriage.

'We are working through love and forgiveness,' Nate said. 'But people have to be held accountable, and they cant just bamboozle people and say, `Well, I just committed adultery. It was far beyond adultery. So heres the covenant purity ring back. I dont want it in my home.'

Some in the congregation voiced support for the couple and questioned Lowe, who admitted that Gephart was 16 when the sexual relationship began. Later, some circled around him in prayer.
The White House has shelved Joe Biden's trip to Saudi Arabia after he was slammed over the oil giant's human rights record - but he will stop in the Middle East in July.

The president, 79, was supposedly traveling to the country as well as Israel following a wider visit to Germany and Spain this month.

But officials revealed to NBC News that his Middle East trip will now be postponed next month without giving a reason.

The plan was never officially announced, but insiders said the itinerary had been passed around other countries and the White House was preparing for the trip.

When asked on Friday about the rumored visit, Biden admitted it was a possibility, but was 'not sure whether I'm going.'

But he was panned by human rights activists who asked why he was entertaining a country ruled by a crown prince accused of brutality.

Biden's rumored trip to Saudi Arabia has been postponed until July after the president received backlash for considering a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has called out for reportedly violating human rights

Salman (pictured in October) reported ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He has denied any involvement. Activists are angered that Biden - who said he'd treat the country like a 'pariah' - is considering 'shake hands' with a man who 'arrested our loved ones and tortured them, banned many of our family members from travel in order to blackmail us, and harass us here in the US'

Biden said: 'I have been engaged in trying to work with how we can bring more stability and peace to the Middle East.

'And there is a possibility that I would be going to meet with both the Israelis and some Arab countries at the time, including, I expect, would be Saudi Arabia, would be included in that if I did go,' Biden said on Friday.

'But I have no direct plans at the moment. We're looking at it.'

An official told NBC: 'We are working on a trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia for a GCC+3 Summit. We are working to confirm dates. When we have something to announce, we will.'

Biden received immense backlash from Saudi dissidents, who called the trip a 'betrayal' if the president 'shakes hands' with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has called out for reportedly violating human rights.

'[Salman] killed our friend [journalist Jamal Khashoggi], arrested our loved ones and tortured them, banned many of our family members from travel in order to blackmail us, and harass us here in the US?!,' activisit Abdullah Alaoudh wrote on Twitter.

Biden has received immense backlash, where activists and family of victims of Saudi's human rights abuses are calling the president's trip a 'betrayal' if Biden only goes for order and doesn't mention the crown prince's allegedly human rights abuses, which he has denied

He received disapproval from a group of relatives who had family killed in 9/11 who told him he needed to bring up more than an oil deal.

They said if he were to travel to the country he would need to bring up 'accountability' issues between reported ties between 9/11 hijackers and Saudi.

Salman has received immense scrutiny after allegedly ordering Khashoggi's killing in 2018. The leader has, however, denied any involvement in the journalist's death.

Biden had previously claimed he would treat Salman as a 'pariah,' but since his administration has face heat to lower the rising cost of fuel - which has reached $10 in some parts of California - he seems to be reconsidering it.

When asked if he would still treat Salman as a 'pariah,' Biden told reporters: 'Look, I'm not gonna change my view on human rights, but as president of the United States, my job is to bring peace if I can.'

However, after Saudi Arabia has rebuked the US' request to increase oil production to offset the reparations on Russian oil, which may be causing him to try new outreach attempts, the Washington Post reported.

This week, the country did start taking steps to increase oil production.

On Thursday, The White House thanked Saudi and OPEC for its bigger-than-expected oil release.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries decided to increase its output by more than 200,000 barrels a day, the WSJ reported.

At Thursday's meeting between OPEC and 10 non-OPEC producers, the group known as OPEC+ agreed to raise output by 648,000 barrels a day in July and in August. Previously the output was around 400,000 barrels a day.

Khashoggi was murdered in 2018 and was said to be killed after Salman ordered it. Activists are calling for Biden to demand accountability from the crown prince over his death

'The United States welcomes the important decision from OPEC+ today to increase supply by more than 200,000 barrels per day in July and August based on new market conditions,' said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in a statement.

'This announcement accelerates the end of the current quota arrangement that has been in place since July of last year and brings forward the monthly production increase that was previously planned to take place in September.'

'We recognize the role of Saudi Arabia as the chair of OPEC+ and its largest producer in achieving this consensus amongst the group members. We also recognize efforts and positive contributions of UAE, Kuwait, and Iraq. The United States will continue to use all tools at our disposal to address energy prices pressures,' she said.

The US has been plagued with high gas prices after continuously hitting record highs. For the first time in history, all 50 states are above $4 a gallon.

Overnight Friday, gas prices hit a national average of $4.76, according to AAA - a 20 cent increase in a week.

Along the US West Coast, the pain at the pump is even worse, with Californians now seeing an also previously unseen average of $6.24 cents. The state saw gas costs surpass the $6 mark for the first time in history over the weekend.

The nation's current average gasoline price, $4.76-a-gallon, stands as nearly double the $2.41 average seen during former president Trump's last month in office. The uptick has seen the price of gas since top $4-a-gallon in each of the 50 states - a marker never before reached

Gas prices have climbed since Biden was elected in November 2020, before skyrocketing earlier this year after the invasion of Ukraine

Those filling up in states like California and have been particularly affected by the rising costs, with the state's national average having surged by more than $2 in the span of a year

The South is fairing the best, with averages at the lowest between $4.25 and $4.49. The Midwest is hanging on the higher end, while the Great Plains are in the middle.

In addition, the Middle Eastern giant has also been a close economy and military ally to the US, and Biden's administration has reported found it difficult to it, NBC reported. With tensions over the Iran Nuclear Deal and Israel-Palestinian tensions has kept Saudi close to the president's team.

But critics are saying it's more than just about gas prices, but will send a message that the crown prince is unstoppable as long as fuel costs go down.

'Regardless of who's in the White House, no one will care about your vices if you can lower gas prices,' Khalid Aljabri, whose father was a top intelligence officer, told the Washington Post. Aljabri has also accused the crown prince of targeting him for assassination and took his children hostage, he told the Post.

He also said it lets the prince 'get away with a lot of things,' even if Democratic administrations, who have been much more critical of Saudi than that of the former Republican White House.

'But look at them now. They're coming back,' he told the Post. 'The moment [Mohammed bin Salman] feels like he has unconditioned backing from the US, he goes rogue.'
Prince Philips beloved cab, which he used to travel incognito around London took centre stage at a classic car rally on Windsor's Long Walk as part of the Queen's platinum jubilee celebrations.

The green, gas powered Metrocab was parked just outside the gates of Windsor Castle as thousands braved the unpredictable weather to join in the four days of festivities.

They admired Prince Philip's immaculately maintained cab and dozens of other vehicles that represented the 70 year span the Queen has been on the throne.

Philip took delivery of the Metrocab in 1999 and used the vehicle for engagements in London, allowing him to travel around the city unnoticed.

Prince Philip's car took pride of place on the long walk classic car show in Windsor today, as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations

Prince Philip enjoyed the fact that the taxi was able to skip traffic by using the bus lanes

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip would regularly use the green taxi (pictured leaving the Victoria Palace Theatre after watching a performance of Billy Elliot in 2006)

The 2.5-litre Metrocab was used by the royal family to travel around London from 1999 onwards

The Balmoral green vehicle still bears the same registration plate as when Prince Philip used it, OXT 3. It is owned by the Sandringham Estate.

Prince Philip regularly rode his cab for more than 20 years and particularly enjoyed the fact that it allowed him to avoid London traffic as it could use bus lanes.

After a wet start, the sun broke through as thousands from all over the country thronged the Long Walk.

Musicians performed on a stage and giant screens have also been erected so that revellers can watch tonight's open air concert.

The Duke Of Edinburgh arriving at a banquet in his taxi at Guildhall, London,

An amazing collection of English classic cars were on show alongside the Metrocab outside Windsor Castle

Sam Sahota, a car enthusiast from West London said: 'The whole family is here and we're having a brilliant day, even though the weather's not been great.

'It's amazing to see Prince Philip's cab. I didn't know it was his until somebody told me but this is a very unusual piece of Royal history.'

The Duke of Edinburgh owned many other vehicles throughout his lifetime, but none were as unnoticeable as the Metrocab.

He was often snapped driving around in his Land Rover, he even once gave former US President Barrack Obama and his wife Michelle a lift to Windsor Castle.
The UK is in a patriotic mood as the country celebrates the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and it seems even the weather has decided to back Britain.

As bunting fluttered from every nook and cranny and Brits enjoyed Jubilee street parties, a cloud the shape of Britain formed over one the most iconic pieces of architecture in the country.

Photographer Robert Browne captured the remarkable moment a cloud formed the perfect outline of the Great Britain over Bristol's Clifton Suspension Bridge.

He said: 'I thought it looks a bit like Great Britain. It's a very strange coincidence.

Even the weather has stepped up a notch and got in a patriotic mood for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee

The cloud was shaped like Great Britain and floated majestically above the River Avon and Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol

The beautiful sight was captured this afternoon, just hours before Prince Charles and Prince William will take centre stage in front of a crowd of 22,000 to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II during a star-studded Jubilee concert in London

'It's almost like all the stars have come into an alignment just before the Jubilee. It's an odd and strange coincident.'

The bridge was built over the River Avon by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1864 and was the setting for the weather's graceful entrance into this weekend's glorious celebrations.

The cloud shone gold in the afternoon sun, watching over England's pleasant pastures as the Queen celebrates 70 years on the throne.

Luka Grajdek baked a Victoria Sponge cake specially for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee weekend, and while taking a snap of his latest bake, a cloud in the shape of Great Britain appears in the background

And yet another patriotic sky has been spotted in the UK today - Claire Wells noticed a Union Jack-like collection of clouds while in her back garden in Weybridge, Surrey, which are assumed to be left from streaks by planes

The majestic cloud is unlikely to upstage the 96-year-old monarch, who became Queen in 1952 at the age of 25 after the death of her father George VI.

On the first day of celebrations for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, Luka Grajdek decided to take a snap of his specially baked Victoria Sponge cake in his garden as the sun was shining - only to realise the clouds behind it were in the shape of Great Britain.

And yet another patriotic sky has been spotted in the UK today - Claire Wells noticed a Union Jack-like collection of clouds while in her back garden in Weybridge, Surrey, which are assumed to be left from streaks by planes.

Bunting at the ready: Neighbours in Sidmouth, Devon, enjoy cakes, sandwiches and desserts on day three of celebrations

Local residents in Blackpool get in the Jubilee spirit by holding a street party to commemorate the Queens Platinum Jubilee. Pictured: Rory Roberts, age 4, Maggie-Mae White, aged 3, and Darcy Roberts, who is seven, dressed for the occasion

Britons across the country are getting ready to celebrate day three of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee today ahead of the Party at the Palace this evening. Pictured: The community in Sidmouth, Devon, gather for a party on day three of celebrations

Pictured: Residents pin down the Union Jack tablecloths. Residents battle strong winds to set up their delayed street party on Brunswick Terrace on the seafront in Weymouth, Dorset, as the weather turns on the third day of celebrations

Drinkers enjoying the Otley Run in Leeds donned Union Jack-inspired outfits as they enjoyed the extended bank holiday

Bunting at the ready: Drinkers in Leeds took their own bunting with them as they enjoyed the extended bank holiday today

Cheers: Fancy dress in Leeds on Saturday had a distinct royal flavour on Saturday as people marked the Platinum jubilee

On Saturday evening Prince Charles and Prince William will take centre stage in front of a crowd of 22,000 to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II during a star-studded Jubilee concert in London this evening.

The father and son - both future kings - will speak separately in honour of the monarch towards the end of the BBC's open-air Party at the Palace show, staged in the front of Buckingham Palace on Saturday evening.

Clarence House and Kensington Palace announced both Charles and William would address the crowds at the high profile event, which falls on the third evening of the four-day Jubilee festivities.

Despite the event not starting until 8pm, royal fans began arriving at The Mall from 8am to get the best spot.

Many revellers have come very well prepared for a long wait, bringing all of their camping gear to The Mall

Queen Guitarist Brian May will perform this evening for the fans that have gathered along The Mall, in 2002 he played his guitar on top of Buckingham Palace

Members of the public have been enjoying themselves while they wait for the concert on The Mall

Sam and Lee from Cambridgeshire were feeling very patriotic wearing their Queen Elizabeth masks on The Mall
Johnny Depp's victory tour of the UK continues as he has been pictured leaving a hotel in Manchester with musician and friend Jeff Beck.

The actor, 58, has been in the UK to join Beck, 77, on his tour and previously made an appearance during his friend's gig at the Sage Gateshead in the north of England on Thursday and was in Glasgow last night.

Depp was pictured leaving a hotel in Manchester ahead of a performance at the O2 Apollo this evening.

He stopped to sign autographs and pose for photos with gushing fans who were keen to show their support for the Pirates of the Caribbean actor.

In Scotland last night, fans treated him like a long lost Beatle as he sang and played rhythm guitar while mumbling his way through a number of hits including Marvin Gaye's What's Going On and The Beatles hit Paperback Writer.

But Depp's set at the Royal Concert Hall was repeatedly interrupted with fans eager to voice their support.

Johnny Depp seen leaving a Manchester Hotel signing autographs and posing for selfies

Pictured: Johnny Depp is seen shaking hands with a fan outside a hotel in Manchester today

Johnny Depp was pictured hugging and talking to fans outside a hotel in Manchester today

They chanted, 'Johnny, Johnny', 'Innocent, Innocent' and 'Johnny Depp, Johnny Depp' with some Beck fans pleading with them to 'shut up'.

It came after Depp sued his ex-wife Heard, 36, for $50million over a 2018 piece she had written that alleged she was a victim of domestic abuse.

Depp won the trial by jury in Virginia in the US this week, meaning he is set to receive millions in compensation from Heard.

His victory has been well-received by his fans, and despite Beck being billed as the main attraction during his UK tour, the audience have come alive whenever Depp has taken to the stage.

Beck's live appearance, which followed UK dates including shows in London and Sheffield, coincides with the news that he is planning to release a new album next month.

In Glasgow, Beck, who has collaborated with Depp on the new material, said: 'When I first asked Johnny to do the blues with me he told me to f**k off. Everything is the blues. We have a new album coming out hopefully in July.'

Pictured: Johnny Depp says hello to a fan's canine companion outside a Manchester hotel

Depp was awarded $15million by a jury in his defamation suit against ex wife Amber Heard

Though there is no official release date or title for the album, Beck has admitted to the fact that he sees Depp as a friend as well as a touring buddy.

He said: 'I'm going to take this opportunity to tell you that I met this guy five years ago and we haven't stopped laughing since. We actually made an album.

'I don't know how it happened. It will be out in July.'

In addition to the album, Depp has an upcoming role as King Louis XV in his first feature film in almost three years.

Jeanne du Barry tells the story of Jeanne Becu who was born as the illegitimate daughter of an impoverished seamstress in 1743 and went on to rise through the Court of Louis XV to become his last official mistress.

Depp has previously played with supergroup Hollywood Vampires alongside Alice Cooper and Joe Perry.

The actor, 58, has been in the UK to join Beck, 77, on his tour and made an appearance during his friend's gig at Sage Gateshead in the north of England on Thursday night

In a statement following his defamation lawsuit against Heard, he hailed the start of a 'new chapter'.

Depp learned he will walk away with millions of dollars after he won his US defamation case against his ex-wife Amber Heard on Wednesday.

The actor seemed in good spirits as he came out to greet well-wishers after the concert in Gateshead the following day, signing autographs and posing for photos with a crowd of roughly 200 people who had waited by the stage door to see him leave.

After fans congratulated him on winning the suit the Pirates of the Caribbean star laughed and said: 'Thank you, I'm still in shock a little.'

Depp also joked about the finger he claims Amber Heard severed during a fight they had in Australia, an ordeal he spoke about in court.

As he signed autographs he smiled, leant down, pointed at a little boy's fingers and said: 'You have five, I have four and seven eighths. Mad.'

During the trial he said: 'She [Amber Heard] had thrown a bottle of vodka and cut my finger off. The tip of my finger. A good chunk.'

'I miss it,' he added, with a brief smile.

Depp is due to join him for the rest of the tour  to Birmingham, Manchester and York  concluding on Tuesday.

Tickets for the shows are suddenly in short supply and crowds of hundreds of fans have consistently been gathering outside the hotels where the actor has been staying ever since he was first spotted in Sheffield last week.

There were around 250 fans outside the Hilton in Gateshead on Thursday night hoping for a glimpse of Depp and he spent the hours waiting for the verdict at a pub in nearby Newcastle, drinking Guinness and eating fish, chips and mushy peas  to the astonished delight of punters and staff.

He went back to the Hilton to watch the court proceedings on Zoom as the verdict came in on June 1.

Sources close to the star say he is 'still regrouping' after the stunning verdict, which requires his ex-wife to pay him about 8 million, which she does not have.

'This is a huge moment for Johnny and he is still trying to take it all in,' says a friend.

'Aquaman' actor Amber Heard will appeal the jury's decision that she defamed ex-husband Depp when she claimed she was a survivor of sexual violence, her attorney said on Thursday.
Dozens of corgis, Queen Elizabeth's favourite breed, posed on the front lawn at Balmoral to mark the Platinum Jubilee.

More than 70 dogs were photographed at an event organised by the the Corgi Society of Scotland to celebrate the Queen's 70-year-reign.

The castle in Aberdeenshire is the 19th Century holiday home where the Queen and members of the Royal Family spend their traditional holidays between August and September each year.

In her lifetime the Queen has owned more than 30 corgis, her first Corgi she received was a gift on her 18th birthday in 1944.

To mark Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, over 70 Corgis and their owners congregated on the front lawn at Balmoral during an event with the Corgi Society of Scotland

Joy Stephen, 6 months, with her corgi Marvin relaxed on the front lawn at Balmoral today

Graham and Zoe Walker with their corgi Arnie snapped a selfie with their pet at the event in Scotland

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is now one of the UK's favourite breeds despite being listed as 'vulnerable' in 2014. The trend in its popularity appears to follow milestones in the Queen's (pictured last year) life, as she took to duties with her Corgis in tow

Princess Elizabeth, now Queen Elizabeth II, with two corgi dogs at her home at 145 Piccadilly, London, July 1936

Corgis and their owners on the front lawn at Balmoral during an event with the Corgi Society

Corgis have conic part of British history since being introduced into the royal family during King George VI's reign.

King George VI brought home the family's first corgi in 1933, the little pup was officially named Rozavel Golden Eagle.

After the Queen got her first Pembroke Welsh Corgi in 1944 while she was still a princess, the number of them in the country rose steadily.

Corgi registrations peaked at nearly 9,000 puppies in 1960, seven years after the Queen's coronation.

In 2009 the Pembroke Welsh Corgi was first added to the Kennel Club's 'At Watch' list of British breeds when annual registrations numbered between 300 and 450.

But by 2021, there were 1,223 Pembroke Welsh Corgis registered - the highest number recorded for the breed in almost 30 years, coinciding with the start of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations for the Queen.

Corgi owners of all ages enjoyed a walk in the royal estate with their owners before posing for photos in the grounds

The Queen currently owns two corgis and a dorgi - a cross between a Dachshund and a Corgi

Gysele Van Driel with her corgi Dazzle who enjoyed the sunny weather in front of Balmoral Castle

The event brought together dozens of Cardigan Welsh and Pembroke Welsh corgis

Hilary Greensill, a member of the Cardigan Welsh Corgi Association, said there was a 'fantastic' atmosphere at the event on Saturday afternoon.

She said: 'We have been to Balmoral before and with it being the Platinum Jubilee year, the estate approached us and suggested we might like to come back in the summer time.

'It is a really nice opportunity to showcase the breeds and how much fun they are and help celebrate the Platinum Jubilee with dogs the Queen is fond of.'

She added: 'It has been fantastic, very very jolly and noisy, lots of barking, and lots of fun.

'We have had the most glorious day and the sun has been shining down and that has made everyone really happy.'


A man is in a 'critical condition' after jumping from a bridge into the River Thames when he was Tasered three times by police officers.

The man was involved in a confrontation with officers from the Met Police on Chelsea Bridge this morning and the incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Shocking video shows the man, who appears to be holding an object in his right hand, shouting at two police officers.

One of the officers fires a Taser and the man falls to the floor, but proceeds to try and get up, at which point he is shocked a second time.

He continues to try and get up and is shocked a third time, while officers shout at him to stay on the floor.

The man then leaps over one of the barriers towards the edge of the bridge, pursued by a police officer, before vaulting over the railings and into the River Thames below.

After falling from the bridge a rescue operation was launched and he taken out of the water by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

WARNING - DISTRESSING CONTENT BELOW

The man was seen shouting at two police officers in Chelsea Bridge Road shortly after 9am today

He was then Tasered and went down the ground, with officers shouting at him to stay on the floor

After being Tasered three times, the man then gets up and jumps over the safety barrier and railings into the River Thames below

The Met Police says it has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to investigate the circumstances leading up to the use of the Taser.

In a statement the force said officers were called to Chelsea Bridge Road, in west London, at 9.03am this morning after receiving reports that a man was armed with a screwdriver and shouting.

The Met said officers arrived at the scene and challenged a man on Chelsea Bridge before the Taser was discharged.

However, the force said this 'did not enable the officers to safely detain him' and the man, thought to be in his 40s, 'subsequently entered the river'.

Police were called to the scene in Chelsea Bridge Road, west London, at 9.03am today after receiving reports that a man was armed with a screwdriver and shouting

The man has been taken to hospital where his condition is described as critical.

Detectives are in the process of contacting the man's family, the Met added. They will be supported by specialist officers.

The Met's own professional standards department will investigation in addition to the IOPC probe.

Detective Chief Inspector Rory Wilkinson said: 'My thoughts are with this man, who is extremely unwell in hospital. Officers are making every effort to make contact with his family.

'I understand that there are always concerns about incidents in which people come to harm having been in contact with police.

'All Met officers know that they are accountable for their actions, and a full investigation is under way to establish exactly what happened.'
Six women have been arrested after animal rights protesters burst through the barriers and stormed the track at today's Epsom Derby.

Members of Animal Rebellion broke onto the racetrack shortly before 4.30pm and minutes before one of the biggest horse races of the year was due to start.

Police officers could be seen dragging the women off the grass and back towards the spectators in front of the crowd.

The women, who appeared to be wearing banners with the word 'justice' written on, fell to the floor as officers approached.

Dozens of officers could be seen working to move them, as members of the royal box watched on.

The crowds cheered as they were taken away, with a voice on a Tannoy apologising to spectators.

Animal Rebellion, a subsection of the Extinction Rebellion movement, has claimed responsibility for the protest and said six women had made their way onto the track.

It is the second time in the space of three days that members of the group have protested at events during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

On Thursday a number of people were arrested after they charged onto the Mall during the Trooping the Colour parade in a similar protest.

The women burst onto the track shortly before one of the biggest horse races of the year was due to start

Police have confirmed six women were arrested after the protest, with officers dragging them off the track

The protesters belong to Animal Rebellion and appeared to be wearing banners with the word 'justice' written on them

The women fell to the ground when police arrived to get them off the track, so they had to be dragged off

Police officers pull protestors off the track at the racecourse. The protesters were booed by the crowd

Dozens of officers could be seen working to move them, as members of the royal box watched

This latest protest mirrors the now-famous protest of suffragette Emily Davison, who ran in front of the King's horse at the Epsom Derby on this day in 1913.

In a statement Animal Rebellion it said it was demanding an end to horse racing, all forms of animal exploitation and called for a transition to a 'plant-based food system'.

It said: 'Protestors from Animal Rebellion stormed the Epsom Derby to disrupt the race and urge for an end to animal abuse and, instead, a transition to a fair and compassionate plant-based future.

Animal Rebellion, which is a subsection of Extinction Rebellion, claimed responsibility for the protest

Dozens of officers ran onto the track to bring the women off before the race got underway today

In a statement Animal Rebellion called for an end to all horse racing and for a move towards a 'plant-based food system'

The protesters were carried away by officers and arrested on suspicion of aggravated tresspass

'This comes just two days after the group disrupted the Platinum Jubilee in an effort for Royal land to move to plant-based production and rewilding.

'Todays disruption is a definitive statement, and act, against the cruelty and harm the horse-racing industry represents.

'Riding horses damages their skeleton, spinal nerves and skin.

'Whilst horses used in races commonly suffer from heart failure, bleeding lungs and gastric ulcers.

'Most people recognise the cruelty of bullfighting in Spain and, therefore, should also stand against other forms of animal exploitation.'

Orla Coghlan, one of those who ran out onto the race track, said: 'Horse racing took the lives of 220 animals on racecourses in the UK last year, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

'In this country over a billion land animals are killed for food each year. Exploitation of, and violence against, animals is fuelling the climate emergency and suffering across the globe.

'It is obvious we must choose life over death and stop animal exploitation.'

A spokesperson for Surrey Police said six women were arrested after entering the track shortly before 4.30pm.

'Officers policing The Derby at Epsom Downs responded to a protest which took place on the home straight at around 16:25 today, June 4,' she said.

'Six women were immediately detained by officers and arrested for aggravated trespass, and the race continued as scheduled.'

When the race got underway it was won by Desert Crown, which was being ridden by Richard Kingscote.

Desert Crown (pictured in the foreground) won the race when it got underway after the protest

Jockey Richard Kingscote with the trophy after winning the race with horse Desert Crown today

It is the second event during the Platinum Jubilee that has been targeted by the extremist animal rights activists.

On Thursday several vegan activists ran onto the Mall during the Trooping the Colour parade, forcing some soldiers to have to move around them as they lay on the floor.

The protesters were dragged off the road by police officers and were carried away as members of the crowd applauded the police and booed the activists.

Minutes later Animal Rebellion proudly tweeted: 'Animal Rebels disrupt the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations demanding that Royal Land is Reclaimed.

'This summer, we're taking bigger action against the Dairy industry than ever before, and we need you.'

They posted on Instagram the moment they vaulted over the fences into the road.

Five people were seen here at the side of the Mall being arrested, it is not clear if they got onto the strip itself to protest. At least one (far left) was dragged through horse manure

There were a total of around 25 people who had been intending to sit down in the middle of the Mall to disrupt the route

A furious Royal fan berates one Animal Rebellion protester as they are carried away by arresting officers

Incredibly two of the protesters - who were from Animal Rebellion - were able to sit in the middle of the Mall for seconds

The protesters say they mounted the action over the Crown's alleged inaction on the climate emergency and their continued support for meat, fishing, and dairy, a leading contributor to climate breakdown

Beau King Houston, amongst those taking action, said 'The Royal family has had decades to lead the way on a just transition to plant-based farming and has failed to do so.

'This transition is common sense and simple, we all win. 76% of currently farmed land could be rewilded and absorb carbon from the atmosphere.

'This would restore nature, spare billions of animals, and present a solution to the climate emergency, all in one act.'

The activists have accused the Crown - one of the largest land owners in the country - continuing to support the meat, fishing, and dairy industry.

Protesters say these sectors and industries are leading contributors to the climate crisis.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said on Thursday: 'A number of arrests have been made of people who attempted to enter the ceremonial route in The Mall at approximately 10.10am today.

'The arrests were public order related for highway obstruction.'
Mitch McConnell and Gretchen Whitmer have been found on a 'hit list' inside the car of a gunman who shot dead a retired judge in Wisconsin.

The Senate Minority Leader, Michigan Governor as well as Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers were on the note left by the 56-year-old shooter who blasted 68-year-old John Roemer to death.

Cops made the startling discovery after they were called to the lawmaker's home yesterday around 6.30pm following reports of gunfire.

Officers stormed the house around 10.15am where they found the militia member in a critical condition after shooting himself and Roemer zip-tied to a chair and dead.

Mitch McConnell and Gretchen Whitmer were reportedly on a shooter's hit list, that was found inside his car at the scene of the shooting. The shooter killed a former Juneau County judge in his home on Friday morning

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers was also reportedly on the hit list

Former Juneau County Judge John Roemer, 68, was found zip-tied and shot dead in his home

'This does appear to be a targeted act,' Attorney General Josh Kaul said. The AG also said the politicians have been notified of the hit list.

'Those who may have been other targets have been notified of that, but we are not aware of any active threat to individuals,' he said at a press conference.

'At this point, we are not aware of any evidence indicating that there is any active danger to other individuals.

'If we become aware of any specific ongoing threat, we will certainly notify people when we are aware of that.'

Roemer is seen in court, before his 2017 retirement. On Friday he was murdered by a 56-year-old man

The case is being handled as a homicide and a domestic terrorist case and authorities are looking into court records.

Law enforcement believes the shooter's outrage has to deal with a court case. Donna Voss, who lives next door, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel she was shocked.

'One of my neighbors called and said what's going on, what's going on. It was really surprising something like this would happen around here. I still can't comprehend it.'

A SWAT team was seen at the judge's house. Authorities arrived on scene around 6.30am and were unable to breach the home until 10.15am as the shooter was inside the home

A large police presence and a SWAT team were on scene on Friday. When they got inside, they found the shooter in the basement with a reported self-inflicted gunshot wound. The shooter was taken to a medical facility in critical condition

Attorney General Josh Kaul said on Friday that a 68-year-old man had died and a second person was found inside the home with an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. The second person remains in hospital, in a critical condition

She said she heard police telling the person inside: 'Come out with your hands up.' Voss added of Roemer: 'He was such a nice guy. Church goer. It's terrible.'

Jackie, a former teacher who lives nearby, said she knew Roemer through two of his children, who were students of hers.

'He walks his dogs all the time,' she said. 'He's friendly, a nice enough guy.'

Roemer served as a Juneau County judge from 2004 until 2017. He had previously spent 12 years as assistant district attorney, and had worked as an assistant state public defender in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
Al-Qaeda is enjoying a safe haven in Afghanistan under the Taliban, a UN report has warned.

The experts said in the intelligence report to the U.N. Security Council that the country could become a base for international terrorist attacks once again, The Guardian reported.

However, they added neither IS nor al-Qaeda 'is believed to be capable of mounting international attacks before 2023 at the earliest, regardless of their intent or of whether the Taliban acts to restrain them.'

Nonetheless, it said the presence of IS, al-Qaeda, and 'many other terrorist groups and fighters on Afghan soil' is raising concerns in neighboring countries and the wider international community.

Since their takeover of Afghanistan last August as U.S. and NATO forces were in the final stages of their chaotic withdrawal from the country after 20 years, the Taliban 'have favored loyalty and seniority over competence, and their decision-making has been opaque and inconsistent.'

Al-Qaeda is enjoying a safe haven in Afghanistan under the Taliban, a UN report has warned. Pictured: A Taliban special forces soldier stands guard in Kabul in April

In the report obtained Thursday, the panel monitoring sanctions against the Taliban said its leaders have appointed 41 men on the U.N. sanctions blacklist to the Cabinet and senior positions.

They have also favored the country's dominant Pashtun ethnic group, alienating minority communities including ethnic Tajiks and Uzbeks.

The Taliban's primary concern has been to consolidate control 'while seeking international recognition, to re-engage with the international financial system and to receive aid in order to deal with the growing economic and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan,' the experts said.

'Since taking power, however, there have been many factors creating internal tensions within the movement, leading to perceptions that the Taliban's governance has been chaotic, disjointed and prone to reversing policies and going back on promises.'

The experts said in the report to the U.N. Security Council that the country could become a base for international terrorist attacks once again (Taliban patrol in Kabul)

As the Taliban struggle to transition from an insurgency to a governing body, they have been divided between pragmatists and hardliners who have gained the upper hand and want to turn the clock back to the group's harsh rule from 1996 until December 2001, when they were ousted from power by U.S. forces following the 9/11 attacks on the United States.

To date, their efforts to win recognition and aid from Western nations have floundered, largely because they have not formed a more representative government, and have restricted the rights of girls to education beyond elementary school, and of women to work and travel without a male relative's oversight.

'The central dilemma is how a movement with an inflexible ideology can engage with a society that has evolved during the past 20 years,' the experts said. 'Further stresses revolve around power, resources, and regional and ethnic divisions.'

Despite these serious issues, the panel said the Taliban 'appear confident in their ability to control the country and "wait out" the international community to obtain eventual recognition of their government.'

However, they added neither IS nor al-Qaeda 'is believed to be capable of mounting international attacks before 2023 at the earliest, regardless of their intent or of whether the Taliban acts to restrain them'

'They assess that, even if they make no significant concessions, the international community will ultimately recognize them as the government of Afghanistan, especially in the absence of a government in exile or significant internal resistance.'

So far, not a single country has officially recognized the Taliban, and there is growing international anger at its treatment of girls and women and its failure to keep its promise of forming an inclusive government.

There are also concerns about the Taliban's inability to keep its promise not to allow terrorist groups to operate in Afghanistan.

The panel said the Haqqani Network, a militant Islamist group with close ties to the Taliban, moved quickly after their takeover to gain control of key portfolios and ministries including interior, intelligence, passports and migration.

Taliban stand guard at the newly built small-size replica of the 'Dome of the Rock' shrine, in Kabul

It now 'largely controls security in Afghanistan, including the security of the capital, Kabul.'

'The Haqqani Network is still regarded as having the closest links to al-Qaeda,' and the relationship between the Taliban and al-Qaeda also remains close.

The experts pointed to the reported presence of al-Qaeda's 'core leadership' in eastern Afghanistan including its leader Ayman al-Zawahri.

To counter the Islamic State, the report quoted an unidentified country as saying the Taliban have created three battalions of special forces called 'red units'.

Taliban eradicate a poppy field in Washir, district of Helmand province, Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers have begun a campaign to eradicate poppy cultivation, aiming to wipe out the country's massive production of opium and heroin

The emergence of the National Resistance Front and Afghanistan Freedom Front comprising former Afghan security personnel 'has led the Taliban to adopt aggressive measures against populations suspected of supporting anti-Taliban operations.'

In April, it said National Resistance Front forces stepped up operations in Badakhshan, Baghlan, Jowzjan, Kunduz, Panjshir, Takhar and Samangan provinces.

The Afghan Freedom Front, which only emerged recently, 'has also claimed several attacks on Taliban bases in Badakhshan, Kandahar, Parwan and Samangan.'

'Taliban forces may be hard pressed to counter several insurgencies simultaneously.'
The long-awaited family reunion is said to have happened when the Sussexes returned to the UK for the Platinum Jubilee weekend. The touching meeting took place at Windsor Castle 48 hours after Harry and Meghan returned to the UK by private plane on Wednesday.

Despite this, no formal confirmation has been received. Archie, the couple's other child, has not seen the Queen since he was only a few months old in 2019. Lilibet's first birthday is tomorrow, and it comes on the same day as the Queen's visit to the Epsom Derby.

Queen Elizabeth To Prioritize Attending to Lilibet's Birthday

However, due to persistent mobility concerns, the Queen opted out of attending the famed horse races and was replaced by Princess Anne. She is expected to make time to see her grandson Prince Harry and his children once more, according to the Daily Mail.

At the time, there was some debate about Lilibet's name, with reports that the Sussexes had not sought permission to use it before doing so. This comes after months of speculation regarding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's involvement in the Platinum Jubilee weekend.

According to reports prior to the four-day weekend, they planned to keep a low profile throughout the celebration and had their Netflix cameras turned off. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were seen holding hands and joining the Royal Family for a thanksgiving ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral with other royals, as per Mirror.

Read Also: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Get "Cast Iron Assurances" of Protection as They Arrive in UK with Archie and Lilibet To Attend Platinum Jubilee

Lilibet Is Expected To Be Christened in the UK

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's baby Lilibet is expected to be baptized tomorrow, according to former BBC royal correspondent Michael Cole. Lilibet, who will be one year old tomorrow, is now staying in the United Kingdom with her three-year-old brother Archie.

In place of the Epsom Derby, the Queen may attend the christening ceremony tomorrow. Meghan Markle's close friend Omid Scobie claimed earlier today that the birthday celebration will be private, with no photos will be released to the media, Express reported.

While other royals traveled from St. Paul's to a banquet held by the Lord Mayor of London at Guildhall in London, the Queen remained at Windsor, with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle not expected to attend.

According to experts, Lilibet might be the key to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle returning the Firm. In his recent column for the Daily Mail, royal commentator Richard Kay makes this assertion. After arriving in the United Kingdom, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to reunite with the senior royals on Friday for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex came to the United Kingdom this week to honor the queen, and were spotted at the Trooping the Colour parade with other royal family members. They were not allowed on the balcony, which was reserved for working senior royal members.

Although they were not on the balcony, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were seen on camera shushing a few younger royals in a viral moment. "It must have been painful for Harry and Meghan, as well as their children Archie and Lili, to be excluded from the Buckingham Palace balcony," a royal analyst told Fox News.

Related Article: [Report] Queen Elizabeth II Cancels Engagement with Prince Andrew To Meet Prince Harry, Meghan Markle's Daughter Lilibet

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Iran has reported the death of another colonel of the elite Quds force of its Revolutionary Guards, the second in two weeks from the unit which oversees Iran's military operations abroad.

Colonel Ali Esmailzadeh died during an 'incident in his residence' days ago in the city of Karaj, some 19 miles northwest of the capital of Tehran, reported the official IRNA news agency, citing an informed source.

It did not elaborate on the circumstances surrounding Esmailzadeh's death, but denied reports that the colonel was assassinated.

The denial comes as other news channels close to the Guard said Esmailzadeh fell from his rooftop or balcony.

Esmailzadeh's death came just weeks after two unidentified gunmen on a motorbike shot Colonel Hassan Sayyad Khodaei, 50, five times in a car in front of his residence in Tehran on May 22.

Colonel Ali Esmailzadeh died during an 'incident in his residence' days ago in the city of Karaj, some 19 miles northwest of the capital of Tehran, reported the official IRNA news agency, citing an informed source

The two assailants shot Khodaei in his unarmored Iranian-made Kia Pride, state media said, right off a highly secure street home to Iran's parliament.

Iran blamed his slaying on the United States and its allies, including Israel, and vowed to avenge his death. Iran traditionally blames Israel for such targeted killings, including those on nuclear scientists over the past years.

It was the most high-profile killing inside Iran since the November 2020 murder of top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh - an act the Islamic republic also blamed on its arch enemy Israel.

Esmailzadeh's death came just weeks after two unidentified gunmen on a motorbike shot Colonel Hassan Sayyad Khodaei, 50, five times in a car in front of his residence in Tehran on May 22 (pictured: the scene)

IRNA said an investigation had been opened into the death of Esmailzadeh, without giving further details.

Tasnim news agency said 'Ali Esmailzadeh died after falling from the terrace of his house, which did not have adequate protection', without giving further details on his identity.

Meanwhile, reports identified Khodaei only as a 'defender of the shrine,' a reference to Iranians who fight against the extremist Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq within the Guard's elite Quds force that oversees foreign operations.

A Mourner hold poster of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Col. Hassan Sayyad Khodaei during his funeral ceremony in Tehran on May 24

Little information was publicly available about Khodaei, as Quds officers tend to be shadowy figures carrying out secretive military missions supporting Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group, and other militias in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere.

The Tehran prosecutor arrived at the crime scene within hours of the killing of Khodaei to investigate and demanded police urgently arrest the perpetrators. The probe's speed suggested Khodaei's prominence in the murky structure of the Guard's overseas operations.

Those operations have come under repeated Israeli air attack in Syria. An Israeli strike near the Syrian capital of Damascus killed two Guard members in March, prompting Iran to retaliate by firing a missile barrage into northern Iraq.

The Guards are designated as a terrorist group by the United States.
The Uvalde Independent School District declined to fire school police chief Pete Arredondo (pictured May 24) despite furious parents calling for his termination

The Uvalde school board did not punish the district police chief who refused to send cops into Robb Elementary School while a gunman was shooting kids dead.

During its first board meeting since the May 24 shooting, the Uvalde Independent School District (UCISD) declined to fire school police chief Pete Arredondo on Friday.

Superintendent Hal Harrell told meeting attendees he was 'eager' for the several investigations launched into law enforcement's response to the shooting to 'run their course,' The Texas Tribune reported.

Harrell's remark implied the school could still take disciplinary action against Arredondo, who has been considered a cowardice 'man in hiding,' pending the results of the investigations.

He also told concerned parents that students would 'never' return to the Texas elementary school where Salvador Ramos, 18, killed 19 students and two teachers, and left an entire community terrified to go to school.

Arredondo, who did not attend the school board meeting, is facing furious backlash for not sending in a team fast enough to end the gunman's vile rampage.

Parents who tried to rush into the school to rescue their kids have also expressed outrage over being handcuffed and restrained outside while police let Ramos continue to evoke terror inside the building.

The school board held its first meeting Friday (pictured) since Robb Elementary School was attacked by deranged gunman Salvador Ramos. During the meeting, the superintendent revealed students would 'never' have to return to the elementary school building

One parent revealed during the school board meeting that her seven-year-old son (not pictured) is now 'deathly afraid' to go to school next year. Students are pictured fleeing Robb Elementary School on May 24 following the massacre

Harrell had few updates for those attending Friday's school board meeting, but told parents his heart goes out to the families of the victims.

He also hailed the slain teachers, who reportedly stood in the line of fire to protect their students, as 'heroes'.

The superintendent did not address potential punishments for Arredondo, 50, or steps the district would take to improve school safety.

Parent Angela Turner told the newspaper she was disappointed with the board's decision to keep Arredondo employed and the lack of discussion about safety protocols.

Dawn Pointevent, who also spoke at the meeting, argued that her seven-year-old son is now 'deathly afraid' to go to school next year.

The board is scheduled to meet again on June 20. Parents are hopeful the next meeting will better address their concerns.

Uvalde Superintendent Hal Harrell (not pictured) had few updates for those attending Friday's school board meeting, but told parents his heart goes out to the families of the victims. He also hailed the slain teachers as 'heroes.' Law enforcement officers are pictured responding to Robb Elementary on May 24

The superintendent issued the above letter to Uvalde parents earlier this week

Ramos stormed Robb Elementary School on May 24 with an AR-15 gun and fired more than 100 shots, killing 21 people. Seventeen others were injured.

The teen was inside the school building for 77 minutes before police reached the locked door with a key and killed the deranged madman.

Salvador Ramos, 18, (pictured) stormed Robb Elementary School on May 24 with an AR-15 gun and fired more than 100 shots, killing 21 people. The teen was inside the school building for 77 minutes before police reached the locked door with a key and killed him

Steven McCraw, head of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said last week Arredondo, who was the acting incident commander during the massacre, declined to send cops into the building because he believed the shooting had turned into a hostage situation.

McCraw admitted during a press briefing last Friday that waiting to take Ramos down 'was the wrong decision.'

State Senator Roland Gutierrez, who has publicly criticized law enforcement's response to the mass shooting, revealed Thursday that Arredondo was not carrying a radio during the shooting and was never informed that children had been calling 911 from inside the building.

'Uvalde PD was the one receiving the 911 calls for 45 minutes while officers were sitting in a hallway, while 19 officers were sitting in a hallway for 45 minutes,' Gutierrez said during Thursday's press briefing.

The legislator said the fact that the calls were going to the city police but were not communicated to Arredondo was a 'system failure' and claimed the school police chief was not given all the necessary information when he opted against an immediate confrontation with Ramos.

Authorities have not yet disclosed how Arredondo, a Uvalde local, was communicating with other law enforcement officials at the scene.

This is how the shooting played out over the course of nearly two hours from when Ramos killed his grandmother at home. He arrived at the school at 11.28am and the first 911 calls were made. He then walked unobstructed into the building with his AR-15 and headed towards the classroom. He fought off cops at 11.44am, then was left alone in the room with the victims until around 12.44pm - when SWAT arrived. The incident was declared over at 1.06pm

Community members are seen crying outside a local community center on May 24 after Ramos killed 19 elementary school students and two teachers

Authorities have admitted that waiting to take Ramos down 'was the wrong decision.' Law enforcement members are pictured on scene of the massacre on May 24

Arredondo was hired to lead the school district police force, which has a half-dozen officers, in 2020. The force is responsible for providing security at district campuses, staffing sporting events and handling narcotics work.

He graduated from Uvalde's high school in 1990 and previously worked for the Webb County Sheriffs Office and the United ISD Police Department.

He has yet to publicly speak about the massacre and stated he wouldn't release any further information while funerals were still underway.

'We're going to be respectful to the families,' the school police chief told CNN on Wednesday. 'We're going to do that eventually. Whenever this is done and the families quit grieving, then we'll do that obviously.'
Police have arrested protestors wearing 'Free Assange' t-shirts on The Mall just a stone's throw away from Buckingham Palace right before the start of the Queen's Platinum Party at the Palace Jubilee celebrations.

Eight officers surrounded one man who was being held down on the ground while being handcuffed.

Another man wearing a Guy Fawkes mask was seen being apprehended by police officers in the same spot.

A sign could be seen right beside the scuffle, which read 'Free Assange'. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been in maximum-security Belmarsh Prison since April 2019 for conspiracy to commit computer intrusion.

It happened on the side of The Mall, where hundreds of thousands of people have come out to catch a glimpse of the star-studded line-up for the Queen's Platinum Party at the Palace.

Senior royals and many of the country's leaders are in attendance not far from where the arrest was made, sat in the Royal Box as they watch the performances.

Police have arrested protestors wearing 'Free Assange' t-shirts on The Mall just a stone's throw away from Buckingham Palace right before the start of the Queen 's Platinum Party at the Palace Jubilee celebrations.

The Queen brought the house down at her own Platinum Jubilee party when she was joined for a cream tea by a national treasure - Paddington Bear.

For the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, James Bond famously made an appearance with the Queen - and now it was the turn of everyone's favourite Peruvian bear - who was filmed alongside the monarch.

The Queen revealed she shares Paddington's love of marmalade sandwiches and keeps an emergency stash in her trademark handbag.

A sign could be seen right beside the scuffle, which read 'Free Assange'. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been in maximum-security Belmarsh Prison since April 2019 for conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. Pictured is one protestor being detained by police

Another man wearing a Guy Fawkes mask was seen being apprehended by police officers in the same spot

The film was shown as the star-studded party in the shadow of Buckingham Palace began, and the Queen and her furry guest had a novel way of introducing the first act - tapping out the beat of Queen's We Will Rock You on China teacups.

Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor paid tribute to the monarch, who did not attend the party, before they took to the stage, describing her as an 'incredible woman' and hinting at the Paddington moment said she was a 'very good sport'.

Eight officers surrounded one man who was being held down on the ground while being handcuffed

Thousands queued in The Mall for much of the day for the musical tribute which will see Alicia Keys, Hans Zimmer, George Ezra, and Eurovision 2022 runner-up Sam Ryder take to the stage.

The Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge will also pay tribute to the Queen in front of 22,000 spectators and a television audience of millions.

The concert came at the end of a busy day that saw the royal family travel around the country joining people celebrating the Queen's 70-year reign.
Labour fears that Sir Keir Starmer could be fined over his alleged Beergate Covid breach in April 2021 grew last night after Durham police confirmed they were following tough national guidelines on lockdown offences

Some Starmer allies have assumed he will escape punishment because the Durham force decided not to impose a retrospective penalty on Dominic Cummings for his Barnard Castle trip in 2020.

But in a new Freedom of Information (FOI) release, the force made it clear that they have been following the revised guidance in place at the time of the alleged incident involving Sir Keir, his deputy Angela Rayner and other Labour colleagues.

The National Police Chiefs Council guidance was toughened in early 2021 and led to a surge in Covid-related fixed penalty fines. Last year, more than 23,000 people were prosecuted compared with just over 4,000 in 2020.

Last night, Labour MPs admitted the disclosure will increase concerns that Sir Keir, who has vowed to quit if fined, could get the same sort of FPN that Boris Johnson received for attending his birthday party at No10 in June 2020.

Sir Keir Starmer was filmed sipping beer at a boozy curry in Durham in April last year - an event that is now being investigated by Durham police over alleged Covid rule-breaking

One senior Labour MP even claimed privately that some colleagues would not be unhappy to see Sir Keir fined as it would make way for a more charismatic leader.

Allies of Sir Keir dismissed that yesterday and insisted he had broken no rules during the break from campaigning in the local elections. They also claimed it was no secret that Durham police were following the national guidance.

But it emerged last week that police had sent Sir Keir and Ms Rayner, who has also promised to resign if fined, incredibly comprehensive questionnaires over the alleged beer and curry meeting at the office of Durham MP Mary Foy.

Sir Keir was pictured at the Platinum Jubilee service for the Queen in London

Last night, Tory MP Richard Holden  who made the FOI request  said that Durham polices answer appeared to show that whatever their final decision, it would not be based on some lenient local policy on retrospective fines. Instead, the only relevant guidance would be the updated national advice for 2021.

Mr Holden said: This may disappoint Labour supporters but in this response, Durham Constabulary seems to be telling me that the only relevant guidance is the updated national police advice for 2021.

That guidance appeared to lead to much tougher enforcement against Covid offences.

Tory MP Richard Holden (pictured) said that Durham polices answer to an FOI request appeared to show that whatever their final decision, it would not be based on some lenient local policy on retrospective fines

However, police sources said that whatever the national guidance, each force would use its own discretion.

Durham police, who could not be reached for comment yesterday, originally ruled out looking into the Beergate incident, saying that no offence has been established. But in early May the force revealed that following the receipt of significant new information, it was opening an investigation

Last night, a spokesman for Sir Keir said the event in Durham had broken no Covid rules.
Boris Johnson gathered his Cabinet urging them to push the government's 'massive agenda' of Levelling Up and reforming public services in the wake of the brutal confidence vote that saw more than 40 per cent of his MPs try to oust him. Around the famous table in Downing Street, he thanked them for their 'hard work' in saving him from outright defeat yesterday. But he demanded they come up with way of 'cutting costs' in government and getting better value for the taxpayer. 'We are able now to draw a line under the issues that our opponents want to talk about,' Mr Johnson said. An extension of the Thatcherite right-to-buy, a joint cost-of-living speech with Rishi Sunak, the first migrant Rwanda flights, a series of high-profile foreign jaunts and a reshuffle of his team are all on the cards in the coming weeks as Mr Johnson tries to get back on track. Health Secretary Sajid Javid told the session that the NHS is like 'Blockbuster in the age of Netflix', and must be reformed. There were also fresh hints at tax cuts, although still not detail or firm commitments. Mr Johnson is now theoretically immune from challenge for a year, but mutinous Tories have warned that they could mount another attack in a few months. The party is on track for disaster in two by elections on June 23 with polls suggesting Labour could reclaim the Red Wall seat of Wakefield by a 20-point margin, while the Lib Dems are bullish about their prospects in the blue heartlands of Tiverton.
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President Joe Biden's granddaughter Finnegan has been spotted in Malibu, days after her mother revealed that she was the one to expose her father Hunter's affair with his deceased brother's widow.

Finnegan, 22, was out for a late dinner with several friends on Friday at swanky beachfront restaurant Nobu.

Though she was considered a secret weapon for her grandfather on the campaign trail, Finnegan has mostly kept a low profile since graduating from the University of Pennsylvania last year.

Her father Hunter lives in a $20,000-a-month rented home in Malibu together with his wife Melissa, 35, and their infant son Beau, named after Hunter's late brother.

Hunter, 52, has also stayed out of the spotlight in recent weeks, as his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle prepares to release her memoirs about their turbulent marriage, five years after their divorce.

Explosive excerpts of the memoir published this week revealed how Finnegan, one of three daughters that Hunter and Buhle shared, found out about her father's affair with his brother Beau Biden's widow Hallie and let her know about it.

President Joe Biden's granddaughter Finnegan (center) has been spotted in Malibu, days after her mother revealed that she was the one to expose her father Hunter's affair with his deceased brother's widow

Finnegan, 22, was out for a late dinner with several friends on Friday at swanky beachfront restaurant Nobu

Though she was considered a secret weapon for her grandfather on the campaign trail, Finnegan has mostly kept a low profile since graduating from the University of Pennsylvania last year

Finnegan's night out at Nobu with friends was not far from the $20,000-a-month rented home where her father Hunter lives together with his wife Melissa, 35, and their infant son Beau, named after Hunter's late brother

Explosive excerpts of Kathleen Buhle's memoir published this week revealed how Finnegan, one of three daughters that Hunter and Buhle shared, found out about her father's affair with his brother Beau Biden's widow Hallie

On Wednesday, People magazine published excerpts Buhle's book set to be released on June 14, which details how she dealt with Hunter's downward spiral into drug addiction after they first met in their twenties in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Portland, Oregon.

Kathleen Buhle (left) reveals a number of new details about her marriage to Hunter Biden (right) in her forthcoming book If We Break: A Memoir of Marriage, Addiction, and Healing, which will be released on June 14

Buhle wrote that in the summer of 2015, she finally kicked Biden out of her house after finding a crack pipe in their ashtray and seeing credit card charges for a $10,000 at a hot tub store in Los Angeles and payments to strip clubs and liquor stores.

This was after he already admitted to cheating on her with prostitutes when he traveled for work abroad.

In an interview with People, Buhle recognized that she had lost herself in her marriage with the now-president's son.

'My greatest shame was feeling like my identity was not my own. It was in writing this book that I realized probably the heaviest weight was that I first had to forgive myself for not believing in myself,' she told the magazine.

She recalled how different their upbringings were - she a working class girl from Chicago and he the son of a U.S. senator.

'Hunt, a kid from a middle class family does not have a ballroom,' she told her future husband when visiting his former Delaware family home, a renovated 10,000-foot DuPont mansion.

There were troubling signs of what was to come years before, Buhle wrote.

The couple wed in 1993 and by 2001 Biden was showing signs of alcoholism.

Buhle recalled this was around the time Biden's drinking 'spiral[ed] from social to problematic.'

'One Saturday morning when we had friends visiting, Hunter walked into the kitchen looking as if he hadn't gone to sleep. I was making pancakes as I watched him pull a bottle of Jack Daniel's out of the cabinet,' she recalled.

'"Hunter! What are you doing?" I said. "It's ten a.m.!"' she wrote. 'I don't think he knew what time it was, and he still seemed drunk. He laughed and put the bottle back.'

'We all stared,' she added.

Finnegan's father, Hunter has been keeping a very low profile lately. In a book to be released by Hunter's ex and Finnegan's mom, Kathleen Buhle reveals it was Finnegan who discovered her father was having an affair with Beau Biden's widow Hallie

Buhle's recalled how Finnegan in 2016 called her to the family therapist's office, and asked the therapist to break the news

Buhle recalled that she could see 'Finnegan's face relaxing now that the secret was out and I hadn't fallen apart'

Kathleen Buhle said she found out about Hunter Biden (left) and Hallie Biden's (right) affair through her daughters in November 2016

The years 2015 and 2016, leading up to the couple's 2017 divorce, were particularly rough for Buhle.

Beau Biden died in May 2015, leading Hunter to spend more and more time with Beau's widow Hallie and their kids.

'Our therapist told me Hunter needed to be up there, helping Hallie. "But what about his sobriety?" I asked her,' Buhle wrote, with the therapist responding that 'being with Hallie and her kids was an important part of Hunter's grieving.'

But with the crack pipe discovery, Buhle realized he wasn't sober, and she said she 'called and texted Hunter compulsively' through the fall of 2015.

'There were charges at Lake Tahoe at a nail salon and a charge for two lift tickets. I found a credit card charge for $10,000 at a hot tub store in Los Angeles. I found hundreds at liquor stores and strip clubs,' she recalled.

'The whole time, he told me he was healthy and sober - and I was crazy,' she said.

She said she told Biden that she was 'the one person actually trying to get him sober.'

'It became my own kind of addiction,' she wrote. 'I didn't want to admit, to myself or anyone else, how unhealthy our relationship had become, so my struggle was just one more secret.'

The biggest secret to be revealed came in November 2016 when her daughter Finnegan summoned Buhle to her therapist Debbie's office.

'I'd taken all three girls to see Debbie a few times to discuss Beau's illness and Hunter's drinking,' Buhle described.

'What happened?' Buhle asked Finnegan, who told her mother she didn't want to talk about it over the phone.

'Three miles later I was at Debbie's house. I went straight through to the sunroom and found Finnegan curled in a chair, holding a pillow while she wept. I wrapped my arms around her. "Everything will be okay. All right?" I told her. "I love you,"' Buhle recalled.

A photograph of Hunter Biden smoking in the bath obtained from his laptop. His ex-wife Kathleen Buhle reveals new details about their marriage in her forthcoming book

HAPPIER TIMES: Kathleen Buhle (left) and Hunter Biden (right) attend a state dinner together in 2012

Finnegan and her sister Naomi asked Debbie to deliver Buhle the news.

'"Debbie," Finny said once we had Naomi on speakerphone, "can you tell her? We can't do it,"' Buhle wrote. 'Debbie looked me in the eye and calmly said, "Kathleen, Hunter's having an affair with Hallie."'

Buhle said all the could utter was 'oh my God.'

'This was all I said. Was this what shock felt like?' she mused.

She asked her daughters how they knew.

'We found his phone,' Finnegan told her, with Naomi chiming in, 'There were text messages between them.'

Buhle recalled that she could see 'Finnegan's face relaxing now that the secret was out and I hadn't fallen apart.'

'If anything, I felt a strange vindication,' Buhle said. 'Not only had I not been crazy, but it was so much worse than I could have imagined. I was shocked, but not heartbroken. Heartbreak had already flattened my self-esteem that past year.'

Debbie told Buhle that, 'we called Hunter,' and so the cat was out of the bag. 'We told him we found the phone and we knew,' the therapist said.

'She looked directly at me. "From now on, Kathleen, no more secrets. I told the girls that from this day forward, you will tell them the whole truth,"' Buhle wrote.

'No more secrets,' the author added. 'The idea was a relief.'
Social media users have reacted with delight at the Queen's performance with Paddington bear which kicked off Party at the Palace performances for her Platinum Jubilee celebrations tonight.

Tens of thousands of people flocked to Buckingham Palace to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee on Saturday and watch a pop concert that started with the 96-year-old monarch having tea with Paddington Bear.

In a short video, the Queen revealed that she kept the Bear's favourite - a marmalade sandwich - inside her ever-present handbag. She then started tapping along to the tune of the Queen rock anthem 'We Will Rock You', which opened the show.

And social media has gone crazy for the short clip, which likened that of her skit with Daniel Craig as James Bond for the opening ceremony at the London 2012 Olympics, where she 'jumped' out of a helicopter to kick off the rest of the performance.

Simon J Goddard said of the skit on Twitter: 'The Queen acts her socks off with Paddington Bear: perfect comic timing.

'I've heard that she was once nicknamed 'One Take Windsor'. A great start to the Party at the Palace and the 'other Queen' are storming it!'

Social media users have reacted with delight at the Queen's performance with Paddington bear which kicked off Party at the Palace performances for her Platinum Jubilee celebrations tonight

One person wrote: 'I've not remotely got into the whole Jubilee thing but I can't deny that this little Paddington Bear segment with the Queen was so lovely and cute.

'Then going straight into Adam Lambert and Queen. Seeing so many people come together is lovely, more of this please.

Another person said: 'The Queen and Paddington Bear was utterly brilliant only eclipsed by her tapping along, on her bone china tea cup to Queen.'

Michelle O said: 'Watching Queen's Jubilee concert. The sketch she did with Paddington Bear and pulling a marmalade sandwich out of her handbag. Priceless.

'Plus tapping her teaspoon on her cup, the intro to 'We Will Rock You', I bloody love our Queen.'

Julie Marriot added: 'Omg I absolutely am in awe at our Queen's participation with Paddington Bear and marmalade sandwiches in her bag and tapping her teaspoon to the intro of we will rock you! Amazing. It's going to be a fantastic evening for all.'

User @st_ua_rt wrote: 'The Queen performing We Will Rock You on the spoons with Paddington Bear. Cancel the rest of the concert. Tonight has already peaked.'

And social media has gone crazy for the short clip, which likened that of her skit with Daniel Craig as James Bond for the opening ceremony at the London 2012 Olympics, where she 'jumped' out of a helicopter to kick off the rest of the performance

Em Boulton made a very good point about the proposal of this sketch with Her Majesty.

She said on Twitter: 'Everyone's talking about The Queen and Paddington Bear, but spare a thought for the person who had to make the request, 'Would you have tea with a CGI bear, pull a sandwich out of your handbag, then play We Will Rock You on a teacup?'

And concerning the Queen's handbag, Kayla Adams commented: 'We always wondered what the Queen carried in her purse, now we know thanks to Paddington Bear.'

Another person said: 'I don't want to alarm everyone outside of the UK but we just witnessed the Queen, like the ACTUAL Queen performing we will rock you with Paddington Bear in Buckingham Palace... we're having a wild weekend.'

Tens of thousands of people flocked to Buckingham Palace to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee on Saturday and watch a pop concert that started with the 96-year-old monarch having tea with Paddington Bear

Simon J Goddard said of the skit on Twitter: 'The Queen acts her socks off with Paddington Bear: perfect comic timing. 'I've heard that she was once nicknamed 'One Take Windsor'. A great start to the Party at the Palace and the 'other Queen' are storming it!'

A host of performers will appear on stage, including Alicia Keys, Diana Ross and Rod Stewart, before the queen's son and heir Prince Charles, and her grandson Prince William, pay tribute to the record-breaking monarch following her 70 years on the throne.

By early evening, tens of thousands of people had gathered on the Mall, the grand boulevard that runs up to the palace, and in a nearby park to watch the concert on big screens, while those with tickets surrounded the stage on a warm evening.

The opening video between the queen and the fictional character from children's literature had echoes of 2012 when she appeared with Britain's most famous fictional spy James Bond in a video for the opening ceremony of the London Olympics.

The monarch was not present at Saturday's concert due to the 'episodic mobility problems' that have caused her to cancel a number of engagements recently.

Andrew Singleton, a 56-year-old window fitter from northern England who was in the queue for the concert, said the Jubilee had helped to bring the country together.

'People have travelled from as far as America to actually come here and just enjoy the celebrations,' he said.

Earlier in the day the queen also missed the Epsom Derby horse race.

Her daughter Princess Anne, who competed in the three-day equestrian event in the 1976 Olympics, stood in for her mother, who has rarely missed the race during her record-breaking reign and watched on television from her Windsor Castle home.
The British public hugely overestimates the size of minorities, sparking fears woke identity politics are warping views of society.

When 1,800 people were asked by pollster YouGov how many people were transgender, for instance, they thought it was about five per cent of the population.

In reality, between 0.3 per cent and 0.7 per cent identify as a different gender from their biological sex  the gap between the estimate and the reality appearing to show how the transgender rights debate has skewed perceptions.

While most Britons are white and heterosexual, the poll found many believe the UK is made up of far more racial, religious and sexual minorities than it actually is. When the survey asked what proportion of adults was white, the median answer was 65 per cent  yet the true figure is 87 per cent.

And while official figures show that black Britons make up about three per cent of the population, those questioned estimated the proportion at 20 per cent. Britons believed about 15 per cent of the population is Muslim, against the true figure of about four per cent, and they estimated the Jewish community stood at 10 per cent when it is one-twentieth that size.

The poll revealed that the public thinks 10 per cent of people are bisexual and 15 per cent are gay or lesbian. The true figures, official statistics say, are 1.3 per cent and 1.8 per cent respectively. Pictured: A couple walk with a rainbow flag towards Parliament as the LGBT+ community celebrates Pride in London in 2016

The public also hugely overestimates the number of vegans and vegetarians  suggesting about 20 per cent refuse to eat animal products, when it is just four per cent. Results of the survey, commissioned by the Common Sense Campaign, have been used to gauge the accuracy of minority representation in the media. Those surveyed were asked 16 questions to work out the overall perception of the make-up of the UK.

Tory MP Sir John Hayes said: This distorted impression created by much of the broadcast and online media is so out of tune with the facts as to befuddle people about the true character of Britain. There are, of course, all sorts of minority groups that deserve our respect and regard.

The overwhelming majority of British people are drawn from a small number of groups. Media preoccupations with minorities are skewing the facts.

The poll revealed that the public thinks 10 per cent of people are bisexual and 15 per cent are gay or lesbian. The true figures, official statistics say, are 1.3 per cent and 1.8 per cent respectively.

Tory MP Sir John Hayes (pictured) said some online and broadcast media create a 'distorted impression' of Britain and are 'skewing the facts' on how the UK looks

The public also hugely overestimates the number of vegans and vegetarians  suggesting about 20 per cent refuse to eat animal products, when it is just four per cent (stock image)

Survey participants were asked to estimate how many people earn more than 100,000. The median guess was 20 per cent. The real proportion is only three per cent.

The Common Sense Campaign said: Diversity, particularly in the media, is evidently a positive and laudable aim. What these results show, however, is that they are playing into a misconception about Britain that under-represents some groups and over-represents others.

The country, it added, needs to be more accurately portrayed. We risk going down the American route of seeing everything through the prism of identity, it said.
As the battleground is revealed for what could be the fight of Boris Johnson's leadership, his allies have gone on the offensive against traitorous rebels trying to depose him.

Last night a Cabinet Minister accused Aaron Bell, an outspoken critic of the Prime Minister, of being a 'turncoat', insisting that it was only Mr Johnson's campaigning that had got the little-known MP into the Commons in the first place.

In a sign of how febrile the atmosphere is as MPs return to the Commons this week after recess, No 10 accused Mr Bell of being a 'rebel rouser' who is pushing fellow MPs to submit letters of no-confidence while having 'no alternative plan nor vision nor leader'.

They also accused him of breaking the 'Jubilee truce' announced by rebels by continuing to make calls to MPs during the bank holiday weekend.

Senior Conservatives have claimed Tory rebels are doing the work of the opposition for them (Pictured: Ed Davey (left) and Keir Starmer (right))

Elliot Colburn is one of many Conservative MPs who have questioned Boris Johnson's leadership in recent weeks

A source said: 'It's unseemly  it is meant to be a national celebration where we focus on the Queen.'

Another pro-Boris MP attacked Elliot Colburn, who won his Carshalton and Wallington seat from the Liberal Democrats in 2019 and has submitted a letter of no-confidence, saying Mr Colburn 'wouldn't be an MP if it wasn't for Boris'. Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith described the vote-strike tactics as 'pathetic, childish' behaviour.

Rebel MPs are convinced they have hit the threshold of 54 letters needed to trigger a vote of no-confidence, with some speculating the number may be as high as 67.

One problem for No 10 is the 'scattergun' rebellion appears to be uncoordinated and not led by well-known figures  and it is therefore harder to combat.

Last night a source close to the rebels confirmed Mr Bell was playing a key role as a figure who MPs considering putting in no-confidence letters have got in touch with for support.

Aaron Bell MP has publicly announced he has submitted a letter of no confidence in Boris Johnson

In February, the MP announced he had submitted a letter to the chairman of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, after asking Mr Johnson in the Commons whether he had been a 'fool' for following lockdown rules at his grandmother's scaled-back funeral in 2020.

A Cabinet Minister used the Newcastle-under-Lyme MP's links with the gambling industry to mock Mr Bell's political judgment: 'I am not sure that for someone so close to the gambling industry that he is making the right bet.'

Downing Street sources also pointed to Mr Bell's acceptance of freebies from the gambling industry, which were first revealed by The Mail on Sunday last year. The MP, who previously worked for Bet365 and Ladbrokes, has accepted thousands of pounds worth of freebies from the industry over the past year.

Mr Bell, who is a vice-chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Betting and Gaming, has spoken out about the 'risk' of tougher regulation of the industry.

No 10 last night accused him of being 'prepared to bet Britain's future on a Conservative leadership election' and being 'reckless and self-indulgent'.

Mr Bell declined to comment, but friends of the MP denied he was at the centre of the plot to remove Mr Johnson.

They said Mr Bell had made no secret that he believed Mr Johnson had to go. But they added: 'The idea that he owes his seat to Boris is b******s.

PM Boris Johnson has been busy attending events for the Queen's Platinum jubilee this weekend - but rumours of a plot to oust him have overshadowed him

'The biggest factors in 2019 were Corbyn and Brexit by a mile.'

Despite Downing Street's hope that the report by top civil servant Sue Gray would draw a line under Partygate, there has been a drip-drip of MPs criticising the Prime Minister and revealing that they have sent a letter to Sir Graham.

Forty-eight Tory MPs have publicly criticised Mr Johnson, including Andrea Leadsom, a formerly loyalist ex-Cabinet Minister.

Three ministerial aides, or Parliamentary Private Secretaries, are understood to have submitted letters, as well as a number of the 1922 Committee executive, who would not be allowed to say so in public.

One MP who has submitted a letter said they expected to get a call tomorrow confirming a no-confidence vote this week.

'If it doesn't happen this week, it won't be until the Privileges Committee,' the MP said, referring to the group of MPs holding an inquiry into whether Mr Johnson misled Parliament over Partygate.

One Boris ally said rebels may view a vote as 'cathartic' and a way 'to give him a kicking' after Partygate, but defiantly added: 'Bring it on. He [Johnson] will win it.

'They do not seem to have grasped the reality that there is no one better.'

Meanwhile, Cabinet Minister Nadine Dorries sought to dampen Tory concerns about Mr Johnson being booed at St Paul's Cathedral on Friday.

She tweeted: 'There were far, far more cheers, but that doesn't make a good headline does it.'

But The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Tory leadership contenders have upped their talks with party donors, some of whom are unhappy with Mr Johnson's leadership.

We have been told of two donors who have approached MPs who publicly criticised the PM and offered them support in the event that Downing Street threatens them with funding cuts.
Desperate fish and chip shop bosses are to seek help from Norway amid the soaring cost of cod and haddock.

The move comes after warnings that thousands of Britains traditional takeaways could be forced out of business due to the sharp increase in prices.

Up to 40 per cent of our favourite fish suppers originate in Russia, but Government plans for a levy on imports following the invasion of Ukraine mean we face paying more at the counter.

Cod from waters in Norway such as this one here could soon be widely served in UK fish and chi shops

Fish prices are soaring due to the war in Ukraine, but this isn't the only threat to the UK's favourite dish - potato and cooking oil prices are spiraling too

Andrew Crook, president of the National Federation of Fish Friers, is due to make an impassioned plea on behalf of UK chippies in a speech at the annual Frozen At Sea gathering, which is organised by the Norwegian Seafood Council and is being held on Wednesday in the western port of Alesund.

He said: Most vessel owners there [in Norway] produce headed and gutted fish that is then sent to be processed elsewhere. I am hoping I can get them to switch some vessels to produce fillets for my industry, as we need as many as we can get to help keep the price as under control as possible.

As an example of the soaring prices, the cost per kilo of Icelandic cod stood at 7.80 in October 2021  it is now about 16.

Mr Crook, who runs the Skippers of Euxton fish and chip restaurant in Lancashire, added: We are expecting a tariff on Russian white fish of 35 per cent, which will force the price of all fish upwards. We cannot be so reliant on supplies from one specific region.

He fears that as many as a third of the UKs 10,000 fish and chip outlets could shut in the next nine months, and also raised an alarm over the rising costs of cooking oil and potatoes.

The price of Irish beef dripping has doubled in less than a year  it was 1 per kilo in October 2021 and now stands at more than 2. While the price of Ukrainian sunflower oil has risen from 1.50 per litre as recently as March to 2.75.

Calling for Government support for the sector, Mr Cook said he hopes to outline the importance of fish and chips in the UK at the Alesund conference because its so iconic and ingrained in the nations hearts.

He added that the hospitality and tourism industry needs a long-term strategy which must involve a reduced rate of VAT, insisting: Not every business can be saved  we accept that  but action is needed now to ensure we get through this in the best shape possible.
MacBook Air with iMac-like rainbow color options is reportedly missing out on the packed Apple WWDC event.

Apple surprisingly released a colorful lineup of its 24-inch iMac in 2021, and now its fans are looking forward to the same treatment for other Mac offerings like the MacBook Air.

The Cupertino-based tech giant is slated to introduce its upcoming MacBook Air 2022 during the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), as per a news story by Apple Insider.

As such, excited fans are curious about what Apple has to offer this time around. Will there be more color options? Is it the debut of the all-new M2 chip?

MacBook Air with iMac-Like Colors

Some reports claim that the all-new 2022 MacBook Air introduces new colorful options-like what Apple did with its iMac.

Currently, the latest version of the MacBook Air comes with Apple standard colors, classical silver, as well as options like the dark "space gray" and the luxe "gold" color. These hues have been the available options for Apple devices, including iPhones and iPads, for a time now.

On the other hand, the latest iMac comes with an array of vibrant hues, such as blue, purple, orange, yellow, green, pink, and, of course, silver. Unlike the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, it leaves out options like gold and space gray.

Apple heavily flaunted the rainbow color selection of the 24-inch iMac in its ads and during its debut last April 20, 2021.

Reports these days are now claiming that the MacBook Air is getting these vibrants options as wel.

Read Also: MacBook with Apple Pencil Support? New Patent Shows How it Could Be Built-In

MacBook Air 2022: New Color Options

However, the Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman himself believes that Apple is sticking with the current color options, plus a single new one, on its new MacBook Air.

Gurman further suggests that reports claiming that Apple is introducing new rainbow color options for its MacBook Air are "probably exaggerated."

Instead, the Bloomberg journalist claims that Apple is most likely offering MacBook Air fans with the same color offerings, except for a new color option.

According to a recent report by MacRumors, Gurman believes that the new MacBook comes with the hues, which we have previously seen, such as gold, space gray, and silver.

But he says that the MacBook Air will debut this year with his favorite iMac color, blue.

Apart from the new shade, he predicts the gold option to get an upgraded look. Gurman suggests that it should get a more champagne look.

So, it appears that Apple is largely sticking to the typical color of its MacBook Air rather than adding vibrant options. But the tech giant is reportedly introducing a new blue color option.

Related Article: MacBook Air Might Get an M2 Makeover for WWDC 2022
For long-haul flights, the best experience is on the Airbus A350

Aviation expert Gordon Smith reveals his insider tips on how to take the pressure off travelling overseas this summer

Flight cancellations and staff shortages resulted in chaos in UK airports over the half-term break, leaving many concerned about flying this summer.

Here, aviation expert Gordon Smith reveals the different ways you can take the pressure off flying overseas in the months to come, from avoiding baggage queues by checking in your bags the night before, to choosing the best time of day to fly - morning, rather than at night.

A short hop with a shot of luxury

When flying short-haul, it is frustrating to splash out on a business-class fare only to find the layout is identical to economy, and that the only comfort difference is that the middle seat is left empty.

But what if there were a way to fly in the lap of luxury that is typically reserved for expensive tickets to far-flung destinations?

The great news is that if you know where to look, you can book aircraft which usually fly long-haul and so are equipped with top-tier cabins and even flat beds.

Made it: Get to see the Cibeles Fountain in Madrid after a luxury flight - Iberia uses the wide-body A330 for services between the Spanish capital and the UK

Finnair flies its flagship A350 to London from Helsinki (typically its mid-morning service), while Iberias wide-body A330 is a regular visitor from Madrid. Even Aer Lingus brings its biggest jets to Heathrow on busy days.

Find the aircraft or equipment listed when searching for flights. Boeing 777s and 787s as well as Airbus A330s and A350s are among those to look for.

How to claim what you are owed

If your flight is cancelled, airlines must offer assistance, such as refreshment vouchers, and if your new flight departs the next day, they should provide overnight accommodation

With travel disruption likely to get even worse in the coming months, its never been more important to be aware of your rights and the responsibilities of your airline.

The good news is that the same legal protections apply to everyone flying from the UK  including on low-cost carriers. The laws also benefit those inbound to the UK, though only on UK and EU airlines.

Entitlements vary depending on the type of disruption and how much notice is given. Airlines must offer assistance, such as refreshment vouchers, and if your new flight departs the next day, they should provide overnight accommodation. Dont forget to check your travel insurance too, as your policy may offer additional benefits.

Its important to give your carrier the chance to make these arrangements, but if help is not forthcoming youve also got the right to organise things yourself and claim back the cost later. Remember to keep receipts and spend only what is strictly necessary.

For a jargon-free explainer of your rights, including compensation, visit the Civil Aviation Authority website (caa.co.uk/passengers).

Fewer delays early in the day

'Some airports, such as Frankfurt (pictured), have a strict night curfew, meaning your airline could cancel your flight if it thinks the aircraft wont reach its destination in time,' Gordon reveals

An aircraft on the ground isnt making money. To maximise earnings, they are flown from first thing to well into the night, with some landing after midnight.

While late-evening departures can be convenient, theyre also risky. Budget firms typically assign just 30 minutes between landing and take-off all day long, so it doesnt take much for schedules to go awry. Problems can be compounded, with later services more likely to experience knock-on delays.

Some airports, such as Frankfurt, have a strict night curfew, meaning your airline could cancel your flight if it thinks the aircraft wont reach its destination in time. Flight crews are also bound by strict working hours, so a flight may be cancelled if it means taking them into overtime.

Beat the baggage queues

Flight risk: Avoid the queues by checking in your luggage the night before, Gordon recommends. Above are queues at Manchester Airport

To avoid having to join the massive queues plaguing airports from the early hours, if youre staying near the airport for, say, an early flight, take your bags to the terminal and check them in the night before.

Using this fantastic service means passengers flying before midday can head straight to departures the following day. It is offered free of charge on many  but not all  Jet2 and Tui flights leaving the UK, as well as BA departures from Heathrow Terminal 5 and Gatwick. For full details, check your airlines website.

Not all aircraft are equal

For long-haul flights, the best experience is on the Airbus A350, a plane that flies with plenty of big names including BA, pictured

The in-flight experience can vary wildly within the same airline. For example, John Major was still in Downing Street when British Airways oldest jets started flying, while others may have left the factory just weeks ago.

Although carriers refurbish their cabins over time, there can still be big differences in what is offered on board. When searching online, click on show flight details to find out which aircraft is planned and, as a general rule, choose newer ones. For long-haul, the best experience is on the Airbus A350, a plane that flies with plenty of big names including BA and Virgin Atlantic.

In business class on some airlines, it could be the difference between an extravagant private suite with a sliding door versus a backwards-facing reclining chair. Why pay the same for an inferior product?

Bag last-minute upgrades

It could be worth waiting until near the check-in cut-off time to bag superior seats because some operators give the less desirable seats to those who check in first, Gordon reveals

Unless youre a frequent flyer or travelling on a premium ticket, it is likely your airline will demand payment for the privilege of picking a seat in advance. This can be upwards of 75 per person, even in economy. If you havent paid, and so are likely to end up by the loos or in a middle seat, it could be worth waiting until nearer the check-in cut-off time.

This is because some operators give the less desirable seats to those who check in first, in the hope that subsequent passengers will pay for nicer options. On busy flights, the airline may have no choice but to assign you one of these superior seats  such as the emergency exit rows which have more leg room  if theyve already filled less attractive seats.

From experience, this trick can work well when flying alone with no-frills carriers, but definitely isnt recommended for families or larger groups.

Who is getting you there?

Check who is actually operating your long-haul flight - if you like Virgin Atlantics distinctive hospitality, you might be disappointed when, despite holding a Virgin ticket, you find yourself boarding a comparatively dull Delta Air Lines jet

Carriers are co-operating more than ever to maximise efficiency and bolster profits.

This is great news for passengers as it offers more choice, but it can also mean flying long-haul with a partner airline. For example, if you like Virgin Atlantics distinctive hospitality, you might be disappointed when, despite holding a Virgin ticket, you find yourself boarding a comparatively dull Delta Air Lines jet.

Elsewhere, BA collaborates with American Airlines for transatlantic flights. While this is a perfectly acceptable way to cross the pond, I find that the Texas-based airline does a better job of catering to its home audience.

To avoid surprises, always check who is actually operating your flight. This might be in small print but should be clearly visible at the time of booking. If in doubt, ask your airline or travel agent.
She tied the knot with rocker Travis Barker in Portofino, Italy last month with her friends and family all in attendance.

And on Friday, Kourtney Kardashian spent time with her youngest child, son Reign, for a mommy-son outing in Calabasas, California.

The 42-year-old reality star cut a casual figure as she held her seven-year-old son's hand after enjoying lunch together in the LA neighborhood.

Doting mom: She tied the knot with rocker Travis Barker in Portofino, Italy last month with her friends and family all in attendance. And on Friday, Kourtney Kardashian spent time with her youngest child, son Reign, for a mommy-son outing in Calabasas, California

Kourtney rocked black leggings with a graphic hoodie on top, adding calf-length boots and vintage inspired sunglasses.

The mom of three carried a small handbag and a shopping bag in one hand, opting to go makeup free with her tresses pulled into an updo.

She held Reign's hand as they left the Italian food eatery together, with Reign rocking a hoodie over his head.

Hours earlier, Kourtney shared a jaw-dropping snap of herself with all four of her sisters from their Italy trip for her wedding.

Fun day out: The 42-year-old reality star cut a casual figure as she held her seven-year-old son's hand after enjoying lunch together in the LA neighborhood

Too cute: Kourtney rocked black leggings with a graphic hoodie on top, adding calf-length boots and vintage inspired sunglasses

In the snap, which Kourtney captioned with 'secrets, secrets,' adding a heart emoji, she sat in between her sisters during one of her wedding festivities.

Kourtney was snapped whispering Kendall's as Khloe, Kim and Kylie posed next to them.

The ladies all wore Dolce & Gabbana for the striking image for one of the pre-wedding festivities in Italy.

Family first: Hours earlier, Kourtney shared a jaw-dropping snap of herself with all four of her sisters from their Italy trip for her wedding

Kourtney and Travis, 46, legally tied the knot at a downtown Santa Barbara in May with her maternal grandmother Mary Jo 'MJ' Campbell and his father Randy were present.

After they got legally married, they had a lavish wedding in Portofino, Italy with her family all in attendance.

The lovebirds dated for 10 months before Travis got down on one knee to propose to Kourtney in October 2021 in Santa Barbara.

She shares three children- Reign, Penelope, nine, and Mason, 12, with ex partner Scott Disick.

Travis shares kids Alabama, 16, and Landon, 18, with ex-wife Shanna Moakler and is stepdad to Atiana De La Hoya, 23.

Too cute: Kourtney and Travis legally tied the knot at a downtown Santa Barbara in May with her maternal grandmother Mary Jo 'MJ' Campbell and his father Randy were present
Jennifer Lopez was sporty and stylish as she arrived to a studio in Los Angeles on Friday.

The 52-year-old entertainer wore a pale pink cropped sweatshirt with patterned leggings and sneakers.

She carried a white leather Gucci purse that matched a white pair of designer sneakers.

Stylish: Jennifer Lopez was sporty and stylish as she arrived to a studio in Los Angeles on Friday

The Bronx-born superstar showed off her taut tummy in the crewneck top, which had long, loose sleeves.

She matched it to her multicolor orange, white, and pink bottoms, which hugged her famous curves.

Jenny from the Block pulled her honey-toned tresses back into a neat ponytail, putting her gorgeous visage front and center.

She wore a soft face of flattering makeup that lightly bronzed her skin and warmed her pout with a pink hue.

Coordinated: The 52-year-old entertainer wore a pale pink cropped sweatshirt with patterned leggings and sneakers

Jennifer, who's mom to 14-year-old twins Emme and Max, strutted her stuff as she made her way inside the studio.

She skipped earrings and wore a gold necklace around her neck, which had a circular drop pendant.

The multihyphenate clutched her designer handbag with soft pink, nude manicured hands.

Fit chick: The Bronx-born superstar showed off her taut tummy in the crewneck top, which had long, loose sleeves

The pop star will be honored for her film and television achievements at the MTV Movie & TV Awards on Sunday.

The network shared that Lopez will receive the generation award at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California with Vanessa Hudgens as host.

The award celebrates actors whose diverse contributions in both film and television have turned them into household names.

Hair: Jenny from the Block pulled her honey-toned tresses back into a neat ponytail, putting her gorgeous visage front and center

Beauty queen: She wore a soft face of flattering makeup that lightly bronzed her skin and warmed her pout with a pink hue

Jen recently marked the 23rd anniversary of her debut album On the 6.

She showed her excitement by creating an Instagram reel for her 211 million fans to enjoy.

The recording was soundtracked by her hit song Feelin' So Good, which came out in 1999.

Milestone: Jen recently marked the 23rd anniversary of her debut album On the 6

JLo wore a white crewneck sweatshirt while sitting inside a Bentley car with a cream interior.

She pulled her hair up into a neat topknot and sported a pair of extra large gold hoops, a signature look for the star.

Lopez beamed as she jammed out to her single while wearing sporty black Dolce and Gabbana shades.

She wrote in the caption, 'Feelin so good  celebrating 23 years of #OnThe6 and #HappyPride.'
They quickly became the breakout stars of Married At First Sight's ninth season.

And now besties Domenica Calarco, 29, and Ella Ding, 28, have proved their popularity with their Sit With Us podcast reaching the number one spot on Spotify Australia's Top Podcasts ranking.

As of Saturday morning, the reality stars-turned-influencers managed to surpass Hamish & Andy who have over 960,000 monthly listeners and more than two million monthly downloads.

Popular: Married At First Sight breakout stars and besties Domenica Calarco (left), 29, and Ella Ding (right), 28, have proved their popularity as their Sit With Us podcast went to number one on the Spotify charts

Dom and Ella are yet to officially launch their podcast, with a date set for June 8.

Last month, Dom announced the news on Instagram, writing: 'IT'S HAPPENING! You asked, and we've delivered!!!

'Our podcast @sitwithusthepod is finally launching on the 8th June and we cannot wait for you all to come SIT WITH US!!!!!! #sitwithus.'

On top: As of Saturday morning, their podcast reached the number one spot on Spotify's Australia Top Podcasts list. They even managed to surpass Hamish & Andy who have over 960,000 monthly listeners and more than two million monthly downloads

Not long now: Dom and Ella are yet to officially launch their podcast, with a date set for June 8. Last month, Dom announced the news on Instagram, writing: 'IT'S HAPPENING! You asked, and we've delivered!!!'

According to the Australian Podcast Ranker, Hamish Blake and Andy Lee's podcast remained on top for the month of April after previously dethroning true crime juggernaut Casefile in the March rankings.

Life Uncut is currently Australia's most popular female podcast, with almost 1.7million monthly downloads.

Meanwhile, Dom's career continues to go from strength to strength since debuting on MAFS.

Rankings: According to the Australian Podcast Ranker, Hamish Blake and Andy Lee's podcast remained on top for the month of April after previously dethroning true crime juggernaut Casefile in the March rankings

She recently launched a fashion range with Showpo, with pieces including daring cut-out gowns, mini dresses and pastel power suits.

Dom enlisted celebrity agent Sharon Finnigan, who represents the likes of Jasmine Stefanovic and Phoebe Burgess, to manage her.

According to an insider, she attended a series of meetings with Sharon and expressed her desire to launch her own podcast and makeup range.

Girl power: Laura Byrne and Brittany Hockley's Life Uncut is currently Australia's most popular female podcast

'They think she is going to be a huge star, bigger than Martha Kalifatidis and Abbie Chatfield,' the source revealed.

Ella has also been extremely successful since finding fame on Married At First Sight this year.

With 594,000 Instagram followers, the Melbourne-based beauty is the most followed participant from her season.
She recently confirmed her brand new relationship.

And Rebel Wilson looked stunning as she showed off her fit physique after losing 35kg over the last two years.

The 42-year-old actress took to Instagram on Friday to flaunt her trim figure in a black lace beach cover-up with a tiger print pattern.

Stunning: Rebel Wilson looked stunning as she showed off her incredible curves at the beach this week after losing 35kg over the last two years

Rebel was wearing a black swimsuit underneath and accessorised with a sun hat and golden reflective sunglasses.

The Pitch Perfect star was giving the camera a beaming smile as she posed for the shots.

The natural beauty had a fresh face glow and her blonde hair was kept tucked out of her face.

Stylish: The 42-year-old actress took to Instagram on Friday to flaunt her figure in a black lace beach cover up with a tiger print pattern

The Aussie comedian recently confirmed she was 'happily in a relationship'.

Rebel, who previously had little luck on dating apps, was introduced to her new partner through a mutual friend who thought they 'would hit it off'.

She did not reveal the man's identity, however she did reveal on the U Up? podcast that things were already getting serious for the couple.

'I am now happily in a relationship I met them at a friend's set-up,' Rebel told hosts Jordana Abraham and Jared Freid.

Accessories: Rebel was wearing a black swimsuit underneath and accessorised with a sun hat and golden reflective sunglasses

Earlier this year Rebel shared with Apple Fitness+ the very simple way she lost 35kg (5.5 stone) during her 'Year of Health' in 2020.

She admitted that walking has actually been her secret weapon for weight loss and has replaced high intensity workouts.

Rebel said a doctor at a health retreat had advised her to take up walking, insisting it was the 'best way' for her to shed the kilos.

As seen in 2013: She told People that when she discussed fertility treatments with her doctor: 'He looked me up and down and said: "You'd do much better if you were healthier"'

The actress recently shared that her staggering weight loss of over 35kg was inspired by her desire to become a mother.

For years she has been candid about the fact that she was looking at the prospect of freezing her eggs. But when she visited a fertility doctor, he told her it would be best if she got 'healthier' before she started thinking about a family.

And though the 42-year-old star is dating (she has yet to reveal her beau's name), she has considered becoming a parent alone.

'I would love to have a family. I'm just going for it by myself at the moment because of the biological clock,' she told People.

Then and now: Rebel is pictured at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival (left) and then on a red carpet in September 2021 (right) after her Year Of Health

'I only started thinking of fertility when I was 39 so you feel quite late but then there are women in their mid-40s who've been successful.'

Rebel added: 'Look at Janet Jackson, it's pretty inspiring,' referring to the fact Janet gave birth to her son when she was 50.

When she discussed fertility treatments with a doctor: 'He looked me up and down and said: "You'd do much better if you were healthier."'

Rebel confessed: I was taken aback. I thought: "Oh God, this's guy's so rude." He was right. I was carrying around a lot of excess weight.'

She shared: 'It's almost like I didn't think of my own needs. I thought of a future child's needs that really inspired me to get healthier.'
Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain were seen in costume on the set of the their upcoming film Mothers' Instinct in New Jersey.

On Friday the actresses, 39 and 45, slipped into character as best friends for the forthcoming thriller, which is set in the 1960s.

Anne wore a coiffed Jackie Kennedy-style dark brunette wig and Jessica was nearly unrecognizable with bleached blonde hair.

Lights, camera, action: Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain were seen in costume on the set of the their upcoming film Mothers' Instinct in New Jersey

Hathaway's cinched-waist light blue dress featured delicate lace trim and tied on the side with a pale purple satin ribbon. The short-sleeved, V-necked dress had side slits and appeared to be layered over a pair of matching pants.

For her part, Jessica turned heads in a halter-neck dress with multicolor stripes throughout. She teamed it with white pumps and a red lip.

Anne sported white quilted leather slippers and shielded her eyes with oversized black sunglasses.

She completed her retro look with a deep crimson lipstick and a string of pearls.

Retro: The 39-year-old actress wore a coiffed Jackie Kennedy-style dark brunette wig and a light blue dress when she was spotted filming scenes for the 1960s-set movie on Friday

In addition to starring, Anne is also producing the movie, which is being helmed by Belgian director Olivier Masset-Depasse (Sanctuary, Illegal).

The psychological thriller reunites Hathaway with her Interstellar castmate and 'incandescent buddy' Jessica Chastain, who produces and stars as Celine's neighbor/best friend Alice.

The Bulgari brand ambassador and the 45-year-old Oscar winner also co-starred in James Gray's film Armageddon Time, which received a seven-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival on May 19.

Mothers' Instinct is a remake of Masset-Depasse's own 2018 film Duelles starring Anne Coesens and Veerle Baetens.

'Life's perfect harmony is suddenly shattered after a tragic accident,' the logline for the American reboot read.

Behind the scenes: In addition to starring, Anne is also producing the movie, which is being helmed by Belgian director Olivier Masset-Depasse (Sanctuary, Illegal); both pictured here in June 2022

'Guilt, suspicion, and paranoia combine to unravel their sisterly bond, and a psychological battle of wills begins as the maternal instinct reveals its darker side.'

Both Mothers' Instinct and Duelles are loosely based on Barbara Abel's 2012 novel Derriere la Haine.

'It takes actors of Jessica and Anne's caliber to communicate the intricacy of these two roles,' Olivier, winner of the Cannes SACD Prize, said in a statement.

Blonde ambition: The psychological thriller reunites Hathaway with her Interstellar castmate and 'incandescent buddy' Jessica Chastain (pictured Wednesday), who produces and stars as Celine's neighbor/best friend Alice

Origin: Mothers' Instinct is a remake of Masset-Depasse's own 2018 film Duelles starring Anne Coesens (L) and Veerle Baetens (R)

'The relationship between a mother and child is the most powerful connection between two human beings. When this bond is severed, it calls into question conventional morality and even sanity.

'In the behind-closed-doors atmosphere of 1960s America, Mothers' Instinct becomes a terrifying, high-pressure powder keg.'

On May 11, Deadline reported that Neon (Pig, Titane, Spencer) has already acquired US rights to distribute Mothers' Instinct.
The excitement and anticipation can hardly be contained!

And the drama-filled dating show Love Island UK is going to hit TV screens earlier that expected.

The brand new season is set to begin in the UK on June 6, with Aussies able to watch from June 8 as the episodes drop daily on 9Now.

Tune in! Season eight of Love Island UK will be available for Aussie viewers to stream on 9Now from June 8

Cast: This year's Love Island contestants have been revealed as (L-R) Dami Hope, Paige Thorne. Amber Beckford, Luca Bish, Tasha Ghouri, Ikenna Ekwonna, Davide Sanclimenti and Gemma Owen. Liam Llewellyn, Indiyah Polack and Gemma Owen

For hardcore fans of the reality series, all episodes of Love Island UK and Love Island Australia are currently available for binging on 9Now.

As well as an earlier air date, another twist to this year's season is that it will be set back in Mallorca, Spain but in a whole new villa.

The new villa is brimming with neon colours and luxurious furnishings.

Hostess: Laura Whitmore (pictured) landed in Palma De Mallorca on Thursday as she prepares for her hosting duties once again

Amping up the drama: The fire pit area, where contestants couple up and are dumped from the villa, has been extended and a runway has been installed to intensify the drama

The villa is the perfect setting for sexy shenanigans with plenty of spaces for deep meaningful chats plus a workout area, an idyllic pool and dedicated glam stations.

Laura Whitmore landed in Palma De Mallorca on Thursday as she prepares for her hosting duties once again.

The comedian told OK! magazine: 'I know it's got a fire pit because I talked about that in the trailer and I imagine if there's more working out space it'll be the sexiest series we've ever had.'

The fire pit area, where contestants couple up and are dumped from the villa, has been extended and a runway has been installed to intensify the drama.

Perfection: The villa is the perfect setting for sexy shenanigans with plenty of spaces for deep meaningful chats plus a workout area, an idyllic pool and dedicated glam stations

Islanders this year have been spoilt with an array of beauty products in the bathroom and the girls' dressing room, including makeup, which has been specially matched to each one of their skin tones for picture-perfect selfies.

Producers have binned food eating challenges, and their collaborations with fast fashion brands such as Pretty Little Thing, as they strive to become more sustainably aware.

Mike added: 'We always try to be better as a conscious, environmentally friendly production and we try our best to do that.

'We shouldn't be wasting food in this day and age. I like the mouth-to-mouth transfer challenges; I still think they're fun, but the viewers think they're gross.'

Kitted out: Islanders this year have been spoilt with an array of beauty products in the bathroom and the girls' dressing room, including makeup, which has been specially matched to each one of their skin tones for picture-perfect selfies

Contenders: The line-up for Love Island 2022 has been revealed and among those hoping to find the one in the villa are the show's first ever deaf contestant, Michael Owen's daughter and a fishmonger who took a girl on a private plane for their first date (L-R Tasha Ghouri, Luca Bish, 23, Gemma Owen, 19)

Love Island's season 8 is also trying to be more inclusive with the first ever deaf contestant, model Tasha Ghouri from Thirsk.

Tasha experienced her first brush with fame when she modelled for a brand while wearing her cochlear implant last year.

She explained: 'I was in articles worldwide last year because I was modelling for a brand and my [cochlear] implant went viral on Twitter. It was in Bangladesh, America, India, so many places!'

Competitive: Describing her dating history as 'trash', Tasha admitted she may have to 'step on a few toes' to find the one for her'

When asked why she is single, Tasha admitted: 'I think guys get quite intimidated by me. Ive been on so many dates before but it just hasnt worked out for me. I havent found that click with somebody yet. I think Im waiting for that click moment and that spark, its all about the spark on the first date.'

Tasha has been unlucky in love so far but is hoping the villa will change things, saying: 'My dating life has been a shambles. This is an opportunity for me to find the one and have a great summer at the same time.

'Im definitely ready for a relationship. Im 23 now so Im ready to get to know someone, go on holidays and travel with them.'

Describing her dating history as 'trash', Tasha admitted she may have to 'step on a few toes' to find the one for her.

Coming soon: The brand new season is set to begin in the UK on June 6, with Aussies able to watch from June 8 as the episodes drop daily on 9Now
Nicole Kidman caused a stir online when she wore a Miu Miu micro skirt on the cover of Vanity Fair's February 2022 issue.

Speaking in conversation with Baz Luhrmann for Vogue Australia's June issue, Nicole, 54, revealed that she 'begged' magazine stylist Katie Grand to wear the fashion house's pleated micro mini low rise skirt.

Nicole explained how another outfit was picked out for her, but that she insisted on wearing the barely there number.

Addressing the controversy: Nicole Kidman, 54, revealed that she 'begged' to wear the viral Miu Miu micro skirt on the cover of Vanity Fair's February 2022 issue (pictured) after it caused a stir online

'I was like, "No, no, I like this one! Am I allowed to wear that?"' she recalled, adding that stylist Katie Grand had to ask whether she was serious.

Nicole continued: 'Katie was like, "You're willing to wear that?!" And I said, "Wear it?! I'm begging you to wear it!"'

The skimpiest of the micro mini skirts by Miu Miu costs around US $950 ($1,300 AUD) while a longer version can cost around US $1,150 (AU $1,500).

Adamant: Speaking in conversation with Baz Luhrmann for Vogue Australia's June issue, Nicole said she 'begged' magazine stylist Katie Grand to wear the fashion house's pleated micro mini low rise skirt, after an entirely different outfit was picked out for her

It's also been featured in Dazed Korea, Elle Korea, Interview Magazine, Vogue Czechoslovkia and i-D mag among other publications.

The skirt has also been spotted on A-listers out and about including Emma Corrin and Saweetie, and has been modelled by Zendaya and Hayley Bieber.

It's also become a social media sensation with the like of drag superstar Bimini Bon Boulash posing up a storm in the skirt on their Instagram story. The set has become so viral it even has its own Instagram page - @miumiuset.

Insistent: 'I was like, "No, no, I like this one! Am I allowed to wear that?"' Nicole recalled, adding that stylist Katie Grand had to ask whether she was serious. She continued: 'Katie was like, "You're willing to wear that?!" And I said, "Wear it?! I'm begging you to wear it!"'

Popular: Outside of glossy magazine covers, the skirt has been seen on Emma Corrin (right), who rocked a leather version for a night out with a friend

Designed by billionaire head of Miu Miu, Miuccia Prada, the skirt was recently described by Vogue as a 'naughty schoolgirlish design that's less of a skirt and more of a belt'.

Since debuting in their SS20 show in October in Paris, the skirt has resulted in dozens of memes - with one fashion follower joking on Instagram: 'I see that Miu Miu skirt more than my own family'.

Data from global search platform Lyst says the demand for mini skirts is at a three-year high.

Barely there: Designed by billionaire head of Miu Miu, Miuccia Prada, the skirt was recently described by Vogue as a 'naughty schoolgirlish design that's less of a skirt and more of a belt'. A model walks the runway during the Miu Miu Spring/Summer 2022 show in Paris

Despite being widely despised for their supremely unflattering cut, hip-hugging skirts made a surprise appearance in Miu Miu's spring 2022 showcase in Paris, almost 20 years since they were last seen on Noughties stars like Paris Hilton and Christina Aguilera.

The 'little sister' label of powerhouse Prada sent models down the runway in skirts so tiny they could be mistaken for a belt, with tummy-baring waistbands slung right beneath the hip bones.

Micro hemlines were also seen on Versace and D&G SS22 runways.

Model behaviour: Hailey Bieber showcased the micro skirt in Miu Miu's January campaign

According to Depop, searches for Micro Mini Skirts on their platform are up 23.2 per cent from last year.

And the viral set hasn't gone missed by the fashion set - with one taking to Twitter to write: 'There's not a day without seeing the Miu Miu ss22 set'

Another said: 'Taking a shot every time I see that Miu Miu set I'm about to give myself liver failure.'
Alison Hammond showed off her slimmed-down physique in stunning snaps on Friday as the This Morning team continued the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The presenter, 47, rocked a two-tone ensemble with a hot pink blouse topped with a cobalt blue blazer and matching fitted trousers in pictures shared to Instagram.

She teamed her sensational ensemble with a simple beaded necklace and a fun, multicoloured manicure.

Stunning: Alison Hammond, 47, showed off a slimmed down physique in social media snaps on Friday as the This Morning team continued the Platinum Jubilee celebrations

Glam: In another post to her 1.1 million followers, Alison showed off another stunning ensemble with a body-hugging, belted black dress and hot pink blazer

Her glam look was elevated by make-up by artist Mikey Phillips, who accentuated the star's beauty with dramatic lashes and a glossy taupe lip.

She styled the attire, captured in a repost from Mikey's Instagram Stories, with some sparkly white flats.

The TV personality wore her raven tresses down in chic face-framing waves.

Fun at work: The This Morning star also took to her Stories to sing a 'Platty Joobs' song, basking in the silliness with co-host Dermot O'Leary, who joined in

The presenter also took to her Stories to sing a 'Platty Joobs' song, basking in the silliness with her co-host Dermot O'Leary, who joined in.

In another post to her 1.1 million followers, Alison showed off another stunning ensemble with a body-hugging, belted black dress and hot pink blazer.

The outfit highlighted the presenter's recent weight loss, as many in the comments rushed to tell the star that she looks 'stunning', 'fabulous' and 'amazing'.

Looking good: The outfit highlighted the presenter's recent weight loss, as many in the comments rushed to tell the star that she looks 'stunning', 'fabulous' and 'amazing'

BBC presenter Vanessa Feltz said: 'Looking stunning beautiful friend.'

Elsewhere Lorraine star Ria Hebden wrote: 'Yes! Love this colour on you xx.'

Meanwhile actor O-T Fagbenle added: 'Loved meeting you! Where is our pic together?'

It comes after Alison candidly spoke about her weight and said although she might die 'a little bit sooner', she plans to live her life 'to the fullest'.

Getaway: It comes after Alison soaked up the sun in a colourful kimono as she enjoyed a quick trip to Cannes on Saturday

The TV star admitted she is trolled on a daily basis about her size but refuses to slim down for others as she likes taking up 'a little bit of extra space in the world'.

Speaking to Lorraine Kelly and her daughter Rosie Smith on the What If? podcast, Alison said she is going to try and eat healthier to avoid knee pain but added 'we're all going to die eventually'.

She vowed to live her life to the 'fullest' and promised that she was going to have a 'wonderful life' in the candid chat.

Alison said: 'I take a little bit of extra space in the world and I don't think I'm hurting anyone.
Lily James has denied reports she's planning to drop two new singles this summer as she hopes to move on from acting to become a popstar.

The actress, 33, recently transformed into Baywatch's Pamela Anderson for sex-tape drama Pam & Tommy, but has now hit back at reports she's planning a quest to conquer the charts.

It was previously reported that Lily has been preparing to release her music and set her eye on the charts for over a year but the Covid pandemic caused a delay to the launch.

Exciting news: Lily James has denied reports she's planning to drop two new singles this summer as she hopes to move on from acting to become a popstar

According to The Sun, it was thought that Lily would drop two tracks later this year after impressing with her 'great voice.'

A source previously said: 'She has written and performed two amazing songs with DJ Yoda, called Airplane Mode and Breathe.

'Lily was planning on releasing one last year but everything got delayed. Now she has decided to treat fans to two tracks rather than one.

Stellar: The star, 33, has been preparing to release her music for over a year but the Covid pandemic caused a delay (pictured in 2018 in Mamma Mia Here We Go Again)

'She loves singing and has a great voice. She cannot wait for people to hear what they come up with.'

Fans have previously heard the beauty showcase her sensational voice in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

In 2018, when the film was released her co-star Meryl Streep said: 'I had no idea Lily had these singing chops.

Icon: It comes after her recent portrayal of Pamela Anderson in the hit miniseries Pam & Tommy (Lily pictured in Pam & Tommy)

'Some people sing from the bottom of their feet right up. She shakes the rafters. She is amazing.'

Previously, the actress has credited the hit musical film for helping rediscover her passion for singing.

At the time she said: 'I loved singing as a kid and then I stopped and I would never get up and do karaoke.

'I lost my confidence and then suddenly I was forced to embrace it full throttle.'

It follows days after Lily reportedly could be set for another iconic role as she is being scoped out to play late model Anna-Nicole Smith inan upcoming biopic.

Wanted: It comes after show producer Patrik, 53, 'reached out' to Lily to propose another iconic role to play late model Anna-Nicole Smith inan upcoming biopic

The film is being created by the model's two best friends Patrik Simpson and Pol Atteu, who have 'reached out' to 33-year-old.

Talking to The Mirror, show producer Patrik admitted that he had reached out to the actress, dubbing her 'brilliant'.

He told the publication: 'Lily is amazingeverything she does is brilliant', hinting that she could be set to take on the role.
If you lived in Illinois between 2015 and 2022 and appeared in a picture on Google Photos, Google might be giving you a check soon.

The search giant has recently agreed to pay $100 million in a settlement agreement regarding a class-action lawsuit in Illinois over data privacy concerns from Google Photos app users, per Gizmodo.

The class-action lawsuit was filed sometime in 2019, per the submitted court document

Google vs. Illinois Class-Action Lawsuit Details

According to the plaintiffs of the class-action lawsuit, Google broke the state's Biometric Information Privacy Act, and that the company has been actively collecting, storing, and using the biometrics of millions of individuals in Illinois without informing them. They also added that these biometrics, which inclue face scans of people of which Google is based sued for, are uploaded to Google Photos.

Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act states that any private company collecting biometrics must have a publicly available written policy that states the duration the data will be kept and how it would be destroyed at the end of its life.

Read More: GM's Chevy Bolt EV Price Gets Significantly Cheaper  Is the Production Back?

The law also states that no private entity may collect, capture, purchase, receive through trade, or otherwise obtain a person's or a customer's biometric identifier or biometric information unless it informs the person in writing or that the person consents to the collection.

According to NBC Chicago, Google did not respond to its request for comment. Instead, Google stated it did not admit any wrongdoing as part of the settlement agreement and denied the claims made in the lawsuit.

How To Get A Part Of Google's Settlement Money

The class-action lawsuit resulted in a settlement agreement of $100 million, which Illinois residents can file a claim for a cut. However, an Illinois resident can only file for a claim of Google $100 million if they appeared in a picture on Google Photos between May 1, 2015 and April 25, 2022.

If you are one of those pesons, you can mail in a claim using the form on the settlement's website before September 24. All claims must be submitted by then to be eligible for payment.

The final payout per person will depend on the number of claims filed. However, if everyone who had their face appear on the Google Photos app filed a claim, everyone is likely to receive between $200 and $400 of Google $100 million settlement money. This payout is the amount after court fees, costs, and expenses are decucted.

"No one knows in advance how much each valid claim payment will be until the deadline for submitting claims passes and the Court awards the Fee and Expense Award and Service Payments," the settlement website stated.

Eligible persons could receive their payout within 90 days after the final approval hearing, which is scheduled on Sept. 29 at 10:30 AM. However, attorneys warn that Google could still petition for an appeal, which could delay the payout.

Related Article: Google Plus Data Litigation Settlement Will Disappoint Users: Data Leak Citims to get $2.15 Each
TikTok superstar Mikaela Testa has shut down speculation she's split with her long-term influencer boyfriend Atis Paul, 21.

The 22-year-old brunette bombshell sparked concern from fans earlier this week when she appeared without Atis in a TikTok clip filmed inside a Bali McDonald's.

OnlyFans star Mikaela revealed that she was doing a separate trip with her friends after her fans flocked to the comments section to ask whether they had broken up.

Are they still together? TikTok superstar Mikaela Testa, 22, has addressed split rumours with her long-time influencer boyfriend Atis Paul (both pictured), 21, after her followers expressed concern earlier this week

In the TikTok clip, Mikaela showed off her ample cleavage in a skimpy bikini which she teamed with a partially unbuttoned slinky dress on top.

While she was busy reviewing the food and drink on offer at McDonald's, her fans were quick to notice that Atis was nowhere to be seen.

'Did you guys break up?' one follower asked, to which she swiftly responded 'no' alongside a love heart emoji.

Other fans however were quick to ask whether she was in fact engaged to Atis, with the star wearing a sparkling diamond ring.

Usually inseparable: The brunette bombshell sparked concern from fans when she appeared without Atis in a TikTok clip filmed inside a Bali McDonald's

Concerned fans: While she was busy reviewing the food and drink on offer at McDonald's, her fans were quick to notice that Atis was nowhere to be seen with one asking, 'Did you guys break up?'

Shutting down speculation: Mikaela revealed that she was doing a separate trip with her friends and that they have definitely not split

Mikaela revealed that it's a promise ring Atis gave her three years ago when he asked her to be his girlfriend.

The social media sensation also responded to a fan during an Instagram Q&A on Saturday, when she was asked whether they are still together.

'Everything is fine, the questions are filled with this topic. I'm just spending some time away doing things for me and things I enjoy and spending time with friends. Don't worry. I talk to Atis all day everyday,' she said.

'Don't worry. I talk to Atis all day everyday': The social media sensation also responded to a fan during an Instagram Q&A on Saturday, when she was asked whether they are still together

Back in March, Mikaela admitted that she and Atis cheated on their exes when they first started dating.

Mikaela and Atis were both seeing other people when they secretly began hooking up about three years ago.

The curvaceous beauty spoke about the early days of their romance during a Q&A with her 251,000 Instagram followers at the time.

And there you have it: Other fans however were quick to ask whether she was in fact engaged to Atis, with the star wearing a sparkling diamond ring. Mikaela revealed it's not an engagement ring, but rather a promise ring

Scandalous: Back in March, OnlyFans star Mikaela admitted that she and Atis cheated on their exes when they first started dating. Mikaela and Atis were both seeing other people when they secretly began hooking up about three years ago

A fan asked if the couple had 'cheated on your ex's [sic] with each other?'

Mikaela responded with a photo of herself in a bikini while kissing Atis in the ocean, and simply wrote: 'Yes.'

The genetically blessed pair, who live on the Gold Coast, are two of Australia's most successful - and controversial - influencers.

Atis, a 'crypto bro' who is reportedly worth millions, is the brother of fellow influencer Anna Paul, who, like Mikaela, has a huge following on OnlyFans.

Hard questions: During an Instagram Q&A, a fan asked if the couple had 'cheated on your ex's [sic] with each other?' Mikaela responded with a photo of herself in a bikini while kissing Atis in the ocean, and simply wrote: 'Yes'

Mikaela, who makes about $160,000 a month selling X-rated content on OnlyFans, only just returned to Instagram after a previous ban.

She had her hugely popular account suspended for posting raunchy content, but has since started a new one that has amassed more than 250,000 followers.

According to Instagram's terms of service, accounts that violate the platform's community guidelines may be permanently banned without warning.

Racy: The genetically blessed pair, who live on the Gold Coast, are two of Australia's most successful - and controversial - influencers

There is no way to retrieve an account once it has been permanently banned.

Mikaela was banned from TikTok in 2020 for breaching 'multiple community guidelines'.

Her content, which includes videos of sexual acts, is not censored on OnlyFans.
Doc Antle, a wild animal trainer featured in the popular 'Tiger King' series on Netflix, has been arrested by the FBI in South Carolina on money laundering charges.

According to TMZ, the 62-year-old was booked in Horry County just after 3:30 p.m. local time Friday, with federal law enforcement sources confirming 'the charges have to do with money laundering.'

The owner of Myrtle Beach Safari - born Bhagavan Antle - is set to appear in court next week.

Arrested: Tiger King star Doc Antle, 62, has been arrested in South Carolina earlier today on money laundering charges according to TMZ, and is set to appear in court next week

This is not the first legal issue Antle - who has long been the target of criticism over his wildlife tropical preserve - has faced.

In October 2020, the American animal trainer was indicted for felony wildlife trafficking in Virginia, after he allegedly trafficked lion cubs between South Carolina and Virginia.

As per the state's attorney general, Doc was charged with one felony count of wildlife trafficking, one felony count of conspiracy to wildlife traffic, and 13 misdemeanor charges relating to animal cruelty and the Endangered Species Act.

Legal issues: In October 2020, the animal trainer was indicted for felony wildlife trafficking in Virginia, after he allegedly trafficked lion cubs between South Carolina and Virginia

Doc's daughters, Tawny Antle and Tilakum Watterson, were also charged with misdemeanors.

Tawny was charged with one misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals, while Tilakum was charged with two misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals and two misdemeanor counts of violating the Endangered Species Act.

Doc told TMZ at the time: 'I am terribly shocked and disappointed at the charges that have been filed against me by the Commonwealth of Virginia, and how they have sought to involve my daughters in this matter.'

Ongoing criticism: He's also faced criticism from PETA for allowing celebrity guests like Beyonce, Floyd Mayweather, and Larsa Pippen to physically interact with wild animals

He went on to 'categorically deny' the charges as well as 'any act or conduct that could ever be considered as 'animal cruelty.''

He's also faced criticism from PETA for allowing celebrity guests like Beyonce, Floyd Mayweather, and Larsa Pippen to physically interact with wild animals at his park.

Antle found worldwide fame after he was featured in the 2020 Netflix documentary Tiger King, which premiered in March.

The show follows the bitter rivalry between Joseph 'Joe Exotic' Maldonado-Passage - who is the currently imprisoned founder of the infamous Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma - and Carole Baskin, the owner of Big Cat Rescue in Florida.

His claim to fame: Antle found worldwide fame after he was featured in the 2020 Netflix documentary Tiger King, which premiered in March

Antle is portrayed as Joe's mentor. He is also shown to have a cult-like approach to business, as a polygamist with a string of devoted female employee followers.

The California native was also part of Britney Spears' iconic 2001 I'm a Slave 4 U VMAs performance, during which he was the animal handler.

Spears, 40, started the show inside a cage with Antle and a liger - a hybrid of a tiger mother and lion father - then walked onto the stage where she danced with a python wrapped around her shoulders.

According to his website, he has also worked as an animal handler on films including Ace Ventura, Dr. Doolittle, Mighty Joe Young and The Jungle Book.
All eyes were on Johnny Depp this week when he won his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard, who publicly accused him of domestic violence.

And now fans of the actor are desperate to get their hands on a particular pair of sunglasses, after The Daily Telegraph's Confidential revealed that the 58-year-old wore Australian eyewear brand AM six times during the trial.

Depp wore the $280 (AUD) limited-edition Ava style, which features a beige rim and blue lenses.

Revealed: The Australian brand Johnny Depp wore six times during his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard - with fans offering 'all sorts of money' to get their hands on the look. Depp, 58, is pictured outside court in Virginia on May 27

AM founder Simon Kumar Ponnusamy told Confidential on Saturday that Depp most likely purchased the sunglasses eight years ago, with the brand rarely gifting out freebies to celebrities.

'We only released 75 of the frame he is wearing as it was a limited edition, we think he bought them because we don't really gift celebrities,' he said.

While they have been inundated with emails from people 'offering all sorts of money' to get their hands on a pair, Simon told Confidential that they have no plans on re-releasing the style.

Trendy eyewear: Depp wore the $280 (AUD) limited-edition Ava style, which features a beige rim and blue lenses during the trial. AM founder Simon Kumar Ponnusamy told The Daily Telegraph's Confidential on Saturday that Depp most likely purchased the sunglasses himself, with the brand rarely gifting out freebies. Pictured on May 18

Hard to come by: While they have been inundated with emails from people 'offering all sorts of money' to get their hands on a pair, Simon told Confidential that they have no plans on re-releasing the style. Depp is pictured on June 1 after his defamation win

This contradicts the brand's Instagram post on Thursday where they asked their followers whether they should 'remake this frame even though its popularity stems from somebody else's hardships?'

Depp's choice to wear sunglasses would no doubt have been noticed by his fans, with it being revealed during the trial that Depp told Heard in 2016 that she would 'never see his eyes again' after she publicly accused him of domestic violence.

Depp sued Heard, 36, for $50million over a 2018 piece she had written that alleged she was a victim of domestic abuse.

Seeking opinions: This contradicts the brand's Instagram post on Thursday where they asked their followers whether they should 'remake this frame even though its popularity stems from somebody else's hardships?'

Heard countersued him for $100million, claiming that Depp's lawyer Adam Waldman made defamatory statements by calling her claims a 'hoax'.

Depp won the suit and was awarded $15million  $10million in compensation and $5million in punitive damages.

Heard won just one of her three countersuit claims, which related to statements made by Depp's lawyer suggesting she and friends had trashed their apartment before calling the police out.

She was awarded $2million in compensatory damages out of the $100million she was seeking in her countersuit against her ex-husband and received zero dollars in punitive damages.

Mammoth trial: Depp sued ex-wife Heard, 36, for $50million over a 2018 piece she had written that alleged she was a victim of domestic abuse. The actress is pictured on June 1

The judge later reduced Depp's $5million punitive damages award to the Virginia maximum of $350,000, reducing Depp's total to $10,350,000  minus the $2million he was ordered to pay Heard.

It means Depp walks away from the case with $8.35million.

He chose not to hear the verdict in person, which was announced at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia on Wednesday.

Instead he went out for drinks with Beck and fellow musician Sam Fender at The Bridge Tavern pub in Newcastle, before returning to the stage to support the English guitarist on tour the following day.
The Bachelor's Locky Gilbert and Irena Srbinovska are officially engaged.

The happy couple, who met on the Channel 10 dating series, confirmed the good news in a joint Instagram post on Saturday.

'Mrs Gilbert has a nice ring to it,' Irena, 32, captioned the post.

It's official! The Bachelor's Locky Gilbert and Irena Srbinovska are officially engaged. The happy couple confirmed the good news in a joint Instagram post on Saturday

The couple got engaged in front of Mackenzie Falls at Grampians National Park, and shared a kiss in front of the falls after Locky popped the question.

The pair were both rugged up in activewear and puffer jackets, indicating that they'd been out hiking in the area.

Irena also showed off her stunning diamond engagement ring, which was from Larsen Jewellery.

A number of reality stars posted well-wishes in the comments, including Love Island's Dom Thomas, The Bachelor's Anna Heinrich, Former Bachelorette Georgia Love and her husband Lee Elliott, and Survivor star David Genat.

Bling: Irena also showed off her stunning diamond engagement ring, which was from Larsen Jewellery

Anna wrote: 'OMG CONGRATULATIONS. So happy for you both xx.'

Lee posted: 'Such incredible news!! Massive congratulations to you both!!'

Georgia added: 'AAAHHHHH!!!! Congratulations guys!!!'

Former Bachelor star Alisha Aitken-Radburn also commented: 'OMG YESSSS!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS YOU TWO BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE.'

Congratulations! A number of reality stars posted well-wishes in the comments, including Love Island's Dom Thomas, The Bachelor's Anna Heinrich, Former Bachelorette Georgia Love and her husband Lee Elliott, and Survivor star David Genat

It comes after the couple purchased their first home together in Perth.

The couple took to Instagram last month to share the exciting news - telling fans they will soon commence renovations.

'We bought a house!! Let the celebrations sorry renovations begin,' wrote Locky and Irena.

Renovator's delight: Locky and Irena recently purchased their first home together in Perth last month

'It's taken us a while to find our perfect (renovators dream) home in our favourite location but we got there and we are so excited to make this our home.'

The couple went on to say they are happy to finally set down some roots after their lengthy travels since falling in love on the show.

'We are super eager to see what the future has in store for us and it's good to finally set some roots after all our travels,' they wrote.

'Now let the renovations begin but first a quick celebratory drink or two.'

Let's celebrate: 'It's taken us a while to find our perfect home in our favourite location but we got there and we are so excited to make this our home,' Irena wrote

The news comes just one month after the pair dampened talk of a split after they bizarrely unfollowed each other on Instagram.

Split rumours first emerged in January, after Irena announced that she had left Locky behind in Perth and returned to her home city of Melbourne.

Friends close to the couple previously told Daily Mail Australia that they wouldn't be surprised if they had split when she relocated back to Melbourne and decided to keep it low-key.

Speculation: The engagement comes just months after the pair were embroiled in split rumours

They also claimed that Irena had been 'a lot more stressed out than normal in the past few weeks'.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia in April, Locky refuted claims of a breakup.

'We haven't unfollowed each other at all,' he said, seemingly unaware that Irena had temporarily blocked him on Instagram.

Irena had relocated from Perth to Melbourne in January, after telling fans she'd been 'struggling being away' from her family in Victoria.

The couple met on season eight of The Bachelor back in 2020, with Locky choosing Irena over aspiring Instagram model Bella Varelis.

Smitten: Locky declared his love for Irena on The Bachelor in 2020, choosing her over runner-up Bella Varelis in the finale

In an episode of SAS Australia in March, which was filmed last year, Locky fought back tears as he couldn't imagine life without Irena.

Locky and his fellow recruits were tasked with writing a 'death letter' - a letter to their loved ones in the event of their death - as part of a brutal psychological challenge.

While the challenge was done on SAS Australia for dramatic purposes, similar letters are penned by real-life Special Forces soldiers in the battlefield in case they don't make it home alive.

'Without you, I have nothing': In an episode of SAS Australia in March, which was filmed last year, Locky fought back tears as he couldn't imagine life without Irena

Locky was on the verge of tears as he read out his letter to the other recruits.

'Dear the best thing that's ever happened to me in my whole entire life, Irena,' he began.

'I love you more than I can say. What matters most is not my desires and my ambitions, it's our future together. Without you in it, I have nothing.'

Brutal: Locky and his fellow recruits had to write a letter to their loved ones in the event of their death. He chose to write a letter to Irena

The Australian Survivor star went on to reveal the importance of family in his life.

'Please tell mum and Bon, my sister, I love and miss them so much, and when I get back I'll make more of an effort to stay in contact. There needs to be more family in my life and that starts with me.'

Locky concluded: 'Irena, you are my everything. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you so much. Locky.'
Cara Santana turned more than a few heads as she stepped out in Los Angeles to run a few errands on Friday.

The actress made her way around town in a very unique-looking black suit that consisted of an oversized blazer vest and a pair of flared trousers.

She layered her vest over a tiny black bralette that poked out from under her stylish outerwear as she strolled from place to place.

Stunner: Cara Santana turned more than a few heads as she stepped out in Los Angeles to run a few errands on Friday

She gave her look an added edge with a pair of treaded black leather loafers.

Santana toted her essentials in a small black accordion purse and was completed devoid of jewelry.

Wearing her brunette hair back in a sleek bun, the Be The Light star made her flawless makeup-free face the focus.

Unique: The actress made her way around town in a very unique-looking black suit that consisted of an oversized blazer vest and a pair of flared trousers

Peek-a-boo: She layered her vest over a tiny black bralette that poked out from under her stylish outerwear as she strolled from place to place

Later in the evening on Friday, Santana took to her Instagram page and posted a video of herself striking various poses in her stylish all-black ensemble.

'A simple black summer suit for an easy pulled together look by @zara,' the Texas native explained about the ensemble in the caption, while adding a clip from the Post Malone song I Like You (A Happier Song) (featuring Doja Cat).

'Add a loafer for elevated sophistication.'

Minimalist: Santana toted her essentials in a small black accordion purse and was completed devoid of jewelry

Natural beauty: Wearing her brunette hair back in a sleek bun, the Be The Light star made her flawless makeup-free face the focus

Earlier on Friday morning, Santana shared a video of herself doing work on season two of the narrative thriller podcast Borrasca.

'Nothing like being back with you @qcodemedia recording #Borrasco [sic] S2 starring @colesprouse from the comfort of you make shift at home recording studio Cant wait for you all to hear what happens. ' she wrote in the caption.

The Borrasca podcast, starring Cole Sprouse, is slated to premiere later this year across all major podcast platforms.

Santana is also currently in the pre-production phase of her film, Steps, which she wrote.

Strike a pose: Later in the evening on Friday, Santana took to her Instagram page and posted a video of herself striking various poses in her stylish all-black ensemble

Passion project: Santana is in the pre-production phase of her film, Steps, which she wrote

The story is said to revolve around the intersecting lives of New Yorkers with drug addictions.

It appears Santana was able to draw inspiration from her own experiences considering she herself dealt with addiction earlier in her life and recently revealed that she's now 18 years clean and sober.

Santana has been dating Shannon Leto, who's the drummer for the band Thirty Seconds To Mars and brother of Jared Leto.

She had been in a longterm relationship with actor Jesse Metcalfe, but they broke off their engagement in 2020 after nearly 13 years together.

Thriller: Earlier on Friday morning, Santana shared a video of herself doing work on season two of the thriller podcast series Borrasca
The guitarist for the popular country music band Rascal Flatts has reportedly pleaded guilty to driving under the influence.

Joe Don Rooney, 46, was charged after he crashed his vehicle into a tree near Nashville, Tennessee last September.

According to WKRN, the musician entered a guilty plea earlier this week and was sentenced to two days in jail.

Legal troubles: The guitarist for the popular country music band Rascal Flatts has reportedly pleaded guilty to driving under the influence

Furthermore, Joe will lose his license, but he will be granted the opportunity to apply for a restricted driver's license for a car that has a built-in breathalyzer, The Tennessean reported.

The outlet also noted that his remaining sentence of eleven months and 27 days was suspended.

Last year Rooney was booked into the Williamson County Jail just after 4AM on a Thursday after wrecking his vehicle.

He was released about three hours later after posting a $2,500 bond, according to online records.

Mishap: Rooney was charged after he crashed his vehicle into a tree near Nashville, Tennessee last September; seen in Nashville in 2021

The musician, who helped found Rascal Flatts with second cousins Gary LeVox (lead vocals), and Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals) in 1999, reportedly did not suffer any serious injuries.

Back in January 2020, the group announced they were going to breakup after 21 years together, and that they would head out on a farewell tour dubbed: Rascal Flatts Farewell: Life Is A Highway Tour 2020.

During the announcement on CBS This Morning, they also promised to release new music.

But then on May 19 the farewell tour was indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Disbanding: In January 2020, Rascal Flatts announced they were breaking up after a farewell tour that has since been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic; seen in 2019

Later, in Jun, they dropped the single How They Remember You.

The band's sound has been described as a mix of country tradition with a pop spirit and arena rock.

During their two-decade run they released 10 original studio albums, plus a Christmas-themed album between 2000 and 2017.

They scored 31 top ten hits on Billboard's country airplay chart, including 14 No. 1 songs, resulting in more than 23 million albums sold.

Longtime couple: Rooney and wife Tiffany Fallon, the Miss USA 2001 runner-up and Playboy's 2005 Playmate Of The Year, have been married for 15 years; seen in Nashville in September 2017

So far the band has not officially announced if and when they will reschedule the farewell tour before disbanding.

Rooney is married to Tiffany Fallon, the Miss USA 2001 runner-up and Playboy's 2005 Playmate Of The Year.

The couple, who celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary this past April, have three children: son Jagger and daughters Raquel and Devon.
News has surfaced that outspoken media celebrity Eddie McGuire may have signed a new deal with Channel Nine.

The report comes after rumours surfaced earlier this week that the 57-year-old journalist-turned-TV-executive might return to his old network, Channel 10.

It is now believed that Eddie will be fronting major events for the Nine network, as well as continuing to host TV game show Millionaire Hot Seat and AFL talk-show Footy Classified, reports The Herald Sun.

Nine is still the one: News has surfaced that outspoken media veteran Eddie McGuire (pictured) may have signed a new deal with Channel Nine

Rumours of a career move were triggered for the TV star when it was understood Channel 10 had invited Eddie to host the network's Melbourne Cup coverage.

Eddie began his media career at 17 as a cadet at the 10 Network in the 1980s.

According to The Herald Sun report, Eddie's new deal with Nine won't disrupt his plans to be trackside for Channel 10 in November for the Cup.

Veteran: The report comes after rumours surfaced earlier this week that the 57-year-old journalist-turned-TV-executive might return to his old network, Channel 10. Pictured: Eddie broadcasting on his old radio network Triple M

Eddie was recently asked to confirm the rumour about the Channel 10 offer, live on air during Nine's Footy Classified, but the star refused to comment.

When pressed about his potential role, he simply said: 'We'll see what happens.'

For the moment, Channel Nine doesn't have any broadcast rights for horse racing.

In the limelight: It is now believed that Eddie will be fronting major events for the Nine network, as well as continue to host TV game show Millionaire Hot Seat and AFL talk show Footy Classified reports The Herald-Sun Picture; Eddie as seen on Millionaire Hot Seat

The news comes after the media personality returned to radio as a regular guest on Neil Mitchell's popular 3AW morning show.

'He is a free agent and a loose cannon. What else could you ask for?' Mitchell told The Herald Sun of McGuire.

'Eddie and I have been discussing, arguing, laughing together for probably 30 years, so why don't we put it on air?' he continued.

Slick: Rumours were triggered of a career move for the sometimes controversial TV star when it was understood Channel 10 had invited Eddie to host the network's Melbourne Cup coverage Pictured: Eddie as seen during Shane Warne's televised memorial in March, 2022

Mitchell said their fortnightly segment would be called The Ideas Factory.

'It is about ideas,' he explained. 'Eddie is always good for an idea. I usually have a few. We can throw them around and agree or disagree or whatever.'

Mitchell's 3AW show is one of the highest-rated programs on radio.

McGuire wrapped up 11 years on Triple M Melbourne's The Hot Breakfast in late 2020.

Return to radio: The news comes after Eddie returned to radio as a regular guest on Neil Mitchell's popular 3AW morning show. Pictured: Neil Mitchell

The former Collingwood president said at the time he had been 'hurting for a while' with the weight of the decision to leave radio.

McGuire joined Triple M in 1988 as a young journalist and had been hosting the Hot Breakfast show since 2009.

'Always in the build-up to any announcement like this you convince yourself five times over to keep going, to not go, to keep going, to not go, because you love doing the show, but it has been hurting for a while,' he said.
Sofia Richie and Petra Ecclestone looked typically chic as they dined at Italian restaurant Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica on Friday.

The model, 23, cut a trendy figure in a black velvet long-sleeved top which she coordinated with a pair of baggy suit trousers and purple heels.

Meanwhile the socialite, 33, donned a classic white T-shirt and a black leather jacket while donning a similar pair of trousers and unmissable green heels.

Emerging: Sofia Richie (left) and Petra Ecclestone (right) looked typically chic as they dined at Italian restaurant Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica on Friday

Lionel Ritchie's daughter toted her essentials around in a charcoal leather handbag while Bernie Ecclestone's offspring opted for an eye-popping green accessory.

Her blonde tresses cascaded down her shoulders, and she looked glam with a hint of bronze eyeshadow and nude lipgloss on her pout.

Flashing her giant sparkler, Sofia's fiance Elliot Grainge matched her in a black sweater and trousers, along with black sneakers and glasses.

Farewell: Meanwhile the socialite, 33, who kissed her pal goodbye, donned a classic white T-shirt and a black leather jacket while donning a similar pair of trousers

Following closely was Petra's fiance Sam Palmer who looked dapper in a black bomber jacket, which he layered above a coordinating top and navy jeans.

Appearing to be in high spirits, Sofia and Petra kissed one another goodbye before heading off home.

Back in 2019, Nicole's sister attended Petra's hen party before she postponed her nuptials to Sam for reasons which are unknown.

The fashion designer celebrated her then-forthcoming wedding with all the trimmings  namely a tiara, a bride to be sash and some rather risque props.

Out of this world: The model, 23, cut a trendy figure in a black velvet long-sleeved top which she coordinated with a pair of baggy suit trousers and purple heels

Gorgeous: She wore an all-black ensemble for the night, and was seen showing off the massive sparkler on her hand as she fussed with her hair

Suave: Sofia's fiance Elliot Grainge (left) matched her in a black sweater and trousers, while Petra's fiance Sam Palmer (right) looked dapper in a black bomber jacket

She shares her daughter Lavinia, nine, and twin sons Andrew and James, 7, with her ex husband James Stunt, who she was married to between 2011 and 2017.

It comes after Sofia and Elliot celebrated their new relationship status with an engagement party, where she stunned in a white and floral print Bernadette dress with white platform heels.

The social media sensation shared photos from the event to her Instagram, featuring her future husband in a cream-colored double-breasted suit with a crisp white shirt.

The party was also attended by her siblings Nicole Richie, 40 - who came with rocker husband Joel Madden, 43 - and Miles Richie, 28.

Old pals: Back in 2019, Nicole's sister attended Petra's (left) hen party before she postponed her nuptials to Sam for reasons which are unknown

In the caption she said she was 'obsessed' with her better half who is the CEO of indie record label 10K Projects and works with Trippie Redd and Tekashi 6ix9ine.

His father is Universal Music Group chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge who has worked with Elton John and Katy Perry.

The model shared her engagement news on social media on April 20 with photos from the romantic candle lit proposal.

Showcasing her new diamond ring in a post, Sofia declared: 'Forever isnt long enough.'

The outdoor proposal went down at sunset with photos showing a shocked Sofia standing with her hands over her face as Elliot got down on one knee.

Grainge curated a romantic scene, placing himself and Richie on a bed of white flower petals surrounded by dozens of cream colored candles in glass vases.

Sofia shared a snap from the big moment on social media followed by one of the pair sharing a kiss. In the second photo, a large emerald cut diamond ring rested on her left hand.

Sofia has been dating Elliot for a year. The pair were initially spotted in each other's company last year, and they went Instagram official in March.
Tegan Kynaston held a baby shower on Saturday and she didn't stick to tradition.

The pregnant fiancee of radio host Kyle Sandilands, 50, invited along her husband-to-be in addition to the usual female guests.

In a photo shared to Facebook by Kyle's manager Bruno Bouchet, the shock jock beamed as be posed alongside a cake decorated with a blue drip.

All in: Tegan Kynaston (centre) held a baby shower on Saturday and she didn't stick to tradition. The pregnant fiancee of radio host Kyle Sandilands (left) invited along her husband-to-be in addition to the usual female guests. Pictured with Jackie 'O' Henderson (right)

Tegan, 35, showing off her baby bump in a fitted gold dress, laughed as she stood with Kyle's KIIS FM co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson.

She wore her blonde hair in an old Hollywood wave style, had on glamorous makeup and sunglasses.

Kyle kept things casual in a black long-sleeved jumper and matching pants, as well as sneakers.

Party: Jackie also shared further images from the party, as she posed with Kyle, Tegan and a group of friends

Lovely: Also pictured was the elaborate display on the day, including blocks spelling out the name 'Otto' and lots of balloons. Kyle had earlier revealed that he and his wife-to-be have decided to name their unborn son Otto

Jackie meanwhile dressed up for the occasion, in a a blue satin skirt under an oversized pearl toned blazer.

The radio star also shared further images from the party, as she posed with Kyle, Tegan and a group of friends.

Also pictured was the elaborate display on the day, including blocks spelling out the name 'Otto' and lots of balloons.

Moves: Last month Kyle revealed he had purchased a home for the couple in Western Sydney

Kyle had earlier revealed that he and his wife-to-be have decided to name their unborn son Otto.

Last month Kyle revealed he had purchased a home for the couple in Western Sydney.

'I have just bought some big old mansion on acreage out west. We are going to turn it into a Hamptons style home,' he said.

Love: Kyle and Tegan announced they were expecting their first child together back in February, with the baby due in August

'I haven't quite managed to get Tegan out of the eastern suburbs yet and away from the synagogue,' he added.

Kyle and Tegan announced they were expecting their first child together back in February, with the baby due in August.

'We're having a baby! We are having a friggin' baby. I couldn't be happier,' he said on KIIS FM's The Kyle & Jackie O Show.

Aww: Speaking on the radio show, Tegan said that Kyle had been 'very emotional' since finding out he was going to be a first-time father

Speaking on the radio show, Tegan said that Kyle had been 'very emotional' since finding out he was going to be a first-time father.

The expectant couple later found out they were expecting a boy during an elaborate gender reveal party held on a superyacht on Sydney Harbour that same month.

'The best surprise we could have asked for. This was the most incredibly special, emotional and happy day for Kyle and I,' Tegan later wrote on Instagram.

Sweet: Earlier this month, the couple surprised Kyle's longtime radio co-host and friend Jackie 'O' Henderson by asking her to be the godmother of his child

Kyle and Tegan got engaged in Port Douglas over the Christmas holidays, just two months before they announced their baby news.

Before dating Tegan, Kyle was with ex-girlfriend Imogen Anthony for eight years until they called it quits in 2019.

Earlier this month, the couple surprised Kyle's longtime radio co-host and friend Jackie 'O' Henderson by asking her to be the godmother of his child.

The lovebirds asked Jackie live on-air, with Jackie immediately accepting the role.
Hollywood descended on Queensland on Saturday night.

The stars of Baz Luhrmann's Elvis biopic, including Tom Hanks, Austin Butler and Olivia DeJonge arrived at Event Cinemas Pacific Fair for the glittering Australia premiere of the hotly anticipated film.

Tom cut a dapper figure in a well-tailored suit in a slate grey tone, paired with a crisp white shirt.

Star power: Hollywood descended on Queensland on Saturday night for the premiere of Baz Luhrmann's Elvis biopic. Pictured: Tom Hanks

The 65-year-old showed off his ageless visage as he posed before glittering signage for the film.

Tom, who completed his look with a pair of black suede shoes, plays Elvis' manager Colonel Tom Parker in the film.

Also on the red carpet was the man of the hour, Austin Butler, who takes on the role of the King of Rock and Roll in the drama.

Cool: Tom cut a dapper figure in a well-tailored suit in a slate grey tone, paired with a crisp white shirt

Looking good: The 65-year-old showed off his ageless visage as he posed before glittering signage for the film

Star: Tom, who completed his look with a pair of black suede shoes, plays Elvis' manager Colonel Tom Parker in the film

Catch him while you can! The actor was very animated on the red carpet

Austin posed alongside his co-star, Australian actress Olivia DeJonge, who depicts Priscilla Presley.

Olivia, 24, was chic in a white suit that included a slim cut blazer and wide leg trousers.

She added a pair of silver heels with a chunky platform for a touch of retro energy to the look.

Lookalike: Also on the red carpet was the man of the hour, Austin Butler (left), who takes on the role of the King of Rock and Roll in the drama. Austin posed alongside his co-star, Australian actress Olivia DeJonge (right), who depicts Priscilla Presley

On trend: Olivia, 24, was chic in a white suit that included a slim cut blazer and wide leg trousers

Stunner: For makeup, Olivia chose a peachy palette with warm tones

Happy pair: The co-stars exchanged warm looks as they posed for photos

The actress went light on accessories, adding a silver gemstone necklace and matching ring.

For makeup, Olivia chose a peachy palette with a rust eye shadow and soft coral toned lipstick.

She completed her look by wearing her caramel locks silky smooth and softly waved.

Wow: She added a pair of silver heels with a chunky platform for a touch of retro energy

Details: The actress went light on accessories, adding a silver gemstone necklace and matching ring

Stunner: She chose a rust eye shadow and soft coral toned lipstick

Gorgeous: She completed her look by wearing her caramel locks silky smooth and softly waved

Austin, 30, who is a dead ringer for Elvis, looked very dapper indeed in a glittering black jacket.

He matched the jacket with a slinky black shirt wore with several buttons undone to show off a glimpse of his chest.

Austin added a a pair of well-cut trousers to the ensemble, as well as pointed leather boots.

Dapper: Austin, 30, who is a dead ringer for Elvis, looked very dapper indeed in a glittering black jacket. He is pictured alongside Chaydon Jay, who plays a young Elvis in the film

Looking good: He matched the jacket with a slinky black shirt wore with several buttons undone to show off a glimpse of his chest

Director Baz Luhrmann made a scene-stealing appearance on the red carpet, donning a pair of pink silk trousers and a chunky Elvis belt.

He added a black top under a short leather jacket to his look, along with a natural pearl necklace.

The proud Australian filmmaker looked delighted as he posed alongside his stars on the red carpet.

Think pink: Director Baz Luhrmann (second from right) made a scene-stealing appearance on the red carpet

On fire: He added a black top under a short leather jacket to his look, along with a natural pearl necklace with a rhinestone pendant drop

Happy together: Baz's wife, costume designer Catherine Martin (far left) also turned heads in her eclectic ensemble

Glitz: Baz donned a pair of pink silk trousers and a chunky Elvis belt

Tom, Austin and Olivia were having a ball on the red carpet, laughing and joking together.

The film stars Tom as Elvis' manager Colonel Tom Parker, who was infamous for cheating the music icon out of a fair share of royalties for his songs.

But the actor believes that his alter ego should be recognised for his part in making Elvis a megastar.

Having fun: Austin and Olivia were having a ball on the red carpet, laughing and joking together

Storytime: The film stars Tom as Elvis' manager Colonel Tom Parker, who was infamous for cheating the music icon out of a fair share of royalties for his songs

Role: But the actor believes that his alter ego should be recognised for his part in making Elvis a megastar

Hanks said: 'I've heard from many people that he was a delightful guy, lit up every room'

'Was he a cheap crook who played fast and loose with the money? Yeah, (but) he brought joy to everything he did. With just a little bit of larceny' Hanks added

Hanks said: 'I've heard from many people that he was a delightful guy, lit up every room. Was he a cheap crook who played fast and loose with the money? Yeah, (but) he brought joy to everything he did. With just a little bit of larceny.

'Baz said there was no Elvis without Colonel Tom Parker, it was a completely symbiotic relationship.

'You have to give him credit and see the reality that the amount of ways Colonel Parker cheated people out of nickles and dimes was extraordinary.'

History: Luhrmann's movie follows Elvis from his childhood poverty through his emergence as a global superstar before his untimely death at the age of just 42 in 1977

Immersed: Director Baz has said he wants audiences to have an immersive experience when watching the film

The Moulin Rouge! director said: 'I want the audience who don't care about Elvis to feel what it was like to be there (when he first performed). He was the original punk rocker'

Where's my hug? Tom clowned around with his castmates

Luhrmann's movie follows Elvis from his childhood poverty through his emergence as a global superstar before his untimely death at the age of just 42 in 1977 and the director wants audiences to have an immersive experience when watching the film.

The Moulin Rouge! director said: 'I want the audience who don't care about Elvis to feel what it was like to be there (when he first performed). He was the original punk rocker.'

Also in attendance for the glittering premiere was Isabel Lucas, who made a vibrant appearance in a deep pink dress matched with red boots.

Tuning in: Also in attendance for the glittering premiere was Isabel Lucas (pictured)

Pretty in pink: She made a vibrant appearance in a deep pink dress

Lisa Curry brought along her husband Mark Tabone, who, as a professional Elvis impersonator, was in his element.

The athlete stunned in an ornate kaftan dress with metallic sequin details, as well as a rhinestone headband and lots of glistening accessories.

Mark meanwhile had on his Elvis-themed finery, including a fitted suit, black floral shirt worn partly open and of course an iconic chunky gold belt.

Fun: Lisa Curry brought along her husband Mark Tabone, who, as a professional Elvis impersonator, was in his element. Both pictured

Glittery: The athlete stunned in an ornate kaftan dress with metallic sequin details, as well as a rhinestone headband and lots of glistening accessories

He's loving it: Mark meanwhile had on his Elvis-themed finery, including a fitted suit, black floral shirt worn partly open and of course an iconic chunky gold belt

All white: Natalie Bassingthwaighte (pictured) stunned in a strapless white mini dress with abstract detailing and a towering pair of gold heels

Fancy: She chose a glamourous makeup look with a nude lipstick

Natalie Bassingthwaighte stunned in a strapless white mini dress with abstract detailing and a towering pair of gold heels.

Erin Holland wowed in a one-shoulder frock that clung to her model figure, paired with glittering silver heels.

Ellie Gonsalves brought the drama in a midnight black gown with a high slit spared with strappy heels.

Best foot forward: Erin Holland (pictured) wowed in a one-shoulder frock that clung to her model figure, paired with glittering silver heels

On show: She wore her brunette hair slicked off her face and chose a soft pink lipstick

Back in black: Ellie Gonsalves (pictured) brought the drama in a midnight black gown with a high slit spared with strappy heels

Made up: She chose a winged liner for her makeup palette along with a nude lipstick

Couple goals: Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk went along with boyfriend Dr Reza Adib and opted for a spangled blazer with bold sequins and leather trousers. Both pictured

Friends in high places: The pair mingled with director Baz

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk went along with boyfriend Dr Reza Adib and opted for a spangled blazer with bold sequins and leather trousers.

Actor David Wenham chose an eye-catching blazer for the occasion with an unusual pattern throughout, paired with trousers and boots.

Lincoln Lewis and his girlfriend Pandora Bonsor made a fine pair, with the actor opting for a white blazer while Pandora looked stunning in a fitted blue velvet dress.

A ball: Lincoln Lewis and his girlfriend Pandora Bonsor made a fine pair, with the actor opting for a white blazer while Pandora looked stunning in a fitted blue velvet dress. Both pictured
It's another milestone for Hyundai.

Hyundai's subsidiary, Avikus, has successfully conducted the world's first transoceanic voyage of a large merchant ship based on its autonomous navigation technology.

According to Yonhap News Agency, HD Hyundai said in a statement that Avikus, a wholly-owned unit of the South Korean shipbuilder, has successfully tested its own Level 2 autonomous navigation solution called HiNAS 2.0 on a 180,000 square-meter-class liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier.

On May 1, the Prism Courage left Freeport in the Gulf of Mexico. It used Avikus' AI-powered HiNAS 2.0 system to steer the vessel for half of its roughly 12,427-mile journey to the Boryeong LNG Terminal in South Korea's western Chungcheong Province, as per Engadget report.

Avikus Chief Promises to Lead Innovation by Upgrading Autonomous Navigation Solutions

According to Avikus Chief Executive Lim Do-hyeong, they will lead innovation by upgrading autonomous navigation solutions.

"It is meaningful that we have successfully tested the Level 2 system to operate a vessel beyond the Level 1 technology providing optimal routes. We will lead innovation by upgrading autonomous navigation solutions not only for large merchant ships but also for small leisure boats," Lim Do-hyeong said in the statement.

The LNG ship is operated by SK Shipping Co., an affiliate of chemical-to-construction conglomerate SK Group.

The company said that although the LNG ship is not an unmanned vessel, there was no interruption by crew members during the 10,000-kilometer autonomous navigation.

According to global market research firm Acute Market Reports, the autonomous navigation ships and related equipment market is expected to grow by an average rate of 12.6 percent a year to reach US$235.7 billion in 2028, as per Yonhap News Agency report.

HD Hyundai has Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. (KSOE) as a subholding company under its wing.

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co. and Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries Co are KSOE major affiliates.

Read Also: 2022 Hyundai Kona Redesign: First Look at the Electric SUV-Specs, Release Date, and MORE!

Avikus Will Soon Commercialize HiNAS 2.0

Avikus plans to commercialize HiNAS 2.0 by the end of the year.

Although fully AI-driven shipping is nowhere on the horizon, the company hopes its Level 2 autonomy will mitigate crew shortages and improve safety. Avikus also hopes that it will reduce the environmental impact of seaborne transportation.

In addition to giant merchant ships, the firm also expects to bring this navigation to leisure boats. Therefore, it possible that your next pleasure ride aboard a cabin cruiser or yacht might not always require someone at the helm.

Although the autonomy spared the crew some work, it definitely have helped the planet. According to Avikus, HiNAS' optimal route planning improved the Prism Courage's fuel efficiency by about seven percent, and reduced emissions by five percent, according to Engadget.

But the feat didn't quite usher in an era of zero-crew shipping. As most of the route was in the open sea, the other half of the trip still required human navigation.

For an autonomous ship, it would have been difficult to control the entire voyage, particularly in ports where docking and packed waterways would pose additional challenges.

Related Article: Hyundai Invests $79 Billion Towards Electric Vehicles; Here's Why!
Jennifer Garner, 50, kept her look casual as she stepped out on Friday to run some errands.

The actress was joined by her 10-year-old son Samuel, who she appeared to be taking to school.

She sported a pair of charcoal, camouflage joggers for the outing - paired with a simple black jumper.

Casual: Jennifer Garner, 50, cut a low-key figure in a pair of camouflage joggers as she ran errands with her son Samuel, 10, on Friday

Jennifer kept comfortable with navy blue and mint trainers, as she appeared make-up free for the outing.

Her brunette locks were styled in a brushed out curl as they fell freely to her shoulders, while she walked hand-in-hand with Samuel.

The youngster appeared to be heading for school, sporting a pair of navy trousers, a white polo shirt and a navy hoodie.

Comfortable: She sported a pair of charcoal, camouflage joggers for the outing - paired with a simple black jumper for the outing

Mum duties: The actress appeared to be taking her son to school, as he was laden with bags - with a brown satchel flung over his shoulder while grasping a black lunchbox

Laden with bags, Samuel had a brown satchel flung over his shoulder while he grasped a black lunchbox.

The mum-of-three held onto a hot drink in a takeaway plastic cup, while her hands were full with her keys and phone.

And following the drop off, Jennifer appeared to have a few more errands to run, acquiring a plastic carrier bag on the way home.

Beauty: Her brunette locks were styled in a brushed out curl as they fell freely to her shoulders, while she walked hand-in-hand with Samuel

Busy: The mum-of-three held onto a hot drink in a takeaway plastic cup, while her hands were full with her keys, phone and purse

She seemed in high spirits during the outing, laughing as she chatted on a phone call.

Jennifer is also mum to daughters Violet, 16, and Seraphina, 13 - who she shares with ex-husband Ben Affleck.

The pair met on the set of 2000 film Pearl Harbor, but 'fell in love' while filming movie Daredevil in 2002, officially getting together two years later.

But the pair split in 2015, with Jennifer noting that the had been split 'for months' before it was revealed, and their divorce being finalised in 2018.

The actress is currently in a relationship with entrepreneur John Miller, with the pair being on-off since 2018, whole Ben is back with previous ex Jennifer Lopez.

Family: Jennifer is also mum to daughters Violet, 16, and Seraphina, 13 (pictured left) - who she shares with ex-husband Ben Affleck
The filming of beloved Australian soap Neighbours is coming to an end, following its cancellation early this year after it lost its main UK broadcast partner Channel 5.

And a new report reveals the iconic series, which first aired in 1985, is using stand-ins - also known as body doubles - in order to complete scenes with two of the shows biggest names, Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan.

The pair famously appeared as husband and wife, Charlene and Scott Robinson, on the long running series, and lookalike versions of the iconic couple have been spotted on set recently, reports The Herald Sun.

Icons: Neighbours is using stand-ins - also known as body doubles - in order to complete scenes with two of the shows biggest names, Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, a new report revealed on Friday. Pictured in the soap in the 1980s

The actors filmed their scenes for the much anticipated final episode in half a day on April 28.

Later, TikTok footage emerged of the 'doubles', one of which donned a curly wig, which was shot some days later, according to The Herald Sun.

A Channel 10 spokesperson confirmed in a statement: 'As with most TV and films there are doubles/stand-ins used for various reasons'.

Done and dusted: The actors filmed their scenes for the much anticipated final episode in half a day on April 28. Jason Donovan is pictured in 2021

Beloved: According to sources Kylie and Jason appeared in scenes with characters including Harold Bishop, Jane (Annie Jones), and Paul (Stefan Dennis). Kylie is pictured in 2022

Kylie, 54, and Jason, also 54, join a long-list of former-Neighbours stars lured back for the final episode including Harold Bishop star Ian Smith and Joel Samuels actor Daniel MacPherson, alongside Mark Little (Joe Mangle) and Paul Keane (Des Clarke).

According to sources close to the production Kylie and Jason appeared in scenes with characters including Harold Bishop, Jane (Annie Jones), and Paul (Stefan Dennis).

Producers revealed that the scenes with Kylie and Jason were filmed in top secret.

'I told a couple of producers, a costume person, I did not tell any of the writers and I quietly wrote the scenes myself,' explains Neighbours executive producer Jason Herbison.

Doubles? Later, TikTok footage emerged of the 'doubles' (pictured), one of which donned a curly wig, which was shot some days later. A Channel 10 spokesperson confirmed in a statement, 'As with most TV and films there are doubles/stand-ins used for various reasons'

'I gave them the scenes and on the day the crew did not know until they (Minogue and Donovan) arrived and out came Scott and Charlene,' he said.

'It was very special.'

Neighbours announced that production would be ceasing on the long-running soap in a tweet back in March.

'We are so sorry to say that after nearly 37 years and almost 9,000 episodes broadcast we have to confirm that Neighbours will cease production in June,' the show wrote.

Beloved: Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue famously appeared as husband and wife, Charlene and Scott Robinson, on the long running series

Network 10 addressed the end of the series in a statement to Australian media in March, admitting it had been a 'difficult decision'.

'Today, Fremantle confirmed that Neighbours will cease production in June, after nearly 37 years and almost 9,000 episodes,' a network spokesperson announced.

'This difficult decision came after the search for an alternative UK broadcast partner proved unsuccessful.'

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.
Charlotte Hawkins and a host of other stars attended Derby Day during the Cazoo Derby Festival 2022 at Epsom Racecourse.

The TV presenter, 47, oozed sophistication in a purple off the shoulder gown that cinched her in at her svelte waist and paid homage to the royal celebration.

But all eyes were caught by her arresting golden headpiece, that was made out of roses intertwined to create an incredible crown that ensured all eyes were on her.

Star-studded: Charlotte Hawkins looked nothing short of sensational on Saturday, when she and a host of other stars attended Derby Day during the Cazoo Derby Festival 2022 at Epsom Racecourse

Charlotte styled her blonde tresses in a neat chignon so as to let the fascinator do all the talking.

She opted for a full face of glamorous makeup as she posed with jockeys Frankie Dettori and AP McCoy.

Also in attendance at the prestigious event was Jim Carter and his sophisticated wife Imelda Staunton.

Loved-up: Also in attendance at the prestigious event was Jim Carter and his sophisticated wife Imelda Staunton (right)

Looking good: The TV presenter, 47, oozed sophistication in a purple off the shoulder gown by The Pretty Dress Company that cinched her in at her svelte waist and paid homage to the royal celebration

Stunning: She opted for a full face of glamorous makeup as she posed with jockeys Frankie Dettori and AP McCoy

The 73-year-old actor looked handsome in his black suit, grey waistcoat with a blue silk tie.

Imelda, 66, looked classy as ever as she sported a black and gold embroidered dress with a black feather fascinator in her silver curls.

Jim's Downton Abbey co-star Hugh Bonneville was also on hand, looking debonair in his black suit and sunglasses.

Wahey! Charlotte posed up a storm on the race course

Elegant: She teamed the dress with a pair of strappy gold heels

Dashing: The 73-year-old actor looked handsome in his black suit, grey waistcoat with a blue silk tie

Chic: Imelda, 66, looked classy as ever as she sported a black and gold embroidered dress with a black feather fascinator in her silver curls

They were joined by comedian Lee Mack, who also dressed to the nines in a black suit, with a waistcoat and blue tie.

Mary Berry, 87, looked stunning in a white frilly dress, and classy white and black hat, adding a necklace of pearls to finish off the look.

She was joined by Clare Balding who wore a quirky wide-brimmed hat decorated with feathers, and an eye-catching bright orange jacket.

Handsome: Jim's Downton Abbey co-star Hugh Bonneville was also on hand, looking debonair in his black suit and sunglasses

Dapper: The star, who plays Lord Grantham in the hit period drama, donned a black blazer over a grey waistcoat and white shirt

Looking good: He showed off his svelte frame as he atteneded the star-studded Derby festival with Mary Berry, 87

Meanwhile Judy Murray showed off her wild side as she arrived in an animal print midi dress boasting a knee-high split that showed off her toned legs.

Held at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey, the Derby was first run in 1780.

It is Britain's richest flat horse race, and the most prestigious of the five Classics - the other four of which are the 2,000 Guineas Stakes, the 1,000 Guineas Stakes, the Epsom Oaks, and the St Leger Stakes.

Sophisticated: Mary looked stunning in a white frilly dress, and classy white and black hat, adding a necklace of pearls to finish off the look

Races: It is Britain's richest flat horse race, and the most prestigious of the five Classics - the other four of which are the 2,000 Guineas Stakes, the 1,000 Guineas Stakes, the Epsom Oaks, and the St Leger Stakes

Tribute: The Cazoo Derby will be run in memory of Lester Piggott on Saturday. It will be the first time in the 242-year history of the Classic that it has been dedicated to an individual

Stylish: They were joined by comedian Lee Mack, who also dressed to the nines in a black suit, with a waistcoat and blue tie

The Cazoo Derby will be run in memory of Lester Piggott on Saturday. It will be the first time in the 242-year history of the Classic that it has been dedicated to an individual.

Piggott, who died earlier this year aged 86, won the Derby a record nine times.

Other plans to mark his passing include a minutes applause on Friday and Saturday of the Derby meeting, and a wreath in the colours of Piggotts 1970 Derby winner Nijinsky to be laid at his statue in front of the Queen Elizabeth II Stand.

Bold: She was joined by Clare Balding who wore a quirky wide-brimmed hat decorated with feathers, and an eye-catching bright orange jacket
He was unflustered when he and his wife were jeered outside St Paul's Cathedral at the Queen's Jubilee Thanksgiving Service on Friday.

But it seems that Boris Johnson is less relaxed about those who interrupt his lunch when he manages to get out of his office at No 10.

It happened when the Prime Minister made a Friday lunchtime visit to Morito, a trendy tapas and mezze restaurant in East London where his son Theo was working.

Mr Johnson was playing the supportive dad, enjoying a hearty meal during a break from his official duties. 'Boris had a nice lunch,' my source tells me. But his restful meal was disturbed by heckles from fellow diners, I can reveal.

The Prime Minister made a Friday lunchtime visit to Morito, a trendy tapas and mezze restaurant in East London where his son Theo was working. (Above, Boris and Carrie Johnson arriving for the Platinum Jubilee concert outside Buckingham Palace on Saturday)

Above, Theo Johnson. The PM was playing the supportive dad, enjoying a hearty meal during a break from his official duties. 'Boris had a nice lunch,' my source tells me. But his restful meal was disturbed by heckles from fellow diners, I can reveal

Pictured, the interior of Morito. Theo, 22, who shares his father's distinctive shock of blond hair, no longer works at the restaurant. He left shortly after Boris's visit, though this is thought to be unrelated

The PM responded with a dismissive hand gesture and left the establishment. 'He flicked his finger at the customers when he got booed,' my source tells me. 'It was horrible, it just created a nasty atmosphere.'

Morito, which opened on Hackney Road in 2016, serves Spanish and North African cuisine along with 'a concise offering of wines from the Mediterranean'. There is often live music and the venue boasts a cosy cellar bar. Vogue has described Morito as 'a holiday without leaving Zone 2'  a reference to areas of inner London served by the Tube.

Theo, 22, who shares his father's distinctive shock of blond hair, no longer works at the restaurant. He left shortly after Boris's visit, though this is thought to be unrelated.

He was by all accounts a popular member of the team, and has apparently embraced his family's fame before. When Theo  who uses both his parents' surnames, going professionally as Theodore Johnson-Wheeler  was at Cambridge, he reportedly penned a play about the Brexit referendum and his dad's role in the campaign.

Even so, the booing must have made things a little awkward in the kitchen.

Theo was approached for comment. Downing Street declined to comment.

No wonder Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes is so successful  his wife Emma does everything for him!

Julian's niece, writer Jessica Fellowes, says: 'Emma is amazing and organises every inch of his life so all he has to do is sit down and write. He just has to tell her that he has to be somewhere on a certain date, and she makes it happen. You realise that the female load is slightly different.'

Jessica and her uncle get on famously  the 72-year-old offers her great career advice and they often have lunch together. I think I can guess who makes the booking

Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes with his wife Emma in Leicester Square in April

My lips are sealed, but...

Which A-list actor stormed off the set of their new show  and actually left the country for a while  following a clash with their fellow stars about Covid?
If there's a prize for the most extravagantly dressed woman during the Jubilee, I'm sure Sabine Getty would be in with a chance of winning it.

I spotted the jewellery designer and socialite out at Tatler magazine's Jubilee Gala wearing this spectacular dress featuring a portrait of the Queen and decorated all over with Swarovski crystals.

The dress was made at the Celia Kritharioti fashion house in Athens where the team spent 200 hours fixing the jewels on to it. The design was inspired by the cover of the magazine's Jubilee issue.

If there's a prize for the most extravagantly dressed woman during the Jubilee, I'm sure Sabine Getty would be in with a chance of winning it

Sadly no one else will be able to get their hands on the dress, as Sabine  who is married to John Paul Getty Jr's grandson, Joseph (above, together)  tells me it's been given to Tatler as a Jubilee keepsake

Sabine, a friend of Princess Beatrice, told me she was pleased to see fashion honouring Her Majesty. 'I loved wearing it,' she said.

Sadly no one else will be able to get their hands on the dress, as Sabine  who is married to John Paul Getty Jr's grandson, Joseph  tells me it's been given to Tatler as a Jubilee keepsake.

His beautiful sister Olympia is already in demand as a model, so I'm not surprised to see the handsome Prince Achileas-Andreas of Greece launching his own career in front of the camera.

My picture of the 21-year-old is taken from his debut campaign with French clothing brand Zadig&Voltaire.

I predict a bright future for Achileas, who left London to study in New York and has already made several appearances on American TV soap The Bold And The Beautiful.

My picture of 21-year-old Prince Achileas-Andreas of Greece (above) is taken from his debut campaign with French clothing brand Zadig&Voltaire

As the Queen of Vogue, Anna Wintour is happy to hog the limelight at catwalk shows around the world.

But while her nephew, Luke Wintour, shares her creative instincts, he is more comfortable behind the camera. He has just directed Rat King, a short film now showing on the BBC's iPlayer.

The movie, described as 'a journey to England's edges', features interpretive dance, the white cliffs of Dover and snippets from the patriotic hymn Jerusalem.
He's one of the 11 singletons heading into the Love Island villa on Monday as the new season kicks off.

And Davide Sanclimenti has revealed his cut-throat rejection technique, noting that he would just 'go onto the next one'.

But despite his quick ability to move on, the business owner is hoping to meet someone to settle down with in the villa - sharing that he would 'love' to have kids.

Quick mover: New Love Islander Davide Sanclimenti has shares his rejection tactics for the villa, admitting he would just 'go onto the next one' if he were to get turned away

Davide, who hails from Rome, Italy but lives in Manchester, has explained that he isn't nervous about the show, describing himself as 'very chill'.

'Im chill, Im very confident. Im not scared about something that could happen inside the villa,' he explained.

Continuing: 'If I get rejected I just go onto the next one!'

But despite his nonchalant approach, Davide is hoping to find 'the one' as the self-proclaimed 'Italian stallion' says he would 'love' to settle down.

Settling down? But despite his quick ability to move on, the business owner is hoping to settle down - sharing that he would 'love' to have kids

Explaining: 'I am 27 years old. I am getting serious about my goals. If I find someone I like, I would love to settle down, have kids. Not straightaway! I look to get married, four, five years maximum.'

The hunk, who has previously had serious relationships, also proclaimed that he has 'never cheated' and is very serious when dating someone.

'When I am with someone, I am very serious. One relationship was three years and a half, another nearly two years. When I date someone, Im sure of the person Im dating,' he explained.

Going into the show, Davide admitted that he 'doesn't have a type' and is looking for someone 'ambitious' and 'family orientated'.

Ready for love? He's one of the 11 singletons heading into the Love Island villa on Monday as the new season kicks off

He shared: 'My type is ambitious and hustler in life, like me. Someone family-orientated, someone loyal. Someone that has eyes just for me. I dont really have a type, like brunette and blonde.

'Fit girl, good looking, nice eyes. As soon as I like her, the body is the first filter. Naturally after that, there must be something else. Beautiful body, beautiful face, without brains it means nothing.'

Davide will be competing against new boys Dami, Liam, Ikenna, Andrew and Luca for the girls' hearts on day one - but could be thrown into an unlikely couple, as the public now have the power to choose who couples up during the first episode.

No usual type: Going into the show, Davide admitted that he 'doesn't have a type' and is looking for someone 'ambitious' and 'family orientated'

The voice of the show, Iain Stirling, announced the news during an appearance on Friday's Lorraine, explaining: 'This year, for the first year ever we want you guys at home to play Cupid, and you will have your say on which boy couples up with which girl.

'All you have to do is go over to the Love Island app right now and decide who you want to couple up with who.

Love Island returns to ITV2 on June 6.
Newlyweds Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker were spotted stepping out to dinner in Los Angeles on Friday.

The 42-year-old reality superstar and the 46-year-old drummer were headed to the Kardashian hot spot Nobu Malibu.

Turning their date night into a family affair, Travis could be seen cradling a sleeping child who appeared to be Kourtney' son Reign, seven.

On the town: Newlyweds Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker were spotted Friday stepping out to Nobu Malibu, where he carried her sleeping son Reign, seven

Kourtney's firstborn son Mason, 12, could also be seen trailing behind the newlyweds as they emerged from the fashionable eatery.

Kourtney flaunted her enviably endowed cleavage on Friday night, showcasing her hourglass figure in a perfectly fitted black blazer dress.

Sharpening her unmistakable screen siren features with makeup, the smoldering bombshell heightened the glam factor by balancing expertly on sky-high heels.

Meanwhile Travis, who shot to fame as the drummer for Blink-182, kept his look simple, modeling a charcoal hoodie and a pair of matching jeans.

Off they go: Kourtney's firstborn son Mason, 12, could also be seen trailing behind the newlyweds as they emerged from the fashionable eatery

Kourtney shares her three children  Mason, 12; Penelope, nine; and Reign, seven  with her smoldering ex partner Scott Disick.

Travis, on the other hand, is a father of two, co-parenting his son Landon, 18, and daughter Alabama, 16, with his ex-wife Shanna Moakler.

Scott and Shanna were both notably absent when Kourtney and Travis enjoyed a luxurious weekend of wedding functions in Portofino, Italy, two weeks ago.

Swanking about: Kourtney and Travis enjoyed a luxurious wedding weekend with their nearest and dearest, including their respective children, in Portofino, Italy, two weeks ago

Just married: Kourtney and Travis secured their civil marriage in Santa Barbara and then last weekend had a lavish but intimate wedding at historic Castello Brown in Portofino

In April after the Grammy Awards, Kourtney enjoyed a drunken Las Vegas wedding with Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, complete with an Elvis impersonator.

However because they had failed to bring the requisite marriage license, the Vegas ceremony was not legally binding, so a redo was in order.

Kourtney and Travis secured their civil marriage in Santa Barbara and then last weekend had a lavish but intimate wedding at historic Castello Brown in Portofino.

An insider has since told People that 'Scott isn't taking this well. He's spending time with friends....to keep his mind off of it. It's been hard for him to process and digest even though he knew it was coming.'

The source pointed out to the magazine: 'He was always accepted by the family, even at his absolute lows, and now he can't even come to one of the biggest events of the family. He's not handling it well.'
Bella Hadid shared a few sizzling behind-the-scenes images from her latest modeling campaign this weekend.

The 25-year-old supermodel posed up a storm topless for Balenciaga, lounging on the floor in front of a backdrop for a series of sensational snapshots.

Her backstage images showed her having her hair touched up by Gary Gill between takes as she draped an arm strategically in front of her bust.

Busty bombshell: Bella Hadid shared a few sizzling behind-the-scenes images from her latest modeling campaign this weekend

Bella effortlessly carried off the soaking-wet-hair look and pulled her best supermodel pout for the shutterbugs.

Showing off her impressively taut midriff, she slipped into a pair of shimmering chrome Balenciaga trousers for the shoot.

The younger sister of Gigi Hadid was lent an added touch of dazzle by a massive pair of earrings and a matching choker.

In some of her saucy modeling pictures, she sat with her back to the camera and let her trousers ride down to expose her thong.

When you got it: The 25-year-old supermodel posed up a storm topless for Balenciaga, lounging on the floor in front of a backdrop for a series of sensational snapshots

Making it happen: Her backstage images showed her having her hair touched up by Gary Gill between takes as she draped an arm strategically in front of her bust

Glowing: Bella effortlessly carried off the soaking-wet-hair look and pulled her best supermodel pout for the shutterbugs

Balenciaga has been landing world-famous talent for its recent brand campaigns; one of them was fronted by Kim Kardashian just four months ago.

On the personal front, Bella recently enjoyed a steamy romantic getaway to St Barts with her dashing art director boyfriend Marc Kalman.

She and Marc went Instagram official last July in a picture Bella posted from France, where she was attending the Cannes Film Festival.

A Page Six source claimed that Bella and Marc's relationship began in July 2020 and that the dynamic duo 'hid it well' for the first year.

When you got it: In some of her saucy modeling pictures, she sat with her back to the camera and let her trousers ride down to expose her thong

Looking fab: Showing off her impressively taut midriff, she slipped into a pair of shimmering chrome Balenciaga trousers for the shoot

Radiating glamour: The younger sister of Gigi Hadid was lent an added touch of dazzle by a massive pair of earrings and a matching choker

They are said to have carried on the romance in New York amid the coronavirus pandemic while assiduously making sure they never got caught together.

Bella rarely discusses Marc in interviews even now. And she attributes the longevity of their relationship to their discretion.

'I think thats why things have been able to last. When you give other people room to have opinions on things that are so personal to you, it poisons it,' she told Vogue.
He first unveiled his weight loss in the summer of 2020 after shedding the pounds during the first coronavirus lockdown.

And Hugh Bonneville showed off his svelte frame as he attended the Cazoo Derby Festival 2022 at Epsom Racecourse with Mary Berry, 87, on Saturday.

The Downton Abbey actor, 58, cut a dapper figure in a black suit as he paid homage to the royal celebration.

Looking good: Hugh Bonneville showed off his svelte frame as he atteneded the Cazoo Derby Festival 2022 at Epsom Racecourse with Mary Berry, 87, on Saturday

The star, who plays Lord Grantham in the hit period drama, donned a black blazer over a grey waistcoat and white shirt while sporting cool black sunglasses.

Hugh looked in high spirits as he used a pair of binoculars to get a better view while sitting beside Mary.

The TV presenter looked stunning in a white frilly dress, and classy white and black hat, adding a necklace of pearls to finish off the look.

Dashing: The Downton Abbey actor, 58, cut a dapper figure in a black suit as he paid homage to the royal celebration

Dapper: The star, who plays Lord Grantham in the hit period drama, donned a black blazer over a grey waistcoat and white shirt

Outing: Hugh looked in high spirits as he used a pair of binoculars to get a better view

It is Britain's richest flat horse race, and the most prestigious of the five Classics - the other four of which are the 2,000 Guineas Stakes, the 1,000 Guineas Stakes, the Epsom Oaks, and the St Leger Stakes.

The Cazoo Derby will be run in memory of Lester Piggott on Saturday. It will be the first time in the 242-year history of the Classic that it has been dedicated to an individual.

Piggott, who died earlier this year aged 86, won the Derby a record nine times.

Other plans to mark his passing include a minutes applause on Friday and Saturday of the Derby meeting, and a wreath in the colours of Piggotts 1970 Derby winner Nijinsky to be laid at his statue in front of the Queen Elizabeth II Stand.

Chic: Mary looked stunning in a white frilly dress, and classy white and black hat, adding a necklace of pearls to finish off the look

Races: It is Britain's richest flat horse race, and the most prestigious of the five Classics - the other four of which are the 2,000 Guineas Stakes, the 1,000 Guineas Stakes, the Epsom Oaks, and the St Leger Stakes

Tribute: The Cazoo Derby will be run in memory of Lester Piggott on Saturday. It will be the first time in the 242-year history of the Classic that it has been dedicated to an individual

Hugh is best known for his role in Downton Abbey as Robert Crawley - a role he reprised in the Downton Abbey film.

This role has won him two Emmy nominations and, along with fellow cast members, won three SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama.

Hugh will next appear on screen in the upcoming Netflix film I Came By.

Looking good: Hugh unveiled his weight loss in the summer of 2020 after shedding the pounds during the first coronavirus lockdown

The movie was commissioned alongside 22 other Netflix projects, which will seek to compete with content distributed by the likes of Disney+ and Apple TV+ as the streaming market expands.

The motion picture will see a young graffiti rebel who targets the homes of the wealthy uncover a shocking secret one night.

He will embark on a terrifying journey through London, which will endanger both himself and those dearest to him.
Ryan Thomas's former fellow Coronation Street stars shared a series of heartfelt posts after the actor shared the first heartwarming snap of himself with his new baby daughter on Friday.

The soap star, 37, and his reality star fiancee Lucy Mecklenburgh, 30, announced they'd welcomed the latest addition to their family on Tuesday.

On Friday, he took to Instagram to share a picture of himself holding his new daughter in his arms, writing: 'Lucky is an understatement,' with a number of Corrie's stars wishing him and his family well.

In love: Ryan Thomas, 37, has shared the first heartwarming snap of himself with his new baby daughter, with his loved ones leaving him well wishes

Former Boyzone star, who had a guest part in the ITV soap, wrote: 'Lucky is only a small part! You deserve it brother.'

Will Mellor, who portrayed bad boy Harvey Gaskell, shared: 'Congratulations pal! Really happy for you all! x.'

Catherine Tyldesley, who plays Eva Price, wrote: Gorgeous, so much love xxx'

And Maria Connor actress Samia Longchambon commented by leaving a number of heart emojis.

Love: Ryan's former fellow Coronation Street stars shared a series of heartfelt posts after he shared the first picture

Ryan, who departed Coronation Street in 2016, sat with the arm over the shoulder of his daughter Scarlett, 13, from his relationship with Tina O'Brien.

Lucy looked stylish in a white floral print dress as she sat with their son Roman, two, on her lap.

Former The Only Way Is Essex star Lucy announced she had given birth on Tuesday but is yet to reveal the name of her newborn.

The actor, 37, and his reality star fiancee Lucy Mecklenburgh, 30, announced they'd welcomed the latest addition to their family on Tuesday

She shared a black and white image of the little girl's hand on her Instagram page.

Taking to her Stories, she added: 'She's here.'

Lucy previously told HELLO! Magazine that she was convinced she was pregnant with a girl, and was delighted when a scan confirmed her suspicions.

Congratulations: Lucy and Ryan announced the arrival of their baby daughter with a sweet Instagram post on Tuesday - pictured with son Roman, two

'I had an inkling that I was having a girl, but I was a bit more unsure than with Roman. With him I just knew  I don't know why but even before we found out, I said: "I know, one hundred per cent, it's a boy", Lucy said.

The couple also revealed in the interview that they were struggling to come up with names for their daughter, explaining how they had a long list of 15 picked out but would wait until she was born to decide,

Back in March, Lucy updated fans on her son Roman's health, revealing he has fluid in his lungs.

She previously told how their little boy spent a week in intensive care last September after Lucy found the two-year-old 'blue in his cot.'

Even though Lucy and Ryan were allowed to take him home a week after he was admitted, Roman has since been having regular check-ups, and results flagged that fluid has been entering the tot's lungs whenever he drinks.

Love: Lucy is pictured during her second pregnancy with Ryan

Admitting it was a conclusion she felt 'really weird about', she continued: 'I'm sad for Roman. Now, from Monday, when we pick up the thickener, he can't have any thin fluids for quite a long time - potentially years.

'So no lollies and ice-creams, no water or juice. Everything has to be a really thick consistency to stop it entering his lungs.

'But we have an answer. Maybe it's not the full picture, I don't know yet because we've not seen his consultant, but it's something.'

If too much fluid builds up and presses on the lung it can be difficult for the lung to expand fully. In some situations, part, or all, of the lung will collapse.

She concluded: 'It's a step forward and is something we can deal with and is something that will hopefully stop him getting so sick. It's a positive in a way, because we've got a little bit closer to the answer.'

This is not the first time Lucy has provided a candid health update as last November, Lucy broke down in tears as she reflected on her son Roman's terrifying stint in hospital.

Speaking on the Sweat, Snot & Tears podcast Lucy said: 'I heard sort of grumbles at 3am and like I think we all do, if they're not sounding like it's a big scream and they're in pain, you think, 'Oh well they're just having a little dream.'

She revealed that when she checked the baby monitor an hour later that something 'didn't feel right':

'He was moving very slowly, side to side, and I thought, 'This doesn't feel right and I want to go and see him.''

It was then when she found Roman 'blue in his cot' and he was rushed to Basildon Hospital and St Mary's in London.

Speaking about the staff, Lucy got emotional as she said: 'They absolutely were wonderful and I need to thank them and the ambulance service for arriving so promptly, for keeping my son here and it's quite emotional actually, talking about that.'

Her son was diagnosed with a 'viral induced wheeze' and now requires an inhaler twice a day.
Korean fusion folk-pop band ADG7 / Courtesy of Lee Jong Sam





By Park Han-sol







Korean fusion folk-pop ensemble Ak Dan Gwang Chil, also referred to as ADG7, will perform at the Lincoln Center in New York in the coming weeks.







The nine-piece act, which draws inspiration from Korea's shamanic ritual of "gut" and "minyo" (folk songs), also brings in elements of modern K-pop to create its signature danceable melodies that suit the musical taste of contemporary audiences.







"ADG7: Korean Shamanic Folk-Pop" will be presented as a part of the Lincoln Center's upcoming Summer for the City festival on June 15 at 7:30 p.m. (local time), where the band will perform 11 tracks including "Young Jeong Geo Ri," "Eulssa" and "Hee Hee."







The band has received attention on an international level, with the New York Times describing its music as "bouncy, upbeat, often swinging songs that link the concision of folk tunes to the catchy repetition of pop."







In January, ADG7 was also featured in an influential world music platform, NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series.







Last year, the folk-pop band embarked on a North America tour, performing in the cities of Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, New York and Canada's Quebec Province, among others.


Anne Hathaway dazzled in an era-appropriate cocktail dress while filming scenes for Mother's Instinct in New Jersey on Friday.

The actress, 39, wore a pink gown with a low neckline and a large flared skirt wrapped around a much tighter straight skirt.

Hathaway's wore a wig done into a bouffant style, much like how First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis once wore hers.

Gorgeous gown: Anne Hathaway, 39, dazzled in an era-appropriate cocktail dress while filming scenes for Mother's Instinct in New Jersey on Friday

She walked in a pair of white high heels which she matched to the thin string of pearls wrapped around her neck.

The Ocean's 8 actress carried a large white parasol covered in a black design while making her way across the street in between takes.

Her co-star Josh Charles of Dead Poet's Society fame looked like a typical 1960s man in a long sleeve button-down shirt and a tie.

First Lady-like: Hathaway's hair was done up into a bouffant style, much like First Lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis once wore hers

Keeping the sun off her face: The Ocean's 8 actress carried a large white parasol covered in a black design while making her way across the street in between takes

He added a pair of black trousers to the look though he allowed his suspenders to fall loosely at his sides instead of wearing them up on his shoulders.

Hathaway has spent a lot of time on-set in the recent days alongside her fellow Academy Award winner Jessica Chastain.

Mothers' Instinct is a remake of Olivier Masset-Depasse's 2018 film Duelles, which starred Anne Coesens and Veerle Baetens. Masset-Depasse is also directing the remake.

'Life's perfect harmony is suddenly shattered after a tragic accident,' read the logline for the American remake.

Suit and tie; Her co-star Josh Charles of Dead Poet's Society fame looked like a typical 1960s man in a long sleeve button-down shirt and a tie

Lots of time on set: Hathaway has spent a lot of time on-set in the recent days alongside her fellow Academy Award winner Jessica Chastain (pictured May 2022)

'Guilt, suspicion, and paranoia combine to unravel their sisterly bond, and a psychological battle of wills begins as the maternal instinct reveals its darker side.'

Both Mothers' Instinct and Duelles are loosely based on Barbara Abel's 2012 novel Derriere la Haine.

'It takes actors of Jessica and Anne's caliber to communicate the intricacy of these two roles,' Olivier, winner of the Cannes SACD Prize, said in a statement.

Origin: Mothers' Instinct is a remake of Masset-Depasse's own 2018 film Duelles starring Anne Coesens (L) and Veerle Baetens (R)

'The relationship between a mother and child is the most powerful connection between two human beings. When this bond is severed, it calls into question conventional morality and even sanity.

'In the behind-closed-doors atmosphere of 1960s America, Mothers' Instinct becomes a terrifying, high-pressure powder keg.'

On May 11, Deadline reported that Neon (distributor of Pig, Titane and Spencer) has already acquired US rights to distribute Mothers' Instinct.
He celebrated turning six months old just days earlier.

And Olivia Munn and John Mulaney's baby son Malcolm was looking more independent than ever in a cute photo his mother posted to Instagram on Saturday.

The 41-year-old actress caught her little boy as he gazed intently out her window at the surrounding neighborhood.

Man of the house: Olivia Munn, 41, shared an adorable photo on Saturday of her six-month-old son Malcolm keeping watch at the window

Malcolm looked adorable in mottled graygreen onesie as he stood up and supported himself on a soft couch cushion.

He appeared to have a coral collar around his neck, possibly from a bib, but Olivia's funny caption implied that it looked like a dog collar.

'New guard on watch. All trespassers WILL BE drooled on,' she joked.

Late last month, Olivia posted a heartwarming snap of herself with her baby boy, announcing to the world he had just turned six months old.

'[Six] months ago today Malcolm made me his mama. Its so much fun getting to know him,' the proud mother gushed in her caption.

'You lit up our whole world': One day earlier Olivia had posted a heartwarming snap of her with her baby boy, announcing to the world he had just turned six months old

'He loves meeting people, he loves his best friend Penny and thinks shes hysterical, hes tried peanut butter (thank you @mmcnearney + @jimmykimmel ), he sleeps through the night 12 hours straight (thank you @mindykaling for sharing your invaluable, trusted and vetted resources), he wakes up from every nap with a huge smile and giggle, he LOVES when we read him books, he lets out a squeal and kicks his legs whenever his daddy comes home, I cant stress enough how much he loves bathtime and he loves being outside and looking at the trees and the sky.'

Olivia concluded: 'I love you so much Malcolm Hiep. Happy 6 months being earthside with us. You lit up our whole world.'

John recently faced down a brief controversy when he surprised the audience at his stand-up show by having Dave Chappelle open for him.

Dave, who lives in Ohio, made an unannounced appearance at John's show at Value City Arena in the state capital Columbus.

In recent years Dave has been lambasted by woke critics over his trans jokes, which in other quarters have led to his being elevated as a beacon of free speech.

John announced Olivia was pregnant in September amid a romance that went public on the heels of his split from his wife Anna Marie Tendler.

Olivia and John welcomed their baby the day before Thanksgiving, after a whirlwind year in which John went to rehab and filed for divorce.

In the headlines: John recently faced down a brief controversy when he surprised the audience at his stand-up show by having Dave Chappelle open for him

John went public with the pregnancy on Late Night With Seth Meyers, whose host had been part of his intervention in 2020.

He gushed about their 'incredible' new relationship, saying: 'Olivia and this baby have helped save me from myself in this early journey out of recovery.'

John entered a 60-day stint at a treatment facility for cocaine addiction and alcoholism in December 2020, Page Six revealed.

His separation from his estranged wife went public in mid-May 2021 and he finally filed for divorce that July in New York.

When news broke of his marriage breakup last May, Page Six insiders said that John requested a divorce from Anna Marie as early as that February.

'I am heartbroken that John has decided to end our marriage,' she said when the split was announced. 'I wish him support and success as he continues his recovery.'

As seen at five months old: Olivia and John welcomed their baby the day before Thanksgiving, after a whirlwind year in which John went to rehab and filed for divorce

A few days after their separation was announced last May a People source claimed that John had become romantically involved with Olivia.

AJ Benza alleged on his podcast Fame Is A B**** that Anna Marie was at rehab at Silver Hill in Connecticut around the same time John was in treatment.

Shortly thereafter a Page Six source claimed that emotional problems and 'eating disorders' had caused Anna Marie to go to Silver Hill.

The insider claimed Anna Marie declined to discuss any marital problems she may have been having but insisted it was 'clear she suffered during their marriage.'

The way they were: John proposed to Anna Marie, a makeup artist, in 2013 and they tied the knot in July 2014; they are pictured at the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar party

MailOnline contacted Anna Marie's representatives for comment.

Meanwhile when John entered rehab at the end of last year Olivia was one of the many celebrities who sent him well wishes.

'Sending SO MUCH love and support to John Mulaney,' the Love Wedding Repeat actress wrote on Twitter. 'You got this.'
Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey were beaming ear-to-ear as they stepped out for brunch at the trendy Cafe Mogador on Saturday.

The 28-year-old pop star and the 25-year-old model smiled and held hands as they walked down the sidewalk in Manhattan.

Hailey donned a sexy all-black ensemble that included a plunging V-necked button-up crop top that showcased the runway star's taut midriff.

Out and about: Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey were all smiles as they stepped out for brunch at the trendy Cafe Mogador on Saturday

The catwalk queen showed off her toned legs in a miniskirt that had a v-cut waistline.

She completed her look with a leather motorcycle jacket and black Prada loafers with white socks.

The beauty wore her long dark blonde locks in loose waves and sported chic black oval sunglasses.

Fit: Hailey donned a sexy all-black ensemble that included a plunging v-necked button-up crop top that showcased the runway star's taut midriff

Justin layered a denim jacket over a beige t-shirt which he paired with loose-fitting khaki trousers.

The Peaches hitmaker pulled a light blue beanie over his head and shielded his eyes from the sun with white-framed mirrored shades.

He accessorized with a large beaded necklace as he and Hailey headed to the Moroccan restaurant with two bodyguards following closely behind them.

Loved-up: Last night, Justin and Hailey packed on the PDA backstage at the Grammy Award winner's concert at the Barclay's Center

Last night, Justin and Hailey packed on the PDA backstage at the Grammy Award winner's concert at the Barclay's Center.

Following the show, the pair enjoyed a romantic dinner at Cipriani and were seen sharing a steamy kiss.

The dynamic duo appeared to be in great spirits during their outing, and were both seen flashing smiles.

Celebrating: Following the show, the pair enjoyed a romantic dinner at Cipriani and were seen sharing a steamy kiss

It was a stressful beginning of the year for the couple, after Hailey was hospitalized for a blood clot on her brain in March.

A source spoke with Us Weekly after the ordeal, revealing that the health scare made Justin 'worried sick' and appreciate Hailey 'more than ever.'

The couple first met in 2009 after Hailey's dad Stephen Baldwin introduced them. They became friends and dated for a short time in early 2016 before they parted ways.

Bieber went on to date Sofia Richie and briefly reunited with ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez.

Justin and Hailey rekindled their romance in May 2018 and got engaged July 7, 2018. The lovebirds got their marriage license from a New York City courthouse in September 2018.

They tied the knot in a lavish wedding in South Carolina on September 30, 2019 at the Montage Palmetto Bluff resort in front of 154 guests that included Kendall and Kylie Jenner.
Social_media

breaking

Reports: Sevey made $18K in questionable purchases

Sevey

Former Nacogdoches Police Chief Jim Sevey made more than $18,000 dollars in questionable purchases using taxpayer money, leading to his resignation May 25, according to documents provided to The Daily Sentinel.

Despite the accusations of misconduct, Sevey received more than $61,000 in severance pay and $11,000 in insurance benefits.

Documents outlining the allegations against Sevey and details of his separation agreement from the city were provided to The Daily Sentinel by attorney Sean Hightower, who obtained them though a Freedom of Information Act request.

An internal memo from Assistant Chief Dan Taravella accounts for $18,334 in purchases that were either at a minimum questionable or at most completely unrelated to NPD.

It began to appear very clear to me that some of these items were woodworking or hobby related, Taravella wrote in April to City Manager Mario Canizares.

Some items could be work related, Taravella wrote, though none were apparently distributed or shared within the department.

Reasons behind the chiefs departure were not given May 17, when Nacogdoches City Council emerged from a closed session and voted unanimously to move forward with a separation agreement providing six months salary and health benefits.

That agreement was finalized on Wednesday, said Canizares, who declined further comment.

Sevey was placed on administrative leave April 27 and was required to surrender his badge, service weapons and other city-issued equipment.

Sevey, who could not be reached by phone on Friday, stated in a March 11 memo that the items in question were used at the police department.

The probe into Seveys purchasing began in June 2021 when a city employee tried to deliver a package to the police department containing a Dewalt 20-volt battery. Sevey told the employee that he ordered the battery to replace one in the criminal investigation divisions toolkit, according to documents.

Assistant Chief Scott Weems noted that the police department has 18-volt tools, and the battery wouldnt fit, which prompted him and city staff to start monitoring the accounts more closely.

The battery never made it into the tool room, according to city documents.

In February, city officials noted several other questionable purchases, and documents state Sevey gave conflicting accounts to colleagues and city administrators.

The next month, police began a detailed inventory of the tool room and noticed several items missing, including an angle grinder and a Magswitch  an electromagnetic tool used to hold metal in place.

Sevey was seen on video taking tools to his Tahoe several times during February, according to a report filed by investigators. He was also seen on video removing the Magswitch from his vehicle on March 31, according to documents, but he told Weems that he found it in a closet.

The missing angle grinder was found in Seveys file cabinet on April 6.

This is suspicious because, Weems noted in a report, Chief Sevey had brought it to the station on the 30th and did not offer it to be included in the inventory.

Documents also note that Sevey charged $587 to his city credit card for oil changes and car washes. Car washes are free at the city garage, and each department is charged $6 for an oil change to cover the cost of a new filter, Taravella wrote.

All PD employees get their vehicle serviced at the city shop except for Sevey for unknown reasons, Taravella wrote.

Seveys departure from the city without explanation prompted pushback from residents.

Leadership counts, and we have had an award-winning police department for the last 16 years, said Kay Butchko, who is among a group of supporters planning a reception for the outgoing chief on Thursday at the Fredonia Hotel.

Sevey, who served as acting city manager in 2020 before Canizares was hired, is first vice president of the Texas Police Chiefs Association.

He has been an evaluator for other departments, and greatly valued in his role not just here but across Texas, Butchko said.

Sevey was hired in 2005 and was an ardent supporter of community policing and Neighborhood Watch Programs.

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Sung Kim, U.S. Special Envoy for North Korea, speaks during a meeting with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts Kim Gunn and Takehiro Funakoshi at the foreign ministry in Seoul, South Korea, June 3. AP-Yonhap





U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in talks with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, the State Department said Friday.







Kim also urged Pyongyang to accept vaccine assistance to deal with its ongoing COVID-19 outbreak during his ongoing three-day visit to Seoul that will end Saturday (KST).







Kim attended a trilateral meeting hosted by his South Korean counterpart, Kim Gunn, that also involved Japan's Takehiro Funakoshi.







The three "reaffirmed the importance of a robust trilateral relationship as the three countries work to achieve the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," department spokesperson Ned Price said of the meeting, held Friday (KST), in a press release.







Kim's latest trip to Seoul followed the North's latest missile launches May 24, the 17th of their kind this year.







The top nuclear envoys of the three countries strongly condemned the launches as "destabilizing to the region and as violations of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions," the department spokesperson said.







"They called upon Pyongyang to immediately cease its unlawful and dangerous behavior and return to dialogue," added Price.







Intelligence officials in Seoul and Washington have noted the North may be preparing to conduct a nuclear weapon test in the near future.







Sung Kim reaffirmed at the beginning of the trilateral meeting Friday that North Korea appears to preparing for what will be its seventh nuclear test at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site.







North Korea conducted its sixth and last nuclear test at the same site in September 2017.







The special U.S. envoy also called on North Korea to work with the international community to address its ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, according to the department spokesperson.







"U.S. Special Representative Kim expressed concern about the impact of the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 on the North Korean people and hope that the DPRK will respond positively to international offers of assistance," said Price.







DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name.







North Korea says nearly 4 million people have been identified with "fever" since May 12 when it reported its first suspected case of COVID-19.







The U.S. has said it has no immediate plans to share COVID-19 vaccines with North Korea from its own supplies, but that it will support any assistance to the impoverished country from U.S. or international aid groups. (Yonhap)


Asked about the pubs violation in allowing minors, the DCP said the Excise officials were alerted to check for the same. (Representational image: DC)

Hyderabad: Telangana Police on Saturday arrested the second accused, who is a juvenile and one of the main culprits, in connection with the alleged gang rape of a teenage girl in Hyderabad's Jubilee Hills last week.

So far, two accused have been apprehended in the Hyderabad rape case. One accused, identified as Saduddin Malik, was arrested yesterday.

Five men, including three juveniles, were said to be involved in the gang rape of a 17-year-old girl, which came to light on Thursday. One of the juveniles is the son of a TRS leader and chairman of a religious board.

DCP, West Zone, Joel Davis said the police had arrested one Saddudin Malik, 18, son of Malik Ghulam Shaji. Efforts are on to nab the others, he added. Another accused was identified as Umair Khan.

Denying reports of the involvement of an MIM MLAs son and the grandson of the home minister, the DCP said their names had not come up during the investigation.

Explaining the case, the DCP said the minor girl had gone to attend a party at Amnesia pub at Jubilee Hills on the evening of May 29, in which about 200 people were present.

During the investigation, it was revealed that the accused had picked up the victim in a red Mercedes from the pub in the guise of dropping her home and took her to a pastry shop nearby. From the pastry shop, the five men took the victim in another car, stopped the SUV in an isolated area and sexually assaulted her, said the DCP.

The party was announced on Instagram and the management ensured no alcohol or smoking was allowed inside. Following a complaint from the victims father on May 31, the Jubilee Hills police booked a case under Section 354 (outraging womens modesty) of the IPC and sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and the officials sent the girl for medical examination, the official said.

When the woman officers at the Bharosa Centre interacted with the minor, she revealed the sexual assault. The case was then altered to rape, Davis said, adding that by then four days had passed since the incident.

He said the victim was only able to name one of the accused, following which Hyderabad police commissioner C.V. Anand deputed teams from the Task Force and CCS to assist the investigation teams. Davis said the police gathered technical evidence, analysed call data records (CRD) and CCTV footage, and corroborated it with the victims statement.

On Friday morning, we identified five suspects and placed Sadudin Malik, son of is Malik Ghulam Shaji from Uppalguda, under arrest. We could not arrest a juvenile on Friday as per the Supreme Court guidelines that we cannot arrest a minor after sunset. He will be arrested on Saturday morning, Davis said.

Asked about the pubs violation in allowing minors, the DCP said the Excise officials were alerted to check for the same.

Our focus was on identifying and catching the men involved in the case. The Excise officials will check the pub for violations. However, the role of alcohol was ruled out during the investigation, Davis said.
190 women reported sick and most of them were released after first aid given at the company hospital. Many have been admitted to Achyutapuram and Anakapalli hospitals. (Photos by Arrangement)

Visakhapatnam: Hundreds of women workers fell sick when they inhaled suspected ammonia gas at Brandix Apparel India City in the SEZ at Atchyutapuram in Anakapalli district, about 35 km from here, on Friday morning.

A representative of the Brandix complex said 190 women reported sick and most of them were released after first aid given at the company hospital. Many have been admitted to Achyutapuram and Anakapalli hospitals.

The gas did not emanate from the factory. Since none of the units and air conditioning system use ammonia, it might have come from other units located close to the SEZ, a company spokesperson told DC.

Inspector of factories Satyanarayana said a team of officials were deployed to identify the source of the gas and confirm whether it was ammonia or some other gas.

He said the workers inhaled gas at about 11.30am at Brandix Intimate Ltd, formerly known as Quantum Seeds. Immediately they were sent to the in-house clinic and the factory operations were halted. Most of the victims were later admitted to the Achyutapuram PHC and the NTR Hospital in Anakapalli. Their condition was stable.

They had suffocation and felt vomiting sensation soon after inhaling the gas, a senior police officer said.

Porus is located 1.5km away and they do not use Ammonia. The other unit close by is the effluent treatment plant one km away from Brandix. The ETP will have a mix of all gases, the factory inspector said.

The leak was for a short duration and it is difficult to identify the gas. Initially there was talk about ammonia leakage, which is yet to be confirmed, said joint chief engineer of AP Pollution Control Board, Rajendra Reddy.

Industries minister Gudivada Amarnath said a committee has been formed to ascertain the source of the leak and identify the gas. The team will have joint collector of Anakapalli, inspector of factories, executive engineer of pollution control board and ASP of Anakapalli as its members, the minister said.

Brandix has 22,000 employees on its rolls, of which 18,000 are women.

From Delhi, chief minister Jagan Reddy inquired about the gas leak incident and sought details from the authorities. CMO officials explained the likely reasons. The district collector immediately went to oversee the relief efforts. The CM asked the officials to provide better treatment to the victims.

The CM also ordered a detailed investigation and asked the relevant authorities to take steps for avoiding such mishaps in future. He asked industries minister to visit the accident site.

Expressing concern, former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu said all necessary medical treatment should be given to the affected workers. The government should take stringent action against those responsible for the gas leak, he said in a statement here.

The TD chief said the managements and the government were not learning any lesson even after there was huge loss of lives in the LG Polymers factory in Vizag. The failure of the government departments and absence of monitoring have become a curse to the public.

TD general secretary Nara Lokesh condemned the government for its lack of concern for the safety of the workers. Instead of boasting about having given a `1 crore compensation for the deaths in the LG gas tragedy, the CM should take steps to prevent industrial accidents in future, he said.
The three-member National Green Tribunal-appointed panel of experts has found that an exothermic reaction in the reactor caused the temperature to rise beyond 200 degrees C and caused the blast. (Photo: By Arrangement)

Vijayawada: The three-member National Green Tribunal-appointed panel of experts has found that an exothermic reaction in the reactor caused the temperature to rise beyond 200 degrees C and caused the blast, killing nine at Porus Lab in Akkireddygudem village of Musunuru mandal in Eluru district, Andhra Pradesh.

The panel headed by Chennai-based central pollution control board scientist Poornima carried out a thorough inspection during its recent visit to the pharma lab.

Sources privy to the development said the panel members felt the pharma lab was ill-equipped to handle such a situation as the temperature went beyond permissible limits. Also, the chemical engineer at the site failed to handle the situation well.

So was the chemist, who did not monitor the situation for a while. By the time he reached the place and noticed problems with the reactor, it blasted, throwing the mix of chemicals in the reactor all around.

The sources said the panel observed no interlocking facility had been installed. Else, it could have helped in an auto shut-off of the reactor the moment its temperature shot up beyond permissible limits. This could have avoided the major mishap.

It is also not known whether the lab employed any safety officer. This is mandatory for factories handling hazardous chemicals.

The norms say a safety officer must be employed by a firm employing 500 employees or more, and the safety officer should also be present and monitoring the situation at the lab in case it is working round-the-clock, handling hazardous chemicals.

The panel also noticed the fire equipment working well and which helped control the raging fire immediately with support from fire service personnel.

The NGT principal bench, Delhi, has taken up the case suo moto after it got information about the fire mishap at Porus Lab from the media and initiated an inquiry.

Meanwhile, an NGO filed a petition in the NGT bench in Chennai seeking a probe into the fire mishap. However, the Union ministry of environment and forests intervened and requested the NGT principal bench in Delhi to merge both the inquiry  one taken up based on suo moto basis and the other on a petition.

Accordingly, it has constituted a three-member panel and directed it to submit its inquiry report by August 17 and posted the hearing for the same day.

Meanwhile, the Eluru district administration has also held an inquiry into the mishap and came up with a comprehensive report clubbing both the reports of AP government and the NGT, to be submitted to the NGT principal bench in Delhi.
I had the pleasure of witnessing a migrant's triumph-of-will story some years ago. Read on, its a story that proves love needs no language.

Years ago, when we lived in a colony in suburban Chennai, our next-door neighbour was a rather large woman (fat-shamer police need to hold on for a bit because the womans big-bonedness is germane to the story). She was into chanting, serpent worship and an indigenous variety of voodoo that involved putting camphor and goat blood into split lemons and leaving them outside the doorsteps of errant neighbours who would then suddenly take ill.

Rumour had it that she could cast spells. And it was on account of these occult powers that a senior bank official who had been less than courteous to her had suddenly lost his ability to count and was now working as a security guard at the same banks ATM.

As our abodes were separated by nothing but a flimsy compound wall, I made it a point to give the woman a box of sweets at least once a month, claiming that it was my great-uncles upanayanam or my cooks graduation day. I didnt see the point in turning from unemployed artist/writer into a one-armed soan papdi vendor with a speech impediment overnight.

Suffice it to say no one in the neighbourhood dared mess with her.

At least that was the scenario till a Telugu family  fresh from Gudivada, completely unaware of her formidable rep  rented the house right across hers. (The family didnt find anything amiss that their rent was about half the going rate in the colony.)

A narrow street separated the gates of the Telugu family and Black Magic Woman.

Every morning, humming old Telugu songs, the new entrant ritually washed her tiny yard with perhaps a little more water than required. And every morning the water ran off her yard, flowed across the narrow road and pooled in front of the much-feared neighbour's house.

When a couple of stern warnings in racy Tamil were met with silence from the Telugu woman  but with no change whatsoever in her washing ritual  the Tamil woman decided to take the fight to the next level.

Her opening gambit was the time-tested lemon-camphor-goat-blood ploy. Every morning, as soon as the Telugu woman woke up, she would find this terrifying omen at her door. And completely unfazed, the small-made, mild-mannered newcomer would casually kick the lemon out of the way with seemingly no damage to limb or faculty, and go about her daily ritual of singing and watering.

Frustrated that the underworld wasnt coming to her aid any more, one day, the Tamil woman decided to deal with matters in a more conventional manner.

Standing ankle-deep in muddy water, her sari hitched, the woman let out a string of expletives that would make a Tamil sailor faint. She also told the Telugu woman  who didn't understand a word but got the drift  that she would unleash the dark forces on her family.

When the Telugu woman remained befuddlingly impassive, somewhat tired with all the screaming, the large woman finally ended her protracted rant with a definitive Po-di, naaye!

(Translation: Buzz off, you canine!)

The timid-looking Telugu woman, who didn't know any Tamil, tapped her chin as if making a calculation and responded finally with a gentle, matter-of-fact Po-di, yaane.

(Translation: Buzz off, you pachyderm.)

To me (watching the proceedings through a narrow crack in the curtains), it looked like the Telugu woman had just reversed the consonants in naaye keeping the vowels as is. She had just used an anagram.

The neighbourhood terror, with her ability to summon the forces of the netherworld at will, who had been ruling over our colony unchallenged, burst into tears and ran away into her house.

The following week, the Telugu woman and the Tamil woman became bffs, and everyone in the colony lived happily ever after. I was told recently that the formers daughter is marrying the latters son and will be moving to San Jose.

Moral of the story: There is no need for imposition of any kind of common language in this great country of ours. When people from diverse linguistic backgrounds need to communicate with each other, they will find ways.
What we must first do is disabuse ourselves of any fanciful nations that India either has strategic interests or can be a player in Afghanistan. (Representational Image/ Bloomberg)

At a recent regional security dialogue on Afghanistan, Indias national security adviser Ajit Doval stated, India was and is an important stakeholder in Afghanistan. Special relationship with the people of Afghanistan over centuries will guide India's approach, nothing can change this. Reports suggest that the national security adviser also underscored the fact that India continues to stand with the Afghan people and pointed out that since August 2021, India had already contributed 17,000 metric tonnes of wheat (of a total commitment of 50,000 metric tonnes), 5,00,000 doses of Covaxin, 13 tonnes of life-saving medications and winter clothes, and 60 million doses of polio vaccine.

This is all very good but it still does not answer the core question going back all the way to 1979 when Afghanistan became the battleground once again to bring down the Soviet Union and, by extension, the Communist paradigm or even stretching further back after the Partition of India as to what strategic interests did India have left in Afghanistan post that vivisection?

However, let us start one by one. What is this special relationship that India has had with Afghanistan over the centuries? The answer is simple. None. It has been the gateway for over 70 invasions into India that took place between the tenth and the 17th century. According to some historians from the times of Alexander the Great  321 BCE  India was raided and assaulted over 200 times with almost all of the invaders excluding the British coming down the Khyber Pass.

The only time that India was briefly able to occupy parts of Afghanistan was when the Sikh armies of Maharaja Ranjit Singh under the able stewardship of Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa inflicted a series of defeats on the Afghans beginning with the Battle of Kasur in 1807 and culminating in the battle of Jamrud in 1836 where Hari Singh Nalwa fell martyr to Afghan chicanery. Maharaja Ranjit Singh passed away in 1839 and the Sikh empire ceased to exist by 1846.

After being decisively defeated in the First Anglo-Afghan war from 1839 to 1841, the British were able to exercise a modicum of influence on the ruling dispensations in Afghanistan after their victories in the second and third Afghan wars in 1878 and 1919, respectively.

It, therefore, begs the obvious question, are there any civilisational ties between India and Afghanistan or is it a myth that we have created for our consumption?

More than a decade ago in November 2011, in a piece entitled Get out, leave Af to Pak, Shekhar Gupta had asked a very prescient question about Indias interests in Afghanistan: It will still be a country of great strategic importance.

But for whom, is the question. It will be of no strategic importance to us. None of our supplies or trade comes to Afghanistan. None of our bad guys hide there. No Afghan has ever been involved in a terror attack on India. In fact, almost never has a terror attack on us been even planned in the more precise Af-Pak region. They have all been planned and executed between Muzaffarabad, Muridke, Karachi and Multan. Almost never has an Afghan, Pakhtun, Baluch, Tajik, any ethnicity, been involved in a terror attack in India.

Writing again in 2021, he opined, There is much knee-jerk paranoia in India about a new Terroristan coming up between Pakistan and a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Pakistan has zero ability economically, diplomatically, geo-strategically or militarily to create one. If they try, it will be great for India as they will destroy themselves yet again. In the first phase of the Cold War, this blessing of geography cost them more than half their country (1971); in the second (1979-91), they destroyed their infant democracy, institutions, and brought in Islamisation.

The fact is that India has been a bit player in Afghanistan since 1979. This reality has been further accentuated after the Americans and the West decided to hand Afghanistan back to the Taliban after brutalising them for over two decades in August 2021. The cold truth is that the West did not bat even an eyelid before rolling back 20 years of progress in national reconstruction especially with regard to womens rights and other fundamental freedoms in Afghanistan where the US alone had spent $2.3 trillion since 2001. It speaks volumes about prioritisation of their self-interest above all else.

A recent UN report does speak of anti-India jehadi groups expanding their training presence in Pakistan: The 13th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team cites a UN member state as saying that JeM, a Deobandi group ideologically closer to the Taliban, maintains eight training camps in Nangarhar, three of which are directly under Taliban control.

However, this development is far from unexpected especially after Afghanistan was virtually gifted back to the Taliban by the West. Given that key security portfolios in the new Afghan government are controlled by the Haqqani network including the ministries of interior, intelligence, passports and migration and refugee rehabilitation, it gives them both leverage and flexibility to play footsie with their fraternal allies like the Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba.

Under these circumstances, what are Indias options? It can, of course, recognise the Taliban and extract guarantees in return that Afghanistan will not become a sanctuary for anti-India groups, given that the Taliban is desperately craving for international legitimacy notwithstanding the philosophical predisposition of Hibatullah Akhundzada, Mohammad Hasan Akhund and other hardline members of the Kandahar clique who do not favour ideological dilution even if it comes at the cost of international opprobrium.

However, given that the government in Delhi has a certain deeply held religious bias, would they be willing to trade security guarantees in larger national interest for calibrated recognition? This is a question that they should seriously consider.

The better option would be to just ignore the regime in Afghanistan till the time the international community does not strike a collective bargain that expects the Taliban to subscribe to a certain behaviour pattern in return for the easing of both qualitative and quantitative sanctions. In the meanwhile, we can try and cope to the best of our ability as a nation with both the scourge of terror and narcotics that may acquire a new impetus out of Afghanistan. However, what we must first do is disabuse ourselves of any fanciful nations that India either has strategic interests or can be a player in Afghanistan.
Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan joined Lacina (middle) and US Consul General Joel Reifman (extreme left) at the Independence Day gala event on Friday evening. The visit marked Lacinas second trip to Hyderabad since she began her tenure in September 2021.  Twitter

HYDERABAD: US charge d affaires Patricia Lacina visited Hyderabad to celebrate 246 years of US independence and commemorate the 75th anniversary of US-India diplomatic relations. Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan joined Lacina and US Consul General Joel Reifman at the Independence Day gala event on Friday evening. The visit marked Lacinas second trip to Hyderabad since she began her tenure in September 2021.

Its an honour to be in Hyderabad to celebrate US Independence Day and mark the 75th anniversary of US-India relations, said Lacina. Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha play a key role in the story of the US-India partnership. I am proud to be a part of that story with you.

In addition to her attendance in the US Independence Day gala, Lacina visited the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics on Thursday. She also held a dinner with women leaders at the Taj Falaknuma. On Friday, she travelled to the Mitr Clinic, Indias first comprehensive clinic for the transgender community, which is also supported by USAID.

Our new consulate is a down payment on future US-India relations, said US Consul General Joel Reifman, who will leave his post and return to the United States in mid-June.

The US Independence Day event included speeches from Lacina, Reifman, and Dr Soundararajan. It also featured performances of the US and Indian national anthems, as well as a video previewing the features of the new US Consulate General building.

Telangana is the youngest state in India and our relationship with US companies, organisations, and people is a great strength, said Dr Soundararajan. The presence of the US Consulate is a vote of confidence in Hyderabad, and we are confident that US-India ties are only going to deepen in Telangana.
India logged a single-day rise of 3,962 coronavirus infections and 26 fatalities, pushing the overall tally to 4,31,72,547 cases and 5,24,677 deaths, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Saturday. The data updated at 8 am also stated that the number of active cases in the country increased by 1,239 in 24 hours to stand at 22,416. Stay tuned for more updates.
A day after the first-ever Indian delegation visited Kabul since the Taliban took over last year, Pakistan on Friday said that it would not like any country playing the role of a spoiler in Afghanistan.

For the first time since the Taliban's capture of power in Kabul, India on Thursday sent a team led by a senior diplomat to Afghanistan to oversee the delivery of its humanitarian aid and meet with senior members of the Taliban.

The team, led by JP Singh, the external affairs ministry's point person for Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran, met the senior members of the Taliban and held discussions on India's humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan, Indias Ministry of External Affairs said.

Also read: First Indian team in Afghanistan since Talibans return

On Friday, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar, while addressing a weekly press briefing, said that Pakistans views about India's role in Afghanistan historically are well known

Our views about India's role in Afghanistan historically are well known but in the recent past Pakistan allowed as a special gesture the transportation of Indian wheat on the request of the Afghan interim authorities, he said when asked about the delegation and reports that India is going to reopen their Embassy in Afghanistan.

Pakistan in November 2021 had approved the transportation of 50,000 MTs of wheat and life-saving medicines as assistance from India to Afghanistan via Wagah border on exceptional basis for humanitarian purposes.

India had committed 50,000 MT of wheat for Afghanistan because of food shortages in the war-torn country. Pakistan had agreed to facilitate both Afghanistan and India through safe and duty-free transportation of the commodity.

During the briefing, Iftikhar said "Pakistan does not want any nation to play spoiler in the way of a stable and prosperous Afghanistan."

I think what we desire and aspire for is a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan. And we would not like to see anyone playing a role that is negative in any sense, or the role of a spoiler, in this overall context, he said.

To a question about the ongoing back door diplomacy between Pakistan and India, the spokesperson said that he had nothing to share on this.

To a question about the recently held meeting of the Indus Water Commissioner of Pakistan and India, he said Pakistan has valid and justified positions on certain issues and we raised them forcefully and with conviction in this meeting.

And it is our expectation that, whatever objections or observations that have been brought forward by the Pakistani side in the context of the Permanent Indus Commission, in the correct spirit of the treaty, and the working of this Commission, we expect that India would be forthcoming in responding genuinely, so that the purpose of the Commission and its meetings is fulfilled, he said.
People of Kosadh village in Bihar's Siwan district are living in fear these days after a poster in the name of Mossad was put up in the village.

Confirming the incident, Siwan SP Sailesh Kumar Sinha said an action has been initiated.

The poster bearing the mention of "Mossad Organisation" threatened six persons to stop their land grabbing activities in the region or "face the consequences".

One of the six threatened persons, Vijay Singh (55) was attacked on Friday night.

Also Read: Bihar decides to accord permission for exploration of 'country's largest' gold reserve

Vijay was sleeping in the portico of his house when two unidentified men attacked him with sharp edged weapons.

He managed to escape after minor injuries. The name of Vijay Singh was fourth on the poster.

The other names in the list are Ravan Util Singh, Ravan Krishna Singh, Sudama Singh, Kamal Singh, and Paras Singh.

The content of the poster indicated that if these persons do not atone their guilt in the next one month, and return the lands which are grabbed by them and apologise publicly for threatening or killing people in the past, then "be ready to face the consequences".

Mossad is the premier spy agency of Israel which is known for lethal and accurate actions against the Jewish state.
A U.S. MH-60 helicopter lands on South Korea's 14,500-ton amphibious landing ship Marado during a combined exercise held in waters off Okinawa, June 2, in this photo released by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Yonhap





South Korea and the United States staged a combined exercise in international waters off Okinawa this week, the military said Saturday, in yet another move highlighting the allies' joint defense posture.







The three-day exercise, which ended Saturday, was aimed at bolstering the allies' mission capabilities against North Korea's provocations, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).







Korean vessels included the 14,500-ton amphibious landing ship Marado, the 7,600-ton destroyer, Sejong the Great and the 4,400-ton destroyer Munmu the Great. The ships were on their way to Hawaii to participate in a U.S.-led multinational maritime exercise set to begin in late June.







The U.S. Navy also mobilized the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, the cruiser USS Antietam, the Aegis-equipped USS Benfold, and the replenishment tanker USNS Big Horn.






If Europe manages to procure oil and gas from Russia in a way to ensure that the impact on its economy is not traumatic, that freedom should exist for others as well, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday.

His comments at an interactive session during a conference in the Slovakian capital Bratislava came against the backdrop of mounting Western criticism of India's import of discounted Russian oil.

Today, Europe is buying oil and gas from Russia and new package of sanctions is designed in a way considering the welfare of the people while timelines have been set for reducing Russian energy imports with no immediate cuts, he said.

"People need to understand that if you can be considerate of yourself, surely you can be considerate of other people," he said.

Also read: OPEC cuts 2022 world oil demand forecast again on Ukraine war

Jaishankar was asked about reports of a nine-fold increase in India's import of crude oil from Russia.

"If Europe manages in a way that impacts on the economy is not traumatic, that freedom or choice should exist for other people as well. India is not sending people out 'saying go buy Russian oil', buy the best oil in the market, no political messaging should be attached to this," he said.

Asked about claims of India was involved in the trans-shipment of Russian oil, Jaishankar said he has not heard of anyone in India even thinking of trans-shipment of Russian oil.

"A country like India would be crazy to get oil from somebody and sell it to somebody else. This is nonsense," he said.

To another question on whether India is not funding Russia's war by buying oil, he wondered "if buying Russian gas is not funding the war", an oblique reference to various European nations procuring gas from Moscow.

He also said that if countries in Europe and the West were so concerned, why were they not allowing Iranian and Venezuelan oil to come to the market. "They've squeezed every other source of oil we have and then say, okay guys, you must not go into the market and get the best deal for your people. I don't think that's a very fair approach," Jaishankar said.

Asked about India banning the export of wheat, he suggested that it was done to prevent diversion to high-income countries and to not give those involved in speculative trade open access to the Indian market.

Jaishankar said India has been exporting wheat to several countries. "But what we then saw was a kind of run on our wheat, a large part of it done by international traders based out of Singapore and, maybe to some degree, Dubai and the result was the low-income countries, many of whom were our traditional buyers like neighbours Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, the Gulf buys regularly Yemen Sudan, low-income buyers were being squeezed out," he said.

Jaishankar said wheat was being stocked for being traded, and, in a way, India's goodwill was being used for speculative trading.

"So we had to do something to stop that. Prevent diversion to high-income countries with a greater possibility to buy like with vaccines," he said.

Jaishankar said the decision was required to not give the speculators open access to the Indian market so that Indian customers and the least developing countries get the supplies.

He said India is still open to supplying wheat to any deserving country.
The Trinamool Congress has alleged that the BJP has moved on from its original stand of making India "Congress-free" and now intends to make the country "free of any Opposition".

Senior party leader Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, while addressing the press on a different issue on Friday, claimed that the BJPs political intentions are now different from ones it had in 2014. Ray stated that the manner in which the Naredndra Modi government has been stifling the voices of the Opposition since 2014 clearly indicates that he wishes to make India free of any Opposition. Initially they wanted to make the country free from Congress. Now, they are trying to get rid of the entire Opposition, he observed.

Ray further alleged that anybody who opposes the BJP - a journalist, an activist, or a teacher - is targeted as anti-national. "The voice of dissent has a place in democracy. The BJP, however, is on its way towards establishing a single-party rule in the country," he said.

Over the last many months, the party had attempted at offering an alternative to a Congress-led Opposition. TMC chief Mamata Banerjee was actively seen interacting with parties in the Opposition last year. The party has maintained that the Congress has lost its ability to lead a fight against the BJP.

The Congress now has two clear political competitors, while the TMC itself doesnt see Congress as the leading party in the opponents space.

On the other hand, Ray's claim that the BJP intends to establish a single-party rule tightens political space not only for the Congress, but for the Trinamool and other parties too.

With the 2024 Lok Sabha elections taken into account, a divided opposition  as it appears now  is likely to be in the BJPs favour. To offer a fight, political observers feel the two major parties in the Opposition need to be more adjusting to the current political situation.
India's cultural ethos have a common religious and spiritual foundation from east to west and north to south, President Ram Nath Kovind said on Saturday.

Kovind was addressing the centenary celebrations of Gita Press  the world's largest publisher of Hindu religious texts.

"From east to west and north to south, Indias cultural ethos have a common religious and spiritual foundation. Ramayan is popular not only in Hindi but also in Tamil and Gujarati," he said.

India has a long tradition of its rulers following 'Dharm' and 'Anushaasan' (discipline).

"It is said that Dharm and governance move along together and they complement each other. And today, this is visible here. Yogi (Adityanath) ji is the chief minister of this state and also the Gorakshpeeth Peethadhiswar (chief seer). Two things imbibed in one person is a big thing," Kovind added.

The President termed the Gita Press, launched in 1923 by Jaya Dayal Goyanka and Ghanshyam Das Jalan for promoting the principles of Sanatan Dharm, a "temple of literature".

"For an ordinary person like me, the perception was that this was a press. But today, it is seen that the Gita Press is not only a press, it is a temple of literature. The contribution our temples and pilgrimage places have made in saving the 'Sanatan Dharm', a similar contribution has been made by literature which is being published by Gita Press," he said.

The President said, "It is my honour that I am participating in the centenary celebrations of Gita Press. This must be the result of some 'punya' (good work) done in previous births. Before coming here, I also met the staff of the Gita Press. The honesty, dedication and goodwill which I saw in them is unparalleled."

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the press was established in 1923 at a facility rented for Rs 10, "And (today), this has assumed the shape of a 'vattvriksha' (banyan tree) and is serving the country along with 'dharm' and 'sanskaar' (values)."

In 1955, the then President Rajendra Prasad had inaugurated the main door of the press, he recalled.

Governor Anandiben Patel credited Gita Press for people having easy access to 'Bhagavad Gita' and 'Ramcharitmanas' among others.
In a significant judgement on Friday, the Delhi High Court has declared mere smuggling of gold without any connection whatsoever to threatening economic security or monetary stability of the country cannot be described as a terrorist act.

A bench of Justices Mukta Gupta and Mini Pushkarna said possession, use, production, transfer of counterfeit currency or coin is per-se illegal and an offence. However, production, possession, use etc., of gold is not per-se illegal or an offence.

"Even import of gold is not prohibited but restricted subject to prescribed quantity on payment of duty. Thus, mere smuggling of gold without any connection whatsoever to threatening economic security or monetary stability of India cannot be a terrorist act," the bench added.

The court granted bail to Vaibhav Sampat More and eight others arrested in August, 2020 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for possessing over 83 kg of gold smuggled from Assam to New Delhi in a train for allegedly furthering terrorist activities and also threatening the economic security and damaging the monetary stability of India. They were first arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and subsequently the NIA took over the case.

The appellants challenged the order by a Special Court to deny them bail in May, 2021. In their plea, they claimed there was no evidence to suggest the gold was smuggled from a foreign country and there was no evidence except statements made under the Customs Act which were inadmissible for trial under the UAPA.

Additional Solicitor General S V Raju for NIA opposed the bail, contending they tried to disturb economic stability of the country. He cited report of the Financial Action Task Force which stated that gold is a universally accepted currency, can be transferred anonymously and transactions are difficult to trace and verify. Gold is a form of global currency and also acts as a medium for exchange in criminal transactions.

The court, however, referred to Section 16 of the UAPA to point out since no death has been caused here, clause (b) which provides discretion to the trial court to award sentence between five years jail to life imprisonment, would be applicable here. It provided bail to the appellants on personal and surety bond of Rs 1 lakh each with other conditions like they would surrender their passport, report their presence to jurisdictional police station every month and intimate their residential address and mobile number.
Tension prevailed at Jubilee Hills police station on Friday as BJP workers staged a protest demanding the arrest of the accused involved in the gang rape of a 17-year-old girl by a group of teenagers.

Workers of BJP and BJYM staged a sit-in at the police station, raising slogans demanding the arrest of the accused said to be belonging to politically influential families. Some of the protesters including women barged into police station premises but were stopped and detained by the police.

Alleging that the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is trying to shield the culprits, they demanded the resignation of Home Minister Mehmood Ali.

Also Read | Minor girl gang-raped in car in Hyderabad, accused belong to 'influential families'

BJP leader Chintala Ramachandra Reddy alleged that since the accused belong to families of MIM and TRS leaders, the TRS government is not taking action.

"Though the crime was committed six days ago, the police have not arrested anybody under the pressure of MIM," he said.

The victim had gone to a pub for a party and after promising to drop her home, the accused sexually assaulted her in a Mercedes car.

The shocking incident came to light on Friday. Police reportedly detained two suspects and were questioning them.

The girl was raped in a luxury car in posh Jubilee Hills on May 28 by 3-5 accused.

Police said since all suspects are minors they are proceeding as per rules. A police official told reporters outside Jubilee Hills police station that the investigations were on.

Meanwhile, minister for industry and information technology K. T. Rama Rao has expressed shock over the rape incident.

He requested the home minister, Director General of Police Mahender Reddy and the Police Commissioner to take immediate and stern action. "Please don't spare anyone involved irrespective of their statuses or affiliations," tweeted Minister KTR

BJP MLA Raghunandan Rao alleged that the accused were part of a bachelors' party organised at the pub ahead of the marriage of the home minister's grandson.

He alleged that as per the information he received, the sons of a MIM MLA and Wakf Board chairman were involved in the incident.

Rao said the Mercedes car belonged to the sister of MIM MLA. He wanted the police to make CCTV footage public.

The minor girl had gone to a pub along with a friend. As her friend had left early, she befriended a boy during the party. He along with his friends promised to drop her home. About eight boys along with the girl left the pub in two cars.

They stopped at a pastry shop enroute and later parked the car in Jubilee Hills, where 3-to 5 boys sexually assaulted her in a car. They later dropped her back at the pub.

The incident came to light when the girl's father noticed injuries on her neck and enquired about it. She told him that some boys attacked her after a party at a pub.

On the complaint by the victim's father, police on June 1 registered a case under section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and took up an investigation. It was initially treated as a case of outraging modesty but after recording the statement of the victim police altered the section to 376 of IPC.

Police have constituted four teams to arrest the accused. The teams are also searching for them in other states.

A police officer said they were looking for the accused based on the statement of the victim. The police were also scanning CCTV footage and gathering other technical evidence.
Among the many reactions to Gujarat's Kshama Bindu's decision to marry herself, is BJP leader Sunita Shukla who said that marrying oneself goes "against Hinduism" and that such marriages will "reduce the population of Hindus".

Bindu had made headlines when she announced that she would be marrying herself in a traditional Hindu wedding on June 11. "I will dress up like a bride, take part in rituals, my friends will attend my wedding, and then I will come back to my house instead of going with the groom," she said, adding that a pandit (priest) has also been boked to solemnise the marriage.

Read: Gujarat woman set to marry herself in act of 'sologamy'

The BJP leader added, "I'm against the choice of venue, she'll not be allowed to marry herself in any temple. If anything goes against religion, then no law will prevail."

Bindu had said she wished to break stereotypes and inspire others who are "tired of finding true love." The 24-year-old, who identifies as bisexual, claimed that her marriage would be the first instance of sologamy in India. "At one point in my life, I realised that I don't require a prince charming because I am my own queen," she told reporters.

"I have observed that unlike in the West, self marriages are not popular in India. Hence, I have decided to start this trend and inspire others. People may not like my idea, I am confident that I am doing the right thing," she said.
This week the world is observing thirty years of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development  popularly known as the Earth Summit  held in Rio de Janeiro and also fifty years of the first Human Environment Conference held in Stockholm. The two landmark meetings brought into focus the interdependence of social, environmental and economic factors and catalysed environmental policies and actions globally. The Earth Summit presented a broad agenda and a blueprint for international action on the environment. This process, over the years, manifested in various treaties and mechanisms, like the Kyoto Protocol, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and carbon trading. The periodically released scientific reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have served as guidance to policymakers and negotiators. While all this happened, the impacts of climate change have become more apparent in the form of extreme weather events, drastic changes in weather patterns and impacts on livelihoods.

At the national level, several policy changes and programmes were initiated to fulfil Indias international obligations. In 2008, the UPA government came up with the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) consisting of missions on solar energy, energy efficiency, water, agriculture, Himalayan ecosystem, sustainable habitat, green India, and strategic knowledge on climate change. The activities in missions for solar energy, energy efficiency and the forestry sector are supposed to contribute directly to the reduction in carbon emissions, while other missions are to support carbon emissions reduction as a co-benefit. As a follow-up, the states were told to formulate their respective action plans outlining sector-specific and cross-sectoral actions.

Also Read | International Solar Alliance: Making solar power a political priority for nations

By the time the NDA came to power in 2014, all major states had prepared state action plans. However, many state plans got outdated by the time they were formulated and no major action has been initiated barring a few adaptation projects. The state science and technology councils, which are supposed to be nodal agencies for climate action, are not adequately prepared to handle the task. Given that climate action, by its very nature, is inter-sectoral, the state councils often do not get the necessary cooperation from other departments.

To support adaptation programmes in states under the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change, funds are released for specific projects through the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). This quantum has come down from Rs 118 crore in 2015-16 to Rs 42 crore in 2020-21, according to information provided by the government in the last parliament session. The funds released for 2021-22 (till the last week of March 2022) were only Rs 27 crore. In addition to supporting states in adaptation projects, the central government funds some activities on its own. The money spent by the central government on the climate change action programme has come down from Rs 26 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 20 crore in 2020-21. Both the funds released to the states for climate-specific projects and funds spent by the central government for climate change related activities have shown a downward trend in the last seven years.

One of the five commitments Prime Minister Narendra Modi made at the Glasgow meeting of UNFCCC in November 2021 was that India would install 500 GW of non-fossil energy capacity by 2030. Solar energy was one of the eight missions announced in 2008 and the progress being made under this mission in recent years has been rapid, but it appears to be a case of shifting goalposts. In July 2018, the government informed parliament that it had set a target of installing 100 GW of solar capacity by 2022 in the country. Overall, the target for renewable energy capacity was 175 GW 2022  100 GW from solar, 60 GW from wind, 10 GW from bio-power and 5 GW from small hydro-power. In November 2021, the government claimed that the target had been met with installed renewable energy capacity at 150 GW (48.55 GW solar, 40 GW wind, 4.83 GW small hydro, 10.62 GW bio-power, 46.51 GW large hydro). There is a huge gap of 25 GW in installed renewable capacity and over 50 GW gap in solar capacity  between the projection made in 2018 and the reality in 2022. The solar capacity also includes grid-connected rooftop solar panels set up by people on their own. The states were told in 2014 to make the installation of rooftop solar panels mandatory in building bye-laws.

The other commitments the prime minister made in Glasgow included a reduction in the emissions intensity of GDP by 45% over 2005 levels, achieving the target of installing capacity for generating 50% of electricity from non-fossil sources by 2030 (which is related to 500 GW capacity of renewables), reduction in carbon emissions by one billion tonnes till 2030 and becoming net-zero by 2070. All these promises are linked to each other and need cohesive action and plans to translate intent into action. If the promise of 500 GW made by India to the world community is to be met, the country will have to add 350 GW of renewable energy capacity in the next eight years. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has not yet come up with a blueprint to achieve this target although the announcement was made in November 2021. Similarly, some initiatives, like National Hydrogen Mission and National Electric Mobility Mission Plan, have been initiated, but it is not clear how much they will contribute to emission reduction. The government also needs to work with all stakeholders including civil society and states. More concrete steps are needed to bridge the gap between intent and action.

(Dinesh C Sharma is a journalist and author based in New Delhi. His latest book is Indian Innovation: 100 ideas that transformed India)
Additional police forces have been deployed across Srirangapatna town in the wake of Moolamandira Chalo campaign called by Hindu outfits on Saturday. The campaign demands the government to allow puja at Jamia Masjid, which, the Hindu outfits claim to be Moodalabagilu Anjaneyaswamy temple.

The administration has erected a temporary fence in 600-metre radius of the mosque. The police will use drone cameras to monitor movements near the mosque.

The Hindu outfits have planned to take out a march from Kuvempu Circle in the town to Jamia Masjid seeking permission to perform puja. They have also urged to suspend madarasa functioning there. The police have been deployed all along the route of the proposed march.

The district administration has clamped prohibitory orders in the town from 6 pm of June 3 till 6 am of June 5.

Tipu Wakf Estate secretary Irfan Ahmed said that namaz would be conducted as usual for five times on Saturday.

The march by Hindu outfits will not affect the prayers. The district administration has promised that there will be no harm to the mosque. People of all communities live in harmony in the town. It is the outsiders, who are creating problems, he said.

Jamia Masjid is in the possession of Tipu Wakf Estate, but is maintained by the Archaeology Survey of India. The madarasa is functioning there from the day the structure was built. It is not possible to suspend it just because a few persons demand it. Our community will not react to any provocation. The Saturdays attempt to enter the structure is politically motivated, Irfan said.
A young Derry woman died just three days before Christmas when the car she was driving veered over onto the wrong side of the road as she returned home from work in Donegal.

Amy Loughrey, a 25-year-old from Seven Oaks, Waterside, Derry, was working in The Red Door, Fahan and was going home when tragedy struck on the night of December 22, 2016.

Ms Loughrey was involved in a two-car crash a Glebe, Fahan, and was killed instantly, an inquest into her death heard. The collision happened in the Buncrana-bound lane of the road.

Coroner Dr Denis McCauley explained how Ms Loughrey sustained significant injury to her brain, causing death instantly. Ms Loughrey also suffered internal injuries.

Mr Andy Stewart recalled hearing a loud bang outside his house as he was watching TV. He rushed to his front gate where he saw a crashed car. He checked for a pulse on Ms Loughrey, but found none. He remembered that Ms Loughrey had only a small cut, but otherwise there wasnt a mark.

He ran to the other vehicle, a Ford Focus, and told how a male driver, Mr Gareth McCracken, was in severe pain.

Mr Stephen McHugh was on his way home to Buncrana having been at the cinema with his girlfriend, who was in the passenger seat.

He remembered a silver Ford Focus passing him and traveling in the same direction.

The car seemed to glide past, Mr McHugh said in his deposition. There was nothing remarkable in how the Focus was driving, he said.

After seeing a cloud of smoke, Mr McHugh dialled 112 and requested the emergency services.

I knew there was nothing that I could do, he said, recalling how he saw that Ms Loughrey was motionless.

Mr McCracken was driving home from his part-time job as a cleaner and maintenance worker at Letterkenny Shopping Centre. He finished work at 10.30pm and told how the road was quiet as he drove home.

In his deposition, Mr McCracken recalled seeing a car coming around the corner drifting with its tail out.

The car seemed to overcorrect itself and shot across the road, he said. The passenger side was facing towards me and I had no time to react. The next thing, there were yellow jackets all around me.

Mr McCracken sustained injuries to his neck, suffered a broken bone in his back and broke his left wrist. He was in a back brace and has not been able to work or attend college since, he said.

Ms Loughreys car, a Fiat Stilo he said, just wiggled before the impact.

He said he didnt have time to break and did not feel any risk until the moment of impact. It happened far quicker than you think, he said.

Retired Garda Gerry Vaughan told how a priest attended the scene and administered the Last Rites and Dr Cassidy pronounced Ms Loughrey as deceased at 11.45pm.

There was no suggestion of alcohol on either party, tests showed.

Public service vehicle inspector Garda Damien Mulkearns said there was very extensive damage to both vehicles, which were described as being in a serviceable condition pre-accident.

The front bumper, headlights, grill and radiator were gone from Ms Loughreys car. The passenger door was pushed over to the driver seat while the front wing and wheel assembly were smashed.

The passenger seat was displaced behind the drivers seat and the passenger cabin area was destroyed.

Mr McCrackens car sustained massive frontal damage which was concentrated on the passenger side. The front wing was smashed and the wheel assembly displaced.

The bumper, bonnet, headlights, grill, radiator and chassis legs were all smashed, while the rear boot lid and light clusters were damaged.

Forensic collision investigator Garda Gerard McCauley said that the Fiat sustained massive passenger side damage with massive frontal damage caused to the front of the Ford Focus.

The impact was severe, he said.

Garda McCauley said that it was a high impact collision and the Ford Focus carried the majority of force into the collision. The severity of the crush, Garda McCauley said, was considerable.

The weather was wet and overcast, he said. It was the opinion of Garda McCauley, taking into account the dark, wet conditions and the applicable 60km/h speed limit, that Mr McCracken had not taken into account the pervading conditions, other road users and the blind corner.

There was no evidence from the scene that could quantify speed, he said, but he said he was absolutely satisfied that Mr McCracken was driving above 60km/h.

Garda McCauley said it was his opinion that the Ford Focus was being driven at a speed that exceeded that with would enable the driver to bring it to a halt within the distance which the driver could see to be clear.

Barrister for Mr McCracken, Mr Peter Nolan BL, asked how it was possible to do so when a car out of control came around the corner. Garda McCauley said he was merely commenting on the rules of the road.

Force is not the same as speed, Mr Nolan said, arguing that the rule mentioned was to deal with rear-end accident situations.

Dr McCauley said that Ms Loughreys was an accidental death and she died from a lethal brain injury as a result of a road traffic accident.

This was just tragic, terrible, Dr McCauley said. The circumstances brought home how tragic it was.

Dr McCauley and Sergeant Sean McDaid passed on their condolences to the bereaved family.

Mr Nolan, who conveyed the condolences of Mr McCracken, said: It was an awful waste of life. It was an accident and, regardless of how or why it happened, it was a tragic incident.

Mr Patrick McDaid, solicitor for the Loughrey family, added: The Loughreys received a phonemail that none of us, as parents, want to receive.

We can never take away that someone lost a life and some family is without someone who should be here. The time of the year just made it worse.
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Park Hong-keun, floor leader and acting chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), speaks during a meeting of lawmakers and party officials at the National Assembly in Seoul on Friday to discuss the aftermath of the party's defeat in Wednesday's elections. Yonhap



Lee Jae-myung's election victory tarnished



By Kwon Mee-yoo



The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has been reeling from the consequences of its crushing defeat in the June 1 local elections, just months after its humiliating loss in the presidential race.



The party is deeply divided as lawmakers blame Lee Jae-myung, a former DPK presidential candidate who unsuccessfully ran in the March 9 presidential election and the winner of the June 1 by-election in Incheon to become a lawmaker, for his premature return to politics.



The DPK only secured five out of 17 metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial posts.



Lee succeeded in joining the National Assembly by winning a by-election in Incheon's Gyeyang District, but his victory was tarnished by the party's defeat. Although he won the election, he has been accused of being a self-serving politician. Those who are critical of Lee claimed his return to politics came too early and accuse him of refusing to take responsibility for his defeat in the presidential election.



After losing the presidential race, the DPK attempted to reform itself by naming as its co-interim leader, Park Ji-hyun, a 26-year-old former activist who fought against digital sex crimes and joined Lee's presidential camp. However, she faced stiff resistance in her attempt to reform the party from within.



The internal discord has grown from bad to worse after the DPK lost the local elections.









The DPK plans to hold a convention in August to elect a new chairman. But the party is largely divided between those who support former President Moon Jae-in and those who back Lee, and the two groups are blaming each other for the loss in the recent elections.



The pro-Moon group criticized Lee running for a parliamentary seat in Incheon only three months after his defeat in the presidential election.



Rep. Kim Jong-min appeared in an interview on MBC radio Friday and said a defeated presidential candidate running for another election so soon goes against the basic common sense of democracy.



"His running in another election did not help the DPK in the local elections. Lee made headlines, but other regional DPK candidates didn't get much attention, which wasn't favorable for them," Kim said.





Lee Jae-myung, right, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) former presidential candidate and winner of the Incheon Gyeyang parliamentary by-election, and Park Ji-hyun, the DPK's co-interim leader, watch the exit poll results of the June 1 local elections at the party's election camp, Wednesday. Park resigned taking responsibility for the party's defeat in the elections, Thursday. Yonhap
A smartphone app that can identify severe jaundice in newborn babies by scanning their eyes could help save lives in poorer parts of the world, a new study suggests.

In the study  co-authored by researchers at University College London (UCL) and the University of Ghana  an app called neoSCB was used to scan the eyes of more than 300 newborns in Ghana, following an initial pilot study on 37 newborns in 2020.

The app, developed by UCL clinicians and engineers, was used to analyse images taken on a smartphone to quantify the yellowness in the whites of the newborns eyes  a sign of neonatal jaundice.

Analysis by eyesight is unreliable, whereas the app can give an early diagnosis of jaundice requiring treatment.

The study compared the effectiveness of the app with conventional screening methods and found that out of 336 babies tested, it correctly identified 74 of 76 severely jaundiced newborns.

The study found that this was in line with the accuracy of the most common screening method, a non-invasive device known as a transcutaneous bilirubinometer, which identified all 76 babies with jaundice correctly.

Dr Terence Leung, from UCL, who developed the technology behind the app, said the study showed the app is as good as the commercial devices currently recommended.

He said the app only requires a smartphone, which costs less than a tenth of the commercial device.

We hope that, once rolled out widely, our technology can be used to save the lives of newborns in parts of the world that lack access to expensive screening devices, he said.

Study lead Dr Christabel Enweronu-Laryea, from the University of Ghana, said the app method was acceptable to mothers in the urban and rural areas taking part in the study.

Mothers easily devised ways to keep the babys eye open, most often by initiating breastfeeding, she said.

While jaundice is common and usually harmless in newborns, in severe cases, bilirubin, the substance causing a yellow skin tone, can enter the brain and lead to death or disabilities such as hearing loss, developmental delays and neurological conditions.

Severe jaundice causes around 114,000 newborn deaths every year and 178,000 cases of disability worldwide  despite being a treatable condition.

Most cases occur in the first week after birth.

Their skin will look slightly yellow, which is harder to spot in babies with brown and black skin

Yellowing may be more obvious in the whites of their eyes, inside their mouth, on the soles of their feet, and on the palms of their hands

It is usually more noticeable on the head and face, and may increase when you press an area of skin down with your finger

Other symptoms include sleepiness, decreased appetite, dark yellow urine, or pale poo

In higher-income countries, routine screening for early diagnosis lowers the risks of severe complications.

Newborns in low and middle-income countries are usually at greater risk of severe jaundice because the countries lack the resources required for screening.

A commercial transcutaneous bilirubinometer typically costs around 4,000 per device and the blood tests required after the screening require more health workers.

The higher rate of home births and early postnatal discharge can also contribute to fewer newborns being screened in poorer countries.

Babies in sub-Saharan Africa are also at a greater risk because of a high prevalence of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, an inherited genetic disorder associated with an increased risk of haemolysis  where red blood cells break down at a faster rate than they are made  and hyperbilirubinemia.

Senior author Dr Judith Meek, at University College London Hospitals, said the app has the potential to prevent death and disability worldwide in many different settings.
Louth Sinn Fein spokesperson on Tourism Imelda Munster TD has said it is important that the Minister for Tourism Catherine Martin TD takes action regarding price gouging by some hotels, mainly in the Dublin area.

Teachta Munster raised the matter with the Minister at a meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Tourism.

Teachta Munster said:

The Minister spoke today about the importance of sustainable tourism and a good summer season ahead  well the prices that are being charged at the moment by hotels are absolutely not sustainable, and tourism wont be booming for long if this rip-off continues.

Weve all heard stories of outrageous prices for hotel rooms  one family with four children were quoted over 800 to stay one night in a hotel recently with no breakfast. Its scandalous.

Hotels were supported by the public and by the government throughout the pandemic, and as soon as the going got good, the rip-off began.

I raised this with the Minister today, particularly the reputational damage that it will cause to our tourism brand. And hotels and other businesses in the tourism sector outside of the major cities who are not price-gouging will pay the price of this damage.

I also asked her about the wisdom of extending the 9% VAT rate for these hotels  the taxpayer is clearly not getting the benefit of it and demand is obviously not a problem.

Minister Martin agreed that this may cause serious reputational damage, and with regards to the reduced VAT rate, she said that no potential options should be off the table.

Im asking Minister Martin to stand by her remarks today and ensure that she does everything in her power in her engagements with the hotel sector to ensure that this price-gouging is stopped.

She is responsible for tourism  the sector has gone through enough in the last two years and a small number of greedy businesses cannot be let to ruin the reputation of our tourism brand both at home and abroad.
China to launch Shenzhou XIV manned mission

Chinadaily.com.cn) 09:55, June 04, 2022

The combination of the Shenzhou XIV manned spaceship and a Long March 2F carrier rocket is seen being transferred to the launch site at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on May 29, 2022. [Photo by Wang Jiangbo/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Shenzhou XIV mission - China's ninth manned spaceflight  is scheduled for launch on Sunday morning from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern Gobi Desert, according to a senior mission official.

Lin Xiqiang, deputy head of the China Manned Space Agency, said at a news conference inside the Jiuquan center Saturday morning the three crew members  Senior Colonel Chen Dong, Senior Colonel Liu Yang and Senior Colonel Cai Xuzhe -- will be sent to the Tiangong space station and stay there for half a year to continue the assembly of the colossal station.

The Long March 2F carrier rocket lifting the Shenzhou XIV spacecraft will blast off at 10:44 am, he said.

Chen will be mission commander. All crew members are from the second generation of the country's astronauts.

Before them the Shenzhou XII and XIII three-member crews lived inside the Tiangong, which is traveling in low-Earth orbit about 400 kilometers high. The Shenzhou XIII crew returned in mid-April.

In early May, the Tianzhou 4 cargo spacecraft was launched by a Long March 7 rocket from Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province, transporting nearly 6 metric tons of propellants and materials to Tiangong.

Tiangong consists of the Tianhe core module, the Tianzhou 3 and the Tianzhou 4.

In July, the station's first lab component -- Wentian, or Quest for the Heavens  will be launched, while the second lab named Mengtian, or Dreaming of the Heavens, will be sent to dock with the station in October. After they are connected with the Tiangong, the station will form a T-shaped structure.

After the space labs, the Tianzhou 5 cargo craft and the Shenzhou XV crew are scheduled to arrive at the massive orbiting outpost around the end of the year, according to mission officials.

The Tiangong is expected to operate for up to 15 years and will serve as a scientific platform, space officials have said, noting it will also be open to foreign astronauts.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
Park Ji-hyun is surrounded by reporters at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday, after resigning as a co-chief of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Yonhap



By Jung Min-ho



When a 26-year-old activist who fought to shed light on digital sex crimes became the co-leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) in March, many hoped she would be able to utilize the crucial months left before the June 1 local elections to galvanize the support of young female voters.



But instead of solving the problems that were deeply rooted in the main opposition party, Park Ji-hyun, who helped expose systematic sex trafficking crimes (known as the "Nth" room scandal), revealed to the public the shortcomings of the DPK at a time when many voters were still undecided.



The result was devastating for the DPK, which won only five out of 17 metropolitan mayor and governor posts and lost its majority in local offices nationwide. In the previous elections four years ago, the DPK won 14 of those posts.



As she resigned from the party leadership along with other top officials, Park thanked those who supported the DPK, especially the women in their 20s and 30s, and blamed the main opposition camp's "resistance to change."



"The party was arrogant even after losing in the presidential election and refused to change even though it was necessary," Park said. "I hope the party will be reborn as one supported by the public after changing its people, direction and system."



Her statement signaled the prospect of more infighting between party members, especially involving the young and old lawmakers who have vastly different views on what the problems are and how to solve them.





Rep. Yun Ho-jung, left, a co-chief of the Democratic Party of Korea, turns his head away during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap




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Tourism in Monaghan has received a major boost with the official opening of the new Patrick Kavanagh Visitor centre in Inniskeen and the launch of Failte Ireland and Monaghan County Councils new five-year tourism development plan for County Monaghan.

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaelteacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin TD and Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys TD today officially opened the Patrick Kavanagh Centre in Inniskeen Co. Monaghan, a key element of the Monaghan Destination Experience Development Plan (DEDP) which launches at Castle Leslie this afternoon.

The Patrick Kavanagh Centre, located in a deconsecrated church in Inniskeen, is a new state-of-the-art visitor experience dedicated to the life and works of one of Irelands greatest poets.

A 1.2million restoration and development of the site includes a new visitor experience and cultural space. The centre is expected to attract up to 10,000 visitors per annum by 2026.

The Patrick Kavanagh Centre and the development of The Kavanagh Country experience is a central part of the Monaghan Destination Experience Development Plan, which also officially launches today.

The Monaghan DEDP is a comprehensive 5-year tourism development plan, created in partnership between Failte Ireland and Monaghan County Council, that will drive the development of tourism across Monaghan.

Speaking at the launch, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin said:

I am pleased to officially open the Patrick Kavanagh Centre here in Inniskeen.

"Patrick Kavanaghs significant contribution to Irish poetry heritage is showcased wonderfully in this new centre, which will have an important economic impact for the Monaghan and the surrounding region by attracting thousands of additional visitors and positioning the North East as a must-visit destination for domestic and international tourists.

"In addition, the Monaghan DEDP will provide a 5- year framework to further develop the visitor experience in all areas of Monaghan from Glaslough in the north of the county down to Carrickmacross in the south, creating new opportunities not only for visitors but also for local businesses and people, and driving the development of regional tourism.

Speaking at the launch, Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys said:

Through Our Rural Future, the Governments ambitious rural development policy, we want to help communities to build on their own unique strengths.

"The Community in Inniskeen have developed a masterplan and this Government and my Department is providing the funding to help them implement it.

"Projects like this are all about that ground up approach to rural development. Without doubt, the Patrick Kavanagh Centre will be a fitting legacy for Monaghans most famous Son.

"This official opening, along with the launch of Failte Irelands 5 year Destination and Experience Development Plan for Monaghan, is a significant step in the development of tourism in Monaghan and the North East, which has so much to offer domestic and international visitors alike.

Paul Kelly CEO of Failte Ireland added:

Today is an important day for the development of tourism in Monaghan, with the opening of the new Patrick Kavanagh Visitor Centre and the launch of the Monaghan Destination Experience Development plan.

"We look forward to working with Monaghan County Council and industry partners as we implement this plan to realise Monaghan's tourism potential.

In his speech, Cllr Aidan Campbell, Cathaoirleach of Monaghan County Council said:

The Kavanagh Centre provides a wonderful context for exploring the unique landscape of Monaghan that inspired so much of his work.

"This landscape that shaped Kavanagh as a person and as a poet has changed little since his time and young and old can enjoy the Kavanagh Trail as part of the visitor experience.
There was sad news of the death of the Derek Stokes, a member of the great Dundalk team that won the League of Ireland title in 1966/67. Derek was born in West Yorkshire in 1939.

He was a striker and made his first appearance for Dundalk on 15th December 1966 in the Leinster Senior Cup. Dundalk won 5-2. Stokes came to Oriel having scored over 100 League goals in eight seasons in England.

He joined the strike force at Oriel of Ben Hannigan, Paddy Turner and Danny Hale. By the end of his first season with Dundalk he had a League winners medal and a top four medal as well. He scored 17 goals for Dundalk in his first season.

The team scored a record of 111 goals from 49 games, an average of just over two per game. Derek scored quite a number of goals in total for Dundalk over the three years he was at Oriel.

In 1968 he scored twice for Dundalk over two legs in the old Inter City Fairs Cup against Dos Utrecht of Holland. He helped Dundalk advance to the second round of a major European competition for the first time in their history.

This competition is the equivalent of the Europa League competition. Kevin Blount, Mick Millington, Alan Fox and Derek Stokes have now passed away from this great team. I had the privilege of seeing this team. It was one of the best teams to have ever represented Dundalk.
Jeju Air B737-800 / Courtesy of Jeju Air



By Kim Hyun-bin



The number of passengers on low-cost carriers (LCC) nearly doubled in May from the previous month, but is still small, accounting for only 3 percent of sales compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic.



For a quick recovery of business, LCCs are calling on the government to take proactive measures to tackle problems such as expensive air tickets and excessive quarantine regulations compared to other countries, as these stand in the way of increasing overseas travel demand.



The airline industry believes that the government will need to significantly increase international flight licenses to counter skyrocketing ticket prices.



The number of international passengers in May reached 942,147, up 45 percent from April, according to data released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Friday.



The number of international passengers on Jeju Air, T'way Air, Jin Air, Air Seoul and Air Busan increased 86 percent from 32,648 in April to 60,717 in May. Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, the major airlines, meanwhile, saw a 36 percent increase to 288,194 and 212,224, respectively.



The resumption of flights to Southeast Asian countries and Guam, which are the most popular routes for LCCs, contributed to the rise in accordance with the government's recovery policy for international flights.



The number of international passengers at LCCs is expected to increase further in June. This is because the government has opened more regular flights from May including to Singapore and Boracay.



But LCCs have a long way to go. In May 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of international passengers at LCCs stood at around 2.2 million. The current figures only account for 3 percent of the pre-COVID-19 level.



The international passenger business of airlines has virtually stopped for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Large airlines showed record-high performance by focusing on cargo transportation, converting passenger planes to cargo planes in consideration of global logistics difficulties.



"Passenger numbers were very low in April, so they seem to have increased significantly in May. Passenger demand will be able to recover more quickly if restrictions on entry are lifted," an LCC official said.


GAA followers in Cork are being asked to share their stories in a new edition of a grassroots book about the organisation.

Last years publication of Grassroots: Stories From The Heart Of The GAA proved such a success that the GAA and Ballpoint Press are collaborating on a new volume  GAA Grassroots, The Second-Half  and plan on an autumn publication.

Editor and author PJ Cunningham said he needed GAA followers to make their submissions for the new edition by the end of June.

Im issuing a last call to make sure that if someone has a story to tell, they have the chance to do so, Mr Cunningham told The Echo.

We already have over 100 stories for the second volume but it is important that we trawl again this year as we want to include the most comprehensive treasure trove of Gaelic-related stories ever compiled in the 138-year history of the association.

The front cover of Volume 2 of Grassroots, author PJ Cunningham's publication.

He emphasised that the stories being sought out stand a greater chance of publication if they contain twists and turns, rather than being simply historical accounts about clubs or famous ancestors who won medals.

It is not a collection of how clubs were founded or run but about the people in them; its more about what they got up to either on or off the pitch, he explained.

GAA President, Larry McCarthy, who launched the first volume, said he was delighted a second book is being published, containing stories from the heartlands of the organisation as well as from the Irish diaspora.

The GAAs Communications Director, Alan Milton, said the two Grassroots books would complement the work undertaken by the GAAs Oral History Project, commissioned in 2009 as part of the associations 125th celebrations.

Having stories maintained in permanent form is important to the association and this undertaking fills that role for us, he said.

Stories can be submitted on any subject and from any era  from the time of British rule, through to the Civil War, The Emergency or indeed the era of The Ban and vigilante committees set up to uncover GAA members attending or playing foreign games.

GAA stories always have intrigue, cunning, wit and every member has a unique story to tell about what happened somewhere along the line. Thats why Id love to get a new crop in for Volume 2, Mr Cunningham said.

If someone out there has a story but would prefer to relate it to me rather than write it themselves, I can write it up for them.

If you have a story, write to: pj@gaastories.ie or communications@gaa.ie marked GAA Stories or phone PJ Cunningham directly on 086-8217631.
AT the end of April, some friends of mine traveled from Waterford to Cork for the long-awaited Ed Sheeran concert.

With some spare time on our hands, I took them on a short stroll around our beautiful city, specifically the ancient part located on North and South Main Street.

Originally called Main Street, this bustling thoroughfare was the centre of medieval commercial life in old Cork until the city wall was taken down in the 18th century; and with the physical development of the marches outside the wall, consequently, the old city lost its importance as businesses moved out onto the new spacious reclaimed ground.

After our leisurely stroll, we decided to go for a bite to eat and found ourselves in the Golden Bites Brazilian Snack House on the busy Kyle Street. While we chatted and waited for our food, little did my friends know that we were standing where Corks first theatre stood over 300 hundred years ago, according to local folklore, and when I mentioned this to them, they were eager to know all about it.

At the dawn of the 18th century, the directors of the Smock Alley Theatre in Dublin decided to send their players on a visit to Cork. For this purpose, they leased a disused malthouse,105ft long by 21ft wide, situated on Dingle Lane, off North Main Street and converted it into a theatre. In 1713, only 23 years after the Siege of Cork, its doors opened to the public, becoming Corks first theatre.

The Theatre Royal, now the site of the present GPO, St Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork. Illustrated London News) Courtesy: Cork City Library

During its lifetime of almost 30 years, the theatre accommodated visits from many companies. Being under the influence of the Smock Alley Theatre, the Dingle Lane Theatre staged some of the finest Shakespearean productions including Macbeth, Richard III and Othello.

The success of the Dingle Lane Theatre encouraged more theatres to open in order to satisfy the ever-increasing theatre-loving audience in the young growing city of Cork. Historian, John Windele tells us that another theatre opened up in Broad Lane (where St Francis Church is situated today) but ceased to be used as a theatre before 1736. In that year, a regular theatre was opened in Georges (St Oliver Plunkett) St in Conways Yard. However, it was too small and so a larger one was built in 1760 called the Theatre Royal on the site of the present-day GPO. Corkonians reveled so much in their enjoyment of the wit, wisdom and frolic of the playhouses that more theatres subsequently opened up.

This elegant drawing shows Beamish and Crawford Social Club, formerly Lanes Brewery, South Main St. This club became the Group Theatre, which was to become the Cork Arts Theatre, also popularly known as the Cat Club. The building was demolished in the 1960s to make way for the Cork City Car Park. Today the Cork Arts Theatre is located on Carroll's Quay. Also shown is the entrance to Old Post Office Lane.Courtesy: Artist, Catherine M. Courtney. 1996

The second half of the 18th and the first half of the 19th century saw the Wide Street Commissioners (1757-1851) reshaping the medieval walled city and its surroundings. This involved reclaiming the prehistoric marsh lands and its waterways so that new thoroughfares and buildings could be constructed. Thus, in the early 1840s the buildings on Dingle Lane were demolished and incorporated into a new street called Kyle Street. From the rubble, limestones from the demolished buildings, including Corks first theatre, all went into the foundation of the new street as well as the erection of new buildings on both sides of the street. And it is in one of these buildings that my friends and I found ourselves after our stroll.

Todays Golden Bites Brazilian Snack House and Antiques, Vintage, Retro & Bric-a-Brac store. Courtesy: Richard T. Cooke

The building today is partitioned, with Golden Bites Brazilian Snack House on the western side and the Antiques, Vintage, Retro & Bric-a-Brac store on the eastern side. Since its erection in the second half of the 19th century, various businesses operated out of this building. The early years of the 21st century saw the building in poor condition and in 2009 it was purchased from Cork City Council by a local antiques businessman who converted it into a beautiful restaurant. Knowledgeable about the history of the street, he elegantly and tastefully renovated the building and named it the Theatre Tea House.

Im glad to say my friends immensely enjoyed the concert and their tour of Cork.

Many thanks to Barry Madden, local antiques businessman for information regarding this article.

Sources: Cork City Library files Christopher Fitz-Simon, The Irish Theatre. Published: Thames and Hudson Ltd, London. 1983 John Windele. History of Cork. Published, CORK: The Fercor Press, 2 Bridge Street. 1973 J. W. Flynn. The Random Recollections of An Old Play-Goer. 1890 Gina Johnson. The Laneways of Medieval. Published: Cork by Cork City Council. 2002 T. F. McNamara. Portrait of Cork. Published by Watermans, Cork. 1981
A West Cork man seen acting suspiciously in Cork city was searched and found to have heroin for his own use.

Sergeant Pat Lyons said Cathal Moore of Cork Simon Community was seen acting suspiciously on Lower Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork, after 11 a.m. on March 14, 2020.

Gardai approached and searched him under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

He was found to be carrying 200 worth of Diamorphine (heroin) for his own use.

Eddie Burke, solicitor, said, He is 27 years old and from Kilbrittain in West Cork.

Everything had been going well until the period of time around this offence. He became homeless and was drinking heavily and taking drugs.

He is linked in now with Arbour House treatment centre.

Judge Patricia Cronin imposed a 200 fine on the accused at Cork District Court.
James Cox

A group that represents the families of Irish children born through surrogacy has called comments from the Minister for Health on international surrogacy "shocking" and "upsetting".

Stephen Donnelly made the comments in the Seanad on Wednesday.

The Minister was addressing the Assisted Human Reproduction (AHR) Bill, which aims to ensure In vitro fertilization (IVF), Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and other areas of fertility research are conducted in a more regulated fashion.

The Committee on International Surrogacy has been set up to consider the inclusion of international surrogacy in the AHR Bill, and it was given a timeframe of 12 weeks to conclude this work.

Mr Donnelly has been criticised by advocacy groups and members of the committee after he appeared to suggest it was delaying the AHR Bill.

[The AHR bill] has been years in the making, its urgently required, regardless of international surrogacy, its urgently required for people in Ireland, said Mr Donnelly.

"We need to regulate this sector domestically. Its at committee, and it has been paused. I was asked to stop it for several months, Ive stopped it for several months. But Im very keen that we get going with the AHR bill quickly.

He also suggested a separate Bill would be needed for international surrogacy.

Sara Byrne, of Irish Families Through Surrogacy, told BreakingNews.ie that these comments had caused huge distress to families who have had children through surrogacy.

"You name it, obviously disappointment, anger, shock to be honest that so much work has gone into getting to this point. The committee progressing so well, everyone was so shocked that Mr Donnelly made those comments.

"At this stage we've all been given so much hope that finally our children will be recognised as equal citizens here, and will have equal legal rights for both their parents. The thought of that hope being taken away is hugely upsetting. It's been a difficult few days."

Hugely disappointing statements from @DonnellyStephen yesterday in the Seanad. We are appalled at the lack of commitment and urgency to protect our Irish children and legislate appropriately for surrogacy both international and domestic. As our private requests have been ignored pic.twitter.com/6i2KBG7rug  Irish Families Through Surrogacy (@IrishFamiliesTS) June 2, 2022

She pointed out that Micheal Martin commissioned research into surrogacy as far back as 2001, when he was Minister for Health.

Ms Byrne added that the AHR Bill was first issued in 2017, and that Mr Donnelly's claims that the surrogacy committee was delaying it were "completely disingenuous".

She commended the work of the Senators and TDs on the committee, "we've been so heartened by how committed they've been to getting the work done in the timeframe".

"Then for Minister Donnelly to turn around and basically say it's holding up the whole show is just completely disingenuous, it's not based on fact at all, and it's just a shock as to where it's come from, it seems he's misinformed or confused at where he's coming from."

Surrogacy Committee

Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore is chairing the surrogacy committee and Ms Byrne said she felt the Department of Health were "dismissive, and basically said there was no place for international surrogacy within the AHR Bill".

Committee members first tried to organise a meeting with Mr Donnelly in March, and received a reply five weeks later.

"When you have a timeframe of 12 weeks to get the work done and when you're getting a reply over a month later it's not very helpful. He hasn't really engaged at all with the committee."

Ms Byrne, whose daughter was born through surrogacy, said it is very distressing for parents who are trying to secure rights for their families.

It's just heartbreaking, it really is.

"Our children are growing up before our eyes and every year that passes you just hope and pray the right thing will be done, but this kind of behaviour, kicking the can down the road it seems, you do start to lose hope. So many families have gone public with their stories, including hugely private and hugely intimate details of their private family stories. They've done that purely because they believe if they speak out a change will happen and the thoughts of all of those people, including myself, that have gone and put themselves out there to feel it's all for nothing, it's just heartbreaking, it really is."

The Assisted Human Reproduction Coalition, which includes IFTS and a number of advocacy groups, has made "four or five" attempts to organise meetings with Mr Donnelly with no reply.

"Nobody goes down the route of surrogacy unless it's the last resort. People have been through awful, gruelling, traumatising times to get there, be that a medical diagnosis or infertility struggles, there are so many different reasons people have to go down the route of surrogacy.

"So many of our members have been waiting maybe to get started because they want to make sure they would be in a better legal position. But in situations like this you lose hope. I'm very lucky I have my daughter with me, at least we have our family as difficult as it is to be recognised, but for people who don't have that yet and are looking on and seeing their Government isn't supporting them, it's very, very difficult.

"You have to believe if he understood where we're coming from, engaged with these normal Irish families, with beautiful children who are Irish citizens that deserve to be recognised, you would have to believe he would support this legislation.

"The committee have been unbelievable, so engaged, eager to learn, and the witnesses they've chosen have been so good, the legislation is there it just needs support from the Department of Health and Minster Donnelly to get it over the line."

BreakingNews.ie has contacted Mr Donnelly for comment.
The mother, right, and sister of Army Col. Oleksander Makhachek mourn over a coffin containing his remains during a funeral service in Zhytomyr, Ukraine, June 3. AP-Yonhap





When Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in late February, the Russian president vowed his forces would not occupy the country. But as the invasion reached its 100th day Friday, Moscow seemed increasingly unwilling to relinquish the territory it has taken in the war.







The ruble is now an official currency in the southern Kherson region, alongside the Ukrainian hryvnia. Residents there and in Russia-controlled parts of the Zaporizhzhia region are being offered expedited Russian passports. The Kremlin-installed administrations in both regions have talked about plans to become part of Russia.







The Moscow-backed leaders of separatist areas in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region, which is mostly Russian-speaking, have expressed similar intentions. Putin recognized the separatists' self-proclaimed republics as independent two days before launching the invasion, and fierce fighting has been underway in the east for weeks as Russia seeks to ''liberate'' all of Donbas.







The Kremlin has largely kept mum about its plans for the cities, towns and villages it has bombarded, encircled and finally captured. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said it will be up to the people living in seized areas to decide their status.







Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week that enemy forces now control almost 20% of the country's territory. Before the war, Russia controlled 7%, including the Crimea Peninsula and parts of the Donbas.







But in a video message marking the war's first 100 days, Zelenskyy made it clear Ukraine will not submit easily.







''We have defended Ukraine for 100 days already. Victory will be ours,'' he said.







U.S. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, said he believes ''there's going to have to be a negotiated settlement'' to end the war. Asked if Ukraine should give up territory in exchange for peace, the president said, ''It's their territory'' and ''I'm not going to tell them what they should and shouldn't do.''







A local resident walks, as his neighbour's house burns after shelling in Lysychansk, the Luhansk region of Ukraine, June 2, as Russia's attack on the country continues. Reuters-Yonhap





Initially, at least, annexing more land from Ukraine was not believed to be the main goal of the invasion. It was widely thought that the Kremlin intended to install a pro-Moscow government in Kyiv that would prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and pulling further away from Russia's influence.







But now, Moscow is unlikely to let go of its military gains, according to political analysts.







''Of course (Russia) intends to stay,'' said Andrei Kolesnikov, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. To Russia, ''it's a pity to give away what has been occupied, even if it was not part of the original plan.''







Russian forces captured much of Kherson and neighboring Zaporizhzhia early in the war, gaining control over most of Ukraine's Sea of Azov coast and securing a partial land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. They completed the takeover last month with the capture of the port city of Mariupol following a three-month siege.







Residents of the cities of Kherson and Melitopol took to the streets to protest the occupation, facing off with Russian soldiers in plazas. Ukrainian officials warned that Russia might stage a referendum in Kherson to declare the region an independent state.







Petro Kobernyk, 31, an activist with a nongovernmental organization who fled Kherson with his wife, said Russian security forces are cracking down on pro-Ukrainian activists.






People attend a march and rally against gun violence in Newtown, where almost a decade ago a gunman shot and killed 26 people including 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary School, in Newtown, Connecticut, U.S. June 3. Reuters-Yonhap





From the Texas school massacre to a Tulsa hospital shooting and many less-reported incidents, a recent spate of gun violence across America bears out a trend police departments have long sworn by: murders go up in warmer weather.







The link has been written about for decades by criminologists, with more recent research drilling down on the precise relationship between temperature and crime rates.







For those who have studied the question, there are common sense as well as potentially less obvious mechanisms at play.







First, the more obvious: "It's hard to shoot somebody if there's nobody around," David Hemenway, a professor of health policy at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, told AFP, explaining why gun crime is lower in bad weather.







A second, more controversial idea is that heat itself  as opposed to weather that encourages people to be out  might rev up conflict.







While there are many causes behind the rising tide of gun violence in the United States, weather could play an increasingly important role in world that is fast warming due to climate change.







Members of the community attend a National Gun Violence Day of Awareness vigil on June 3, in New York City. Wearing orange for National Gun Violence Awareness Day began as a tradition by friends and family to honor the life of Hadiya Pendelton who lost her life as the result of gun violence in 2013, just one week after she performed at President Obama's and then-Vice President Biden's second inaugural parade. AFP-Yonhap





Hemenway said he had long been interested in the relationship between heat and higher crime given stereotypes about the north-south divide within the United States and Italy, as well as between the northern European states of Scandinavia and southern Mediterranean countries.







In 2020, he co-wrote a paper in Injury Epidemiology led by his then-graduate student Paul Reeping examining the city of Chicago between 2012 and 2016.







The paper used reports from the Chicago Tribune to get the number of shootings per day, and then matched those against daily high temperature, humidity, wind speed, difference in temperature from historical average, and precipitation type and amount.







They found a 10 degree Celsius higher temperature was significantly associated with 34 percent more shootings on weekdays, and 42 percent more shootings on weekends or holidays.







They also found a 10C higher than average temperature was associated with 33.8 percent higher rate of shootings.







In other words, said Hemenway, it's not just heat that's important, but relative heat: "In the winter, there were more shootings on those days which wouldn't have been hot in the summer but were warm for winter."







Another recent paper, led by Leah Schinasi of Drexel University and published in the Journal of Urban Health in 2017, looked at violent crime in Philadelphia.







"I live in Philadelphia, and I remember biking home from work on a very hot day and observing how cranky everyone seemed. I was interested to see if this observation translated to higher rates of crime on hot days," she told AFP.







She and co-author Ghassan Hamra did indeed find violent crimes happened more often in the warmer months  May through September  and were highest on the hottest days.







The contrast was most striking on comfortable days in the colder months  October through April  compared to colder days in those months.







When temperatures reached 21C during that time period, daily rates of violent crime were 16 percent higher compared to 6C days, the median for those months.







Protesters march against gun violence across the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, U.S., June 2. Reuters-Yonhap









Hemenway believes that both of the main hypotheses on the subject  that more people being outside opens more possibilities of hostile interactions, and that heat itself makes people more aggressive  could be true.







A striking study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research in 2019 involved placing university students in Kenya and California in either hot or cold rooms and measuring the impact on a number of behavioral categories.







It found "heat significantly affects individuals' willingness to voluntarily destroy other participants' assets" in the form of gift cards and vouchers.







When it comes to the overall issue of gun violence, there are far bigger drivers than temperature, Hemenway acknowledged.







These include the fact there were an estimated 393 million guns in circulation in the United States in 2020, more than the number of people, while many states have moved in recent years to ease rather than toughen restrictions.







But better understanding the relationship with weather could have policy implications  for example finding more activities for young males to keep them off street corners on the hottest summer days, and boosting police presence in key areas based on forecasts.







"It's sort of a harm reduction," said Hemenway. "But even if this wasn't a gun problem, I suspect we would find the same thing if we had evidence about fights and assaults. What the guns do is make hostile interactions more deadly." (AFP)


Dave Clark, who headed Amazons worldwide consumer operations, announced he is resigning after 23 years at the company. The former Kentucky warehouse manager was in charge of overseeing the companys retail business as well as its warehouse and shipping operations, which expanded due to the pandemic. Clark tweeted the announcement today along with an email sent to his team, writing that he had discussed transitioning out of Amazon for some time with family and those close to him. Clark was promoted to his current role only last year, following the departure of longer-serving executive Jeff Wilke.

I've had an incredible time at Amazon but its time for me to build again. It's what drives me. To all I've had the honor of working with: thank you for making it so much fun to come to work every day for 23 years to invent cool, amazing things for customers.



Email to team below pic.twitter.com/c8Ao46VvaJ  Dave Clark (@davehclark) June 3, 2022

Clarks resignation comes as the company is dealing with its first quarterly loss in seven years, a unionization push and more warehouse space than it needs. Clark was in charge of the companys logistic operations, which he expanded as demand soared during the pandemic. The company reported in April that excess warehouse space would contribute to $10 billion in excess costs for the first half of 2022.

The executive regularly defended Amazons warehouse operations, even amid criticism of its unsafe working conditions. After John Oliver investigated Amazon warehouses in an episode of Last Week Tonight, Clark tweeted that Oliver was wrong on Amazon and that the company was proud of the safe, quality work environment of its facilities.
After delaying the planned launch from May 20th due to an issue with backup systems, Blue Origin is finally ready to send New Shepard on its next journey to the edge of space. The NS-21 mission is New Shepard's 21st flight and its fifth with passengers on board. It takes place today at 9AM ET and you can watch it live below. The stream will start an hour before launch.

#NS21 is targeting liftoff from Launch Site One on Saturday, June 4. The launch window opens at 8:00 a.m. CT / 13:00 UTC. Stay tuned for updates: https://t.co/1ztUVVcs7V pic.twitter.com/s9Q7R2xy7y  Blue Origin (@blueorigin) May 31, 2022

The passengers include electrical engineer and former NASA test lead Katya Echazarreta, who will become the first Mexican-born woman and youngest American woman to fly to space. She's making the trip as part of Space for Humanitys sponsored Citizen Astronaut Program.

Civil production engineer Victor Correa Hespanha, meanwhile, will become the second Brazilian to reach space. The other passengers are business jet pilot Hamish Harding, co-founder of private equity firm Insight Equity Victor Vescovo, Dream Variation Ventures co-founder Jaison Robinson and investor Evan Dick, who was part of the NS-19 mission in December.

Blue Origin's first crewed flight took place last July, with founder Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark and, at the time, the youngest and oldest people to travel above the Karman line on board. William Shatner became the oldest person to reach space on the second crewed mission. Subsequent flights took place in December and March.
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the monthly U.S. jobs report, at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center, in Delaware, June 3. Reuters-Yonhap





President Joe Biden took his on-and-off tensions with billionaire Elon Musk to another level Friday, wishing the SpaceX founder "lots of luck" on the Moon after he expressed pessimism about the U.S. economy down on Earth.







Musk has made clear he's no Biden fan and a report Friday from Reuters said he told Tesla executives he has a "super bad feeling" about the US economy and wants to slash the electric auto maker's workforce by 10 percent.







Biden, celebrating May jobs data that economists see as potentially indicating a healthy path forward for the post-pandemic economy, responded to Musk's reported comment by pointing to growth among Tesla rivals.






The water sector in India and vested interests in it have always been averse to change. We have now reached a point where diffi cult decisions must be taken if we are to avoid an increasing number of water-related confl icts. The states must not only adopt legislation based on the central governments groundwater model law but also make sure to adapt it to their local circumstances. The union government also has a framework legislation that attempts to highlight the importance of water, which all states would do well to replicate.

Water has been a central policy issue for decades. A combination of factors has made water an even more important priority in recent years, something that will not change in the foreseeable future. The first reason for this is that water is a source of life and it is necessary for survival. Water is also central to most human activities, from domestic use and livelihoods to industrial growth. At the same time, protecting water and ensuring its conservation in the long term has become increasingly important over the past few decades. However, while conservation has become a significant agenda item, it is often seen as an environmental subject, or one that need not be addressed from within the water sector.

The increasing importance of water in policy terms can be ascribed to various factors. The main problem usually highlighted is increasing water scarcity (Mekonnen and Hoekstra 2016). Decreasing per capita water availability is a concern. This is caused by a variety of factors, including changing rainfall patterns caused by climate change, drought, its increasing use, and population growth. Yet, water scarcity is only one of the problems that should concern policy-makers and guide attempts to rethink water regulation. Indeed, while overall water availability will be a growing concern in the future, people are now often affected by difficulties in accessing the available water. The barriers to access tend to be economic, but are sometimes social, as confirmed by cases of drinking water being denied to certain communities (Sathish 2015).

In addition, scarcity is not the only concern; certain parts of the country are just as concerned by floods. The availability of drinking water is, in a way, a diminishing problem, thanks to decades of state investment in handpumps and other ways to access water. But this is counterbalanced by the rapidly increasing number of water sources whose quality is not acceptable as drinking water.

Overall, the water scenario has been changing fast over the past few decades. This has stretched the existing legal and institutional framework, which is largely based on premises that are not valid anymore, to the limit.

Evolving Water Law and Policy

Changes in the global climate, in water availability and distribution, in water use, and an evolving understanding of water, such as the necessity to foreground its conservation, are all factors that explain the need for change in the regulatory framework governing water. At the same time, the evolution of the legal framework itself calls for changes that are yet to be effected. These include constitutional amendments and strictures of the higher judiciary.

To start with, the Supreme Court of India has recognised the fundamental right to water for more than two decades (Subhash Kumar v State of Bihar and Ors 1991). Yet, none of the water laws specifically acknowledge its existence, thus leaving a gap between aspirations at the broadest level and implementation at the local level. The Supreme Court has also repeatedly ruled that water must be understood as a public trust (M C Mehta v Kamal Nath and Ors 1996). This implies that there can be no appropriation of water because it is a substance far too important to each and every one of us. In principle, this also bars the privatisation of water, though this principle has not been applied strictly by the courts (Mrs Susetha v State of Tamil Nadu and Ors 2006).

There has been no statutory recognition of the changed legal status of water and some water laws still assert full state ownership (the Jammu and Kashmir Water Resources [Regulation and Management] Act, 2010, Section 3). Another major reform adopted more than two decades ago was the constitutional mandate for decentralisation to local bodies. The functions devolved through amendments in state-level laws have included various water-related elements (the Uttar Pradesh Panchayat Raj Act, 1947, Section 15).

Over the past couple of decades, various reforms have been introduced but they do not necessarily all pull in the same direction. In reality, water laws and policy changes have been influenced in a large part by a set of principles known as water sector reforms that emphasise the need to consider water as an economic good and to foster its demand management and efficiency of use (Dublin Statement on Water and Sustainable Development 1992). The water sector reforms and the laws that have been introduced in their light give little space to the right to water, the concept of public trust, the central role of the environment in water regulation, and the need to foster a form of participation that is at least in part parallel but separate from the constitutionally sanctioned form of participation.1

There are thus at least two different strands of reforms in water policy and law. It is imperative to ensure that a modern water law reflects the principles set up at the apex level and is in consonance with higher-level norms. This is one of the central tasks that state governments and the central government need to address.

Need for Reform

Water law is a patchwork of many state laws adopted over decades and some central legislation. This complexity is made worse by the fact that there are many sectors to water law and neither the lawmakers nor the institutions implementing them necessarily see the different sectors as part of a whole. This is nowhere better reflected than in the separate treatment of surface and groundwater, governed by different legal principles and addressed by different institutions that act independently, and (surface) irrigation departments denying having anything to do with groundwater, though it is now the main source of irrigation in the country.

The inappropriateness of existing arrangements calls for new legal and institutional arrangements. One of the first things is to ensure that the overall framework within which all actors operate is linear. This involves, for instance, ensuring that the same principles apply to the conservation, access, and control of surface and groundwater, something that is not the case today. This also involves operationalising constitutional reforms in letter and spirit.

The decentralisation mandate thus requires not only giving out small parcels of control to local bodies but rethinking the role and place of all state actors, from the panchayat/ward level to the state and central government levels. The Model Groundwater (Sustainable Management) Act, 2016 appropriately proposes that in keeping with the recognition of water, especially groundwater, as a local resource, it is local institutions that should have the primary rights and duties to do with it.

New Laws and Institutions

The central government has undertaken repeated lawmaking initiatives to address what seems like an unending logjam. Two among them are notable. First, in a context where groundwater is the main source of water for most water users and where existing legal arrangements are outdated, the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWRRDGR) has come up with the Model Groundwater (Sustainable Management) Act, 2016, which updates a version drafted by the Planning Commission in 2011 (see Planning Commission of India 2011a).

Second, in a context where there is no set of principles applicable to water in general, the MoWRRDGR has come up with the Draft National Water Framework Bill, 2016 that builds on a version prepared by the Planning Commission and a version prepared earlier by the ministry (Planning Commission of India 2011b; Ministry of Water Resources 2013). This needs to be seen alongside the proposals from another MoWRRDGR committee for rethinking the institutional architecture of the water sector at the union level (Committee on Restructuring the CWC and CGWB 2016).

The proposed groundwater legislation builds on the realisation that it is not enough to seek to regulate access to groundwater at the level of individual landowners, as has been done until now. A much broader framework is needed that goes beyond a limited focus on use to encompass conservation, and beyond individual regulation to aquifer-wide regulation and conservation. The Model Groundwater (Sustainable Management) Act, 2016 brings together this broader understanding of groundwater regulation based on the understanding that groundwater is the most local source of water. So the proposed framework calls on local bodies to take the lead in developing groundwater security plans, which are meant to bring together the demands of various users with the need for long-term conservation at an aquifer level and maintain its quality.

The proposed legislation seeks to perform the difficult task of providing an overall context for regulation of water without infringing on the legislative mandate of states. It provides a set of general principles largely derived from existing Supreme Court judgments and legislation, for instance, in the environmental field. A key contribution is that it provides a single set of principles for all water, whether surface or groundwater. Beyond this, it seeks to address some of the challenges that arise at the national level and require interstate coordination, such as interstate river basin regulation and conflicts, and data sharing. It also seeks to promote a new outlook on water by emphasising the need for its security plans.

The two new bills are linked to the proposed institutional reform at the union level so that they can more effectively address some of the key and mounting challenges in the water sector in an integrated manner. The proposed changes are momentous in a sector that has generally been averse to change and their implementation will take time and determination.

In the case of groundwater, the conceptual framework informing the bill and the institutional reforms is very similar. They are both premised on the need for participation in the regulation, conservation, and use of groundwater, and the unitary nature of water. The measures they propose are different because their point of entry is different. The institutional reforms envisaged are at the national level and thus concern the limited functions that a national-level institution can play in the groundwater sector. They rightly provide for a single institution, the National Water Commission (NWC), to address both surface and groundwater. The proposed functions related to groundwater include, for instance, leading the national aquifer mapping and the groundwater management programme.

This ties in very well with the institutional framework proposed by the Model Groundwater (Sustainable Management) Act, 2016, which, in recognition of the local nature of groundwater, puts forth an institutional framework centred on local bodies of governance. Since the necessary technical expertise is usually not available at the local level, the NWC will be able to fill in such gaps. At the same time, it is appropriate that the Model Groundwater (Sustainable Management) Act, 2016 does not directly refer to the NWC since it only plays a subsidiary role and the lead role must be taken by state-level institutions.

In the case of the framework legislation, there is a direct link between the NWC and the proposed regulatory framework because they both operate at the national level. They are again both premised on the idea of the unitary nature of water and thus complement each other in terms of taking the water sector forward with their broader understanding of water and its regulation. At the same time, the lack of effective integration needs to be addressed to ensure that the NWC is effectively set up to serve the purposes and aims of the framework legislation.

The NWC needs to be the institution that will implement the provisions of the framework legislation. It needs to be the institution that contributes at the national level to the realisation of the principles of water regulation found in the framework legislation. This is necessary to ensure that the NWC effectively works in coordination with other ministries and departments that have a stake in water. Additionally, establishing the NWC in the framework legislation will ensure that its mandate is clearly linked to the mandate that the union has over water without interfering with the main mandate that states have over it.

The NWC should thus be conceived in terms of the principle of subsidiarity, which recognises the primacy of local regulation of water without losing sight of the fact that water must be regulated, conserved, and used at all levels at the same time. Such safeguards need to be written down in the legislative framework to ensure that states and the union have a harmonious relationship over water in the coming decades, which will undoubtedly witness increasing conflicts over sharing and allocation of water from the local to the national levels.

Beyond the Proposed Draft Laws

The union government has taken noteworthy initiatives to ensure that the water sector, in its legal, policy, and institutional dimensions, is better able to address the multiple challenges that have arisen and will arise in the future. The first task is to ensure that some of these initiatives take a concrete form soon because this is not the first time proposals for reform have been mooted. The increasing severity and multiplicity of water crises affecting the country should ensure that action will indeed be taken and the proposed initiatives implemented.

Change is, however, not necessarily welcome. It is particularly so in the water sector where vested interests get established over a period of time. While this may explain insufficient action over the past couple of decades, we have now reached a point where difficult decisions must be taken before the crisis worsens. Not doing so will lead, for instance, to a rapidly increasing number of water-related conflicts. These will not just be interstate conflicts such as the Cauvery dispute (Janakarajan 2016), but a multitude of conflicts at the local level over access to available water and, in many cases, over allocation between different sectors (Cullet et al 2015).

The steps taken at the union level are extremely important in forcing all actors to acknowledge the need for change. At the union level, there is some competence in the water sector and significant influence over what happens on the ground, especially through the funds it provides to states. It is the states that have the primary constitutional mandate over water and given the multiplicity of climatic conditions, socio-economic conditions, and differing patterns of water use in the country, it is imperative not to upset the existing constitutional arrangement.

In the context of the current initiatives, this implies that two things are necessary. As far as the groundwater model legislation is concerned, states must not only adopt legislation based on its principles but also make sure to adapt it to their local circumstances, something that has not been effectively done earlier. As far as the framework legislation is concerned, the union initiative is a worthwhile attempt to highlight that water must be given additional visibility at all levels. The most important step is for each state to adopt a framework legislation because no state has any such legislation in place. The need for this has been felt and some states, such as Meghalaya and Rajasthan, have proposed draft legislations. The union initiatives should act as a wake-up call to all the states to display a new drive and dynamism.

Note

1 This is the case for water user associations set up as separate institutions from panchayats, even though panchayats are usually given control over minor irrigation, such as in the case of the Uttar Pradesh Panchayat Raj Act, 1947, Section 15(iii).

References

Committee on Restructuring the CWC and CGWB (2016): A 21st Century Institutional Architecture for Indias Water Reforms.

Cullet, Philippe, Lovleen Bhullar and Sujith Koonan (2015): Inter-sectoral Water Allocation and Conflicts: Perspectives from Rajasthan, Economic & Political Weekly, Vol 50, No 34, pp 6169.

Janakarajan, S (2016): The Cauvery Water Dispute: Need for a Rethink, Economic & Political Weekly, Vol 51, No 41, pp 1015.

M C Mehta v Kamal Nath and Ors (1996): Supreme Court of India (1997), 1 SCC 388.

Mekonnen, Mesfin M and Arjen Y Hoekstra (2016): Four Billion People Facing Severe Water Scarcity, Science Advances, Vol 2, No 2, pp 16.

Ministry of Water Resources (2013): National Water Framework Bill.

Mrs Susetha v State of Tamil Nadu and Ors (2006): Supreme Court of India AIR 2006 SC 2893.

Planning Commission of India (2011a): Model Bill for the Conservation, Protection and Regulation of Groundwater.

 (2011b): Draft National Water Framework Act.

Sathish, G T (2015): Pond Water Here Is Still Untouchable, Hindu, 18 July, http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/pond-water-here-is-still-untouchable/article7436114.ece.

Subhash Kumar v State of Bihar and Ors (1991): Supreme Court of India AIR, SC 420.
This article aims to re-evaluate the infl uence the Greeks and especially Aristotle have had on Jurgen Habermass thought via Hannah Arendt. The purpose of such a reassessment is to argue that Habermass reconstruction of the public sphere is conceptually yet indirectly embedded in the Aristotelian historical and intellectual trajectory, which is often neglected.

In his book Theory and Practice (1974a), Jurgen Habermas pronounces the break of modern politics from the old tradition of Aristotle. He argues that the tradition of Aristotelian politics was entirely founded on prudence and practical philosophy where politics is considered as the doctrine of a good and just life and thus a continuation of ethics. To seek a good life, the citizen is dependent on the polis (the ancient Greek citystate). Thus, goodness necessitates engaging in politics and political discussions in the open spaces of the polis. The moral, legal, and political aspects of actions thus, in a way, superimpose and overlap with each other.

However, according to Habermas, Niccolo Machiavelli and Thomas Moore initiated a break from this tradition of politics, which was given a final shape by Thomas Hobbes. Hobbes conceptualised the permanent groundwork of a correct political order on the claims of a positivist social philosophy while replacing the Aristotelian foundations of prudence. It resulted in the untying of the enmeshed knot of ethics, law, and politics prevalent in the ancient tradition of political philosophy. After Hobbes, the correct political order can be envisaged through a government that considers human beings as objects who behave in a calculable manner rather than act uninhibited. Once such a naturalistic calculation regarding the politics of human affairs creeps in, the frameworks of the ethical nature of social interaction can be ignored. This separation of politics from morality, writes Habermas (1974a: 43), replaces instruction in leading a good and just life with making possible a life of well-being within a correctly instituted order.

Critics such as David Randall argue that the scientific reason of Hobbes cannot be merely viewed as a break from Aristotelian politics. He charges Habermas with presenting only one side of the debate while completely overlooking the other. For Randall, the notion of scientific reason is both a successor of classic prudence wherein the ongoing debate between traditional and modern scientific reason registered the strength of classical prudence. The path for such a registration was initiated by Machiavelli, who, according to Randall, detached prudence from morality and evolved the concept of amoral prudence. Habermas interprets this development as a shift from, rather than a succession of, Aristotelian politics (Randall 2011: 20526). Interpretations regarding this significant development in Western political thought can go either way, with some arguing for a continuation and others taking side with Habermas to emphasise on the break from tradition. The issue, however, is to dissect the break from beneath and find whether the necessity of conceptual basics also acknowledges this break.

In other words, one can agree with Habermas regarding the break in politics but disagree with him and argue that at the level of concepts such a break can never happen; not even in his philosophical thought. The shift might have transformed politics but the energies of normative content inherent in the concepts of classical political thought, to use Habermass (1997: 36) phrase, still inform our needs for orientation. My intention here is to argue that even after announcing this shift, Habermass conceptualisation of the public sphere could not escape a historical start with Aristotles distinction between oikos (ancient Greek household) and polis. What might have been conceived by Habermas as a historical break in the way we conceive of politics and political establishments today could not escape the conceptual continuity that a normative foundation of the public sphere needs. In other words, the ruptures and turns of political thought could not affect the historical continuity of concepts that are essential for a definition of the public sphere.1

During the last few decades, Habermas has been continuously modifying the normative ideals of his theory of the public sphere (Calhoun 1992). In his first major work, the Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgeois Society (hereafter STPS), the framework for defining the public sphere as a discursive space emerges from a sociological and historical analysis of the modern bourgeois societies of Europe. He conceives the public sphere as a discursive space where private people come together as a public to discuss matters of mutual concern and arrive at a consensus in the form of public opinion (Habermas 1989: 26, 66; 1974b: 4955). The discursive space is separate from both the domain of public authority (the government and state institutions) and the private domain of peoples family life. As a concerted culmination of discussions in the public sphere, public opinion is both separate from and generally reflect a critical attitude towards the government and its public policies. He writes that public opinion served as the vehicle to put the state in touch with the needs of society (Habermas 1989: 31). The locus of such discussions were the coffee houses, salons, marketplaces or table societies, which were in principle open to all.

Romanticising the Public Sphere?

Some critiques have emerged in the West regarding Habermass romanticising the bourgeois public sphere and his purported concealment of its exclusionary nature by feminist scholars, Marxists and liberals alike. These criticisms led him to clarify and revise the foundational frameworks of the public sphere in his recent writings. In Between Facts and Norms, Habermas widens the theoretical foundations of the public sphere to address and include the viewpoints of these critiques. Building on the notion of lifeworldthe set of beliefs and values that one is socialised in while growing up and living in a particular societyand the normative concept of communicative rationalitya distinct version of rationality which is epistemic, practical, and intersubjective as inherent in all communicationHabermas (1996: 374) does not confine the definition of the public sphere to the episodic public sphere found in taverns, coffee houses or the streets. Rather he attempts to go beyond a site-based phenomenonhappening in coffee houses and other public placesto the meta-topical social space generated in communicative action (Habermas 1996: 360). Although Habermas (1996: 374) allows for a multitude of international, national, subcultural, regional and local public arenas, he argues in favour of a universal public sphere by assuming that the boundaries inside it remain permeable for building hermeneutical bridges. The latest modification has been his inclination to address the role of religion in the public sphere of post-secular societiessocieties where religious communities continue to exist within a secular environment. The notion of the post-secular is aimed at a reconcilement of secular public reason with religious reason so that religious citizens can be included within the fold of public deliberations in the political public sphere. It is also an attempt to get rid of the flaws in Rawls contentious provisiothe condition that religious reason can only be included in pubic deliberation provided they follow with corresponding political reason. As an alternative, Habermas develops the model of institutional translational provisionthe provision that ordinary citizens be freed from the burden of translation (as in Rawls) and instead officials and public institutions do the secular translation which has been widely critiqued by scholars such as Melissa Yates and Christina Lafont at the levels of cognitive burden, identity split and conflict of interest (Yates 2007: 88091; Lafont 2009: 12750). These modifications, I argue, tend to root Habermas more deeply in the Greek tradition of Western political thought than detaching him from it. He is rooted in the Greek origins of the public sphere in two ways:

(i) Directly to Aristotle and his emphasis on publicprivate distinction and the idea of lexis (speech).

(ii) Indirectly through Arendt (the neo-Aristotelian) from whom he draws theoretical tools but stops short of acknowledgement. I will deal with both of these in detail.

The earlier Habermas of STPS is closer to the Greek historical understanding of the public and the public sphere than the latter one which we encounter after the Theory of Communicative Action. Peter Uwe Hohendahl argues that early Habermas follows the intense critique of modernity and enlightenment rationality by Max Horkheimer and Theodor W Adorno and develops a theory of the public sphere within the framework of a historical narrative. The later Habermas, on the other hand, puts historical context to the background and takes an interest in a purely philosophical grounding of the concept of the public sphere (Calhoun 1992: 10002). The historical narrative, with its primary focus on enlightenment modernity, starts with what Manfred Riedel calls as the Hegelian analysis of modernity. Such an analysis traces modernity back to the Aristotelian distinction between oikos and polis and is quite distinct from Webers notion of analysing modernity (DEntreves 1994: 2223).

The Hegelian analysis of modernity starts in the first chapter of STPS where Habermas acquaints the reader with the confusing meaning of the term public and how its meaning shifts with changing situations. He, however, despises the lack of any proper term that can replace such traditional categories. Despite a lack of conceptual clarity, he defines those events and occasions as public which are open to all, in contrast to closed or exclusive affairs (Habermas 1989: 1). This definition leads him to attend to the contested distinction between the notions of public and private. Going back into Aristotelian political philosophy, he argues that the distinction has its origins in the Greek citystate where polis (the public sphere of freedom and permanence) was distinct from oikos (the household with its master). The wants of life and the procurement of its necessities were shamefully hidden inside the oikos, so the polis provided an open field for honorable distinction (Habermas 1989: 4). He argues that the feudal system of domination based on fiefdom lacked a proper outline for the distinction between the public sphere and the private sphere, as was the case with the Greek citystate. Instead, the tradition of ancient German law had the two categories of particular and common which seemingly correspond to the distinction between public and private. Publicness in the continent was only a representative publicness that considered people or the commons only as spectators. The lord represented it in person and lordship was represented not for but before the people. Such a public representation was more a matter of display and lacked any characteristic of a sphere of political communication (Habermas 1989: 8). The narrative weaved by Habermas to expound on the evolution of the bourgeois public sphere is investigated from the vantage points of multiple disciplines simultaneouslyespecially history, sociology, and philosophy. It provides the reader with a window to look into the notions held by Greeks and Romans regarding the concept of the public sphere while at the same time interrogating their lineage vis-a-vis the modern times. While the historical importance of Aristotle for Habermass theorisation of the public sphere is easy to grasp, I intend to have a closer look towards the abstract conceptual lineage which Habermas barely stresses on.

The Polis in Modern Europe

The idea of the public sphere in STPS has a radical philosophical and theoretical lineage where Habermas, in a way, attempts to reincarnate the polis in the European situation of the 18th century. Irrespective of the stark historical and sociological differences between the Greek and the 18th century European epochs, the conceptual similarities are hard to be overlooked. While Aristotles citizen (male-master of household) had to leap beyond all concerns regarding the household affairs and participate in the public discussions of the polis, Habermas gives this leap a distinct twist to suit the contexts of modern capitalist societies. The master in Aristotle is replaced by a bourgeois owner of goods and persons in the private and intimate sphere. A leap into the public sphere transforms him into a homme (human being) among others who is qualified to discuss matters of mutual interest without any meddling by their bourgeois identity. Thus, the bourgeois public sphere was a public founded on the dual identity of the individual with the role of a property owner running parallel to his role as a human being. Habermas (1989: 56) writes:

The identification of the public of property owners with that of common human beings could be accomplished all the more easily, as the social status of the bourgeois private persons in any event usually combined the characteristic attributes of ownership and education.

The transformation of Aristotles master-citizen dialectic into the bourgeoishomme dialectic by early Habermas also signifies the spatial link that the concept of public sphere shares with the Greek one. While agora (marketplace) constituted the demarcated space where masters met each other as equal citizens, for Habermas, the coffee houses, table societies, and salons mark that open space where private individuals come together to form a public. Moreover, the exclusion of the proletariat, women, and other depressed classes from the realm of the public sphere is also reminiscent of the Aristotelian polis. Gerald Hauser argues that the consideration of the concept of the public sphere is participatory and both Aristotle and Habermas emphasise participation in public from their respective contextual vantage points. He points to a significant evolution from the Greek notion of public life to the modern conception of the public sphere. In the former, no distinction between the ekklesia (legislature) and agora was needed, as the men interacting on public issues in one were the same men who later came together to vote in the other (Hauser 1998: 24). The only difference between the two was that the actions performed in the legislature were official. Quite distinctly, the modern conception of the public sphere acts as a third arena between the state and family in the form of civil society where discussions meant to generate public opinion are expected to influence the governmental activities of the state. In Habermass thought, society organises itself as a distinct realm outside of the purview of the state. The policies and other functions of the state are dependent on what Hauser (1998: 31) calls the support of societys disparate segments whose will was expressed in the form of public opinion.

The most important link that Habermas shares with the Greek understanding of the public sphere is his emphasis on lexis and language. In a 2004 lecture, he underlines the social nature of human beings as being the starting point of his philosophical thought. The peculiarity of our social life lies in our existence within the elements of language through which we not only represent but communicate with others to reach an agreement and understanding. Language, according to him, is not a mirror of the world, but the only access we have to the world. He emphasises the Aristotelian notion of zoon politikon (political animal) as an animal who exists in a polity, that is, a public space. Public spaces are a unique feature of human affairs, which are possible only because we can learn from each other within a linguistically shared cultural milieu. Though born helpless, an infant grows up and is able to form the inner centre of a consciously experienced life only by externalising herself through communicatively constituted interpersonal relations (Habermas 2021: 108). Aristotle, if we remember, considers the capacity of speech and shared language as a distinctive feature of human beings. Speech becomes the sole criterion through which individuals meet, discuss, and cooperate on matters of their common good.

In a serious reformulation of Webers idea of rationalisation, Habermas subtly appropriates the Aristotelian emphasis on lexis by distinguishing between two modes of action: (i) work or purposive-rational action; a form of action based on either instrumental action or rational-choice or their conjunction, and (ii) interaction or communicative action which are forms of action where humans coordinate their behaviours based on binding consensual norms through communication. The communicative structure of interaction as a form of valid action is explicated by arguing that expectations regarding each others behaviour must be understood and recognised by at least two acting subjects (Habermas 2021: 108). Thus, interaction as an action is only possible through a Wittgensteinian notion of public language in ordinary language communication (Habermas 1989a: 9192).

The connecting link of lexis as a foundational feature of public interaction becomes clearer if we draw a parallel between Arendts and Habermass understanding of the public sphere. Arendt has had a tremendous influence in shaping later Habermass pure philosophical grounding of the public sphere, which is in sharp contrast to the historical narrative emphasised by the early Habermas. Quite interestingly, both Habermas and Arendt conceptualise the paradigm of public space as a democratic forum for intersubjective interaction almost simultaneously. While Arendt finds the modern age as a precursor for the disappearance of the public realm, Habermas finds it as playing a dual role. The early Enlightenment period according to him leads to the evolution of the public sphere as a space for deliberation on common interests of people vis-a-vis the state which later gets refeudalised and transformed into a sham public overridden by private interests and a corporate culture.

What is clear, however, is the fact that at the time of their writing, both share a nostalgic trope regarding the existence of the public sphere that was but is now not to be found. The difference in the depth of nostalgia is that Arendt idealises the Greek polis as being paradigmatic, and Habermas laments the loss of the bourgeois public sphere found in coffee houses, table societies, and the world of letters in the early 18th century. Dana Villa argues that in Arendts and Habermass critique of the present times, the primary attempt is to search for a recovery of the lost public realm. It is through the nostalgia of this loss that both elucidate minimal conditions needed for uncoerced deliberation and decision amongst diverse equals (Villa 1992: 712). Seyla Benhabib widens the ambit of this nostalgia with history to almost all the 20th century thinkers of the public sphere. From the American journalist Walter Lippmann who wrote the Phantom Public to the pragmatist John Deweys response to Lipman in the Public and Its Problems and from Hannah Arendt to Habermas in Europe, all

appear to be afflicted by a nostalgic trope: once there was a public sphere of action and deliberation, participation and collective decision-making, today there no longer is one; or if a public sphere still exists it is so distorted, weakened, and corrupted as to be a pale recollection of what once was. (Benhabib 1997: 1)

In the search for a justification of the pervasive presence of this nostalgic trope she argues that more than being a philosophical date with the past (be it far or near), the nostalgia is a symbol of concern that all these philosophers share about the possibility of democracy in complex, multicultural, and excessively globalised societies. In almost all her writings on the public sphere, she finds the Arendtian conceptualisation severely limited for modern reality which is one of advanced capitalism, corporate culture, and impersonal communication. She argues that Arendts model emphasises a corporeal form of interaction between people who are confined within the walls of spatial metaphors. Such a form of interaction is at odds with the modern experience. Habermas (1997: 7), on the other hand, takes the challenge of modern reality seriously and describes the public sphere as an impersonal medium of communication, information, and opinion-formation. Habermas (1977: 14) himself finds Arendts theory of the public sphere that is based on rigid dichotomies of classical Greek philosophy as inapplicable to modern conditions.

Speech in Arendt and Habermas

The framework-oriented differences withstanding, both Habermas and Arendt come closer to each other in their emphasis on speech and communication. In the same article, Habermas argues that the Arendtian concept of power is a communications concept with a huge normative content. In Arendt, the fundamental phenomenon of power is directed to the formation of a common will in an unconstrained communication directed towards reaching a consensus. The strength of this consensus is measured by the amount of rational validity immanent in speech. While making rational validity the sole form of the meaning generator in speech among actors, Habermas interprets Arendts notion of power as a form of communicative action. Power, he writes, is built up in communicative action; it is a collective effect of speech in which reaching agreement is an end in itself for all those involved (Habermas 1977: 6). Arendt, therefore, disconnects the concept of power from any teleological necessity. It is the power of this common communication which helps to maintain the action or the plurality of actions from which it emerges. Power thus is not a means to an end where it is employed for gaining majority or dominance. It is rather an end in itself.

According to Villa, Habermass interpretation of Arendts concept of power through his conception of communicative rationality underlines their similarities regarding the mode of interaction to be followed in the public sphere. In other words, it stresses the parallels between her reassertion of the Aristotelian distinction between praxis and poiesis and Habermass fundamental distinction between communicative and instrumental action (Villa 1992: 713). Habermas foresees Arendt as emphasising a politics of dialogue whose underlying conditions can only be met through undistorted communication. Although Villa (1992: 717) treats this interpretation as wrong, he views it as a prefiguration of Habermass ideal speech situation. Gerard Heather and Mathew Stolz agree with Villa as they consider Habermass inclination of finding rationality claims inherent in language as his conclusion. However, they are quick to add that Arendt becomes the medium through which he channels critical theorys interest towards political theory. It is through Arendt that he turns his attention to the classical doctrine of politics as it is embodied in the thought of Aristotle (Heather and Stolz 1979: 6).

Benhabib underlines the centrality of theoretical dialogue between Habermass notion of the public sphere and Arendts concept of the public space. The central role of this exchange can be gauged by the fact that Benhabib (1996: 200) calls the Habermasian concept of the public sphere a systematic transformation of this Arendtian concept. She laments that scholars and commentators have not given Arendt her due for this transformation. According to her, Habermas is indebted to Arendt in three respects. First is her discovery of the linguistically structured notion of human action, which serves as a preamble to Habermass theory of communicative action. Second is her conception of public space and its discovery which becomes an important conceptual legacy inherited by Habermas. And finally, the distinction between work and interactionat the origin of Habermass theory of communicative actiondraws from Arendts critique of Karl Marx and more importantly from her threefold distinction between work, labour, and action. Habermas could make a conceptual move from public space towards his conceptualisation of public sphere only because of the persistence of this complex dialogue with Arendt. Whereas the move from public space to public sphere led to a lot of crucial transformations, the significant relationship between the public sphere and the theory of democratic legitimacy needs to be underlined. Arendts notion of public space is so much embedded in its emphasis on the space of appearances that it completely overshadows the concept of democratic legitimacy. It is only through Habermass transformation of public space that a link between the public sphere and democratic legitimacy gets re-established.

Benhabib argues that Habermas helps us to understand two functions that a public space fulfils: a holistic function and an epistemic function. These functions are central to any theory of democratic legitimacy, be it ancient/Arendtian or modern/Habermasian. The holistic function of public space is that in it collectivity becomes present to itself and recognises itself (Benhabib 1996: 201) through layers of shared interpretations and a cohesion evolving around those interpretations. Cohesion here means the convergence of interpretations rather than any Rousseauian general will which can be unilateral or stately. It enables the individuals to recognise the what-ness and who-ness of the actor. Without convergence and cohesion, the uniqueness of action remains unfulfilled. A public space fulfils its epistemic function when it transcends the limitations imposed by the overarching metaphors of spatial and temporal metaphors invoked by Arendt. It, according to Benhabib, is fulfilled when a public space successfully transforms narrow self-interest into a more broadly shared public or common interest. The common interest signifies the anticipated communication to foster an enlarged mentality where one gives and entertains reasons. The significance of anticipated communication lies in the fact that it simultaneously transcends the boundaries of spatial face-to-face interactions and loosens them. The two functions, though essential for a theory of democratic legitimacy, cannot be culled single-handedly in Arendt. She conceives public space as a space mired in a romantic invocation of power that emerges whenever and wherever the people are united together through mutual promises (Benhabib 1996: 202). It is through Habermas that the missing link between Arendtian language and democratic legitimacy is established and made clearer. Benhabib (1996: 202) writes:

If the reasonable and voluntary consent of citizens, or their mutual promises in Arendtian language, are the basis of legitimacy in the political realm, then a public sphere of the exchange of opinion, of the sifting through the arguments, and of the mutual deliberation is fundamental to modern political institutions. Habermas clearly shows the link.

Arendts influence on Habermass thought has another critical relevance. He and other scholars (for example, George Kateb) find Arendts work anti-modernist and Aristotelian in nature (Benhabib even calls her a Grecophile theorist). Heather and Stolz and Benhabibs stress on conceptual lineage between them also highlights Habermass dialogue with Aristotle; although an indirect and impersonal one. Arendt becomes the table (to use her metaphor), which simultaneously separates and unites Habermas and Aristotle. In Arendt, he meets the classical and contemporary together and takes it forward towards a firm philosophical grounding of the public sphere. Habermas carefully sieves the classical to find conceptual tools of contemporary relevance. In a metaphorical way, he uses Arendt to bridge the break, which he argues had been initiated with Hobbess scientification of politics. Habermas (1974a: 286) writes,

the study of H Arendts important investigation (The Human Condition) and H G Gadamers Warheit and Methode has called my attention to the fundamental significance of the Aristotelian distinction between techne and praxis.

Conclusions

Scholars only interpret Habermass notion of the public sphere as being a response to the present. They completely overlook that Arendts presence works as a handle through which the past is appropriated and transformed into a critique of the present. It is only through the simultaneous existence of this appropriation and critique that Habermas becomes ready to tackle the challenges of the present. Aristotle via Arendt remains conceptually fundamental in this appropriation in the works of Habermas.

Note

1 What I mean is that the historical continuity of a concept or its ancestral origins are important and form an important marker for a new beginning at any point of time by enriching and broadening its newness rather than by restricting it. An emphasis on this historical necessity is needed even if, as Deleuze and Guattari (1996: 18) say, this history zigzags and passes through other problems or onto different planes. Habermas underlines this historical zigzag as a break and radical transformation of politics itself which I partly agree to. I however disagree with the fact, that this break is a complete break, which ends every possible relation with the past and becomes alien (as Habermas writes) to our political experience.

References

Benhabib, Seyla (1996): The Reluctant Modernism of Hannah Arendt, Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

 (1997): The Embattled Public Sphere: Hannah Arendt, Juergen Habermas and Beyond, Theoria, Vol 44, No 90, pp 124.

Calhoun, Craig (ed) (1992): Habermas and the Public Sphere, Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.

DEntreves, Maurizio Passerin (1994): The Political Philosophy of Hannah Arendt, London: Routledge.

Deleuze, Gilles and Felix Guattari (1996): What Is Philosophy? Hugh Tomlinson and Graham Burchell III (trans), New York: Columbia University Press.

Habermas, Jurgen (1974a): Theory and Practice, Boston: Beacon Press.

 (1974b): The Public Sphere: An Encyclopaedia Article, New German Critique, Sara Lennox and Frank Lenno (trans), No 3, pp 4955.

 (1977): Hannah Arendts Communications Concept of Power, Thomas McCarthy (trans), Social Research, Vol 44, No 1, pp 324.

 (1989): The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgeois Society, Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.

 (1989a): Towards a Rational Society: Student Protest, Science and Politics, Boston: Beacon.

 (1996): Between Facts and Norms: Contributions to a Discourse Theory of Law and Democracy, Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.

 (1997): Popular Sovereignty as Procedure, Deliberative Democracy: Essays on Reason and Politics, James Bohman and William Rehg (eds), pp 3565.

 (2021): Public Space and Political Public SphereThe Biographical Roots of Two Motifs in my Thought, Journal of Philosophy of Disability, Vol 1, pp 10515.

Hauser, Gerard A (1998): Civil Society and the Principle of the Public Sphere, Philosophy & Rhetoric, Vol 31, No 1, pp 1940.

Heather, Gerard P and Matthew Stolz (1979): Hannah Arendt and the Problem of Critical Theory, Journal of Politic, Vol 41, No 1, pp 222.

Lafont, Cristina (2009): Religion and the Public Sphere: What Are the Deliberative Obligations of Democratic Citizenship? Philosophy & Social Criticism, Vol 35, Nos 1 and 2, pp 12750.

Randall, David (2011): The Prudential Public Sphere, Philosophy and Rhetoric, Vol 44, No 3, pp 20526.

Villa, Dana (1992): Postmodernism and the Public Sphere, American Political Science Review, Vol 86, No 3, pp 71221.

Yates, Melissa (2007): Rawls and Habermas on Religion in the Public Sphere, Philosophy and Social Criticism, Vol 33, No 7, pp 88091.
Between 2014 and 2018, Mumbai saw an average of about 14,000 cases a year under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. If we assume that this trend continued thereafter, even with a dip, Mumbai will see an average of 35 cases per day under the NDPS Act. Nearly 90% of these cases (or about 30 out of 35) were related to the possession or consumption of cannabis. Of these thousands of cases, one that occurred on 3 October 2021 attracted enormous attention of the media and the masses, largely because it involved the arrest of Aryan Khanthe son of one of Indias biggest film stars, Shah Rukh Khan. The events after his arrest and the twists and turns in the case were covered with almost breathless hysteria by large sections of the media until he was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on 28 October 2021. Sobriety and factual accuracy were thrown out of the window as endless speculations, fuelled by a barely concealed schadenfreude for the troubles of one of Indias most prominent Muslims, blanketed the airwaves and social media.

Now that Aryan Khan has been cleared of any wrongdoing by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) itself in the charge sheet filed last month, it is tempting to conclude that alls well that ends well. Yet, it is worth remembering all the failures and flaws in the criminal justice system as exposed by this case. Starting with the flimsy basis for arresting Aryan Khan (WhatsApp chats discussing possible cannabis consumption), to the leaks by the NCB to the press about the facts of the case, the involvement of stock witnesses providing messaged statements about his guilt, the possible extortion bid, the questionable antecedents of the investigator Sameer Wankhede, the pusillanimity of the NDPS Special Court in denying bail for trivial reasons, among other things, showed up the underlying ugliness of what passes for the criminal justice system in India.

Let us not forget that Aryan Khan is a young man born into extraordinary privilege, albeit to a father who belongs to a religious minority community. His experience, while undoubtedly traumatic and unnecessary, still puts him in a far better position than most accused in the criminal justice system, in general, and drugs cases, in particular. He had access to material resources and connections beyond the imagination of most accused persons in this country. Whether he was made the scapegoat in a bid to distract from bigger issues, or the target of an extortion bid, or just in the wrong place at the wrong time is still a mystery that has no easy answer. Perhaps it is a combination of these three possibilities or all of them. That is not for us to investigate at the moment.

What this episode highlights once again is that the NDPS Act is a harmful law that treats a public health problem as a law and order one. Worse, it overturns the basic principles of criminal law (the presumption of innocence, bail not jail being the rule), giving enormous discretion to police and enforcement authorities to abuse the law with no consequences. It presumes guilt on the part of the accused, effectively putting the burden on them to prove their innocence and compounds this by making jail the norm, and bail the exception. The usual practice with a law such as the NDPS Act is an abuse of the processthe victims are usually too poor or underprivileged to be able to access legal remedies and prove their innocence. Its excesses are visible to the world only when the target of such a misuse is among the privileged elite.

Even as the world moves towards decriminalising the mere possession or consumption of cannabis, there has been little effort in this direction in India. Drug addiction remains a serious nationwide problem affecting various communities. It is a public health problem that requires a public health solution. A law-and-order approach to the problem only exacerbates it while creating new ones. Drug addicts do not end up seeking or getting the necessary medical attention, while enforcement authorities use discretionary powers under the law to target individuals or engage in rent-seeking. The NDPS Act is yet another example of the Indian states preference for over-criminalisation and unguided discretionary power in the hands of police authorities.

The NDPS Acts antecedents lie in the United Statess (US) failed War on Drugs and the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhis efforts to curry favour with the Ronald Reagan administration. Even as the US itself rethinks its War on Drugs as the opioid crisis grips the country, India seems to have learnt nothing from its experience with the NDPS Act. Even as Aryan Khan puts his bitter brush with the law behind him, on any given day, 30 or so Mumbaikars will continue to be harassed by the police using their powers under this law. His troubles may be over for the moment, but the destruction wrought by the NDPS Act will continue.
It is indeed interesting to know that public aspirations and hope entailed in the value of equality and despair or frustration, which is reflected in the widening gaps of inequality, find their articulation in the official policy discourse of the Government of India. The recent report on the state of inequality, prepared by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) represents this official discourse about inequality in India. However, governmental thinking about equality or inequality has been a constant intellectual practice followed by the ruling parties in the past as well. Way back in 2008, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government constituted a committee of experts to establish an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in India. The UPA government, however, took a rather unusual step in giving an institutionalising expression to the principle of equality of opportunity that was to be followed by both the government as well as the private sector. The UPA governments efforts at taking this first step, in fact, did assume only an indirect acknowledgement of the problem of inequality. This, by consequence, made inequality an empirically grotesque reality to subsume in the affirmative language of equality of opportunity. Although the UPA, under the aegis of the EEOC, made equality as the frontal question, it nonetheless pushed inequality in the background. The EEOC, envisioned during the UPA, thus suggested a possible road map of putting equality before inequality.

As the report of the EAC-PM suggests, the present government intends to start from the point of putting inequality in the forefront and equality in the background. Although there is an acknowledgement of inequality as the report tends to suggests, the reports implementation by the government would certainly face formidable challenges. The editorial in the current issue of the Economic & Political Weekly seeks to shed some critical light on the challenges the government in power is likely to face should it take the implementation of the recommendations of the report seriously. Besides, this governments intention to address the question of inequality also gives us an impression that the issue of inequality could be solved primarily by the governments intervention and that market may not matter much in reducing inequality. However, we need to take a much broader view of inequality that operates through complex modalities.

The report seems to offer a broad category of inequality, which in itself may not be objectionable but is at variance with other starker forms of inequality that are engaged in the caste-based practices of discrimination. For example, discriminatory exclusion of the lower castes and now members from minority communities that exists in the housing market suggests the failure of rationality that goes to assign the market mechanism with some semblance of impartiality and transparency. This failure can be attributed to the systematic denial of rights to Dalits and minorities who find it difficult to buy houses in fairly decent residential complexes in Indian metropolitan cities.

The logical fallout of such a market without rationality is the loss of freedom of choice for lower castes and minorities. Those in favour of a genuine market transition based on rationality will have no problem in accommodating economic discrimination that is based on the existing price structure rather than the caste structure. It is beyond any reasonable doubt that metropolitan cities in India do have multistoried residential complexes whose foundation may be sustained by concrete, but its cultural cornerstone and social hierarchy is mainly sustained through caste and religion.

From a certain point of view, inequality acquires a degree of fairness when it results from a healthy and transparent competition for jobs. Inequality as a conditional variable is measured in relation to those who are already employed and hence lucky to have joined the privileged sphere of equality with others. Thus, exclusion from employment gives rise to the phenomenon of inequality. Inequality is thus a derivative of equality. If jobs are absent, or they are on the verge of near extinction due to the rapid depletion of existing employment opportunities, such a situation would lead to despair. The government ought to address the question of widespread despair by creating more jobs. Despair that is reflected in jobless growth, thus, is not the sign of a healthy market or state. The state or the government will have to take concrete steps to promote a competitive job market. This can be done by providing jobs to a large number of unemployed people. Ironically, it is the competitive nature of the job market that creates among those who are waiting for job opportunities a subsidised sense of adjustment with inequality, which then will be seen as a temporary problem to be tackled with the constant flow of job opportunities. It is argued by some that the constant creation of jobs would minimise inequality, thus raising questions about the capacity of the economic model espoused by the present government to create such jobs in the first place.
Italy has perhaps been the swiftest country in the European Union to look southwards toward Africa in its efforts to wean itself from Russian gas. Western nations are indeed imposing economic and political sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in late February 2022. Italy is potentially among the hardest hit as it imports about 29 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas from Moscow every year  a figure second only to Germany which accounts for over 40% of its gas demands. Replacing Russia as its main gas supplier will be no mean feat.

ALGERIA, EGYPT, AND BEYOND  In April 2022, Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, signed an agreement with Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Algerias President to buy more natural gas. Sonatrach, the Algerian state-owned oil firm, which already sells about 21 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas to Italy every year, will supply an additional 9 bcm of gas to Eni, Italys main energy company, from as early as September 2022. However, Rome would still have to source for at least 20 bcm of natural gas elsewhere, especially as Algeria will be hard-pressed to produce more so quickly. Egypt has already agreed to supply 3 bcm of liquefied natural gas (LNG) before the end of 2022. Luigi Di Maio, Italys foreign minister, Roberto Cingolani, his counterpart in the ecological transition ministry, and Claudio Descalzi, Enis Chief Executive, embarked on exploratory trips to Angola and the Republic of Congo in late April 2022 in an effort to fill the remaining gap. Italys Eni is also aiming to start LNG production from its floating plant in Mozambique before the end of 2022. For Congo, a new LNG project will be launched in 2023 to produce about 4.5 bcm a year of LNG. In sum, Italy already has new gas deals with at least five African countries, including Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Angola, Congo, and Mozambique.

A LIFELINE FOR AFRICAN OIL AND GAS PRODUCERS? - Other European countries are on the prowl for African gas as well, visiting similar capitals as their Italian counterparts. Nigeria, which is Europes fourth largest supplier of LNG, providing nearly 13 bcm of LNG in 2021, is also taking centre stage. However, unlike its North African counterparts, Nigeria does not have a gas pipeline to Europe. In fact, given the global energy transition agenda before the Russia-Ukraine conflict, investors and financiers had been reducing their exposure to oil and gas transactions. Nonetheless, this may change in response to current trends. Globalisation has indeed been in a state of transition amid the Covid-19 pandemic and Russias invasion of Ukraine while China  the backbone of most global value chains  took on an aggressive zero Covid-19 policy that slowed down its economy as the West is attempting to rein in the Kremlin to stall its expansionism, hoping to deter Beijing from similarly invading Taiwan in the future. Against this backdrop, views on the energy transition have been revised as more urgent considerations  such as maintaining gas supplies for the winter season  have been moved to the front burner. As such, it appears African oil and gas producers, who had raised concerns about the negative consequences for their development prospects by an overly aggressive and rushed energy transition, have been offered a lifeline by fate.

NEW AFRICAN PIPELINES ARE NOT FREE OF RISKS - To meet Europes increased demand, African LNG producers like Nigeria would need to expand capacity at existing LNG plants on top of building new ones. Meanwhile, much of the natural gas that international oil companies (IOCs) currently flare would need to be liquefied into LNG to be exported to an increasingly demanding Europe. That would be the case even for many African countries who, despite their ample natural gas reserves, do not yet meet their own domestic gas requirements for power generation, domestic cooking, or a myriad of other uses. Long-term contracts with EU member states will be key. Qatar is asking for 20-year contracts, for instance. African countries currently being courted should follow suit. Planned gas pipelines to Algeria and Morocco from Nigeria will depend upon that long a timeline even as each might have its own idiosyncratic risks. For instance, long-running insecurity issues in the Sahel represent a major constraint to the Nigeria-Algeria gas pipeline. Meanwhile, a relatively more expensive offshore Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline faces a high threshold to fruition owing to more immediate and cost-effective alternatives.

LNG shipments are reliable and relatively cost-efficient in the absence of pipelines. Besides, investment in more LNG production capacity is a greater imperative. Even so, current time pressures are fuelling momentum. To exemplify, together with the Islamic Development Bank and the Nigerian and Moroccan governments, the OPEC Fund for International Development contributed USD 14.3m worth of financing to the second phase of the USD 90.1m Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline front-end engineering study (FEED) project in March 2022. The USD 25bn 7,000km Nigeria-Morocco pipeline will be an extension of the West African gas pipeline project, which already enables the supply of Nigerian gas to Benin, Togo, and Ghana and will cross through about thirteen West African countries upon completion. Here has also been some progress on the USD 12bn 4,128km Nigeria-Algeria gas pipeline, which is expected to produce 30 bcm of gas every year upon completion, as Nigeria and the respective Sahelian governments re-affirmed their commitment to the project at a regional meeting in February 2022. Still, there is much scepticism around the extent to which progress may continue in light of the intractable security situation in the Sahel region.

AFRICA SHOULD NEGOTIATE ITS OWN GREEN TRANSITION - Europe has been forced to reassess its energy transition agenda owing to the Russia-Ukraine crisis and the measures that have been adopted to prevent an escalation of the war. Global banks, which had already started to reduce their exposure to fossil fuel transactions as a result of the Wests aggressive, green energy drive, have now begun to revise their strategies. African countries had indeed warned that an excessively fast move to renewable energy would be disruptive to their development prospects, especially as external financing would be required to continue tapping their still abundant oil and gas reserves. Now, all of a sudden, Europe finds itself willing to finance new oil and gas projects. African countries and their Western counterparts must make the case for a more nuanced and accommodative arrangement on the global net-zero carbon emission agenda allowing Africa additional time to turn green through ample financing to do so comfortably.

Europes Gas Rush in Africa: Risks and Opportunities (for Both)  Commentary by Rafiq Raji  Italian Institute for International Political Studies / ISPI.

The Commentary can be downloaded here
Whether youre interested in West Texas, the Gulf of Mexico or the sprawling land in between, the Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story documentary has you covered.

The nature documentary about the Lone Star State  narrated by Matthew McConaughey  is in theaters now.

Texas Monthly describes the 98-minute film as Planet Earth but for Texas. The movie aims to put conservation of wild places at the forefront, according to the documentary website.

It is a story about tragedies of our past, about recoveries against all odds and is a call to action to conserve the wildlife and wild places in our home, McConaughey says in the movies trailer. This is a story for all who love Texas.

RELATED: Sterling Houston Festival will celebrate the late San Antonio playwrights work and life

The documentary is directed by Texan Ben Masters, who also directed the award-winning The River and The Wall: Its a River Before Its a Border documentary that shows how a wall could affect the natural environment on the Texas-Mexico border.

In a Saturday Instagram post, Masters thanked followers for their support, noting that releasing an independent film in theaters is very risky and relies heavily on word of mouth.

The Texas wildlife and outdoor community really rallied behind the film and it's been awesome seeing the movie take wings, his post reads.

Masters encouraged people to check out the Take Action tab of the documentarys website to learn more about how to contribute to conservation efforts.

Courtesy Ben Masters

Deep in the Heart is playing in more than 70 theaters across the state. Here is where you can watch in San Antonio:

 Regal Live Oak

 Santikos Embassy

 Santikos Palladium

 Flix Brewhouse San Antonio

 City Base Cinemas.

megan.rodriguez@express-news.net
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UVALDE  Three more young lives cut tragically short were memorialized Friday in a town overwhelmed with grief  and yet the funerals for Uvaldes 21 victims were not even half over.

Two were cousins: Jayce Carmelo Luevanos and Jailah Nicole Silguero. Jacklyn Jaylen Cazares also was laid to rest.

Jailah, 10, the youngest of four siblings, loved to dance. In the photo used for her obituary, she posed in thick-framed glasses and a cheerleading uniform, with one hand on her hip and a pink lei around her neck.

She was a delighted, energetic, lovely little girl that loved to make Tik-Tok Videos for friends and family, family friend Nancy Salazar wrote on a GoFundMe pitch for the family.

Jayce, also 10, and his mother lived with his grandparents, and the boy would make a pot of coffee for the adults every morning, leaving messages like I love you, Grandpa, his grandfather Carmelo Quiroz recalled in an interview with USA Today.

Jacklyn, 9, loved to sing and wanted to be a veterinarian  her four dogs were her world, her family obituary said.

Her cousin Annabell Rodriguez, 10, was also killed in the shooting; her funeral was held Wednesday.

A heavy police presence allowed the public access to the funerals, but officers continued to prevent news media from coming closer than five blocks and positioned their vehicles to block the line of sight to the church sanctuary from their cameras.

Josie Norris, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer

A sizable presence of motorcycle club members again was present, but unlike Thursday, they stayed across the street from the area designated for news crews and did not personally harass reporters and photographers.

In the town square, a memorial continued to accumulate teddy bears, flowers, wreaths and gifts, swelling with the immense display of love and condolences spanning from as close as Dilley, an hour away, to the Rio Grande Valley, and even as far as sister-city-in-tragedy San Bernardino, Calif.

Mourners from similarly widely dispersed areas visited to pay their respects and drop off tributes, braving the humidity and blazing direct summer sun.

One man sat in an outdoor chair and played a ranchera-style This Little Light of Mine on an acoustic guitar. A police K-9 therapy dog was on site to console the bereaved.

MORNING OF CHAOS:

Several people held a hand to their mouths or their hearts and released their tears as they read the names of each victim on crosses, as well as the heartbreaking notes left for children who will forever be frozen in time as playful fourth-graders.

San Antonio resident Samantha Acuna came with her sister to show the community their support.

Its beautiful; its overwhelming at the same time, Acuna said of the memorial. Everyones coming together just to let the families know theyre not by themselves.

Just as a blanket of grief has befallen Uvalde, so has it in San Antonio and beyond, she said.

Its everywhere, she said. Theyre like our babies, too.  Were grieving, too, with the families.

Nearby, a dozen teachers and community members from Dilley Independent School District about an hour southeast of Uvalde, were passing out free water bottles, stuffed animals and snacks.

The majority of us are parents, (and) were also teachers, so it affects us double, said Ana Hernandez, a kindergarten teacher. We want to be here for the community. We want to show them that we support them, that we are here for them. Everybody working together makes us stronger.

Earlier Friday, a little girl approached the pile of stuffed animals and, at Hernandezs questioning, pointed out her favorite, a pink teddy bear. She could keep it, Hernandez told her.

Josie Norris, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer

It made me happy that I saw a smile on her face, Hernandez said, adding that shes seen firsthand how the tragedy has affected children.

Her two high school-age sons were afraid to go to school for the last two days of the school year, and I know the majority of students feel the same way, she said. Even as teachers, too, were also having thoughts, like, OK, are we actually safe? Is our (school safety) plan OK? Do we have to come up with another plan so we can make sure everybody feels safe on campus?

Rafaella Cortez took photos of the memorial on her phone. She and her husband had come up from Weslaco with their pastor to pray with the community. Cortez said she had lost a child herself and there are no words you can tell a mother when they lose their son or daughter.

Yesterday was a year ago, and only God can comfort me. Hes the only one.

Taylor.Goldenstein@express-news.net
As Salvador Ramos approached Room 112 in Uvaldes Robb Elementary School, the teacher and her students heard gunshots.

She told the fourth-graders to get down on the floor or under their desks, and she went to the door to make sure it was locked. Then Ramos fired at the door handle. Rounds from his assault-style rifle shattered the door window and struck the teacher, fatally injuring her as she tried to protect her kids.

Its time to die, Ramos declared as he entered the classroom. You guys are mine.

Ramos at one point asked if anyone needed help, and when one child stood up, he shot him.

These details of the first minutes of the May 24 rampage are from a 10-year-old boy who was in the classroom and who has described the scene to his mother and to law enforcement officials.

Creepy music blared from Ramos phone as the 18-year-old high school dropout opened fired on the class, the boy recalled. His mother, Corina Camacho, said shrapnel struck her son in the leg.

Then Ramos walked to the connected classroom next door, Room 111, and opened fire again.

He was like going back and forth, playing music, the mother told the San Antonio Express-News.

Billy Calzada, UVALDE SHOOTING 0524 bc 04 / San Antonio Express-News

The terror continued for over an hour. It would be more than 75 minutes after the first 911 calls before members of a Border Patrol tactical unit went into the classrooms and killed Ramos. By then, 19 students and two teachers  Eva Mireles and Irma Garcia  were dead. Seventeen other people were injured. It isnt clear which teacher was killed when Ramos shot through the door.

On ExpressNews.com: Morning of chaos: A reconstruction of how the Uvalde massacre unfolded

The Express-News account of the early minutes of the rampage is based on interviews with law enforcement sources, state lawmakers, Camacho and civil lawyers who represent surviving children and teachers.

Camachos son told his story to the FBI recently. He is one of several witnesses who were interviewed by the FBI, the Texas Rangers or the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The information from the lawyers and law enforcement sources helps shed light on the tragedy and the disastrous police response that followed. Key details remain unknown to investigators as they try to reconcile incomplete or contradictory statements from witnesses and law enforcement officers.

The massacre in the rural town of more than 15,000 is the second-worst mass shooting at a school, after the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., which killed 26. President Joe Biden visited Uvalde last week to comfort the families, and in a televised speech days later, he renewed calls for tighter gun restrictions, including a ban on assault-style rifles.

Pete Luna/ Uvalde Leader-News

Frozen with fear

The morning of Tuesday, May 24, began like any day near the end of the school year. Some classes at Robb Elementary had just come in from recess. Others had just let out for lunch. Summer break would begin in two days.

Teacher Emilia Marin had propped open a door with a rock to help a co-worker bring in food for an end-of-the-year party from a car in the school parking lot. Then Marin saw a truck crash outside the schools perimeter fence, said her lawyer, Don Flanary.

Marin went back inside the school to get her phone and report the crash to 911.

When she came back outside, still on the phone, she saw her co-worker flee and heard people at a funeral home across the street yell, Hes got a gun!

Marin saw Ramos jump over a fence. She kicked the rock away, pulled the door shut and ran into the school. She huddled under a counter in a classroom.

She heard gunshots, first outdoors, then inside the school. Her 911 call dropped. She grabbed chairs and boxes to hide behind. Frozen with fear, she tried to be still.

Marin received a text from her daughter asking if she was safe.

Theres a shooter, Marin typed back. Hes shooting. Hes in here.

Then Ramos approached Room 112.

Camacho and one of her lawyers, Stephanie Sherman, said her son described how Ramos shot his way into the classroom and how police at one point opened the door and retreated after he fired at them. Law enforcement sources disputed the latter part of the boys account, saying no officer went into the classroom during the initial response.

The officers were all in the hallway, and when shots were fired, they all ran back to another hallway or outside, one source told the Express-News.

Another lawyer for the family, Shawn Brown, said the boy related different details to his grandfather. He told the grandfather that his teacher shielded him with her body as he lay on the floor and that Ramos fired at her, killing her and striking him in the leg.

Brown also said the boy told his grandfather that Ramos, after pacing from one room to the other, asked if anyone needed help  acting in the guise of a police officer.

When one kid stood up, he shot him with the AK, Brown said, quoting the grandfather. That may be the reason he thought an officer had come in.

Investigators are trying to unravel discrepancies in the accounts provided by the traumatized children. Camachos sons account differs somewhat from what other children have told investigators. The inconsistencies could reflect differing vantage points  whether the children were lying facedown or were facing away from Ramos.

Some saw most of the massacre unfold. As their memories return, the children have revealed progressively more and sometimes contradictory details to investigators and family members.

The kids interviews, theyre bad, said one law enforcement source, referring to the graphic details. I cant even imagine the nightmare  that those kids went through.

Brown said the differing versions simply reflect trauma.

Its because of the shock and because of the stress that they went through, Brown said. Theyre remembering bits and pieces as they go, and it may not be in sequential order. It was such a traumatic experience that their brains are trying to block it out.

The official account of what happened inside the school has not been fully disclosed because of a criminal investigation by the Texas Rangers, assisted by the FBI, that is being overseen by Uvalde District Attorney Christina Mitchell Busbee.

The investigation has extended to California and Germany. The gunman had online chats with young people in those places, and court records indicate search warrants or subpoenas have been issued for Ramos cellphone and social media accounts.

The FBI referred questions to DPS, which has stopped making public comments about the massacre.

Some of the officers dont want to come back for follow-ups because the FBI is involved, said one law enforcement source. Theyre afraid they might get charged with making false statements if their stories conflict with other accounts.

Two police sources close to the investigation said Pedro Pete Arredondo, police chief for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, didnt return for a second interview with DPS investigators after giving an initial statement shortly after the shooting.

Arredondo was the on-scene incident commander and has been widely condemned for holding assembled officers back for more than an hour before the Border Patrol unit stormed the classroom and killed Ramos.

He has disputed reports that he is not cooperating with the investigation, saying he has been in daily contact with DPS.

William Luther, Staff

First on the scene

According to law enforcement sources, Uvalde police and Uvalde CISD officers were among the first to arrive. Because it was school district property, responding officers deferred to Arredondo.

State Sen. Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio, whose district includes Uvalde, said last week that Arredondo was not aware of 911 calls from students inside the classroom, who were begging to be rescued.

Arredondos six-officer department does not have its own radio communications system. The 911 calls were routed to the Uvalde Police Department, Gutierrez said. Why Arredondo would not have known about the desperate calls from the students is unclear, given that numerous officers equipped with radios were at the scene.

One source said interviews with officers indicated that Arredondo did not have a police radio with him. Another law enforcement source said security video from the school confirms Arredondo did not have a radio.

He made some phone calls to Uvalde PD to get information and may have missed the 911 calls from the students, a source said.

On ExpressNews.com: Uvalde schools police chief didnt receive 911 calls

Also, the fortified concrete walls of the school interfered with reception of the radios carried by other officers, law enforcement sources said.

At one point, 19 officers were in a hallway outside the classrooms where Ramos had cornered his terrified victims.

Theres not as much radio traffic as you would think there would be, one law enforcement source said. Those inside may not have heard the kids 911 calls.

Because some officers were off-duty or rushed in, they didnt have body cameras or did not set them to record, further complicating matters for investigators.

Arredondo appears to have been inside the building with some school police officers and Uvalde police officers. Investigators have collected reports from some first responders indicating that Arredondo tried early on to negotiate with the gunman by cellphone, but Ramos did not answer.

As officers planned strategy in the hallway, Arredondo believed the victims were all dead and Ramos had barricaded himself, investigators said. He held officers back to wait for reinforcements and specialized equipment, and the officers on the scene stood down, according to sources.

DPS Director Steve McCraw has said there was no excuse for that decision and that the 19 officers should have stormed in and killed Ramos early on to end the bloodshed and give aid to the wounded.

On ExpressNews.com: As Uvalde students waited for rescue, police assumed there was no reason to rush in

Outside, other officers cordoned off the school and barred agitated parents from going inside.

While the school was under attack, Mireles, one of the fourth-grade teachers who was killed, called her husband, Ruben Ruiz. He is a school district police officer, and he rushed to the scene, Uvalde County Judge Bill Mitchell said. Like the students parents, he was prohibited from entering the building.

Mireles and Ruiz talked by phone as the fatally wounded teacher took her last breaths.

Shes in the classroom and hes outside. Its terrifying, Mitchell told reporters after being briefed by Uvalde County sheriffs deputies who were at the scene.

Radio traffic shows that officers from several federal law enforcement agencies responded, including the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Ultimately, members of the Border Patrol tactical unit shot Ramos, who a source said was hiding in a closet in one of the classrooms.

When the Border Patrol agents entered, "they encountered multiple injured students who had suffered apparent gunshot wounds and discovered multiple casualties throughout the hallways and classrooms, according to an affidavit filed by Texas Rangers to obtain a warrant to search Ramos home and pickup.

"Law enforcement encountered Ramos inside one of the classrooms, the affidavit said. Ramos fired multiple gunshots towards their direction. Law enforcement officers returned gunfire where Ramos was fatally shot."

Brown, the lawyer for the family of the 10-year-old boy, said the child described how he and a couple of other students got up when they were rescued.

He said he saw the other kids on the floor, Brown said, choking back emotion. He told the grandfather, I got up. My friends didnt.

Really bad for police

Why the outer door Ramos used to get into the school didnt lock when the teacher pulled it shut is unknown. One law enforcement source said officials plan to remove that door and the classroom doors for inspection.

A team from the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center at Texas State University went to the school this past week to conduct an assessment of what happened.

The U.S. Justice Department is carrying out a separate review of the police response, at the request of Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin Jr.

The report is not going to be good, one source said. This is really bad for law enforcement.

guillermo.contreras@express-news.net | Twitter: @gmaninfedland
There is little else that can convey to the nation the horror of the school shooting in Uvalde than a grieving community going through 2 weeks of funerals  funerals of little children and their teachers.

Its vital for the public to understand the full weight of this tragedy, both because it has deeply affected a local community, and because it is at the heart of a renewed policy debate with national import. The public needs to know and it needs to see  and its the role of journalists to seek out and provide people with information that can help them do both.

Thats why its so concerning that public officials and some private individuals appear to be improperly preventing members of the news media from doing their job in Uvalde. Journalists have reportedly been denied access to buildings and areas that would otherwise be open to the public. Reporters seeking to question school district officials were threatened with trespass.

On Thursday, a Houston Chronicle reporter posted a video showing he was physically surrounded by members of a biker group who appear to be trying to prevent him from walking toward the cemetery gate.

Also on Thursday, the San Antonio Express-News reported that bikers from several groups physically obstructed cameras within designated media areas, followed reporters and harassed them as they walked closer toward the ceremonies. The same story quoted one member of the group Guardians of the Children, who declined to give her name, as saying it was working with the police.

To be sure, no journalist should seek to invade the privacy of these families in their grief, and sensitivity at a time like this is obviously proper. But journalists in Uvalde appear to have acted with just that kind of restraint. The press is there on the ground as the publics eyes and ears, working to cover the shooting and its aftermath fully and accurately. If family and community members wish their stories told, the press must be able to tell them. If they ask for privacy, that will be respected.

The law around this is clear. The press doesnt have any special right to be anywhere, but if the public is allowed to be in a place, so is the press. And everyone has the right to record or otherwise document activity in public spaces. And if law enforcement has closed public streets to impede press access, thats also of concern.

Its evident from the video the Houston Chronicle reporter took after being surrounded that he had been minding his business, gathering news on a public street. There is no indication he was disrespectful or otherwise acted improperly. And if he is the one who was harassed, thats where law enforcement needs to step in and protect the essential constitutional rights enshrined in the First Amendment.

Further, if there has been any coordination between law enforcement and private groups to harass the press, thats unacceptable.

Though there is certainly an element of press safety at play here, this isnt about the press. Its ultimately about the right of a community suffering unknowable loss to have information about what took place, how public officials and community members are responding, and what is being discussed to try to prevent it from happening again. The shooting in Uvalde has recatalyzed a national and international conversation about gun violence, and its journalisms job to tell that story. There is also a desire for reporting that examines the shifting statements by officials about what happened to ensure accountability.

Consider this a plea to the police in Uvalde, law enforcement in Texas and those who have shown up to support the families. The press is not your enemy. If we fail as a nation to keep journalists safe on the streets, well find ourselves in another dark place.

Bruce D. Brown is executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
NEWS FLASH





The Slovenian Minister for Infrastructure, Jernej Vrtovec, held talks in Ljubljana yesterday with the Qatari Minister for Transport and Telecommunications, Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti, over the introduction of flights between Doha and the Slovenian capital, as well as cooperation in the field of civil aviation. The meeting came just a week after a high ranking Qatari delegation visited Slovenia where potential flights were also discussed. The non-resident Ambassador of Qatar to Slovenia, Sultan bin Salmeen al-Mansouri, said last week that Qatar Airways is very interested in the European market, but that opening a new route such as Ljubljana requires time for it to be studied and analysed. Once completed, the route will be launched, Mr al-Mansouri said.
The Crow Dictionary that has more than 10,000 words in it was just published by The Language Conservancy (Photo by Darrell Ehrlick of the Daily Montanan).

CROW AGENCY  A drum circle sang songs of victory. A smudging ceremony wiped away the tears. And Crow tribal elders spoke in Apsaalooke (Crow language) about the next generation that has yet to be born.

Fridays celebration at Little Big Horn College wasnt just the culmination of a years-long project to capture the words and culture of the Crow people, it was also a testament to saving the words that had been buried deep in many tribal members memories, preserving them and making them live again.

On Friday, at a three-hour ceremony, The Language Conservancy, an Indiana-based group focused on preserving languages, especially indigenous tongues, unveiled the Crow Dictionary, a massive collection of nearly 850 pages that documents the language and is the first major collection of the language published since 1975.

Not only is the dictionary more user-friendly and modern, it doubles the number of collected words from 5,500 to more than 10,000  a huge accomplishment for saving a language that had been on the decline, but has recently seen a turnaround as language immersion programs grow on the reservation and a popular phone app has digitized the dictionary.

In many ways, the songs and speeches werent just a celebration of the dictionarys arrival, they were a victory against time itself.

For other languages, you can go somewhere else in the world to still hear them being spoken, said Jacob Brien, whose Crow name is Ishkoochiia Chiiakaamnaah. But this is the only place in the world where you can learn about this and hear it.

Estimates range on how many people speak Apsaalooke, but many peg the number around 2,000.

Brien is a student at Rocky Mountain College who is spending the summer at The Language Conservancy. His goal is to become a linguist to help preserve the Crow and grow the number of Crow speakers. Even at 19 years old, he understands without our language, we wont have our culture.

Hes spending the bulk of the summer in Bloomington, Indiana  a long way from southern Montana. Hes learning the software and how to continue building upon the Crow dictionary so that when the succeeding editions come out, the number of words will grow and the definitions will become even more precise.

Hes listed in the acknowledgements, and explains that he had a direct part of helping to write the definitions of kinship, which are different in the Crow culture than in many American families. For example, your brothers children are considered your children, too. And your mothers brothers and sisters administer discipline and guidance, leaving parents to fill a more nurturing role.

To be listed next to the names of some of my heroes is a huge honor, Brien said.

Brien is happy that the language programs, including in-school immersion, are growing in popularity. Even as he was growing up, he said that many teachers just assumed the kids could speak and understand Crow. He said he knew a few words, but had to learn much of the language in middle and high school.

He said the language isnt necessarily difficult, but it requires memorizing a lot of compound words, made up of phonemes, or letter/sound combinations that stand for certain words that are put together. For example, the Crow word for coffee, bilishpitisshe, is a compound word that translates literally to black water.

The effort to preserve the language and print the dictionary was done through the help of nearly 100 volunteer Crow speakers using a method that was invented nearly a century ago called rapid word collection.

Bob Rugh, a staff member at The Language Conservancy, helped lead the technical process and trains linguists. He explained that groups of four to six Crow speakers broke out into groups. Each group took a common word (there are 1,800) and were encouraged to think of as many Apsaalooke words related to that English word as possible. From there, they were able to build a more expansive Crow language word list. In the process, many older, lesser used words were collected and preserved.

Shawn Real Bird, the economic development director of the Crow nation, told the crowd of more than 100 people not only would the dictionary help preserve the language, but it would give the future a vocabulary of its own.

This will maintain the language for our children, our grandchildren and those not born yet. It will give them words for our sun dance, our pipe ceremony, our fasting ceremony, Real Bird said. This will hopefully be the beginning for an associates, a bachelors, masters and even Ph.D., so I want you to take this and pray about it in whatever ceremonies you use.

Janine Pease, who has been a towering figure at Little Big Horn College and a key force in developing the Apsaalooke language programs, was honored for her work.

Language is a gift from the creator, she said. These words honor the people who are here and all the others who said them. They were said by people in 1700. They were said by people in 1500 and in 1200. They are voices from our long distant past.

She rejected the notion that Apsaalooke has been coopted by English because its vocabulary is too old and not robust enough to describe more modern concepts.

We own our world, and we name our world. People have said that we need English in order to make it work, not so, Pease said. We dont live in someone elses world, we live in ours.

The post Crow Nation celebrates culture, language as new dictionary is published appeared first on Daily Montanan.
A free handbook aims to help farmers plan for the future during a time of great change for the British agricultural industry.

The Business Models Handbook provides practical advice on business planning and innovation for improved productivity and profitability.

Published by the Agricultural Productivity Task Force (APTF), the handbook is relevant to those seeking to enter, diversify, expand or even retire from their farm.

The APTF is a collaboration between the agricultural industry and UK government, with an aim to bolster the productivity of farming.

The handbook is divided into five steps. Steps 1  3 help with assessing the current situation and setting out business planning considerations.

It offers analysis of different business models and considers how factors including access to land, people, and skills may influence business objectives.

Step 4 outlines the key business models in more detail, with links to case studies. It considers advantages of each, where they might best fit according to business requirements, and tax considerations.

Finally, Step 5 looks at longer term planning to help businesses adapt as they evolve.

The handbook launch comes as the industry is facing some of the biggest challenges in a generation, with developments in agricultural policy, changes to support and new trade deals.

Explaining the rationale for the handbook, NFU Deputy President Tom Bradshaw, who co-chairs the APTF, said most farmers were assessing options for the future.

Whether a farmer or grower is looking for efficiencies, expanding, exiting or wishing to set up their own business, one area to consider is the business model.

"The ownership model or the tenanted model tend to be the most common but there is a whole range of other opportunities that could be considered.

"This handbook is designed to provide an initial understanding of the options available before taking more detailed advice.

"We believe it is an invaluable resource when considering the future, which will help open up new ideas.

The handbook is free and available on the APTF website.
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Company highlights new broad-spectrum fungicide, Curezin fungicide

Aylesbury, United Kingdom--(Newsfile Corp. - June 3, 2022) - VM Agritech, LTD to share breakthrough research on Curezin fungicide at the upcoming Food and Ag Tech conference. The June 8 conference hosted by Investor Summit Group/Harbor Access focuses on revolutionary advances in agriculture technology, sustainable food product & packaging, and nutritional innovation.

The executive vice president of investor relations for VM Agritech, Peter Karos will present an overview of the company and the latest research on its new fungicide formulation, Curezin fungicide. This advancement in fungicide technology has the potential to disrupt the $20B global fungicide market, which is facing disease resistance and toxicity challenges. This VM Agritech development can play a role in alleviating global food shortages, which have only been exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Event: Investor Summit Group/Harbor Access Food & Ag Tech Conference

Date: June 8, 2022 at 1:15 p.m. ET

Location: Zoom, click here to access the link.

One-on-one opportunities are available for qualified investors. The conference is complementary to qualified investors. To register, visit Complimentary Investor Registration.

About VMA Agritech, LTD

VM Agritech has developed a broad-spectrum fungicide, Curezin fungicide to fight pathogenic resistance significantly affecting the world's food supply. Curezin fungicide has been tested invitro at the University of Exeter and field trial tested at Cornell University. This research has proven both superior efficacy as well as the mode of action of Curezin fungicide. VM Agritech has a significant IP portfolio and its core patent (upon which Curezin is based) has been granted in 56 countries around the world, including the USA, Canada, and the European Patent Area. VM Agritech has initiated the EPA regulatory approval process while extending field trials during the 2022-2024 growing seasons covering all major food crops.

About The Investor Summit Group

The Investor Summit Group alongside Harbor Access is excited to host the virtual Food & Ag Tech Conference: The Future of Food on June 8th. We would like to personally invite you to be a part of this event, which offers 1:1 meeting access to institutional and retail investors as well as a 30-minute recorded live presentation. Food & Ag Tech Company Registration

Revolutionary advances are underway in agriculture technology, sustainable food product & packaging, and nutritional innovation. New technologies are creating big opportunities in the fast-growing global food and agriculture market. At this Food & Ag Tech conference, we will explore the shifts at the intersection of agriculture and science which underpin the four pillars of food security as stated at the World Summit: availability, access, utilization and stability. Meet the innovative companies, from seed through supply chain, shaping the global economic future of food.

About Harbor Access

Harbor Access represents and advises small- and mid-cap companies. Whether you are planning an IPO, contemplating a new stock exchange listing or, a listed multi-national seeking a capital raise, we can help optimize your investment story, raise your visibility and connect you to investors and capital sources in the North American and European Equity markets.

Investor Relations Contact

Graham Farrell, Managing Partner, Harbor Access

Graham.Farrell@Harbor-Access.com // O. +1.416.842.9003

Curezin fungicide is a trademark of VM Agritech, LTD

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/126296
SHENZHEN, China, June 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from Jiandanshiji:

The three-day Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)Youth Technology and Innovation Forum dropped its curtain in Shenzhen, south China'sGuangdong Province, on June 2. The Shenzhen Initiative on SCO Youth Technology and Innovation Forum was adopted during the forum.

Shen Yueyue, Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and President of the Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Commission of the SCO, Abduhakimov Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan and leaders of SCO member states, Zhang Ming, Secretary-General of the SCO, and foreign representatives attended the opening ceremony of the forum.

Shen delivered a keynote speech via video link. She expressed that friendly exchanges and sci-tech innovation have always been the priority areas of the SCO's cooperation.

Young people from SCO member countries should bear people's well-being in mind, seize opportunities, uphold openness and inclusiveness, engage in the friendship cause, Shen pointed out.

Abduhakimov Aziz delivered a keynote speech via video link. He noted that his country encourages young people to participate in the implementation of top-level planning and reform plans, fully supports the SCO work on youth affairs, and will continue to make contributions to the progress of the SCO youth cause and the development of the SCO member countries.

Six parallel sessions of the forum were held, including the Parallel Session on Youth Innovation and Cooperation, the Parallel Session on People's Health, the Parallel Session on Digital Economy, the Parallel Session on Artificial Intelligence, the Parallel Session on Green Development , and the Parallel Session on Poverty Reduction Cooperation and Rural Development. Fruitful results were yielded during the parallel sessions.

During the forum, the young participants also visited the SCO Youth Campus, sci-tech and innovative companies, youth entrepreneurship bases and cultural landmarks in the city.

About 30 Gen-Zers, including participants to the forum, young representatives from all walks of life in the city and Chinese and foreign media influencers, gathered together for a bike riding activity, which was a warm-up for the forum.

Government officials and diplomatic envoys from the member states, observer states, and dialogue partners of the SCO, representatives of universities, institutions and enterprises, young scientists, young entrepreneurs, and representatives of youth organizations and media outlets from home and abroad attended the forum, which was held both online and offline.
Data demonstrate Research Use Only ImPrint test's ability to identify patients with high risk early breast cancer who may benefit from PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibition

Agendia, Inc., a commercial-stage company focused on improving outcomes for breast cancer patients worldwide by providing physicians and patients with next-generation diagnostic and information solutions to inform optimized treatment decision-making, today announced it will share findings in a poster discussion debuting initial data from its ImPrint test, a 53-gene signature in development, at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting (ASCO) 2022.

The poster discussion, titled The ImPrint immune signature identifies high risk early breast cancer patients who may benefit from PD1 checkpoint inhibition in I-SPY2 [Kuilman, M., et al.],draws from the neoadjuvant biomarker-rich I-SPY2 trial, which established a new benchmark for the efficacy of Phase 2 clinical trials and is widely regarded as the pioneer of the platform trial. In this study, whole transcriptome data collected by Agendia was assessed from patients who had high risk early breast cancer who received immunotherapy (IO). The goal was to migrate the I-SPY2 findings into a robust clinical-grade signature a biomarker that had not previously existed in early stage breast cancer to predict sensitivity to IO drugs that target PD-1/PDL-1, a cell pathway that, when overexpressed, allows many breast tumors to escape destruction by the immune system.

Importantly, results showed that in the development phase, the gene-expression biomarker ImPrint met this task and had the potential to predict pathologic complete response (pCR) to PD-1/PDL-1 checkpoint inhibitors with high sensitivity and specificity, especially in ER+ breast cancer which represents a large population of women who may benefit.

"We are incredibly encouraged by the data we are sharing with regard to the ImPrint Test, which is currently in development," said Annuska Glas, Senior Vice President Research and Development and Innovation at Agendia. "ImPrint appears very effective in identifying a subset of HR+HER2- patients who could benefit from IO. We are also interested in the signature's ability to identify tumors with an immune active phenotype denoted by the enrichment of several immune-related pathways. This kind of information is not currently available to a broad range of patients with breast cancer, and while we are in the research use only stage, we look forward to continuing validation to ensure ImPrint is in physicians' hands as soon as possible."

The effect of these findings on patients is potentially significant, ultimately having the potential to impact outcomes. The data shared at ASCO 2022 point to the RUO ImPrint Test's ability to find those who will benefit from a PD-1/PDL-1 treatment as initial therapy, regardless of receptor subtype, providing the information needed to define more specific treatment planning soon after diagnosis.

"There has been a substantial increase of novel IO drugs in many types of diseases, which are astoundingly effective in some cases but not a panacea for all. This had led to the urgent need for biomarkers to identify which patients may benefit from them," said Midas M. Kuilman, Research and Development, Agendia NV, Amsterdam and first author on the poster. "We see this signature as addressing an unmet need as various predictive biomarkers have been developed, but none have consistently predicted efficacy. Here, we see that ImPrint appears to predict with high sensitivity and specificity in both discovery and validation sets it's an incredibly promising set of data and we look forward to validating it in the I-SPY 2.2 trial."

Redefining Breast Cancer Care in Post-Neoadjuvant Settings

Another poster, presented by Agendia in partnership with investigators from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, looks at matched tumors pre- and post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy analyzed by both MammaPrint and BluePrint to report differential gene expression and pathway analyses in the tumors that may help distinguish different responses. The poster, titled Identification of transcriptional changes with MammaPrint and BluePrint in early-stage breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy [Chung, A., et al.],found a more robust transcriptional change in tumors that remain MammaPrint High Risk between pre- and post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy. While these tumors remained High Risk, they also had many changes in gene expression pre- and post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy, unlocking clues to resistance and inspiring further research.

The study also found that tumors which changed from MammaPrint High Risk to MammaPrint Low Risk post-therapy had an activated immune response that may be a biomarker for therapy response and improved outcomes based on it.

Taken together, these posters represent Agendia's continuous dedication to producing and evolving products that lead to insights across the breast cancer care continuum, from initial diagnosis to tailored treatment guidance.

In addition, Agendia will be presenting six posters and a second poster discussion centered on its revolutionary FLEX Trial, which is accelerating impactful data generation aimed at redefining cancer care. Its patient-centric design and national network of participating sites is backed by Agendia's infrastructure, allowing its investigator-initiated sub-studies to produce important results that have the potential to drive science forward.

Agendia will be sharing updates throughout the conference on its Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

About Agendia

Agendia is a mission-driven, commercial stage company focused on enabling optimized decision-making by providing physicians with next-generation diagnostic and information solutions that can be used to help improve outcomes for breast cancer patients worldwide. The company currently offers two commercially-available genomic profiling tests that help surgeons, oncologists and pathologists to personalize treatment for women at critical intervention points throughout their patient journey.

MammaPrint is a 70-gene prognostic test that, along with other clinicopathologic factors, determines a specific patient's breast cancer recurrence risk. BluePrint is an 80-gene molecular subtyping test that identifies the underlying biology of an individual breast cancer to provide information about its behavior, long-term prognosis and potential response to systemic therapy. Together, MammaPrint and BluePrint provide a holistic view of the biology underlying an individual patient's breast cancer, enabling physicians to objectively select the best treatment plan.

For more information on Agendia's assays and ongoing trials, please visit www.agendia.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220604005024/en/

Contacts:

Terri Clevenger

Westwicke/ICR Healthcare PR

Tel: 203.856.4326

Terri.Clevenger@icrinc.com
NEW YORK, June 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A delegation of elementary school students from Wales, United Kingdom visited the United States to engage in writing instruction with P.S. 60-The Woodhaven School, an elementary school in Queens, New York.

Accompanied by eight adults, the young Welsh delegation - representing St. Cadoc's and St. Peter's primary schools - are at the early stages of an academic journey that could be as life-changing as the expanded scope most people experience during overseas travel: learning how to express themselves coherently through writing.

"Writing can serve as a bridge between cultures where we learn what makes each of us unique, as well as discover how much more we have in common than what was previously assumed. I am heartened to experience the American and Welsh students learning so much from each other during the past week," said Dr. Toni-Ann Vroom, Co-Executive Director of TWR.

The St. Cadoc's and St. Peter's teachers have been learning TWR writing strategies in preparation for the upcoming school year. The schools' leadership teams wanted to visit an elementary school that has experienced success with The Writing Revolution's Hochman Method.

After discussions with TWR, the Cardiff schools decided to visit P.S. 60, a TWR partner school.

Since 2017, P.S. 60 has been using the Hochman Method - a method of expository writing instruction that can be embedded in all grades and subject areas. The method was developed by Dr. Judith C. Hochman, former head of The Windward School in White Plains, NY, founder of the Writing Revolution and co-author of the book of the same name.

US News and GreatSchools.org have each identified P.S. 60's statewide test scores and student progress as "Above Average". In addition, P.S. 60 has earned an above-average educational equity rating from GreatSchools.org.

Elizabeth Orsini-Fox, principal of P.S. 60, captured the excitement her school's students and staff felt during the visit: "I am proud of our partnership with TWR and how our teachers enjoyed sharing their command of the Hochman method with our new Welsh friends. I look forward to continued success implementing the Hochman Method and building a global relationship that will increase our students' writing proficiency and love of [language]."

"It's been a wonderful experience to be able to learn from the expertise of the teachers of P.S. 60, and The Writing Revolution team," said Gareth Rein, headmaster of St. Peter's. remarked about the St. Peter's teaching staff who traveled with the students.

"This trip has been a chance of a lifetime for the whole group; to travel over 3,000 miles to learn incredible things about writing, about another culture. To have experiences like this for a group of such young children is something they will remember forever," said Rein.

Rachel Fisher, headteacher of St. Cadoc's, agrees: "[The trip has been] a lifetime opportunity for them  the students have been able to do things that you can only dream of doing at that age."

"P.S. 60's staff and students had the wonderful opportunity to meet and work collaboratively with the staff and students from St. Peter's and St. Cadoc's. Their students worked side-by-side with PS 60's students, shared ideas, discussed cultural similarities and differences, and developed friendships that will last a lifetime," noted Kathleen Degnan, assistant principal of P.S. 60.

Tata Njini, 11, a St. Peter's student who loved writing from a young age, recalled the students in P.S. 60 as "very nice, [and] welcoming".

Reuben Attard, 10, a Cadoc student, enjoyed learning how to "expand sentences, use appositives and the single-paragraph outline" from P.S. 60's teachers.

"I feel very proud to come to P.S. 60," says Katelyn L., a fifth grader from P.S. 60. "Kids came from Wales to visit us to see how we use The Writing Revolution  It's been an awesome experience."

P.S. 60, St. Cadoc's, and St. Peter's have expressed an interest in becoming pen pals and continuing their collaboration.

About The Writing Revolution

Founded by Dr, Judith C. Hochman and based in New York City, The Writing Revolution's mission is to enable students, especially those from historically-marginalized communities, to develop writing skills - an enabler to improved reading comprehension and the ability to think more critically - so they will have enhanced opportunities to succeed in school, in the workplace, and in life.

TWR trains and supports teachers and school leaders in implementing the Hochman Method, an explicit set of evidence-based proven strategies for teaching expository writing. The method builds from sentences to compositions and is embedded in curricula across all content areas and grade levels. The organization believes that improved writing skills support the improvement of overall academic performance, and will position students with stronger personal skill sets that can help to narrow the social inequality gap. TWR has positioned writing instruction as a solution to help address the students' learning loss that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Published in 2017, the book, The Writing Revolution: A Guide To Advancing Thinking Through Writing In All Subjects and Grades, was co-written by Dr. Hochman and Natalie Wexler. A top-seller within the educator community, The Writing Revolution has been sold throughout all 50 U.S. states, 36 countries, and more than 1,000 colleges and universities.

Through courses, workshops, and webinars, TWR's training footprint spans North America and 17 other countries.

While TWR's book and courses are available for purchase by any educator, school, district, and community member, the organization focuses its partnership work on educational institutions that are located within historically-marginalized neighborhoods.

Contact:

The Writing Revolution

90 Broad St, Third Floor

New York, NY 10004

thewritingrevolution.org

communications@thewritingrevolution.org

+1 (212) 206-0985

Links

The Writing Revolution

St. Cadoc's RC Primary School; Cardiff, Wales

St. Peter's RC Primary School; Cardiff Wales

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1832700/Writing_Revolution.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1832701/Welsh_student.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1740672/TWR_Logo.jpg
Exploring new pathways

In his last position at Duke University School of Medicine, Alvarez used mouse models to better understand the mechanism of recurrence and resistance in a subtype of breast cancer known as HER2-positive. HER2+ cancers have an excess of a growth-promoting protein, HER2.



Now he wants to see if that work will translate to cancer patients.



Alvarez will be working with patient specimens so will know from the very beginning that the pathways were identifying are relevant to recurrence in patients, he said.



And hes homing in on the metabolic pathway and a master regulator protein  Nrf2  which he said is really important for cancers to recur after a treatment with a HER2+ targeted therapy.

We think that if we can figure out a way to target it, we could prevent the emergence of recurrence, he said. In mouse models, we showed thats true.



The big question, he said, is how do you target it? If it was an enzyme, you could develop a drug to block its catalytic activity. If there were telltale proteins on the surface, you could use an antibody to home in on them.



But its none of those things, he said. Its a transcription factor; it just turns genes on and off. These are historically difficult to drug  theyre undruggable. So how do you target it? We have a couple of ideas.



Alvarez plans to pursue these ideas in his new lab at the Hutch. And to continue to explore Nrf2s role in metastasis, especially since his previous research showed high levels of Nrf2 in recurrent breast cancer tumors, whether they appear in the bone or the brain or the liver and whether the subtype of breast cancer is HER2+ or ER+ [estrogen receptor positive].



We only had a small sample size but said it was really encouraging and good evidence that Nrf2 is really activated in a wide range of metastatic recurrences in patients, he said.



So how would he go about targeting it? Isnt it supposed to be undruggable?



If you cant target the protein yourself, you can target the pathway, he said.

Part of the push on recurrence

While research is Alvarezs primary focus, he also hopes to find a few opportunities to teach and mentor, as well.
The Oregon State University Department of Public Safety has received a report of racially discriminatory text messages threatening a community member and the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center.

A tweet from the agency posted Friday afternoon, June 3 said the report came in June 2.

The OSU DPS takes seriously and investigates all reports of threats against the university community, the tweet said.

According to the tweet, university staff are offering support services to impacted community members and DPS is taking steps to increase safety measures.

University spokesperson Steve Clark said the Department of Public Safety has been in contact with the State Department of Justice and the FBI regarding the threats.

At this time, it is unknown who sent the messages. The DPS has increased patrols on campus and near the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center.

The university also is offering counseling and other services to impacted community members.

"These kinds of threats are highly unacceptable at OSU or anywhere in the state or country," Clark said. "The university will not tolerate racial threats or violence against individuals."

The investigation is active, according the agency, and information regarding the matter may change. Anyone with information is asked to contact DPS at 541-737-3010 or Public.Safety@oregonstate.edu.

Maddie Pfeifer covers public safety for Mid-Valley Media. She can be contacted at 541-812-6091 or Madison.Pfeifer@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter via @maddiepfeifer_

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Pune, India, Jan. 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global Biomass market size was valued at USD 53.5 Billion in 2021 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 6.3% during the forecast period, according to a recent market study by Quince Market Insights. Biomass is a renewable organic material that comes from animals and plants. It can be converted to renewable liquid and gaseous fuels or burned directly for the heating process.

Biomass serves as a sustainable and low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels. New developments are aiming at using more biomass fuels which are set to drive the global biomass market growth. Also, rising needs to regulate the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) are also a factor rising the demands for global biomass market.

Get Sample Copy of This Report @ https://www.quincemarketinsights.com/request-sample-89217

However, inadequate biomass management, rise in feedstock costs, and lack of knowledge for utilizing biomass for producing energy among emerging economies are restraining the growth of global biomass market.

The demand is increasing for an environment-friendly renewable source of energy due to improve public health as well as reduce global warming are introductory new opportunities for the key market players operating in the global biomass market.

Mainly, biomass fuels were burned on inefficient open traditional stoves or fires. For some cases, the demand for biomass fuels far offsets sustainable supply which can make land degradation, desertification, or deforestation. These factors are liming the global biomass market in their growth.

Impact of COVID-19 on Global Biomass Market

The global pandemic has had a significant impact across the globe. The spread of the infectious virus has led governments across the world to impose strict measures to control the spread by doing regional and national restrictions, lockdowns on international travel as well as practicing social distance.

The continuous lockdown had a major impact on the energy sector and biomass energy is one of them which had faced a reduction in their demand. As most of the biomass energy arises from the forestry sector which brings residues from processing and harvesting.

Further, the stoppage in the supply chain sector all the activities for biomass energy market stopped during the pandemic situation. But by the opening of activities with the government guidelines, the market will be going to raise its demand during the forecast period.

Global Biomass Market, by Application

Based on application, the market is bifurcated into cooking, space heating/cooling, heat processing, electricity generation, and others. Among these, the heat processing segment is one of the largest markets for global biomass in 2021 and is expected to remain the largest market during the coming forecasted period.

Factors attributing to the growth of the heat processing segment is because mostly biomass is used for heating. In a direct burning system, biomass is burned to create hot gas, which can either be fed into a boiler for generating hot water/stream or be used directly to provide heat or. These factors are driving the global biomass market growth by heat processing segment.

Global Biomass Market, by Source

Based on source, the global biomass market is segmented into wood pellets, crop residue, energy crops, municipal solid waste (MSW), and others (peat, sawdust). Wood pellets capture the largest market share for global biomass in 2021 and are expected to remain the largest during the forecast period.

Factors contributing to the growth of wood pallets are because wood pallets are cost-effective as they are economically competitive with electric heat and home fossil fuel options. Wood pellets are a sustainable source of fuel, and burning wood pellets is carbon-neutral. These advantage factors are driving the wood pellets segment for global biomass market.

Global Biomass Market, by Technology

Based on technology, the global biomass market is segmented into combustion, anaerobic digestion, gasification, co-firing & CHP, and landfill gas (LFG). The combustion segment is one of the largest markets for global biomass in 2021 and is expected to remain largest during the forecast period.

Factors attributing the growth of combustion segment is due to biomass combustion offers a relatively cheap fuel source, provides self-sufficiency even during blackouts, and also cuts dependence on fossil fuels. These advantages are boosting the combustion segment for global biomass market.

Global Biomass Market, by End User

Based on end user, the global biomass market is segmented into industrial, institutional, and domestic. Industrial segment is one of the largest markets for global biomass in 2021 for global biomass and is anticipated to remain largest during the forecast period also due to various uses.

Such as the industrial sector use biomass for space heating, electricity generation, hot water heating, and construction of timber are uplifting the industrial segment for global biomass market.

Enquiry Before Buying This Report @ https://www.quincemarketinsights.com/enquiry-before-buying/enquiry-before-buying-89217

Global Biomass Market, by Region

Based on region, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and South America. Europe is one of the largest markets for global biomass in 2021 for global biomass and is expected to remain the largest market till the forecast period 2030.

Factors attributing the growth of the European market for biomass because the production of energy from solid biomass has improved remarkably over the past two decades and peaked in 2017. Germany is the largest producer of biomass energy with France is the only other country with having an output in excess of ten million tons of oil equivalent. These applications are boosting the global biomass market.

Recent Developments in the Global Biomass Market

September 2021  According to the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT) Biomass to energy (BTE) can help Malaysia in meeting green energy goals. The project organized by the EMOG Strategic Group and MIGHT using the method can reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) and meet sustainable development goals (SDG), as well as to provide job opportunities to university graduates.

September 2021  The Drax Group decided to become the primary big European power company to combine biomass power with carbon storage and capture in its quest to be carbon negative by 2030. University of British Columbia conveys that the provinces recent wildfires presses, the need for dead wood and debris to be removed from forest, to potentially converted into wood pellets.

Some Key Findings of the Global Biomass Market Report Include:

The analysis includes a global biomass market study, expansions, and forecasts, along with a country-specific analysis.

An in-depth analysis of the global biomass market comprises segment application, source, technology, end user, and regions with an analysis of trend-based insights and factors.

Product offering details on competitive benchmarking and evolution approach adopted by the industry players, along with their investments in the last five years in the global market have been provided in the report.

The market research includes a study of the provinces, boundaries, drivers, prospects, guidelines, challenges, and procedures that are propelling the global biomass market.

The study also offers complex measures of potential market effect during the forecast period and an in-depth overview of the leading companies operating in the global market.

External as well as internal variables that are expected to have a positive or negative effect on companies have been evaluated, which will offer the decision-makers a strong futuristic view of the industry.

The research also helps understand the dynamics of the biomass market structure by analyzing market segments and by projecting the size of the market.

The report helps to understand the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on biomass market.

Some major industry players functional in the global biomass market are: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Suez, Xcel Energy Inc., Ramboll Group A/S, Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc., Ameresco, Veolia, Vattenfall AB, and rsted A/S.

For more information on this topic please visit our website report titled,  Biomass Market , by Application (Space Heating/Cooling, Cooking, Heat Processing, Electricity Generation, and Others), Source (Wood Pellets, Crop Residue, Energy Crop, Municipal Sol), Technology (Combustion, Anaerobic Digestion, Gasification, Co-firing & CHP, and Landfill Gas {LFG}), End User (Industrial, Institutional, and Domestic), and Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, South America)  in-depth analysis along with the table of contents (ToC).

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Biomass Power Generation Market, By Feedstock (Woody Biomass, Agriculture & Forest Residues, Biogas & Energy Crops, Urban Residues, and Landfill Gas Feedstock) , By Technology (Anaerobic Digestion, Combustion, Gasification, Co-firing & CHP, and Landfill Gas (LFG)), By Region (North America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Rest of the World)  Market Size & Forecasting  2028

https://www.quincemarketinsights.com/industry-analysis/biomass-power-generation-market

Biomass Gasification Market, By Fuel Type (Wood, Animal Waste, and Others), By Application (Chemicals, Liquid Fuels, Power & Gas Fuels), By Region (North America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Rest of the World)  Market Size & Forecasting To 2028
New York, New York, May 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NANO Nuclear), a company emerging from the shared micro Small Modular Reactor (SMR) ambitions of a world class nuclear technical team working alongside business and industry professionals, possessing strong relationships with both government as well as the private and public nuclear industries, is pleased to announce that it will an exhibitor at the upcoming SMR & Advanced Reactor 2022 conference, organized by Reuters Events is part of Reuters News & Media Ltd, which will take place on May 24th & 25th in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.



Additionally, NANO Nuclear will be a sponsor, exhibitor and also present at the Reset Connect London 2022, the UKs largest and leading sustainability ecosystem and net-zero event for business, investors and innovators. The green investment gathering will be taking place during London Climate Action Week at ExCeL London, United Kingdom on June 28th & 29th, featuring speaking engagements for Founder & Chairman Jay Jiang Yu as well as Chief Executive Officer James Walker.

Bringing together market-leading changemakers from the nuclear industry to discuss the short and long-term future of nuclear energy, SMR & Advanced Reactor 2022 will share the latest technological, regulatory and investment moves, discussing SMRs and advanced reactors as the answer to nuclear energy replacing fossil fuels in baseload power generation. Featuring innovative thought leaders such as NuScale Power Chief Technology Officer Dr. Jose Reyes, Roll Royce SMR Chief Executive Officer Tom Samson and GE Hitachi Executive Vice President Jon Ball, SMR & Advanced Reactor 2022 will examine the future of energy distribution and maintaining talent in the marketplace. Additionally, speakers such as U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Christopher T. Hanson and International Atomic Energy Agency Deputy Director General Lydie Evrard will facilitate discussions regarding regulatory adjustments needed to secure a future for nuclear energy.





Reset Connect London 2022 is the flagship event (expo & conference) of London Climate Action Week 2022, drilling into the sustainability and climate tech space with a focus on existing, new & innovative technologies/solutions and the green/ESG investment community. The event will take place at ExCeL London on June 28th & 29th and will act to continue the momentum built up by the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26). Featuring speakers such as Head of Sustainability, Rolls-Royce Rachael Everard and Labour Member of the House of Lords and Chair of the Centre, Accelerating Social Technology Lord Jim Knight of Weymouth, Reset Connect London 2022 will bring together business (SMEs through to corporate), industry and government with solution providers, policy makers, innovators and the finance community that can enable & fund change.





As a sponsor and exhibitor of the event, NANO Nuclear will also be an active participant in the free exchange of ideas, with Founder and Chairman Jay Jiang Yu to contribute to panel discussions around fund/investment raising and scaling up start up and CEO James Walker to contribute to the Art of the Possible-Cutting Edge Technology with the Potential to Drive Change Now.

I am incredibly excited to have received an opportunity to share my perspective on launching a purpose-led startup in the ESG and green energy sector and why I believe there is a nuclear tech revolution starting. I look forward to meeting with fellow attendees at the RESET CONNECT gathering, said Jay Jiang Yu, Founder, Chairman and President of NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. The discussion will put NANO Nuclear in good stead, helping to introduce international green energy innovators and investors to our Company. Furthermore, I believe James contribution to the discussion about the Art of the Possible-Cutting Edge Technology with the Potential to Drive Change Now, will be very informative for those in attendance.

About NANO Nuclear Energy Inc.

The Path to Zero starts here. Nano Nuclear Energy Inc. is a company emerging from the shared micro Small Modular Reactor (SMR) ambitions of a world class nuclear technical team, working alongside business and industry professionals, possessing strong relationships with both government, and the private and public nuclear industries. Our Company is looking to disrupt the SMR space, principally in underdeveloped nuclear areas, and advance micro SMRs towards development and deployment in residential, commercial, and industrial settings. Nano Nuclear Energy is committed to building smaller, cheaper, and safer nuclear energy, while incorporating the latest technology into its own proprietary mobile and on-demand capable nano nuclear reactors, novel reactor designs, intellectual properties, and research methods. For more corporate information please visit: https://NanoNuclearEnergy.com/

For further information, please contact:

Email: Info@NanoNuclearEnergy.com

Business Tel: (212) 634-9206

PLEASE FOLLOW OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES HERE:

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TRENTO, June 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Time flies at the Festival of Economics 2022 in Trento. It is already the third day, the most eventful one, in an edition full of events and surprises. Saturday started with the remembrance, by the Festival community, of the recently deceased economist Jean Paul Fitoussi.



In the morning, Paolo Gentiloni, EU Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, gave the keynote speech on the topic of European pride during the event A changed world: challenges and opportunities for a leading Europe.

Romano Prodi - who will take part in the Festival this evening with an appointment dedicated to "Geopolitics and geo-economics after the war in Ukraine" - was also present in the auditorium Santa Chiara, and there were also many young people to listen to Gentiloni, who answered questions from the director of Sole 24 Ore Fabio Tamburini and Paolo Magri, ISPI executive vice-president and then from students from Trento.

At the Social Theatre, Renato Brunetta, Minister of Public Administration, talked with Alberto Orioli, deputy editor of Il Sole 24 Ore. The underlying theme? The spectre of a recession.

Three Nobel Prize laureates today: Daniel Mcpadden, Jody Williams and Edmund Phelps.

Also today, at the Festival, Maria Cristina Messa, Minister for Universities and Research, and Roberto Cingolani, Minister for Ecological Transition, spoke via video link.

In the afternoon, plenty of excitement and opportunities for in-depth discussion with speeches by Federico d'Inca, Minister for Relations with Parliament, Enrico Giovanni, Minister for Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility, Maria Stella Gelmini, Minister for Regional Affairs and Autonomies of the Italian Republic and Laura Castelli vice minister of MEF.

Tonight, the Zelig Comedy Show with the appointment "Zelig. Leconomia da ridere (Zelig. The economy for a laugh).

For more information:

LaPresse SpA Communication and Press Office Director

Barbara Sanicola - barbara.sanicola@lapresse.it

Festival dell'Economia di Trento

+39 0461 497930

web www.festivaleconomia.it

mail ufficiostampa@festivaleconomia.it

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3a3bb6a9-235e-4547-9aa0-93f78d43b6db

The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.
Indiana, ID, June 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Liquid vitamins are becoming all the rage these days and for a good reason. They're more easily absorbed by the body than traditional pills, making them a more effective way to get your daily nutrients, and the dosage is easier to adjust for different age groups. Enter Better Family, a company that delivers top-notch liquid vitamin supplements right to your door. The company was founded by two friends, Matt and Phil, looking for a better way to improve their family's wellbeing. Liquid Daily, the flagship supplement from Better Family, was carefully crafted to support your family's health.

Why Choose Better Family?

With the goal of creating the highest quality and best tasting liquid multivitamin on the market, Better Family turned to a Doctor of Pharmacy with 20 years of experience formulating physician-grade supplements to lead their formulation team. They're complemented by the Scientific Advisory Team, including doctors such as Dr. Katie Nichols and wellness experts like Bill Sickert.

Like other start-ups, Better Family's story comes from a daily issue that had not been resolved. As health and wellness enthusiasts with other businesses in the space, Matt and Phil couldn't find a daily nutrition solution that made sense for their families. Almost all existing products in the market are sugary and not kid friendly. Similarly, products for adults are not effective and are either overly expensive or dont utilize the highest quality ingredients.

Better Family's founders saw this as a golden opportunity to create an all-in-one wellness product for the entire family that is effective, budget-friendly, and more absorbable with none of the drama of oversized tablets. They formulated their products to cover any age range with a delicious organic taste, either taken directly or easily blended with any drinks.

Sometimes product owners only focus on developing the products or boosting their marketing strategies. Better Family capture both. The products are promoted as a subscription model with customizable delivery schedules for your household, ensuring you get the nutrition you need on autopilot without any backlog. Moreover, people can grab a $5 sample before they subscribe and deliver it to their doorstep at no additional cost.

"I started all of my children and myself on the Liquid Daily vitamins. It's a really easy and efficient approach to ensure their growth and our health. Excellent product!" - Josh L

" This product is incredible. It has helped me in sleeping well and working more effectively. I highly recommend it to everyone. It's also simple to use, which is great. - Paul E

About Better Family

Better Family is a new eCommerce company that delivers the best family wellbeing products right to your doorstep. Matt Hasbrook and Phil Enck are the brains behind Liquid Daily and the marketing strategists who keep the company going. Teamed up with a wide array of medical professionals, lika a licensed pediatric dentist, wellness industry veterans, and nutritional advisors, the company is becoming one of the best sellers of wellness products nationwide.

Based in Indianapolis, Indiana, the company is ready to deliver your daily nutrition all across the country.

Media Contact:

Better Family, LLC

Matt Hasbrook and Phil Enck

hello@betterfamily.com

(317) 520-4664

https://m.facebook.com/Better-Family-102232448644873

Via KISSPR.com Press Release Distribution Service - Media Contact: Az@kisspr.com
: a7918578348 (), : Fashion

 : Gathering for profit, dispersing by fear, fighting ruthlessly for whom

: BBS  (Sat Jun 4 11:30:34 2022, )



Study hard with Seventh Brother, you will only learn in prison in the end

"Pretending to believe but not really believing, pretending to love but not

really loving", I don't know if Lao Guo has been under investigation for

more than a year, and the punishment of freezing property in the PAX case

has made his heart suffocated. In short, Guo Wengui recently In his live

broadcast, he often got angry and became another important part of his

bragging. After the low tide of Luther SARA, the newly promoted Brother Long

Island, the old squad leader, Daniel and others have all become the targets

of Guo Wengui's "revelations". However, it is no longer news that the liars

under Guo Wengui are stupid and bad, and it is no longer news that Guo

Wengui used them to defraud them to make money, and it is no longer news to

blame them. , and the end of reincarnation lies in Guo Wengui's complete

subjugation.

The little ants and all spectators should know that since Guo Wengui came

out to defraud, the "leaders" in the ant gang have been from generation to

generation, but in the end they either ran away or turned into pseudo-types.

There are many reasons for this, but in the end, they can be classified

into two categories, one is love, and the other is money. In terms of

feelings, many people really believed that Guo Wengui was the "son of

destiny" at first, but after following a period of time, they all found that

"breaking the news" was actually nonsense, attracting attention and gaining

popularity through one hot spot after another. Guo Wengui broke the news,

accusing them of being a pseudo-type of the CCP, and swept them through

verbal violence. On money, the Rule of Law Fund was established in 2018, the

G series Hexi Farm was established in 2020, and Xicoin and H pay were

launched in 2022. Wengui turned his attention into a series of "goods" after

the channel for attracting gold, and became the Ant Gang. The source of

internal attack climbing.

The existing big ants are all "snobby eyes" who get into the eyes of money.

In order to get a piece of Guo Wengui's fraud scheme, their food looks

disgusting. This has been the case since Luther and SARA, and now it is even

worse for Brother Long Island, the old monitor and others. In order to lick

Guo, Luther amplifies Guo Wengui's rumor tenfold and spreads it out. In

order to be in a high position, he is willing to give Guo Wengui the black

pot of the rule of law fund. SARA uses the template of GTV to organize VOG,

plus Phoenix Farm has hundreds of millions of scams in his hands. Funds, but

in the end, he was kicked out because of the uneven distribution of stolen

goods with Guo Wengui. Brother Long Island and others immediately came to

the fore, swallowing the leftover cake of SARA and trying to become the "

first brother". The person who can't read the manuscript only by reading the

manuscript is active everywhere in order to cheat money and create his own

character. Now In the end, he was taken care of by Guo Wengui due to lack of

greed and became the next "big head". As for Jiang Caishen, Pu Changhai,

Little Cobbler, etc., who were still active before, which of them were not

immediately scolded for failing to make money, and immediately cut off after

losing their value or carrying a lawsuit? Liars who don't understand this

will only repeat the same mistakes.

But the greedy little liars didn't find this problem. Guo Wengui's routine

of "use your time with a good voice, and when you give up, expose your old

bottom", except for Qiu Yueshou, who did not leave any address and contact

information when he supported Guo, he did not suffer. The others were more

or less disgusted. There is also a question worth pondering for little liars

, that is, whether Guo Wengui kicked away his "greedy comrade-in-arms" when

he was on the uphill road, and now he is on the downhill road, and he has

even stepped into prison with half of his foot, just wanting to cheat money

madly , those of you who share the pie will only be Guo Wengui's "thorn in

the eye, a thorn in the flesh", and the camaraderie in your mouth is nothing

but a fig leaf to safeguard vulnerable and fraudulent interest groups. With

Guo Wengui's mania and more and more little ants being sucked out of blood,

the Ant Gang, a criminal gang that started out by cheating, has come to a

precarious moment. The big liar Guo will, just like he squeezed SARA at the

beginning, let the little liars The money is spit out; and the little liars

are also "eight immortals crossing the sea to show their magical powers",

Taiwan's big cows have been attacked because they are ready to run away with

money, South Korea's Park Changhai has been prosecuted for fraud, and they

are even more crazy to snatch each other's interests. This situation will

eventually make Guo Wengui, the source of everything, pay the price. After

all, as the ultimate beneficiary, he will surely be punished as the head of

the fraud group.

As the initiator of all this, Guo Wengui taught a group of little liars who

followed him to learn to cheat others, cross rivers and demolish bridges,

and also learned his way of getting rich by "selling friends to get rich".

It's just that all of this is based on crime, and every member of this "

fraud aggregate" is a heinous person who treats little ants as leeks.

Instigating violence and hatred, and being prosecuted and put on trial by

the old man who failed to pay his debts, may I ask these little liars who

keep fighting for petty profits, do you know that the result of doing so is

going to jail together? However, presumably when you are in prison, you will

only get the comfort of the victims, justice will come eventually, and you

should wait to stand on the trial seat with Guo Wengui.

--

 :WWW  mitbbs.com [FROM: 2a0b:89c0::cc:1]


After a two-year absence, the Canadian Grand Prix will return to the Formula One calendar in 2022. In the process, the race in the North American country has immediately found a new main sponsor for the event.

Article continues under ad

Return to Canada

On June 19, Formula 1 will return to Montreal, Canada, after a two-year wait. The Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve will host a Grand Prix again for the first time since the corona pandemic. The organization has found a new main sponsor.

The Canadian Grand Prix, like the previous two editions of the race, is changing its main sponsor. In 2018 this was Heineken, in 2019 it was tire supplier Pirelli. In 2022, AWS will have a large-scale presence on the sponsor boards around the circuit.

AWS involved in F1 for some time now

AWS has been involved with Formula 1 since 2018. Amazon Web Services, as it is fully named, has been providing the graphics used by Formula 1 for years. Starting in 2022, the Canadian Grand Prix will formally be called the 'Formula 1 AWS Grand Prix du Canada'.

Amazon Web Services will be the Title Partner of the #CanadianGP in 2022, with #F1 returning to Montreal for the first time since 2019.@F1 started using @awscloud back in 2018 as their Official Cloud and Machine Learning Provider. pic.twitter.com/tlCDREfmgR  Decalspotters (@decalspotters) June 1, 2022
Expats embrace China's Dragon Boat Festival

Xinhua) 10:17, June 04, 2022

Dragon boat crew members compete in a traditional Chinese dragon boat race held in Xiamen City, southeast China's Fujian Province, June 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhou Yi)

FUZHOU, June 3 (Xinhua) -- To the quick, rhythmic beat of the drums, racers paddled mightily and yelled rhythmically in Chinese in a dragon boat race.

The three-day international event started on Wednesday in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian province, attracting some 1,200 professional and amateur racers from 48 teams, including five international ones.

As one of the most important traditions of the Dragon Boat Festival, which fell on Friday this year, dragon boat racing has been well-received by expatriates living in China.

Brzhezinskiy Boris, a racer on team Pakistan, made his debut in this type of competition. "I am very happy to be a part of it today," said the racer who learned early on about the sport.

The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar.

"When I was a teenager I did rowing, but dragon boat race has a totally different style. So this is totally new for me," Benjamin Norman, hailing from the UK but racing for team Kazakhstan, adding that the race is one of his favorite Chinese cultural traditions.

Vasilii Petrov, racer of the Russian team, also noticed a distinctive feature of the Chinese dragon boat race.

"Different from other rowing competitions I have attended, the dragon boat race is more about teamwork. Everyone on the boat is part of it," he noted.

In southwest China's Chongqing, 14 foreign students celebrated the festival in a different way in Fengsheng Ancient Town, Banan District.

Under the instructions of local residents, students learned to make Zongzi, a pyramid-shaped dumpling made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo, reed or other leaves.

Ashurmatova Sabina, an international student from Uzbekistan, said that as she stays in China longer, she loves the country more and is willing to experience more unique cultural traditions of China.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
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GUANGZHOU, China (AP)  The dragon boat tradition returned in parts of China on Friday for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic in late 2019, as restrictions are lifted along with a major drop in COVID-19 cases.

The historic Lychee Bay scenic area in the southern Chinese manufacturing hub of Guangzhou staged boat displays and other scaled-back celebrations to mark the holiday commemorating the death more than 2,200 years ago of revered poet and government minister Qu Yuan.

Restrictions on the length of events and the size of crowds remained in place but did little to dampen the mood.

Along with the displays and traditional boat races  featuring teams of up to a dozen or more paddlers but which were not held in Guangzhou this year due to pandemic measures  the holiday is marked by community gatherings and the enthusiastic consumption of steamed rice dumplings cooked with meat, peanuts and other ingredients and wrapped in green leaves bound with string.

China recorded just 74 new COVID-19 cases on Friday and restrictions have been eased in cities such as Shanghai, which had been under strict lockdown for more than two months.

While travel restrictions, testing requirements, quarantines and mask mandates remain, the country is gradually emerging from its hardline zero-COVID" policy that has throttled the domestic economy and severely constricted global supply chains.

Guangzhou native June He said it was a relief to finally be able to enjoy the festival again after the cancellations of the previous two years.

I feel particularly excited and happy, said He, who was among the spectators watching the crews from Pantang village paddle the carefully-decorated boats as long as 38 meters (125 feet).

Wang Haoran, a tourist from Inner Mongolia in China's far north, said he'd only ever experienced the festival through books and television.

I wasnt able to get a sense of the magnificence of the event," Wang said.

The dragon boat tradition dates back 500 years, and residents a century ago began displaying the boats as works of folk art and craftmanship.

The dragon boat tradition dates back 500 years in Pantang, and residents a century ago began displaying the boats as works of folk art and craftmanship, said Liu Yongzhou, head of the dragon boat association from one of the villages districts.

The return of dragon boat festivities also delighted small businesses in the area.

Its good for various parties, including tourists. There will be lively scenes here again, said Ji Tuhui, the owner of a small bakery selling traditional Cantonese pastries.

While business has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, Friday's dragon boat performance brought tourists and their spending money, Ji said.

Liu called the event an unforgettable experience.

This year, to meet the requirements of epidemic prevention, we minimized the event," he said. "But its OK  we were able to hold this event under such strict conditions.

___

Associated Press video producer Caroline Chen contributed to this report.

___

This story corrects the attribution of the final quote and the spelling of Pantang village.
ZAPU national chairman and businessperson, Mark Mbayiwa, a political trailblazer who fought against injustice both before and after Independence, died Saturday in Bulawayo.

He was 66.

The party confirmed Mbayiwas death after he collapsed at his home in Morningside around 10pm.

It is with a deep sense of sorrow that we learnt of the passing of our Party Chairperson Cde. Mark Nzula Mbayiwa last night. As a party, we are still in shock at his sudden demise since Cde. Mbayiwa attended all party related activities yesterday including an evening Presidency meeting, said ZAPU secretary general, Mthulisi Hanana.

Hanana lamented that ZAPU has lost a great, committed cadre, leader, mentor, torchbearer and an unflinching revolutionary.

We have lost a dependable comrade, a reservoir of party history and a fountain of knowledge. We are poorer without him. Cde Mbayiwa is one of the senior leaders who pulled out of Zanu PF at the revival of ZAPU and served as a National Executive member for Matabeleland North, he said.

He served the party diligently and made immense sacrifices for ZAPU. He has also previously served in various administration roles and as Treasurer General. During the build up to our last Congress, he had accepted nominations from provinces to stand as a presidential candidate. In a great show of humility, magnanimity and political astuteness, he stood down at the last minute and endorsed the current ZAPU President.

The Secretary General noted how Mbayiwa worked with party leader, Sibangilizwe Nkomo well, which showed his love for ZAPU and the partys ability to handle political transition.

Cde Mbayiwa played a key role in the establishment of the current ZAPU administration and was an integral part of the Presidency. At the time of his demise, he was our National Chairperson and he was also the Acting Treasurer General. His contributions to ZAPU are invaluable, he said.

Mbayiwa was a freedom fighter and veteran of the Liberation Struggle having joined politics as a youth coordinator in 1973.

In September 1975 Cde. Mbayiwa was arrested for political activism, said Hanana.

In October 1976 he and 15 others crossed to Zambia to join the armed struggle. It is in Zambia where he met Cde Nikita Mangena. After being involved in the electrification of Freedom Camp, he went for military training in Angola which was being done by the Cubans and Russians.

Afterwards, he went to Zambia to work at the ZPRA Headquarters in Kasupe where he was in charge of all Communication Equipment, said the party SG.

By 1980, he had been deployed to all Frontal Bases. His dedication to the dismantling of colonialism in Zimbabwe is unparalleled.

Post-independence, Mbayiwa was in charge of communication at Esigodini, Gwaai River Mine and Entumbane Assembly points.

He also joined the Zimbabwe Defence Forces where again he served with distinction. He received the five, 10- and 15-year service medals from the army. Cde. Mbayiwa is also a recipient of the Liberation Silver Medal, Mozambican Campaign Medal and the DRC Campaign Medal, Hanana noted.

He was commissioned as Captain Regimental Signals Officer and rose through the ranks and retired as a Colonel. Upon retirement, Cde Mbayiwa worked as a branch Manager at Amtech and later established a private practice trading as Maclyn Spares. In 2008, he stood as an Independent Candidate in Nyamandlovu Constituency. In 2009 he was part of the ZAPU revival.

Hanana decried how Mbayiwa passes on at a critical point in ZAPU and the country when they are preparing to dislodge Zanu PF in the coming 2023 elections.

The country has lost a son of the soil, an administrator par excellence, an avid political scholar and gallant freedom fighter. His death is a blow to all of us. The gap he leaves will be hard to fill, he said.

Another ZAPU member, Patrick Ndlovu, said Mbayiwa was one of the few people that the late party leader and national hero, Dr Dumiso Dabengwa listened to.

DD had one quality that set him apart from most leaders. He listened more than he spoke. I noted Dabengwa listened to especially three people, former party president, Isaac Mabuka, Roma Nyathi and Mbayiwa. From these three, I also notice that Mabuka and Mbayiwa would disagree with DD. Both would say Hayi Mdala Hayi with slight smiles and shake their heads, he said.

From DD, Mbayiwa learnt to listen. It didnt matter whether he agreed with you or not, he would listen to you, give you his opinion but still listen to you.

Ndlovu highlighted that ZAPU has lost its anchor in the turbulent ocean of pre-election politics.

He was currently the voice of reason within our National Executive Council, he said.

Mbayiwa is survived by his wife and four children. CITE
PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Guahan Academy Charter School

June schedule:

Friday: Class of 2022 graduation ceremony 10 a.m. at RIHGA Royal Laguna Guam Resort.

June 13-July 22: Summer school. Registration forms are due June 3.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Faneyakan Sinipok program

The CHamoru Immersion Program is open to all kindergarten students who are living in Guam and will be 5 years old by July 31, 2022. The program will be held from 8:30 a.m.-2:45 p.m. at P.C. Lujan Elementary School.

Students must be enrolled for face-to-face learning and transportation must be provided by the parent or guardian.

To apply, families can fill out an application and provide all necessary documents at rb.gy/8uubxk, followed by an interview. Families will need to commit to the following:

Active participation in the program.

Parents and family members must take CHamoru immersion classes.

Provide eight hours of in-kind service to the program per month.

For more information, contact the GDOE CHamoru Studies division at 671-300-2498 or 671-300-1367 or email jsteria@gdoe.net.

COLLEGES

Guam Community College

Guam Community College is seeking a mascot design that will be used to define the colleges brand. GCC students, former students, alumni who attended GCC for at least 1 year and employees can join the contest.

Submissions will be accepted until June 24, 2022. Multiple designs are accepted if submitted individually. Designs must be submitted at guamcc.edu/gccmascot. The winner will receive $500 and an official print of the GCC mascot. For more information, contact gcc.mascot@guamcc.edu or visit www.guamcc.edu/gccmascot.

WORKSHOPS

Place-based Environmental Education workshop

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Center for Learning with Nature and other partners are hosting a Fanihi & Friends: Place-based Environmental Education workshop for upper elementary to secondary science teachers from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on June 29-July 2. Participants will have the opportunity to:

Learn new ways and tools to connect Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math subjects to Guams natural environment.

Attend formal instructional days and two field visits to explore place-based learning opportunities on Guam.

Network with other educators to grow STEAM education among students.

Register for one graduate credit at a fee of $20.

For more information or to register, contact Marybelle Quinata at 671-355-5096 or email marybelle_quinata@fws.gov.
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Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero signed a proclamation Friday declaring June 2022 as Philippine Independence Month.

It is a distinct privilege and honor for the country given the long and proud history of cooperation between the Philippines and Guam, said Patrick John Hilado, Consul General of the Republic of the Philippines in Guam.

He said his country and Guam have much in common through many shared experiences in history such as Spanish colonization, U.S. colonization and Japanese occupation during World War II.

This month marks the Philippines 124th anniversary of proclaiming independence.

The role that Filipinos have played rebuilding Guam after World War II, the generations of Filipinos that have helped expand Guams economy and the philanthropy that we see Filipino Guamanians that are inherently part of our community truly is amazing, said Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio.

He said that during the struggles of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Filipino community on Guam has steeped up to contribute towards the health and safety of the island especially those serving as health care workers and in the National Guard.

Tenorio announced that he and Hilado have been discussing plans for a Filipino cultural festival for next years independence month at Ypao beach.

Ideas for the event are to have food vendors, dance groups perform and community leaders and academics give presentations highlighting the ties between Guam and the Philippines.
Guam High School Panthers graduated on Friday with years of grit and pride to show for.

Friends and family members cheered as more than 90 graduates walked across the stage to receive their diplomas at the schools gymnasium. Valedictorian Justin Nikkano said he credits his fellow graduates for pushing through the years, especially during the most challenging times.

Not only have we survived these four long, grueling years of high school, but weve also done it while in a global pandemic, said Nikkano.

Nikkano continued to praise his peers for pushing through the hardships of the pandemic, and assured them that taking a breather to plan for the future is OK.

Regardless of whether you go off to college, join the military or the workforce...Please feel free to take a well-deserved break and strive for change as you continue pushing forward, Nikkano said.

Chaco

Salutatorian Kai Chaco also thanked his family, teachers and friends for supporting him throughout his years at Guam High School.

If you took me as a little girl, I literally wouldnt be able to recognize myself. If you told me that this would be her, well, shed probably ignore you for the new my little pony episode, Kai said jokingly.

Kai then said that he may have a different name and a different voice now, but that he is still naive and scared, just like that little girl.

I know I am not that little girl anymore, but I carry her with me wherever I go, Kai said. For what its worth, I hope shes proud of what Ive become.
Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero thanks government workers and island health providers for their efforts to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus during a special address on the lawn of the Ricardo J. Bordallo Governors Complex at Adelup May 3, 2022. The governor will soon deliver her 2022 State of the Island address and we hope to hear an honest, balanced report from the islands chief executive.
ZIMBABWEAN millers are at the centre of a heated dispute involving a US$22 million grain purchase and supply tender deal in Malawi.

The Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) reportedly signed the now-contested deal with Malawis Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) without following laid-down procedures.

Information at hand indicates that an agreement to supply GMAZ with 100 000 tonnes of maize worth US$22 million is being disputed after it emerged that it was signed by Admarc chairman, Alexander Kusamba Dzonzi and not a management representative as required by the law in that country.

The deal has sparked controversy in Malawi, with that countrys Parliament said to be questioning it.

Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera has reportedly consulted his Finance minister Sosten Gwengwe to probe the matter amid reports his country is also faced with a shortage of grain, and cannot afford to export.

However, indications are that the deal will sail through with deliveries expected starting this month and up to the end of July given that it had been cleared by Malawis top offices in Agriculture.

Contacted for comment, the Malawi Treasury chief Gwengwe said: I am in IMF [International Monetary Fund] negotiations, please talk to Admarc.

Dzonzi could, however, not be reached

Suspended Admarc chief executive Rhino Chiphiko declined to comment, saying: I have been suspended from work and, therefore, cannot speak for Admarc.

Chiphiko was suspended for allegedly purchasing an official luxury vehicle that is above Admarc approved budget and specifications.

GMAZ national chairperson Tafadzwa Musarara yesterday said the deal was above board before claiming that they were being challenged by a clique of middlemen in Malawi whom he said were in the habit of profiteering from tenders through inflating prices and demanding kickbacks.

GMAZ met the Malawian Minister of Agriculture and successfully sought the requisite approval to procure 100 000 metric tonnes from Admarc Limited. GMAZ proceeded to meet Admarc CEO, chairman and other board members and successfully concluded the supply agreement. At all material times, the Admarc CEO was present, including at the signing ceremony that was done at Sunbird Vincent Restaurant, Musarara said in an interview.

GMAZ members have an aggregate annual revenue of US$12 billion and have the necessary wherewithal to transact directly with any supplier in the world. We see no commercial purpose to buy maize from Admarc via middlemen.

We are aware that some unscrupulous grain traders are mounting a desperate campaign to soil this transaction. However, GMAZ welcomes any other grain traders with their own stocks to engage us (and) our contract with Admarc remains in subsistence and we are proceeding to execute it.

This comes as Zimbabwe and other African countries lose billions annually to botched tenders often benefiting a few corrupt government officials and powerful politicians.

Zimbabwe requires 2,2 million tonnes of maize annually, 1,8 million for human consumption and the balance for stock feed.

If the maize tender deal is cancelled, the development will spell doom for the countrys millers who are depending on the imports to stay afloat following a poor summer rainfall season that affected many grain farmers.

Zimbabwes poor grain harvest forced government to open the borders for registered millers to import 400 000t of maize. Newsday




Haiti - Education : Towards the integration of social and financial education in schools





Friday, June 3rd at the Karibe Convention Center, ended a National Workshop (May 30 to June 3, 2022) for orientation and integration, of social and financial education in the teaching curricula in Haiti.



Workshop organized at the initiative of the Bank of the Republic of Haiti (BRH), in partnership with the Ministry of National Education (MENFP), the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and AFLATOUN (an international firm, specializing in social and financial education).



With the ongoing curricular reform projects, the BRH, the MENFP and the MEF believe that it is necessary to introduce economic and financial concepts into school curricula.



In his opening remarks, Nesmy Manigat, the Minister of National Education judged the importance of such an approach, the purpose of which is to bring the Haitian citizen to endorse the notions related to finance and the economy, emphasizing "[...] it is first important to ensure that all of our children take part in a process of inclusion. That children be integrated, beyond their school careers, into a process that should lead them to truly participate in the social and economic life of Haiti."



According to Michel Patrick Boivert, the Minister of the Economy "[...] with this initiative, each student will be able to understand the need to earn money, to plan and rationalize their expenses, to make savings, while thinking the risks that could threaten its assets."



Jean Baden Dubois, Governor of the Central Bank, welcomed the holding of this workshop "At the dawn of the 2022 summer school holidays, here we are once again, as part of the implementation of the financial education, gathered to define together new orientations for the integration of educational content on economics and finance in the school curriculum. This, for a more complete education of our children who must be ready to face the many challenges of our time, to engage in the prosperity of our country, while being responsible citizens."



A follow-up committee for the recommendations of this workshop has been set up. Let's recall that this partnership between the MENFP and the BRH is based on three main documents : the National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (SNIF), the National Strategy for Financial Education (SNEF) and the National Plan for Financial Education (PNEF).



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





FLASH : Japan Scholarships, extended filing date

Japanese Government Scholarships for the 2023 academic year (at master's and doctoral level, i.e. 2nd cycle) Read : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33703-haiti-education-japan-scholarship-call-for-applications.html The period for submitting applications is extended and the deadline is June 17, 2022.



9-year-old hostage released

Thursday, June 2nd in the evening Laura Ericka J. Flores (9 years old), a 3rd year fundamental student at Marie Anne College, who had been kidnapped on May 21, was released agaisnt ransom by her captors. His mother Gina Jacques confirmed the news and thanked members of the population who contributed to the payment of the ransom.



May : 5,393 Haitians repatriated (air - sea)

In May 2022, the International Organization for Migration (IOM - Haiti) provided reception and post-arrival assistance to 5,393 migrant adults and children repatriated to Haiti by air and sea to Port-au-Prince and Cap- Haitian from the United States of Cuba the Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos Islands.



In Haiti, Identification under penalty of a fine

Haitians are now obliged to identify themselves at the request of a police officer under the 2005 law which makes identification mandatory Citizens who cannot provide proof of their identity (CIN, driver's license, passport, etc.) risk a fine of 500 gourdes.



40 women leaders trained in political participation

40 women leaders from the West and South-East Departments attended three days of training on women's political participation and modern techniques of strategic planning and implementation of electoral campaigns.



Depreciation of the Gourde

This Saturday, June 4, the BRH reference rate is 110.5811 gourdes for one US dollar. The average acquisition rate is 113.9555



HL/ HaitiLibre


















UVALDE  Police officers from across Texas are out in force in Uvalde, providing a conspicuous law enforcement presence at funerals for the 19 children and two teachers killed in the massacre at Robb Elementary School.

Out-of-town officers began to converge on the city after the May 24 shooting. Although they say theyre here to support Uvalde police, the exact nature of their role is unclear.

UVALDE STRONG: Heartbreaking photos show growing memorials taking over Uvalde

Police departments with a visible presence in Uvalde include Fort Worth, Lubbock, Del Rio, Allen, Conroe, Pearland, Grand Prairie, College Station and Bedford. Many of those departments do not appear to be operating here under any formal agreement with the city of Uvalde.

The outside officers have been especially visible at funerals for victims of the massacre. Reporters have been barred from attending the services and have been limited to designated viewing areas. Although the number of journalists in town has dwindled, interactions with police have become tense.

Officers have threatened to arrest journalists for walking on public streets near funerals. Police also have been seen mingling with motorcycle club members, who have interfered with journalists efforts to observe and photograph funerals by physically surrounding them and obstructing their view, even in designated media areas.

TRAGEDY IN UVALDE: Remembering the lives lost in Uvalde

Josie Norris, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer Josie Norris, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer Law enforcement officers from around the state talk outside during the funeral for Jacklyn Jalyen Cazares at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Uvalde. (Josie Norris, San Antonio Express-News) Law enforcement officers from around the state talk outside during the funeral for Jacklyn Jalyen Cazares at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Uvalde. (Josie Norris, San Antonio Express-News)

Outside Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery, where two of the slain children were interred on Friday, two police officers from Bedford, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, appeared to direct mourners away from two Hearst Newspapers reporters.

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 2 1 of 2 Josie Norris, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Josie Norris, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer Show More Show Less



The officers at one point urged mourners to walk faster so they could avoid the journalists, who were standing where police had directed them to wait.

Bedford police did not respond to a request for comment.

On Thursday, a uniformed Lubbock police officer watched as bikers from a group called Guardians of the Children surrounded a Hearst Newspapers reporter who was walking in a public street near a funeral. The confrontation was captured on a video posted to Twitter.

A spokesman for the Lubbock Police Department, Antonio Leal, said the officer was acting in his official capacity providing traffic direction for a funeral procession in Uvalde.

Our officers, including the one depicted in the video, are operating under the direction of the command center located in Uvalde and not in coordination with any other organizations, Leal said.

He added: The Lubbock Police Department believes strongly in the First Amendment protections provided to the media and citizen journalists alike to cover and share news from any incident, whether in our jurisdiction or not.

In Del Rio, Lt. Hubert Smith said his department has had a pair of two-officer teams in Uvalde since the shooting. The teams  a detective and a patrol officer  have been providing security and responding to calls for police assistance, among other assignments, he said.

On HoustonChronicle.com: A reconstruction of how the Uvalde massacre unfolded

Asked if controlling the media was part of their mission, Smith replied, I havent heard anything about the media, keeping the media away.

Told of the incident in which bikers surrounded the reporter, Smith said, That is something we will not tolerate.

Were trying to help out with what they need, but as far as my understanding, were not engaging as far as blacking out the press or anything like that. I hope not, Smith said.

Lt. Chris Daniels, a spokesman for the Fort Worth Police Department, said 12 of its officers volunteered to go to Uvalde, some 350 miles away, after the Texas Police Chiefs Association issued a statewide appeal for assistance for Uvalde.

Josie Norris, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer

The department has been rotating those officers in and out of Uvalde in groups of five to six. Fort Worth is paying their salaries and a per diem while theyre there.

The officers are working in Uvalde without a formal memorandum of understanding, Daniels said.

Our approach has been to ensure a supervisor is part of each team who is responsible for ensuring that any operation involving the FWPD is in compliance with our policy, he said. Among other duties, the officers provided support during President Joe Bidens visit to Uvalde on Sunday.

Daniels said that we have no agreement whatsoever with any biker group, nor have they been deputized.

It is not clear when the Fort Worth police officers will go back home. Daniels said the department is evaluating our position every few days. He added, Uvalde and the local agencies are encouraging all other agencies to stay as long as possible, since the funerals will be going on for some time.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Uvalde shooting leaves a father to grieve the loss of his 10-year-old child from inside a prison

Asked to describe the officers mission, Daniels said it was to provide public safety for the Uvalde community and security for the families of the victims for funeral services, as well as security for the local officials.

There is no directive to control the media, but only to ensure safety and privacy for the families as they grieve their losses, he said.

The Fort Worth officers and other visiting law enforcement personnel are staying at the Alto Frio Baptist Camp and Conference Center in Leakey, 40 miles north of Uvalde.

Alto Frio says it is hosting 150 to 200 Texas Rangers, county sheriffs deputies and other law enforcement officers. On its website, the center encourages donations to help cover the cost of caring for these officers and support staff.

Among the out-of-town officers are four from Lubbock, 375 miles away.

Leal, the police department spokesman, said the officers are expected to return home on Monday.

They receive assignments from a command center in Uvalde, but follow policies established by their department, Leal said. Lubbock is paying their salaries and a per diem. The city of Uvalde is footing the bill for food and lodging.

The Allen Police Department, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, said on its Facebook page May 27 that it was sending six officers and two dispatchers to Uvalde to assist in any way they can.

ARREDONDO: Why was the head of a six-person force for Uvalde CISD in charge of the mass shooting response?

Marked patrol vehicles from the College Station Police Department have been observed fulfilling a very specific role: standing sentry outside the home of Pedro Pete Arredondo, chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District.

College Station police Lt. Rodney Sigler said the department sent four officers and a supervisor to Uvalde for several days after authorities there asked for help due to the magnitude of the incident. He said they were given assignments by local authorities.

Arredondo was the on-scene incident commander during the mass shooting at Robb Elementary, and he has been widely condemned for holding back the assembled police officers for more than an hour while 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos, armed with an assault-style rifle, was holed up in a pair of adjoining classrooms filled with children and two teachers.

Josie Norris, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer

State officials say Arredondo decided that after Ramos fired an initial heavy fusillade, the crisis shifted from an active-shooter situation to a barricaded subject situation, that children were no longer in danger and that there was time to await the arrival of more officers with specialized equipment.

UVALDE RESPONSE: 5 things to know about embattled Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo

That was the wrong decision, period, Col. Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said at a news briefing last week. Theres no excuse for that. From what we know, we believe there should have been an entry as soon as you can.

Ultimately, a Border Patrol tactical unit stormed the classroom and killed Ramos.

Arredondo has made no public comment on his handling of the incident.

julian.gill@chron.com
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Principal dancer Connor Walsh is something of a Houston Ballet darling. Hes a favorite among the professional dance companys benefactors and appears often at high-level donor events, such as the Margaret Alkek William Jubilee of Dance, seated onstage for dinner between serious donors.

The world premiere of his choreography debut, A Joyous Trilogy, was intended for that very event. Jubilee of Dance previews snippets of exciting new work for one night only each fall before Houston Ballet goes into full Nutcracker mode.

This piece was commissioned for a gala that never happened, Walsh says.

In hindsight, hes probably relieved. The crush of Nutcracker season affords choreographers a single day of stage time before curtains up. Pandemic delays allowed Walsh to expand his programming. A Joyous Trilogy, a mixed-media repertoire, which also features artistic director Stanton Welchs Orange and The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra, in addition to Melody Mennites Floreciente, runs through June 12  thats six more performances than a Jubilee of Dance showcase.

The shift gave Walsh up to four days of stage preparation, too. Thats where a piece really grows into itself, he says. The first and last shows are going to be very different. It gives dancers time to connect with the orchestra and develop a bit more life.

Its almost accurate to say this is his first go in the choreographers chair. But hes choreographed before on a smaller scale, smaller stage and for smaller companies. And, his process involves very little sitting.

Walsh explains creating is completely unlike painting in a studio and then presenting a finished work. As a dancer, hes used to supporting a choreographer and following their lead. A Joyous Trilogy cast his view of ballet in a different light  14 of his peers, seven male and seven female, looked to him for instruction and direction.

The blank canvas is a very vulnerable process. Youre not reacting to something, youre starting something, he says. Thats the thrill and the magic of it.

Spoken like a true ballet it guy.

MOLLY GLENTZER: Houston Ballet's newest principal dancer  and at 21, its youngest ever  is not just a star. He's a meteor."

Walshs greatest challenges are the bookends: how to start and end the piece. So he began with the music, a crucial puzzle piece.

After an exhaustive search, including a Spotify binge, Walsh stumbled across composer Quinn Masons A Joyous Trilogy, through his work with River Oaks Chamber Orchestra. Dallas-based Mason, 25, will guest-conduct the June 5 performance.

During Thursday evenings world premiere of the piece, Masons music  which has been Walshs companion for the past few years  shone as the works 15th cast member. Mason intended A Joyous Trilogys three movements, Running, Reflection and Renewal to be happy, feel-good music. He succeeded.

Walsh was inspired revisit the sense of freedom that comes with being in ones element. Of weightless and flight. Of doing something youre good at with the people who make you feel your best.

One of those people is Walshs partner, Chae Eun Yang  a fellow Houston Ballet dancer and A Joyous Trilogy cast member who helped design the pieces costume concept. She and 13 others each wore a different monochromatic color leotard and tie-back skirt or mesh tank top, color-blocked down to socks and ballet shoes.

Onstage, they appeared as a swarm of birds against a pale blue sky.

Incredible partner work and lifts fluttered throughout the first movement. First soloist Ryo Kato and a solo trombone shared magical moments during the second movements delicate, introspective meditation, intercut by delightful pas de deux. Contagions filled the final movement, utilizing full breadth of the stage and all the orchestral sections.

A Joyous Trilogy is light and uplifting, a welcome breath of fresh air. There are small disconnects in places as the choreography finds its footing. As Walsh promises, the piece will only get better with time  though I wouldnt recommend waiting to experience it.

amber.elliott@chron.com
U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, hosted his annual military academy send-off breakfast on Saturday to celebrate the students from across the 8th Congressional District of Texas who will be attending a Military Service Academy or Prep School. The breakfast took place at The Black Walnut Cafe in The Woodlands and included local dignitaries and 18 students and their families. The 18 students will attend military service academies beginning in fall.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  State animal health officials have extended a ban poultry events indefinitely as a bird flu outbreak continues.

The Bismarck Tribune reported the State Board of Animal Health canceled all shows, public sales, swaps and exhibitions of poultry and other birds in March at the North Dakota Turkey Federations request to help slow the disease. The board on Thursday decided to continue the ban until further notice.

Private sales, catalog sales and retail sales are still permitted. The board will review risk factors at its Sept. 7 meeting.

Bird flu has infected 15 flocks in 10 North Dakota counties, including four commercial operations. About 167,000 birds have been destroyed, according to federal data.

Nationwide, the outbreak has resulted in the slaughter of about 37 million chickens and turkeys in 36 states. The outbreak is the worst since 2015, when 50 million chickens and turkeys were killed.
Houston Chronicle

An arrest was made Friday related to a Wednesday shooting at an apartment complex in north Houston, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.

In a social media post, the sheriff said deputies serving a warrant located and arrested Sherman Hayes, for his role in the shooting in the 2400 block of Bammelwood, southeast of Klein. In an earlier release, deputies said the shooting followed an incident where a man called police saying someone at his apartment was demanding money and was armed.
A woman is dead and a man critically injured Saturday morning after an apparent murder-suicide attempt in a northwest Harris County Walmart parking lot, according to authorities.

Deputies responded around 2:15 a.m. to reports of a shooting at the 13000 block of the Tomball Parkway and found the woman dead with a gunshot wound in the passenger seat of a vehicle along with a man with a single gunshot wound to the head in the driver's seat, HCSO said.

The man also had a gun in his hand when deputies responded to the shooting, HCSO investigators said. He was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and is not expected to survive.

The couple was dating, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

Family members of the woman were witnesses at the scene and told investigators the vehicle the couple was in was a family vehicle the man had taken without the owner's permission, according to HCSO Sgt. Dennis Wolfford. They were attempting to exchange it when the shooting occurred.

"It was not a car jacking," Wolfford said. "They were supposed to meet here to give the vehicle back to the owner and at that point when the owner arrived along with some other family members that's when shots were fired."

More on Crime: 4 Tomball students, grandfather killed by Texas inmate in ambush are identified by authorities

Investigators located video surveillance from the incident and are attempting to corroborate the witness statements with the footage, Wolfford added.

"Everybody that we see on video is here right now and we are trying to get to the bottom of exactly what occurred."

Investigators currently believe the man who shot himself was the only person to discharge a gun at the scene, according to Wolfford.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact HCSO at 713-274-9100 or CrimeStoppers at 713-222-8477.

No other information is available at this time.

Joel.Umanzor@chron.com
San Antonio police shot and killed a 13-year-old who they said purposely crashed into a police vehicle during a pursuit early Friday.

According to police, officers responding to reports of shots being fired in the 4900 block of War Horse Drive on the far Southwest Side just before 1:30 a.m. spotted a stolen vehicle that was reported to be involved in the shooting driving down the street.
Investigators are trying to understand why Uvaldes schools police chief was unaware of crucial 911 communications while in command of officers assembled at an elementary school where 18-year-old Salvador Ramos killed 19 children and 2 teachers.

A state senator said Thursday that as the tragedy unfolded, the police chief, Pedro Pete Arredondo, did not receive 911 dispatches that indicated children were still alive in the classroom at Robb Elementary School and were begging to be rescued.

Why Arredondo did not receive those communications  given that numerous officers from various agencies were at the scene, many of them with radios  is a key focus of a state investigation into the tragedy.

One state official told the Express-News he had been told Arredondo did not have his police radio with him. Other police sources cannot say for certain if he had one, but they said he did make phone calls to the Uvalde Police Department to get information and may have missed 911 calls from desperate students inside  something that would later prove costly.

Related: A reconstruction of how the Uvalde massacre unfolded

Another source close to the inquiry said investigators with the Texas Department of Public Safety were still trying to determine whether Arredondo had a radio or was near an officer who did.

To that end, investigators are trying to determine precisely where in the school Arredondo was  in the hallway outside classrooms 111 and 112, along with 19 officers from various police agencies, or elsewhere in the school.

Video from a hallway security camera could prove key to answering that question, but the quality is poor, and the FBI is trying to enhance it, sources said.
You know, its easy to go to politics, Sen. Ted Cruz said in response to a British Sky News correspondent who asked if this moment  just after the mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo  was the moment to reform gun laws.

Then Mark Stone, the correspondent, asked the question so many have wondered lately: But why does this only happen in your country?

Like a patient father, Cruz listened. He shook his head and furrowed his brow in parallel disbelief. For a second there, the veneer of his politicking seemed to crack and Ted  family man, human being  seemed to empathize.

Why is this American exceptionalism so awful? Stone finished. There it was: Stones clumsy phrasing gave Cruz an out. In a split second, the Texas senator with presidential ambitions returned to form. His gaze hardened, his sympathetic demeanor all but gone.

You know, Im sorry you think American exceptionalism is awful, he told Stone before quickly ending the interview with youve got your political agenda, and God love you.

Cruz may have evaded an answer, flipping Stone the Sunday school equivalent of the middle finger, but the underlying question remains a good one. And Stone isnt the only one asking it. Hours after the Uvalde shooting, President Biden tweeted, These kinds of mass shootings rarely happen anywhere else in the world. Why?

Gun violence is not uniquely American. El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia and Venezuela have significantly higher levels of gun violence compared to the U.S., largely due to gangs, drug trafficking and civil unrest. Mass shootings are also not uniquely American. Belgium, Finland, France and Germany have all experienced a mass shooting in the past few decades. But when you compare the United States to its developed peers, we stand out: in just one decade, our country has experienced 57 times as many shootings as Canada, Japan, Germany, Italy, France and the United Kingdom combined.

Whats left the whole world flummoxed is how often these attacks occur in the United States  and how little has been done to address the issue. Just since Uvalde, there have been at least 20 more mass shootings nationwide.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, speaking to Stanford students from his war-torn nation just days after the shooting, said: We are living in those terrible times when American people express their condolences because of the death of the Ukrainians at war and we express our condolences because of deaths in peace.

Ned Price, Bidens State Department spokesperson, worried last week that the shooting has implications for our standing on the world stage, potentially making the United States a source of confusion, a source of disbelief for our closest friends and allies  worse yet, an object of pity.

For many of our allies, the United States has already become a cautionary tale.

As a parent, Im going to have to go home to my kids, including my 8-year-old, and talk to them again about the inexplicable school shooting that we saw in the United States, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada said on the day of the tragedy.

When he announced a suite of aggressive gun control measures on Monday, steps that go far beyond anything being debated here, he had a simple, if chilling, explanation. We need only look south of the border to know that if we do not take action, firmly and rapidly, it gets worse and worse and more difficult to counter.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand was more sympathetic. After the devastating 2019 shooting in Christchurch, her nation coupled a national buyback program with a ban on most semiautomatic weapons. She kindly offered to pass along lessons learned to President Biden.

Perhaps theres even more to learn from Australia, a country that, like ours, has a culture of hunting and self-reliance, as well as a powerful gun lobby that for years held gun reformers at bay. That changed in 1996, when a shooter armed with two semiautomatic rifles killed 35 people in Port Arthur, Tasmania. Within weeks, state and federal officials inked an agreement that banned quick-firing rifles and pump-action shotguns, capped magazine capacity at 10 rounds, and required all firearms to be registered. Australias parliament quickly authorized a massive program that paid market value for  and then melted down  hundreds of thousands of newly prohibited firearms over the next year.

John Howard, the conservative prime minister who championed those measures at the time, said he did so because I do not want Australia to go down the American path. Indeed, our paths diverged significantly: though Australia still allows for the controlled purchase of guns, the countrys rate of gun homicide per 100,000 people is now 30 times smaller than that of the U.S. and the chances of dying by gunshot there fell by more than two-thirds between 1996 and 2019.

Australia isnt America. Despite its strong gun culture, and the power of its gun lobby, when reformers finally were ready to act they faced no equivalent of the Second Amendment. Gun legislation in America is always going to have to be more carefully tailored around the rights of gun owners than is necessary in nations not subject to our Bill of Rights.

But then, only in recent years has a kind of gun rights absolutism sprung up here, perverting the American debate over gun policy.

Rather than addressing any of that history, or confronting the correspondents question directly, Cruz walked away  and then stopped, turned around, and offered a last word. Why is it that people come from all over the world to America? he asked. Because its the freest, most prosperous, safest country on Earth. Stop being a propagandist.

Of course, America is not the safest country on Earth. To say it is, is to ignore the heartrending evidence of the 261 victims of mass shootings already this year. What Cruz doesnt seem to get is that it is exactly that belief in American exceptionalism  held by people at home and abroad alike  that has left the world shocked at our inaction.

What has truly made America exceptional is more than just our lofty founding principles. It has been our ability to course correct, to not let hopelessness stymie progress. When we fail to live up to those ideals, we appeal, as Lincoln once sought to do at the dawn of another era of division, to the better angels of our nature to remedy our flaws. We try, and try again.

Its within our power to break the uniquely American stalemate on legislative action to address mass shootings. It will mean setting aside Second Amendment absolutism. It will take bipartisan brokering and multi-pronged solutions. More than anything, it will take moral courage from our elected leaders.

That would be truly exceptional.
Jessica Phelps, Staff photographer / Jessica Phelps

For Thumbs, a trip through the past weeks news always seems to turn up just the right stew of the sublime and the silly, making sarcasm and sass the best tools to bring it all into focus with a grin. This week, amid all the heartbreak still flowing from Uvalde, we are thinking about them and the ongoing gun violence. To all the survivors of mass shootings in Texas and everywhere, we offer our condolences. Amid all the grief we found hope in these heroes, and heroism wears many guises. No list would be exhaustive, but to them we offer our double thumbs up.  The Editorial Board

To the parents on the scene. While children pleaded for police to come rescue them inside, parents confronted police outside. If not for the parents and community members who recorded and begged the array of law enforcement to do something  anything  we might not be learning the truth about the delayed response from law enforcement. Their pleas can be heard in the background of videos taken at the scene, like a Greek chorus giving voice to a collective, angry grief. Women pleaded: Go in there! Go in there! As we watched these videos, we felt as if the screams were coming from our own mouths. Javier Cazares rushed to the school, only to find police waiting outside. He suggested going in. We were ready to go to work and rush in, he told the AP. Now these same parents and neighbors, including Cazares, whose 9-year-old daughter Jacklyn was killed, are the ones who must pick up the pieces of this tragedy.
U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw physically applauded calls by a former top Trump administration official Thursday night to impeach President Joe Biden if Republicans regain the majority in November and was even more committed to impeaching Bidens Homeland Security secretary.

The Houston Republican said at a meeting in Montgomery County that Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has deliberately violated the law by not enforcing immigration laws, resulting in a historic surge in border crossings.

I think you can make the same argument for impeaching Biden, Crenshaw said in an interview.

But Crenshaw was quick to add that politically its probably not a good idea because Vice President Kamala Harris would then become president.

While fringes of the Republican Party have been calling for Bidens impeachment since his first day in office, Crenshaws comments show that there is growing acceptance of the idea with other Republicans, even if political hurdles remain.

BACKGROUND: Rep. Dan Crenshaws fundraising powerhouse could be gateway to more power in Washington

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., three times has filed legislation to impeach Biden, including on the day after he took office. In September, Rep. Randy Weber, R-Friendswood, filed his own impeachment legislation, and later he and Rep. Brian Babin, R-Woodville, signed onto another bill to impeach Biden.

With Democrats in control of the U.S. House, none of those bills will see the light of day. But if Republicans regain the majority in November, it could open the door to more impeachment bill filings and hearings.

The Biden administration has said it inherited a broken immigration system from the Trump era and that it is expanding border resources to handle asylum-seekers.

In April, during an interview on Fox News Sunday, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy of California didnt sound like he was itching to call for impeachment but blamed Democrats for setting the stage.

Look, the one thing we learned that the Democrats did, is they used impeachment for political reason, McCarthy said. We believe in the rule of law. Were not going to pick and choose just because somebody has power.

Polling shows why Republicans might be talking about it more. Nearly 70 percent of Republican voters in a University of Massachusetts Amherst poll released last month said the House should impeach Biden if Republicans regain the majority in the November midterm elections.

Crenshaws comments about impeaching Mayorkas came during a nearly two-hour meeting on border security issues he organized in New Caney that included Tom Homan, the former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under former President Donald Trump, who wholeheartedly called for impeaching Biden.

We had the most secure border ever in my career and this president  President Biden  unsecured it on purpose, which I think are grounds for impeachment from day one, Homan said as Crenshaw and a crowd of more than 150 people clapped.

Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

Homan, who has worked in border enforcement since the 1980s, and other speakers blasted the Biden administration for ending construction of the border wall, for stopping the Remain in Mexico policy that had asylum-seekers camped in Mexico while their status was being considered, and for trying to lift Title 42, the pandemic-based health policy that has blocked asylum-seekers from coming into the United States.

Crenshaw said that since Biden took office his border policies have resulted in the Border Patrol having more than 2.7 million encounters with people crossing  a dramatic increase from Trumps four years in office.

At a fiery hearing before Congress in April, Mayorkas defended the Biden administration by saying it was handed a broken and dismantled system that is already under strain.

Mayorkas said that to deal with the surge of migrants, officials were speeding up the processing of new arrivals and evaluating asylum requests more quickly. In addition, he said, they are increasing personnel on the border.

Crenshaw is seeking a third term representing the 2nd Congressional District in November. The newly redrawn district runs from Spring to Humble and stretches into Montgomery County to pick up areas such as The Woodlands and New Caney that had previously been represented by retiring Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands. Democrat Robin Fulford, of The Woodlands, is Crenshaws opponent in November.

jeremy.wallace@chron.com
WASHINGTON  With every vote counted in a fiercely contested South Texas Democratic primary runoff, longtime congressman Henry Cuellar was 281 votes ahead of progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros.

Cuellar declared victory last week, after coming in 177 votes ahead of Cisneros on Election Day. The remaining uncounted ballots expanded his lead by another 104 votes, final results from each county in the district showed.

As I said on election night, the margin will hold  and it has not only held but grown, Cuellar said in a statement.

Cuellar called for those who voted against him in the runoff to back him in the general election, when Republicans hope Cassy Garcia, a former staffer for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, will flip the long blue district.

While we may differ on certain positions, we share a common ground on many issues to improve our communities and strengthen families, Cuellar said.

Background: Rep. Henry Cuellar declares victory against Jessica Cisneros, who doesnt concede

Billy Calzada, Staff / Staff photographer Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer On the left: Henry Cuellar and House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn look at their gifted Spurs jerseys during a campaign rally in San Antonio. (Billy Calzada) Right: Congressman Bernie Sanders Jessica Cisneros hug after a voting rally in San Antonio. (Kin Man Hui) On the left: Henry Cuellar and House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn look at their gifted Spurs jerseys during a campaign rally in San Antonio. (Billy Calzada) Right: Congressman Bernie Sanders Jessica Cisneros hug after a voting rally in San Antonio. (Kin Man Hui)

The final tally is still well within the bounds of a possible recount, however. Texas law allows candidates to request one if the vote difference is less than 10 percent of the leading candidates vote total; Cuellar finished with 22,895 votes.

Cisernoss campaign, which did not immediately comment on the final tally, spent the last week raising money for a recount fund and telling supporters that a recount is looking more and more likely.

The third bout between the 17-year incumbent and the 29-year-old immigration attorney  both from Laredo  drew national attention and millions of dollars as it emerged as a key proxy battle between House Democratic leadership and the progressive wing of the party.

Over the course of the last two elections, radical special interest groups spent over $10 million dollars in an attempt to push their out-of-touch, New York values on Texans, Cuellar said. But you, the voters, stopped them. I am an American, Texan, then a Democrat  in that order  and I will continue to fight for Texas values and not let coastal elites bring their failed agenda to our communities.

ben.wermund@chron.com
WFO SPOKANE Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, June 3, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Spokane has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Northwestern Nez Perce County in north central Idaho...

Southeastern Whitman County in eastern Washington...

Northeastern Asotin County in southeastern Washington...

* Until 300 PM PDT.

* At 213 PM PDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Clarkston

Heights-Vineland, or near Clarkston, moving east at 15 mph.

HAZARD...Quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Damage to vehicles is expected.

* Locations impacted include...

Lewiston, Clarkston, Clarkston Heights-Vineland, West

Clarkston-Highland, Asotin, Clarkston Heights and Jerry.

People attending NAIA World Series should seek safe shelter

immediately!

This includes the following highways...

U.S. Highway 95 in Idaho between mile markers 305 and 325, and

between mile markers 327 and 328.

U.S. Highway 12 in Idaho between mile markers 0 and 3.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

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.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
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Hoosac Valley Valedictorian Tells Graduates to Live With Mistakes



The class of 2022 marches into the gym on Friday. See more photos here.

CHESHIRE, Mass.  Hoosac Valley High School valedictorian Brodie Lanoue asked his fellow graduates to live with the mistakes they make in life as they move on to their next chapter.



"The point I'm trying to make is that we all make mistakes, but no matter how big or small the mistake was, or no matter if it was athletic, academic or life related, I always persevered and tried to learn from it," he said. "No one is perfect, and mistakes are the best teachers."



The school awarded diplomas to 78 seniors during graduation ceremonies at the school on Friday. During his remarks, Lanoue shared several experiences of past failures, including scoring an own-goal in soccer and getting into a minor car accident while ordering fast food.



"When someone hears valedictorian, they probably think of an overachiever, a perfectionist or a nerd," he said. "While some of that is probably true, I think it is important to admit that I made plenty of mistakes along the way."



Lanoue thanked his fellow graduates for the year's worth of memories they shared. He said he could not be more thankful to grow up with them.



"Adversity can make you stronger, if you let it," he said. "And I hope that the hardships we endured only prepare us to better face the new challenges presented to us in the future, whether you come out of this graduation as an athlete, a scholar, an artist, musician, or perhaps all of these things, or none of these things."



Salutatorian Lillian Boudreau said her graduating class has had little time to celebrate over the last few years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. She said the times of celebration are what stands out most when thinking about her time as a student.



"As a three-sport athlete, I had the opportunity to compete in many games and races. Some of them wins, some of them losses ... The things that I remember are not the scores of the game or the times of races, but the people who were cheering me on," she said.


The school has not held a graduation ceremony at Tanglewood since the COVID-19 pandemic first began.

Mount Everett Grads Reminded to 'Stay Gold'

LENOX, Mass.  Mount Everett Valedictorian Nadia Makuc instructed her classmates to be a person that their younger selves would be proud of at the high school's commencement.

"As we grow to be productive members of our communities, let us stay young in spirit. Stay fun, stay humble, stay silly. We have the rest of our lives for the world to challenge us, but in the meantime drink the Dr. Pepper, sign your name with a smiley face, wear the Pokemon converse  don't be afraid to keep piglet in your backpack," she said during the sunny morning ceremony at Tanglewood Saturday.

"Make your inner first-grade self happy. More importantly, make your inner first-grade self proud. The you from twelve years ago are proud that you are up here on this stage. Make sure that everything you do, everything you say they would also be proud of," she said.

Makuc's address to the 46 graduates under the Koussevitzky Music Shed was to the tune of the coming of age novel "The Outsiders" by S. E. Hinton. She said that the phrase "stay gold" greeted Mount Everett students every morning for the past few months and will continue to for years to come.

"Be the one who starts the conversation, pick up the litter, don't be afraid to say what you believe. Stay open-minded, stay vulnerable, stay curious," she said. "Above all, stay honest. If you stay in constant pursuit of the truth, then you will always remain gold."

Principal Jesse Carpenter said it was great to be back, as this marked the school's return to the venue since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Carpenter spoke of things that he said did not fully understand or have logical answers for, including social media app Tik Tok, COVID-19, and the "constant senseless violence" all around the country. Recent mass shootings in Chicago, Ill, Buffalo, NY, and Uvalde, Texas were referenced.

He said that one thing that still does make sense is the recipe for success: keep chopping wood.

"Sometimes life is hard, and we feel like giving up but you keep chopping wood and the tree will eventually fall," Carpenter said to the graduates. "As you move forward to the next stage of your life, whether it be going to college, joining the workforce, or joining the military, don't let obstacles stop you. Have the grit and perseverance necessary to overcome all the adversity in your life. If the last three years has shown us anything it's that we are stronger than we could ever think we could be. He chopping wood and the tree will fall."

When School Committee Chair Jane Burke read the names of the two highest-ranking students, who are cousins, she acknowledged that many Makuc's have been congratulated in her tenure.

"Having been with the district since 1983, there are a lot of Makuc's who have graduated," she said. "And you wonder about what's going on and the culture of their family that is making this possible."

Salutatorian Grace Makuc read an old parable that was popular in science teacher Mr. Antil's eighth-grade classroom. It taught students not to be quick to judge a situation and to be there for other peers.

"Four years of high school isn't an easy accomplishment, but with support from our community it has been made possible, nonetheless," she said.

Some awards were given out and the Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators Association student achievement award for making a positive difference in the school community was given to Rochele Worth.

The principal's Leadership Award was given to Valedictorian Nadia Makuc. This award is presented to a senior who has demonstrated the ability to provide academic excellence and leadership in school and community activities. She also received the Superintendent's Certificate for Academic Excellence given to a senior who has distinguished themself in pursuit of excellence during their high school career.

The "Star-Spangled Banner" was sung by Ariyana Jackson and the Mount Everett Wind Ensemble played a rendition of "The Hobbits" by Johan de Meij, arr. Paul Lavender.

Also during the ceremony, graduate Ashton Aloisi was recognized for his upcoming career with the United States Marines.

Mount Everett High School Class of 2022:

Ashton John Aloisi

Alexandria Elizabeth Anderson

Alexis Keirstyn Atwood

Blake Andrew Bachetti

Armando Bautista-Cruz

Conner Matthew Boardman.

Mariah Claire Broderick

Riley Jade Davis-Gagnon

Hunter Kurtis DeGrenier.

Elaina Lee Donsbough

Brianna Rae Dunn

Tyler William Duquette

Anthony Thomas Emerling

Madeline Grace Fife

Justin Douglas Clark Foster

Jazmine Marie French

Victoria Marie Gilmore

Stacey Lynn Hallock

Jason Richard Hamm Jr.

Ariyana Vicktorya Jackson

Marina Elizabeth Karampasis

Micah G.Ketchen

Alexia Jade La Vala

Grace Anne Clare Makuc

Nadia Denise Tomasso Makuc

Vaughn Sparhawk Marchione

Kaila Ashlee Martel

Travis James McLoughlin

Elizabeth Anne McMeekin

Benjamin Monteleone

Reece Thomas Mullen

Catherine Marie Nagy

Isaiah Quinn Neski

Hudah Ngoy Nkulu

Mikel Jeffrey Nourse

Anthony Cole Rahilly

Logan James Reynolds

Kota Andrew Rinaldi

Benjamin Thomas Shannon

Benjamin Thomas Shannon

Emma Lucy Stewart

Colin Gregory Thorp

Alexandria Grace Tomascak

Justin Thomas Wald

Wil Worth

Rochele Mae Worth
Zambia commissions China-aided milling plants

Xinhua) 10:57, June 04, 2022

Photo taken on June 2, 2022 shows the milling plant funded by China in Lusaka, Zambia. Zambia on Friday officially commissioned three state-of-the-art milling plants funded by China. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuliang)

Lusaka, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Zambia on Friday officially commissioned three state-of-the-art milling plants funded by China.

The three industrial milling plants, with a combined capacity to produce 520 tons of mealie meals per day, are expected to enhance food security and reduce the price of mealie meals used in preparing the country's staple food.

The commissioning ceremony was attended by Du Xiaohui, the Chinese Ambassador to Zambia and Ambrose Lufuma, Zambia's Defense Minister.

In his remarks, the Chinese envoy said the commissioning of the project was yet another milestone in enhancing the cordial bilateral relations between the two countries.

He said the project will go a long way in enhancing food security and stabilizing the price of mealie meals in the country.

According to him, China has always shown keen interest in supporting Zambia's agriculture development and food security in various forms.

He cited the China-supported Demonstration Center which has supported the cultivation of high-yielding crops as well as provided technical training to about 5,000 people in recent years.

China was open to other proposals aimed at tapping the potential of agriculture cooperation with Zambia, he said.

On his part, the Zambian minister expressed gratitude to China for the support, saying it will go a long way in not only boosting agricultural production but reducing the price of mealie meals.

Lufuma said Zambia will forever be grateful to China for the support rendered over the years, adding that China has been a reliable partner and has been ready to step in and support when called upon.

According to him, the project has not only provided jobs during the construction stage but about 300 additional jobs have been created by the project while local people will be imparted with technical skills on how to run the milling plans.

The milling plant project is under the Presidential Milling Plants Initiative. Previously, over 1,000 solar-powered milling plants have been installed in various parts of the southern African nation since 2015.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
That, of course, generated lots of opinions from people who either a) think requiring people to come back to the office is bad, or b) generally just think Elon Musk is not a good guy. I suppose there are plenty of data points to support either of those conclusions, but that's not what this is really about. What this is really about is how you lead people, which is relevant to every entrepreneur.

Musk didn't directly confirm the email was authentic, but he did weigh in. "They should pretend to work somewhere else," Musk tweeted when asked what he would say to people who push back on the idea that everyone should be in the office.

There is another theory, which goes that Musk sent that email to encourage people to resign ahead of a round of layoffs. That's supported by another email he sent suggesting Tesla needs to cut 10 percent of its salaried workforce, not including "anyone actually building cars, battery packs, or installing solar."

It's a lot to sort through. There is, however, an important lesson in the middle of it all. In a follow-up email to the entire company, Musk doubled down on his come-back-to-the-office-or-else strategy.

The more senior you are, the more visible must be your presence. That is why I lived in the factory so much--so that those on the line could see me working alongside them. If I had not done that Tesla would have gone bankrupt.

Musk is referring to the Model 3 launch, which he has publicly said almost bankrupted the company. During a time he has previously referred to as "production and logistics hell," Musk slept on the floor of Tesla's Fremont, California factory.

I don't know that sleeping on a factory floor is necessarily the key to success, but I do think Musk has a point. Basically, that point is this: the greater your scope of influence, the greater your scope of accountability.

Listen, you can disagree with Musk's style. You can argue that his view on returning to work is short-sided and doesn't take into consideration the fact that people have been---in many cases--more productive than ever over the past two years. You can even argue that laying off some 10,000 employees while throwing away $40 billion to buy Twitter is--at best--a bad look.

What seems very clear to me, however, is that Musk sees Tesla as having become top-heavy and inefficient. Note that his email about layoffs exempts employees who work on the line. Musk is challenging his leadership to step it up and is actively trying to weed out anyone not up to the task.

Musk's feelings on the subject seem to come from his feeling that everyone should be working as hard as he is. We'll set aside for a minute that Musk's purported work ethic is neither healthy nor sustainable. Obviously, every leader wants to have people on the team who work hard--especially if they are leading others.

You see, leadership is all about influence. Influence, it turns out, is about relationships. Most leaders think of influence as something you are entitled to because of a title or a role. That's only true to the extent that your role creates a relationship between you and your team. Beyond that, your ability to influence people to do hard things is all about whether they see you as willing to do the same.

Everyone can relate to the feeling of having a boss that seemingly sits around in an office while his or her employees do the real work. Nothing about that inspires people to do their best work. It just creates resentment and animosity. Eventually, you start to lose people.
Bollywood's most eligible bachelor Kartik Aaryan recently disappointed his female fans by announcing that he isn't ready to get married or be in a committed relationship.

Now what seems to be more disappointing is the fact that the actor has tested positive for Covid-19. Well, Kartik Aaryan, who is currently basking in the success of his latest Hindi film Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, has given his health update on social media in rather a hilarious way.

Instagram

The Pyaar Ka Punchnama actor took to his official Instagram account to share a picture of himself along with a quirky text that read, "Sab kuch itna Positive chal raha tha, Covid se raha Nahi Gaya," and added a laughing emoji at the end of the message.





Fans Wish Kartik Aaryan Speedy Recovery from Covid-19

Soon after, fans of the Lukka Chuppi actor flocked to the comment section of his post to wish him a speedy recovery. "Worked so hard for your movie and it really succeeded now take some rest, spend time with katori  and get well asap," a fan wrote. Another said, "Get well soon my boyyyyy @TheAaryanKartik....sending u lots of love and positivity. U will be fine very soon,"

Instagram/KartikAaryan

While a third user tweeted, "Dont worry Rooh Baba ..ulb fine .you really need rest after the hectic promotional schedule." A fourth user said, "Rooh baba get well soon @TheAaryanKartik."

Take Care of yourself & Get well Soon Koki! Jaldi se iss covid positive se covid negative ho jao!  Take some rest (do not scroll the Instagram whole day jk lol) <33 @TheAaryanKartik#kartikaaryan https://t.co/67sw44UzVl  Tish loves Koki  (@justkartikaaryn) June 4, 2022

Kartik Aaryan Wishes To Feature In A Marvel Film?

Recently, the Pati Patni Aur Woh actor opened up about wanting to feature in a Marvel movie. He said that he had recently watched Marvel's Dr Strange and it made him want to feature in a Hollywood movie. Speaking to a leading magazine, 31-year-old Kartik Aaryan said, "Recently, I saw Dr. Strange in the theatre, and I was like, I want to be part of a Marvel universe. They really know how to create magic."

Actor Shares He Was Nervous To Perform on Vidya Balan's Popular 'Aami Je Tomar'

In a recent tweet, the actor also mentioned that he was terribly nervous to perform the iconic Bhool Bhulaiyaa song Aami Je Tomar of Vidya Balan. "This has my heart !! Was terribly nervous to perform on the Epic #AmijeTomar Hope i was able to live up @vidya_balan Mam  #BhoolBhulaiyaa2  #Repost," the actor shared on Twitter.



This has my heart !!

Was terribly nervous to perform on the Epic #AmijeTomar

Hope i was able to live up @vidya_balan Mam #BhoolBhulaiyaa2 #Repost pic.twitter.com/4TUhGcFwx9  Kartik Aaryan (@TheAaryanKartik) June 3, 2022

(For more news and updates from the world of celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment, and let us know your thoughts on this story in the comments below.)
The celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee have begun. Event plans for the official functions, which will take place from June 2 to 6, have been unveiled, and unofficial steps of commemorating the occasion have begun to appear across the place, including a Queen Barbie doll, tea cups, tea towels, t-shirts, and even martinis inspired by the occasion.

It's becoming increasingly important to not miss out on the buzz, but many people may be curious to know what a Queen's jubilee is and its significance this year.

What is Queen Elizabeths Platinum Jubilee?

AFP

When the Queen turns 70 years old on February 6, 2022, she will be the first British monarch to ever reach a Platinum Anniversary. She had already surpassed Queen Victoria, who had ruled for 63 years and 216 days, as the longest-reigning member of the British royal family in September 2015.

The Queen will almost certainly be the last and thus only British Queen to reach a Platinum Jubilee, which makes the occasion all the more significant.

A long reign necessitates not just having to live a long life, but also ascending to the throne young. She had become Queen at the age of twenty - five when her father passed away at the age of 56. With potential monarchs seemingly set up to take over when they are older, it's difficult to imagine any king or queen surviving another 70 years.

What is happening on the Platinum Jubilee?

AFP

The festivities begin with a pride march of hundreds of soldiers down London's Mall, followed by an inspection at Horse Guards March. A 70-plane RAF airshow includes the Red Arrows show crew and the RAF Fight of British Memorial Flight, which involves Spitfires, Hurricanes, as well as other legendary aircraft.

Vast numbers of flaming beacons will then be illuminated all around the globe in the evening, beginning in Tonga and Samoa in the South Pacific and concluding in Belize in the Caribbean. There'll be receptions at the Great hall in the City of London, a camera lineup of the 40 riders who've already ridden for the Queen at the Epsom Derby, and large numbers of "Jubilee Lunches" across the state.

How's it going to be different?

Due to the Queen's health, this could differ from previous celebrations. The Queen has previously celebrated 4 jubilees. Her Silver Jubilee Anniversary in 1977 defined 25 years of the crown; her Golden Jubilee celebration in 2002 signified 50 years; the Diamond Jubilee in 2012 as her 60 years on the throne; of her most latest jubilee, the Sapphire Jubilee in 2017, defined 65 years.

Getty

As is customary, the monarch spends the commemoration day confidentially at her Sandringham estate prior to celebrating publicly at a later date. She has previously celebrated with royal trips throughout the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, and also occasions at Buckingham Palace.

However, because of the Queen's wellness, this year's activities might vary from previous jubilee celebrations. An official spokesman for the palace told Hello! magazine that she will enter the service at St. Paul's Cathedral through a different entrance than that on occasions in the past in order to prevent a steep set of stairs.

Buckingham Palace announced that the 96-year-old Queen has decided to skip the State Opening of Parliament due to "episodic mobility issues" after her doctor's advice. The Monarch has been photographed with a walking stick in recent days, and she was found coronavirus positive in February.

In an online interaction, the Queen spoke to individuals in the month of April, who previously contracted the disease. While she did not elaborate on her individual experience, she did state that it can leave "one very tired and exhausted."

Official Jubilee events:

A proper long lunch will be the principal activity in villages and cities across the UK. Local governments have received 85,000 requests to organise Big Jubilee Lunches, most of which will take place on confined streets. All of this will take place on a large table outside Windsor Castle on the historic 3-mile Long Stroll. There will also be a lot of knitting, mixed drinks, and desserts.

The Holmes Chapel Yard Bombers Team in Cheshire created a huge woolen model of the Monarch and her corgis. Stonehenge displayed 8 photographs of the Queen onto the throne throughout her existence.

The Bromsgrove High Street Platinum Jubilee council opted to build a huge model of the Queen out of balloons, with their party showcasing red, white, and blue sweets floss, royal sausage rolls (super high seasoning content), and punk rock as a music track.

Who else has marked a silver jubilee?

A few British royals, such as the Queen's grandfather King George V, have celebrated Silver Jubilees by attaining 25 years on the throne. Just 6 British monarchs have achieved Diamond Jubilee celebrations of fifty years on the throne.

When she reached the milestone in 2002, at 76 years, Buckingham Palace noted that she was the longest surviving head of state to do so; the youngest was Scottish ruler James VI, who was of the age 51 years old when he celebrated 50 years on the throne since he was only one when he became king.

Queen Victoria, King George IIIm, who ruled for over 59 years, Henry III of England, who reigned for more than 56 years, and Edward III of England, who ruled for 50 years, were other 4 to attain Golden Jubilees.

Longest reigning monarch in the world

Getty

Queen Elizabeth II is the planet's longest ruling monarch, a position she took over when Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej died in 2016, after ruling for over 70 years. She is not, however, the world's longest-ruling monarch. Who holds that position is determined by how the milestone is estimated.

King Louis XIV of France, also referred as the Sun King, is widely regarded as the world's longest-ruling King, having ascended to the throne just at age of 4 and ruling for over 72 years between 1643 and 1715. However, a few rulers have ruled for longer periods of time in states which were not always internationally identified as fully sovereign countries.

From 1899 to 1982, King Sobhuza II from Eswatini (then Swaziland) ruled for over 82 years. His state was a British principality until 1968, when it obtained autonomy.

For more on explainers, news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.


The term pink money is used to refer to the purchasing power of the gay and lesbian community. Pink money has evolved from a fringe or marginalised market to a successful economy in many parts of the Western world, including the United States and the United Kingdom, given the rise of the homosexual rights movement.

The "pink" refers to the pink triangle, which has become a symbol of the LGBT rights movement after being used as a badge to identify gays in Nazi death camps. When the homosexual rights movement grew in strength, it opted to reclaim the symbol as a well-known icon.

unsplash

Many enterprises, including nightclubs, stores, restaurants, and even taxicabs, now cater particularly to LGBT clients; the demand for these services originates from widespread discrimination by traditional businesses.

Pink Money in India

According to a report published by Newsd, when India continued to exclude the LGBTQIA+ minority, it may have been squandering more than $26 billion every year. As per the calculations by Lee Badgett, an economics professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst who studied the issue for the World Bank, India has lost as much as 1.4 percent of its national output as a result of the discriminatory rule.

However, now that homosexuality has been decriminalised by the Supreme Court in 2018, with rainbow flags soaring, Indian markets have been looking to make benefits from the LGBT community's tremendous purchasing power.

Many multinational corporations in India and worldwide have already recognised the link between LGBT employees' inclusion and better economic performance, and have taken initiatives to eliminate discrimination in employee perks in order to keep a competitive workforce.

Pink money in other countries

AFP/representational image

The expression "pink pound" was popularised by the Guardian in 1984 to describe the LGBT community's purchasing power in the UK. The purchasing power of the LGBT population in the UK (or the pink pound) is currently estimated to be 6 billion each year.

The Pink Pound has been associated with increased incidence for strong sales of things seen to be popular with a big number of gay people, most notably music sales of recordings by homosexual icons such as Madonna, Lady Gaga, Kylie Minogue, and Cher.

A number of prominent firms have recently recognised the potential of the Pink Pound and have began advertising their products directly to the homosexual community in gay publications. The Pink Pound Conference, a specialised marketing conference, was held in London in June 2006, and the Market Research Society sponsored a similar conference in November 2006.

Agencies

Talking about the US, the pink economy has also been booming there for a long time. The pink dollar, often known as the "Dorothy dollar" in the United States, was estimated to be worth $790 billion in 2012 according to US LGBT market estimates.

Some US firms have attempted to target these sectors with specific advertising campaigns; for example, after forming a team dedicated to gay and lesbian marketing, American Airlines saw its earnings from LGBT community jump from $20 million in 1994 to $193.5 million in 1999.

Pink money and Politics

AFP

Pink money, in addition to being economically strong, has the potential to be politically powerful in Western countries, with pink money donations significantly affecting the outcome of political campaigns. Many businesses and politicians are aware of the power of pink money as a result of the active gay rights movement, and some go out of their way to cater to this desirable demographic, as some gay and lesbian couples have significant disposable cash.

Pink money has been considered as contentious in politics, owing to pressure from conservative groups advocating traditional values. For example, during the 1988 US presidential election, Presidential Candidate Michael Dukakis explicitly disassociated himself from pink money.

Pink money, on the other hand, has recently gained political acceptance, particularly as a key source of liberal support for the Democratic Party, providing $5 million to the DNC alone in 2000. Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John Edwards, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean, John Kerry, and Joe Biden are few of the major contenders who have actively campaigned for the homosexual vote.

For more on explainers, news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.


A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader has expressed her displeasure at Gujarat's woman's decision to marry herself.

Sunita Shukla, former deputy mayor of Vadodara, has expressed objection to the announcement of 24-year-old Kshama Bindu that she will marry herself at Harihareshwar temple in Vadodara in an act of sologamy.

Sunita said that such marriages are against Hinduism and will reduce the population of Hindus.

"Won't be allowed to marry in any temple"

"I am against the choice of the venue. She will not be allowed to marry herself in any temple," the BJP leader said.

Sunita's remarks come after Congress leader Milind Deora termed this news of a woman wanting to marry herself as "wokeness" bordering on insanity.

I have said it before  wokeness borders on insanity.



Lets hope it stays far, far away from India. https://t.co/7zqleDXbwQ  Milind Deora |    (@milinddeora) June 2, 2022

"Let's hope it stays far, far away from India," Deora tweeted receiving severe backlash from social media users.

Kshama Bindu, a young private firm employee, is all set to tie the knot to herself in what is called "sologamy", or self-marriage.

Pheras, indoor, and a honeymoon in Goa are part of Kshama's plan for her wedding, which will be held according to Hindu customs and rituals.

Calling Kshama mentally ill, the BJP leader said that nowhere in Hindu culture it is written that a boy can marry a boy and a girl can marry a girl.

A priest booked to solemnise marriage

Meanwhile, Bindu, who identifies as bisexual, has claimed that her marriage will be the first instance of sologamy in India. When she told her parents about her decision to marry herself, they were astonished at first but agreed later.

BCCL

Both her parents are engineers. Her father is in South Africa and her mother stays in Ahmedabad.

Kshama has already booked a priest to solemnise her marriage.

However, legal experts have said that sologamy does not have any legal backing in India.

As per Indian laws, you cannot marry yourself. There have to be two persons in a marriage. Sologamy is not legal, senior High Court advocate Krishnakant Vakharia told PTI.

For more on explainers, news, sports, and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
IIT-Delhi (Indian Institute of Technology) student Kalash Gupta has won Season 10 of TCS CodeVita, the global coding competition. Gupta, a third-year computer science and engineering student from IIT-D, was one of the participants among 100,000 contestants from 87 countries, said a press release issued by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).



IIT Delhi website

Kalash Gupta had also secured the 3rd rank nationwide in the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for admission to the IITs in 2018. He topped the entire Delhi zone.

YouTube

CodeVita, a coveted coding contest, also holds the Guinness World Records title as the worlds largest computer programming competition.

All four winners of the CodeVita contest will get an internship opportunity with TCS' Research and Innovation organization. The names of 21 Indian students from different universities are featured in the list of the world's top coders.

Apart from Kalash, the contestants who secured the second and third positions were from Chile and Taiwan, respectively. After winning the contest, Gupta was felicitated by IIT Delhi director Rangan Banerjee.

After his glorious win, Gupta said,

Unsplash

"When I started with the contest, I never thought I would even be in the top 3, but this is a very humbling experience Im very excited about the prize money ($10,000). Initially, I was not confident, as it took longer than I expected to solve the first problem. But as I progressed, solving some of the other problems, I gained more confidence over my final standing, and I was confident that I would be in the top 3. "



What is CodeVita?

Kalash Gupta

CodeVita has been designed to promote programming as a sport. It aims to encourage participants from all over the world to pit their skills against each other. They all face real-life challenges.

(For more trending stories, follow us on Telegram.)


A woman from Lucknow is refusing to leave a restricted area of Nabhidhang close to the Indo-China border for a bizarre reason. Identified as Harminder Kaur, the woman says she is an incarnation of Goddess Parvati and will only marry Lord Shiva, who lives on Mount Kailash.

According to a PTI report, a police team, which had gone to remove Harminder Kaur from the restricted area had to come back disappointed.

Flickr

The woman threatened to commit suicide if they insisted on taking her away, Pithoragarh SP Lokendra Singh said.



Singh confirms that police have now decided to send a bigger team to bring her down forcibly to Dharchula.

The SP said the woman, a resident of Aliganj locality in Uttar Pradesh, had gone to Gunji with her mother on 15 days' permission issued by SDM Dharchula but refused to leave the restricted area even after her permission expired on May 25.

Representational Image Unsplash

The police officer said a three-member police team comprising two sub-inspectors and an inspector was sent from Dharchula to bring the woman from the restricted area, but they could not get her back.



unsplash

"We have now planned to send a bigger 12-member police team, including medical personnel, to bring back the woman on Friday," he said.



The report states that the woman could be 'mentally unstable' as she claims she is an incarnation of Goddess Parvati and has come to wed Lord Shiva. Gunji is on the way to Kailash-Mansarovar.

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Two men have apologised after a video emerged on social media appearing to show a group of people mocking the murder of Michaela McAreavey in Mauritius.

John McAreavey who married Michaela in 2011, responded to the hateful video to remind people what his former wife stood for.

"Michaela was a vessel of love, courage and dignity.

"Hate can hurt, but never win," he said.

Michaela was a vessel of love, courage and dignity.



Hate can hurt, but never win.   John McAreavey (@john_mcareavey) June 3, 2022

The video, which has been widely circulated online, appears to show a large number of men singing a song that references Ms McAreavey's trip to Mauritius for her honeymoon where she was killed.

Ms McAreavey, 27, was strangled in her room at the Legends Hotel in Mauritius on January 10, 2011.

The Co Tyrone teacher, who had married husband John 10 days earlier, was attacked after she returned to her room alone and disturbed a burglary.

No one has been convicted of murdering the daughter of Gaelic football manager Mickey Harte.

The video appears to show a large number of men singing a song that references Ms McAreavey's trip to Mauritius for her honeymoon.

Orange Order banners are visible in the background, and Union Jack bunting is hung across the roof of the venue in the video.

In a statement issued through the PA news agency, John Bell and Andrew McDade said it was a matter of deep shame and regret to have been involved in broadcasting and singing about her murder.

Read More Linfield sack coach over 'sickening' video mocking murder of Michaela McAreavey

They said that it was an offensive, vile and wholly abhorrent chant.

This Facebook live video was not streamed with the intent of broadcasting any offensive chants whatsoever, rather it was generally broadcasting from the room.

However, whether broadcast or not, the relevant chants should never have been sung either in public or private.

We offer our sincerest and deepest apology to the Harte and McAreavey families, and indeed to wider society for our actions which whilst fuelled by alcohol, can neither be mitigated or excused in any shape or form.

Our apology is unequivocal, and our acceptance of wrongdoing is absolute, the two men said in a statement.

This incident is not reflective of who we are as people, nor more importantly of our respective families and friends.

Several family members and friends have been subjected to online threats and abuse in recent hours due to our unacceptable actions.

This is unfair and unwarranted; it is us and us alone who are responsible for our actions.

In addition, this behaviour is unreflective of the values of the Loyal Orders and the wider unionist and loyalist community.

Whilst it is scant consolation for the hurt our actions will have caused, we will write a formal letter of apology to the Harte and McAreavey families and make a confidential donation to a charity of their choice.

Whilst brought upon ourselves, this incident has had a significant impact upon us and we ask for privacy at this time. We will making no further comment, the men said in a statement issued by JWB Consultancy.

"Michaela McAreaveys warmth, love and compassion was obvious to everyone who knew her," said Alliance Party MLA Eoin Tennyson

Meanwhile, the PSNI have said that they are investigating the video, with a spokesperson saying: "Police are aware of the video posted online and are examining the content to determine if any offences may have been committed."

The Orange Order has also condemned the "abhorrent" video, and has instigated an inquiry into the incident.

In a statement on Friday afternoon, Linfield Football Club confirmed that it had contacted a girls academy coach in relation to the video.

The club said that his voluntary association with the club has been terminated with immediate effect.

The statement called the video offensive, sickening and deeply hurtful.

Linfield FC apologises to the Harte/McAreavey families for the hurt that has been caused to them by the offensive actions of one of our now former coaches.

Linfield FC is totally opposed to sectarianism, bigotry, racism, prejudice and all forms of discriminatory behaviour and there can be no place within this club for any of these forms of offensive and unacceptable behaviour.

Construction supplies company Norman Emerson Group also issued a statement to say it was looking into the alleged involvement of an employee and said that a full and thorough internal investigation was underway.

We will not tolerate or condone sectarianism, bigotry, or intimidation in any form from anyone employed by us.

'Beyond comprehension' that people could mock horrific murder

Politicians from every party in Northern Ireland have denounced the video, as has the Taoiseach.

Micheal Martin said he was "appalled and horrified" by the video.

We all remember that horrific murder of Michaela McAreavey. Its beyond comprehension that people could behave in that manner, and to be so indifferent to the trauma that the family suffered and the entire community.

I think it speaks to a sectarianism and the degree of malice and hate in society that needs to be dealt with, and those involved in it should apologise, in the first instance, and those involved should reflect strongly on that.

Its just beyond comprehension, and shocking.

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has denounced the incident captured in the video as "vile" and "plain wrong."

Mr Donaldson said that the video is "deeply hurtful" to the family of Ms McAreavey.

"Its beyond comprehension that people could behave in that manner, and to be so indifferent to the trauma that the family suffered and the entire community," said Micheal Martin. Picture: Justin Kernoghan

Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O'Neill said that she has spoken with John McAreavey "to offer solidarity to both the McAreavey and Harte families."

"Hate and sectarianism have no place in our society. People deserve better. Love over hate will always win out," Ms O'Neill added.

The TUV leader Jim Allister said: "The video glorying in the murder of Michaela McAreavey is beyond disgusting, bringing shame and dishonour on all associated with such loathsome behaviour."

SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood said that the scene in the video is "absolutely sick."

An Upper Ban MLA for the Alliance Party, Eoin Tennyson slammed the "cruel and callous idiots" seen in the video, adding "If only they had an ounce of her humanity."

"Michaela McAreaveys warmth, love and compassion was obvious to everyone who knew her," Mr Tennyson added.

Sinn Fein MP Michelle Gildernew said that she has contacted the PSNI to report the video.

A beautiful young woman was murdered on honeymoon and this is how loyalists 'celebrate' the Queens jubilee," she said.

- additional reporting from PA
Gardai are continuing to investigate the circumstances leading up to the death of a woman who died when her car entered the River Lee.

The woman, Gillian Daly, 44, from Douglas, Co Cork, died after her car entered the river at Kennedy Quay in Cork city.

She had two young sons with her at the time, but they managed to scramble out of the car and were pulled to safety by emergency crews with non-life-threatening injuries.

After being checked up and treated briefly at Cork University Hospital, the boys - aged 12 and 10 - were returned to the care of their father.

The incident, which took place around 8.45pm, was witnessed by several onlookers who called for help.

Rescuers were quickly on the scene and after volunteers with Cork Missing Persons Search and Recovery (CMPSAR) arrived, the location on the riverbed of the vehicle was located.

But by the time the 44-year-old was pulled from the car, she had sadly died.

The womans sons are understood to be deeply traumatised by their experience. Picture: Eimer McAuley

It is understood that the incident is being treated as a tragic accident and inquiries are ongoing.

The womans sons are understood to be deeply traumatised by their experience and it could be some time before they are able to give a detailed account of what happened to the gardai.

A Garda spokesperson said: Gardai are investigating all the circumstances of an incident where a vehicle entered the River Lee at Kennedy Quay, at approximately 8:45pm on Friday.

Two children were recovered from the water and were taken to Cork University Hospital to receive treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.

Following the arrival of a dive team with the Irish Naval Service, the body of a woman (40s) was later removed from the water.

The womans body was removed to Cork University Hospital where a post-mortem will take place.

The results of which will determine the course of the investigation.

No further information is available at this time."

As well as the Naval Service, other emergency services involved in the rescue and recovery operation were the Coastguard 117 helicopter from Waterford.

In a Facebook post earlier today, CMPSAR said: Volunteers were tasked late yesterday evening by Gardai to assist in a multi-agency search and recovery operation in the Kennedy Quay area where it was reported that a vehicle had entered the water.

We immediately raced to the scene to assist the gardai, fire service and Crosshaven coast guard and we deployed our boat, our vehicles and sonar team to the scene.

We pinpointed the exact location of the vehicle on the riverbed and the naval dive unit recovered a person from the vehicle and they also recovered the vehicle.

We would like to pass on our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.
A column advocating for the Government to replace a jet airplane may seem a bit off considering the many problems facing the country.

However, that is exactly what I am doing and I will explain why the country should not penny-pinch on it.

Many people could, with some legitimacy, argue that there are issues such as fixing the health service and addressing the housing crisis, to name but a few, that are of greater priority.

In previous decades, use of the Government jet by taoisigh and ministers became a symbol of political largesse  a luxury the country could ill-afford at various times of poverty or crisis.

However, as an island nation and in a post-Brexit and post-pandemic world, a key part of the job of being the leader of Ireland is representing our country abroad.

It needs to be done professionally, efficiently, and safely.

Time wasting

Due to deep-rooted fears of a public relations backlash, consecutive governments have shirked the topic  even though it has led to simply farcical examples of time wasting by our leaders when better options are available.

The news this week that the Government is exploring options to replace its clapped-out jet shows that at last a bit of common sense is kicking in

It is simply embarrassing at this stage.

In response to a query from the Irish Examiner, the Government press secretary said that options were being explored to buy or lease a new jet to allow the Taoiseach and ministers to attend important international events.

This is part of a wider review of the Defence Forces but comes amid mounting issues with the current jet.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin, who was 'stranded' in Brussels two months ago. In recent times, the government jet have been plagued by technical problems. Picture: Damien Storan/PA

The seven-seater Learjet has reduced availability and its lack of reliability has continued this year. It has been unavailable for 35% of the year to date, it has emerged.

Two months ago, our Taoiseach was left stranded in Brussels because of reliability issues with the jet, which is nearing the end of its natural working life.

The Irish Examiner reported recently that the Government had to lease a luxury executive jet to bring the Taoiseach to a series of key meetings in Paris and London, despite having its 8m Learjet on standby at Baldonnel Airport.

The decision to charter the executive jet from Luxaviation was made because of concerns over the reliability of the Learjet, which has been used for ministerial air transport for over a decade.

In recent times, the government jet has been plagued by technical problems and was unavailable on 60% of days in January, with further service issues encountered in February and March.

It is understood concerns were raised over whether it could be relied on to get Mr Martin to a series of crucial meetings over recent days in Paris and to London over the St Patricks Day period.

Mid-air fault

Last year, the jet developed a technical fault in mid-air on a flight bringing Simon Coveney, the foreign affairs minister, to Turkey.

Mr Coveney and a delegation had been travelling to Turkey on an official visit, with a scheduled refuelling stop-off en route in Zagreb, Croatia.

The Learjet took off as planned on the second leg of its flight from Franjo Tudman Airport but was forced to land back at the same airport less than an hour later.

Simon Coveney: The foreign affairs minister was on the government jet when it developed a fault in mid air. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

It is believed a technical issue relating to a part overheating caused the aircraft to turn back but the Department of Defence declined to comment on the exact reasons, citing operational and security reasons.For a long time, the government had not one but two jets at is disposal.

In early 2015, because of equally stupid penny pinching, the top brass in the Department of Defence decided not keep up the maintenance on the larger-range Gulfstream jet, which held 14 people and had been in service since 1992. They then decided to sell it off for 418,000 with another 53,000 received for related spare parts.

The killer was that the former government jet sold to a US firm was valued at $5m (or 4.7m) less than a year later in the US

Examining the disposal of the Gulfstream, the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General slammed the department for not formally appraising the economic case for keeping up the increased maintenance on the jet and stated that officials did not appraise the costs of returning the jet to a serviceable state.I am not here to suggest that Ireland needs an Air Force One like the US president but such small-minded thinking has left us in a position where our Taoiseach is being stranded and ministers are forced to bring packed lunches as they queue for Ryanair flights to key meetings.

Worse still, our lack of a long-range jet was a major issue in not being able to evacuate Irish citizens out of Kabul after the city fell to the Taliban

Other problems have emerged when seeking to securely remove Irish citizens from troubled hotspots because of the lack of a working government jet.

As we saw in Kabul, our inadequacies meant we had to once again rely on the kindness of strangers and some of our allies, including the UK, to come to our aid.

Like I said, it is embarrassing. Last year it emerged that the British government could spend up to 75m (87m) over five years on the exclusive charter of A321 aircraft, painted in a UK livery, to transport senior government figures. A spokesman for the cabinet office clarified that 75m is the maximum total possible cost over five years.

The Dutch royal family and government also have acquired a Boeing 737 for their travel needs and this was the plane in which Mark Rutte, the prime minister, flew into Dublin two weeks ago.

The Czech air force operates two Airbus A319CJs, a Bombardier Challenger 600, two Yakovlev Yak-40 aircraft, and Mil Mi-8 helicopters for transporting the president, prime minister, and members of government and parliament of the Czech Republic. However, away from the image of the jet being used for fat-cat ministers going on their jollies, the jet is often used to move patients including children to life-saving surgeries in the UK and elsewhere.

Also, in the aftermath of Brexit and with strategic allies internationally in short supply, a jet is needed to travel to other EU capitals and to fight Irelands corner.

I want our leaders ready for battle and not worried if the after-effects of a stag party are going to end up on their laps from the chaps next to them.

We are no longer in a period of austerity.

We are a proud, modern country but in need of finding our place in a new world order

We have two proud Irish airlines from whom we could easily lease a plane and embellish it with our national colours if needs be.

Or we could make a strategic investment and buy an airplane for the long-term well-being of our country.

I would hope the review that is under way is concluded quickly and the right decision is made.

The time of embarrassing ourselves with this farce is over.
As the Russians further attempt to exacerbate the impending global food crisis by the bombardment of the strategically important Zadoka Bridge  one of the few remaining routes for the export of Ukrainian grain to the land border with Moldova and Romania  the world waits to see the next country whose government will fall from bankruptcy and chaos.

Before February, African countries imported some 44% of their wheat from Ukraine and Russia. About 22m tons of grain are stuck in the war-torn country and there is one month to get supplies out before the start of the next harvest.

The chairman of the African Union, Macky Sall, president of Senegal, who was scheduled to meet Vladimir Putin on Friday, says continuing the blockade will provoke a catastrophic scenario of price increases and food shortages.

Sri Lanka, which was already experiencing its worst economic and food crisis in 73 years of independence, has been the first country to experience regime change following the outbreak of war in Europe. In the middle of an experiment, now abandoned, to switch totally to organic farming methods, annual inflation for local staples soared, reaching 60% for red chilis, 75% for potatoes, and 64% for Nadu rice.

Triple crisis

The triple crisis of the impact of the pandemic, the rising cost of sovereign debt, and the increase in food and fuel prices caused by Russias invasion is affecting low- and medium-income countries and Sri Lanka, which likes to market itself as Serendip, or The Resplendent Isle, is a bellwether of what might happen elsewhere.

A protester runs for cover as police fire tear gas shells in Colombo, Sri Lanka on May 28. The country, which was already experiencing its worst economic and food crisis in 73 years of independence, has been the first to experience regime change following the outbreak of war in Europe. Picture: Eranga Jayawardena/AP

In that country, school examinations were postponed indefinitely because of lack of foreign reserves to import paper; scheduled surgery was suspended because of a lack of medicines; and hospitals ran out of endotracheal tubes for the ventilation of new-born babies, infants, and children. Doctors were forced to reuse old equipment and carried out operations by the light of mobile phones. The ruling Rajapaksa family was burnt out of its home and resigned from office.

Concerns

For the IMF and the World Bank, the consideration must be how many other nations might collapse in a grim new rendition of the domino theory of political contagion, which dominated strategic thinking in the 1950s and 1960s.

World Bank president David Malpass said last month: Im deeply concerned about developing countries. They are facing sudden price increases for energy, fertiliser, and food, and the likelihood of interest rate increases.

The United Nations body responsible for monitoring trade and development, Unctad, calculates that 107 countries faced at least one of the three major economic shocks of rising food prices, increasing energy prices, and tighter financial conditions. However, 69 of those countries face all three at once.

On the watch list are Egypt and Tunisia, both heavily reliant on Russian and Ukrainian grain. Pakistan has already imposed power cuts because of high-cost energy imports. Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and Ethiopia are vulnerable, as are El Salvador and Peru.

Financial distress

Nearly two thirds of the lowest-income countries were in

financial distress or at high risk of it before the invasion of Ukraine. The cost of servicing debt is escalating, particularly for nations that made their borrowings in foreign currencies.

For many years we heard much about the benefits of globalisation. We could be about to receive a detailed education on the demerits.
US President Joe Biden and the first lady were evacuated from their holiday home after a small private plane accidentally entered restricted airspace, the White House and Secret Service said.

The White House said there was no threat to Mr Biden or his wife, Jill, who returned to their Rehoboth Beach home in Delaware after the situation was assessed.

The plane was immediately escorted from the restricted airspace after mistakenly entering a secured area, the Secret Service said.

The agency said it will interview the pilot who, according to a preliminary investigation, was not on the proper radio channel or following published flight guidance.

As is standard practice for presidential trips outside Washington, the Federal Aviation Administration published flight restrictions earlier this week before Mr Bidens beach town visit.

The restrictions include a 10-mile radius no-fly zone contained within a 30-mile restricted area.

A CBS News reporter said on Twitter he saw Mr Biden motorcading to a Rehoboth Beach fire station.

The group of reporters that travels with the president was not part of the motorcade.

Federal regulations require pilots to check for flight restrictions along their route before taking off.

Still, accidental airspace breaches, particularly around temporary restricted zones, are common.

US military jets and Coastguard helicopters are often used to intercept planes that violate the flight restrictions around the President.

Intercepted planes are diverted to a nearby airfield where aircrews are interviewed and face potential criminal or civil penalties.
Burma Myanmar Junta Says It Will Execute Two Prominent Democracy Activists

The regimes handout picture of Ko Jimmy (left) and Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw (right). / AFP

YANGONMyanmars junta will execute a former lawmaker from Aung San Suu Kyis party and a prominent democracy activist, both of whom were convicted of terrorism, in the countrys first judicial executions since 1990, a spokesman told AFP on Friday.

Four people, including former MP Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw and democracy activist Ko Jimmy, who were sentenced to death will be hanged according to prison procedures, junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told AFP.

The junta has sentenced dozens of anti-coup activists to death as part of its crackdown on dissent after seizing power last year, but Myanmar has not carried out an execution for decades.

Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw, a former lawmaker from Suu Kyis National League for Democracy who was arrested in November, was sentenced to death in January for offences under anti-terrorism laws.

Prominent democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu  better known as Ko Jimmy  received the same sentence from the military tribunal.

They continued the legal process of appealing and sending a request letter for the amendment of the sentence, the spokesman said.

But the court rejected their appeal and request. There is no other step after that, he added.

Two other men, who were convicted and sentenced to death for killing a woman they alleged was an informer for the junta in Yangon, will also be executed, the spokesman said.

No date has been set for the executions, Zaw Min Tun said.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the juntas decision, calling it a blatant violation to the right to life, liberty and security of person, according to his spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

Guterres called for the two pro-democracy activists to be released and all the charges against them to be dropped.

The Secretary-General considers that the death penalty cannot be reconciled with full respect for the right to life, Dujarric told reporters.

Abolition is necessary and desirable for the enhancement of human dignity and the progressive development of human rights.

A spokesperson for Amnesty International called on the junta to immediately drop such plans and for the international community to step up its efforts to intervene.

Fuel to the fire

The juntas decision to move towards executing two prominent political leaders will be like pouring gasoline on the fire of popular anti-military resistance in the country, said Phil Robertson, a deputy director at Human Rights Watch.

Such a move will also lead to global condemnation and cement the juntas reputation as among the worst of the worst human rights abusers in Asia.

Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw had been accused of orchestrating several attacks on regime forces, including a gun attack on a commuter train in Yangon in August that killed five policemen.

A hip-hop pioneer whose subversive rhymes irked the previous junta, he was jailed in 2008 for membership of an illegal organisation and possession of foreign currency.

He was elected to parliament representing Daw Aung San Suu Kyis NLD in the 2015 elections, which ushered in a transition to civilian rule.

The countrys military alleged voter fraud during elections in 2020  which the NLD won by a landslide  as justification for its coup on February 1 last year.

Suu Kyi has been detained ever since and faces a slew of charges in a junta court that could see her face a prison sentence of more than 150 years.

Ko Jimmy, who rose to prominence during Myanmars 1988 student uprising against the countrys previous military regime, was arrested in an overnight raid in October.

The junta issued an arrest warrant for him last year, alleging he had incited unrest with his social media posts.

CAPTION: AFP
This year marks 30 years since Hurricane Andrew devastated South Florida, killing more than 36 people and causing over $55 billion worth in damage. Since the catastrophe, building codes in Florida have been strengthened to mitigate the impact of damages caused by natural disasters.

And as we enter a new storm season, predicted to be an active one, Miami-Dade County this week announced new initiatives to make communities more resilient to hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes, wildfires and other extreme weather events, which are all intensifying due to climate change.

The countys efforts were done in cooperation with, in partnership with Florida International University, FEMA, Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, HUD and the International Code Council Board. They are part of President Biden's National Initiative to Advance Building Codes to modernize building codes, improve climate resilience, reduce energy costs, and advocate for state and local governments to adopt the most current building codes to safeguard people and their properties.

Forecasters are predicting a busy hurricane season with 19 named storms, nine hurricanes and four major hurricanes  a prediction above the 30-years average of 14, seven and three, respectively.

Federal, state and local officials were on hand for a press conference Wednesday at Florida International University's College of Engineering and Computing to encourage communities to adopt the new sets of building guidelines.

FIU is home to the Wall of Wind, a life-sized test facility capable of generating hurricane Category 5 winds with a curved wall of 12 giant fans. Working together, they can simulate a 160 mph hurricane.

The powerful wall allows engineers to probe for weaknesses in construction and design, track failures cascading through a building and test innovative solutions in close to real-world storm conditions. Cameras and sensors capture every millisecond as buildings, roofing materials and other items come apart or, just as important, dont fail.

Ten years of research here have helped builders and designers reduce the risk of damages.

Kenneth A. Jessell, FIU's interim president, said there's no better place for the Wall of Wind  and upgraded building codes and standards  than Miami-Dade, which has seen its share of hurricanes, torrential downpours flooding and wildfires.

"This (Wall of Wind) initiative is to make communities and residents safer," he said. "Work needed to be done to keep our communities safe and protect the environment."

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said the county is prepared for any natural disaster headed its way.

"There is intense activity this year and we are constantly monitoring (it all)," she said. "We know all too well one storm (can) cause a catastrophe, and Miami-Dade is on the front line on the climate crisis. Hurricane Andrew inspired tough building codes in the county and around the country."

Ali Zaidi, deputy national climate advisor for the Biden administration, said the federal government spent an estimated $145 billion last year on efforts to combat climate change.

He said the new building codes will not only save homes and people money, but save lives as well. Hurricanes don't respect our timelines," he said. "It's time to take action right now. It's like Code Red."

Michael Savage, who sits on the board of directors for the International Code Council, said adopting the advanced building codes will save Florida an estimated $1 billion annually.

Adopting the initiatives for advanced building codes is the best way to protect vulnerable communities, Savage said, adding that updated codes can protect buildings during a Category 5 Hurricane."

The Village of Key Biscayne is helping prepare its residents for the expected busy hurricane season. They said village leaders will inform residents through the Village Connect newsletter about storms potential to impact the island and possible evacuations.
Johnson City, TN (37604)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the morning becoming more widespread this afternoon. Potential for severe thunderstorms. High 79F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Showers and thunderstorms likely. Low near 65F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Ukraines president vowed victory Friday even as Russian troops pounded the east, and the United Nations pushed to get tens of millions of tons of grain out of the country and avert a global food crisis.

More than 100 days since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine on February 24, thousands of people have been killed, millions sent fleeing and towns turned into rubble.

The advance of Russian troops has been slowed by a fierce Ukrainian resistance which repelled them from around the capital and forced Moscow to shift its aims towards capturing the east.

Victory will be ours, Zelensky said in a video speech.

Later, in his nightly address, he dismissed the Russian army.

At first it looked threatening. Then dangerous And now probably just a bitter smile. Because whats left of it?  War crimes, shame and hatred, he said.

But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said certain results have been achieved, pointing to the liberation of some areas from what he called the pro-Nazi armed forces of Ukraine.

The West has sent ever more potent weapons to Ukraine and piled on ever more stringent sanctions, with the European Union on Friday formally adopting a ban on most Russian oil imports.

Putins alleged girlfriend, former gymnast Alina Kabaeva, was also added to an assets freeze and visa-ban blacklist.

At the same time, the United Nations said it was leading intense negotiations with Russia to allow Ukraines grain harvest to leave the country.

 No problem to export grain 

I am optimistic that something could give in, said Amin Awad, the UN crisis coordinator for Ukraine, voicing hope for a breakthrough.

Putin in a televised interview late Friday said there was no problem to export grain from Ukraine, via Kyiv- or Moscow-controlled ports or even through central Europe.

He said this could be done from the Russian-controlled ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk, or the Ukrainian-held port of Odessa, as long as Ukraine cleared the waters around it of mines.

Russian troops now occupy a fifth of Ukraines territory and Moscow has imposed a blockade on its Black Sea ports.

The UN has warned that especially African countries, which imported more than half of their wheat consumption from Ukraine and Russia, face an unprecedented crisis caused by the conflict.

Food prices in Africa have already exceeded those in the aftermath of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings and the 2008 food riots.

On Friday, Putin met the head of the African Union, Senegalese President Macky Sall, at his Black Sea residence in Sochi.

Sall told Putin that African countries are victims in the conflict.

After the meeting, Sall said he was very reassured, adding the Russian leader was committed and aware that the crisis and sanctions create serious problems for weak economies.

Frances President Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, declared Putin had made a historic error in starting the war.

But he said he should not be humiliated, to leave room for diplomacy.

Putins troops are now concentrating in the Donbas, in the east, where some of the fiercest fighting is centred on the industrial hub city of Severodonetsk.

 Media driver killed 

For 100 days, they have been levelling everything, Lugansk regional governor Sergiy Gaiday said on Telegram  though, he added, Ukraine was pushing the Russians back.

A driver transporting two Reuters journalists in eastern Ukraine was killed and the two international news agency reporters lightly wounded, a company spokesperson said.

The agency said the group was travelling in a vehicle provided by the Russian-backed separatists and driven by an individual assigned by the separatists.

The French foreign ministry also on Friday said a French volunteer fighter in Ukraine had been killed in combat.

In areas around the capital Kyiv, which Russian troops retreated from at the end of March, some residents are still in desperate need.

At an aid distribution point in Horenka, northwest of Kyiv, a tearful Hanna Viniychuk, 67, said she had come for some basic necessities after losing her home to Russian bombardment.

Im grateful for this help, she said.

 Nothing to come back to 

Ukrainian troops were still holding an industrial zone in Severodonetsk, Gaiday said, a situation reminiscent of Mariupol, where a steelworks was the south-eastern port citys last holdout until Ukrainian troops finally surrendered in late May.

The situation in Lysychansk  Severodonetsks twin city, which sits just across a river  also looked increasingly dire.

About 60 percent of infrastructure and housing had been destroyed, while internet, mobile network and gas services had been knocked out, said the citys mayor Oleksandr Zaika.

The shelling is getting stronger every day, he said.

In the city of Sloviansk, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Severodonetsk, the mayor has urged residents to evacuate as bombing intensified with water and electricity cut off.

Student Gulnara Evgaripova, 18, recounted heavy bombardments as she boarded a minibus to leave the city.

The situation is getting worse, she told AFP.

Ekaterina Perednenko, a paramedic, said: I am scared that there will be nothing to come back to.

burs-st/wd
Ukraine said Saturday its forces were managing to push back against Russian troops in fierce fighting in Severodonetsk despite Russia throwing all its power into capturing the strategic eastern city.

Lugansk regional governor Sergiy Gaiday said in an interview posted on his official social media that the invading forces had captured most of the city but now our military have moved them.

The Russian army, as we understand, is throwing all its power, all its reserves in this direction, said Gaiday, who on Friday claimed that Ukrainian troops had won back a fifth of the city.

Severodonetsk is the largest city still in Ukrainian hands in the Lugansk region, where Russian forces have been making gradual advances in recent weeks.

Thousands of people have been killed, millions sent fleeing and towns turned into rubble since President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops into Ukraine 101 days ago.

The advance of Russian forces has been slowed by stiff Ukrainian resistance, repelling them from around the capital Kyiv and forcing Moscow to focus on capturing the east.

The press service of Ukraines presidential office on Saturday said Russian attacks killed four civilians in the Lugansk region as a whole.

The situation in Lysychansk  Severodonetsks twin city, which sits just across a river  looked increasingly dire.

About 60 percent of infrastructure and housing had been destroyed, while internet, mobile networks and gas services had been knocked out, said its mayor Oleksandr Zaika.

In the city of Sloviansk, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Severodonetsk, the mayor has urged residents to evacuate in the face of intense bombardment, with water and electricity cut off.

Ukraine also reported two victims from a missile strike on the port of Odessa in the southwest, without specifying if they were dead or injured.

Russias defence ministry said it had struck a deployment point for foreign mercenaries in the village of Dachne in the Odessa region.

It also claimed a missile strike in the northeastern Sumy region in a place where it said Ukrainian soldiers were receiving training from foreign instructors on using howitzers.

 Shame and hatred 

Russian troops now occupy a fifth of Ukraines territory and Moscow has imposed a blockade on its Black Sea ports.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was defiant on Friday.

Victory will be ours, he said in a video speech marking the 100th day of the war.

Later, in his nightly address, he dismissed the Russian army as being reduced to war crimes, shame and hatred after failing military objectives.

But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said certain results have been achieved, pointing to the liberation of some areas from what he called the pro-Nazi armed forces of Ukraine.

The West has sent ever-more potent weapons to Ukraine and piled on ever more stringent sanctions against Moscow, with the European Union on Friday formally adopting a ban on most Russian oil imports.

Putins alleged girlfriend, former gymnast Alina Kabaeva, was also added to an assets freeze and visa-ban blacklist.

 Food crisis 

The war has sparked fears of a global food crisis  Ukraine and Russia are among the top wheat exporters in the world.

The United Nations said it was leading intense negotiations with Russia to allow Ukraines grain harvest to leave the country.

Putin in a televised interview Friday said there was no problem to export grain from Ukraine, via Kyiv- or Moscow-controlled ports or even through central Europe.

The UN has warned that African countries, which imported more than half of their wheat consumption from Ukraine and Russia, face an unprecedented crisis.

Food prices in Africa have already exceeded those in the aftermath of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings and the 2008 food riots.

On Friday, Putin met the head of the African Union, Senegalese President Macky Sall, at his Black Sea residence in Sochi.

After the meeting, Sall said he was very reassured, adding that Putin was committed and aware that the crisis and sanctions create serious problems for weak economies.

French President Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, said Putin had made a historic error in starting the war.

But he said the Russian leader should not be humiliated, and to leave room for diplomacy.

 Media driver killed 

A driver transporting two Reuters journalists in eastern Ukraine was killed and the two reporters were lightly wounded, a spokesman for the international news agency said.

A French volunteer fighter in Ukraine was also killed in combat, the French foreign ministry said.

In areas around the capital Kyiv, which Russian troops retreated from at the end of March, some residents remain in desperate need of assistance.

At an aid distribution point in Horenka, northwest of Kyiv, on Friday a tearful Hanna Viniychuk, 67, said she had joined the long queue in search of some basic necessities after losing her home to Russian bombardment.

Im grateful for this help, she said.

Arkadiy Maznychenko, 75, said: A lot of houses were burnt, damaged, so people have nothing at all. Everything is shattered, destroyed.

burs-dt/ach
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The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) predicts that at least 139,000 doctors will be needed by 2033, particularly in rural and low-income areas. In an attempt to address this need, states have been replacing physicians with non-physician health care providers and reducing physician oversight.

Ive seen it firsthand.

One day in the ER, a patient came in fatigued and dehydrated. He had been to his primary care physician (PCP) thrice but still ended up in the ER. I diagnosed him with diabetic ketoacidosis, a serious and life-threatening complication of diabetes, and learned that his PCP had performed no lab tests. He had been examined by the nurse practitioner (NP), who had tested him for COVID instead.

While NPs are extremely valuable, essential health care practitioners, they are not trained to evaluate and treat advanced illnesses like diabetes. Unfortunately, due to a lack of residency funding, the rate of producing physicians has not kept up with the population growth. Instead, lobby groups have pushed to address this by increasing the scope of NPs to include responsibilities they are untrained for.

There are thousands of stories shared by physicians on groups like Physicians for Patient Protection, warning about the dangers of replacing physicians with non-physician health care providers. Due to a lack of training, they tend to order more tests, refer to more specialists and prescribe more antibiotics and opioids.

We cannot sacrifice patient safety to meet the desperate demands for access to care. Instead, we must train more physicians, capitalize on the existing pool of non-practicing physicians and address burnout so that doctors will continue practicing for their expected careers.

Unclogging the pipeline: the medical school bottleneck

To become a practicing physician, students must complete medical school, pass the U.S Medical Licensing Exam and complete an arduous residency. While the number of medical schools and seats has increased over the years, there hasnt been a parallel increase in residencies since Congress established a funding cap in 1997.

Every year, 10 percent of medical school graduates remain unmatched  in 2021, this number was 9,000 graduates.

In 2021, Congress attempted to rectify this issue by expanding the residency program to include 200 new residency positions for 5 years and while this is a step in the right direction, it is woefully insufficient to relieve the backlog of unmatched students. Much more funding must be allotted to ensure enough physicians are trained.

Capitalize on non-practicing workforce

There are about 65,000 non-practicing medical graduates (IMG) in the U.S. These physicians are American citizens or permanent residents who were trained as residents outside the U.S. Current regulations require that they redo their residency in the U.S. before being licensed  a difficult task given the scarcity of residency funding. Increased funding would allow IMGs to complete their residency and enter the workforce, thereby capitalizing on an existing resource.

Similarly, foreign medical graduates (FMGs) are students who graduated from foreign medical schools but did their residencies in the U.S.

Under current provisions, they must return to their home country for two years before applying to immigrate to the U.S. However, the hugely successful Conrad 30 Waiver program allows FMGs to begin practicing in the U.S. immediately if they commit to working for three years in a rural or underserved area with physician shortages. Only 30 waivers are available each year per state, so this could be expanded to capitalize on FMGs.

Ameliorate working conditions: Reduce administrative burdens to retain physicians

As the pandemic continues on, a growing number of physicians are switching to a primary telemedicine practice. Though not a replacement for in-person care, telemedicine is a good tool to bridge inequalities in health care access faced by rural and impoverished demographics. Under existing laws, physicians must be licensed in each state they want to practice in. A burden typically borne by physicians practicing at inter-state junctions, these laws also prevent physicians from catering to patients in different states through telemedicine.

The process of attaining and maintaining a license is cumbersome and expensive. For telemedicine to be considered a viable tool to help bridge health care gaps, medical licensing laws must be readdressed.

Another administrative burden is the excessive documentation requirements needed to keep up with patient electronic health records (EHRs). The 2009 HITECH Act was passed to promote the adoption of EHRs, which were sold as a cost-effective, time-efficient, paperless system to track patient records and submit the required information for insurance reimbursement for prescriptions and procedures.

Unfortunately, in the past decade, ever-increasing documentation requirements have become untenable. A 2017 study revealed that the burdens of EHRs significantly impact physician mental health by encroaching on their work-life balance.

EHRs must be optimized to reduce physician burdens, prevent burnout and protect physician mental health. This may go a long way towards improving working conditions, thereby retaining the workforce.

What to do

The national physician shortage is an urgent issue that requires immediate attention. Otherwise, the next time you seek medical care, you might be treated by a non-physician for a condition that requires physician attention. This could be expensive and detrimental unless we solve the issue of training and retaining physicians.

Physicians are uniquely positioned to advocate for solutions in three roles: trusted messenger, physician-administrator, and political officeholders.

Surveys consistently show that health care is in the top three motivators for voters, yet patients are likely unaware that the physician shortage is a grave threat to their health and wellness. As trusted messengers, physicians can educate and inform the public about this particular peril in our broadly broken health care system. Voters can only effectively advocate for themselves and their communities and compel their elected officials to legislate change if they understand the roots of these issues.

Physicians must also consider getting involved as physician-administrators to advocate to reduce administrative burdens and improve working conditions. They should also consider running for office at the local, state, and national levels to advocate for policy change. Doctors in Politics encourages and supports doctors to run for office.

A healthy populace is essential for a stable, functioning, flourishing economy. Veteran physicians are needed to construct and advise national health care policies.

Sujan Gogu is a family physician. Aishwarya Sivaramakrishnan researches the intersection of science, health care, politics, and society.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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Recently, several European countries have reported outbreaks of monkeypox following the first case (index case) reported in the United Kingdom on May 7, 2022, linked to a traveler from Nigeria. Monkeypox belongs to a family of other pox-like viruses and is a rare viral disease characterized by flu-like symptoms and a blistering rash that typically begins on the face and spreads to other areas of the body. Monkeypox, as with all zoonotic diseases, originated from an animal reservoir (experts speculate it to be rodents) and has mutated to infect humans.

The first case in 1958 was identified in primates being used for research, and the first human infection was reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970. Monkeypox has since been observed to be primarily localized to Western and Central Africa. Australia and Canada have also identified several infected individuals, and as of June 2, 2022, there have been 21 confirmed positives in ten states across the United States. Globally, this constitutes more than 550 cases at the time of writing. Surprisingly, the spread of the disease has neither been linked to the first case in the U.K. nor direct travel from endemic areas. As such, it is not yet clear how or why the incidence of monkeypox is increasing and what hidden factors might be driving transmission, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) and international public health officials to employ contract tracing strategies to seek connections between those who have tested positive.

What is currently known is that monkeypox is transmitted primarily through close contact with skin lesions, bodily fluids, and respiratory droplets. Men aged between 20 and 50 years, many of whom have sex with other men (MSM), are notably included in a majority of the cluster cases, thereby indicating that sexual contact may be a significant route of transmission. The correlation with sexual activity does not corroborate increased contamination or virulence; it simply highlights that close contact and skin lesions may allow for monkeypox to spread most effectively. Anne Rimoin, professor of epidemiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, suggests that the virus may have coincidentally been introduced to the MSM community and spread from there. She implores the public to avoid stigmatization, especially during a crucial time where more information is needed to grasp the entirety of the situation.

The WHO has currently stated that it is unlikely for monkeypox to become the next pandemic given its low infectivityespecially compared to COVID-19the risk to the general public is relatively small. This isnt the first time that the U.S. has dealt with this virus. In 2003, there was an outbreak of 71 cases due to the sale of infected prairie dogs across the country. Extensive laboratory testing, vaccine distribution, and updated FDA regulations on wildlife trade contained the situation. According to previous reports, death caused by monkeypox is rare (three to six percent of cases) in endemic regions. Emerging data shows the current strain of the virus circulating may have a mortality rate of ~3 percent according to the WHO, although some sources claim that it may be as little as one percent. Regardless, careful monitoring and public awareness are vital to hedge against further spread. There are currently two vaccines that can be used to protect against monkeypox. Since smallpox is a close relative, the ACAM2000 smallpox (variola) vaccine is considered to be a viable option. JYNNEOS is a vaccine that is specifically licensed for monkeypox, and data suggests both are 85 percent effective. As of right now, there is no recommendation from public health officials for the general public to be vaccinated against the disease. As experts continue to monitor the evolving situation, they urge people to keep practicing good hand hygiene and to avoid contact with infected individuals.

Divya Srinivasan is an undergraduate student. Tejas Sekhar is a graduate student.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Xi's high expectations for stronger, deeper China-Arab cooperation

Xinhua) 11:40, June 04, 2022

BEIJING, June 4 (Xinhua) -- It has been 18 years since the establishment of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. Under the guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and leaders of Arab countries, the China-Arab strategic partnership has achieved remarkable progress and grown even closer, stronger and deeper in recent years.

The following are some highlights of Xi's remarks delivered at the ministerial meetings of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum.

June 5, 2014

When addressing at the opening ceremony of the sixth ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum held in Beijing, Xi called on the two sides to carry forward the Silk Road spirit and deepen their cooperation.

China is ready to dovetail its own development with that of Arab states and support them in increasing jobs, advancing industrialization and promoting economic growth, he noted.

Noting that Arab states are seeking their own path of development, Xi said China is ready to share with Arab states its own governance experience so that both sides can draw wisdom from each other's civilizations and development practices.

May 12, 2016

In a message to congratulate on the opening of the seventh ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, the Chinese president pledged to make joint efforts with Arab states to carve out a better future for bilateral strategic cooperative relationship.

Xi noted that China stands ready to work with Arab states to steadily promote the Belt and Road cooperation based on the principle of close consultation, joint contribution and shared benefit.

July 10, 2018

During a speech at the opening ceremony of the eighth ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in Beijing, Xi announced that China and Arab countries had agreed to establish a "Sino-Arab future-oriented strategic partnership of comprehensive cooperation and common development."

China stands ready to work with the Arab side to coordinate the development strategies and actions, Xi said, calling on the two sides to strengthen strategic trust, stay committed to dialogue and consultation, uphold the principle of sovereignty, champion inclusive reconciliation and fight terrorism.

As important players in the international political arena, China and Arab states should make concerted efforts to find a new path toward full rejuvenation of the Middle East, Xi noted.

July 6, 2020

In a congratulatory letter to the ninth ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum held via video link, Xi said under the current circumstances, it is more necessary than ever for the two sides to step up cooperation and join hands in tiding over difficulties.

"I hope China and Arab states can take the meeting as an opportunity to enhance strategic communication and coordination, steadily advance cooperation in various fields including pandemic response, promote the building of the China-Arab community with a shared future to continuously go deeper and more practical, so as to better benefit the peoples of the two sides," Xi added.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
The Boone County prosecuting attorney Dan Knight was found dead Saturday morning, according to Columbia Police.

Columbia Police Chief Geoff Jones said no foul play is suspected.

BREAKING NEWS: CPD Chief Geoff Jones just confirmed Boone Co Prosecutor Dan Knight was found dead at his home off of Memorial Ct. @KOMUnews pic.twitter.com/GmP3ZYpidO  Emily Spain (@KOMUEmily) June 4, 2022

CPD said it was dispatched around 9:35 a.m. Saturday to Memorial Court in Columbia for an apparent gunshot death.

Jones said CPD will thoroughly investigate the incident, and until then there will be no additional details released. He said the county medical examiner will determine if an autopsy is needed.

"Then we'll work together to come to some conclusion," Jones said. "Those would be the next steps."

Knight worked for the Boone County Prosecutor's Office for 29 years; 15 of those as the prosecuting attorney.

4:58 FULL PRESS CONFERENCE: CPD confirms Dan Knight found dead in his home Columbia Police Chief Geoff Jones held a press conference Saturday morning after Boone County's top prosecutor Dan Knight was found dead in hi

Jones said the police department is in shock.

"It's sad, he was very dedicated to his position and his work, even before he was elected prosecutor," Jones said. "He has a lot of people who has worked alongside of him. We're no exception to that. I think everybody feels the loss and is sad, but I think everybody is in shock right now."

Knight was born and raised in Columbia. After graduating from Hickman High School, he went on to receive a business administration degree and law degree from MU.

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A friend of Knight's who came to the scene Saturday morning, Brad, said Knight was a wonderful person, and that he will be greatly missed. Brad did not want to give his last name but said he and Knight had known each other since college.

"Such a passionate man for what he did. He served us and he served the public and that's what he was all about. He loved his family, he loved his friends," Brad said.

Knight was hired as a Boone County assistant prosecuting attorney in September 1992. In April the following year, Knight was promoted to first assistant prosecuting attorney.

In 2006, 2010 and 2014, he ran unopposed for prosecuting attorney.

In February 2022, he announced he would not seek reelection and that he was considering a run for Boone County Circuit Court judge in 2024. He told KOMU 8 that the replacement for prosecuting attorney should be made by the citizens of Boone County rather than an appointment from the governor.

During his time at the Boone County Prosecutors Office, Knight has handled thousands of criminal cases ranging from traffic offenses to murder. He said on average he worked 85 hour weeks.

Most recently in 2021, Knight led the prosecutors office in a conviction against Joseph Elledge, who was found guilty of the second-degree murder of his wife Mengqi Ji.

"Dan was very involved in his work," Jones said, referencing the Elledge case. "He worked very diligently on that case. That's who Dan was. When he got ahold of a case, he really tried to do it as perfectly as he could. We'll miss that."

Knights term as prosecuting attorney would have ended on Dec. 31. Roger Johnson, former assistant attorney general and Boone County first assistant prosecutor, announced his candidacy for Knight's seat in February.

The circuit court will now appoint an interim prosecutor to take over. Assistant prosecutors also have authority, Jones said.
Weather Alert

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 329 IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM CDT EARLY THIS MORNING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS IN MISSOURI THIS WATCH INCLUDES 12 COUNTIES IN CENTRAL MISSOURI AUDRAIN BOONE CALLAWAY COLE MONITEAU OSAGE IN EAST CENTRAL MISSOURI CRAWFORD FRANKLIN GASCONADE LINCOLN MONTGOMERY WARREN THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF COLUMBIA, FULTON, JEFFERSON CITY, MEXICO, SULLIVAN, UNION, AND WASHINGTON.

The National Weather Service in St Louis has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... Northern Boone County in central Missouri... Northwestern Audrain County in central Missouri... * Until 330 AM CDT. * At 239 AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 7 miles northeast of Midway, moving northeast at 40 mph. HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. * This severe thunderstorm will be near... Hallsville around 250 AM CDT. Other locations in the path of this severe thunderstorm include Sturgeon and Centralia. This also includes Finger Lakes State Park. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. && HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED; MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN; WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED; MAX WIND GUST...60 MPH


By Kim Hyun-bin



Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong is reportedly scheduled to visit Europe from June 7 to 18 to seek the cooperation of ASML of the Netherlands, one of the world's leading manufacturers of chip-making equipment.



ASML is the only company in the world that produces extreme ultraviolet (EUV) exposure equipment, which is needed for ultra-fine semiconductor processing. Other leading semiconductor manufacturers are also lining up to get their hands on the equipment.



"Vice Chairman Lee is scheduled to visit the Netherlands next week, there is a high possibility of him visiting ASML," an industry official familiar with the matter told The Korea Times.





Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong
Angola, IN (46703)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will give way to cloudy skies and rain during the afternoon. High around 70F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low 52F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
HAMMOND  A lawsuit demanding all Lake County judges be elected by voters has gained support from the Hammond Common Council.

In May 2021, Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. filed a lawsuit challenging the state mandate that Lake Superior Court judges continue to be chosen through merit selection, instead of by voters in Lake, St. Joseph, Allen and Marion counties.

McDermott said it is unconstitutional for the General Assembly to mandate gubernatorial appointment of criminal, civil and juvenile court judges in Indiana's four counties with large minority populations when Hoosiers living in the state's 88 other counties all elect their judges.

Lake Superior criminal, civil and juvenile judges were also popularly elected until an early 1970s law forbade them from campaigning directly to voters under party labels.

That was replaced by the judicial merit selection system where judicial vacancies are filled by attorneys who must apply to the Lake County Judicial Nominating Commission. The commission is a panel of lawyers  elected by all the countys lawyers  and non-lawyers chosen by county governments top elected executives.

The commission interviews all applicants and forwards the names of three finalists to the governor, who then selects the new judge. Judges then face voters every six years on a nonpartisan retention-rejection ballot.

The state legislature claimed the change removed judges from partisan influences.

McDermott said that for years the rationale has been that judges should be selected in Lake, St. Joseph, Allen and Marion counties because those are the four largest counties in the state. However, according to the 2020 census, Hamilton County rose to the fourth most-populated county in Indiana, bumping St. Joseph County to fifth place.

Hamilton County still elects all of its judges, a process that McDermott said "results in a lot more Republican judges in Hamilton County, so I imagine downstate they dont mind that as much."

House Enrolled Act 1453, signed into law in 2021, gives Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb more say in the judge selection process. The three commissioners chosen by Lake County lawyers and judges are now to be chosen by Holcomb, and the commission dropped from nine members to seven.

County governments three chief executives  two Democrats and one Republican  would chosoe three others and the Indiana Supreme Court would name the seventh member.

McDermott said the goal of the lawsuit is "equality."

We are hoping at the end of this, that all judges in Lake County will be elected, in which case I imagine the bench in Lake County will look a lot more like Lake County does," McDermott said. "Instead of a bunch appointed judges from the governor.

During a May 23 meeting, the Hammond Common Council unanimously passed a resolution supporting the lawsuit.

Marion and Lake are the most diverse counties in Indiana, while the population in Hamilton County is about 87% white. According to a report from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, about 61% of all black Hoosiers live in either Marion or Lake counties, along with more than 41% of the states Hispanic residents.

"By selectively implementing lesser voting rights only in high minority counties, Indiana has imposed a substantial burden on minority residents. This is not a mere inconvenience, but rather entirely blocks the rights of voters in high minority counties to vote on Superior Court Judges of their choice or to run for election," the lawsuit states.

In response to the lawsuit, the state of Indiana is claiming the judicial nominating process does not violate the Constitution or federal voting laws.

In March, the Lake County Council also passed a resolution supporting judicial elections. McDermott said he hopes to get other municipalities to support the lawsuit.

During the May meeting, councilman Scott Rakos, D-6, made the motion to add the entire council as co-sponsors of the resolution supporting the lawsuit. The motion passed unanimously.

It is not that we have a problem with the judges. The judges are fine," Councilwoman Janet Vanecz, D-at-large, said. "It is the inequity for the four counties that are being singled out."

Because they are not elected, McDermott said residents do not have any "authority" over criminal, civil and juvenile court judges in Lake County.

If youre a judge and you dont fear the voters, you can do whatever you want," McDermott said. "Were not the bosses of the judges in Lake County (and) its not right.
Auburn, IN (46706)

Today

Partly cloudy early then becoming cloudy with periods of rain this afternoon. High 73F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 52F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
BTS will once again be performing on music shows after more than two years!

Keep on reading to know more.

BTS to Return Performing on Music Shows for the First Time in Over Two Years

On June 3 KST, it was reported that K-Pop sensation, BTS, will be making their return on appearing and performing on Korean music shows in light of their upcoming new album.

This will mark BTS' first time in over two years to participate in a music show broadcast. Their last music show appearance was back in March 2020 during their promotions for the single "ON," which is part of their fourth Korean studio album "Map of the Soul: 7."

According to BTS' label, Big Hit Music, BTS kick off their first music show appearance on Mnet's "M Countdown" on June 16, followed by KBS2's "Music Bank" on June 17, and SBS' "Inkigayo" on June 19.

They added that BTS will be performing the title track "Yet To Come" of their upcoming album "Proof," which is set to be released on June 10 KST.

Meanwhile, BTS will be commemorating their ninth anniversary since their debut on June 13, 2013 with their first anthology album. With "Proof," the seven-piece boy group hopes enter a new chapter in their career in the future while looking back at the path they walked through.

"Proof" will feature a total of three CDs, in which each CD will be composed of their past releases, in addition to their upcoming never-been-heard songs. Each CD will include one new song, such as "Yet To Come," "Run BTS," and "For Youth."

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: BTS ARMY Goes After Tucker Carlson for Criticizing BTS' White House Appearance to Speak against Anti-Asian Hate in the U.S.

In particular, the third CD will contain the demo versions of songs much loved by ARMYs (BTS' fandom), such as "Boy In Luv," "Spring Day," "I Need U," "Tony Montana," "DNA," "Boyz With Fun," "Young Forever," and more.

Are you excited for BTS' comeback and their music show performances?

BTS Gears Up for '2022 BTS Festa'

In other news, BTS announced their popular annual celebration, "BTS Festa," will be taking place this year!

Every year, BTS commemorates their debut anniversary by holding the special festival "BTS Festa." With another year into the "Permission to Dance" hitmakers' career, ARMYs can look forward to numerous fun moments among the members and exciting events soon.

According to Big Hit Music's announcement through the "2022 BTS Festa" teaser poster, the group's family portraits will be shared, followed by their practice recordings from 2013 to 2022, a selfie collection, a group dinner, and finally, a special song for ARMYs!

Will you be celebrating BTS' ninth anniversary?

For more K-Pop news and updates, always keep your tabs open here on KpopStarz.

KpopStarz owns this article.

Written by Robyn Joan
A monkeypox outbreak continues to grow in countries where the virus isn't normally found, putting global health officials on high alert.

Now with more than 643 cases of monkeypox in dozens of countries where the virus is not endemic, "the sudden appearance of monkeypox in many countries at the same time suggests there may have been undetected transmission for some time," World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday.

The virus has been circulating for decades in some places, including parts of West and Central Africa. In early research posted this week, scientists at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Edinburgh described how the genetic pattern they're seeing suggests that "there has been sustained human to human transmission since at least 2017."

In that research, genetic sequences showed that the first monkeypox cases in 2022 appear to have descended from an outbreak that resulted in cases in Singapore, Israel, Nigeria and the United Kingdom from 2017 to 2019.

Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist and professor at the University of Arizona who was not involved in the research, said it suggests that "this outbreak has been going on for a long time, locally," as in where the virus is endemic. And it means the world has failed to protect those in resource-limited areas where it has been endemic and to control it at its source before it spread globally, he added.

"It's really a tale of two outbreaks," Worobey said. "We need to actually turn our attention to where it's been spreading ... and start caring about that population just as much as we care about what's going on in all these other countries around the world."

If research continues to show that the virus has spread more among humans than previously thought  more distant from an animal source, that is  Worobey said one "really good question" is: Why wouldn't the world think monkeypox can be endemic in places beyond West and Central Africa?

'We don't even know how long this has been spreading'

Epidemiologist Anne Rimoin has been studying monkeypox for about two decades and has long warned that its spread in places like the Democratic Republic of the Congo could have broader global health implications.

"If monkeypox were to become established in a wildlife reservoir outside Africa, the public health setback would be difficult to reverse," Rimoin, now a professor of epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, warned in a 2010 article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The latest monkeypox outbreak is proving difficult to predict in part because we haven't been able to fully trace its origins.

"We don't even know how long this has been spreading," Rimoin said. "This could have been spreading silently for a while.

"It's like we've now decided to watch a new series, but we don't know exactly which episode we've landed on. I mean, are we on episode two, or are we onepisode four, or are we on episode 10? And how many episodes are in this series? We don't know."

Previous human cases of monkeypox weren't thought to be too far removed from some initial exposure to an infected animal  typically rodents. Once the virus is circulating among these animals, it can continue jumping back into humans who might come into contact with infected squirrels or guinea pigs, for example.

If we continue to see sustained person-to-person transmission in this outbreak, even at low levels, that brings the possibility of a spillover back into animals in nonendemic countries from "an existential threat to a distinct possibility," Rimoin told CNN. Such a spillover could then allow the virus to remain in an environment, jumping between animals and humans over time.

Too early to tell

WHO officials say the global public health risk is moderate.

"The public health risk could become high if this virus exploits the opportunity to establish itself as a human pathogen and spreads to groups at higher risk of severe disease such as young children and immunosuppressed persons," according to a WHO risk assessment issued Sunday, which added that "immediate action from countries is required to control further spread among groups at risk, prevent spread to the general population and avert the establishment of monkeypox as a clinical condition and public health problem in currently non-endemic countries."

In a news briefing last week, an official with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that it's "too early to tell" whether the virus could become endemic in the United States but that experts remain "hopeful" that won't happen.

"I think we're in the very early days of our investigations," said Dr. Jennifer McQuiston, deputy director of the CDC's Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology.

McQuiston pointed out that the virus didn't become endemic after the last monkeypox outbreak in the United States, in 2003, when pet prairie dogs led to dozens of infected people across multiple states.

"We're hopeful we'll be able to similarly contain this," McQuiston said.

The European CDC appeared to agree with McQuiston in its own assessment last week, saying there's no evidence that the virus established itself in US wildlife after authorities conducted "an aggressive campaign for exposed animals during the 2003 outbreak."

According to the European agency, "The probability of this spill-over event is very low."

Still, it wouldn't be the first virus to take up residence in a U.S. animal population, said Dr. Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Before 1999, West Nile virus was unheard-of in the U.S. Now, it's the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the country.

"It got seeded into mosquito populations and ... bird populations and was able to establish itself," Adalja said.

Still, he agrees that this is far from an inevitability with monkeypox because "2003 was a good opportunity for it to happen," and it didn't.

Worobey says there are too many unknowns to figure out where this monkeypox outbreak is headed.

"What we're finding out here, in real time, is that we know very little about what's going on," he said, "and I think it's too early to be giving blanket reassurances."
I like trains. I like their rhythm, and I like the freedom of being suspended between two places, all anxieties of purpose taken care of: for this moment I know where I am going.

 Anna Funder

Recently, I took an immersive trip back in time.

Like Marty McFly in Doc Emmett Browns time-traveling 1981 Delorean DMC-12, my time-traveling experience was an electrifying 1.21 gigawatt blast to the past, albeit not at 88 mph.

Well, maybe not 1.21 gigawatts, but it nevertheless was literally an electrifying experience riding the 14-mile round trip rails between East Troy and Mukwonago with the East Troy Electric Railroad, based at the East Troy Railroad Museum, 2002 Church St.

Crossing the threshold into the historic circa-1907 electrical substation that houses the 50-year-old museum, the TMER&L name etched for historical posterity in concrete high over the entryway, like McFly I found myself instantaneously immersed in a yesteryear foreign to me but once familiar to my parents, grandparents and great-grandparents.

Like the rhythmic clickety-clack and comforting rock of the circa-1927 South Shore Line interurban streetcar as it carries me down the line, the immersive living museum ride into history brings me comfort as I remember my late Nanas old stories of riding Milwaukees electrifield trolleys down by Gimbels, where the streetcar bends the corner round.

I close my eyes and try to envision the sepia-toned stories of those days.

Riding the streetcars to watch the minor league American Association Brewers take on the Toledo Mud Hens or Minneapolis Millers at Borchert Field. Or later taking the #10 Wells streetcar over the Miller Valley viaduct to watch the major league Braves take on the Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee County Stadium.

Taking the streetcars to catch a concert or stage play at The Pabst, or perhaps shop Milwaukees retailing grand dames of yore like Gimbels, Ed. Schusters, Goldmanns, Boston Store and T.A. Chapmans, or the old legacy five-and-dimes like F.W. Woolworth, S.S. Kresge and W.T Grant.

Hopping a North Shore Line interurban from Milwaukee to the Chicago Loop during the snowy Thanksgiving-to-Christmas holidays to shop the great Marshall Field & Co. and Carson Pirie Scott & Co. flaghips on State Street, that great street.

It was 115 years ago, when my great-grandparents were newly marrieds, that The Milwaukee Electric Light and Railway Co., todays We Energies, began running trolleys out to far-flung East Troy in Walworth County out of architect Herman J. Essers enduring circa-1905 neoclassical Beaux Arts-styled TMER&L Public Service Building in downtown Milwaukee.

The historic structure at 231 W. Michigan St., which served as TMER&Ls office building and the downtown passenger terminal for its nearly 200-mile regional interurban system, is now used as headquarters for TMER&L successor firm WEC Energy Group and its local subsidiary, We Energies. TMER&Ls once expansive electrified interurban network blanketed southeastern Wisconsin, running north to Sheboygan, south to Kenosha, west to Watertown and southwest to Burlington and East Troy.

The Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad, also known as the North Shore Line, operated an electrified 88.9-mile interurban passenger railroad between downtown Milwaukee and the Chicago Loop from July 1916 to January 1963.

TMER&Ls Milwaukee Electric Railway & Transport Co. (The Transport Company), which once operated a dense network of 20 Milwaukee-based urban electric streetcar routes running north to Glendale, west to Wauwatosa and West Allis, and south to Cudahy and South Milwaukee, retired its last electrified city streetcar in favor of exhaust-belching busses on March 1, 1958.

With the rising popularity of the automobile and paved street and highway systems, TMER&Ls East Troy interurban line was abandoned in 1939, although freights ran on it until the early 2000s. TMER&L abandoned its last interurban line on June 30, 1951.

Thankfully, a dedicated group of railfans began running restored trolleys, streetcars and interurbans on a seven-mile span of the historic TMER&L line in May 1972 and theyre still at it today, rekindling memories and making new ones for their riders.

The East Troy Railroad Museum and East Troy Electric Railway volunteers now operate a rotating fleet of 27 electric trolleys, streetcars and interurban cars on its East Troy to Mukwonago line, including TMER&L city trolleys, streetcars and interurbans, and North Shore Line interurbans.

Thanks to their efforts, I can hop aboard, step out of 2022 and get transported back in time, losing myself in a warm, nostalgic reverie of Nanas old stories of the streetcar bending the corner round down by Gimbels at the busy cattywampus transfer corner at West Wisconsin and North Plankinton.

Somewhere in a keepsake box back home, theres even one of Nanas old TMER&L tickets, like the East Troy Electric Railway a tangible, time-transporting link to an increasingly ethereal past.

Thanks to the dedicated efforts of the cadre of volunteers at the East Troy Railroad Museum and East Troy Electric Railway, the past meets the future and its yesterday once more.

For more information about the the East Troy Railroad Museum and the East Troy Electric Railway, visit www.easttroyrr.org or call 262-642-3263.

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A Walworth County farmer from Sharon is throwing his hat in the political ring for Congress.

Charles Barman recently announced his candidacy for U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District.

Barman is set to face incumbent Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Janesville, and Ann Roe, D-Janesville during the Nov. 8 fall election.

Roe is a 25-year Janesville resident and owns a small business, Custom College Solutions, which helps high school students prepare for college. She has previously lectured at UW-Whitewater.

She is also a fundraiser for local civic organizations, where she led an effort to secure $80,000 in funding for the repair and renovation of the Womans Club Building in downtown Janesville.

Barman said he submitted his nomination papers with about 1,730 signatures, May 27, in an empty Modelo beer box. He was informed May 31 that his nomination papers had been accepted.

"They said, 'This is the first time anyone has delivered petitions in a Modelo box,'" Barman said.

The 1st Congressional District includes areas of Walworth County, Kenosha County, Racine County, Waukesha County and Rock County.

Barman said he is running for the 1st Congressional District seat because he is not pleased with the job that Steil is currently doing.

"I'm not happy with our congressman. I'm not happy with the previous congressman," Barman said. "I believe our current congressman is a puppet of Paul Ryan, and he still does his bidding for him."

Barman was a Republican candidate during the Wisconsin U.S. Senate primary election in August 2018, in which he faced Leah Vukmir, Kevin Nicholson, George Lucia and Griffin Jones.

Vukmir won that election with 217,023 votes; Nicholson received 190,840 votes; Lucia obtained 18,803 votes; Jones received 8,764 votes; and Barman received 7,937 votes.

Barman also ran unsuccessfully as an independent candidate for Indiana's 1st Congressional District in 2006.

The 'Going away party'

During the Nov. 8 election, Barman is running as an independent candidate under what he calls the "Going Away Party."

"I'm not tied in with the Republican Party. The Republican Party in District 1, they're RHINOs," Barman said. "They're definitely RHINOs, and I'm doing this to pay back Paul Ryan for sacrificing our border and not giving $28 billion to close our border, because he hated Donald Trump. We had the House and the Senate to push that though."

Barman added, "Another thing I learned is the Democrats in Kenosha aren't going to be voting Democrat this time for the way that Evers handled the riots and let that city go under siege for four days. So I'm giving all these people who are Democrats an alternative to vote for somebody who is going to look out for them."

If elected, Barman said he would like to help reduce the water levels of the Fox River Valley and the Des Plaines River Valley. He said the City of Chicago dumps about 2.5 million gallons of water in the Illinois River every day, which backs into the Fox River and Des Plaines River and has caused flooding issues.

"When you're a congressmen you're in charge of the Army Corps of Engineers, so you can march right in there with them and say, 'Hey, you didn't do this right. You should have put that water in a deep tunnel and you didn't because it costs you money to pump it out,'" he said.

Barman said he plans to focus on other issues that he feels are important to residents if he is elected.

"I'm just going to try to get in," Barman said. "Once I get in, I'll sort things out."

Barman plans to inform voters of his candidacy by distributing handbills throughout the 1st District.

"I'm going to stand out in the street corners and play in traffic and hand them out," he said.

Barman said he is confident about his chances of winning. He said when he obtained signatures to be placed on the ballot at a Mobile gas station in Delavan, he said several people indicated that they were not in support of Steil.

"I probably got 90% of the signatures at that gas station parking lot. Nine times out of 10, they would sign," Barman said. "All I had to do is say, 'I hate Paul Ryan, I'm running for congress,' and they would say, 'Give me that thing.' He's not very well liked, and this kid that replaced him is not very well liked. That's why I got a chance."

Out on the farm and other occupations

Barman has operated Swingbelly farm, N6020 Peters Road in Sharon for about eight year, raising chickens, tomatoes and peppers. Before the coronavirus, he supplied eggs, tomatoes and peppers to about 14 restaurants.

"COVID shut down the whole deal," Barman said. "The restaurants weren't open, so I had no place to sell my eggs and I had no place to sell my produce."

Barman has sold produce at farmers markets in Illinois during previous years, but he has decided not to do that this year.

"I'm just going to get enough plants just to take care of myself," Barman said. "I'm not doing a farmers market this year, because I have no chickens."

Barman worked as a construction superintendent in Chicago for about 20 years before operating the farm-- overseeing school renovation projects and building projects that costed up to $500 million.

"That's a lot of responsibility when you work on a project like that and you supervise that many people," Barman said. "The current congressman has no work background on anything like that. He doesn't know what the average person goes through every day. He's just a lawyer."

Barman decided to move to the Walworth County area in 2009 while working on home remodeling projects in Delavan.

"I just ended up staying here," Barman said. "Plus, I was going back and forth to work on the schools in Chicago at the time, so I was pretty busy. But I just liked it up here and I stayed up here."

Santa and television appearances

Barman portrays Santa Claus at The Bottle Shop, 617 W. Main St. in Lake Geneva, during the holiday season. He also has appeared as Santa at the Brookfield Zoo.

"It's been a lot of fun. We sit back in the theater area and the kids talk," Barman said. "They tell you what they want, and everyone else is sitting and waiting their turn and listening. It's a fun thing. The kids like it. The parents and grandparents get a big kick out of it."

Barman has appeared in television commercials for Oreo cookies, Sears and Kmart. He also appeared in an episode of the television program "Chicago Med."

"I died within the first five seconds of the show. Then the rest of the show revolved around them charging my widow $15,000 and me not getting in because I died in the waiting room," Barman said. "Everybody in that whole episode died. There was nobody who lived. It was a very sad episode. I don't know why they wrote it that way. It was very depressing. Anyway, that's my claim to fame."

Barman said he feels he is a quality candidate because he offers a different perspective to the District 1 seat.

"If people like myself don't get involved, you're going to have the exact same people doing the exact same thing over and over again," Barman said. "If you don't get somebody who is going to shake things up, then you're going to get the same results. The people in District 1 are stuck with a pig farmer from Sharon, because that's their only alternative. So lucky them."

Watch now: Storybook trail established along Four Seasons Nature Preserve Watch now: Students read a portion of the storybook trail St. Francis de Sales enjoy their tour of the storybook trail at the Four Seasons Nature Preserve. Watch now: Storybook trail comes to an end The storybook trail features educational information and children's activities. Watch now: Students do some learning on the storybook trail St. Francis de Sales students read a portion of the storybook trail St. Francis de Sales teacher Jill Lorenzi asks students what they learned while touring the storybook trail St. Francis de Sales teacher Jill Lorenzi asks students what they learned while touring the storybook trail. Besides a story, the storybook trail features educational information and activities Besides a story, the storybook trail features educational information about the Four Seasons Nature Preserve and suggested activities. Jill Lorenzi tells her students they did a quality job working on the storybook trail Jill Lorenzi tells her students they did a quality job working on the storybook trail. The storybook trail is installed along the Four Seasons Nature Trail in different stations The storybook trail is installed along the Four Season Nature Trail in different stations. Carol Zimmermann, member of the avian committee, thanks the students Carol Zimmermann, member of the avian committee, thanks the students for working on the storybook trail. A group of St. Francis de Sales students and their teacher Jill Lorenzi pose for a photo A group of St. Francis de Sales students and their teacher Jill Lorenzi pose for a photo before touring the storybook trail at the Four Season St. Francis de Sales students, city officials and members of the avian committee unveil the storybook trail St. Francis de Sales students, city officials and members of the Lake Geneva Avian Committee unveil the 2022 storybook trail at Four Seasons N St. Francis de Sales students read a portion a story on the storybook trail St. Francis de Sales students read a portion of the storybook trail, which is about a family of purple martins looking for a home.

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Vadodara (Gujarat) [India], June 4 (ANI): Ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia on Friday said that the party will be contesting the polls from all 182 seats in the state.

Sisodia, in Vadodara, said that the people of Gujarat did not have an option in the polls, but with AAP contesting all seats, they will now have a choice.

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"We will contest all the seats in Gujarat. Now, the people of Gujarat have to decide. Till now people of Gujarat did not have an option but, now they have an option," he said.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal will visit the state on June 6 to participate in the party's Tiranga Yatra in Mehsana.

Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Modi Stopped Russia-Ukraine War for 3 Hours To Evacuate Indian Students, Says BJP Leader Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Kejriwal had urged the people of Gujarat to give one chance to his party in the forthcoming elections in the state. He said that his party will end the cycle of corruption in the state after coming to power.

After its landslide victory in the recently held Punjab Assembly elections, AAP is seeking to expand its footprint in other states.

The party had made its debut in Gujarat in the 2017 Assembly polls, but could not open its account.

Gujarat will go for Assembly polls this year.

AAP's Gujarat hope has been fuelled by its performance in the February 2021 Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) polls in which the BJP won 93 seats, while Aam Aadmi Party bagged 27 seats in the Surat Municipal Corporation election while Congress drew a blank. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Guwahati (Assam) [India], June 4 (ANI): The Assam Police on Saturday successfully established a link between the Popular Front of India (PFI) and the Bangladesh based Islamic terror group Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), during an investigation pertaining to the recent crackdown on the ABT module where the police had arrested 16 persons since April. According to the Assam police, some PFI activists are working for ABT-- an Al-Qaeda inspired Islamic extremist group based in Bangladesh and they have been closely monitoring all the activities of PFI in the state. The Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) (Special Branch) of Assam police, Hiren Nath, confirmed that one person among the 16 arrested was the president of PFI's Barpeta district unit. "On April 15, we registered a case in Barpeta district in which some (16) ABT activists were arrested. One of them was Maqibul Hussain," Nath said.

"During the interrogation, Hussain surrendered that he was the president of PFI of Barpeta district. Before joining Ansarullah Bangla Team he was actively working for PFI in the lower Assam, but later resigned to join the said group where he was trained by Mehdi Hasan," he added.

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According to the ADGP, so far, the Assam police have registered as many as 18 cases against PFI and CFI. "Out of the 18 cases, 16 are registered against PFI while the other two cases are lodged against the CFI. We have submitted a chargesheet in 12 cases so far and the rest of the cases are being investigated," he said.

Nath in his further conversation revealed the style of working of this group by highlighting that they provoke the people by demonstrating sensitive issues taking place anywhere in the country.

Also Read | Weather Forecast: Heatwave in Northwestern and Central India After Brief Respite.

"One of the modus operandi of this group or the workers is that anything happening anywhere in the country which does not even have any connection with Assam--may be some Hijab issue or some temples, mosques-- they will demonstrate it here, especially in the lower Assam region, including Guwahati city, Goalpara, Barpeta, Baksa, Dhubri and some parts of the Barak Valley. They provoking people and it is very dangerous for the country," he asserted. Mentioning that the PFI is currently active in 10 districts of the state, he assured that the police is keeping its sharp eye on their activities.

Recently, the state Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also urged the Centre to ban PFI and CFI organisations. "Two cases were registered in Guwahati and one in Dhubri where they (PFI) published some materials and pamphlets with some anti-national and anti-government slangs written over them," he noted.

He further continued by saying that PFI members were doing something very secretly. "We have recovered some printing materials printed in Bengali and Arabic, that contained literature teaching Jihad, how to do Jihad, how to attract people to Jihad, what are the requirements for the Jihadi, and all these things. We are investigating it all," the top cop said. "If anyone tries to disturb the social peace and tranquillity, or take the law into their hands, we will take very strong action against them," Nath assured. Nath also offered to help the Uttar Pradesh police in managing the recent clashes that broke out in Kanpur on Friday.

A violent clash broke out between two groups belonging to different communities allegedly over a matter of market shutdown in Kanpur.

In the aftermath of the clashes, two persons and one policeman were injured. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Patna (Bihar) [India], June 4 (ANI): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday said that the state government will take suggestions for the caste-based census from all the political parties regarding its implementation process.

"Decisions have been made on caste-based census and the department is already preparing for it. That'll take almost a month but will start the work soon. We'll keep informing parties about it and take suggestions from them. This is in favour of all communities," the chief minister told ANI.

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Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government on Thursday gave approval to a caste-based census. The government has allocated a budget of Rs 500 crore for the survey. The exercise will be completed by February next year.

At the state level, the survey will be carried out by the General Administration Department, and at the district level, DM will be the nodal officer. Both of these will be in charge of the panchayat level and block level.

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Leaders of all nine political parties were present in the meeting and gave some important suggestions to the Chief Minister.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav had declared the announcement as a "win" and said, "It's a caste-based survey, not a census. It's our win. Today we suggested (in the all-party meeting) that social anthropologists should be included in this and the Central government should also support it financially."

Highlighting the importance of the caste-based census, CM Kumar on May 25 had said that it would enable the government to work for the development of various sections of the society.

Caste Census has become a key political issue in Bihar. Most of the parties in Bihar, including the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) which is in Opposition in the state, have called for Caste Census. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Lucknow, Jun 4 (PTI) Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday attacked the BJP saying the party is working to weaken the constitutional institutions, including the Election Commission. Addressing a meeting of party candidates in 2022 UP Assembly election and other office bearers, Yadav said, "The BJP does not believe in socialism, democracy, and secularism mentioned in the Preamble of the Constitution. The BJP is working to weaken constitutional institutions." The meeting was held apparently to rouse SP workers' spirits for the Azamgarh and Rampur bypoll to be held on June 23. In a statement issued by the party, Yadav said while the SP increased its vote percentage in the 2022 assembly elections, the result of many assembly constituencies was affected because of misuse of the official machinery.

He also alleged that the Election Commission did not take proper cognisance of the party's grievances during the latest elections.

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There were too many discrepancies in the voter list, and names of voters were missing, he said.

The SP chief entrusted the responsibility of increasing the voting percentage to the party officials and told them to gear up for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and 2027 UP Legislative Assembly election.

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Yadav also alleged that the villages and poor are not the priority of the BJP and it is only ruling the public by spreading hatred and tension.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Gurugram, Jun 4 (PTI) A private school chairman in Farrukhnagar area has allegedly received an abduction threat from a man who claimed to be a member of Lawrence Bishnoi gang, police said on Saturday.

An FIR has been registered against the unidentified caller under section 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC at Farrukhnagar Police Station, they said.

Also Read | Weather Forecast: Heatwave in Northwestern and Central India After Brief Respite.

According to a complaint filed by Jai Pal Yadav, chairman, Dronacharya Senior Secondary School, Bhangrola village, he received the call Friday from a man who claimed to be a member of the notorious Bishnoi gang.

The man told me that he was a member of Lawrence Bishnoi gang and he will abduct me on Monday. When I asked him what the matter was, he said he will reveal the reason only on Monday, Yadav said in his complaint.

Also Read | PM Narendra Modi to Launch Global Initiative LiFE Movement Tomorrow.

After that, even after trying several times, I could not connect to him on the number he called me from, he said.

As per the complaint, an FIR has been registered and a probe is on, said Sunil Beniwal, SHO, Farrukhnagar Police Station.

(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], June 4 (ANI): India has reported a marginal dip in the COVID-19 cases on Saturday, as the country logged 3,962 fresh infections in the last 24 hours.

Yesterday, after nearly three months, the daily tally of COVID-19 cases in India had crossed the 4,000-mark with the country logging 4,041 infections in the last 24 hours.

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With this, India's active COVID caseload stands at 22,416, constituting 0.05 per cent of the country's total positive cases.

The daily positivity rate of 0.77 per cent was observed in the last 24 hours, while the weekly positivity rate was recorded to be 0.89 per cent, the health ministry informed today.

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With 2,697 recoveries in the last 24 hours hence, the total recoveries now reached 4,26,25,454. India's Recovery Rate is currently at 98.73 per cent.

As per the health ministry, India conducted 4,45,814 COVID-19 tests in the last 24 hours. The country has so far conducted 85.22 crore (85,22,09,788) total tests, as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) data.

The country has administered more than 193.96 crore (1,93,96,47,071) vaccine doses so far under the Nationwide Vaccination Drive.

"This has been achieved through 2,47,05,065 sessions," the Ministry said.

COVID-19 vaccination for the age group 12-14 years began on March 16, 2022. So far, more than 3.43 Cr (3,43,23,522) adolescents have been administered the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (ANI)

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Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], June 4 (ANI): Congress leader from Kerala and former Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Prayar Gopalakrishnan passed away on Saturday at the age of 73.

He died of a heart attack while he was travelling to Thiruvananthapuram.

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Gopalakrishnan was a former president of the Travancore Devaswam Board (TDB). He had also worked as the chairman of the state-run milk cooperative society Milma for a long period.

When he was the Devaswam board president, he opposed allowing women to enter Sabarimala.

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He represented Chadayamangalam constituency in the assembly and he was elected in 2001.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and all Congress leaders from other parties expressed their condolences on the death of Gopalakrishnan. (ANI)

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Mumbai, Jun 4 (PTI) Over 40,000 motorists were penalised for traffic violations as part of a special 12-hour drive, a Mumbai police official said on Saturday.

Also Read | Prayar Gopalakrishnan Dies at 73: Veteran Congress Leader and Former Legislator Passes Away Due to Cardiac Arrest While Travelling to Thiruvananthapuram.

Of the 40,320 cases that were registered, the highest, 10,338 cases, were for riding two-wheelers or riding pillion without helmets during the drive that took place between 9am and 9pm on Friday, he said.

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"Action was taken against owners of 9,847 vehicles for illegal parking, while 3,310 cases were made for unnecessary honking. Action was taken against 4,794 vehicles parked outside railway stations," he said.

"Action was taken against owners of 597 vehicles for wrong-side driving, 50 vehicles for silencer modification and 98 for overspeeding. We also penalised 329 food delivery vehicles," the official added.

The drive was manned by personnel from the traffic police and Local Arms, he informed.

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Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 4 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday expressed grief over the loss of lives due to a blast at a chemical factory in Uttar Pradesh's Hapur.

"The loss of lives due to a blast in the boiler at the chemical factory in Hapur is extremely heart-wrenching. My condolences are with the kin of the deceased," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

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"Authorities concerned have been directed to hurry up with the relief work and have been ordered to take the injured persons for their treatment," the Hindi tweet read further.

As per the CMO, he has also directed officials to provide every possible assistance to the kin of the deceased and probe the matter.

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"After reaching the spot, the Chief Minister directed the district administration and officials to provide every possible assistance to the kin of the deceased and have given the instructions to probe the matter," the CMO said in a series of Hindi tweets.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways and Civil Aviation General Vijay Kumar Singh have also expressed their deep condolences for the mishap in Hapur.

As per the officials, at least nine people were killed and nineteen others suffered injuries after a boiler exploded at a chemical factory in Uttar Pradesh's Hapur district, earlier in the day, and multiple fire tenders reached the spot.

The police have been investigating the matter.

People who sustained injuries during the explosion were shifted to the hospital and were being taken care of, it said.

Speaking to the media, Hapur District Magistrate (DM) Medha Roopam said, "A total of 19 injured and 9 dead (in the explosion). Permission was there for manufacturing electronics goods but has to be probed what really was happening..."

"A committee will be formed. Forensic team finding out what chemical has been retrieved (in the explosion at the manufacturing factory," she added. (ANI)

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Bhubaneswar, Jun 4 (PTI) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday asked all ministers to resign from the council of ministers ahead of a reshuffle on June 5, a top official said.

Governor Prof Ganeshi Lal, who is on a visit to Puri, has been informed about the programme which will be held at the state secretariat, the Lok Seva Bhavan.

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The new ministers will take the oath of office at 11.45 am at a function to be held at the Convention Centre on the premises of the Lok Seva Bhavan on Sunday, a highly placed source in the Raj Bhavan told PTI.

Sources in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said that the ministers have started putting in their papers.

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This will be the first reshuffle in the three-year-old ministry. The process needs to be completed by Monday as the governor is scheduled to go outside Odisha after two days.

Patnaik, a fifth term chief minister, is also scheduled to visit Rome and Dubai from June 20 and he wants to revamp the ministry before his departure, the CMO sources said.

The ministry reshuffle exercise began a day after the ruling BJD won three Rajya Sabha seats and the by-poll in the Brajrajnagar assembly constituency.

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Lucknow, Jun 4 (PTI) Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati Saturday attacked the state government over the violence and stone-pelting in Kanpur, asking the BJP dispensation to take action against the culprits "by rising above religion, caste and party politics".

Her statement came after violence broke out in Kanpur on Friday, a day when President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended a function at the president's ancestral village in Kanpur Dehat.

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Bombs were hurled and gunshots fired during the violence as members of a group attempted to shut shops over alleged insulting remarks made by BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma during a television debate recently, a senior police official said.

In a tweet Saturday, Mayawati said, "Riots and violence that erupted in Kanpur during the visit of the president and the prime minister to Uttar Pradesh is very sad, unfortunate and worrying and also a sign of the failure of the police intelligence.

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"The government has to understand that in the absence of law and order, how investment and development are possible in the state?" she said.

She said the government should take strict legal action against the culprits "by rising above religion, caste and party politics and conduct an independent and impartial high-level inquiry".

She also appealed to people to avoid provocative speeches and maintain law and order, and peace.

According to senior police officials, the situation in Kanpur is under control on Saturday morning, but heavy police force has been deployed in the violence-hit areas.

Police have initiated investigation and arrested at least 18 people.

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New Delhi, June 4 (PTI) Congress on Saturday fielded its former municipal councilor Prem Lata as candidate for the June 23 Rajinder Nagar Assembly constituency bypoll in Delhi.

A press release issued by AICC said Congress president Sonia Gandhi has approved the candidature of Prem Lata, ex councilor, as Congress candidate for the bypoll to Delhi Assembly from Rajinder Nagar constituency.

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Prem Lata, won municipal poll from Pusa ward under Rajinder Nagar constituency, in 2012. She however, unsuccessfully, contested from Inderpuri ward in the same Assembly constituency in 2017, said a senior Delhi Congress leader.

"Her announcement as a party candidate in the bypoll proves that Congress takes care of its hard working dedicated workers," the leader said.

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Having a strong local connect and being the lone female candidate of major political parties, Prem Lata will give a good fight in the bypoll, he added.

The AAP has fielded Durgesh Pathak while the BJP has fielded Rajesh Bhatia from the Rajinder Nagar assembly seat. The seat became vacant following senior AAP leader Raghav Chadha's election to Rajya Sabha from Punjab.

The last date for filing nomination papers for the bypoll is June 6. Voting will be held on June 23 and results will be declared on June 26.

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Hapur, June 4: At least six workers died after a boiler exploded at a chemical factory in western Uttar Pradesh's Hapur district on Saturday afternoon, officials said. Some other workers suffered injuries in the explosion that took place at the factory located in the Dholana area of the district. Rescue and relief measures were continuing at the site, according to the officials. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families, his office stated in a tweet in Hindi.

The chief minister has directed district administration officers to go to the spot and oversee rescue and relief measures and extend all possible help to the victims and their families, the CM's office tweeted. Fire at Chemical Factory in Delhi, 5 Firefighters Hospitalised.

Visuals From the Spot:

Uttar Pradesh | A blast happened in a boiler in a chemical factory in Hapur district. Multiple fire tenders at the spot. pic.twitter.com/WUGwiRKuvn  ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) June 4, 2022

UP cabinet minister Nand Gopal Gupta 'Nandi' said that six workers died in the explosion at the factory's boiler. May God give peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families to bear the immense loss. I wish speedy recovery to the injured, the minister tweeted. Further details are awaited.

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Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh)[India], June 4 (ANI): Police stopped Swami Avimukteshwarananda at Sri Vidya Math on Saturday while he was leaving to offer prayers at the 'Shivling' in Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi.

Reportedly, the Hindu saint had declared to offer prayers at the 'Shivling' for June 4 in Gyanvapi.

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"We will abide by the court's decision but will God remain hungry and thirsty till the court's decision? We filed a review petition (for permission to pray) but got no response from the police," said Swami Avimukteshwarananda.

He also informed that a letter was sent to the deputy commissioner regarding the same.

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"I sent the petition to the commissioner from my own mobile and sent my man along with the letter to the office of the deputy commissioner. I have proof. I will sit here, have food only after puja," he added.

This comes in the wake of the Gyanvapi Mosque case.

Five women had filed a petition in the court seeking permission for daily worship at the Shringar Gauri temple, which was allegedly situated inside the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi mosque premises.

The Hindu side has claimed that a Shivling (a representation of Lord Shiva) was discovered inside the mosque premises and the Muslim side claimed that the structure was part of the fountain at the mosque's wuzu khana area.

The Muslim side has argued that the plea is not maintainable as the Places of Worship Act 1991 prohibits conversion of any place of worship and mandates the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947.

Varanasi District Court deferred the hearing on the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee's plea challenging the maintainability of a suit filed by Hindu women, according to a lawyer representing the petitioner women till July 4.

Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, appearing for Hindu women, said that matter has been deferred till July 4. (ANI)

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Mumbai, Jun 4 (PTI) South-east carrier Vietjet on Saturday announced the launch of its direct flight services to the financial capital from Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam, and Ho Chi Minh City.

It said services on the Hanoi-Mumbai-Hanoi route will be operated three times a week, while the Mumbai to Ho Chi Minh City flights will be run four times per week.

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Vietjet started its operations in India in December 2019, connecting New Delhi to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The services were discontinued following India suspending commercial international passenger flight operations in late March 2020 due to the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic.

After the government lifted the ban on March 27 this year, Vietjet announced resumption of operations along with expansion of its services between Vietnam and India.

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"Following the launch of our New Delhi - Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi services, we are delighted to launch two more direct routes between Vietnam and Mumbai.

"We believe that the two services from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to Mumbai as well as the coming Phu Quoc - Mumbai route will strengthen the on-going relationship of Vietnam's two biggest cities with Mumbai," Vietjet's Vice President Do Xuan Quang said at the launch of the Mumbai flight.

The services on these new routes are expected to be scaled up in the coming times to meet customers' demand, he added.

From September 9, the Mumbai - Phu Quoc route will commence operation with four round trips per week, while the New Delhi - Phu Quoc service will operate with a frequency of three round trips per week, the airline said.

Commenting on the new services from its airport, a spokesperson of the Chhtrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) said, "These services by Vietjet will offer diversified travel destinations and flight schedules, as well as add direct flight options to the Mumbai Airport's route network from the city to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to further boost travel opportunities between the two countries."

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Canberra [Australia], June 4 (ANI): Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will travel to Indonesia for the Annual Leaders' Meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Jakarta on Sunday.

The Prime Minister will travel along with Foreign Minister Senator Penny Wong, Trade Minister Senator Don Farrell, Industry Minister Ed Husic, and Member for Solomon Luke Gosling OAM. They will be joined on the visit by a high-level delegation of Australian business leaders.

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The Prime Minister will depart Australia on Sunday, June 5, and will return on June 7.

During the Annual Leaders' Meeting, the Prime Minister and President Widodo will discuss bilateral trade and investment, cooperation on climate and energy, and regional and global interests.

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Especially important will be both sides' ambition to unlock the potential of the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, including taking forward the Government's proposed USD 200 million climate and infrastructure fund with Indonesia, stated the press release by the Australian government.

In Jakarta, the Prime Minister will also meet with ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi to discuss the Government's commitment to Southeast Asia and ASEAN centrality.

"Indonesia is one of our closest neighbours, which is why I committed to visiting as soon as possible," Albanese said in the release.

"Our two countries have a long history of cooperation and friendship, and my Government will work with Indonesia to deepen this. We partner together closely on issues of trade, development, education, and regional security," he added.

"During my visit, I look forward to building our ties further, including revitalizing our trade relationship and promoting climate, infrastructure, and energy cooperation," the statement added quoting the Prime Minister.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Penny Wong said that the Australian Government is serious about engagement in Southeast Asia, and this visit demonstrates the importance its places on the partnership with Indonesia.

"We share a fundamental interest in promoting a more prosperous, stable, and secure region, where sovereignty is respected. Australia's partnership with Indonesia has never been more consequential to this objective," she said.

Moreover, Minister for Trade and Tourism Senator Don Farrell highlighted that the Albanese Government will deliver the economic expansion promised in the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

"Revitalising our trade and investment relationship will boost the economies of both Australia and Indonesia," he added. (ANI)

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Lahore [Pakistan], June 4 (ANI): Amid the ongoing political turmoil in Pakistan, a district court judge in Lahore on Saturday ordered authorities concerned to register a first information report (FIR) against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, his son and Chief Minister of Punjab, Hamza Shehbaz, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and other senior police officials.

The Ministers have been booked for injuring and torturing Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) workers during the Azadi march, reported the Express Tribune.

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Previously, an additional district and sessions judge had directed SHO Bhati Gate Police Station to register a criminal case against Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, eight police officials including CCPO Lahore and DIG Operations as well as 400 unknown officials for assaulting lawyers and damaging their vehicles when they were going to the Islamabad to join the long march, Pakistan daily Express Tribune added, citing sources.

Advocate Afzal Azeem, the petitioner stated that the senior police officials tortured PTI supporters and used batons and tear gas to restrain them from joining the party's long march, adding that it was a 'serious' offence in which the law enforcers tortured citizens who were exercising their democratic right of protest.

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Blaming the Shehbaz government for the long march violence, Advocate Azeem contended in his petition that the police high ups committed this offence 'on the whims of the premier, the provincial Chief Minister and the Interior Minister'.

Imran and other leaders of his party were booked in 14 cases registered at multiple police stations across Islamabad over allegations of vandalism, however, the PHC chief justice granted the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf leader bail till June 25 and subsequently forwarded the orders to the additional sessions judge of Islamabad.

Calling the Azadi March a peaceful demonstration, the ousted leader called on the present government for the excessive use of force, usage of chemical shells of tear gas, baton charge, firing, shelling, rubber bullets and shotguns which "tore apart" the fundamental rights of people. (ANI)

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Dakar [Senegal], June 4 (ANI): Highlighting the growth in trade and economic ties between India and Senegal, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Friday said that the bilateral trade has crossed a record high of USD 1.65 billion in 2021-22.Naidu, who is on a 3-nation visit comprising Gabon, Senegal, and Qatar, addressed the 'Tiranga-Business Dialogue: India-Senegal Business Forum' in Dakar, Senegal.

The Vice President also hoped that the trade would grow significantly in the coming years. Naidu was in Senegal since June 1 and now he is heading to Qatar as part of his visit.

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The West African country, Senegal, views India as an integral and reliable partner in its vision of 'Emerging Senegal 2035'. Earlier, Naidu reiterated India's commitment to be a part of Senegal's growth story.

During his visit to Senegal economic issues were also discussed. "Both sides talked about bilateral trade which has grown by 35-37 per cent in the last two years. Bilateral trade is at 1.65 billion now," said Dammu Ravi, MEA Secretary (ER) in a press briefing.

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Three MoUs were also signed with the West African country to further deepen bilateral partnerships in various areas. The first MoU pertains to a visa-free regime for Diplomatic and Official passport holders which would strengthen cooperation between the two countries through seamless travel of officials/diplomats.

The second agreement relates to the renewal of the Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) for the period 2022-26. Appreciating the richness of Indian and Senegalese culture, Naidu expressed confidence that with the renewal of the CEP, there will be more cultural exchanges, thereby strengthening people-to-people contacts.

The third MoU seeks to enhance bilateral cooperation in youth matters. Recognizing that both India and Senegal have relatively young populations, the Vice President expressed confidence that this MoU will be mutually beneficial to the two countries through sharing of information, knowledge and good practices, and youth exchanges.

Complimenting Senegal for positioning itself as one of Africa's model democracies, the Vice President said that India, as the world's largest democracy, appreciates Senegal's success in this regard. He further said that these shared values of democracy and secularism form the basis of warm and friendly relations between the two countries.

Appreciating Senegal's support for India's permanent UNSC membership, Naidu reiterated India's unwavering support for the Common African Position, enshrined in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration and underscored the need to rectify the historical injustice done to the African continent.

"There was discussion on cultural enhancement, including Bollywood, people-to-people, and parliamentarian exchanges. Vice President Venkaiah Naidu invited President of the National Assembly (of Senegal) Moustapha Niasse at a mutually convenient time," said the MEA Secretary. (ANI)

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Dakar [Senegal], June 4 (ANI): The Indian delegation, led by Vice President M Venkaiya Naidu on his recent visit to Gabon and Senegal, was very fruitful which resulted in strengthening the relationship between the nations in several sectors including Health, Agriculture, Trade and culture, Union Minister of State (MoS) for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Bharti Pravin Pawar said while speaking to ANI.

Indian delegation on Saturday has concluded two countries' visits to Gabon and Senegal. Now, the delegation is on the way to Qatar, the last leg of a three-nation tour.

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Dr Bharti Pravin Pawar, who is a part of the High-level delegation on a three-nation visit, says the talks with Gabon and Senegal were very intellectual and strengthened the bilateral relationship between India with both the countries.

We discussed many sectors like health, agriculture, trade, culture, and others during delegation-level talks in Gabon. Indian Pharma firms are also working in Gabon and its leadership also seeking more establishment of Indian companies to work in Gabon, said Dr Pawar in a further statement.

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She also said that we have today completed the Senegal visit where the President of the country showed great thanks to our Prime Minister Narender Modi for helping in the Covid pandemic time with vaccines, medicine, and other Medical Equipment. He said that while the World was struggling with the crucial time in the pandemic, India helped us which can never be forgotten.

During these two countries' visits, India signed two MoU in Gabon and three MoU in Senegal in different sectors which underlined the warm and friendly relations between the two countries, she stated.

During the visit to Senegal, Vice President M Venkaiya Naidu also designated India as the largest democracy in the world, and Senegal, as one of the most stable and model democracies in Africa.

He appreciated Senegal for conducting presidential, parliamentary and local elections very peacefully since its Independence, in a free, fair and transparent manner.

"Just like India, democracy has been the bulwark of Senegal to guarantee political stability, economic growth, social cohesion and prominence in the international community," he added.

During this visit, the Vice President is being accompanied by Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Sushil Kumar Modi, Member of Parliament, Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, Member of Parliament, P. Raveendranath, Member of Parliament and senior officials from the Vice President's Secretariat and the Ministry of External Affairs. (ANI)

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Lahore [Pakistan], June 4 (ANI): A huge fire broke out at The Children's Hospital in Lahore's Gulberg in Pakistan on Saturday, reported local media.

The incident of this massive fire was confirmed by the rescue officials, reported Pakistan's local media outlet Samaa TV. The fire erupted in the pharmacy storage on the third floor where medicines worth millions of rupees were burnt to ashes.

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No loss of life has been reported so far in the incident. During the rescue operation, the hospital building has been evacuated.

According to the Fire Department, at least seven fire engines have been dispatched to put out the fire. Meanwhile, additional fire engines have been summoned from across the city to help put out the fire.

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To contain the situation, more than 40 firefighters from Fire Department and Rescue 1122 have been deployed at the site. The cause of the fire remains unclear. As per the officials, the cause of the fire will be investigated once the fire has been put out.

Earlier on Wednesday, one person was killed and three others fell unconscious after a fire broke out in the basement of a departmental store near Jail Chowrangi in Karachi.

Station House Officer (SHO) Arshad Janjua of Ferozabad Police Station said the deceased was an employee of the store, while among the three who lost consciousness was a firefighter.

Karachi Metropolitan Corporation's (KMC) Chief Fire Officer Mubeen Ahmed said that 11 fire tenders belonging to the corporation, two water bowsers, one snorkel, 13 water tankers from the Karachi Water, and Sewerage Board as well as tenders from the Pakistan Navy took part in dousing the flames.

They had managed to control 70 percent of the blaze by the evening, he said. "However, officials are facing extreme difficulty as the fire erupted in the basement," he said, adding that there were no entry or exit routes.According to the SHO, the blaze had somewhat subsided but erupted once again at around 6 pm, prompting authorities to call fire tenders to the site.

"The fire erupted again because of some unknown reasons and spread rapidly, and the firefighters are struggling to extinguish it," the officer added. (ANI)

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London [UK], June 4 (ANI): UK bilateral aid spending in Pakistan has dramatically decreased since 2016, said a British Foreign Office report that linked the dwindling British assistance with human rights issues.

"It is vital that UK aid partners understand the aims and strategy of UK aid in Pakistan in order to carry out their work as effectively as possible. Aid programmes are most effective when different donors ensure that they complement each other in a joined-up approach. Our evidence suggested that this isn't always the case in Pakistan," said a report by International Development Committee.

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The report, released in April, states the UK government should direct its bilateral spending in Pakistan strategically towards supporting marginalised groups to reach their full potential.

According to the report, there is a shrinking space for NGOs in Pakistan, which are seen as promoting a foreign agenda. The restrictions on and harassment towards NGOs in Pakistan threaten the success of UK aid programmes there.

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"The FCDO should work with the Pakistani Government and use diplomatic means to ensure that INGOs and NGOs, especially the UK's aid partners, are able to undertake development work in the country without barriers. The FCDO should write to the Committee within nine months to update us on their progress in this area," it said.

The report states that UK aid programmes focused on supporting the development of an open society "do not always fit" with the policy objectives of the Pakistani Government.

However, progress in this area is key to supporting other core elements of UK development work in Pakistan, such as improving opportunities for women and girls and minorities.

"However, the Committee are aware that there has been a change in the federal government in Pakistan, and it is not yet clear how the newly formed Government will address the challenges," it said.

The report further argues that the UK Government should maintain dialogue with the Pakistani Government on the importance of an open society, including the need for civic spaces and religious and media freedom.

"As part of this, the FCDO should increase support to Pakistan's National Commission on the Status of Women and its National Commission on Human Rights," it added. (ANI)

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Mumbai, June 4: The Directorate of Government Examinations, Andhra Pradesh will declare the AP SSC Result 2022 today, June 4. The Andhra Pradesh Class 10th Result will be declared at 11 am. Students who appeared for the AP SSC examinations must visit the official website of BSEAP on bse.ap.gov.in to check their results.

According to reports, the AP SSC Result 2022 date has been postponed. The results will now be announced on Monday, June 6.

Besides the official site, students can also check their Class 10th Result on manabadi.co.in. According to sources, the AP SSC Results 2022 will be released by B. Rajasekhar, Special Principal Secretary, Department of Education at 11 am. A piece of news about the same was announced by Devanand Reddy, Director, Government Examinations. South East Central Railway Recruitment 2022: Apply For 465 Apprentice Posts At secr.indianrailways.gov.in; Check Details Here.

According to a statement issued by the board, the merit list will not be released this year as the AP Board has decided to prohibit the declaration/ announcement of ranks to the students as per section. More importantly, it has also directed schools to not declare or advertise ranks for SSC public examinations in any form at any level in order to protect the interest of students and parents.

Steps to check AP SSC Results 2022:

Visit the official site of BSEAP at bse.ap.gov.in

On the homepage, click on the AP 10th Result link

Enter your login details and click on submit

Your AP 10th Result will be displayed on the screen

Download a copy for future reference

This year, around 6 lakh students appeared for the AP SSC or Class 10th examinations. The Andhra Pradesh board examination was held from April 27 to May 9, 2022. For more details, students must visit the official site of BSEAP.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 04, 2022 07:54 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Patna, June 4: Prime Minister Narendra Modi had managed to stop the Russia-Ukraine war for three hours to provide a safe passage to Indian medical students stuck in the conflict zone, former union law minister and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad has claimed.

While interacting with mediapersons here on Friday, Prasad said that the incident took place when the war was at its peak and a large number of Indian medical students were trapped in Ukraine. Mumbai Shocker: 31-Year-Old Man Awarded Death Penalty for Sexually Assaulting, Killing Minor Girl in 2019.

"It was a big challenge for the Indian government to evacuate medical students stranded in Ukraine due to war. When PM Modi asked the high commissioners of India in Ukraine and Russia about the evacuation plan, they said that it is possible only when a ceasefire is observed. They also said that the PM was capable of doing it," Prasad claimed.

"Following their suggestions, the PM spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to stop the war so that the Indian medical students could be evacuated from the affected areas. The PM told the leaders that he would not leave his children in a war zone. Following his conversation, the war was stopped for three hours to give safe passage to Indian students. This is the status of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the world," Prasad said.

A large number of Indian medical students were trapped in Kiev, Kharkiv, Mariupol and other cities after the war broke out between Russia and Ukraine on February 24.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 04, 2022 01:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address programme on 'Save Soil Movement' in Delhi on June 5 on occasion of World Environment Day. Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 4, 2022

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Ankara, June 4: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that Turkey's security concerns on Sweden and Finland's intention to join the alliance were based on "just and legitimate" grounds, according to a statement from the Turkish presidency.

"Both countries should clearly display that they have given up supporting terrorism, that they have lifted sanctions against Turkey, and that they are ready to show alliance solidarity," Erdogan told the NATO chief in a phone call, Xinhua news agency reported.

Stoltenberg stressed the "necessity to meet the expectations of Turkey, an important ally." GSEB HSC Result 2022 Live Updates: GSEB Class 12th Result Declared at gseb.org; Know Steps To Check Scores.

Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO following the Russia-Ukraine conflict that erupted in late February.

NATO allies, except for Turkey, have welcomed the Nordics' appeal. Ankara, however, citing the Swedish and Finnish ties with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and other anti-Turkey outlawed groups, objected to their entry into the alliance.

Turkey demanded an array of "concrete assurances" from Sweden and Finland, which included "termination of political support for terrorism," "elimination of the source of terrorism financing" and "cessation of arms support" to the PKK and its Syrian Kurdish offshoot.

The demands also include the lifting of the two countries' arms sanctions against Turkey.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 04, 2022 09:08 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Kremlin critics, telecom companies and fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden have decried a set of new anti-terrorism measures in Russia that they call an Orwellian encroachment on the privacy and civil freedoms of millions that revives the totalitarian control of the Soviet-era.

The bill would toughen punishment for acts deemed to be terrorism and for the organization of mass unrest. It would also introduce prison sentences of up to a year for those who fail to report such crimes. Justification of terrorism and extremism  a vaguely-defined category that includes making posts online  would also be punishable by up to seven years in jail under the new legislation.

Courts would be able to charge defendants as young as 14 as adults, and security officers would be entitled without a court ruling to ban individuals from leaving Russia over extremist actions, including Internet posts.

The bill, championed by the ruling United Russia party, was hastily voted in by the State Duma, Russias lower house of parliament, on June 24, the last day of the legislative season. The measure will take effect after it is approved by the upper chamber and President Vladimir Putin. It will go the upper chamber within weeks and is expected to pass without much opposition.

The proposed legislation has been dubbed the Yarovaya law after United Russia lawmaker Irina Yarovaya, who engineered the bill and has tabled a series of restrictive measures against opposition groups and foreign-funded NGOs. It was presented in response to the October bombing of a Russian passenger plane in Egypt that killed 224.

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Opposition and security experts call it some of the most repressive legislation since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. Vote-rigging and ballot-stuffing during the 2011 election that formed the current Duma prompted massive anti-Kremlin protests that attracted hundreds of thousands. Since then, the Kremlin has taken on a more isolationist, anti-Western and neoconservative tilt.

This is an absolutely draconian law, even the Soviet Union did not have such an overwhelmingly repressive legislation, said Gennady Gudkov, an opposition leader and former lawmaker evicted from the Duma for criticizing Putins policies. This is 100% a step toward an Iron Curtain.

Edward Snowden, a former NSA contractor who fled to Russia in 2013, lambasted the law as an expensive yet ineffective tool that will do little to protect Russians from terrorism.

Russias new Big Brother law is an unworkable, unjustifiable violation of rights that should never be signed, he said in a tweet Friday.

This bill will take money and liberty from every Russian without improving safety, he said in another tweet.

The Yarovaya law will dramatically expand the Kremlins surveillance capabilities by forcing cellular and Internet service providers to store communication data such as voice mail, text messages and multimedia data for six months.

Russian telecom companies say that the law will deprive them of profits and a chance to expand their networks for years to come because of the expense of creating additional data centers. The step may cost up to 6 trillion rubles ($77 billion), according to an estimate by RBC Daily, a business publication.

The bills put the industry on the brink of collapse, says Shamil Baigin, a spokesman for MTS, one of Russias largest cellular-service providers. Service providers may face degradation of voicemail quality, interruption of text message delivery or faulty web access, he said.

The bills will also force telecom companies to keep metadata such as the locations and dates of phone calls for three years. Providers of email services and encrypted message apps will have to submit decoding keys to Russian authorities.

Pavel Durov, the owner of the popular messaging app Telegram who left the country in 2014, has already refused to provide the encryption keys, Russian media reported.

It is unclear whether Russian authorities will block Telegram, or how they would go about doing it. The app does not require an Internet connection to transfer messages and multimedia attachments.

After being elected president in 2000, Putin has led a crackdown on opposition groups, critics and independent media. His governments have adopted dozens of restrictive measures and continue to expand the list of materials that can be deemed extremist  which now includes the Jehovahs Witnesses New World Bible, comments about the Quran and Hindu scriptures, quotes from Adolf Hitlers autobiography, and texts by prominent Kremlin critics.

In recent years, hundreds of Russians have been convicted and sentenced to up to 5  years in jail for extremist publications  in some cases, for posting pro-Ukrainian, anti-Putin or nationalist messages online, according to Sova, a Moscow-based human rights group.

Mirovalev is a special correspondent.
Hands in his pockets on a cool, windy Tehran night, Behnam Hedayat was engaged in a seemingly benign activity, something tens of millions of people do every day: walking a dog.

In this case it was his terrier Shika, who he says is as dear as my child.

But under a ban announced this week by hard-line authorities, walking a dog in public or transporting it by car could put the authorities on Hedayats tail.

The police have many other things to deal with like muggers, burglars and car robbers, he said. If the police hassle my dog, I will resist and fight for my dog with the police.

Despite their rising popularity among Iranians, the pet seen in the West as mans best friend is perceived by religious hard-liners here as an example of corrupt Western culture.

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Owning a dog should be forbidden, they say, because Islamic teachings say that dogs are najes or untouchable because they are dirty.

In announcing the public prohibition, Tehran Police Chief Hossein Rahimi claimed Tuesday that dogs cause fear and anxiety in public spaces.

Police have received permission from the judiciary branch to crack down on people walking dogs in Tehran, Rahimi told the Young Journalists Club news site, a mouthpiece for Irans political establishment. Carrying dogs in cars is also banned and if a dog is seen inside the car, police will confront the owner of the dog.

Nezakat Alouloj was walking her small terrier in a park west of Tehran shortly after learning of the ban and was among those who reacted with fury about the possibility of becoming an outlaw for escorting a pooch in public.

He is toilet trained and is my soulmate, Alouloj said of her tiny companion.

The 60-year-old former Turkish-language radio host predicted that authorities wont succeed in enforcing a ban because dog ownership is becoming increasingly popular in the capital of the Islamic Republic.

More pet dogs are being adopted by families, she said. Authorities will soon forget the ban.

Homa Arderoudi, 65, owns a German shepherd named Sita. She also criticized the announcement and said that authorities should be adapting themselves to the changing tastes and lifestyles of Iranians.

Arderoudi plans to ignore authorities because her dog is more than a pet. Its her one and only companion.

I have two grown-up sons, one in asylum in Sweden and one seeking asylum and now based in Istanbul. I have nobody except my dog, she said. The government has lot of more important problems to deal with.

Shafagh Divanpour, 33, walks three dogs at a park in Tehran on a recent evening. The professional dog walker has lost business since Iranian authorities announced a ban on dogs in public spaces. (Ramin Mostaghim)

Several weeks before the ban was announced, Shafagh Divanpour gripped the leash of three dogs  Charlie, Rouko and Bonti  as they bolted ahead.

The two cocker spaniels and cavalier mix were a surprising sight for people who caught a glimpse of them walking in the park.

Stunned pedestrians stopped Divanpour to ask him what he was doing with three dogs. The 33-year-old took advantage of his newfound popularity to encourage onlookers to pet the pooches.

Please be responsible parents, he told them. If you cannot afford to be long-term friends with your dog, dont adopt. Dogs are sensitive and faithful, and if you abandon them they suffer.

Financially strapped and unemployed, Divanpour is one of a growing number of young professionals turning toward a new industry in Tehran thats raising eyebrows: dog walking.

Dogs, Deepak Chopra, Instagram weddings and other signs of change among Irans middle class 

For Tehrans professional dog walkers, the gig represents both a passion and a source of income.

The unemployment rate among university graduates in Iran is more than 35%, according to Irans Labor and Welfare Ministry. But Divanpour said that on the days he works 12 hours, he earns nearly $100.

Still, fears of a crackdown already are affecting dog walkers such as Divanpour. Some dog owners, worried about police seizing their beloved canines, are canceling service.

My dog walking assignment has been reduced to half since the announcement was made, Divanpour said Wednesday.

Divanpour became a dog walker after he saw an ad on Petchi, a website dedicated to connecting dog owners with trained dog walkers.

Dog ownership has been a contentious topic in the decades after Irans 1979 Islamic Revolution. Since then, Iranian authorities have confiscated dogs and lawmakers have threatened to punish with 74 lashes those owners who walk their dog in public.

Yet to the dismay of conservatives, Iranians from the middle and upper class have been increasingly embracing dogs as loyal companions in recent years. For instance, in 2017, animal activists called for legislation to punish animal cruelty.

According to Petchi, there are around 1.2 million pet dogs across Iran and about 350,000 of them are in Tehran.

Divanpour remains hopeful that the cultural shift toward owning a dog will prevail.

I believe this issue will be forgotten, he said. Dog owners must be brave and assert their own rights and their animals rights.

Times staff writer Etehad reported from Los Angeles and special correspondent Mostaghim from Tehran.
Brazil's death toll on the heavy rains that caused floods and landslides in the Pernambuco state rose to 126 on Friday.

The number of fatalities following the tragedy in Recife, the state's capital, was confirmed by the government of the northeastern state of Brazil, according to a Business Standard news report.

Meanwhile, state authorities claimed that at least two individuals were still missing as of Friday. Firefighters and army soldiers were still working to look for the two missing victims. Trained rescue dogs were also at the site of the tragedy to give aid in the search.

Officials did not mention the identities of the casualties.

A total of 31 municipalities in the Pernambuco state were affected and declared a state of emergency due to the rains. At least 51 towns or municipalities experienced damage in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Reports claimed that the recent floods and landslides in Pernambuco were the worst tragedy the state has experienced in the 21st Century and the second worst in the state's history after the May 1966 flooding that caused the Capibaribe river to overflow and left 175 dead.

READ NEXT: Brazil: 79 Dead, Dozens Missing After Heavy Rains Caused Floods and Landslides in Pernambuco State

The Aftermath of Brazil Rainfall

Residents of Brazil's Pernambuco state were still afraid of what will happen to their surroundings, following the floods and landslides that caused a record high number of deaths.

One resident of Recife told Agence France Press (AFP) described how the tragedy took a toll on them, per BBC.

"We have children, we have all our things inside the house. We stay up until dawn, afraid that the hill will fall on us," the unnamed resident of Recife said.

Another woman who reportedly lived on the hillside told the outlet that they are very nervous because whenever it rains, the hill where their home is located "gives a little way."

Brazil's heavy rains also affected several other states, including Alagoas, Rio Grande do Norte, and Sergipe, aside from the Pernambuco state.

According to reports, four people died in the state of Alagoas, and nearly 12,00 people remain homeless following the tragedy.

The Cause of Brazil's Heavy Rainfall

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said that the climate crisis is making destructive extreme weather more common globally. The organization then noted that the northeastern part of Brazil will experience extreme events more frequently.

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro visited the site of the tragedy on Monday. However, the chief executive explained that their helicopter was not able to land, citing the recommendation of their pilot.

"We ask God to console all the families who suffer their losses today. We are not measuring efforts to reach out to these people, but we know that only He can comfort their hearts and give them strength to move forward," President Jair Bolsonaro said.

It was not the first time this year that Brazil recorded hundreds of people dying from heavy rains. It can be recalled that at least 200 individuals lost their lives in Petropolis when flash flooding destroyed hillside neighborhoods in February.

READ NEXT: Brazil: Mentally Ill Black Man Dies After Police Trap Him in Trunk of Their Car Turned Into 'Gas Chamber' [Video]

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Death Toll From Brazil's Catastrophic Floods, Landslides Tops 100 - From Global News
The Queen Elizabeth Jubilee 2022 has pushed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to return to the United Kingdom for such festivity, celebrating her 70 years on the British throne.

The Sussex couple attended the national service of thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral as part of the celebrations on Friday, according to a Business Insider report.

Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace released a statement that the Queen pulled out of attending the service after feeling some discomfort.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in the U.K. with their children, Archie and Lili.

Crowd cheers for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St Pauls Cathedral for attending Queens jubilee service #PlatinumJubilee pic.twitter.com/QubtcNjVlY  Ronahi Hasan (@Ronahihasan) June 3, 2022

They attended Trooping the Color on Thursday but did not greet fans on the balcony with other senior members of the royal family.

However, the Sussex couple was not met with a positive reaction, with crowds "booing" Prince Harry and Markle as they leave the thanksgiving service.

Here's the full video of Harry and Meghan leaving St. Paul's Cathedral: pic.twitter.com/se7icUVqpu  Ellie Hall (@ellievhall) June 3, 2022

READ NEXT: Kim Kardashian, Pete Davidson Snubbed by Buckingham Palace to Be on Guest List of Platinum Jubilee Party

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was also seemed to be distant with Prince William and Kate Middleton during the event.

The two did not speak at the service despite being in the same room.

The royal family's extended members are usually on the palace balcony to watch the flypast ceremony.

But this year's photo op was limited to only senior working members of the royal family and some of their children

People reported that among those were Princess Anne, Camila, Prince Charles, and the whole Cambridge family.

The Sussexes were excluded from the lineup as they are no longer senior working members of the royal family.

Harry and Meghan announced their decision to "step back" from their royal roles in 2020 and relocated to California.

Meanwhile, Harry's uncle Prince Andrew was also not included on the balcony for the flypast as he is no longer a working royal after being linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In 2018, Markle had her first Trooping the Color just weeks after her royal wedding to Harry.

Meanwhile, The Guardian report noted that the U.K. prime minister, Boris Johnson, read from the New Testament. Johnson's, Carrie, was also at the Cathedral.

Queen Elizabeth Jubilee 2022

On the other hand, five members of the military fainted while on duty at the National Thanksgiving Service during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Bloomberg reported that Royal Air Force, Royal Marines, Household Cavalry, and Coldstream Guards collapsed while stationed at St. Paul's Cathedral on Friday morning.

Two members of the military guard of honor appeared to lose consciousness within half an hour of each other as they lined the steps up at the Great West Door.

One was from the Royal Air Force Regiment and another from Royal Marines.

The Royal Air Force fell flat on his back before regaining his consciousness.

The member of the Royal Air Force fainted and fell flat on his back on the steps before regaining consciousness.

A Military of Defense spokesman confirmed that five military personnel fainted while on duty during the Platinum Jubilee Service.

The spokesman added that all five individuals have received treatment at the scene and none were transferred to the hospital.

READ MORE: Queen Elizabeth to Meet Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Daughter Lilibet for the First Time, Sources Confirm

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: See First Glimpse Of Queen Elizabeth Arriving To Platinum Jubilee - from TODAY


A Mexican drug cartel member, who escaped from a prison bus, killed a grandfather and his four grandsons after he came across them in the family's remote cabin in Texas.

According to Texas prison system officials, convicted murderer Gonzalo Lopez, 46, was shot dead late Thursday night after he massacred the family and stole their pick-up truck and an AR-15 style rifle.

Independent reported that police found the victims' bodies at the family's weekend cabin in the woods of Centerville in Leon County after receiving a call to check on an elderly relative after not hearing back from him.

Jason Clark, chief of staff for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, said law enforcement in Atascosa County located the stolen vehicle, disabled it with spike strips, and gunfire ensued, killing the Mexican drug cartel member on the run.

Police said Lopez was killed by law enforcement after he shot at officers who returned fire.

READ NEXT: Texas: Convicted Murderer Escapes Prison After Stabbing Guard, $15,000 Reward Offered

Mexican Drug Cartel Member Killed Grandfather and His 4 Grandsons in Texas

According to Daily Mail, Gonzalo Lopez killed Mark Collins, 66, and his four grandsons: Waylon, 18; Carson, 16; and twins Bryson and Hudson, 11.

In a Facebook post about the murder, the grandfather's brother-in-law said Waylon graduated from high school last week. He described the loss of his family members as "unbearable."

A Facebook post from the Tomball Little League also said the oldest child was an umpire. Lopez escaped from a prison bus after stabbing the driver on May 12.

Mexican Drug Cartel Member Gonzalo Lopez Escaped From a Prison Bus in Texas

A local resident captured Gonzalo Lopez's dramatic escape on a cellphone. The Mexican drug cartel member was seen running into a wooded area in the video.

The clip was shot by fourth-grader Braxton Tieperman, who was in the car with his mother when the prison bus crashed in a cow pasture on Texas State Highway 7.

Clark earlier said there were 16 prisoners aboard the bus, but no one else escaped except Lopez. Police noted that the convicted murderer managed to free himself from the restraints and entered the driver's area.

Reports said Lopez then stabbed the driver in the hand with "some type of object," and the bus went off the roadway in Leon County during the struggle.

It was when the Mexican drug cartel member went out the door and started fleeing across the pasture. Two officers were reportedly on the bus, one driving and one in a rear area.

According to reports, Lopez managed to hide and remained on the run for three weeks. Lopez was sentenced to life in prison in 2006 after he was convicted of capital murder for killing Jose Guadalupe Ramirez near the southern border the previous year.

Lopez confessed to police that he kidnapped and killed the man on the order of a Mexican drug cartel, which the victim owed money to. He reportedly murdered the man with a pickax.

Aside from his capital murder charges, Lopez has multiple offenses in Hidalgo County, according to inmate records. He was also convicted of attempted capital murder for firing gunshots at a sheriff in Webb County. He was not eligible for parole until April 2045.

READ MORE: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Says He Will Deliver Illegal Immigrants to Washington D.C., Drop Them at Capitol Hill Steps

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Escaped Texas Inmate Gonzalo Lopez Fatally Shot During Chase After Allegedly Killing Family of 5 - From FOX 7 Austin
Laois is to seek a special pot of money especially to repair footpaths from the Government.

The county's footpaths have little or no money set aside to repair them, prompting all of the Laois councillors to agree on formally requesting a new source of funding to be set up.

All seven councillors from the Portlaoise Municipal District put their names to a shared motion tabled to the May meeting of Laois County Council.

Cllrs Thomasina Connell, Catherine Fitzgerald, Caroline Dwane Stanley, John Joe Fennelly, Noel Tuohy, Barry Walsh and Willie Aird propose that the council ask the Department of Transport and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to introduce a Multi-annual footpath restoration programme, similar to the roads programme.

"Such a programme is required to enable a thorough and sustainable investment programme in footpaths, acknowledging the extent of the footpath network throughout the county," they jointly state.

"It's a problem across the county. We are told to use our discretionary funding. It's not the council's fault. There is no funding for this. it's simply not good enough. It's taking years, some paths in Portlaoise are not touched for 45 years," said Cllr Connell proposing the motion.

Cllr Fitzgerald seconded.

"Our discretionary funding is like a drop in the ocean. It's important we get funding because they are really dangerous," she said.

"It's a good idea, it's essential it is for everywhere in the county," Cllr Padraig Fleming said.
This year's Gordon Bennett Irish Classic Car Run will roll into Kildare town on Sunday and Monasterevin on Monday - and members of the public are invited to come out and enjoy the motor show.

The original Gordon Bennett Race was run in 1903 by the playboy son of the founder of the New York Herald, Gordon Bennett. It sped through the countryside and villages of Kildare, Carlow and Laois. However, according to the organisers, instead of the neck breaking race it once was, this 2022 event invites you to take a gentler approach and to travel at your own pace whilst embracing the experience of a weekend filled with fun, nostalgia and like minded individuals.

The rally took off from the Heath, Portlaoise, on Saturday, and took in a route which included Kilkenny Castle and Abbeyleix.

Sunday will see drivers retrace the original 1903 route, with stops for a talk at the Commemorative Starting Point, near the Moate of Ardscull, (11.30am approximate arrival time) then to Ballitore Quaker Village (12pm approximate arrival time), to park up for teas and coffees, before setting course for Kildare town (3pm approximate arrival time) via the Curragh, where the best car will be independently chosen by Cill Dara Old Vehicles Club.

On Monday, the cars will arrive in Monasterevin at 12.15pm approximately. Monasterevin was a 'speed control zone' during the original 1903 Gordon Bennett Race, where entrants were led through the town by the Royal Irish Constabulary on bicycles. This controlled approach to the town will be re-enacted by actors in full RIC uniform and bicycles on Monday. There will be plenty of interest to visitors in Monasterevin on Monday, with walks, exhibits, crafts and talks.
A 30-year-old British Army soldier on holiday in Bundoran lost his footing near a cliff edge while on the phone to his girlfriend, an inquest into his death has heard.

Stuart Hamilton (30), of Cloghogue Road, Tandaragee, County Armagh had been on holiday in Bundoran last September with friends and was on a cliff top walk overlooking Tullan Strand.

He had rung his girlfriend at 12.14 am and she described the call going dead.

He later died at Sligo University Hospital.

Mr Hamilton was a highly respected Corporal in the Royal Irish Rangers and had served in Afghanistan.

His girlfriend Chloe Reed of Corgary, Ballyclare told of their last phone call together shortly before he fell off a cliff, and later died.



Stuart Hamilton was a Corporal in the Royal Irish Rangers

The deposition of Chloe Reed, (25) of Corgary Ballyclare which was read on her behalf at the inquest in Sligo, described how at 14 minutes past midnight on September 4 last year, Stuart rang her to her mobile phone as he normally would do before going to bed.

On the phone call we both said hello and Stuart sounded so happy on the phone, she said.

The next thing I said to Stuart was what are you at and I just remember Stuart saying oh just slightly, though not in a distressed state.

I then could hear the rustling for only a few seconds, and it was like the rustling of wind.

There were no other noises but there was an open line with no sound.

I then began calling Stuarts name as I thought maybe he dropped his phone.

This went on for about 20-30 seconds. The call line was cut off and I lost signal.

I then called Stuart four times and the phone call kept going to voicemail.

Ms Reed then contacted one of Stuarts friends, John Morrison, (40) of Drumnagoon Road, Portadown, County Armagh by text. He was with Stuart in Bundoran on the weekend break.

The inquest heard that the text asked at 12.17am: Are you with Stu, he called me, and it sounded like he fell and now his phone is dead.

Her text was answered by John Morrison who told her that he and two other friends Jake Baxter (28) of Kiernan Avenue, Portadown and David McGill (22) of Margretta Park, Lurgan had gone to look for Stuart on a beach.

Then I recall hearing John shouting call 999 and he hung up on me in a panic, Ms Reed said in her deposition.

Mr Hamilton was found unconscious at the bottom of a cliff and subsequently passed away at 4.47am in the resuscitation room of Sligo University Hospital in the company of his family and his girlfriend Ms Reed.

In a deposition read on his behalf, John Morrison described how he travelled with Mr Hamilton to Bundoran on September 3 in his people carrier.

The plan was to go surfing or rock climbing on Saturday morning.

He parked the van at Tullan Strand Road car park.

Once we were set up, we got sticks and a fire log and a barbeque was set up with Jake, Stuart and David. The barbeque was set up between the two vans.

We stayed there eating and drinking at the vans until it got dark at approximately 9.30/10pm.

We had two bottles of Buckfast, four cans of Guinness, a box of Peroni beer, a 10 glass bottle of Jameson Whiskey to drink between the four of us and Jake also had some small bottles of beer.

I dont know how many of them he had.

He said the group went down the bank in the grass area behind the car park and found two ready-made fire areas.

We lit a campfire there.

I also brought a table down to set our drinks on and once the campfire was lit, we sat around drinking and chatting.

Shortly after midnight we tidied up around the campfire and put it out.

Dave and Stuart were tidying up the table to carry it up to the van.

I came up past the three lads and got up the hill and walked towards the van

At 12.17, he got a text from Chloe Reed asking if he was with Stuart as she thought he had a fall and his phone was dead.

I got a head torch and the three of us went down to where we had the fire and searched for Stuart.

I wasnt concerned at the time as Stuart had a few drinks but wasnt drunk.

I was then drawn to the cliff edge but felt there was no way he could have gone over there.

I stayed on the phone with Chloe while we searched for Stuart.

Dave said he would go down on the beach and check to see if Stuart was there.

When I got down, I ran up the beach in the hope of not finding him.

I wasnt running for long and I saw Stuart lying on the beach.

At this point I said to Chloe, I would ring her back and shouted at Dave to ring 999.

I started doing CPR on Stuart, checked his pulse and his breathing but could find nothing.

We found Stuart at 12.30 am and the first paramedics arrived 10/15 minutes later.

The RNLI and a second set of paramedics arrived and Stuart was brought to an ambulance at Tullan Strand Road.

I spoke with Chloe, who was on her way to Bundoran at 2.50 am and she collected me, Jake and David and brought us to Sligo University Hospital.

I wish to add that none of the four of us were aware of the area at Tullan Strand where we were camping or had the campfire set up.

The inquest also heard a deposition from Garda Keith Farragher who attended the scene in Bundoran. He said when he arrived an ambulance and members of the RNLI were there already.

He could see a male on a stretcher on the back of the pick-up jeep and he assisted carrying the male on the stretcher, up the slipway of the beach. He described how visibility and underfoot conditions were very poor.

Garda Farragher said John Morrison and David Magill had performed CPR on their friend until the paramedics arrived.

They were all very upset and concerned for their friend who had been involved in the accident, he said.

I went to the area of the beach where Stuart had been located, along with John Morrison.

I went back to the car park area at Tullan Strand and remained with John, Jake and David for a short period after this as they arranged transport to Sligo University Hospital.

In a deposition read on his behalf, Dr Kieran Cunnigham, Consultant in Emergency Medicine said Stuart Hamilton was brought to the hospital at 2.04 am on September 4.

He was hemodynamically unstable with very low blood pressure, and he needed adrenaline.

His pupils were fixed and dilated and there was swelling at the left side of the back of his head and the left side of his face, and was in cardiac arrest.

A scan showed catastrophic injuries including a severe brain injury and spinal fractures.

I spoke with the neuro-surgical team in Beaumont Hospital who reviewed Mr Hamiltons scans and were of the opinion that he had an unsurvivable brain injury.

After the scans I broke the terrible news to Mr Hamiltons family and brought them in to sit with Mr Hamilton.

He continued to deteriorate and died at 4.47 am in our resuscitation room and I pronounced Stuart Hamilton deceased.

Coroner Eamon MacGowan said an autopsy was carried out on Mr Hamilton on September 6.

Brain scans showed chronic and irreversible damage to the brain.

There was a level of alcohol in his system which was in the toxic range.

The verdict of the Coroners Court was accidental death, the cause of which was an accidental fall from a cliff, with cardiac arrest on a background of brain damage.

The Coroner paid tribute to all those who worked so hard in getting Mr Hamilton to the hospital and who had helped him.

He sympathised with the Hamilton family who were present in court.

Sergeant Derek Butler extended sympathy on behalf of An Garda Siochana.
ESB are planning to recruit 1,000 people over the next three years to support the delivery of its Net Zero by 2040 strategy.

The company will be recruiting across a range of technical and specialist skills including finance, IT, HR, engineering, customer service and qualified electricians.

More than 300 graduates, apprentices and trainees will be recruited over the next three years as part of the recruitment drive, cementing ESBs commitment to investing in career development and on building a future talent pipeline.

ESB currently employ 8,000 people across the country, including Limerick, in businesses such as ESB Networks, Electric Ireland and ESB International amongst more.

The company will recruit across a range of positions including marine geologists, cyber specialists, project management, network planning, commercial analysts, customer service and qualified electricians with a majority of the jobs located in Ireland.

Paddy Hayes, Chief Executive of ESB, said: "Today is another positive step in the delivery of our Net Zero by 2040 strategy as we launch our campaign to recruit 1,000 people within the next three years.

"ESB has always encouraged and supported progressive thinkers and innovators who are committed to making a difference. When you work with ESB, you join a dedicated, inclusive and innovative team focused on powering Irelands transition to a net zero carbon future.

"Today, we are making a call for talented and driven individuals to join us as we work together to make a difference by delivering a net zero energy future for the customers and communities we serve."

The roles will be advertised on www.esb.ie/careers where all interested applicants are invited to register their interest for future opportunities.
Ken Kelly, the fantasy artist who created the iconic album covers for Kiss Destroyer and Love Gun, has died at the age of 76.

No cause of death was announced. Members of Kiss turned to social media Saturday to pay tribute to the veteran comic book artist who painted two of their most memorable images in the Rock Hall-inducted acts iconography.

Gene Simmons tweeted Saturday, Sad to find out Ken Kelly, who painted our Destroyer album cover passed away. A kind and beloved gentleman. Rest In Peace.

Former Kiss drummer Peter Criss wrote on his website, I am heartbroken to hear of the passing of my dear friend Ken Kelly. He was an amazing man and talent. A gentle, kind, funny honorable man. A man of integrity and grace. I loved him so much. His art work graced the cover of two of our iconic albums. He brought out the super heros in us. He will live on through his incredible work.

Kelly, the nephew of legendary fantasy artist Frank Frazetta, learned under his uncle at Frazettas studio. While working as a cover artist for horror comics like Eerie and Creepy, Kellys art caught Kiss attention; as Kelly told Print in 2018, they originally sought Frazetta to make the Destroyer cover, but when he was unavailable, Kelly got the job, despite having never heard the bands music.

Kellys original version of the Destroyer cover  showing the band bursting out of a destroyed city on fire  was rejected by the record label. They thought it was too violent, Kelly said. It was 1975, and they didnt want to launch such a large project with such a negative cover. I thought my career was over. That was one of the heaviest blows Ive ever received. However, within a month, Kelly presented a modified version of the painting, with Kiss leaping atop a pile of rubble, that ultimately became the albums famed cover. (The 35th anniversary Resurrected reissue of Destroyer featured Kellys original artwork, and as he later note, he was paid twice for the job.)

Paul Stanley tweeted Saturday, A moment to remember the great Ken Kelly. His fantasy art captured the larger than life image of KISS perfectly. Rest In Peace.

Kelly was next recruited to create the cover of Kiss next album Love Gun  using his wife as the model for the face-painted women on the cover alongside the band  and later became a fixture at Kiss fan conventions. In addition to his countless works in the fantasy art realm with book jackets, toy packaging and video games, Kelly later made album covers for Rainbow (1976s Rising), Ace Frehley, Coheed & Cambria and the metal band Manowar, which had a long collaboration with Kelly that spanned six LPs.

Deeply saddened by the passing of the great Ken Kelly, Manowar bassist Joey DeMaio said in a statement. He was a giant and will live forever through his art and the memories he left with those who got to know him. I will never forget our years together. Condolences to his family. RIP, Ken. Valhalla awaits you.
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LONDON (AP)  Now we know what is in Queen Elizabeth IIs handbag.

The long-time mystery was solved Saturday when the British monarch made the second star turn of her career, appearing in a mini-movie to kick off a concert celebrating her 70 years on the throne. The sketch featured the queen having a cream tea with British national treasure Paddington Bear at Buckingham Palace.

After drinking all the tea and destroying the cakes, the duffle-coat wearing bear from deepest Peru told Elizabeth how he always had a reserve supply of marmalade sandwiches with him, lifting up his red hat to reveal his favorite treat.

So do I, the queen responded before opening her bag and declaring: I keep mine in here.

The scene recalled the moment Elizabeth appeared as a Bond girl in a short film for the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.

Her majesty is well known for her sense of humor, so it should be no surprise that she decided to take part in tonights sketch, the palace said. There was an interest in the filming and animation process and the opportunity to invite a famous bear to tea was just too much fun to miss."

The queens performance with an animated bear drew laughter and loud applause from the overflow crowd at the concert outside Buckingham Palace that was the highlight of the third of four days of festivities celebrating her Platinum Jubilee. The 96-year-old monarch did not attend the concert in person due to what the palace describes as episodic mobility issues.

Despite the queens absence, spirits were high during an event that culminated with appearances by the monarchs son and grandson. Prince Charles and his son Prince William paid tribute to the queen in separate speeches that honored the past and looked to the future.

Anne Middleton, 61, who travelled from Cardiff in Wales for the jubilee celebrations, said she loved the Paddington sketch and the queens decision to skip the event didnt dim the festivities.

Not for me, she said, decked out from head to toe in the flags of the U.K. and Wales. She turned up on the first day, and we know she would have been there if she could have been.

Charles opened his short speech by addressing the queen as Your Majesty, mummy, then paid tribute to her lifetime of selfless service.

The queens eldest son and heir recalled the ever-growing list of world leaders Elizabeth has met and the endless stacks of state papers she has reviewed during a reign that has now stretched from the early days of the Cold War to the information age. But he also highlighted his mothers role as a symbol of stability, unifying the U.K. and the Commonwealth as they negotiated this rapidly changing world.

You have met us and talked with us. You laugh and cry with us and, most importantly, you have been there for us, for these 70 years, Charles said as scenes from the queens life were projected on the palace walls. You pledged to serve your whole life  you continue to deliver. That is why we are here. That is what we celebrate tonight.

William preceded his father with remarks that underscored the queens long-time commitment to the environment as he highlighted the need to combat climate change. The presentation began with a clip of the queens 1989 Christmas message, in which she called on all nations to work together to protect the earth for our children and our childrens children.

That message is still relevant today, William said.

Its my firm hope that my grandmothers words are as true in 70 years time as they are tonight, that as nations we come together in common cause, because then there is always room for hope.

The queen has not attended any of the jubilee festivities since Thursday, when she waved to supporters from the balcony on Buckingham Palace.

The monarch also decided not to go to the Epsom Derby earlier Saturday, and was represented at the prestigious annual horse race by her daughter, Princess Anne.

The queen, known as a horse lover, has only missed the Epsom Derby a handful of times. On Saturday, five of her former racehorses were paraded, and 40 jockeys who have ridden for the queen formed a guard of honor before the national anthem was played.

Shes been breeding horses for over 60 years, Frankie Dettori, one of the jockeys, told the BBC. She knows all the blood lines and shes won lots of races and shes very knowledgeable,

Im sure today shell find a TV and shes going to watch it live, because she loves the Derby so much, he added.

It was the second time in as many days that the queens mobility issues have robbed crowds of a chance to see her.

On Friday, the queen skipped a special service of Thanksgiving in her honor at St. Pauls Cathedral in London. Palace officials said she had experienced some discomfort at events the day before, which included waving to huge crowds from Buckingham Palace.

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, were among nearly 50 members of the royal family who gathered Friday at St. Pauls Cathedral to honor the absent head of state. It was the couples first public appearance in the U.K. since they stepped back from royal duties and moved to California two years ago.

Apart from attending Fridays service, the couple has so far stayed out of the limelight. Their two children, Archie and Lilibet, who turned one Saturday, havent yet made an appearance during this trip. A spokesperson for the couple said they were spending the day privately and were not joining some 30 other royals at Saturdays concert.

Meanwhile, members of the royal family travelled to Wales and Northern Ireland as part of celebrations across the U.K.

William and his wife Kate brought two of their three children  8-year-old Prince George and 7-year-old Princess Charlotte  to Cardiff Castle in Wales before a separate concert in the castle grounds in honor of the queen.

The queens youngest son, Prince Edward, and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, visited a 1950s-themed seaside funfair in Belfast. Edward tried his hand at pulling a pint of Guinness at a diner, while Sophie took in a 50s and 60s dance demonstration.

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Follow APs coverage of Queen Elizabeth II at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii
A Webb County Sheriffs Office deputy discovered 119 migrants inside a trailer after responding to a report of suspicious activity.

At about 9:45 p.m. May 25, a concerned citizen told a deputy that a tractor-trailer was involved in something illegal. The deputy would pull over the 18-wheeler along U.S. 59 for not maintaining a single lane. Authorities identified the driver as Donovan Maurice Broome, 45.

Broome told the deputy he could not maintain a single lane because he was grabbing his GPS while operating the tractor. Asked about the manifest for the cargo, Broome stated the manifest mentioned in the cargo was supposed to be delivered to Houston. But he added that his boss wanted him to transport the trailer to Kentucky, according to the arrest affidavit.

Broome then allegedly gave verbal consent to the deputy to search the tractor-trailer. Broome then told the deputy he could not break the seal on the trailer because he did not have extra seals. The deputy told Broome that he could contact the Texas Department of Public Safety for assistance to replace the seal. Then, a Texas DPS trooper arrived to assist and stated he could assist to replace the seal.

The deputy then broke the seal and discovered 87 men and 32 women. Out of the 119 people, an individual was identified as a 13-year-old boy. Broome was taken into custody. He was charged with smuggling of persons, smuggling of a person younger than 18 years old and child endangerment.
Laredo's Spelling Bee representative from Lamar Bruni Vergara Middle School competed this week in his first National Spelling Bee.

Nathaniel Rimocal is no stranger to Spelling Bee competitions, as his older brother Emmanuel also competed at the national level in the past. As last year the competition was held virtually, this is the first time that spellers returned to Washington D.C.

Nathaniel has been preparing for Spelling Bee since he was in elementary school. The brothers are used to challenging each other to practice their skills. Although they can practice however much they want to, spellers never know beforehand what they are going to be asked to spell.

"We really don't know what they are going to ask him," Nathaniel's mother Maria Arlyn Rimocal said. "His word for the final round was 'crepitus,' its origin is from Latin and it was supposed to be with the letter 'c' (instead of starting with a 'k'), so his mistake was only one letter."

Mari Salinas, the sponsor for Nathaniel, also traveled with the family to the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The 'Bee Week,' as they call it, includes a hectic schedule for the spellers and their families. As the final was held until 8 p.m., during the day families were offered tours around the city and activities throughout the hotel.

Now that school is over and summer break is here, the Rimocal family is traveling to where they call "home," the Philippines.

"After competing and resting, they are should be having a vacation to the Philippines after five years," Maria Rimocal said. She added that they hope to take this time in Luzon to bond with their extended family and their grandmother.

The Rimocal family will go back to preparing for the next Spelling Bee when they return to classes in August. The Rimocal children practice with spelling around two words per day on their usual school weeks.

Nathaniel's father said that spelling is a game for his children. He said Nathaniel has been preparing for nationals for seven years now, practicing and competing since he was in first grade. Both parents shared that they are proud of the results, and that Nathaniel was able to go to nationals and place 49th out of 229 spellers.

"It's really a blessing just to be here representing the school, the district, the city," Maria Rimocal said. "We are very thankful."

Maria Rimocal shared that they have received an outpouring of support from friends of the family, his school Lamar Bruni Vergara, his former school Kennedy Zapata Elementary School and his sponsors.

The Spelling Bee featured three rounds on Tuesday as part of the preliminaries which featured a spelling round, a multiple-choice word meaning round and another spelling round. The spellers that were in this preliminary round needed to participate and succeed in all three rounds to advance.

Rimocal spelled two words correctly on Day 1 including "aporia" and "Muggletonian." Nathaniel was ousted in the fourth round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee during the second day of competition.
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The man found in possession of more than 9,000 rounds of ammo at a west Laredo apartment made a court appearance on Friday.

Jose Alonso Saldana-Alaniz made initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Diana Song Quiroga. He is being charged with being a migrant in possession of ammunition. Saldana-Alaniz has a detention hearing set for June 10.
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A groundbreaking ceremony was held to celebrate the construction of Juan Roberto Ramirez Middle School on the morning of June 3, 2022.

The new campus will be located at 402 Aquero Blvd. The school mascot is the rattlesnake, and the school colors are red and silver.

United ISD Board member Javier Montemayor, Jr. was joined by Associate Superintendent for Support Services Mike Garza, administrative staff, special guests and well-wishers to celebrate Ramirez's 20 years of service to the children of United ISD.

When completed, the spacious design of the new structure will encompass two stories and 110,050 square feet to accommodate 1000 students.

Highlights of the campus include 27 classrooms, four science labs, two computer labs, two special education classrooms, an art classroom and a home economics classroom. The Fine Arts wing will house a band hall, ensemble room, rehearsal room, five practice rooms and a 10,340-square foot gymnasium furnished with weight and dressing rooms.

The campus' main entrance will be fortified by security guards and UISD police, who will utilize high-tech security and practices to monitor all foot traffic entering and exiting the campus. Moreover, the campus will have camera surveillance systems and additional technology to observe indoor and outdoor activity within all campus perimeters.

"Mr. Juan Roberto Ramirez has served the United ISD Board of Trustees for 20 years and has remained devoted to his mission of providing our kids with the tools they need to succeed in life," UISD Superintendent David H. Gonzalez said. "Mr. Ramirez is also a great role model who served his country during the Vietnam War. He also holds a degree in business administration, is a graduate of the Federal Law Enforcement Agency and is a retired U.S. Customs Agent.

"The students who will attend this campus will be very proud to know that their school's namesake has lived a life to be proud of, and we are delighted and honored to name a campus after him."
The Uvalde school district police chief who led the response to last weeks shooting and made the decision to wait for reinforcements while the gunman and survivors were still in the building did not have a police radio when he first arrived on campus, possibly missing reports about the 911 calls coming from inside, according to news reports.

Pete Arredondo, police chief for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, instead used a cellphone to call a police landline to tell officers about the shooter, The New York Times reported Friday. Arredondo told his department that the gunman had an AR-15 but was contained, the Times reported, and to send backup and surround Robb Elementary School.

Arredondos decision-making has been widely criticized after it took more than an hour for law enforcement to breach the classroom where the gunman was holed up. Parents begged the dozens of officers outside the school to take action and tried to enter the school themselves. Some were physically restrained.

It was Arredondo who decided to not immediately confront the gunman, who killed 19 children and two teachers and injured 17 others, state law enforcement officials have said. Instead, Arredondo chose to wait for backup and equipment and to treat the gunman as a barricaded suspect rather than an active shooter, Steve McCraw, head of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said last week.

Meanwhile, 911 calls from students trapped inside the classroom with the gunman were pouring in to local police dispatchers  including a student begging for police officers to show up. Those calls were routed to the Uvalde Police Department, which operates independently from the school districts police force, Roland Gutierrez, the state senator who represents Uvalde, said Thursday.

Arredondo presumably did not know about the multiple 911 calls while he was on the scene. McCraw said Arredondo believed no children were in danger, possibly because he did not know any survived inside the classroom.

Unless there was someone relaying him info, there was no way for him to know there were 911 calls coming from inside that room, Gutierrez told TV news station WOAI on Friday.

Since the massacre, Arredondo has been in hiding. The 50-year-old police chief has declined to speak publicly about his decision-making during the shooting. Arredondo stopped cooperating with Texas Rangers investigating how the shooting unfolded, DPS officials said earlier this week. Arredondo denied the charge the next day. Recently elected to Uvaldes City Council, he was sworn into his new role in a closed-door ceremony earlier this week.

At least one school district police officer serving under Arredondo knew people were inside.

The Times reported that Officer Ruben Ruiz had a heartbreaking conversation with his wife, Eva Mireles, a teacher who was inside Robb Elementary, just a few minutes before she was shot and killed.

Experts have said Arredondos approach went against modern law enforcement training regarding active shooters, which teaches officers to immediately engage with shooters as soon as possible and not wait for backup, in order to save as many lives as possible. Texas officials have condemned the police response during last weeks shooting as a failure.

The siege ended only after a tactical team led by Border Patrol agents ignored orders not to breach the school and went inside, shooting and killing the gunman, an hour and 22 minutes after he arrived at the school.

The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans  and engages with them - about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
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When Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in late February, the Russian president vowed his forces would not occupy the country. But as the invasion reached its 100th day Friday, Moscow seemed increasingly unwilling to relinquish the territory it has taken in the war.

The ruble is now an official currency in the southern Kherson region, alongside the Ukrainian hryvnia. Residents there and in Russia-controlled parts of the Zaporizhzhia region are being offered expedited Russian passports. The Kremlin-installed administrations in both regions have talked about plans to become part of Russia.

The Moscow-backed leaders of separatist areas in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region, which is mostly Russian-speaking, have expressed similar intentions. Putin recognized the separatists' self-proclaimed republics as independent two days before launching the invasion, and fierce fighting has been underway in the east for weeks as Russia seeks to liberate all of the Donbas.

The Kremlin has largely kept mum about its plans for the cities, towns and villages it has bombarded, encircled and finally captured. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said it will be up to the people living in seized areas to decide their status.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week that enemy forces now control almost 20% of the country's territory. Before the war, Russia controlled 7%, including the Crimea Peninsula and parts of the Donbas.

But in a video message marking the war's first 100 days, Zelenskyy made it clear Ukraine will not submit easily.

We have defended Ukraine for 100 days already. Victory will be ours, he said.

U.S. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, said he believes theres going to have to be a negotiated settlement to end the war. Asked if Ukraine should give up territory in exchange for peace, the president said, It's their territory and "Im not going to tell them what they should and shouldnt do.

Initially, at least, annexing more land from Ukraine was not believed to be the main goal of the invasion. It was widely thought that the Kremlin intended to install a pro-Moscow government in Kyiv that would prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and pulling further away from Russias influence.

But now, Moscow is unlikely to let go of its military gains, according to political analysts.

Of course (Russia) intends to stay, said Andrei Kolesnikov, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. To Russia, its a pity to give away what has been occupied, even if it was not part of the original plan.

Russian forces captured much of Kherson and neighboring Zaporizhzhia early in the war, gaining control over most of Ukraines Sea of Azov coast and securing a partial land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. They completed the takeover last month with the capture of the port city of Mariupol following a three-month siege.

Residents of the cities of Kherson and Melitopol took to the streets to protest the occupation, facing off with Russian soldiers in plazas. Ukrainian officials warned that Russia might stage a referendum in Kherson to declare the region an independent state.

Petro Kobernyk, 31, an activist with a nongovernmental organization who fled Kherson with his wife, said Russian security forces are cracking down on pro-Ukrainian activists.

Hundreds of pro-Ukrainian activists, including my friends, are being held in the basements of security services, Kobernyk said by phone. Those who actively express their position are kidnapped and tortured, threatened and forced out of the region.

Russian forces keep people in an information vacuum, with Ukrainian websites no longer available, Kobernyk said.

His claims could not be independently verified.

But some in captured areas of Ukraine have welcomed a Russian takeover.

Ive wanted to live in Russia since I was little, and now I realize I dont even have to move anywhere, said Vadim Romanova, a 17-year-old from Mariupol.

In Russian-occupied cities in southern Ukraine, people with pro-Kremlin views replaced mayors and other local leaders who disappeared in what Ukrainian officials and media said were kidnappings. Russian flags were raised, and Russian state broadcasts that promoted the Kremlins version of the invasion supplanted Ukrainian TV channels.

The Russian ruble was introduced as the second official currency in both the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions  at least in the parts under Russian control  and pro-Russian administrations started offering a one-time social payment of 10,000 rubles (roughly $163) to local residents.

An office of Russias migration services opened in Melitopol, taking applications for Russian citizenship from residents of the captured southern regions through a fast-track procedure. The procedure was first implemented in 2019 in the rebel-controlled areas of the Donbas, where more than 700,000 people have received Russian passports.

Top Russian officials started touring the regions, touting the territories' prospects for being integrated into Russia. Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin visited Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in mid-May and indicated they could become part of our Russian family.

A senior official in the Kremlins ruling United Russia party, Andrei Turchak, put it even more bluntly in a meeting with residents of Kherson: Russia is here forever.

Members of the pro-Kremlin administrations in both regions soon announced that the areas would seek to be incorporated into Russia. While it remains unclear when or if it will happen, Russia is appears to be digging in.

Oleg Kryuchkov, an official in Russia-annexed Crimea, said this week that the two southern regions have switched to Russian internet providers. State media ran footage of people lining up to get Russian SIM cards for their cellphones. Kryuchkov also said that both regions are switching to the Russian country code, +7, from the Ukrainian +380.

Senior Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky, a member of the Russian delegation in stalled peace talks with Ukraine, said that referendums on joining Russia could take place in the Donbas, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as early as July.

Kremlin spokesman Peskov was evasive when asked Friday whether Russian authorities planned to hold votes in those areas, saying that it would depend on the course of Russias offensive.

Tatyana Stanovaya, founder and CEO of R.Politik, an independent think tank on Russian politics, said she believes Putin doesnt want to rush the referendums and run the risk of them being denounced as shams.

He wants the referendum to be real, so that the West can see that, indeed, Russia was right, the people want to live with Russia, Stanovaya said.

Ukrainian experts say it will not be easy for the Kremlin to rally genuine support in Ukraines south.

Volodymyr Fesenko, of the Kyiv-based Penta Center think tank, said most residents of the southern regions identify as Ukrainians much more strongly than the people in areas that are closer to Russia or have been led by the Moscow-backed separatists for the past eight years.

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Follow all AP stories on the war in Ukraine at https://apnews/hub/russia-ukraine.
Kim Kardashian is calling on the Department of Justice to grant a temporary release from prison to the father of Eliahna "Ellie" Cruz Torres, a 10-year-old victim of the Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde. Since May 24, the public and celebrities have backed the small town with help, donations, and now some are doing what they can to help the grieving parent reunite with his family to mourn the loss.

Kardashian, who has used her platform to become a force in criminal justice reform, highlighted the situation on her Instagram and Twitter accounts on Thursday, June 2. In her posts, she asked the Federal Bureau of Prisons, an agency of the DOJ, to temporarily release Eli Torres so that he can be with this family for Eliahna's services.
Students from Ardscoil Phadraig, Granard and Ballymahon Vocational School were joined by pupils from across Cavan, Monaghan, Leitrim and Roscommon in Ballymahon Vocational School on May 15 to launch an innovative musical project dedicated to young musicians across the midwest.

Music Generation Local Music Education Partnerships in Longford, Cavan/Monaghan, Leitrim, and Roscommon have joined forces with Music Network to establish Creative Sounds, a collaborative, inclusive music project for young people.

The project, led by acclaimed musician, composer and musical director Sid Peacock, will initiate an inclusive space for young musicians from across each county to collaborate and create. The programme participants will work together to compose, perform and record an original piece of music inspired by a range of musical genres.

This unique partnership between four Music Generation areas and Music Network means young musicians from rural Ireland can engage and learn from internationally recognised, professional musicians.

Local Music Generation Musician Educators from across the four counties will collaborate every month with guest professional musicians invited to come together for this project by Music Network.

This collaborative effort aims to create a new piece of music that will be interpreted, recorded and performed by the young musicians. Between the monthly sessions, Musician Educators will continue the development of the work at a local level with the young musicians.

Nadine Smith, a student of Ardscoil Phadraig said: I really enjoyed the first rehearsal, I don't usually play in this style of music, but it was a new challenge and fun experience, can't wait for the next time we play together.

Fellow Pupil of Ardscoil Phadraig Chloe Spollen echoed this sentiment saying, It was a great way to meet other musicians and play along together and enjoy the experience. It was really eye-opening, how we could come together as different musicians and create amazing music.

The final performance of the Creative Sounds project will take place in Longford, on Saturday, November 19.

Music Generation Longford is locally managed by Longford Music Education Partnership, led by Longford and Westmeath Education and Training Board, with support from Longford County Council and Creative Ireland Longford.
Xinjiang plans over 134 bln USD fixed-asset investment in 2022

Xinhua) 12:15, June 04, 2022

URUMQI, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region plans a total fixed-asset investment of over 900 billion yuan (about 134.1 billion U.S. dollars) in 2022.

The regional development and reform commission said the investment will focus on major projects in infrastructures and strategic emerging sectors, including railways, airports, power transmission lines and new energy bases.

The regional authorities have rolled out a guideline to encourage investment in large wind and solar power bases in Xinjiang's vast expanse of deserts.

The region has encouraged its traditional energy-guzzling petroleum and coal chemicals industries to use more clean energy and even asked them to build new energy projects to power new production facilities.

In 2021, Xinjiang's fixed-asset investment exceeded 820 billion yuan, up 15 percent year on year, the second-fastest growth rate among provincial-level regions across the country.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
Nearly 80 tourism businesses from across Ireland's Hidden Heartlands region, including Longford, met last Friday for the first Failte Ireland in person networking event since 2019 in the Sheraton Hotel, Athlone.

The purpose of the event was for accommodation, attraction and activity providers to learn more about the breadth of experiences that are on offer in the region, as they work side by side to develop a strong cross-selling culture across the destination.

Longford Vintage Show & Family Fun Day to make showstopping return this weekend Three years on from its last staging, Longford Vintage Club are preparing to host arguably its biggest and most eagerly awaited yearly showcases this weekend.

A number of ten-minute, one-to-one sessions took place so businesses could showcase their products and explore how they can develop future themed bundle or experiences, to build on the experiences Irelands Hidden Heartlands offers, positioning it as a compelling holiday destination for Summer 2022 and beyond.

Paddy Mathews, Head of Irelands Hidden Heartlands at Failte Ireland, said, As we enter the busy summer season it is opportune to bring tourism businesses and local authorities together so they can learn what else is on their doorstep for visitors.

"We are pleased to be working with so many businesses and local authorities to build great itineraries and bundle tourism offerings to create more reasons for visitors to stay and enjoy the wonderful experiences available in Irelands Hidden Heartlands.
Longford County Library, Heritage and Archives Services will host a lecture on the life and assassination of Sir Henry Wilson in Longford Library on Tuesday, 7 June, at 7.30 pm.

The speaker will be Irish Times journalist and author, Ronan McGreevy, whose book Great Hatred: The Assassination of Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson MP, has just been published.

A native of Currygrane, near Ballinalee, Henry Wilson had a distinguished military career which saw him rise to the position of Chief of the Imperial General Staff, the highest rank in the British Army.

He was a staunch Unionist and was MP for North Down at the time of his death. Wilson was assassinated in London, by two IRA Volunteers, on 22 June 1922.

Ronan McGreevy is a native of Carrick-on- Shannon. He is the author of Wherever the Firing Line Extends: Ireland and the Western Front and editor of Centenary, the official State book on the centenary of the Easter Rising.

In 2018 he was made a Chevalier de lOrdre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government for his work on the First World War. The lecture is part of the Decade of Centenaries Programme in Longford.
People planning to spend the June bank holiday weekend near bodies of water are urged to be cautious.

Water Safety Ireland, the Coast Guard and RNLI have issued a joint water safety appeal as many people are expected to take advantage of the weekend break.

The organisations are particularly warning people against taking inflatable toys in open water - including at the seaside, inland waters and rivers - as dinghies and air mattresses can quickly blow out to open waters or capsize.

They are also asking people to check they have the correct equipment to enjoy water activities safely and to know what to do in the event of an emergency.

The summer months typically bring an increase in callouts for search and rescue crews, many of whom are volunteers in organisations such as the Coast Guard.

According to Irish Coast Guard Operations Manager Micheal OToole, people need to prioritise safety.

He said, "We want everybody to enjoy our waters but please pay attention to your own safety. Never, ever swim alone and if you are using a boat or kayak, please ensure that if an emergency arises and you need assistance, that you are capable of contacting the Coast Guard with a marine VHF radio, PLB or EPIRB. Never rely on a mobile phone alone."

Safety advice for popular activities such as kayaking, canoeing and paddle boarding includes wearing a lifejacket or buoyancy aid, paddling in a group, checking the weather forecast and sea conditions, and telling someone your location and time of return.



RNLI Water Safety Delivery Support Lisa Hollingum added: "Its great to see people getting out and taking part in water based activities this summer but its important to know what to do if something unexpected happens. There are so many great products on the market for water safety and something as simple as a water proof pouch to hold a means of communication for when you go out on a paddle board or kayak, can make all the difference."



Water Safety Irelands Acting CEO, Roger Sweeney also commented.

He said, "This weekend, the Lifeguards trained and assessed by Water Safety Ireland begin summer patrols at local authority run bathing areas. Last year, they rescued 473 people and provided first aid to 6,700 people. This weekend, let them be there for you. Bring your loved ones to any of the lifeguarded waterways listed [here]."



If you see somebody in trouble on the water or along the coast, or think they are in trouble, dial 999 or 112 or use VHF radio CH 16 and ask for the Coast Guard.
A light turnout came to the Manistee High School Auditorium last night to take part in the Manistee Matters public forum which was hosted by TV 9 &10. The purpose of the forum was to gain an understanding of Manistee and the type of problems it is facing. This is the second time the television station has attempted this type of forum as they held an earlier one two month ago.

40 YEARS AGO

Downtown in National Register

City officials learned this morning that the city of Manistee, in particular the downtown area, has been placed in the National Register of Historic Places. Martha Bigelow, director of the Michigan History Division of the Michigan Department of State and the State Historic Division, notified officials here that the Manistee Central Business District was selected for because the Michigan History Division of the Department of State and the State Historic Preservation Board believed Manistee to be a site of outstanding historical and architectural significance.

Now playing

Now playing at the Vogue Theatre is Walt Disneys Robin Hood. Showtimes are Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. with matinees at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Showing at the Chippewa Drive-In is a horror triple feature, A Stranger is Watching, 9:35 p.m. daily NIghtmare, 11::35 p.m. daily and The Dark 1:20 a.m. daily.

60 YEARS AGO

Bear Lake Class of 1912 reunion

Bear Lake school graduates including wives, husbands and a sister or two for good measure, attended the golden anniversary of the class of 1912 Saturday evening at the Methodist Church dining room. There were 21 in attendance who had a most enjoyable time recalling the happenings of high school days and associates.

80 YEARS AGO

Four charged

City and state police, working together this week, arrested four men in connection with the theft of brass, copper and old and new parts from the Filer Fibre Company where they were employed. Upon being arraigned in a local justice court each of the men entered pleas of guilty and were ordered to pay fines of $25 each and the costs of prosecution.

Sugar canning

Sugar for canning fruits now in season, such as strawberries, may now be secured by making applications at the local rationing board office on River Street. The sugar is to be used only in the canning of fruit. A separate ration of one pound of sugar per person per year will be issued for the making of jams and jellies.
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ONEKAMA  "Just because we build beautiful homes on the lake and we want to recreate on the lake doesn't mean that it's not a living organism we need to protect," said Bre Grabill, environmental scientist with PLM Lake & Land Management Corp.

Grabill gave a presentation during an Onekama Township special meeting on May 25 to provide an update on what is being done to ensure Portage Lake is in good health.

Eurasian watermilfoil forms thick mats in shallow areas of a lake and can block sunlight, killing off native aquatic plants that fish and other underwater species rely on for food and shelter.

The original infestation of Eurasian watermilfoil in Portage Lake led to 40% milfoil coverage, according to a survey conducted in 2009.

"That's extremely high," Grabill said. "A level of 12 is considered very, very high. If you're up toward 40, that's extremely high."

Grabill said 161 acres of Portage Lake were treated for Eurasian watermilfoil in 2009, but after a decade of management the number dropped to 49.5 acres in 2018.

How residents can protect Portage Lake  Do not rake leaves into the lake. Decomposing leaves produce more muck.  Do not feed the ducks and geese.  Remove dog, geese and duck droppings from lawns, docks, etc. Do not just sweep into the lake. Excess feces will increase nutrients.  Use phosphorus-free fertilizer.  Perforate lawn periodically, and seed and mulch exposed soil to prevent erosion.  Remove aquatic plants, leaves, branches and other debris that washes up along the lakeshore so less decomposition occurs in or near the lake.  Use silt fences when building a new home or doing any yard work that would cause erosion.  Keep all burn piles and debris piles away from the lake. The ash is concentrated nutrients.  Encourage the use of stone, brick and similar porous materials when building a landscape to minimize urban water collection.  Create a natural buffer close to the water's edge. See More Collapse

"In a lake the size of Portage Lake, milfoil is going to grow," she said. "We're going to have milfoil present, but what we do is survey that milfoil and determine when it's appropriate to manage it."

Every year, $24 million is spent to control aquatic plants in Michigan.

In 2021, less than 2.5% of Portage Lake required any sort of treatment, Grabill said.

Grabill said Portage Lake's treatment program utilizes the newest form of treatment available in aquatics, with one of those products being ProcellaCOR, an herbicide with a reduced-risk rating from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

"It's really cutting-edge technology to be able to selectively remove milfoil but be able to trick the plant into responding so we don't have herbicide resistance," she said.

Herbicides such as ProcellaCOR are safe to use in the lake, Grabill said.

"Herbicides are designed to attack the chlorophyll of a plant, which is the green part that makes it grow," she said. "And only plants have chlorophyll. That's why they use herbicides to attack those plants, and why they can be used within our water bodies."

In addition to monitoring non-native plants within Portage Lake, Grabill said algae levels must be monitored, as well.

"It's very important that we track that because as a lake ages you're going to see more and more productivity," she said. "With more productivity, you're going to see more algae. It's an important component to determine the health of a lake based on how much algae is present."

Starry stonewort is a macroalgae that was identified in Portage Lake in 2020. Eight acres of Portage Lake were treated for starry stonewort in 2020, and 4.5 acres were treated in 2021.

Grabill said phosphorus levels are tracked because excessive phosphorus can cause increased algae growth. She said less than 10 micrograms per liter is ideal, more than 10 is considered elevated and 30 micrograms per liter is a level "to be truly concerned about."

Portage Lake saw levels as high as 70 micrograms per liter in 2012, but levels have been consistently below 10 in recent years.

"Back in 2012, 13 and 14, you had some very high levels of phosphorus within the water body. Those levels are high enough to show we have a true concern," Grabill said. "However, if you look at the most recent history  except for a spike in 2017  from 2015, 16, through current time, the phosphorus readings within the lake are considered very low, so that's fantastic.

"... It's important to track that so we can try to determine if there are changes taking place within the water body."

PLM conducted a total of seven surveys on Portage Lake in 2021.

"Portage Lake has one of the most advanced and rigorous water quality testing programs that I'm aware of in the state of Michigan," Grabill said.

Despite the extensive monitoring efforts, Grabill said it is important for area residents to keep their eyes peeled for signs of trouble within the lake.

"As much surveying as we're doing, or the committee is having done, residents of the area are the best surveyors that I've found," she said. "... You know the water body, you know the beach area, you know the lake, so you're probably going to more quickly find something from being out there every single day. So if you notice something's different ... say something.

"It's very important that we all act as citizen scientists to help protect the watershed together."

There were fewer than 15 species of submerged native plants within Portage Lake when the lake management program started. The number climbed to 20 in 2021.

The lake management program has an annual budget of $83,600. In 2021, only $48,500 needed to be spent.

Onekama Township supervisor David Meister said the township is not saving the surplus funds and will instead eventually stop collecting money from the Special Assessment District  a designated area where a majority of property owners agree to allow a government agency to levy a property tax in exchange for a specific service  in order to use up the balance.

"At the end of this cycle, we want to end up with $0 in the bank account that people have paid in. The township isn't just collecting $83,600 and pocketing $30,000," he said. "We'll balance all that out at the end of the cycle. There might be a year or two we don't need to collect any money, and we will spend the money that's in the balance."
Amber Heard received a new accusation after the end of her litigation against Johnny Depp. The actress allegedly copied her former employee's abuse story, she recently revealed.

Kate James was a victim of sexual abuse and in 2020 she denounced that the actress used part of her story. The accusations came in the trial that year for defamation between The Sun and Depp in the UK.

The crazy story behind the trial Amber Heard and Johnny Depp

The former employee was a victim of sexual abuse in Brazil at the age of 20. When she read the Aquaman star's submissions, she realized that much of that account matched her story.

"I discovered that Ms. Heard had stolen my conversation about sexual violence and turned it into her own story to benefit herself," he explained in his opening statement during the trial.

Did Amber Heard abuse her occupationally?

In addition to the hard-hitting testimony, Jones also claimed that Amber Heard abused her work. The former employee explained that she was paid low wages while performing a myriad of activities.

"She paid me $25 an hour to start and eventually agreed, after hurling insults at me, to pay me $50,000 a year once I started working full time," she claimed while testifying.

Fans chant Johnny Depp's name after defamation verdict AP

James was outraged during her deposition to learn, she explained, that Heard used her most harrowing experience as her own narrative during the litigation.

Finally, James explained that one should not lie at the expense of a survivor of sexual abuse.
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





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GRAYLING  Michigan National Guard plans to more than double the size of its Northern Michigan base Camp Grayling.

The camp, which spans more than 148,000 acres, is the largest National Guard training site in the country.

Col. Scott Meyers says expanding the military complex will allow for safely distanced multi-domain training in land, air, sea, cyber and space warfare.

Itll allow us to really put Northern Michigan on a map, Meyers said. I don't see anywhere else in the United States that has the ability to simultaneously train in all those domains of warfare in a four season environment.

Michigan National Guard

Camp Grayling contains the largest restricted special use airspace East of the Mississippi River, Meyers said. Close access to Lake Huron allows for naval training, and the remoteness of Northern Michigan allows for cyber and space training.

Meyers said technologies used in the wars of Afghanistan and Iraq showed the necessity for multi-domain training of modern warfare. The expansion will help them to train under these new technologies.

Some residents have expressed concern that expanding military presence in Camp Grayling will hinder recreation in the area. Meyers said that they already have plenty of impact areas for artillery capabilities; what they are missing is distance away from those loud activities to be able to integrate more low-impact training, such as concealment from space assets.

Staff Sgt. Jacob Cessna/Michigan National Guard

We look at this as very low-impact for the environment, Meyers said. If the units are training and if theyre training well, they shouldn't be seen.

He said under agreements with the Department of Natural Resources, they would drive on existing roads and trails.

For safety reasons, Meyers said they will put out advisories when land is being used for low-impact training, but it will still be available to the public. Any high-risk areas for high-impact training are already fenced off.

There is no timeline for the proposal. Meyers said he hopes to see action by the end of the year after coming to an agreement with the DNR.
BRUSSELS (AP)  NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has met with Finlands prime minister and spoken to Turkeys president as he seeks to overcome Turkish resistance to Finland and Sweden joining the alliance.

Stoltenberg, who visited Washington this week, tweeted late Friday that he met with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin while there and discussed the need to address Turkeys concerns and move forward with the Finnish and Swedish membership applications.
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When someone has a skill or learns a trade, they want to ensure their efforts reach a certain level of competence and professionalism. After mastering their craft, they often look forward to helping someone else carry on that work. Whether theyre in a trade such as carpentry, welding, or plumbing, or an artisan, like a potter, sculptor, or stained glass artist, their desire is to see the skills theyve attained continue to benefit others.

In order to accomplish that purpose, they may take on an apprentice. An apprentice, a person who learns a skill from an established tradesman or artisan, usually starts from the ground up, with the expectation of low pay until they become competent themselves.

Such was the case for Donna Martin, of Pigeon. A graduate of Cass Tech, in Detroit, Martin took a job with Chrysler Corporation, moving to Florida. Tiring of the corporate life, she used her creative skills to become a journalist, writing feature stories for a local newspaper.

While employed as a journalist, Martin began painting with oils. Always on the lookout for something to expand her artistic expression, she took some classes in stained glass art. Martin fell in love with stained glass work, became proficient, and ended up giving classes in the craft.

Her family had lived in western Huron County since the early 60s, and Martin eventually found her way back to the area. She lived here for a decade or so, and then moved to North Carolina. After a few years, Martin returned to Huron County. She now lives in Pigeon.

Ever the artist, Martin has continued to do stained glass work. As the years passed, her passion for the craft has grown. She decided to take on an apprentice.

Enter Shawnnessy Renn, also of Pigeon. Renn is a 15-year-old freshman at Laker Schools. She is creative herself, and when the opportunity arose to learn how to do stained glass art, she jumped at the chance.

I love being an artist, Renn said. I think its a great way to express yourself, and understand other people.

Renn has painted for years.

When I was younger, I used to set up my easel and paint in my yard, she said. Now I just take a picture of whatever, and then paint it.

Multi-talented, Renn also does some pottery, wood carving, and charcoal drawing. She also makes crystal and wire jewelry, and is in an art class at Laker Schools.

I like all crafts, Renn said.

When a close friend realized Martin was looking for an apprentice, she suggested Renn. The two have been working together for a little more than a year.

I really like it, from the first day, Renn said.

Learning a skill like stained glass art has been fun for Renn.

Ive learned all the different types of glass, and how to use them, Renn said. Like what type of glass looks better with other types. I learned how to cut, and foil, and solder. And, Ive learned how to grind.

These are all steps in the creation of stained glass art.

You start with a piece of glass, and draw your design on it, Renn said. You cut it out, and then break it with a thick pair of pliers.

The cutting tool scores the glass, which then breaks along the line of the cut.

Then you put a thin metal case around the glass, to solder it, Renn said.

This is called foiling.

Then you pull the pieces together, so they stay in place, Renn said. And then you put flux on them, and solder them.

Some designs require curves.

Deep curves are very hard to do, Renn said. I started with smaller curves, and just kept practicing. It didnt take me that long to pick it up. I learned fast.

Stained glass is usually quite colorful. Mostly its done with different colors of glass.

You order them like that, Renn said. We did do some butterflies, where I painted spots on them, but we usually just order it, because its easier. I like picking out the colors and coming up with the designs. I like the trial and error ... messing up and figuring out where you went wrong. Its challenging. I like challenges.

There is a downside to working with stained glass.

I get cut all the time, Renn said. My hands are always really cut up.

She enjoys being a stained glass art apprentice and has considered making it a career.

If I could have this as a job, it would be awesome, Renn said. I dont know how logistical that is though, especially right now, because you get artists pay, which isnt great. But, it would be an awesome job. Theres so much variety ... I dont want a boring desk job, where you sit there and do the same thing every single day for the rest of your life. An artist goes all over the place. You meet a bunch of different people ... and theres so many different forms of it.

Working with Martin has been beneficial for Renn.

Shes interesting, Renn said. Shes fun. She talks nonstop, which is fine with me, because I dont talk a lot. Shes hilarious. She teaches me a lot of good stuff about life in general.

From her standpoint, Martin enjoys working with Renn.

Shes very quick, Martin said. I think I showed her one time how to do the curves, and that was it. Shes so good at details.

The idea behind an apprenticeship was appealing to both Martin and Renn. They work well together.

Martin calls her stained glass business Huron Shores. She and Renn sport shirts saying "Stained Glass Sweat Shop. Huron Shores." They may even do a couple of craft shows together this summer.

Martins work can be seen at The Brew Moon in Caseville and Paks Garage in Port Austin. Examples of her work are on display at the Caseville Methodist Church and the Caseville Historical Society. The stained glass eagle outside of the Caseville School Auditorium is also a Donna Martin creation.
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Bobi Gephart hadnt planned to go to church that Sunday  not to the worship service where the pastor intended to make a confession about the oppressive secret she had carried for so long.

But she quickly changed her mind, realizing she couldnt trust the pastor  the man she says began sexually preying on her as a teenager  to share the whole truth.

Gephart hurried to New Life Christian Church & World Outreach in Warsaw, Indiana, arriving mid-service, and made sure her story was told.

Nearly a million viewers have witnessed what happened next in that May 22 confrontation, captured on video and posted on Facebook.

John B. Lowe II, the congregation's longtime pastor, confessed on stage to adultery 20 years earlier. I sinned, he said, acknowledging he never previously admitted it publicly to protect myself.

Bobi and her husband, Nate Gephart, who had been watching from the congregation, then walked onto the stage and took the microphone.

If you love us, please let us talk," Nate said, handing the mic to his wife.

It was 27 years, she said, not 20, that she had lived in a prison of lies and shame."

For years, I thought I was a horrible person, having suicidal thoughts, not realizing what had truly been done to me, that I was a victim," she told him. I was just 16 when you took my virginity on your office floor. Do you remember that? I know you do.

She told Lowe "you kept me in your prison, but Im a prisoner no longer.

Bobi Gephart, now 43, told The Associated Press she wanted the church community to know the truth and had no idea the video, recorded by a family member in the congregation, would generate such a viral response. She's received overwhelming support, she said.

I didnt realize how much this is helping and will help people, she said. People not just in this area but all over the world are reaching out to me. Their stories are so heartbreaking.

Lowe resigned as pastor, the church said in a statement on May 23. The church said no one on staff had previously known about what happened, and it offered to help Gephart with "healing in any way in which we are able.

In the church's May 29 service, Lowe's son, associate pastor Bryan Lowe, read a statement saying the church would be restructuring and holding meetings with members.

Indiana State Police, in a statement, asked anyone with information as a victim or a witness about the situation to contact investigators.

Bobi Gephart said she spoke with police but acknowledged prosecution of Lowe may be unlikely because of the passage of time and because Indiana law defines the age of sexual consent at 16. She said shes aware of other past abuse within the church.

She did say Lowe began grooming  in which a sexual predator gains the trust of a victim through favors and other means  before she was 16. The sexual relationship continued into her early 20s. Lowe, now 65, was more than 20 years older than her.

Gephart said from the time she was young, her family's life revolved around the church and the Lowes.

We were like family with them, she said, and when one set of parents was traveling, the other would often watch over the children.

She said a few people in the church had known what happened, but it remained secret to most of the congregation, and no one helped her get counseling. She said she felt obligated to protect the reputation of the pastor and the church and hadn't even told her husband.

Things changed recently when her brother told her he was haunted by a memory from when they were teens. She said he recalled seeing his pastor in bed with his younger sister, T-shirt and underwear on.

When she told him what had happened, she said her brother immediately confronted Lowe by text, calling on him to resign.

She said Lowe began to talk to some in the church, confessing to adultery but not telling the whole story.

The church formed an advisory committee, which said in a later statement it hadn't finished investigating, couldn't verify the accuracy of Lowe's version and had advised him not to make the May 22 confession.

Ages of consent vary between 16 and 18 in U.S. states.

Victim advocates say such sexual activity by clergy is beyond adultery, which implies consent among equals. They say it amounts to an abuse of power by a spiritual authority. Some denominations, such as the Catholic Church, define clergy sexual abuse as involving any victim under 18.

New Life is an independent church.

After Bobi Gephart confronted Lowe at the service, Nate Gephart tossed a necklace Lowe had given Bobi onto the podium, followed by her covenant purity ring, which many churches have given to youths to promote virginity before marriage.

We are working through love and forgiveness, Nate said. But people have to be held accountable, and they cant just bamboozle people and say, Well, I just committed adultery. It was far beyond adultery. So heres the covenant purity ring back. I dont want it in my home.

Some in the congregation voiced support for the couple and questioned Lowe, who admitted that Bobi was 16 when the sexual relationship began. Later, some circled around him in prayer.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
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Once considered a relaxed role connecting with a communitys youth, Connecticut school resource officers are now counted on as the first line of defense in the event of a mass shooting.

Brian Foley, an aide to the commissioner of the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, said most Connecticut law enforcement agencies review their active shooter response strategy after a mass shooting occurs somewhere around the country.

After a school resource officer in Parkland, Fla., was accused of hiding in 2018 as 17 people were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, departments reexamined their protocol, Foley said.

School resource officers, once considered officer-friendly types in low-risk jobs, are now trained to confront a shooter without hesitation, Foley said.

So there was a shift, he said. Eliminate the threat or die trying.

A former Hartford deputy police chief, Foley went through mass shooter training in 2013 after Sandy Hook and learned how to approach a gunman with a team of four instead of waiting for a SWAT team.

In the wake of the mass shooting last month in Uvalde, Texas, police presence has been increased at schools across Connecticut. In Norwalk, officers are being paid overtime to be stationed at each of the citys nearly 20 schools. In New Milford, the town was already in the process of hiring more armed security guards to provide further protection in addition to the school resource officers.

Texas law enforcement officials have been criticized for waiting more than an hour before entering a classroom where the gunman killed 19 students and two teachers last month.

Since the Columbine mass shooting in 1999, Connecticut law enforcement has been trained to immediately enter a building when there is an active shooter and people inside.

I think its very fair to say that it is a universal practice in Connecticut, Enfield Police Chief Alaric Fox said. In the pre-Columbine era, it was at least a passable alternative to set up a perimeter and wait for the SWAT team to arrive.

At Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., two gunmen killed 12 fellow students and a teacher, while wounding 21 others before taking their own lives. During that incident, police remained outside for hours while some victims bled to death.

The thought now of waiting on the perimeter seems barbaric, Fox said.

Connecticut requires instruction on how to search a building where a crime is in progress as part of its basic training for recruits, according to Karen Boisvert, a police academy administrator. However, the state does not require follow-up active shooter training.

Fox said most departments he knows conduct their own active shooter training. Fox, a former colonel with the Connecticut State Police, said his department regularly conducts drills on how to handle an active shooter.

Enfield prepares its officers to run toward a shooting scene. They have first aid kits and combat gauze, Fox said, and those who are qualified also have rifles in their patrol vehicles.

South Windsor Sgt. Mark Cleverdon said his department conducts mass shooting training every few years. Officers run through drills in a vacant school, practicing how to enter classrooms and declare them cleared once they are deemed safe.

They use paintball-style ammunition in their handguns for a realistic effect, Cleverdon said.

It simulates a real-life situation when we would be engaging a threat, he said. And if you get hit with one, it hurts.

Cleverdon said it is standard practice for Connecticut officers to immediately enter a building if an active shooter is firing at people.

The standing rule is: If there is an active shooter, or threat of an active shooter, officers should be entering the building upon their arrival, he said.

Even at Sandy Hook Elementary School, where a gunman fatally shot 20 first-graders and six educators in 2012, I think, tactically, the standard was still the same, Cleverdon said.

The first officer arrived at the Newtown school within four minutes of the first 911 call, and within one minute of the officers arrival, the shooter killed himself, according to the States Attorneys report.

However, some investigators questioned the response of the first officer who reportedly parked nearly a quarter-mile away to wait for other officers to arrive.

Retired Manchester Sgt. Howard Beeler was one of the first officers to enter Hartford Distributors the morning of the Connecticut mass shooting in 2010.

The suspect, Omar Thornton, looked out the front windows of the Manchester warehouse and took three steps back. Cops were arriving at the company where Thornton had just fatally shot eight co-workers.

Thornton locked himself in an office, where he called 911 and told a state trooper he wished he could have shot more people. After police carefully made their way into the sprawling building, Thornton took his own life.

Surveillance video captured Thornton in the lobby, apparently looking for more victims. He had shot eight people, starting with managers who had confronted him with video evidence that he had apparently stole beer.

He paused near the glass doors at the buildings entrance as the first police cars were pulling up, backed up and fired his way through an interior door that locked behind him. He locked himself in an office, called his mother and then dialed 911, saying, I wish I could have got more of the people, according to the transcript obtained by the Associated Press. He also said he wasnt going to kill anyone else.

Beeler and his team  the first to go into the building  were in the warehouse in another part of the sprawling complex when Thornton died by suicide. They didnt hear the gunshot, he said. The team had been going through the building checking open offices for the shooter and marking them as safe, with an X. Offices that were locked were marked with an L, according to police radio transmissions.

Although Beeler was the highest-ranking officer in the group, he depended heavily on the expertise of Officer Stephen Bresciano, a member of the regional SWAT team.

Bresciano, who died in 2020, told him, We need to go in right away, Beeler recalled. I said, OK. He was instrumental that day.

We did what we did because it was the right thing to do, he said. Im told that because of our quick response, we saved lives.
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LOS ANGELES (AP)  A man stabbed a doctor and two nurses inside a Southern California hospital emergency ward on Friday and remained inside a room for hours before police arrested him, authorities said.

The man walked into Encino Hospital Medical Center in the San Fernando Valley shortly before 4 p.m., Los Angeles police Officer Drake Madison said.

The man had parked his car in the middle of a street and went to the emergency room, where he asked for treatment for anxiety before stabbing the doctor and nurses, authorities said.

Fire officials said three victims were taken to a trauma center in critical condition. Police later said one was in critical condition and underwent surgery.

All three were later listed in stable condition at Dignity Health Northridge Hospital Medical Center.

The first floor of the Encino hospital and some nearby offices were evacuated, police said.

We've moved patients out of the danger zone," LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said at a news conference.

There was no evidence that the man knew the victims, Hamilton added.

The man remained inside a room in the hospital for about four hours as SWAT team members tried to unsuccessfully to negotiate with him before he was finally arrested, police said.

He was taken to another hospital for treatment of self-inflicted injuries to his arms, authorities said.

The man's name wasn't immediately released, but Hamilton said he had a lengthy criminal record, including two arrests last year for battery of a police officer and resisting arrest.

Benjamin Roman, an ultrasound technician, told KNBC-TV that before the stabbing, he saw the man, who had a dog with him and who might have been high on drugs because he looked anxious and was drenched in sweat.

After the hospital issued an internal triage" code, Roman said he saw a doctor and a nurse who had been stabbed.

The doctor looked (like) she was in pain," he said. There was a lot of blood and it looked like ... he might have got her abdomen."

The attack comes only two days after a gunman killed four people and then himself at a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The assailant got inside a building on the Saint Francis Hospital campus with little trouble, just hours after buying an AR-style rifle, authorities said.

The man killed his surgeon and three other people at a medical office. He blamed the doctor for his continuing pain after a recent back operation.
TRONA, Calif.  A Navy fighter jet crashed Friday in the Southern California desert, killing the pilot, authorities said.

An F/A-18E Super Hornet based at Naval Air Station Lemoore went down at about 2:30 p.m. in the area of Trona, an unincorporated Mojave Desert community in San Bernardino County, the Navy announced in a statement.

Nobody on the ground was hurt.

The identity of the pilot and details of the crash weren't immediately released.

Trona is about 236 miles (380 kilometers) southeast of the air station, which is in the Central Valley.

Lemoore is home to Commander Strike Fighter Wing Pacific and Commander Joint Strike Fighter Wing and hosts 16 operational Strike Fighter squadrons, according to its website.

In 2019, a Navy Super Hornet crashed in Death Valley National Park during a routine training mission, killing the pilot and slightly injuring seven park visitors who were struck by debris. They had gathered at a scenic overlook where aviation enthusiasts watch military pilots speeding low through a chasm dubbed Star Wars Canyon, officials said.

Last October, a Navy Super Hornet from Naval Air Station China Lake also crashed, and in 2020 another from Lemoore went down, both during training missions. The pilots safely ejected, one in a remote southern area of Death Valley National Park near the Nevada border and the other in the Mojave Desert.
More than 40 feet up the tower at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, Army recruit Robert Smith missed setting his feet on the 4-by-4 plank from which he was to start rappelling down.

"I said: 'Sergeant, what should I do?' I was kind of scared. And [the] sergeant said: 'Trust your equipment. Now straighten your legs.' Then he said: 'Now wave at me,' I waved. ...

"I'm going to remember that for the rest of my life."

Smith made it down.

Waving was not a dare or an act of bravado, his drill sergeant, Staff Sgt. Joseph Flanagan said later. Rappelling -- walking down a wall or cliff with a safety rope -- involves two hands. One is kept behind the back as a brake, the other is used to manage how quickly the rope moves as the rappeler walks down. Waving with that hand is meant to demonstrate how securely the brake hand holds you in place.

Smith was new to the Army -- about two weeks in, and the tower came on his first day out of the Army's new "Yellow" phase.

Yellow phase is the result of a reordering of basic training schedules during the pandemic, a rethinking by the armed forces of how a select group of NCOs should bring tens of thousands in their late teens and early 20s into the tightly disciplined military.

These days, those NCOs have been asked to help trainees tackle many more challenges than rappelling down a tower.

One sign: the Smokey the Bear hats that mark drill instructors in the Army, Marine Corps and Air Force come off fairly regularly these days. That means it is time for talking, not giving orders or doling out punishment push-ups.

Mentorship, with the campaign hats set aside, is a major theme for all the services. Navy instructors don't wear the broad-brimmed hats, but they, too, are putting a new emphasis on mentoring new sailors. That's why the Navy this year added two weeks to its boot camp outside Waukegan, Illinois. Basic now takes 10 weeks -- the first graduates are now in A-school and should begin arriving in Hampton Roads, Virginia, this summer.

Some of what drill instructors tackle are social issues that have been worrying the Pentagon's top brass: sexual assault and harassment, racism and political extremism. In the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered a worldwide stand-down to air concerns about racism and extremism. In December, the Pentagon issued new guidelines to root out extremism after finding about 100 service members were involved in extremist activity over the past year.

At Fort Jackson -- one of the Army's main basic training centers -- Lt. Col. Larry Steward's pilot program of naming "SASH influencers" (for student against sexual harassment) in each unit is expanding to cover all recruit platoons.

The idea is for recruits to listen for and intervene when early signs of harassment emerge: it is easier to hear a peer telling you a comment is out of line than to hear from a drill sergeant or company commander. And sometimes, an early intervention that doesn't involve punishment can have a better effect.

The Army's holistic health and fitness program's five domains include a focus on values, which includes how soldiers are to treat each other and other people they encounter as they carry out their duties.

Thinking about how basic training launches that Army-wide push is part of what the Fort Eustis-based Center for Initial Military Training is working hard on these days, said Brig. Gen. John D. Kline, the center's commanding general.

"If we get that right, not only do we have a high school graduate who is a values-oriented solider at the end of 10 weeks, but hopefully we have a long-term effect," he said.

As it happens, the pandemic led Fort Jackson to make a major change to basic training. To the old "Red," "White" and "Blue" phases that moved recruits through increasingly demanding drills, marksmanship and maneuver training, it added a new "Yellow" phase, right at the start.

The idea was to keep recruits in small groups while social distancing until a quarantine period passed.

Barracks are designed differently  beds are spaced out in each bay, with 12 to 15 recruits sleeping head to toe. Their foot lockers are arranged to create a kind of personal space.

A series of classes on Army core values, first aid, military law and sexual harassment prevention are scheduled for this phase, instead of being spread through all 10 weeks of basic.

Instead of recruits from several bays taking classes together, as they used to, each bay conducts its own session -- keeping in the smaller group based on housing builds a sense of being a team.

"We get them to know about each other, to recognize that they are stronger together," said Brig. Gen. Patrick R. Michaelis, commander at Fort Jackson.

The values domain can be really emphasized then.

"We want to build spiritual resilience; not necessarily religious, but so they understand their own core values ... we want to layer the Army core values on that, so they can bring out their core values, so you can rely on them in adversity," Michaelis said.

Pfc. Marcus Chavis, celebrating his graduation earlier this spring, felt he experienced that.

"I grew up in a tough neighborhood, always looking out for trouble," he said. "Here, I'm looking out for my battle buddies."

Yellow phase has another benefit: students don't march around as much from class to class and drill session to drill session. That means less of a shock to the system as they work at getting in better physical condition; the payoff is fewer injuries.

The Navy actually adopted that housing unit-basic training a few years ago, although instead of barracks bays, those units are called ships. With that shift have come sessions based on real-world scenarios, life skills training and a focus on the Navy's Warrior Toughness program, which combines performance psychology skills with character development.

The Navy's extra two weeks of boot camp are all about mentorship. The idea is to set time for new sailors to talk with their instructors about situations they and their families will face once they are with the fleet, and to walk through various scenarios applying lessons from the "warrior toughness," life skills and professional development curriculum from the previous eight weeks.

"Instructor feedback has been incredibly positive regarding additional time for mentorship and training," said Lt. Michael Miller, public affairs officer at Great Lakes. "The additional time has allowed more opportunities for RDCs (recruit division commander, the Navy term for drill instructor) and instructors to provide an experienced view of what the fleet might look like as a new sailor.

The additional two weeks focus on scenario-based training about prevention and response for sexual assault and harassment, as well as extremism. Recruits are provided with real-life situations from the fleet, so they can work through the issues as a group. At the end, they'll learn what actually happened, and instructors emphasize problem-solving skills and the Navy's core values.

The Navy adopted the extra time for mentorship from the Marine Corps' move four years ago. During this "Phase 4 time, Marine drill instructors provide time to talk freely and to walk through similar scenarios and discussion sessions.

"We talk about everything, what's going on in the world, what our responsibilities are as Marines," said Staff Sgt. Evelyn Esquinal, a senior drill instructor at Parris Island.

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro conducts a pass in review with Col. Bradley W. Ward, commanding officer, Recruit Training Regiment, during the graduation ceremony on MCRD Parris Island, Jan. 7, 2022. Secretary Del Toro visited MCRD Parris Island to learn more about Marine Corps recruit training and meet Marines, staff, recruits and their families. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class T. Logan Keown/U.S. Navy photo)

Col. Bradley Ward, commander of Parris Island's Recruit Training Regiment, said Phase 4 is a chance to drive home some of the "core values" classes that are a central feature of the first weeks of boot camp,

"We're really about teaching," he said.

While the Marine Corps and Navy added time for mentorship to the end of basic training, the Air Force reincorporated an end-of-training mentorship period back into the basic training schedule. Last month, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne Bass asked leaders to routinely set aside "airmen time," to focus on their airmen's growth and forge closer bonds with them.

"I don't believe we're here to break down people, I'm not going to tolerate that," said Col. Jeff Pixley, commander of the Air Force training center.

Every Friday, it's his job to speak to the several hundred recruits who arrived four days earlier -- they've been through haircuts, uniform and equipment handouts, first classes with their instructors, including such basics as how to stand properly at attention, and first sessions of drilling and marching in step.

"When I get up to speak to them, I'll say I don't care if come here with deeply held beliefs, but if you tell me you can't work with someone because they're a different gender or a different race or because they are transgender, and if that's what you say -- I say you can get on the bus back home," he said.

Pixley said a lot of that message gets through from the way Air Force instructors do their job.

For Tech. Sgt. Joseph Van Doren, it's about how you raise your voice. He still will yell, but if he needs to correct a student, it's one on one, and his focus is on what needs fixing, and not any personal comment about the student.

"If you're still having trouble marching in step then I'll take you aside, say 'just walk with me, just walk with me,' and then maybe something like 'hey cup your hand' 'cause I know that can help," he said.

"The first 72 hours are shock and awe," said Staff Sgt. Joshua Champion, at Fort Jackson. So there can be some yelling.

But it eases after that.

"If you're stressed, you're not listening," he said.

"I'm about teaching them ... I want to get them thinking, I want to mold thinking. I don't want them automatically charging in a frontal attack on a machine gun nest, I want them to be able to say, 'That doesn't sound so smart,' " Champion said.

"I'll take my hat off and ask them what's going on, how are they doing .... we had phone time, and I saw a trainee sitting off by himself outside, so I ask, 'Why are you sitting there?' and he said, 'I don't have anybody to call, except maybe my teacher.'

"He was starting to cry ... So I said, 'I know it's tough. but you're not alone.' That's part of what I do," Champion said.

"Maybe they yell at first, but as we move on, it's not like that," said private Chavis, speaking a few minutes after graduation at Fort Jackson.

"Say we're learning about suppressing fire ... it's like he's saying you could have done it this way, you could do that," Chavis said.

U.S. Army Brig. Gen. John Kline and Command Sgt. Maj. Scott Beeson of the U.S. Army Center for Initial Military Training addresses a group of Junior ROTC high school students after their visit to the 128th Aviation Brigade at Fort Eustis, Virginia, April 28, 2022. (Staff Sgt. George Prince/U.S. Army photo)

Gen. Kline, up at Fort Eustis, wants to see that across the Army's basic training centers.

"If I do something wrong and that means I'm yelled at or doing more push-ups, that's something different than if you say to me, you could have done that better," he said. "If I'm private Kline and I screwed something up and I'm going to get yelled at, I'll have one kind of reaction. If I'm private Kline and I hear I could have done better, I'm going to think I don't want to let anyone down."

For Sgt. Major Reggie Fox, back at Fort Jackson after a spell as a drill sergeant 15 years ago, basic training has changed a lot, and for the better.

"Now, we're teachers. Before, we were disciplinarians. We still cared about our kids, but it was not the same ...

"When I was a drill sergeant ... (recruits) weren't asking questions. I think it is good to see them doing that now," he said. "When I look back now, I remember how I could see on their faces that they were scared. I don't like remembering that."

2022 The Virginian-Pilot. Visit pilotonline.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Nationals signed utility man Ildemaro Vargas to a minor league deal last week and assigned him to Triple-A Rochester, per MLB.com.

The 30-year-old Vargas spent a little less than two weeks in the Majors this year with the Cubs before being designated for assignment and released. It was his second tour of duty with the Cubbies, having spent parts of the 2020 and 2021 seasons in Chicago. This year he managed to his just .130/.231/.348 in 26 plate appearances with the Cubs.

Vargas was originally signed by the Cardinals as an amateur free agent out of Venezuela back in 2008. Prior to his time in Chicago, Vargas appeared with the Diamondbacks (twice), Pirates, and Twins, with the brunt of his 407 career plate appearances coming with Arizona. For his career, reaching back to include every season since 2017, Vargas owns a ..227/.265/.354 line. He has primarily contributed at second base and third base, but he has also made appearances at shortstop and the corner outfield spots.

With the Nationals, hell serve as infield depth, especially useful given the recent injury to Alcides Escobar, Washingtons de facto shortstop. The Nationals are rolling with a 3-man bench unit right now, with Lucius Fox as the only reserve infielder.
TODAY: The arthroscopic procedure is expected to keep Myers out of action for roughly a month, Kevin Acee writes.

JUNE 3: The Padres announced that they have placed outfielder Wil Myers on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 1, due to right knee inflammation. Fellow outfielder Brent Rooker was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

While theres no timeline on Myers absence just yet, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune provides some more information, including speaking to Myers himself. I dont think this is something thats (going to be) many months by any means, he says. However, Acee adds that arthroscopic surgery is still being considered, a procedure that would be aimed at cleaning up a loose cartilage flap behind the patellar tendon in his right knee. Despite Myers apparent lack of concern, surgery would surely alter his recovery timeline.

This is Myers second IL trip this year, as he also spent almost two weeks on the shelf due to a thumb injury. Perhaps due to that ailment and this knee issue, he is having the worst season of his career. Acquired from the Rays at the end of 2014, hes played in seven seasons in San Diego, producing above average production in six of them. His wRC+ has been 107 or higher in those six seasons, with 2019s 97 being his only below-average campaign. However, this year, hes hitting .234/.276/.306 for a wRC+ of just 66.

Despite a solid 30-21 record, the Padres havent gotten too much production from their outfield this year. Jurickson Profar is having a decent bounceback year, hitting .226/.326/.392 for a wRC+ of 109, but Trent Grisham is hitting .159/.275/.280 for a wRC+ of 67, just barely ahead of Myers. The only other outfielder to have played more than ten games on the year is Jose Azocar, who is hitting .254/.318/.305 for a wRC+ of 83. Nomar Mazara was added to the roster recently after a good showing in Triple-A, replacing Robinson Cano. Now Rooker, acquired in the Taylor RogersChris Paddack trade, will enter the mix as well. Through 26 Triple-A games this year, Rooker has hit nine homers and produced a slash line of .242/.357/.568, 124 wRC+.

The long-term prognosis of this knee injury could have impacts down the line, as the 31-year-old is potentially heading to free agency at the end of the year. As part of the extension he and the club signed prior to the 2017 season, they have a team option for Myers services next year valued at $20MM, with a $1MM buyout.
Veteran Ghanaian actor Psalm Adjeteyfio has been laid to rest at the La Public Cemetery.

The final funeral rites took place today (Saturday, June 4, 2022) at the forecourt of the Trade Fair Centre in Accra, where the mortal remains were laid in state.

In attendance were the media, the clergy and some actors of the 'Taxi Driver' series including Henry Harding (Osofagus) and George Quaye (Aboagye).

A thanksgiving service will be held on June 5, 2022, at the V.I.D.E. Ministries, opposite EV Filling station at Teshie Yoomo Sperce in Accra.

The actor passed away on April 8, 2022, from complications, ranging from cardiomegaly to high blood pressure.

The late TT starred in movies like Papa Lasisi, The Chosen One, American Boy, and The Scent of Danger.

TT will be remembered for his great acting skills and unique personality, which made him a household name in the late 1990s.

In the star-studded popular television series, which included Mikki Osei-Berko (Master Richard), and George Quaye (Aboagye), TT was the most popular character in Taxi Driver.

As a result of his fame, Psalm Adjetefio became the face of top brands such as Duraplast, who capitalised on his popularity to promote their PVC pipes through TV adverts.

Other popular characters in the Village Communications production were Nat Banini and Henry Harding also known as Pattington Papa Nii Papafio or Osofagus.

--Citi Newsroom
The UN extended its mission in Sudan for another year Friday amid protests in the country against the mission's chief, who is working to resolve a political crisis sparked by last year's military coup.

The 15-member Security Council voted unanimously at the UN headquarters in New York to renew the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission Sudan (UNITAMS) until June 3, 2023.

On Wednesday, hundreds of Sudanese protesters demanded the dismissal of UN special representative Volker Perthes, who heads UNITAMS, during a demonstration outside the mission's offices in the capital Khartoum.

Many of the protesters were supporters of Islamist groups.

The demonstration came a day after Islamist leader Mohamed Ali Al-Gizouli accused Perthes of interfering in Sudan's internal affairs during a seminar titled "the negative impact of the UN mission on the launch of Sudanese dialogue".

Sudan has been rocked by deepening unrest since an October 25 coup staged by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, which sparked regular anti-coup protests across much of the country.

The power grab derailed a fragile power-sharing agreement between the army and civilians negotiated after the 2019 ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir.

A violent crackdown on the anti-coup protests has left nearly 100 people killed, according to pro-democracy medics.

The UN mission, along with the African Union and the regional bloc IGAD, have been pushing to facilitate Sudanese-led talks to resolve the crisis.

Western governments have backed the mediation efforts and urged Sudanese factions to participate in the process.

Some protesters on Wednesday said they were angry that the UN was involving the civilian alliance known as the Forces of Freedom and Change in talks.

In March, Perthes told the Security Council that Sudan was heading towards "an economic and security collapse" unless its civilian-led transition was restored.

In April, Burhan threatened to expel Perthes over alleged "interference" in the country's affairs.

On Sunday, Burhan lifted the state of emergency imposed since the coup to set the stage for "meaningful dialogue that achieves stability for the transitional period."

Sudanese authorities have since April released a number of anti-coup civilian leaders and pro-democracy activists arrested in the crackdown.
African Union head Macky Sall said on Friday he was "reassured" after talks in Russia with President Vladimir Putin on food shortages caused by Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine.

Putin hosted the Senegalese president, who chairs the African Union, at his Black Sea residence in Sochi on the 100th day of Moscow's offensive in Ukraine. Global food shortages and grain supplies stuck in Ukrainian ports were high on the agenda.

"I found Vladimir Putin committed and aware that the crisis and sanctions create serious problems for weak economies, such as African economies," Sall told journalists, adding that he was leaving Russia "very reassured and very happy with our exchanges".

Ahead of the talks, which lasted three hours, Sall asked Putin to "become aware that our countries, even if they are far from the theatre (of action), are victims on an economic level" of the conflict.

He said it was important to work together so that "everything that concerns food, grain, fertiliser is actually outside" Western sanctions imposed on Moscow after Putin sent troops to Ukraine on February 24.

In his remarks in front of reporters before the talks, Putin did not mention grain supplies but said Russia was "always on Africa's side" and was now keen to ramp up cooperation.

"At the new stage of development, we place great importance on our relations with African countries, and I must say this has had a certain positive result," Putin added.

Putin did not make a statement following the talks.

Washington and Brussels have imposed unprecedented sanctions against Moscow, pushing Putin to seek new markets and strengthen ties with countries in Africa and Asia.

The Kremlin said the two leaders discussed expanding "political dialogue" between Russia and the African Union as well as economic and humanitarian cooperation.

'Exhaustive explanations'

Speaking to reporters earlier on Friday, Putin's spokesman said the Russian leader would explain to Sall "the real state of affairs" concerning grain supplies stuck in Ukrainian ports.

"No-one is blocking these ports, at least not from the Russian side," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Putin has said Moscow is ready to look for ways to ship grain stuck at Ukrainian ports but has demanded the West lift sanctions.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected in Turkey next Wednesday for talks on creating a "security corridor" to unblock grain exports from Ukraine.

Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine and a barrage of international sanctions on Russia have disrupted supplies of fertiliser, wheat and other commodities from both countries, pushing up prices for food and fuel.

Cereal prices in Africa, the world's poorest continent, have surged because of the slump in exports from Ukraine, sharpening the impact of conflict and climate change and sparking fears of social unrest.

The UN has said Africa faces an "unprecedented" crisis caused by the conflict.

On Thursday, landlocked Chad in central Africa declared a "food emergency", urging the international community to help.

Ships loaded with grain remain blocked in Ukraine, which before February was a leading exporter of corn and wheat and alone accounted for 50 percent of world trade in sunflower seeds and oil.

Navigation in the Black Sea has also been hampered by mines placed by both Russian and Ukrainian forces.

In 2019, Putin hosted dozens of African leaders in Sochi in a bid to reassert Russia's influence on the continent.

Though never a colonial power in Africa, Moscow was a crucial player on the continent in the Soviet era, backing independence movements and training a generation of African leaders.

Russia's ties with Africa declined with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and in recent years China has emerged as a key foreign power on the continent.
Ghana has six designated Ramsar sites. These are wetlands designated under the criteria of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands , an international treaty that seeks to protect them. In Ghana, these sites are mainly along the coast and are meant to be protected as set out in the convention. But the sites have become targets for property developers whose activities are leading to a decline in the flood resilience of many parts of the capital, Accra. Environmental scientist Chris Gordon explains the functions of wetlands and why more needs to be done to protect them.

What is a wetland?

Wetlands are considered under the Ramsar Convention areas of marsh, fen, peatlands or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres. Ghana is a signatory to the convention and the first wetland designated was the Owabi Wildlife Sanctuary Ramsar Site. Wetland areas in Ghana cover all the country's beaches, mangrove areas, river buffer zones and low-lying land that is flooded by water, at times to a depth of about six metres.

What is its importance to the environment?

Wetlands are important in many ways and are relevant to almost every aspect of human life. They serve as a buffer for floods as they absorb water. They also help reduce the impact of drought as they replenish groundwater by releasing that trapped water slowly into aquifers (the rocks that hold water underground).

The holding capacity of wetlands helps control floods and prevents water logging of crops. Mangroves also reduce the impact of storm surges, and protect the coast from erosion.

Wetlands serve as breeding and nursery grounds for several species of marine fish, which are a source of people's livelihood (both as fisher-folk and in the downstream fish value chain). They also provide medicinal plants and building materials as well as household items such as mats.

Several species of animals and plants need wetland conditions to survive. All of these animals and plants have intrinsic value too, in that they give people pleasure. Wetlands are very peaceful places.

Why are they under threat in Ghana?

Wetlands are targeted for commercial and residential development in urban areas where there is a shortage of land or in areas where the wetland are seen as prime land for tourist development along the coast.

In the urban setting, wetlands are usually the last places to be developed.

So in a place like Accra, wetlands in low lying flooded areas are being targeted because almost every space has been encroached as a result of ill considered developments (sometimes with the indiscriminate allocation of building permits by local authorities).

Wetlands aren't suitable to build on. Wetlands soil is waterlogged, often acidic or saline and has a high clay content. It is therefore unstable. Building on this soil is not the wisest thing to do: the buildings are never strong. Even after adding chemicals to the cement and concrete, you find that groundwater in the wetlands erodes the foundations. Filling up the wetland by piling materiel on it does not help, as this material act like a wick bringing corrosive chemicals to the surface.

Landowners know this, but continue with their developments.

What has the impact of the developments been?

The major impact  especially in urban areas  is tied to fact that the wetlands lose their function of acting as a sponge. Wetlands soak up the excess runoff and then release it slowly. This stops high water levels rising, and flooding. The loss of the greenbelt and urban wetlands in Accra has reduced the ability of wetlands to retain water when there is unusually heavy rain.

To build in a wetland you usually need to fill it. You have to add material to build it up. The water that would have previously occupied that space is displaced and needs to go somewhere else. So you may have built years ago and feel your building is safe. However, the water that's been displaced will result in flooding. The result is that infrastructure such as roads which were previously never flooded now become flooded.

What can be done?

To restore a wetland after it has been encroached on doesn't just involve removing a building. You have to take away the material that has been put there, in some cases illegally, then you have to try to seed the wetland with the correct types of plants and hope that the animals will come to reestablish it.

It is a long, expensive process. Probably the simplest wetlands to restore are the mangroves along the coast. But even then, the problems caused by erosion, sea level rise and plastic pollution and increased sedimentation because of the runoff are difficult to turn around.

Wetlands are being restored in parts of Europe and North America, because authorities realised that the value of having a wetland was greater than the development that was there.

But this action is rooted in behavioural and attitudinal change. Ghanaian needs to have to get people to stop doing the damage. Then we can see how to remove some of those buildings which are in waterways, how to open culverts, how to plant trees to increase infiltration (the flow of water from above ground into the subsurface). And how to get people to stop paving their entire compounds with tiles which increase water runoff.

It's everyone's problem. And everyone can benefit from solving it.

Christopher Gordon 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 Christopher Gordon, Founding Director, Institute for Environmental and Sanitation Studies, University of Ghana
04.06.2022 LISTEN

A pupil teacher at Achimota Bright Future Academy in the Greater Accra region has been arrested by the Israel police for allegedly aiding a Junior High School (JHS) 3 student to steal three mobile phones.

The accused, Newlove Aboagye, is a JHS 3 pupil teacher at the school located at Tabora-Alhaji. He is said to have received one phone from the student, Millicent Appiah, 20-year-old, who lives in the same house with the complainant [name withheld].

Snippets of information gathered pointed out that Newlove Aboagye has knowledge of the plot because he is said to be a beneficiary of the loot from students.

Sadly, there is a syndicate of teachers at the Achimota Bright Future Academy who are alleged to have been encouraging petty crime of their students, thereby abetting bad deeds which risk the future of the students.

When the police arrested Millicent Appiah, a fortnight ago, she admitted giving one phone to a barber, Ransford Kofi Ayeh, who was earlier arrested.

The police have since retrieved a phone from the barbers possession and the phone is in the custody of the police as an exhibit but the suspects have disfigured the back of the phones with nails to outwit the complainant.

The police are on a manhunt for another accused person who is on the run.

Police said for the last 3 months, complaints of theft were being received at the police stations.

According to the police, the suspects will be charged with conspiracy and stealing.
On Friday, Senegalese President and African Union Chair Macky Sall strode into a meeting and shook a smiling Vladimir Putin's hand before taking a seat next to him to discuss the war in Ukraine.

In a notable reversal of typical roles, Sall led an African delegation to Russia to hold talks with the Russian president over the European war.

The apparently cosy scene -- which took place in the southwestern city Sochi on the 100th day of Russia's invasion of Ukraine -- marked a significant step forward in Sall's efforts to boost Africa's global political standing.

"A large part of humanity is very attentive to what is happening" in Ukraine, Sall said, raising the need to free up cereal and fertiliser stocks for export.

"I came to see you to ask that you be aware that our countries, though they are far from the theatre [of war], are the victims of this crisis on an economic level," he said.

Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine and a barrage of international sanctions on Russia have disrupted supplies of fertiliser, wheat and other commodities from both countries.

Cereal prices in Africa, the world's poorest continent, have surged, sharpening the impact of conflict and climate change and sparking fears of social unrest.

Four months into Sall's one-year term as AU chair, the diplomatic mission to Russia is just one of several ambitious campaigns the Senegalese leader has launched on the world stage.

He has also called for two permanent African seats on the UN Security Council, advocated for the AU to join the G20 and demanded OECD reform to permit longer loan periods to African countries.

"It is good leadership, making sure that the voice of the African continent is heard, and heard loud and clear in today's world," said Alioune Tine, the founder of the Dakar-based think tank Afrikajom Center.

He described Sall's mission to Europe as "completely unprecedented."

"It is Europeans normally who get involved in African wars; now if Africans do mediation, it's an excellent thing," he said in French.

A dozen African countries, including Senegal, rely on Russia and Ukraine for at least half of their wheat imports, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation.

Many countries are feeling the combined effects of delayed grain exports and rising fuel prices.

Lofty objectives

In a recent joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Sall said African countries were "deeply divided" on the Ukraine conflict. He repeated calls for a ceasefire.

"For Africa, we want peace  We want peace even if we condemn the invasion," he said, though he himself has shown reticence to clearly condemn Russia's aggression.

Senegal on March 2 abstained from a UN General Assembly vote to demand "that Russia immediately cease the use of force against Ukraine."

It did vote for a second resolution on March 24 demanding that Russia stop the war immediately.

Nearly half of the African countries abstained or did not vote in both votes.

In October 2019 Putin hosted dozens of African leaders in Sochi. By Sergei CHIRIKOV (POOL/AFP)

Russia has been making inroads in Africa in recent years through military alliances and arms deals. In 2019, Putin hosted dozens of African leaders in Sochi in a bid to reassert Russia's influence on the continent.

Sall, who had been invited Friday by Russia, also spoke by phone with Putin on March 9. On April 11, he held a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

On Saturday, Sall will join an ECOWAS summit in Accra to discuss the putsches in neighbours Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso.

He has also been invited to this month's G7 summit in Germany.

"President Macky Sall's objectives are quite lofty ... but he can't reform the UN, the G20, and the OECD in six months," said Ibrahim Nyei, a Liberia-based fellow with the Centre for Democracy and Development.

"I think the African Union should confront these issues step-by-step and prioritise them, and the greatest international organisation where you're going to influence would be the UN Security Council."

'Africa must have a say'

In a recent speech to young African leaders, Sall said he wants two permanent African members on the Security Council -- or a reform of the rules so that one country alone cannot veto decisions.

He estimated African issues make up 70 percent of the council's business.

"Africa must have a say," said Mbaye Babacar Diop, a Dakar-based consultant. "We have more than one billion people."

With strong ties to France and the US, as well as relations with China, Israel, Iran and Saudi Arabia, Senegal has one of the broadest diplomatic policies in Africa.

"Senegal has always been a great country of diplomacy," dating back to the first president, Leopold Sedar Senghor, said Tine.

Sall wipes a tear after a public hospital, where 11 newborns died in a fire. By SEYLLOU (AFP)

But, analysts say, in order to maintain legitimacy abroad, Sall must ensure his own house is in order.

Senegal has faced a number of domestic crises in the four months since he took the AU reins.

Last week, a hospital fire in the western city Tivaouane killed 11 newborn babies, just one of several recent tragedies to spark national outcry about the country's health services.

Sall had to rush back from an AU summit in Equatorial Guinea.

Map of Senegal locating the city of Tivaouane, where 11 newborn babies died in a hospital fire in May. By Tupac POINTU (AFP)

Meanwhile, critics fear he will exploit constitutional changes approved in 2016 to argue that a two-term presidential limit does not apply, in order to run for a third term in 2024.

Those fears contributed to Senegal's worst protests in years in 2021.

He has said he will announce his decision after legislative elections in July.

"He must not neglect the Senegalese issues, he must not neglect the African issues, he must not neglect the global issues -- he must do everything at the same time," Diop said.
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04.06.2022 LISTEN

Mr Joseph Osei Owusu, is not on Facebook and any account bearing his name on the social media site is a scam, the Office of the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament has cautioned the public.

The caution comes after the office said its attention had been drawn to an impersonation of character situation on Facebook with the account name Hon. Joseph Osei Owusu.

We wish to state categorically that the First Deputy Speaker and MP for Bekwai is not on Facebook and the said account is a scam, the office said in a statement.

The statement noted that the necessary steps have been taken to inform the Parliamentary Police Unit to investigate and cause the arrest of the imposter.

It further cautioned the general public that the Offices of the First Deputy Speaker and Members of Parliament do not transact business and Parliamentary related matters on Facebook.

The general public has, therefore, been advised to desist from transacting business with the imposter or any such person on Facebook.

citinewsroom
North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has said the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) is expected to do more in tackling financial irregularities than it is doing.

Although Mr Ablakwa recognizes that the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng is doing his best under a terrible condition, much is required of him to look into cases of financial irregularities especially involving government officials.

Contributing to a discussion on a report compiled by by Imani Africa titled Financial Recklessness Index: Can The Government Rein Itself In, on TV3s Key Points Saturday June 4, he said  Probably, it is high time we stopped appointing political figures to the Attorney Generals Department.

One of the things that we thought the OSP would do, that he is independent, he is not cabinet minister, but unfortunately that office is still a pale shadow, it hasnt really fulfilled the hopes and dreams that we had.

I want to see a more aggressive Special Prosecutor who wades into these [ financial irregularities ]. At least the new one is showing some glimmer of hope but there is more room for improvement, he still doesnt have a board, he doesnt have the resources, deliberately starving the OSP, so I dont blame him too much, he is doing is best under very terrible conditions.

Are we really committed, these are billions of cedis, if we are able to save them, protect the public purse we wouldnt be having the debt to GDP that we have.

A Researcher at IMANI Africa, Dennis Asare who also spoke on the same show revealed that 2015 and 2020 tax irregularities amounted to about 1.2 billion.

This, he said, indicates that there is weak enforcement of financial regulation.

2015 and 2020 tax irregularities is about 1.2billion which indicates that there is weak enforcement and there is a challenge in enforcing compliance, he said.

Mr Asare added We have lots of loopholes preventing the government from raising the right funds to help with our projects.

3news.com
Belgium's King Philippe on Tuesday begins a historic visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, in a region cruelly exploited by his ancestors, as tensions rise in the volatile east.

The six-day trip, at the invitation of President Felix Tshisekedi, has strong symbolic significance, coming two years after Philippe expressed to the Congolese leader his "deepest regrets" for the "wounds" of colonisation.

The visit, the monarch's first to the DR Congo since ascending the throne in 2013, has been billed as a chance for reconciliation after the atrocities and other abuses committed under Belgian colonial rule.

It had originally been scheduled to take place in June 2020 to mark the DRC's 60th anniversary of independence, but was rescheduled to 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The visit was then postponed from March to June because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Philippe will be accompanied by his wife, Queen Mathilde, and members of the Belgian government, including Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.

Colonial statues

Three stops are planned and the sovereign will deliver a speech at the first two: in Kinshasa on Wednesday during a ceremony with Tshisekedi at the Congolese parliament, then Friday before students at the University of Lubumbashi in the south of the country.

Historians say that millions of people in the Belgian Congo were killed, mutilated or died of disease as they worked on rubber plantations belonging to Leopold II, Belgium's monarch from 1865-1909 and the brother of Philippe's great great grandfather.

The growth of the Black Lives Matter, initially a reaction to police violence in the United States but now a broader anti-racist movement, has seen several colonial-era statues removed in Belgium.

Belgium is preparing to return to Kinshasa a tooth -- the last remains of Patrice Lumumba. By STAFF (BELGA/AFP/File)

Belgium is also preparing to return to Kinshasa a tooth -- the last remains of Patrice Lumumba -- a hero of the anti-colonial struggle and short-lived first prime minister of the independent Congo.

Lumumba was murdered by Congolese separatists and Belgian mercenaries in 1961, and his body dissolved in acid, but the tooth was kept as a trophy by one of his killers, a Belgian police officer.

Philippe's visit comes 12 years after the last visit of a Belgian sovereign, Albert II in 2010, and will also aim to reset ties that were soured during the presidency of Joseph Kabila, who left office in 2018.

The latter was criticised, including by Brussels, for having remained in power beyond his second term, in violation of his country's constitution, and development ties were suspended for a time.

The visit comes in a context of renewed violence in North Kivu, where the DRC accuses neighbouring Rwanda of supporting armed rebels opposed to the Congolese authorities.

Belgium has called for an "immediate" halt to the fighting, which is causing civilians to flee.

Rwandan exiles

In this immense country, where the GDP per capita is one of the lowest in the world despite its mineral wealth, the east has been shaken by massacres and violence for nearly 30 years.

Historians say millions of people in the Belgian Congo were killed, mutilated or died of disease as they worked on rubber plantations belonging to former king Leopold II. By JOHN THYS (AFP/File)

After the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda in 1994, some of the perpetrators fled to the DRC and Kigali's new authorities launched operations against them.

The royal couple will come to show their solidarity with these battered populations, especially women victims of rape in the region.

The last stop of their journey is scheduled for June 12 in Bukavu, in the clinic of gynecologist Denis Mukwege, co-winner of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for his fight against sexual violence.

A stop on Wednesday at the National Museum in Kinshasa will also address the issue of the restitution of art objects to the former colony.

The Belgian government last year began a programme to give back artefacts to the DRC.
Director of Operations at Dalex Finance, Mr. Joe Jackson has condemned the millions of cedis being pumped into the construction of the National Cathedral in the midst of the hardships in the country.

Speaking on the Key Points programme on TV3 on Saturday, he said the house of the Lord should be built by the children of the Lord and not by Caesar.

According to him, contributions from Ghanaians should be used for the project and not public funds.

On Friday, documents from the Office of the President released by North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa revealed that in 2021 alone, President Akufo-Addo authorized an astonishing GHS32million of taxpayer funds to be paid to Sir David Adjaye & Associates Ltd for consultancy services on the National Cathedral project.

With a reported GHS57 million spent on the project thus far, the NDC Parliamentarian in a Facebook post said the funding has all been carried out on the blind side of the Parliament.

In a conversation on the matter today, Joe Jackson argued that at a time when some Ghanaians are suffering and skipping meals, the government should not be prioritising the building of a Cathedral.

He implored government to as a matter of urgency suspend all financial support for the construction of the National Cathedral.

The building of the Cathedral can go ahead on private funding but the government should suspend its participation because it has bigger issues to attend to. The temple of the Lord should be built by the children of the Lord, not by Caesar, Mr. Joe Jackson said.

The Finance expert continued, They can go ahead, the board of trustees can do all they can do but the funding at this point in time should not be from public money.
This has been a difficult week at the Special Criminal Court, where the men suspected of involvement or complicity in the November 2015 terrorist attacks are being tried. The hearings have been devoted to the final observations from lawyers representing the survivors and the relatives of the bereaved.

The legal profession, like every other, is a mixed bag. So many different personalities, so many different styles. We have been harangued, cajoled, seduced, surprised and, even, spoken to normally. The closing summaries have ranged from the excessively theatrical to the conversational. The language has veered from inspired to bog-standard banal.

The court president, Jean-Louis Peries, has kept his thoughts to himself. He has been unfailingly polite.

The accused have sat, calm or comatose, through it all.

Except for Tuesday, when nine of them staged another boycott of the hearing, in solidarity with Muhammed Usman, one of the prisoners, who has been complaining that his health problems are not being taken seriously by the authorities.

Jean-Louis Peries, with typical workmanlike pragmatism, sorted the situation with a phone call.

Striking prisoners return to courtroom

Usman and the other strikers were back in the security box on Wednesday.

But you have to wonder how much of this particular part of the criminal procedure they are understanding.

Usman is from Pakistan and speaks Urdu. His neighbour in the security enclosure, Osama Krayem, has learned French but is Swedish. Both are assisted by court translators.

What they make of the more fanciful legal flights is anyone's guess.

The lawyer who made reference to Hemingway's Moveable Feast (incorrectly translated as Paris est une fete in French) played on the echo of "fete" in the word "defaite", as he told the accused that Paris had defeated them. It would be hard to know how many of his French hearers got the point. It seemed to leave the Swedish and Pakistani parts of the audience completely unmoved.

Who is this part of the trial for?

And that has been a major part of the problem. Exactly who is being addressed in this phase of the trial, now into its tenth month?

We know all that forensic science can reveal about the events leading up to and away from the tragic events which cost 132 people their lives. We have heard from many of those who survived.

If this week's black-robed professionals have sometimes erred in the choice of tone, if they have sometimes repeated unhappy facts in unworthy language, if they have sometimes failed their clients, that is the price of justice.

Because, as several of the week's speakers have reminded us, behind the histrionic trappings and the verbal misjudgements have been the voices of those victims who have not felt themselves to have a legitimate place in this vast courtroom. They would otherwise be the forgotten victims. This has been their week.

As one of their legal representatives put it, quoting a survivor of the horrors of Nazism: "we have become the witnesses of witnesses."

The trial continues.
As part of measures to create awareness and whip up public interest in the second edition of the Green Ghana Project, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has activated the One Student, One Tree initiative.

The program which was launched by the Deputy Minister in charge of Forestry, Benito Owusu-Bio at the Aggrey Memorial School in Cape Coast on Friday, June 3, 2022 aims at incorporating the second cycle institutions in the tree-planting exercise.

Under this module, students from all second cycle institutions in the country will be encouraged to plant trees and nurture them with guidance from their respective authorities.

Addressing the students at the Launch, Benito Owusu-Bio disclosed that the goal of the initiative is to inculcate the habit of planting trees into the students.

He acknowledged the strategic role of the schools in governments bid to protect the environment and assured that the Ministry will collaborate with educational institutions and stakeholders to plant the trees and achieve the target set for the 2022 Green Ghana Project.

Stressing on the importance of the countrys forest reserves and the need to protect them, the Deputy Minister advanced the viewpoint that the forest offers benefits such as serving as wildlife, windbreaks, regulation of atmospheric temperature, provision of natural resource and income, provision revenue and eco-tourism.

He noted, however, that despite the humongous benefits derived from the forest, human activities over the years have threatened the countrys forest cover and the government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo deems it extremely important to plant more trees to avert a futuristic danger.

Having established the crucial role of trees to the survival of humans, Benito Owusu-Bio implored on all students in the country to welcome the Green Ghana Project and take part in the tree planting exercise.

He said the Ministry will make available trees to all second cycle institutions country so that students will have no difficulty contributing to a worthy cause.

The Member of Parliament for Atwima-Nwabiagya appealed to the heads and teachers of the various institutions to actively participate in the exercise and help government build a sustainable environment.

The Central Regional Minister, Justina Marigold Assan provided statistics from the Forestry Commission and the United Nations which depicts Ghanas fast depleting vegetative cover adding that it has, therefore, become necessary for the government to take drastic measures to protect the forest cover.

She made the supposition that with government representing a minute section of the country, it will be impossible for it to effectively plant the trees and, therefore, appealed to the people of Central Region and Ghanaians to take part in the exercise.

Justina Marigold Assan also implored on the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the country to support the program and ensure its success.

The Headmistress of Aggrey Memorial Senior High School, Madam Kate Annan-Wilberforce commended the government for the initiative and promised that Aggrey Memorial will plant trees to help sustain the countrys forest cover.

Launched in 2021, the Green Ghana Day is earmarked for the planting of trees across the country. The first edition of the program saw over five million trees being planted, 85% of which turned out to be successful.

The second edition is set for June 10, 2022 with government targeting 20 million trees.

The event also saw the Deputy Minister donating Green Ghana branded books to Aggrey Memorial Senior High School, Wesley Girls SHS, Mfantsipim SHS, Adisadel College, Jukwa SHS, St Augustines SHS and Holy Child SHS.

Source: Classfmonline.com
Clara Ayan Ampah, a caregiver who allegedly caused the death of an 11-month old girl at a preschool at Abgogba, Accra, is to stand trial at the High Court.

Clara will stand trial at the High Court on a charge of manslaughter in July this year.

An Adenta District Court last Tuesday conducted committal proceedings following the Attorney General's advice that the accused be charged with manslaughter.

Clara was earlier charged provisionally with negligently causing harm.

A Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) captured Clara pushing food down the toddler's throat in the school, where she worked.

The baby was pronounced dead when she was taken to the North Legon Hospital.

Clara was arrested after the parents of the baby girl reported their daughter's death to the Agbogba Police on May 18, 2021.

A police report states that the father of the victim, on May 18, 2021, reported to the Agbogba Police that the management of the School called to inform him that his daughter was sick and was taken to the North Legon Hospital and was pronounced dead on arrival.

A team of police investigators went to the hospital and examined the body of the victim, after, which they conveyed it to the Police Hospital morgue.

An autopsy was conducted on the body of the little girl after, which she was released to the family for burial.

The Proprietress of the School later handed over CCTV footage of the day of the incident to the police, which revealed how Clara had handled the baby.

In the video, Clara was seen trying to force some food substance from a cup, believed to be porridge, into the mouth of the victim, while she held the baby's hands tightly behind.

She was also seen pushing the baby's head into the cup in an attempt to get the little girl to eat, while the helpless baby, who appeared to be suffocating, screamed and jerked her leg.

GNA
The Ministry of National Security has raised alert of suspicious movement of persons in the Garu and Bunkpurugu/Nankpanduri districts in the North East and Upper East Regions.

In a statement, the ministry said its intelligence indicates that the group was sighted board motorbikes dressed in apparels that hid their faces and headed for the mountainous area in the Garu district.

It has, therefore, advised the Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces and the Inspector General of Police to be on high alert.

The alert comes barely two weeks after the Ministry of National Security launched the See Something, Say Something Campaign aimed at raising public alertness on terrorist activities.

There have been widespread alerts for some weeks of possible terrorist attacks in the country.

Source: Classfmonline.com
The Upper West Regional Minister, Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, has said Ghana has been spared from terrorism activities because the terrorists had not been able to identify or persuade local collaborators.

Ghanaians are not willing and ready to cooperate with terrorists and that had helped the country to stay safe, he said.

He urged people in the region to put in place measures and attitude that discourages terrorists and to be more vigilant to secure their communities from miscreants to ensure lasting peace for development.

Dr Bin Salih was addressing religious leaders at a terrorism and counter-terrorism sensitisation workshop in Wa.

The Regional Coordinating Council organised the forum to sensitise the leaders to help educate their members on terrorism and terrorists' activities to enable them to protect the region.

He said there were terrorists attacks in Ghana's neighbouring countries, such as Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso, which borders the region.

He, therefore, urged the people not to be complacent but to be more willing to share information on suspicious characters and strange behaviours during congregation and worshipping, with the security agencies.

Dr Bin Salih used the occasion to caution people in the region to avoid taking the law into their own hands through mob actions when dealing with persons perceived to have committed offences.

He mentioned the recent incident that occurred at the forecourt of the Wa-Naa Palace where two adults seen to be having sex in a video were flogged.

The action of the youth had brought down the good name of the region in this era and age; this age does not expect such acts, he said.

The Regional Minister said the Regional Security Council visited the Wa-Naa Palace and held a meeting with members of the Waala Traditional Council and other opinion leaders in the municipality to discuss the action of the youth.

He said issues of such nature must be left for the Police to handle, pointing out that, if people stepped on the law, the appropriate authorities mandated to delve into such issues were the Police.

GNA
04.06.2022 LISTEN

The recent so-called human rights abuse by a certain chief of Wa in the Upper West Region where two lovebirds decided to fornicate and advertised their sin together with their lack of shame and dignity, has left many jobless tongues wagging. This occurred when the chief of the community mocked the dormant, selective and biased law and justice system of the country by flogging the two shameless and Stone Age era human beings.

While many level-headed Ghanaians think the two local pornstars deserved the public humiliation, torment and curse, some useful idiots are invoking democratic, liberal, and human rights instruments to condemn the move by the chief.

Whether wrong or right, I think laws are made of the people, by the people and for the people if I may be allowed to paraphrase Abraham Lincolns definition of democracy. The laws do not make men. And if the generality of the people of that community decided to punish a thing like that as a crime, it does not go beyond the purview of democracy! Yes, we may have a national democracy, but local makes national. The people flogged him.

Lets face it fellow Ghanaians. If your pet, a cat or dog, defecates at the wrong place in your house say in the kitchen or on your pillows and bed, or it defecates in a cooking pot, it is only appropriate that you discipline it.

Wait a minute. The essence of disciplining any sinner is usually not out of sadistic tendency, it is to maintain the deterrent value and to uphold moral sanity of the society.

And let's set the record straight: the pet would likely be better than owner if he or she decides not to discipline it and teaches it where to defecate next time.

Similarly, a man who goes and defecates in the kitchen must be made to see the psychiatrist. If a normal human being, he must be disciplined!

However, it's disgusting that human society has become worse than the jungle, where humans defecate in kitchen sinks and expects no condemnation because of democracy!

Having sex in public whether videotaped or live sex is similar to a man who defecates in the kitchen. Such a person needs curer of madness.

Sex is undoubtedly a "private business". That's why private parts are involved during sexual act.

Sexual organs are described as private parts because of 1. their location in the human body and 2. the sacred duty they perform: they are responsible for the making of the human being.

Today, even businesses or entrepreneurs have privacy in respect of what they produce in order to maintain monopoly in the market. Confidentiality of production of many most valuable products is always maintained and highly recommended. And one must pay huge sums of money in order to be taught how to produce that product.

Individuals, either employees or employers, are usually sanctioned either by dismissal or at least demotion for publicizing how their products are manufactured. Why? Because such products need to be unique in the market and knowledge of the process involved in their production must be kept in secret.

How about the "process" of making the human being? The crown of creatures. As a result of unregulated sexual activities, look at the gradual descend of the human society into the abys of what Thomas Hobbs described as brutish and short!

This is because sex or woman is the greatest motivation of any human being. When it becomes unregulated, society bleeds.

But today the human has stood too low that some products are better than him. Less regard is given to the act of sexual intercourse (process of human production) vis-a-vis other process of production.

The "process of human production" (sex) has no longer been regarded. Attention has since been shifted from respecting the process of human production to other goods!

No wonder the human live is most devalued and worthless today with human parts markets all over the world.

The human society now respects how Lamborghini is manufactured or Coca cola than the human being. Processes and procedures for the manufacturing of both coca cola and Lamborghini have always been kept away from the public eyes. And one must pay a lot in order to know how they are produced.

How embarrassing would it be to one day see a video in the internet in which your parents were "banging" and "bonking" each other that resulted in your coming to the world?

This is how bullshit the world has become!

I know complete idiots would talk about human rights. The right to defecate in kitchen sinks; the right to display one's vagina to the rest of the world.

These are indeed the rights of those from among human community who want to mimic the "Cow Community" (animals that walk naked and mate in public).

By the way, one common but fundamental dictum of human rights says that "your rights end where another person's rights begin". If it's your right to display your penis or vagina, it's somebody else's right not to see it. Hence, if you want some fresh air for your vagina or penis, display it in your room or house.

It's your right to have sex wherever you want, it's somebody's right not to see your nudity, its another mans right not to hear your moaning. Have your sex where you won't infringe upon others' rights of free from your nudity and moaning.

If not the fact that the human society is gradually becoming terra incognita in terms of common sense and assuming the era of the Stone Age, why would anybody really modern involve in sexual act like that of the Cow Community mates? Only the third animals have sex or mate in public. I do even wonder if animals could use cameras and video tapes, would they ever film themselves?

Personally, I have never seen cats mating publicly. And even if you observe, naturally dogs mate at night when everybody is asleep. Hardly would you find some animals mating in the open unlike the livestock and poultry that mates in every corner they feel like openly. They do that because we would soon openly use them for dinner. Who uses the human being openly for dinner. God has honored the human being above everything else.

Why would the human being dishonor and debase himself this way living the life of the livestock?

Some stupid individuals often ask whats private about their sexual organs if they decide to publicize them?

Sex organs are private parts because of their location within the human anatomy. As if their locations are not enough, nature has endowed both the male and female sexual organs with guards that guard them: the thighs.

Revealing these private organs in public is similar to the pet that defecates at the wrong place. Or better still, a man not in a state of terra firma who chooses to defecates in the kitchen.

In any case, both the pet and the human should be punished. And anybody who sees anything wrong with disciplining a man or pet that uses the kitchen as a latrine must join the "Cow Community"; for he or she doesn't belong to the human race!

By extension, any system that allows such an animalistic behavior like this to go scot-free belongs to the animal kingdom and not for the human race.

What a world have we found ourselves in like that, animals are becoming more human than humans?

It's time we define and differentiate between being responsible as human community and enjoyment of human rights.

If you choose to defecate in your own kitchen in your house and call that human rights, your kitchen is your kitchen. And you may really be entitled to some human rights. But to come to a restaurant's kitchen to defecate and claim human rights is certainly madness that must be cured instantly. Flogging may not be bad!

Have your sex at home, videotape it and watch, whether it is legitimate or illegitimate sex. Nobody cares. It's your right. But having sex in public or broadcasting it is similar to a man who uses kerosene to prepare light soup at public restaurant. We have every right to condemn it!

God Save Us

The author, Iddrisu Abdul Hakeem, alias Young Prof., is an Mphil Student of Religious Studies @ KNUST. You can share your ideas with him via: 0261669954/0557762967
More than 2,000 confiscated motorcycle taxis have been crushed in Nigerias biggest city, Lagos, following a ban on the vehicles, known as okada.

The move comes following the lynching of a man by suspected riders last month, which sparked outrage.

Sunday David, a 38-year-old sound engineer, was killed in the upmarket Lekki neighbourhood after a disagreement over fares.

His death sparked outrage and forced authorities to act.

His wife, Grace Bolu, was distraught and left questioning how she will support her two children.

Im just a civil servant. My husband does everything. How will I do it? How much is my salary to pay school fees, pay rent? she told the BBC.

The ban has had a mixed reaction from local residents with some saying the riders drive dangerously, while others say okada riding provides vital work for young people.

An artisan residing in Ikeja, Wasiu Adekoya, bemoaned the highhandedness of the riders.

They [the motorcyclists] kidnap people. What the government did is fine. We dont want trouble in Lagos state. But let them roll out more buses to augment the shortfall.

Another resident who identified himself simply as Pastor Abraham pleaded for leniency, saying okada riding provided vital income for many.

There is poverty in the country. Total ban is not realistic, he said. This is what some people are using to feed themselves. Let the government be mindful.

Since the ban has been put in place, parts of the city that are usually buzzing with okada riders have seemed unusually quiet.

It applies to six local government areas  Eti-Osa, Ikeja, Surulere, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland and Apapa  and came into force on 1 June.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who announced the ban last month, said the prohibition would curb the okada menace  they are known for their speed and risk-taking as they weave through the citys notorious traffic jams.

Lives are being lost on a daily basis, preventable accidents are happening every day and the riders are not respecting any of our traffic laws, he said.

Between 2016 and 2019 okadas were responsible for 10,000 accidents and over 600 deaths recorded in hospitals across Lagos state, according to government figures.

Of the 20,596 vehicles involved in road crashes last year, 4,428 were motorcycles  over 20%.

The current ban is the second time in two years Mr Sanwo-Olus government has prohibited the bikes.

Every governor of Lagos since 1999 has placed a partial or total ban on the operation of motorbikes.

Each time they did, it was only a matter of time before the motorbikes returned, largely because the police were unable to follow through on implementing the ban.

Enforcement is hard though considering that many riders do not bother to register their vehicles.

Some 42,000 commercial motorcycles number plates were registered in the first quarter of this year, says the federal road safety corps (FRSC), so it will not be easy to remove all of them from the citys streets.

However on the first day of the ban, compliance was near total across the four areas the BBC monitored, although some riders are avoiding the highways and turning to minor roads.

The ban has been met with some stiff resistance from the bikers who threaten to protest.

One of them, Amada Amada, said he hopes the ban will fizzle out as in the past.

We have no choice but to stay calm for now. Its normal for them to show force but everything will soon go down, he said.

There are also fears that some of the idle bikers could turn to crime, with nothing to do.

Not only do the bikes create jobs for a teeming unemployed population, but demand for them is also high due to their easy manoeuvrability, speed and ability to travel on poor roads.

The motorcycle transport union of Nigeria has reacted by reportedly filing a suit against the state, urging the court to compel the government to provide alternative jobs for its members and declare the ban illegal.

Lagos State police spokesman Benjamin Hundeyin told the BBC that this time the ban will be implemented for good.

I can assure you that the commissioner of police has put measures in place to make [sure] the enforcement is sustained and we dont have any relapse, Mr Hundeyin said.

Whoever boards the bikes will be arrested and prosecuted. There are mobile courts set up everywhere. The mobile courts cite what punishment to give to them, he added.

But whether or not the ban will be effective remains to be seen.

---citinewsroom
The Central Regional Project Organizer of Apomanse Hope For Africa, a Non-Governmental Organization, Miss Dorithy Dotlyn Donkor has encouraged parents to endeavor to take keen interest in their children's education, especially the Girl-Child as a means of eradicating poverty.

To Miss Dorithy Donkor, women play an important role when it comes to eradicating poverty-related hardships in families and wherever they find themselves.

"It is important to note that women are real home builders in their families due to their unique care for Children and their extended families. We therefore ought to take keen interest in educating them to attain a height in every sector of the economy.

"It is true to say that 'What a Man can do a Woman can do it Better' so parents and society as a whole must put hands together to support Girl-Child Education," she stated.

The Central Regional Organizer stated these when she donated a number of sanitary pads and other hygienic related items to the Girl-Child Department of Gomoa Osamakrom D/A Basic School in the Gomoa Central District of the Central Region to promote personal hygiene.

According to Miss Dorithy Dotlyn Donkor, the donation forms parts of the organization's support for government's efforts to create a conducive environment for effective teaching and learning and also boost confidence in the Girls during menstration.

"Some of our Girls find it extremely difficult getting hygienic items to use when they enter their menstruation period, this is where we come in to support them during such crucial moments. We must sensitize them on how to apply clean and hygienic items in order not to attract infections into their system," she emphasised.

Miss Dotlyn Donkor expressed the hope that parents and for that matter, civil society would support the Girl-Child to achieve their hopes and aspirations.

"Apart from the education sector, Appomense Hope For Africa also support Health Facilities to facilitate Healthcare delivery in their operational areas. We support them with Medical Tools, Equipment and other logistics needed to offer efficient services.

"We believe that a healthy people make a wealthy nation. The organization operates in various communities in Central, Eastern, Western and others collaborating with government agencies to improve quality lives through community engagement."

The Girl-Child Facilitator for Gomoa Osamakrom D/ A Basic School, Madam Genevieve Okoampah who received the items on behalf of the School thanked Miss Dorithy Dotlyn Donkor and her team for the kind gesture.

She noted that it would supplement efforts of ensuring that the Girl-Child education becomes beneficial to the general public and Ghana as a whole.

"What I do as a Girl-Child Facilitator is basically to gather the girls in the school to sensitize them on womanhood. We have a Girl-Child Club here mainly from Class One to Junior High. Which trains them on how to improve their lives as they grow up putting in mind that they are not only good for the kitchen but other areas as well.

"We also teach them to be good leaders in the near future and how to keep themselves pure and clean. Many a time, we invite facilitators from the health and security services to educate them on health related issues as well as how was protect themselves as they move about in their communities. The club also train them to be entrepreneurs and also assist to unearth their God-given talents."

The Headteacher of the School, Mr. Afedzi Mills urged parents to monitor the activities of the children especially the Girl-Child so that they don't associate themselves with bad companies.

He noted that the Girl-Child Club in the school has contributed immensely towards the reduction of teenage pregnancies.

According to him, the school had not recorded any teenage pregnancies for the past 10 years.
04.06.2022 LISTEN

June 4th has never been about making all poor to become rich and everyone equal. It has never proclaimed as its goal the banishment of poverty from the land. What it has done is to underscore the need for fairness, equity and the creation of opportunities such that all who truly aspire and apply themselves diligently and make a genuine endeavor can rise progressively out of the doldrums and show that individual and societal progress can be achieved by all classes of people regardless of birth, creed, ethnicity, social status or so-called "privileged education" .

The uprising has to be memorized because the revolution fought corruption, greed, nepotism and much other canker at that time and it's still relevant today. Celebrating June 4 should be a time of reflection on the issues that brought about the revolution.

The June 4th Revolution or June 4th Uprising was a popular uprising in Ghana in 1979 that arose out of a combination of corruption, bad governance, lack of discipline and frustrations among the general public. It was sparked when the then military government of the Supreme Military Council (SMC II) of General F K. Akuffo put flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings on public trial for attempting to overthrow the government on May 15th 1979.

In Ibrahim Hardi's piece, A military trial was set up and Jerry John Rawlings turned the trial against the government by accusing it of massive corruption and requesting that his fellow accused be set free as he was solely responsible for the mutiny. Jerry John Rawlings words 'Leave my men alone- I'm responsible' were immortals words that will continue to be the standard of true leadership in our country.

Those words remind us of the master's teaching that 'to save one's life we must be prepared to lose it'. Selflessness and sacrifice was brought to the fore. What a leader! His diatribe resonated with the entire nation as there was massive suffering. Inspired by Jerry John Rawlings for showing bravery even at the point of death, young officers and other officers forcibly released him and his men on the morning of June 4th 1979.

In the night of June 3rd 1979, junior military officers broke into the jail where Jerry John Rawlings was being held and freed him, and ostensibly matched him to the national Radio station to make an announcement. The first public heard from Jerry Rawlings was now legendary statement that he Jerry Rawlings had been released by the junior officers and that he was under their command. He requested all soldiers to meet with them at the Nicholson stadium in Burma Camp in Accra.

The entire nation went up in uproar. To some of us loyal to Jerry Rawlings, June 4 uprising was the most significant event on the nation's political calendar apart from the achievement of Ghana's independence.

The AFRC carried out a house-cleaning exercise in the armed forces and society at large, while restoring a sense of moral responsibility and the principle of accountability and probity in public life. The AFRC was in office for only three months and, in pursuance of a programme already set in motion before the uprising, allowed general elections to be held.

To some of us who believe in the revolutions led by Flt Jerry John Rawlings, June 4th is about values and principles; It is a reminder that principles must be the core platform on which we build a Great and Strong nation- the cause of right- the cause of justice, the cause of fairness and the cause of brotherhood. The June 4th celebration until 2004 was a public holiday but was revoked by the previous NPP government led by former President John Agyekum Kufour who argued the celebration of the June 4th was touching the sensitivity of some group of Ghanaians whose families fall as victims to the June 4th uprising. So what locus does npp have now to talk about corruption? As Jerry Rawlings kept saying; the past npp regime set in motion the moral and economic crisis Ghanaians are experiencing today.

However, the June 4th uprising seems not to have served its intended purpose because characters like Nana Addo Danquah have legalize corruption by revoking the June 4th reminder in the history of this country. And considering the allege corruption level in the country which continuous to deny the ordinary Ghanaian of a better education, employment, good clean drinking water, electricity, good roads, rule of law, social justice and equality among other amenities should be blame on the npp for legalizing corruption.

"The house of my father not a den of thieves but a sanctuary of Sacred and Holy Communion with God." Similarly, the seat of governmental power is not a place for thieves, liars, greedy and selfish people but a place where honesty, simplicity, nobility, sacrifice, truth and justice must be enthroned and glorified.

Our leaders should use events of June 4th to rebuild the confidence reposed in them, fight corruption and create more jobs for the youth.

We have a lots of work to be able to change this country.

Rest in power.

Flt Jerry John Rawlings!! Long live June 4th Revolution, Long Live NDC, Long live Ghana!!!.

Thomas Abroni.

(DJ YOGO).

President (COYOAMAC)
The Ministry of National Security has reported suspicious activities in the Garu and Bunkpurugu/Nankpanduri Districts in the Upper East Region.

This is contained in a letter sent to the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Police Service.

Intelligence gathered indicates suspicious movement of a group of persons along a mountainous area that borders Bunkpurugu/Nankpanduri District in the in the North East Region and Garu District in the Upper East Region.

That the group was reportedly sighted aboard motorbikes dressed in apparels that hid their faces and headed for the mountainous area in the Garu District, parts of a letter distributed by the National Security reads.

In the letter signed by National Security Coordinator Amb. Maj-Gen Francis Adu-Amanfoh, it request action from the Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces and the Inspector-General of Police.

Below is a copy of the letter from the Ghana Armed Forces:
04.06.2022 LISTEN

The Executive Director of the Africa Center for Security and Counter-terrorism, Emmanuel Kotin, is urging government to tackle the current economic situation in the country, as it could plunge the country into chaos.

According to him, the high cost of living, the rising cost of fuel and utility bills, coupled with high unemployment rates, is a potential security threat that needs to be urgently addressed.

In a Citi News interview, Executive Director of the Africa Center for Security and Counter-terrorism, Emmanuel Kotin, said government must, as a matter of urgency, remedy the situation.

We are battling with a lot of issues, the rains, and its associated flooding, economic challenges, unemployment amongst others. These pose serious threats to the nation. The youth are becoming desperate by the day, and if it stays this way, we will see young people resorting to anything they can lay their hands on to remedy the situation.

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 subregion.

It said threats of violent extremism are heavily descending towards coastal states from the Sahel regions and that Ghana may 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, the West Africa Centre for Counter-Extremism noted.

By Citi Newsroom
Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, is unhappy that some people are linking the flogging of two lovers who allegedly had a sexual encounter and leaked the video on social media to Islam laws.

He says most of the commentaries he has followed seem to link the flogging incident to Sharia law.

He clarified that Muslims in the country do not go by Sharia law.

Speaking on The Big Issue on Citi TV, Murtala Muhammed said, I heard two panellists on a radio station yesterday attributing the Wa flogging incident to Sharia. What happened in the Wa Naas palace has nothing to do with Islam. The people never mentioned Sharia. The fact that the people are predominantly Muslims does not in any way link their actions to Islam. Besides, there is no Sharia in Ghana. The traditional authorities in Wa never said anywhere that the action was motivated by Sharia.

What they said, however, is that the conduct of the lady and gentleman frowns upon their values. Since when have cultural values of people become Islamic jurisprudence positions?

Reports indicate that the two were arrested by some young men in the town, who sent them to the Palace.

The Wa Naa was absent upon their arrival, compelling the young men to take matters into their own hands and deliver punishment.

They were given twenty lashes each. The incident has drawn the ire of Ghanaians, who have called for sanctions against those involved.

---citinewsroom
04.06.2022 LISTEN

The Chairman of the Board of Governors of Sumaman Senior High School, Samuel Ankama Obour, has challenged past students of the school to contribute to the construction of an ultra-modern science laboratory and other facilities for their alma mater.

He noted that such assistance from past students to their former school serves as a motivation to government, corporate bodies and individuals to also contribute both in cash and in kind towards the development of the school.

Speaking at the durbar to climax the 40th anniversary of the school at Suma Ahenkro in the Jaman North District of the Bono region, Mr. Obour, who is a pioneering student of Great SUMAS and currently the Registrar of Sunyani Technical University made a personal donation of Five Thousand Ghana cedis (Ghc5,000) towards the science lab project for the school.

He noted that the government alone cannot meet the needs of all public institutions, hence the urgent need for individuals such as past students to always find ways of augmenting the efforts of government to ensure the rapid development of their schools.

More donations

The Omanhene of the Suma Traditional area, Odeneho Dr. Afram Brempong III also donated Ghc 5,000 on behalf of the people of the area while the Old Student Association of the school made available Ghc 5,600 cash towards the science lab project.

Alex Kwasi Awuah, the Managing Director of the ARB Apex Bank who is also an old student and a native of the area, presented a cheque for Ghc5,000 to the school on behalf of the ARB Apex Bank and also made a personal donation of Ghc2,000.

The Vice-Chancellor of Sunyani Technical University, Ing. Prof. Kwadwo Adinkrah-Appiah, who is also an old student contributed Ghc 2,000 while several other individuals and organisations made various donations towards the construction of the science laboratory.
The Ada Police Command in the Greater Accra Region has arrested David Ayornu, 31, popularly known as Rapper Bee for slashing the belly of his wife and killing her instantly.

According to residents of Lufenya, near Kasseh in the Ada East District, Ayornu stabbed his wife with a knife in the belly and dragged it multiple times resulting in the outburst of her intestine.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Chief Superintendent Atsu Dzineku, Ada Divisional Commander confirmed the incident and subsequent arrest of the suspect.

He said the District Police Command on Friday June 03, received information from Nene Glover Ayornu, the Chief of Lufenya, and Mr. Akrofi Mensah the Assembly Member for Amlakpo Electoral Area with two others with a complaint that they heard a loud noise in a nearby room around 0130 hours.

"So, the Chief quickly rushed there because the noise was loud and unusual where he found out that one David Ayornu's wife, identified as Theresa Kwao was lying dead with the intestine gushed out, he said.

According to the Chief, the said David Ayornu was in the same room with the woman when they identified that the woman was stabbed to death, so they came for Police assistance to know who caused that.

Chief Supt. Dzineku noted that Police swiftly rushed to the scene and identified a man believed to be 31-year-old as a suspect.

"Police were shown the room, where a female adult was seen wearing only a bead and a pant lying in a pool of blood with the face down with the intestine out.

He explained that initial inspection of the body revealed that live bones of the chest and the stomach and a sharp knife with blood stains on it were found lying in the room about 2 - feet from the body.

He said photographs were taken and the body was deposited at Health Star Funeral Services near Kasseh for autopsy and preservation at Addokope.

The Ada Divisional Commander explained that the suspect Ayornu had been arrested and taken to the Ada District Hospital, where he was examined and discharged but still in police custody for further investigations.

He said the knife was retrieved and detained with the suspect for the investigation, adding that the Police had commenced investigations into the incident.

Chief Supt. Dzineku stated that it was too immediate to unravel what led to the death of Theresa Kwao.

GNA
Ubor Wumbe Dawuni, Chief of Bunbong in the Yendi Municipality has said since the Bunbong town attained Open Defaecation Free (ODF) status, the quality of living amongst the residents is now much higher.

He said Now, the town is very clean. You dont see many flies again. If you go to the clinic now, the diseases we were battling as a result of Open Defaecation (OD) have reduced drastically. If you come to the community, you will realise that the quality of living is much higher. I see people wearing much nicer clothes.

He added that A lot more businesses are opening up in the town. This could be attributed to the improved hygiene and sanitation practices because if people are healthy and strong all the time, they can work all the time but if half the time they are sick or their children are sick, then there will be a reduction in production or even income.

Ubor Dawuni shared this testimony at a ceremony in Tamale to end the Enhanced Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), and Accelerated Sanitation projects implemented by the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) in eight regions in the country with support from Canada.

The Enhanced WASH, and Accelerated Sanitation projects were implemented within a period of eight years (2012 to 2020) to touch lives locally while responding to global benchmarks such as the Sustainable Development Goals as well as to create opportunities for people to have access to basic WASH services.

The beneficiary regions included Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper East, Upper West, Volta and Central.

Prior to the implementation of the projects, there was an average of 75 per cent of households practising OD in the five regions in the north.

As a result of the implementation of the projects, over 1,108 communities and 35 small towns achieved ODF status giving 368,153 children and their families excreta free environment to live and thrive while close to three-quarter of a million people now practise handwashing with soap.

Also, 353 schools have been provided with gender and disability-friendly WASH facilities and 91 health facilities have received sustainable WASH facilities and all 444 institutions supported with WASH facilities were supported with facility management plans including the provision of operation and maintenance training to local care takers.

In view of this, the OD practice by households in the five northern regions has reduced to an average of 25%.

Ubor Dawuni lauded the Enhanced WASH and Accelerated Sanitation projects for helping his community to attain the ODF status saying now, our destiny is in our own hands. As opinion leaders, we will keep pushing by talking to our people to continue to use their toilets urging the Yendi Municipal Assembly to continue to invest in WASH to attain improved sanitation across the area and sustain the gains.

Mr Fiachra McAsey, Deputy Representative, UNICEF, Ghana said the projects had a significant impact in building institutional capacity and improving the enabling environment for sustaining and replicating the work done.

He added that the projects also significantly strengthened the private sectors role in WASH sector by promoting engagement of small business, local artisans and village level technicians.

He said Low level of public financing is one of the critical areas that the WASH sector has been facing in Ghana. The project has not only introduced result-based financing to make best use of the limited resources in sanitation sub-sector but also introduced innovative revolving loan scheme to leverage household financing their own facilities.

He was happy that the projects helped to solve some of the persistent problems of the country, which included high rates of OD, and low access to basic sanitation.

Mr McAsey, therefore, encouraged partners, particularly within the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources and MMDAs to find sufficient resources to scale-up the low-cost and proven approaches.

Ms Louise Paris, Deputy Director of Operations, Global Affairs Canada said Canada is confident that the Government of Ghana at both National, Regional and District levels will continue to deepen the footprint of Enhanced WASH and Accelerated Sanitation. It will be great to see the expansion of these services to more communities, and particularly the many women and girls for whom they make a huge difference.

Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, Northern Regional Minister commended partners for their support, which had led to improved WASH practices in the region as well as helping to ensure retention of girls in schools while improving health outcomes for especially women and children.

Mrs Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, who was represented during the event, expressed need for the media to constantly highlight the need for communities to own household toilets and use them to keep them healthy.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
June 04, 2022

Ukraine Beyond Day 100 - Breaking Resistance, Deep Operation, A New Country

Colonel Markus Reisner of the Austrian Army presents the current state (vid) of the war.

Two of the facts he mentions were new to me.

The Ukrainian army has moved seven brigades of its Territorial Defense Forces from the west into the area east of the Dnieper. If these were fully maned each will have had some 3,000 soldiers. That are a lot of troops but they are pure infantry without heavy weapons and with extremely little training. Col. Reisner also showed a collection of 15 videos in which members of such and other units describe hopeless situations, declare a retreat or call out their commanders for neglect.

Morale is so bad because those troops do not fare well.

Yves Smith, with a wonderful Daily Mail style headline:

The War Situation Has Developed Not Necessarily to Ukraines or the Wests Advantage But They Plan to Negotiate When Theyve Turned Things Around a Bit - Yves Smith / Naked Capitalism

A very long established contact forwarded this message from a former senior US military official: Just in from an Army Colonel in the building:

Spoke to someone today who said that the Ukie basic training is 10 days and then off to the front. 65% casualty rates. At least double or more the losses of the Russians but you dont hear anything about it.

I very much doubt that Russian units, the way they are currently fighting, have casualty rates of more than 10%. Russia is regularly rotating units in and out to give them some rest and to let them replenish. It is a classic Russian artillery war now and infantry only comes in when the Ukrainians are already defeated.

As this permanent grinding continues the Ukrainians will soon reach a breaking point.

Why Has Germany Been So Slow to Deliver Weapons? - Spiegel

The Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), Germanys foreign intelligence agency, fears that Ukrainian resistance could even be broken in the next four to five weeks. In a number of classified briefings in recent days, BND analysts have noted that while the Russians are moving much more slowly than they did at the beginning of the war, they are able to conquer small bits of territory each day. The BND thinks it possible that Putins troops could bring all of the Donbas under their control by August.

In a German language interview Col. Reisner explains what that 'breaking' of Ukrainian resistance would mean (my translation):

"Four mobile rocket systems, that's pure symbolic." - Jun 4 2022 - N-tv

Q: You spoke of a chain reaction that could develop on the Ukrainian side. A: The danger is that general panic will break out in the pocket and the soldiers will try to retreat to a favorable line that is easier to hold. If this is done in an orderly manner, that would be a line east of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. But if panic breaks out, that last line could be much deeper, at the Dnieper.

That moment would allow for a Russian 'deep operation' in which a second echelon of fresh Russian troops would break deep into the rear of the Ukrainian army on the west side of the Dnieper, wreak Ukrainian supply lines and chase down remaining resistance.

Some grown-ups recognize what is up.

Calls increase for ending conflict as Russia-Ukraine crisis hits 100th day - China Daily

Jeffrey Sachs, a professor at Columbia University who served as an adviser to three United Nations secretaries-general, said that "it is in Ukraine's interest to return to the negotiating table, which it has refused to do since late March". "I believe that the US should recognize that it acted irresponsibly in pushing for NATO enlargement into Ukraine and Georgia," he told China Daily.

The unpalatable truth in Ukraine - Andrew Latham / The Hill

[T]hat leaves only one other conceivable outcome: a fragmented and partly dismembered Ukraine, neither fully part of the West nor entirely within the Russian sphere of influence. A Ukraine fragmented in that the whole of the Donbas and perhaps other territories will be left beyond Kyivs control; partly dismembered in that Crimea will remain part of Russia (at least in Russian eyes); and not fully part of the West in that it will not be free to join NATO or even to have a meaningful partnership with the EU. Simply put, this outcome is not only not impossible, its not even improbable.

How the war will end  - June 3 2022 - Gilbert Doctorow

To be specific, from the very beginning the number one issue for Moscow as it entered upon its military adventure in Ukraine was geopolitical: to ensure that Ukraine will never again be used as a platform to threaten Russian state security, that Ukraine will never become a NATO member. We may safely assume that internationally guaranteed and supervised neutrality of Ukraine will be part of any peace settlement. It would be nicely supported by a new reality on the ground: namely by carving out several Russia-friendly and Russia-dependent mini-states on the former territory of East and South Ukraine. At the same time this solution removes from the international political agenda many of the accusations that have been made against Russia which support the vicious sanctions now being applied to the RF at great cost to Europe and to the world at large:there will be no territorial acquisitions. If Kiev is compelled to acknowledge the independence of these two, three or more former oblasts as demanded by their populations, that is a situation fully compatible with the United Nations Charter. In a word, a decision by the Kremlin not to annex parts of Ukraine beyond the Crimea, which has long been quietly accepted by many in Europe, would prepare the way for a gradual return of civilized relations within Europe and even, eventually, with the United States

Welcome on board Gilbert:

Disarming Ukraine - Feb 24 2022 - Moon of Alabama

Looking at this map I believe that the most advantageous end state for Russia would be the creation of a new independent country, call it Novorussiya, on the land east of the Dnieper and south along the coast that holds a majority ethnic Russian population and that, in 1922, had been attached to the Ukraine by Lenin. That state would be politically, culturally and militarily aligned with Russia.

For economic reasons I later added a bit to that:

Novorossiya roughly includes the red and yellow areas in the above map. It also includes the valuable Soviet developed iron ore mines and factories of Kryvyi Rih west of the Dnieper river.

Iron ore from Kryvyi Rih, coal from Donbas, oil and gas from the eastern coast and the port of Mariupol together constitute the heavy industry that was the economic heart of Ukraine. Together they would constitute a viable and even well off country with 80+% of the GDP Ukraine previously had.

Russia can now afford go slow with this project. Time is on its side. Oil and gas prices are up. For Russia the war is monetarily neutral to profitable. The 'west' is already disunited. As the result of its sanctions on Russia its economies will slip into stagflation with social unrest just around the corner

Over time the urge for lifting the self-defeating sanctions will only increase the west's acceptance of Russia's solution to its NATO problem.

Posted by b on June 4, 2022 at 15:17 UTC | Permalink

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With gasoline prices setting record highs daily, US oil and gas operators have been called on to increase production to help ease the pain at the pump.

They could, said Jim Wicklund of Wicklund & Associates, but theres a catch.

I can get the rig count to 1,000 and production to 13 million barrels a day and the industry would only lose $200 billion doing that, he said during the monthly Oilfield Strong webinar presented by OTA Environmental Services. The guys who run companies dont want to lose $200 billion.

The US, continued Wickland, most recently a managing director and senior banker in the Energy Group at Stephens Inc., subsidized global oil and gasoline prices for a decade, losing hundreds of billions of dollars in net income to subsidize prices. With demand in China expected to surge as it ends its COVID lockdowns and members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries lacking spare capacity, he thinks there will be a shortage of crude supplies.

The US doesnt have an obligation to lose money to fix that problem so were not going to. And if we dont lose money doing that, it means well make money for the next several years, which is a novel, positive situation thats attractive to shareholders who havent bought energy stocks for several years, he said.

Wicklund acknowledged all sectors of the energy industry are experiencing supply chain issues but said the constraint on higher activity wont be frac sand or pipe but people.

One crew was working the night shift on a rig in East Texas and someone offered them 50 cents more an hour and the entire crew walked off, he recounted. The fact youre trying to steal crews at night speaks volumes.

Grant Swartzwelder, president of OTA, talked about attempting to buy another truck for his firm only to be told by his regular dealer that it was not taking orders until July 2023 because it has all the orders it needs and cant get trucks.

Such a situation will accelerate technology like remote monitoring, predicted Wicklund.

Technology dovetails with the rise in ESG  Environment, Social and Governance  initiatives, said Swartzwelder.

Wicklund said the Securities and Exchange Commissions pending climate change disclosure reporting requirements would cost small companies $490,000 and large companies $930,000 to comply. And that doesnt include the cost of implementation, he added.

He also recounted BlackRock, the investment management corporation, asking its individual investors to vote on climate bills or higher returns. Most, he said, opted for higher returns. They also got told by the State of Texas that if they dont invest in oil and gas, they wont manage any state money, he said. They manage $24 billion of state money. They came back and said they still care about ESG and the climate, especially if those companies have good returns. You can be really ESG compliant, but if you dont make money, who cares?

Energy companies have been putting out reports on their sustainability efforts, but the message doesnt seem to be heard, observed Swartzwelder.

Said Wicklund, The industry has done such a bad job of education and public relations over the last 25 years.

He cited a suggestion from an Austin resident participating in one of his panel discussions: Every energy company needs to list four things that have a lot of hydrocarbons in them and do so in an interesting and humorous way.

That way an oilfield service company truck driver can tell someone, Did you know a cell phone has 4,700 pieces made from oil and gas? Approach it that way. Weve always tried to preach our story to the Wall Street Journal. It needs to be on the back page of the National Enquirer in large type.
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After a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, several pastors around the country challenged their conservative counterparts with this question: Are you pro-life if you are pro-gun?

One of those faith leaders is the Rev. Steven Marsh, senior pastor of Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, California. That's where a gunman, who officials say was fueled by hate against Taiwan, opened fire on May 15 at a luncheon organized by members of the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church, killing one and injuring five others.

Ive heard people tell me Im not Christian because Im pro-choice, Marsh said. I ask those people: How can you be pro-life and not support getting rid of assault rifles? You cant pick and choose where you want to be pro-life.

Marshs emotional statement is a vignette in the larger narrative of a nation divided on how  or if  guns should be regulated. The faith community is not monolithic on this issue.

People of faith who are tired of years of failed gun control efforts and grieving the latest mass shooting victims are pointing out what they say is hypocrisy  conservative Christians pushing to abolish abortion and grant unfettered access to guns. Those who disagree contend the real problem is sin and soft targets. Its not guns, but the evil in people and abortions that kill, they say.

These entrenched, partisan divisions in the U.S. on abortion and gun rights are stark after high-profile massacres in New York, California, Texas and elsewhere as the country awaits a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could overturn the constitutional right to abortion.

According to 2017 Pew Research Center data analyzed for Christianity Today, 41% of white evangelicals own a gun compared to 30% of Americans overall  the highest share of any religious group. The survey also shows 74% of all gun owners in the U.S. agree that their right to gun ownership is essential to their sense of freedom. Most states also allow firearms in places of worship.

Christian author and activist Shane Claiborne disputes the notion that the U.S. has a sin problem, but not a gun problem; he says it has both. Claiborne recently went to Uvalde to support victims, and to Houston to pray and protest at the National Rifle Association's convention held days after the massacre.

He passed out tracts asserting We cant be pro-life and ignore gun violence and asking Will we choose the gun or the cross? Claiborne said he was among those asked to leave the NRAs Sunday prayer breakfast after disrupting the program to call for prayer for the Uvalde victims.

Claiborne wants to see laws change, including policies that would raise the age of gun ownership, limit magazine capacity, ban assault-style weapons and mandate training. He said laws can't make people love each other, but they can make it more difficult to take a life.

We want to make it harder for folks to kill other people, and were making it really easy right now," Claiborne said.

Conservative pastors have said mass shootings and other social harms are the result of an overall degradation in moral values and disregard for human life.

Pastor Tim Lee, an evangelist and a former U.S. Marine who lost both legs during the Vietnam War, was one of the featured speakers at the NRA prayer breakfast that Claiborne and others were asked to leave.

After the Uvalde shooting, Lee posted on his Facebook page: "This is so heartbreaking. I have said it so many times  When kids hear adults say that its OK to kill babies (abortion) then all respect for human lives is gone.

The gun debate is deeply personal for the Rev. Chineta Goodjoin. Her best friend, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, was one of nine people shot and killed by Dylann Roof in June 2015 as they sat in prayer at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

Goodjoin, who leads New Hope Presbyterian Church in Anaheim, California, said people of faith must rise up in righteous anger to demand common-sense gun regulation. When massacres occur in community spaces like churches, schools and supermarkets, it tests an entire community's resiliency, she said.

How can you teach in schools when people are traumatized by gun violence? she said. When a church is no longer a safe space, do I work to enhance security or enhance peoples faith? The impact is like an epidemic that touches every fiber of our being.

But others, like the Rev. Russ Tenhoff, say it is simply not possible to legislate safety.

There are plenty of laws, but people who are lawless dont obey them, said Tenhoff, lead pastor of Mountainside Community Fellowship in Kingwood, West Virginia. Murders are going to happen even without firearms. Were never going to be able to prevent gun violence.

As a firearms safety officer who trains adults and children, Tenhoff says the solution is to harden the schools, which have become soft targets.

We need to put one-way locks on schools, have metal detectors and an armed officer in every school, he said.

For a Catholic pastor in Newtown, Connecticut, who a decade ago experienced the grief that now envelops Uvalde, the lack of political will to enact gun legislation is unfathomable.

Monsignor Robert Weiss, who leads the St. Rose of Lima parish, presided over the funeral of eight victims who were murdered in Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012. He held an evening Mass in his church the day after the Texas shooting.

I guess I was a fool to think Sandy Hook was going to change the world, he said in a video recording of the service.

Weiss also questioned the consequences of individualism in America.

Is that what our forefathers intended for us? he asked. To live in a country where unborn babies are aborted, where children are murdered in school where they should be safe, where you cant even go to a grocery store or to a church or to a library and feel like youll be OK?"

Pastor Mike McBride, who leads The Way Christian Center in Berkeley, California, said those on different sides of the gun issue must find common concerns to unite around and work on solutions together.

McBride says many who are pro-gun are also worried about accidental gun deaths, intimate partner violence and suicides.

Those shared concerns can be addressed with targeted strategies that dont keep us bogged down in the Second Amendment fight, he said.

McBride suggests having listening campaigns across church groups and neighborhoods  a peace infrastructure to combat violence.

Marsh, the Laguna Woods pastor, says the shooting in his church and other recent massacres have inspired him to have more serious conversations about this issue in his community. He would like to see diverse faith communities organize marches in local seats of government to push legislators to act.

Enough is enough, he said. We need to stop using Christianity as a veneer to deny reality.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
RTHK: Ukraine rebukes Macron over humiliation comment

Ukraine rebuked French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday for saying it was important not to "humiliate" Russia, a position Ukrainian foreign minister Dmitro Kuleba said "can only humiliate France".

Macron has sought to maintain a dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February. His stance has been repeatedly criticised by some eastern and Baltic partners in Europe, as they see it as undermining efforts to push Putin to the negotiating table.

"We must not humiliate Russia so that the day when the fighting stops we can build an exit ramp through diplomatic means," Macron said in an interview with regional newspapers published on Saturday. "I am convinced that it is France's role to be a mediating power."

Kuleba responded on twitter: "Calls to avoid humiliation of Russia can only humiliate France and every other country that would call for it.

"Because it is Russia that humiliates itself. We all better focus on how to put Russia in its place. This will bring peace and save lives."

Macron has spoken with Putin regularly since the invasion as part of efforts to achieve a ceasefire and begin a credible negotiation between Kyiv and Moscow, although he has had no tangible success to show for it.

"I think, and I told him (Putin), that he is making a historic and fundamental mistake for his people, for himself and for history," Macron said.

Asked about the mediation offer on national television, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said there was "no point in holding negotiations" with Russia until Ukraine had received new weapons from the West and pushed Russian forces back "as far as possible to the borders of Ukraine".

Russia now occupies about a fifth of Ukrainian territory. Kyiv is receiving more powerful weapons from the West.

"Our armed forces are ready to use (the new weapons)...and then I think we can initiate a new round of talks from a strengthened position," David Arakhamia, Ukrainian lawmaker and a member of the negotiation team, said on Friday.

Among other things, the United States will give Ukraine precision HIMARS rocket systems allowing it to hit Russian positions from a longer range.

France has also supplied offensive weapons including Caesar howitzer canon taken from French army stocks. Macron said he had asked weapons manufacturers to accelerate production. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2022-06-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Cross-Straits connections highlighted by boat races

China Daily) 12:23, June 04, 2022

Contestants take part in a tug of war at the 2022 Cross-Straits Dragon Boat Race on Thursday in Xiamen, Fujian province. FENG YONGBIN/CHINA DAILY

Whipping up furious sprays of water, dragon boat crews and their helmsmen faced off against one another, paddling in rhythm to the constant beating of drums in the finals of the two-day 2022 Cross-Straits Dragon Boat Race held in Xiamen, Fujian province.

The race, which ended on Friday, coinciding with this year's Dragon Boat Festival, attracted 24 dragon boat teams from the mainland and 17 from Taiwan, and served as a platform for people on both sides of the Straits to take part in exchanges.

The men's and women's teams of Jimei Street, Xiamen, took the top spot in the final of the 300-meter race.

The Taiwan contingent were those who are studying or working in Fujian, and for many it was the first time they'd paddled a dragon boat. And as for many Chinese, it's an indelible way to celebrate the annual festival, which belongs to the shared culture across the Straits.

"I'm very excited to try my hand at dragon boat racing for the first time," said paddler Masha, 32, from Pingtung, Taiwan.

"As an absolute amateur, I've often had an aching back and bum after training. But I've gradually improved my technique."

After visiting Xiamen in August, her first visit to the mainland, she decided to start up her own business in the city.

"Xiamen's local culture is much the same as that of Taiwan. The locals are very hospitable, especially when they find out that I'm from Taiwan," she said.

She shares her daily life in Xiamen and her visits to other cities in Fujian province on short-video platform Douyin, introducing the local food and scenic areas.

Masha also talks about her personal feelings on the culture across the Straits in her short videos.

Back in her hometown, each year she either watches dragon boat racing with her parents on television or attends events in person. She said that in Pingtung, paddlers have to grab a flag when they reach the finish line to decide the winning team.

"I enjoy the festive atmosphere of the Dragon Boat Festival here," said Chan Bing-xi, 32, from Taipei. "It's my first time to paddle a dragon boat and now I really realize the spirit of the sport is that unity is strength."

He's from a dragon boat team consisting of those from Taiwan working in Fuzhou, Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou.

"I've worked in Zhangzhou for five years and often feel connected because of the shared culture across the Straits," he said.

Lai Shu-jen, together with three others from Taiwan working in Xiamen, not only participated in the dragon boat racing, but also performed a pair of songs on stage as part of the festive event.

In an original song created by Lai, they recited lyrics and rapped in the southern Fujian dialect of Hokkien.

"We want to communicate across the Straits with music, and promote Chinese culture in a way that mixes both Chinese and Western styles," she said.

The Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet from the State of Chu during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC).

Tang Yonghong, deputy director of the Taiwan Research Center at Xiamen University, said the essence of the Dragon Boat Festival is one's devotion to family and country.

"It's important for people from across the Straits to communicate with each other to enhance mutual understanding and build a common spiritual home," he said.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
The four children killed Thursday by an escaped Texas prisoner at the center of a weeks-long manhunt were all students in a Houston-area school district, officials confirmed Friday.

The children attended Tomball ISD schools, which had just concluded the 2021-22 school year days before the family was slain. They were visiting a cabin to kick off the summer break with their grandfather when fugitive Gonzalo Lopez killed all five before stealing a pickup truck and further eluding capture by law enforcement. Family members in Houston called police Thursday after not hearing from the grandfather, according to the Associated Press.

When police closed in on the cabin Thursday afternoon, they found the five dead and the truck missing. Hours later in the small town of Jourdanton south of San Antonio, police spotted the truck and killed Lopez in an exchange of gunfire. The identities of the children and their grandfather were not immediately released.

"There are no words," Tomball ISD superintendent Dr. Martha Salazar-Zamora said in a statement. "During this difficult time, the Tomball community is continuing to pull together following the tragic loss of four students.

The school district sent a lengthier email to parents Friday morning announcing the deaths and said they would offer counselors for those who are suffering grief. "The loss of a student, for any reason, is heartbreaking," district officials wrote in the email. "But to lose four in such a tragic way is excruciating, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of these beloved students and grandfather."

AP

Lopez had been on the run since May 12, when he attacked a prison guard, stole a prison bus and escaped on foot after crashing in Centerville, which is about halfway between Houston and Dallas. He was hiding near the cabin when the family called police to ask about their loved ones in Centerville on Thursday, according to the Associated Press.

At some point between their arrival at the cabin Thursday morning and that evening, Lopez killed the five and made his escape. Authorities believe he had ties to South Texas and was part of the Mexican Mafia prison gang. He was in prison serving a life sentence for killing a man at the border in 2006.
A 23-year-old man died Friday afternoon as a result of a collision on State Highway 158 west of Midland.

The Department of Public Safety reported that Diego Jay Cota of Artesia, New Mexico, was driving a 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe southwest on the north service road of Tom Craddick Highway. When Cotas Hyundai reached SH 158, the vehicle failed to yield the right of way at the intersection, according to DPS. It was at that point that a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee carrying three people from Seminole struck the Hyundai.

DPS stated Cota, who was wearing a seat belt, died at the scene, and the three occupants of the Grand Cherokee were taken to Midland Memorial Hospital. The driver of the Grand Cherokee was in serious condition. The other two were in stable condition.

DPS reported that the crash took place around 4:48 p.m., 6 miles west of Midland.
State Sen. Kel Seliger was on CNNs evening program with Don Lemon this week, answering questions about his call for a special session of the Texas Legislature to address mass shootings, including the one in Uvalde.

Seliger talked about not waiting until January 2023  the scheduled beginning of the next legislative session -- for lawmakers to meet.

I don't think it conveys the sort of immediacy, we must feel in a case like this where this terrible tragedy is taking place now, in Tulsa, and it's going to happen again, said Seliger, a Republican from Amarillo who represents a district that includes Midland and Odessa.

Interestingly Seligers term ends at the end of the year. Midland Republican Kevin Sparks will take his place as representative of District 31 when the next legislative session begins.

Seliger told the left-leaning Lemon that he hasnt slept well for days because I sat there in the 87th legislature and attended a couple special sessions and we did nothing. He added his call will be for lawmakers to sit down with FBI, Department of Public Safety and Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATF) and talk about what would work in Odessa, El Paso or Santa Fe or Uvalde and start coming up with solutions.

There's a role for the legislature to play, Seliger said. We make the laws.

When asked by Lemon if it was a mistake for Texas lawmakers to pass permitless carry in 2021, Seliger called the law largely unnecessary and more unnecessary than mistaken. He added there was nothing in the bill that would have kept what happened in Uvalde from happening.

Seliger said, The problem that you've got is that what would have maybe kept Odessa from happening or El Paso are not the same things necessarily that would keep Uvalde (from happening) and that's why all things ought to be on the table, Seliger said.

Sparks previously told the Reporter-Telegram that while many would push for an immediate legislative response, often times this creates unintended consequences.  We will never have the ability to completely eliminate evil but must work towards strengthening families and communities.

--

Here is the question and answer between Texas Sen. Kel Seliger and CNN anchor Don Lemon.

Lemon: So let's talk about Gov. Abbott when he wants these committees, but you say that doesn't go far enough. You're going to join Democrats demanding Gov. Abbott to call a special session. Tell me why. What would you like to see happen?

Seliger: What I would like to see happen is a special session in which we can pass legislation pretty quickly. And otherwise, we wait until January of 2023, where we will address thousands of issues. And I don't think that -- what that says to families around the country -- I don't think it conveys the sort of immediacy we must feel in a case like this, where this terrible tragedy is taking place now, in Tulsa, and it's going to happen again.

Lemon: When there was a shooting -- you're right, it is going to happen again, sadly -- when there's a shooting spree in Odessa, Texas -- this is a few years ago  an area that you represent. You said that Gov. Abbott declared that this wasn't going to happen again. Right? It has happened again. And how did that impact you?

Seliger: I haven't slept well for eight days. Because I sat there in the 87th legislature and attended a couple special sessions and we did nothing. And I've spent sleepless nights since then, because we should have done something. We should have at least had a very incisive dialogue about what can be done. And that's why in my call for special session, I think we certainly should sit down with the FBI, Department of Public Safety; Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATF) and talk about what would work in Odessa, El Paso or Santa Fe or Uvalde and start coming up with solutions. There are parents right now, they're scared to death to send their kids to school tomorrow and Sept. 1, and they need some assurances. I guarantee that superintendents of public schools all over the state of Texas and the country are looking again at steps that they have taken. But there's a role for the legislature to play. We make the laws.

Lemon: But listen, you say you haven't done anything you have done something. Texas has loosened restrictions on guns over the last several years. Gov. Abbott signed legislation that you voted for which allows Texans 21 and older to carry handguns in public without a license or training. Do you think that's a mistake; laws like that, are they mistakes?

Seliger: As I look at it, they were largely unnecessary, more unnecessary than mistaken. There was nothing about the bill considered on permitless carry in 2021 that would have kept what happened in the Uvalde from happening. And so, we want some real solutions and things that are really going to hopefully lessen the risk that this will happen again.

Lemon: How do you know what the solutions are if you don't put everything on the table and at least consider; You gotta start somewhere, you know that (inaudible).

Seliger: We should consider everything. And that's why when you have authoritative sources like DPS and FBI come in and say, in our experience  that is substantial -- these are the things that will lessen this. The problem that you've got is that what would have maybe kept Odessa from happening or El Paso are not the same things necessarily that would keep Uvalde (from happening) and that's why all things ought to be on the table. We could argue that if 18-year-olds could not buy assault rifles, this young man would not have gone into the Uvalde school so well armed (clip ends).
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia said here on Friday that he is ready to face investigation by any agency.

The issue was raised after AAP leader and Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a PMLA case.

"I am not afraid of any agency. In the past, I faced CBI investigation, but they could not find anything against me," Sisodia said.

On Thursday, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had said in a press conference that the central agencies are likely to arrest Sisodia next, citing intel he received from his 'sources'.

Sisodia was in Gujarat for a two-day visit to attend a convention of education ministers.

In Vadodara, Sisodia interacted with teachers and principals of schools on the quality of education and infrastructure.

Sisodia claimed that Delhi government is providing quality education, which it has achieved in just five years.

But the BJP has been in power in Gujarat for the last 27 years and yet it has not been able to provide proper and adequate infrastructure for education, Sisodia said.

He also demanded an inquiry into the 'dilapidated' conditions of the primary schools in the rural areas of Gujarat.
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Millions of people around the world are affected by alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss and was thrown into the spotlight after actor Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars.

The slap stunned millions, drew widespread condemnation and earned Smith a 10-year ban from the ceremony after he apologized. It came after Rock threw a pointed joke that some felt was insensitive at Jada Pinkett Smith about her hair loss.

Advocates said at the time that increased awareness about the condition, which is fairly common but little discussed, could be a small bit of good to come out of the blowup. Jada Pinkett Smith, this week dedicated an episode of Red Table Talk to the disorder.

Heres a look at the disorder, and how hair is tied up with beauty and race, culture and self-identity:

Alopecia areata can make hair fall out of the scalp in patches and also affect other parts of the body, like eyebrows and nose hair.

Alopecia can come on quickly, is unpredictable and can be incredibly tough to deal with mentally, said Brett King, a hair loss expert at Yale Medicine, told The Associated Press in March.

Imagine if you woke up today missing half of an eyebrow, he said. That unpredictability is one of the things thats so mentally treacherous and awful because you have no control of it ... its a disease that strips people of their identity.

While seldom discussed, its actually fairly common: the second biggest cause of hair loss, after male or female pattern balding. About 2% of people have it. Its not physically painful, in some cases it spontaneously goes away and it can be treated.

While its unclear if Rock was aware of Pinkett Smiths diagnosis, hair is a large part of anyones appearance, and for women its bound up with cultural concepts about what makes them look feminine.

Most women are expected to have good hair, said William Yates, a Chicago-based certified hair loss surgeon. Theyre well aware that men lose their hair and bald gracefully, so to speak, but a female losing their hair is devastating.

The condition also tends to hit people when they are relatively young. Most are diagnosed before age 40, and about half of them are children when the disorder first appears, said Christopher English, a board-certified dermatologist for Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City.

Having the condition is especially tough for teenagers, for whom appearance anxiety and peer pressure are often already at an all-time high, said Gary Sherwood, communications director at the National Alopecia Areata Foundation.

Rio Allred, a 12-year-old girl with the disorder, took her own life after being bullied at school in Indiana. Her mother appeared on Red Table Talk to talk about the loss less than two weeks before the Oscars.

Some studies have also pointed to the disease being more prevalent among Black and Latino people, Sherwood and Yates said. The National Institutes of Health states it affects all racial and ethnic groups, men and women.

Rocks joke was not unusual, Sherwood said. This has been around as long as there have been humans on Earth ... for centuries people would not talk about it.

Rocks joke was tough to hear for New York interior designer Sheila Bridges.

She spoke to Rock for his 2009 documentary Good Hair about the importance of hair in Black culture.

For many Black Americans, grooming and styling choices are intertwined with a desire to buck what is considered normal or acceptable by wider society. From Afros and cornrows to wigs and hair extensions, Black hair can be more than just style statements.

In her interview, Bridges talked about the shame and humiliation of losing her hair to the disease, how her hairstyle is intertwined with her racial identity and how the loss of her hair affected her sense of femininity and social currency.

The Oscars slap left Bridges with conflicting emotions: She condemned Smiths assault on Rock, sympathized with Pinkett Smith and was deeply disappointed in Rock.

It is not easy as a woman to navigate life without any hair and a society that is obsessed with hair, Bridges said.

She doesnt wear wigs because she doesnt want to, and also hopes to normalize and de-stigmatize the appearance of bald women.

But even a decade after she decided to go bald in public, Bridges said its still difficult for some to accept: I rarely make it through the week without someone saying something thats very, very insensitive.

Hair in general can already be a fraught landscape for Black women, who have been expected for generations to alter their natural hair texture to fit a white standard of beauty. Black women are 80% more likely to change their natural hair to meet social norms at work, according to a 2019 study by the Dove personal care division of the Unilever USA company.

Black students are also far more likely than other students to be suspended for dress code or hair violations, according to the research that helped convince the U.S. House to vote to prohibit discrimination based on natural hairstyles in March.

The only good thing that can come out of all this is that alopecia is front and center, Bridges said about the Oscars slap.
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ZHYTOMYR, Ukraine (AP)  As soon as they had finished burying a veteran colonel killed by Russian shelling, the cemetery workers readied the next hole. Inevitably, given how quickly death is felling Ukrainian troops on the front lines, the empty grave won't stay that way for long.

Col. Oleksandr Makhachek left behind a widow, Elena, and their daughters Olena and Myroslava-Oleksandra. In the first 100 days of war, his grave was the 40th dug in the military cemetery in Zhytomyr, 90 miles (140 kilometers) west of the capital, Kyiv.

He was killed May 30 in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine where the fighting is raging. Nearby, the burial notice on the also freshly dug grave of Viacheslav Dvornitskyi says he died May 27. Other graves also showed soldiers killed within days of each other  on May 10, 9th, 7th and 5th. And this is just one cemetery, in just one of Ukraine's cities, towns and villages laying soldiers to rest.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week that Ukraine is now losing 60 to 100 soldiers each day in combat. By way of comparison, just short of 50 American soldiers died per day on average in 1968 during the Vietnam War's deadliest year for U.S. forces.

Among the comrades-in-arms who paid respects to the 49-year-old Makhachek at his funeral on Friday was Gen. Viktor Muzhenko, the Ukrainian Armed Forces' chief of general staff until 2019. He warned that losses could worsen.

This is one of the critical moments in the war, but it is not the peak, Muzhenko told The Associated Press. "This is the most significant conflict in Europe since World War II. That explains why the losses are so great. In order to reduce losses, Ukraine now needs powerful weapons that match or even surpass Russian weaponry. This would enable Ukraine to respond in kind.

Concentrations of Russian artillery are causing many of the casualties in the eastern regions that Moscow has focused on since its initial invasion launched Feb. 24 failed to take Kyiv.

Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the former commanding general of U.S. Army forces in Europe, described the Russian strategy as a medieval attrition approach" and said that until Ukraine gets promised deliveries of U.S., British and other weapons to destroy and disrupt Russian batteries, these kinds of casualties are going to continue.

This battlefield is so much more lethal than what we all became accustomed to over the 20 years of Iraq and Afghanistan, where we didnt have numbers like this," he said in an AP phone interview.

"That level of attrition would include leaders, sergeants, he added. They are a lot of the brunt of casualties because they are the more exposed, constantly moving around trying to do things.

Makhachek, a military engineer, led a detachment that laid minefields and other defenses, said Col. Ruslan Shutov, who attended the funeral of his friend of more than 30 years.

Once the shelling began, he and a group hid in a shelter. There were four people in his group, and he told them to hide in the dugout. He hid in another. Unfortunately, an artillery shell hit the dugout where he was hiding."

Ukraine had about 250,000 men and women in uniform before the war and was in the process of adding another 100,000. The government hasn't said how many have died in more than 14 weeks of fighting.

Nobody really knows the number of Ukrainian civilians who have been killed or how many combatants have died on either side. Claims of casualties by government officials  who may sometimes exaggerate or lowball their figures for public relations reasons  are all but impossible to verify.

Western analysts estimate far higher Russian military casualties, in the many thousands. Still, as Ukraine's losses mount, the grim mathematics of war require that it find replacements. With a population of 43 million, it has manpower.

The problem is recruiting, training and getting them on the front line, said retired U.S. Marine Col. Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

If the war is now moving into a long-term attrition struggle, then you have to build systems to get replacements, he said. This has been a difficult moment for every army in combat.

Muzhenko, the Ukrainian general, said Zelenskyy's admission of high casualties would further galvanize Ukrainian morale and that more Western weaponry would help turn the tide.

The more Ukrainians know about what is happening at the front, the more the will to resist will grow," he said. Yes, the losses are significant. But with the help of our allies, we can minimize and reduce them and move on to successful offensives. This will require powerful weapons.

___

Yuras Karmanau contributed to this report from Lviv.

___

Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Although some groups have resumed meetings, others schedules may have changed because of pandemic restrictions. It is recommended you contact the group in advance to verify details. Any changes in meeting schedules can be emailed to JJCsocial@myjournalcourier.com.



ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

217-370-4002

Jacksonville locations:

 First Baptist Church, 1701 Mound Ave. Wheelchair-accessible.

 Club HOW, 638 S. Church St.

Monday

 Closed discussion, 7:30 a.m. at Club HOW.

 Closed discussion, noon at Club HOW.

 Closed discussion, 8 p.m. at First Baptist Church. Bowen Group.

 Closed discussion, 8 p.m. at Club HOW.

Tuesday

 Open discussion, noon at Club HOW.

 Womens open meeting, 5:30 p.m., First Christian Churchs Fireside Room.

 VIRGINIA: Closed discussion, 7 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church, Main and Washington streets.

 ROODHOUSE: Closed discussion, 12-step/12 traditions, 8 p.m. at Grace Center, 114 W. Palm St.

Wednesday

 Closed discussion, noon at Club HOW.

 Closed discussion, 8 p.m. at Club HOW.

Thursday

 Closed discussion, 7:30 a.m. at Club HOW.

 Closed discussion, noon at Club HOW.

 Closed discussion, 8 p.m. at Club HOW. Newcomers Group.

Friday

 Closed discussion, noon at Club HOW. TGIF Group.

 Closed discussion, 5:15 p.m., Big Book Study at Club HOW.

 VIRGINIA: Closed discussion, 8 p.m. at United Methodist Church, 401 E. Broadway Ave.

Saturday

 Open speaker, 8 p.m. at Club HOW.

 Open meeting, noon at Club HOW.

Sunday

 Closed discussion, 8 p.m. at Club HOW. 12 & 12 Group.

 Closed discussion, 10 a.m. at Club HOW. (Second Sunday is open)

 SPRINGFIELD: AA for Women, 10 a.m. at Discovery Club, 313 W. Cook St.



AL-ANON

Meetings are nonsmoking and open to anyone. The only requirement is that there be a problem of alcohol with a loved one or friend. 217-248-6434.

Wednesday

 Al-Anon, 7:30-8:30 p.m. at Centenary United Methodist Church, 331 E. State St. (use Morgan Street entrance).

Thursday

 Al-Anon, noon at First Presbyterian Church, 870 W. College Ave. (open meeting).



NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS

All meetings are nonsmoking. Not affiliated with any religious organization.

Jacksonville locations:

 First Christian Church, 2106 S. Main St. (enter through far southeast door). 217-883-1975.

 Lutheran Church for the Deaf, 104 Finley St. (enter through back door). 217-883-1975.

Wednesday

 Open discussion group, 8 p.m. at Lutheran Church for the Deaf.

Friday

 Open discussion group, 7:30 p.m. at First Christian Church.



OTHER MEETINGS

Monday

 Hope Lives On support group for mothers who have lost children to suicide, 7 p.m., Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, 155 W. Morton Ave.

 Addicts Victorious, 7-8 p.m. at Faith Tabernacle, 571 Sandusky St. Use side entrance to church hall.

 PITTSFIELD: Addicts Victorious, 7-8 p.m. in the basement of Subway in Pittsfield. 1-800-323-1388.



Tuesday

 Jacksonville Sunrise Rotary, 7 a.m. Holiday Inn Express meeting room, South Jacksonville. 217-243-6895.

 Dementia Caregiver support group, 2-3 p.m., free virtual event. Call 800-272-3900 to register, which is required. Hosted by the Springfield office of the Alzheimers Association Illinois.

 American Legion Post 279, 7 p.m. at 903 W. Superior Ave.



Wednesday

 Breastfeeding support group, 6 p.m., Jacksonville Memorial Hospital, Meeting Room 2.

 ROODHOUSE: Women with Hearts of Love (WWHOL), 6-7 p.m. at House of Restoration, 208 W. Franklin St. 217-602-1670.



Thursday

 Jacksonville Area Chess Club, 6-9 p.m. at Jacksonville Public Library. 217-370-0882.

 St. Johns UCC Grief Group: 7 p.m., St. Johns UCC, 216 North St., Brighton. Free | Support group for those grieving the loss of a loved one.

 Jacksonville Kiwanis Club, noon at Hamiltons.

 WHITE HALL: Addicts Victorious, teens 5:30-6:30 p.m.; adults 7-8 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of New Life Church, 626 Curtis St.



Friday

 Jacksonville Rotary Club, noon at Hamiltons.

 PITTSFIELD: Addicts Victorious, 6 p.m. at Assembly of God, 575 Piper St. 800-323-1388.



Saturday

 Jacksonville Amateur Radio Societys Net, 9 p.m. Transmitted on K9JX repeater. K9JX.com.

 Compiled by Angela Bauer
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  On Ukraines battlefields, the simple act of powering up a cellphone can beckon a rain of deathly skyfall. Artillery radar and remote controls for unmanned aerial vehicles may also invite fiery shrapnel showers.

This is electronic warfare, a critical but largely invisible aspect of Russias war against Ukraine. Military commanders largely shun discussing it, fearing theyll jeopardize operations by revealing secrets.

Electronic warfare technology targets communications, navigation and guidance systems to locate, blind and deceive the enemy and direct lethal blows. It is used against artillery, fighter jets, cruise missiles, drones and more. Militaries also use it to protect their forces.

Its an area where Russia was thought to have a clear advantage going into the war. Yet, for reasons not entirely clear, its much-touted electronic warfare prowess was barely seen in the wars early stages in the chaotic failure to seize the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

It has become far more of a factor in fierce fighting in eastern Ukraine, where shorter, easier-to-defend supply lines let Russia move electronic warfare gear closer to the battlefield.

They are jamming everything their systems can reach, said an official of Aerorozvidka, a reconnaissance team of Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle tinkerers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of safety concerns. We cant say they dominate, but they hinder us greatly.

A Ukrainian intelligence official called the Russian threat pretty severe when it comes to disrupting reconnaissance efforts and commanders communications with troops. Russian jamming of GPS receivers on drones that Ukraine uses to locate the enemy and direct artillery fire is particularly intense on the line of contact, he said.

Ukraine has scored some successes in countering Russias electronic warfare efforts. It has captured important pieces of hardware  a significant intelligence coup  and destroyed at least two multi-vehicle mobile electronic warfare units.

Its own electronic warfare capability is hard to assess. Analysts say it has markedly improved since 2014, when Russia seized Crimea and instigated a separatist revolt in eastern Ukraine. But there are setbacks. Last week, Russia claimed it destroyed a Ukrainian electronic intelligence center in the southeastern town of Dniprovske. The claim could not be independently confirmed, and Ukrainian officials did not respond to a request for comment.

Ukraine has also made effective use of technology and intelligence from the United States and other NATO members. Such information helped Ukraine sink the battle cruiser Moskva. Allied satellites and surveillance aircraft help from nearby skies, as does billionaire Elon Musks Starlink satellite communications network.

Electronic war has three basic elements: probe, attack and protect. First, intelligence is gathered by locating enemy electronic signals. On attack, white noise jamming disables and degrades enemy systems, including radio and cellphone communications, air defense and artillery radars. Then there is spoofing, which confuses and deceives. When it works, munitions miss their targets.

Operating on a modern battlefield without data is really hard, said retired Col. Laurie Buckhout, a former U.S. Army electronic warfare chief. Jamming can blind and deafen an aircraft very quickly and very dangerously, especially if you lose GPS and radar and youre a jet flying at 600 miles an hour.

All of which explains the secrecy around electronic warfare.

It is an incredibly classified field because it is highly dependent on evolving, bleeding-edge technologies where gains can be copied and erased very quickly, said James Stidham, a communications security expert who has consulted for the U.S. State and Homeland Security departments.

Ukraine learned hard lessons about electronic warfare in 2014 and 2015, when Russia overwhelmed its forces with it. The Russians knocked drones out of the sky and disabled warheads, penetrated cellphone networks for psychological ops and zeroed in on Ukrainian armor.

One Ukrainian officer told Christian Brose, an aide to the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., how Russian info warriors tricked a commander into returning a wireless call from his mother. When he did, they geolocated him in mid-call and killed him with precision rockets, Brose wrote in the book The Kill Chain.

The U.S. also experienced Russias electronic warfare in action in Syria, where the adversaries have backed opposing sides in the civil war. In 2018, U.S. Special Operations chief Gen. Raymond Thomas described how U.S. pilots communications were regularly knocked down in Syria in the most aggressive electronic warfare environment on the planet. Russias advanced systems are designed to blind U.S. Airborne Warning and Control Systems, or AWACS, aircraft  the eyes and ears of battlefield commanders  as well as cruise missiles and spy satellites.

In the current war, electronic warfare has become a furious theater of contention.

Aerorozvidka has modified camera-equipped drones to pinpoint enemy positions and drop mortars and grenades. Hacking is also used to poison or disable enemy electronics and collect intelligence.

Ukrainian officials say their electronic warfare capabilities have improved radically since 2015. They include the use of encrypted U.S and Turkish communications gear for a tactical edge. Ukraine has advanced so much it exports some of its technology.

Russia has engaged in GPS jamming in areas from Finland to the Black Sea, said Lt. Col. Tyson Wetzel, an Air Force fellow at the Atlantic Council. One regional Finnish carrier, Transaviabaltica, had to cancel flights on one route for a week as a result. Russian jamming has also disrupted Ukrainian television broadcasting, said Frank Backes, an executive with California-based Kratos Defense, which has satellite ground stations in the region.

Yet in the wars early days, Russias use of electronic warfare was less effective and extensive than anticipated. That may have contributed to its failure to destroy enough radar and anti-aircraft units to gain air superiority.

Russias defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment for this article.

Some analysts believe Russian commanders held back units fearing the units would be captured. At least two were seized. One was a Krasukha-4, which a U.S. Army database says is designed to jam satellite signals as well as surveillance radar and radar-guided weapons from more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) away. The other: the more advanced Borisoglebsk-2, which can jam drone guidance systems and radio-controlled land mines.

Russia may have also limited the use of electronic warfare early in the conflict because of concerns that ill-trained or poorly motivated technicians might not operate it properly.

What were learning now is that the Russians eventually turned it off because it was interfering with their own communications so much, said retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, a former U.S. Army commander for Europe.

The communications problems were evident with many Russian troops talking on insecure open radio channels, easily monitored by outsiders.

Its unclear how much of an edge Russias electronic assets may now offer. Ukraines forces are now more concentrated than early in the war, which could make them easier to target.

Much depends on whether Russias battalion tactical groups are configured in reality as they are on paper, said James Rands, of the Janes military intelligence think tank. Each group, comprised of roughly 1,000 troops, is supposed to have an electronic warfare unit. The Pentagon says 110 such groups are in Ukraine.

The Kremlin also claims to have more than 1,000 small, versatile Orlan-10 unmanned aerial vehicles it uses for reconnaissance, targeting, jamming and cellphone interception.

Russia has lost about 50 of its Orlan-10s in the war, but whatever they lost could be a small portion of whats flying, said researcher Samuel Bendett, of the Center for Naval Analyses think tank.

Ukraines relative UAV strength is unclear, but Ukrainians have adapted such technologies as software-defined radio and 3D printing to stay nimble.

The U.S. and Britain also supply jamming gear, but how much it helps is unclear. Neither country has offered details. The ability of both sides to disable the other's drones is crucial with the artillery they scout now so decisive in battles.

Musk's Starlink is a proven asset. Its more than 2,200 low-orbiting satellites provide broadband internet to more than 150,000 Ukrainian ground stations. Severing those connections is a challenge for Russia. It is far more difficult to jam low-earth orbiting satellites than geostationary ones.

Musk has won plaudits from the Pentagon for at least temporarily defeating Russian jamming of Ukrainian satellite uplinks with a quick software fix. But he has warned Ukrainians to keep those terminals powered down when possible  they are vulnerable to geolocation  and recently worried on Twitter about redoubled Russian interference efforts.

Im sure that the Russians are getting smarter about that now, said Wetzel, the Air Force lieutenant colonel.

___

Bajak reported from Boston. AP correspondent Lolita C. Baldor contributed from Washington.
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The following are being sought on arrest warrants, according to various sheriffs departments. The addresses listed are the last known addresses provided by the warrants and may be outdated.

 Nathaniel L. Jones, 29, of 511 S. Prairie St. is being sought on a warrant accusing him of failing to appear in court on a charge of driving while license is suspended.

He is a Black male standing 6 foot 2 and weighing 180 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes.

Morgan County

Jacksonville Police

ACCIDENTS

 William B. Wernsman, 71, of Jacksonville suffered minor injuries when his motorcycle was hit by a car that did not yield at 7:13 p.m. Thursday at Dunlap and North Main streets, according to police. The driver of the car left the scene, police said.

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Sarah K. Racey, 18, of Jacksonville was cited at 9:27 p.m. Thursday on a charge of consumption of alcohol by a minor.

THEFTS, BURGLARIES

 A wallet was stolen between 2:30 and 9:40 a.m. Friday from an unlocked vehicle in the 500 block of West State Street.

VANDALISM

 A trailer was damaged between midnight Tuesday and 2:57 p.m. Friday in the 800 block of North Church Street.

Compiled by David C.L. Bauer


As a part of Know BJP initiative, BJP President J P Nadda interacted with a Group of Heads of Mission to India at party Headquarter in New Delhi. The envoys of seven countries including Russian envoy Denis Alipov attended the meet today. "A delightful and precious interaction with BJP National President J P Nadda today in the framework of the" Know BJP" initiative. Got a valuable insight into the party's history and programmes. Exchanged views on prospects for Russia - India party to party cooperation," Russian envoy Denis Alipov said after the meeting. Seven countries participated in today's third phase of the Know BJP Campaign which include - Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Laos, Kyrgyzstan and Cuba. This is ruling BJP's effort to engage with overseas audience.




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In Illinois, as elsewhere, Civil War troops came from a wide variety of occupations. In one regiment, many men were future teachers.

The 33rd Illinois Infantry, which originated at Illinois State University in Normal, famously was known as the Teachers Regiment because a high number of the men were students. The nickname was a nod to the original purpose of ISU, which was teacher training.

Many Jacksonville-area men were in the 33rd, which holds a special place in the history of both the university and the state.

The outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861 riveted the university, which had been founded only four years before as the states first public institution of higher learning. Many students later recalled that the war was foremost on everyones minds, and students could barely concentrate on their studies.

President Abraham Lincolns first call for troops was for a 90-day enlistment, but it soon became apparent that more time and men were needed. As one student wrote, ISU President Charles Hovey eventually suggested that the Normal men should be prepared for when the call to action arrived.

As a result, he organized the students into a quasi-military unit. An old brickyard near the school was converted into a parade ground, and a local military leader was hired as drillmaster.

Nearly all male students and many teachers joined in, and female students turned out to watch the daily drills. The group eventually was dubbed the Normal Rifles and became a daily part of life at Illinois State.

More volunteers

The 90-day enlistments expired in July, by which point scant military action had ensued, and Lincoln called for 500,000 more volunteers. Hovey accompanied Jesse Fell, an energetic Bloomington businessman and close Lincoln friend, to Washington during the third week of July, seeking authority to organize what he dubbed a "schoolmasters regiment".

Just after the Union debacle at First Bull Run, which Fell and Hovey had witnessed, Lincoln granted permission for Hoveys plan. Hovey returned to Bloomington and, within a short time, more than 900 men signed up for the regiment, including at least 46 Normal students and teachers.

The regiment eventually was mustered at Camp Butler near Springfield on Sept. 18, 1861, as the 33rd Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Many of the Normal students in the 33rd, including the bulk of the Normal Rifles, went into Company A.

Dozens of other ISU students enlisted in other regiments. In all, at least 117 members of the university community were in uniform. At least 15 Normal men served as officers in African-American units, a reflection of the racial progressiveness of the university.

In a time of lower literacy levels, the Normal men stood out in the ranks. The 33rd famously became known as the Teachers Regiment or Normal Regiment, though some simply called it the Brains Regiment, because college-educated men from other institutions also joined.

Not surprisingly, the Normal regiment left an inordinate amount of written material on their experiences in the war. The regiment liked to brag that any privates discharged for mental shortcomings were good candidates for officers in other regiments.

One of the best accounts of the 33rd was provided by Charles Wilcox, who had taught school for two years in a one-room school in Franklin before enrolling at Normal. His pay was 6 cents per student for a six-month term. Wilcox survived the war and died in 1931 at age 93.

Another notable west-central Illinois man in the 33rd was George Rex, a Pike County doctor and a member of the original Illinois State Board of Education, which oversaw the university in its earliest days. The regimental surgeon, Rex was 48  three years past the traditional recruiting cutoff age of 45.

Of the original field and staff officers of the 33rd, the hardy Rex was the only one who was at the final discharge in 1865.

Though not all of them were students, dozens of other area men were part of the 33rd. Company F was home to many men from Winchester and Lynnville, while Company I had plenty of troops from Griggsville and Perry. Company K contained a number of Beardstown, Virginia, Chandlerville, and Yatesville men. Dozens of these men either lost their lives in the war or were discharged for disability.

Hovey ultimately was succeeded as colonel of the regiment by Charles Lippincott of Chandlerville.

Little early action

Like most Illinois troops, the 33rd saw little action early in the war. By summer 1862, the regiment was stationed in eastern Arkansas as part of the Army of the Southwest.

The Unions objective was Little Rock, and Confederates mounted an attack to slow Curtis at Cache River in Woodruff County, east of the capital. On July 7, 1862, Hovey was ordered to lead a brigade  including the 33rd  across Cache River as two Texas cavalry regiments attempted to prevent the crossing.

The ensuing battle was nearly a disaster as the Federals were overrun, but Hovey and his men quickly stabilized the situation. In 1993, acclaimed Trans-Mississippi theater historian William Shea wrote that in a moment of inspiration, Hovey dismounted and picked up a rifle and cartridge box from a wounded soldier. He walked forward a few yards, found an unoccupied tree, and methodically began to load and fire in the general direction of the enemy.

Hovey managed to fire two or three rounds before he was struck in the chest by a spent bullet. His regality as a college president, though, belied his toughness, reflective of the Teachers Regiment on the whole. Shea wrote that Hovey picked up the bullet and shouted above the din that the rebellion did not seem to have much force in it.

The tide of the battle soon switched from retreat to advance, which carried the fight for the Union. Shea reports that the Illinoisans loosed a smashing volley at point-blank range against the flank of the Confederate column. The storm of lead practically annihilated the leading elements of the rebels as Hovey and the Normal men won a smashing victory.

The 33rd also was involved in the Siege of Vicksburg, which began after failed frontal assaults on the Confederate lines. The assault of May 22, 1863, was particularly brutal for Illinois troops, including the 33rd.

Of the 250 men of the regiment who participated, at least 76 were hit, with 12 dead on the field and several others mortally wounded. William Murray, a Cass County man in the 33rd who was not a Normal student, called the assault a useless sacrifice of life.

The 33rd later served in the Red River campaign of 1864 and the offensive against Mobile the following year. The regiment finally was mustered out on Dec. 6, 1865.

In all, 10 Illinois State students sacrificed their lives for the Union. In the decades that followed the war, the university became nationally renowned for the number and accomplishments of alumni in public education. Many of those alumni were veterans of the 33rd, whose story is like no other in the Civil War history of Illinois.
CAIRO (AP)  A U.N. human rights official Saturday condemned the continued crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Sudan, which has been roiling since a military coup over six months ago.

Adama Dieng, the United Nations expert on human rights in Sudan, urged military authorities to take more bold and concrete actions following the lifting of a nationwide state of emergency on May 29 that had been in place since the military took over Oct. 25.

He called for the release of all people detained under the state of emergency and an end to the use of excessive force and arrests of anti-coup protesters.

Sudan has been politically paralyzed since the coup, with near-daily street protests. Authorities launched a major crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. They fired live ammunition and tear gas at crowds on the streets and knocked the countrys internet and mobile signal offline  all in efforts to keep people from gathering.

Sudanese security forces have also been accused of using sexual violence against women taking part in the demonstrations, according the U.N, At least 99 people have been killed in the anti-coup protests.

Most recently, one protester was shot dead Friday when forces violently dispersed demonstrations in the capital of Khartoum, according to the Sudan Doctors Committee, which is part of the pro-democracy movement. Over 4,400 others have been wounded since the coup.

Another young man whose family are in mourning today. His killing must be investigated immediately, and the perpetrator prosecuted, Dieng said.

The U.N. officials comments came as he wrapped up his second visit to the country since his appointment in November to monitor the human rights situation in Sudan after the coup. Dieng, who visited Sudan in February, was a U.N. special adviser on the prevention of genocide and served as an investigator for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Fridays protests marked the third anniversary of the deadly June 3, 2019 breakup by security forces of a major protest camp outside the militarys headquarters in Khartoum and others in Sudan.

At least 128 protesters were killed in the crackdown, which also involved what activists describe as a campaign of rape and sexual misconduct by troops ordered by the military to crush the pro-democracy movement.

The dispersal was a turning point in ties between between the generals and the movement, which was behind the uprising that led to the militarys removal of longtime strongman Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.

By SAMY MAGDY

Associated Press
As Ukraine loses troops, how long can it keep up the fight?

As Ukraine loses troops, how long can it keep up the fight? View Photo

ZHYTOMYR, Ukraine (AP)  As soon as they had finished burying a veteran colonel killed by Russian shelling, the cemetery workers readied the next hole. Inevitably, given how quickly death is felling Ukrainian troops on the front lines, the empty grave wont stay that way for long.

Col. Oleksandr Makhachek left behind a widow, Elena, and their daughters Olena and Myroslava-Oleksandra. In the first 100 days of war, his grave was the 40th dug in the military cemetery in Zhytomyr, 90 miles (140 kilometers) west of the capital, Kyiv.

He was killed May 30 in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine where the fighting is raging. Nearby, the burial notice on the also freshly dug grave of Viacheslav Dvornitskyi says he died May 27. Other graves also showed soldiers killed within days of each other  on May 10, 9th, 7th and 5th. And this is just one cemetery, in just one of Ukraines cities, towns and villages laying soldiers to rest.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week that Ukraine is now losing 60 to 100 soldiers each day in combat. By way of comparison, just short of 50 American soldiers died per day on average in 1968 during the Vietnam Wars deadliest year for U.S. forces.

Among the comrades-in-arms who paid respects to the 49-year-old Makhachek at his funeral on Friday was Gen. Viktor Muzhenko, the Ukrainian Armed Forces chief of general staff until 2019. He warned that losses could worsen.

This is one of the critical moments in the war, but it is not the peak, Muzhenko told The Associated Press. This is the most significant conflict in Europe since World War II. That explains why the losses are so great. In order to reduce losses, Ukraine now needs powerful weapons that match or even surpass Russian weaponry. This would enable Ukraine to respond in kind.

Concentrations of Russian artillery are causing many of the casualties in the eastern regions that Moscow has focused on since its initial invasion launched Feb. 24 failed to take Kyiv.

Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the former commanding general of U.S. Army forces in Europe, described the Russian strategy as a medieval attrition approach and said that until Ukraine gets promised deliveries of U.S., British and other weapons to destroy and disrupt Russian batteries, these kinds of casualties are going to continue.

This battlefield is so much more lethal than what we all became accustomed to over the 20 years of Iraq and Afghanistan, where we didnt have numbers like this, he said in an AP phone interview.

That level of attrition would include leaders, sergeants, he added. They are a lot of the brunt of casualties because they are the more exposed, constantly moving around trying to do things.

Makhachek, a military engineer, led a detachment that laid minefields and other defenses, said Col. Ruslan Shutov, who attended the funeral of his friend of more than 30 years.

Once the shelling began, he and a group hid in a shelter. There were four people in his group, and he told them to hide in the dugout. He hid in another. Unfortunately, an artillery shell hit the dugout where he was hiding.

Ukraine had about 250,000 men and women in uniform before the war and was in the process of adding another 100,000. The government hasnt said how many have died in more than 14 weeks of fighting.

Nobody really knows the number of Ukrainian civilians who have been killed or how many combatants have died on either side. Claims of casualties by government officials  who may sometimes exaggerate or lowball their figures for public relations reasons  are all but impossible to verify.

Western analysts estimate far higher Russian military casualties, in the many thousands. Still, as Ukraines losses mount, the grim mathematics of war require that it find replacements. With a population of 43 million, it has manpower.

The problem is recruiting, training and getting them on the front line, said retired U.S. Marine Col. Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

If the war is now moving into a long-term attrition struggle, then you have to build systems to get replacements, he said. This has been a difficult moment for every army in combat.

Muzhenko, the Ukrainian general, said Zelenskyys admission of high casualties would further galvanize Ukrainian morale and that more Western weaponry would help turn the tide.

The more Ukrainians know about what is happening at the front, the more the will to resist will grow, he said. Yes, the losses are significant. But with the help of our allies, we can minimize and reduce them and move on to successful offensives. This will require powerful weapons.

___

Yuras Karmanau contributed to this report from Lviv.

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Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

By JOHN LEICESTER and HANNA ARHIROVA

Associated Press
NATO chief speaks with Erdogan about Finland, Sweden joining View Photo

BRUSSELS (AP)  NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has met with Finlands prime minister and spoken to Turkeys president as he seeks to overcome Turkish resistance to Finland and Sweden joining the alliance.

Stoltenberg, who visited Washington this week, tweeted late Friday that he met with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin while there and discussed the need to address Turkeys concerns and move forward with the Finnish and Swedish membership applications.

Russias war in Ukraine pushed the Nordic countries to apply to join NATO, but Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses Sweden and Finland of supporting Kurdish militants deemed by Turkey to be terrorists.

Stoltenberg said he had a constructive phone call with Erdogan, calling Turkey a valued ally and praising Turkish efforts to broker a deal to ensure the safe transportation of grain supplies from Ukraine amid global food shortages caused by Russias invasion. Stoltenberg tweeted that he and Erdogan would continue their dialogue, without elaborating.

Erdogans office released a statement in which it said the president had emphasized that Sweden and Finland should make it clear that they have stopped supporting terrorism, have lifted defense export restrictions on Turkey and are ready to show alliance solidarity.

The Nordic states, among other countries, imposed limitations on arms sales in the wake of Turkeys 2019 military incursion into northern Syria.

The NATO chiefs diplomatic efforts came before a gathering of senior officials from Sweden, Finland and Turkey next week in Brussels, where NATO is based, to discuss Turkeys opposition to the applications.

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Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Lee_Mortier Washington Fire Aug 26 View Photo

Sacramento, CA  Mother Lode counties will share nearly $8 million in CAL Fire grants with wildfire-threatened communities to increase the protection of people, structures, and communities.

As part of the states strategy to prepare properties and communities against the devastating impacts of wildfires, CAL Fire announced nearly $118 million in funding for 144 local wildfire prevention projects across the state.

Drought conditions have once again taken hold of California and are already contributing to another year of early fire activity, said Joe Tyler, CAL FIRE Director, and Fire Chief. This funding is a critical part of our overall wildfire strategy.

The grants target local organizations, like fire safe councils, to implement activities that address the hazards of wildfire and reduce wildfire risk to communities. Funded activities include hazardous fuel reduction, wildfire prevention planning, and wildfire prevention education.

In the Mother Lode, Calaveras County walked away with the lions share of the prize, with ten projects in the areas of West Point, Mokelumne Hill, Murphys and Arnold capturing nearly $4 million in state dollars. Tuolumne County came in second with four projects totaling $1,098,959. Mariposa County was next with three grants adding up to nearly $2 million and Amador with one receiving more than $725,000.

These 144 local wildfire prevention projects, along with the 105 projects we just funded in September 2021, will significantly increase California communities preparedness towards wildfires, said Chief Daniel Berlant, CAL FIRE Deputy Director of Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation.

The grants are part of Governor Gavin Newsoms Wildfire Resilience Initiative, investing $1.5 billion in wildfire resilience. In addition to this latest round of funding, it has launched 588 projects to date. To view all the local projects and their funding amounts, click here.
BAKHMUT, Ukraine (AP)  Block-by-block fighting raged Friday in two key eastern Ukrainian cities Friday, the 100th day of Russia's war, slowly grinding them to rubble.

Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said fierce battles continued in Sievierodonetsk, where about 13,000 remaining residents took shelter in basements to escape relentless Russian bombardment. Ukrainian forces reclaimed 20% of city terrain that had been taken by Russian troops, he added later.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that there had been some progress in the battle for Sievierodonetsk but gave no specifics.

Haidai said Russian forces also pummeled neighboring Lysychansk. Some 20,000 residents remain there  about one-fifth of Lysychansks prewar population  even though Russian shelling has shattered 60% of the residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, authorities said. A civilian was killed in the shelling there on Friday, Haidai said.

Russian forces have been trying to encircle Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk, the only two cities in eastern Ukraines Luhansk province not controlled by Russian forces or Moscow-backed separatists. Luhansk and Donetsk provinces make up the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that Russia is intent on capturing.

Britain's Defense Ministry said Russia now controls more than 90% of Luhansk and is likely to take it over completely in the next two weeks.

But Haidai said progress made in the past two days shows that Ukraine may be able to hold off the Russian attack for that duration, the timeframe for the arrival of new, advanced Western weapons.

Mykola Sunhurovsky of the Razumkov Center, a Kyiv-based think tank, said that because of Ukrainian resistance, the Russian offensive in the region has started to slow, and "they have lost too many forces and need a tactical break.

He said that time is working in Ukraines favor as supplies of Western weapons are increasing, making the Kremlin nervous."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian troops have succeeded in their main stated task of protecting civilians in the separatist-controlled areas.

Russia controls almost one-fifth of the country, Zelenskyy said this week. But the president remained defiant in a video message marking 100 days of war.

We have defended Ukraine for 100 days already, he said. "Victory will be ours!

In other developments:

 Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted the chairman of the African Union, Senegals President Macky Sall, in talks aimed at how to get grain supplies moving again. Wheat prices have soared because of the war. Russia, the worlds largest wheat exporter, has urged the West to lift sanctions against it shippers so that grain starts flowing freely. Ukraine blamed the growing global food crisis not on the sanctions but on Russia's bottling up of the ports Ukraine uses to export grain

 The European Union formally approved an embargo on Russian oil. The 27-nation EU said imports of Russian crude will be phased out over six months, and other refined petroleum products over eight months. Landlocked countries that depend on Russian supplies  like Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia - will get a temporary exemption.

 The EU also imposed another round of sanctions, these targeting Russian military officers, including top brass accused of war crimes in Bucha and during the siege of Mariupol. Col.-Gen Mikhail Mizintsev, known as the Butcher of Mariupol, was among those on the list.

 German lawmakers approved $107 billion in new spending to strengthen the countrys military, three months after Russias invasion jolted the government into action. Officials say the German military has suffered from years of neglect.

__

Associated Press writers Jamey Keaten in Geneva; Lorne Cook in Brussels; and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this story.
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Three wooden tables sit end-to-end surrounded by chairs and adorned with mismatching tablecloths inside an unsuspecting old church building at the corner of 2nd and Ash.

On a recent rainy afternoon, the door of the building stood open to welcome passersby inside to a kitchen where a home-cooked meal of brisket flautas, rice and beans sat on a warm stove waiting to be served.

A small group at the end of the table already sat conversing with plates of food in front of them.

Its got a homey feel with a sign outside that aptly reads Abuelos Kitchen.

Its the start of a long-time dream coming to fruition, said Alonzo Ramirez.

The owner of both Date Street Laundry and Abuelo Bail Bonds wants to feed the community.

I bought this building about a year ago and thats what I wanted to do  give free meals out, Ramirez said.

On Wednesday, he hosted the first of what he hopes will be many more free and homemade meals at the location.

Looking around to those seated across the room, Ramirez said he only hopes more people join in the future.

He was inspired to host these dinners by the thought of households dealing with food insecurity, especially during the summer. Nobody should go hungry, he added.

From 5:30-7 p.m. each Wednesday, he hopes to provide a beacon for those who may not have food, may not be able to afford food, may not want to cook or those who are just in a rush and want a ready-made homecooked meal.

We wont ask questions, he said. He indeed did not when Herald reporters walked through the doorway. After being greeted at the door by Demencio Pastor Dee Gomez, reporters were ushered inside by people encouraging grab a plate and have a seat.

Ramirez said he wants everyone to feel welcome and comfortable regardless of their employment or lack thereof.

While the event is hosted at a church, its also important to Ramirez to keep it non-denominational. Believers and non-believers alike are welcome.

People who dont believe get hungry too, Ramirez said.

The ministry is a work-in-progress  one of many for the building.

After purchasing the building, Ramirez reached out to his cousin, Gomez, to help him turn his vision to a reality.

The cousins were raised together around this area. They developed more of a brotherly bond.

They pursued different career paths as adults, though they share at least one common interest  they love to help people.

Gomez joined the ministry and has worked in congregations across the region and in New Mexico. His experience as a preacher is what led Ramirez to call him back to Plainview.

Together, the pair have spent the past year rehabilitating the building. They cleared out rooms, have made many repairs, hauled in church pews for the sanctuary and set up their own offices at opposite ends of the building. Theyve done most of the work themselves.

The food ministry is just one part of a greater vision to create a place that serves more basic needs.

They envision a space in one room to be used for activities like Bible study, or a childs activity center. They hope to furnish another room as a basic bedroom to eventually create temporary housing for someone down on their luck who needs a place to rest. The building has bathrooms, showers and a furnished kitchen. The place has great potential, the cousins acknowledged.

As they work to shape up the building, theyre more focused on growing their individual ministries.

Gomez and Ramirez said theyve knocked on doors around the neighborhood inviting them both to join the small congregation and/or to stop in for a bite on Wednesdays.

He can save souls, Ramirez said. I want to feed them.
An 80-year-old woman in Bihar's Siwan district and a key witness in a major case appeared before the MP-MLA court of Muzaffarpur on Friday and informed the judge that she is alive though the CBI had declared her dead.

Badami Devi, who is the main witness in the murder of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan in Siwan on May 13, 2016, claimed that the CBI had filed her death report in the court on May 24.

"When I learnt that the CBI had filed my death report in the court, I went into shock. It was disheartening and painful for me. Then, I appeared before the court with a voter identity card, Pan card and Aadhaar card," she said.

Badami Devi appeared before judge Puneet Kumar Garg and following her appearance, the court has issued a show cause notice to CBI and asked to file a clarification on what grounds it has submitted the death verification report in the court.

Her lawyer Sharad Sinha said: "In the murder of Rajdeo Ranjan, the FIR was registered against 8 persons including late MP Mohammad Shahabuddin. According to the FIR, Shahabuddin's close associate Laddan Mian is said to be given the contract to kill Rajdeo Ranjan."

"The accused were eyeing the house of Badami Devi. They wanted to forcibly grab her property and Rajdeo Ranjan was the journalist who raised this issue through a Hindi newspaper. He was the bureau chief of that newspaper of Siwan. Due to a series of coverage in the newspaper, the accused conspired against him and killed on the station road in Siwan on May 13, 2016," he said.

"Badami Devi is the key witness of this case and the CBI which is considered as the premier investigating agency submitted her death report in the court without verification. It is a clear and deep conspiracy of accused persons and investigators of CBI helping the accused through such a false death report. After the appearance of Badami Devi, the court slammed the CBI. It has issued a show cause notice to CBI to file the clarification. The show cause notice is served to all officers of CBI who are involved in the investigation of this case," Sinha claimed.

"I have given a submission before the court that every person including state and central governments, the Prime Minister believes in the CBI but it has submitted a mess of investigation report and declared dead an alive woman who is a key witness in such an important case..," he added.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  Less than 48 hours after a gunman stormed an elementary school and killed 19 children and two teachers in his home state of Texas, Sen. John Cornyn walked straight from the floor of the U.S. Senate into Republican leader Mitch McConnell's office.

The Texas Republican had just returned to Washington from the scene of the horrific school shooting in Uvalde when he was summoned by McConnell to lead the GOP in fraught negotiations over a potential legislative response to the tragedy. Eager, if wary, he took the job.

I'm not interested in making a political statement, Cornyn said at the time. I'm actually interested in what we can do to make the terrible events that occurred in Uvalde less likely in the future.

Cornyn is at the center of a bipartisan group of senators working furiously to try to strike a compromise over gun safety legislation, a political longshot despite the heartbreaking pleas from the Uvalde community to do something after the massacre.

A four-term senator, Cornyn has been here plenty of times before, a central figure at the forefront of on again, off again talks with Democrats over gun policy changes that almost never make it into law. As gun owners and the powerful gun lobby wield influence, Congress has proven unable to substantively respond even as more gruesome mass shootings rip through communities all across America.

With his previous negotiating partner, Sen. Chris Murphy-D-Conn., Cornyn convened a small group of four senators to meet privately this week, some who are part of a broader Murphy-led group in a desperate search for possible compromise gun safety measures.

President Joe Biden implored Congress  and particularly the Republican senators, who have spent years blocking almost every gun control measure  to act.

This time, its time for the Senate to do something, Biden said in remarks from the White House.

Biden, too, is looking at Cornyn to lead.

I think theres a realization on the part of rational Republicans  and I think Senator McConnell is a rational Republican; I think Cornyn is as well  I think theres a recognition in their party that they  we cant continue like this, Biden said earlier in the week after visiting Texas.

Expectations are low that even the most modest gun control measures could find support among Republicans in Congress, particularly in the evenly-split 50-50 Senate where at least 60 votes are needed to advance legislation past a filibuster.

Senators arent expected to even broach ideas for an assault weapon ban or other restrictions that are popular with the public as potential ways to curb the most lethal mass shootings.

Instead, the bipartisan group is intensifying talks to reach a deal on incremental changes to the nations gun laws, after a decade of mostly failed efforts ever since a gunman killed 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

At most, the senators may be able reach consensus in a few distinct areas  bolstering school security measures; adding more mental health resources in communities; and possibly sending money to the states to encourage red flag laws to keep firearms out of the hands of those who would do harm.

That may be all they can do, said Matthew Bennett, a longtime gun policy advocate at the centrist Third Way think tank.

It's been nearly 30 years since Congress approved sweeping gun safety legislation with the passage of the 1994 assault weapons ban, which has since expired. In 2013, Congress rejected proposals to expand background checks and ban some assault-style rifles and high-capacity ammunition magazines.

One of the only gun-related bills that has become law in the decade since the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre was Cornyns fix-NICS bill  a modest effort he and Murphy developed to encourage states to comply with the recordkeeping of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

Cornyn first pushed the bill forward after another tragedy in his state, the 2017 church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, when the gunman's Air Force record of court-martial for domestic violence had not been sent for inclusion in the federal database used for gun purchases.

The Fix-NICS bill stalled in the Senate, until months later when another gunman opened fire at a Parkland, Florida, high school killing 17 in a massacre on Valentine's Day in 2018.

Lets do what we can and build from there, Cornyn said at the time.

But by then, Democrats and some Republicans were circulating broader proposals and Donald Trump, who was president, suggested raising the legal age for purchasing firearms to 21. But efforts fizzled after Trump had an Oval Office meeting with the National Rifle Association.

The Fix-NICS bill ultimately won approval in Congress not on its own, but after being included in a government funding measure later that spring. It had the NRA's backing.

Cornyn, who has an A+ rating from the NRA's Political Victory Fund for his support of Second Amendment issues, said last week the Uvalde killings may be an impetus for new reforms.

A former judge and member of the Texas Supreme Court, Cornyn, 70, is a member of McConnell's leadership team and widely believed to be a contender to become Republican Senate leader whenever McConnell retires. McConnell tasked him to work with Murphy and also Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, a deal-maker close to Republicans.

An owner of multiple firearms who frequently hunts in Texas, Cornyn did not attend the NRA's convention in Houston alongside Trump and fellow GOP Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the days after the Uvalde shooting, even as he dismissed some of the red-flag laws or broader changes in federal gun policy being proposed.

He is the central figure  or at least one of them  because he has respect among Republicans but is also a critical thinker, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., about Cornyn.

If he really wants to get it done, he will potentially make a critical difference.

Many Democrats are skeptical that Republicans in the Senate will come to the table. Already the Senate has hopelessly blocked two House-passed measures to bolster background checks for firearm purchases online or at gun shows.

Instead, House Democrats are pushing ahead with their own package of gun safety measures, the Protecting Our Kids Act, that includes raising the age limits on semi-automatic rifle purchases from 18 to 21 years old. It has almost no hope of passing the Senate.
The father of one of the 19 children killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, is seeking answers from the manufacturer of the gun used in the massacre  the deadliest school shooting in Texas history.

Lawyers representing Alfred Garza III, the father of 10-year-old victim Amerie Jo Garza, issued a letter Friday to Georgia-based Daniel Defense demanding the gunmaker provide information about its marketing, especially to teens and children, as well as all of the gun company's previous communications with the Uvalde shooter.

"My purpose for being now is to honor Amerie Jo's memory," Garza said. "She would want me to do everything I can so this will never happen to any other child. I have to fight her fight."

Lawyers representing Garza include high profile Texas attorneys Mikal Watts and Charla Aldous, and Connecticut-based attorney Josh Koskoff, who previously won a settlement for nine Sandy Hook families against the gunmaker of the AR-15 used in the 2012 school shooting. "If they really are sincere in their desire to support these families, they will provide the information that Mr. Garza has requested without delay or excuse," Koskoff said. "Either way, we will do a complete and thorough investigation, leaving no stone unturned.

The letter also asks Daniel Defense to provide information about the marketing the DDM4 v7 rifle used in the shooting as well as the company's online purchasing system, its "incitement and encouragement of the assaultive use of these weapons" and "awareness of the prior use of AR-15 style rifles in mass shootings.

Daniel Defense issued a statement after the Uvalde shooting saying it was "deeply saddened by the tragic events." After confirming it produced the weapon used in the massacre, the company dropped out of the National Rifle Association's annual convention in Houston.

The firearms maker also went private on Twitter and limited comments on Instagram after receiving backlash for social media posts that featured a photo of a toddler sitting with an AR-15 rifle on its lap. The posts were subsequently deleted.
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As investigators dig deeper into the law enforcement response to the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, a host of disturbing questions remain about what officers on the scene knew as the deadly attack was unfolding.

Did they know children were trapped in a classroom with the gunman? Was that potentially critical information relayed to the incident commander on the scene? And did officers challenge the commander's decision not to promptly storm the classroom?

Authorities have not released audio of the 911 calls or radio communications but have confirmed dispatchers received panicked 911 calls from students trapped inside the locked classroom with the gunman while officers waited in a hallway outside.

In an apparent breakdown in communications, Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez said Thursday that the commander overseeing police at the crime scene, school district Police Chief Pete Arredondo, was never informed that children were calling 911 from inside the school.

Gutierrez told The Associated Press on Friday that the state agency investigating the shooting determined Arredondo was not carrying a police radio as the massacre unfolded.

Arredondo also has come under criticism for not ordering officers to immediately breach the classroom and take down the gunman. Steven McCraw, the head of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said that Arredondo believed the active shooting had turned into a hostage situation, and that the chief made the wrong decision.

Nineteen children and two teachers were killed in the attack last week at Robb Elementary, the deadliest school shooting in nearly a decade. Seventeen others were injured. The funerals began this week.

Arredondo has not responded to repeated interview requests from The Associated Press, and telephone messages left at the school police headquarters were not returned.

There have been other cases in which officers on the scene of a crime were not relayed critical information by a police dispatcher, often because the dispatcher wasn't following protocols, said Dave Warner, a retired police officer and an expert at the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch.

He cited a 2009 domestic disturbance call in Pittsburgh in which a woman told a 911 operator that her son was armed. That information was never relayed to responding officers. When they arrived, the man opened fire, ultimately killing three officers and seriously wounding two.

Its an old case, but its still very relevant today," Warner said.

Protocols for 911 dispatchers handling calls in active-shooter situations also specifically caution against changing a law enforcement response based solely on the amount of time that has elapsed since shots were last heard, Warner said.

Warner said those protocols were developed in part as a result of the 2007 mass shooting at Virginia Tech, where a student killed 32 people.

In that case, the gunman first killed two people at a dormitory. Police and school authorities thought that the gunman had fled the campus and that the danger had passed. But he instead moved on to another part of campus a couple of hours later and continued his murderous rampage.

Warner said the protocols stress that dispatchers should not think a shooting is over "just because that caller can no longer see the shooter or hear shots being fired."

The protocols also outline key questions for 911 dispatchers to ask callers in active-shooter cases, including the types of weapons involved, the number and location of suspects and whether the caller can safely evacuate the building.

The gunman in Uvalde, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, spent roughly 80 minutes inside the school before law enforcement officers killed him, according to an official timeline.

Since the shooting, law enforcement and state officials have struggled to present an accurate account of how police responded, sometimes providing conflicting information or withdrawing some statements hours later.

Many of those details are likely to become clearer after reviewing 911 calls and police radio communications, said Fritz Reber, a 27-year veteran and former captain with the Chula Vista, California, Police Department who has studied 911 dispatch systems.

Call takers at a 911 center typically relay information from callers in writing to a dispatcher, who then passes it along to officers in the field over the radio.

On the scene of major events, a specific radio channel is typically established so that all local, state and federal agencies can communicate with one another, Reber said. It is not clear whether that was done in Uvalde.

Reber said one reason information may not be relayed by dispatchers to officers on the ground is that dispatchers don't want to overload the channel with details they assume police on the scene would already know.

The assumption is the officers are there and will know more about what's going on than the people calling 911," he said.

Thor Eells, former commander of a 16-member SWAT team in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and director of the National Tactical Officers Association, said another key question is how many people were staffing the 911 call center covering Uvalde.

A lot of 911 calls were being placed, and in my experience that can lead to information overload," he said. When the 911 call center is being overwhelmed, it is extremely difficult to make sure you have a timely flow of information."

There have been communication breakdowns during other mass shootings in Texas, and experts say smaller, regional dispatch centers are often inundated with calls during a major emergency.

Police communications were a problem in 2019 when a gunman shot and killed seven people and wounded more than two dozen during a rampage in Odessa, Texas.

Authorities said 36-year-old gunman Seth Aaron Ator called 911 before and after the shootings, but a failure in communication between agencies  they were not all operating on the same radio channel  slowed the response. Ator was able to cover about 10 miles before officers shot and killed him.

___

Associated Press writer Jake Bleiberg contributed to this report from Dallas.
The site's address may sound like it belongs to Greg Abbott, but none of the words or endorsements found at "governorgregabbott.com" were penned by the Texas politician or his staff. The website's actual owner is Toby Morton, 51, an Oklahoma-based former comedy writer who has previously written for such hit shows as "South Park" and "MADtv." In recent years Morton has begun building a series of campaign-like parody websites mocking Republican leaders like Abbott for their stances on guns, anti-transgender youth legislation and other political stunts Morton considers regressive and dangerous.

Morton's fake campaign site for Abbott calls out the governor for his alleged role in greenlighting price gouging during the February 2021 winter freeze. He also skewers the Republican leader for considering granting clemency to Austin police officers indicted for tactics used against protesters during 2020 demonstrations against racial injustice. The site also makes reference to a 2015 tweet posted by Abbott lamenting the state falling behind California in background check requests for firearm purchases. The missive resurfaced following May 24's deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which left 19 children and two teachers dead.

Perhaps the most notable facet of the site is an endorsement for Abbott's Democratic opponent Beto O'Rourke. "We here at GovernorGregAbbott.com fully endorse Beto for Governor," the page, which includes a link to donate to O'Rourke's campaign, reads. "Governor Greg Abbott is tired and just feels it best to rest for the remainder of his existence."

Morton says the governor's office is aware of the site and two employees have actually since subscribed. Morton also recently launched a parody website for Sen. Ted Cruz, that labels the junior senator a "Sycophant," "Seditionist" and "Accomplice to Murder." The site is still in its early stages but Morton plans to add a section "dedicated to doors and how they can save America," a barb aimed at the senator and other GOP legislator's recent proposal of hardened, one-door layouts as the solution to gun violence in U.S. schools.

Morton says the massacre of 10 and 11-year-old students in Uvalde angered and motivated him to "dig deeper into what [Republican leaders] are really about." The comedic writer plans to add ongoing updates emphasizing Cruz and Abbott's views on guns and ties to the NRA.

Morton has actually created at least seven of the "GOP Sycophant Websites" so far, including pages criticizing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.). Morton's first website was a domain for former Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), which included animations and satirical stories in the style of The Onion. After his friend shared the site on Twitter, Morton received demands from users to create more.

"I basically fell into it," Morton said. "I think that's why people call me the 'accidental activist.' I read an article in 2019 about how a campaign bought up their opponent's domain name and redirected that domain to their own website. I thought that was clever but felt there could be more to it than just redirected the domain."

Only one politician, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) has actually attempted to have Morton's site about her taken down. However, Morton says the sites are legal as they are each labeled "parody," which is protected by the First Amendment, and include stories and videos done for comedic purposes. Still, he's gotten a handful of angry responses from supporters of the politicians.

Several social media users praised Morton for the sites and the writer says he's collected just enough donations from his supporters to keep the domains open. "I began just wanting to get a few reactions but now my hope is to bring more awareness to individuals who are running for office," Morton said. "Plenty of others create videos, but I seem to be the only one creating mock websites for politicians so hopefully these will grow even more."
Another picturesque ranch in the Hill Country has come on the market. Arroyo Vista Ranch is listed for $21 million, according to the Dullnig Ranch Sales. The ranch is located at 124 Highway 46 W. Boerne.

This "Spanish Revival" ranch estate welcomes visitors through its pristine landscaped gated entrance just outside of San Antonio.

Courtesy of Dullnig Ranch Sales

Arroyo Vista Ranch's main house is over 4,800-square-feet with two bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. The entrance has a two-story porte-cochere through 11-foot-tall wooden monastery doors that lead into the foyer. The home has intricate large scale parquet wood floors, wrought iron light fixtures, custom cabinetry, and natural light from clerestories, large picture windows, and French doors, according to the listing.

Courtesy of Dullnig Ranch Sales

The den includes a built-in wet bar with a wine fridge. The kitchen has custom cabinetry, two prep sinks, one full kitchen sink, a Wolf range, a sub zero fridge and freezer, and a breakfast bar. The owner's wing contains a gas log fireplace, two sets of French doors with outdoor access to both the main porch and pool, as well as a private courtyard with a Jacuzzi, a study with barrel-vaulted brick ceilings and mesquite parquet floors.

Courtesy of Dullnig Ranch Sales

The 4,250-square-foot trophy room has three separate entertaining areas to enjoy and is meant to remind guests of an African game lodge and natural history museum all-in-one. The recreation room has a limestone gas log fireplace with a cedar mantle, a powder room, and a wet bar, all with a back patio and fire pit overlooking the creek. The theater room has 14 theater-style seats, six bar top seats, and a concessions area.

Courtesy of Dullnig Ranch Sales

There are three guest house at Arroyo Vista Ranch. Guests enter the purple casita through a secluded, walled courtyard and covered porch. The king casita has a wet bar, office nook, gas log fireplace, bathtub, shower, and private patio overlooking the creek. The two other guest casitas have a designated living space with gas fireplaces, wet bar, ensuite bath with shower, two closets, and a queen bedroom.

Courtesy of Dullnig Ranch Sales

The property also has two equipment barns, an indoor shooting range, stables, a rock spring house, a picnic area with a barbacoa pit, a greenhouse, and a foreman's quarters that has its own entrance from Highway 46. Frederick Creek meanders through the property for about one mile. Around mid-way up the creek, a spring pours out of the fern-laden rock spring house into the creek. There are private water wells and storage tanks supply water to all the improvements on the ranch.

Courtesy of Dullnig Ranch Sales

The ranch has over 1,800 feet of road frontage along Highway 46 and is a few minutes to I-10. The compound is in a valley below a 100-foot cliff face that give guests the feeling of being in complete solitude. There are hunting opportunities on the property as well.

Courtesy of Dullnig Ranch Sales

Courtesy of Dullnig Ranch Sales

Courtesy of Dullnig Ranch Sales

Courtesy of Dullnig Ranch Sales

Courtesy of Dullnig Ranch Sales

Courtesy of Dullnig Ranch Sales

Courtesy of Dullnig Ranch Sales

Courtesy of Dullnig Ranch Sales

Courtesy of Dullnig Ranch Sales

Courtesy of Dullnig Ranch Sales
Yves here. Actually, middle aged men are the biggest gun victims, via suicides. But those middle aged men typically own the weapons in question

By Sonali Kolhatkar, the founder, host and executive producer of Rising Up With Sonali, a television and radio show that airs on Free Speech TV and Pacifica stations. She is a writing fellow for the Economy for All project at the Independent Media Institute. Produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute

Mass shootings are good for gun sales. In the days following the horrific massacre of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, firearm manufacturers stock prices predictably rose. Gun owners, who have been conditioned to purchase weapons out of fear of not being able to buy more guns, tend to run out and buy more weapons in anticipation of coming restrictions. That in turn boosts gun profits and stock prices. It is a macabre cycle that appears to be fueled by Republican-led fear-based culture wars.

Gun buyers behave in ways that suggest they logically anticipate that lawmakers will respond to a mass shooting by making it harder to buy a gun. After all, when consumer products are found to be a danger to humans, they are often regulated.

The federal government routinely recalls dangerous productssuch as a line of childrens bunk beds whose defective ladder resulted in the death of a 2-year-old child from Ohio. In that case, nearly 40,000 units sold to the public were recalled. The U.S. Public Interest Research Group has a lengthy list of toys that the federal government has recalled that have posed choking hazards for kids.

It makes sense to regulate harmful products, especially where childrens health and safety are concerned. The government doesnt sidestep the issue by saying that it was the fault of the child or the parents that a product caused harm. Instead, it acts on the assumption that only safe products should be available for purchase, and it punishes the manufacturer.

But, time and again, gun owners very rational fears remain unfounded as thousands of children are victims of gun violence each year, and yet firearms manufacturers are absolved of blame and weapons of war remain easily available for purchase. The Uvalde shooter reportedly bought two AR-15-style rifles legally from a federally licensed gun store just days before the massacre and used one of them to end 21 lives.

A group of pediatricians published a plea in Scientific American in response to the Uvalde shooting and to the fact that gun violence is now the leading cause of death among young people aged 1 to 19. The doctors wrote, We must do better for our children, and pointed to the politicization of guns taking priority over public health.

How else to explain the endless proliferation of deadly killing machines, when we wont even tolerate a faulty ladder on a bunk bed?

Its true that gun sales are big business, with millions of firearm sales each year. Some gun manufacturers with lucrative federal contracts are even using their profits to lobby the government against gun control. But the hold that guns have on the nation goes deeper than plain economics.

Its also true that the National Rifle Association holds great sway in Washington via its political affiliates making large campaign donations to GOP politicians like Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) to ensure inaction on gun control. But the NRA alone is not driving the tightened grasp on guns.

At the heart of the matter is how guns have become central to the right-wing culture wars in the U.S. today. They have become synonymous with freedom, or rather, with a perverse interpretation of the word. They are also associated with defense, a word that appears in the name of the manufacturer, Daniel Defense, whose rifle was used to kill the Uvalde elementary school victims.

The freedom to defend oneself has become a powerfully compelling cultural idea for a shrinking white population whose paranoia is being stoked incessantly by Fox News, the Republican Party, and gun manufacturers like Daniel Defense.

The gun-maker engages in aggressive marketing. In one commercial, founder Marty Daniel narrated, There are two types of people in the world, good people and evil people. He continued, And just in case evil people get in charge, good people need to have the ability to fight back.

While the language of good versus evil sounds simple and even benign, in fact, it is often coded language for good white heterosexual guys versus evil Black and Brown people. Or LGBTQ folks. Or undocumented immigrants. Or woke white folks.

What is often left unanswered is the question of guns offering the freedom to defend oneself from what, or from whom? Its certainly not wild animals, in spite of Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidys recently ludicrous assertion that Americans need AR-15 rifles because of feral pigs.

There is a fear that there are all these criminals out there; theyre going to break into your house in the middle of the night, Michael Siegel, a visiting professor in the department of public health and community medicine at the Tufts University School of Medicine, told me in a recent interview. Its a racialized fear, he added.

So convinced are right-wing (mostly white, male) gun owners that they need to defend themselves against imagined evil others that in the hours after the Uvalde shooting, some went as far as speculating that since Border Patrol had killed the shooter, he must have been an illegal alien. Others were convinced the shooter was a transgender woman.

The facts about gun ownership and self-defense show just how ludicrous the idea of freedom to defend is. The polling company Gallup found that in 2000, 65 percent of Americans cited protection against crime as a reason for owning firearms. In 2021, that number jumped to 88 percent. At the same time, violent crime and property crime rates nationwide have dramatically fallen since the 1990s. Meanwhile, studies show that guns are extremely rarely used in self-defense and that it is far more common that they are used to commit assaults, homicides, or suicides or are accidentally discharged.

This is a charade, said Siegel of the self-defense trope. This is not an issue of freedom. The Republicans who are refusing to support these laws, theyre not standing up for freedom. If parents and children are justifiably afraid of school because of gun violence, thats not much of a free society, he asserted.

Hollywood also bears some blame, using gun violence as a way to raise tension in the plotlines of movies and television shows in what amounts to a massive public relations campaign for gun manufacturers. Researchers Brad Bushman and Dan Romer writing in Quartz found that acts of gun violence in PG-13 movies nearly tripled over the 30 years between 1985 (the year after the rating was introduced) and 2015.

Furthermore, they write, the gun industry pays production companies to place its products in their movies, and prominent placement in high-profile films can result in a significant bump in sales for gun models. While Hollywood may not be feeding the same fantasy (freedom to defend) as the right wing does, it certainly makes guns appear cool, in the same way that the industry did for cigarette smoking.

A majority of Americans support various gun restrictions; but the Republican Party, which has spent years laying the groundwork for minority rule in anticipation of the coming demographic shift away from white conservative voters, need not listen to the will of the people. Instead, they have gerrymandered districts, enough seats in the undemocratic Senate, and a conservative majority on the Supreme Court to ensure they remain immune from popular will.

Ultimately, the white male Republican belief that guns are a way to defend oneself from imaginary evil people is a hate-filled fantasya direct outcome of cultural conditioning by right-wing media, gun lobbyists, Hollywood, and the GOP. The price we as a nation are paying for this fear-based fantasy is the lives of our children and their sense of safety at school.
(Natural News) According to this new story over at the Daily Mail and Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Democrats know they rule illegitimately and want to enact tougher gun laws to maintain their own power.

(Article by Stefan Stanford republished from AllNewsPipeline.com)

Something wed expect to see only in countries functioning under full-scale tyranny, we get warnings going back through history that must not be ignored, with Adolf Hitlers Night of the Long Knives giving us a grave warning about where we are headed if Americans dont shut down this insanity, now.

With the Night of the Long Knives, or the Rohm purge, also known as Operation Hummingbird, an operation used by Hitler to consolidate his power which included a massive purge of anyone who disagreed with him politically, we may be nearing the point where only 475 million+ guns in the hands of law abiding American citizens, and the many wide awake members of the US military, can put a stop to the most vicious of tragedies, outright govt sponsored genocide, unfolding upon the American people.

As ANP reader PROUD_2B_American pointed out in an excellent comment on an ANP story on Wednesday about the entire orchestrated scenario in Ukraine, I was told the majority of the U.S. military knows the Bolshevik/Nazi truth.. and theyre furious about us helping THEM! EXTREMELY POOR MESSAGE CONTROLthe Biden admin is an international clown show.

And while we fully understand that we cannot rely upon the military to take action against the absolutely corrupt and illegitimate government that Tucker Carlson warned about in this Daily Mail story, note the dates that 1934 purge was carried out, from June 30th to July 2nd, those dates soon ahead of us, while asking ourselves, who really thinks this could never happen in 2022 America?

I surely didnt a long time ago. But I still remember the day about 20 years ago when, while out cutting firewood with a former martial arts instructor, who was also a former law enforcement officer and very well respected and very well trained member of the US military, he told me he had guns hidden in caches just about everywhere.

Looking at him with a blank stare in my eyes, I asked him why and his answer stunned me then, though not anymore: Because the US government will one day be coming for them he told me, to that still stunned look in my eyes, and well all need to be ready for that day.

So while back then, I couldnt understand what he was saying, its quite easy to do so now at a time when the radical, anti-human left is scheming every day to take away Americans guns as they work slowly towards imposing what is nothing less than draconian tyranny upon the entire nation, with the very real possibility of outright government-sponsored genocide something we cannot overlook.

Because with the Biden administration looked at as being totally illegitimate in the eyes of the majority of Republicans now in June of 2022, and many of those same people believing America is headed for another Civil War, we can also see where this is quickly headed if the American people dont rise up and put an end to tyranny before it is fully kicked into gear as reported in that Daily Mail story, excerpted briefly below before we continue.:

Tucker Carlson has accused Democrats of wanting to tighten up restrictions on who can own guns because they fear the public will rise up against them.

The Fox News host, who fiercely defends the Second Amendment, insisted that the gun control measures being suggested in the wake of last weeks Uvalde school shooting, and the 17 mass shootings since then, were simply a rouse to subjugate the population.

He said on Wednesday night that Democrats were not interested in saving lives, and only concerned with power.

If any of the people in charge wanted this to be a safer country, they wouldnt have caused the current crime wave in the first place, Carlson told his viewers.

They would not have defunded police. They wouldnt be encouraging open-air drug markets in our cities. They wouldnt be sending crack pipes to addicts.

But theyre not worried about the public health at all. What theyre worried about is public resistance to their policies. Disarming the population ends that resistance.

Carlson, citing Canada, China and Cuba, warned that political leaders were embracing gun control to enforce a dictatorship.

Theyre very concerned because they know they rule illegitimately that the population will rise up, he said.

That probably has not occurred to you. Its definitely occurred to them, and its occurred to the corporate media they control, whose job it is to push their power grabs, and they would very much like a Canada/China-style gun ban in this country. Watch them salivate.

And while that probability has definitely occurred to the wide-awake readers at ANP and many other independent news websites, especially in 2022, as one of the top-voted comments on that DM story pointed out quite correctly, were still witnessing mass shootings and skyrocketing crime rates in one Democrat-run city after another all across the country, and nobody in Congress, or the White House, cares, though theyre happy to weaponize any school shooting they can, especially the shootings that they themselves have orchestrated.

In Baltimore every 10 days we have the same number of total dead as the Texas school shootings but no one seems to care.

So simply put, while well continue to pray for peace and a mass awakening in America in the days ahead that puts a final end to this very blatant attempted power grab, according to Americas Founding Fathers, there should NEVER be a safe space for tyranny to flourish in a free country.



So if youre one of the tens of millions of Americans who still wonder about what those still-classified 6,000 US government documents (of which only 500 were revealed and show govt would carry out a massive roundup and purge of anyone they cannot control in a SHTF scenario), we see in Joe Bidens attempted purge of the US military back in 2021 exactly where the law-abiding American people are being herded.

With the DHS purchasing more than 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition back in 2015 under Barack Obama giving us another hint of what is to come to America, lets take a brief look at this Wikipedia entry on Germanys Night of the Long Knives before we continue.:

The Night of the Long Knives (German: Nacht der langen Messer (helpinfo)), or the Rohm purge, also called Operation Hummingbird (German: Unternehmen Kolibri), was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany from June 30 to July 2, 1934. Chancellor Adolf Hitler, urged on by Hermann Goring and Heinrich Himmler, ordered a series of political extrajudicial executions intended to consolidate his power and alleviate the concerns of the German military about the role of Ernst Rohm and the Sturmabteilung (SA), the Nazis paramilitary organization, known colloquially as Brownshirts. Nazi propaganda presented the murders as a preventive measure against an alleged imminent coup by the SA under Rohm  the so-called Rohm Putsch. (ANP: Think about that when you hear Biden and Democrats warning of an attempted Republican coup in the 2020 stolen election!)

The primary instruments of Hitlers action, which carried out most of the killings, were the Schutzstaffel (SS) paramilitary force under Himmler and its Security Service (SD), and Gestapo (secret police) under Reinhard Heydrich. Gorings personal police battalion also took part in the killings. Many of those killed in the purge were leaders of the SA, the best-known being Rohm himself, the SAs chief of staff and one of Hitlers longtime supporters and allies. Leading members of the leftist-leaning Strasserist faction of the Nazi Party, including its figurehead, Gregor Strasser, were also killed, as were establishment conservatives and anti-Nazis, such as former Chancellor Kurt von Schleicher and Bavarian politician Gustav Ritter von Kahr, who had suppressed Hitlers Munich Beer Hall Putsch in 1923. The murders of SA leaders were also intended to improve the image of the Hitler government with a German public that was increasingly critical of thuggish SA tactics.

Hitler saw the independence of the SA and the penchant of its members for street violence as a direct threat to his newly gained political power. He also wanted to appease leaders of the Reichswehr, the German military, who feared and despised the SA as a potential rival, in particular because of Rohms ambition to merge the army and the SA under his own leadership. Additionally, Hitler was uncomfortable with Rohms outspoken support for a second revolution to redistribute wealth. In Rohms view, President Hindenburgs appointment of Hitler as chancellor on January 30, 1933, had brought the Nazi Party to power, but had left unfulfilled the partys larger goals. Finally, Hitler used the purge to attack or eliminate German critics of his new regime, especially those loyal to Vice-Chancellor Franz von Papen, as well as to settle scores with old enemies.

So with Democrats now undoubtedly well on their way to intentionally destroying America as Susan Duclos had reported in this June 2nd story, every single move they make intentionally orchestrated towards our national destruction, and a purge of the American people who oppose them virtually assured if they get their way, including the total demonization of law-abiding Christians & Conservatives as terrorist white supremacists, as author Brandon Smith warns in this new story over at Alt-Market.us titled Recent Events Only Reinforce Our Need For Gun Rights And Community Militias:

I want to stress a very important point first and foremost, because I dont think the political left and the average gun grabber understands the gravity of the situation and they need to be educated: Liberty advocates will NEVER give up their guns. Its not going to happen. We have drawn a line in the sand when it comes to the 2nd Amendment and we are not going to move, not even an inch.

Warning within his story that it really doesnt matter what legislation or executive orders the wanna-be tyrants and gun grabbers put forth because There is no scenario in which we are going to hand over our ability to defend ourselves and rely on the government alone to protect us, especially with tyrannical governments some of the biggest mass murderers in all throughout history, All the indignant wailing and preaching from anti-gun leftists is for naught; they will get nothing.

Lets take a look at an important extended excerpt from that story before our conclusion. From this story by Brandon Smith at Alt-Market.us.:

Gun rights are integral to a free society because they act as a deterrent to potential government over-reach and authoritarianism. Tyrants might infiltrate politics and take over governments, and they might even THINK they have the ability to oppress the public, but they will never be quite sure they can get away with it as long as the public has the means to reach out and touch them from a distance. They will always have doubts and this is vital for freedom  When tyrants have doubts, liberty prevails.

I covered the issue of incoming gun bans in the latest issue of my newsletter, The Wild Bunch Dispatch, but I wanted to examine here the wider implications of disarmament; including what the consequences will be if we were to comply, and what the establishment should fear when most of us dont.

I have said for many years now that I am certain that anti-gun interests WILL try to disarm the American people before 2030, simply because they must. They cannot achieve the implementation of the Great Reset or the New World Order (their terminology from their own mouths) without first taking away our ability to fight back. They know that if they do not disarm Americans they will eventually fail. Its really that easy to understand; if we keep our guns we will win. If we let our guns be taken, we will lose.

One thing must be made abundantly clear in this debate: Gun crimes are irrelevant to gun rights. They do not matter in terms of the constitution, nor should they matter. Our rights supersede the potential for abuse by bad people, and they supersede the whims of government.

The political left seems to think that gun crime is all that matters. They obsess over every single tragedy not because they actually care about the victims or the families involved, but because they assume that each gun crime is a kind of currency that they can use to pay for the eventual purchase of the 2nd Amendment. They think they can buy the option to erase our gun rights using the lives of shooting victims as a trade.

Im sorry I have to inform them, but thats not how it works. Thats not how it will EVER work. And if they think they can force the issue, then there are millions of us in the liberty movement that will teach them a painful lesson in humility. There will come a day when theyll wish they had been more reasonable and not turned to authoritarianism.

In the meantime, they will try every trick in the book to con the public into thinking that incremental measures or executive orders are needed as a means to save lives. They wont save lives, theyll only lead to the disarmament of the population, making it easier to subjugate us and eliminate resistance. The key to understanding gun control laws is to accept the reality that gun grabbers have NO INTENTION of staying satisfied with common sense gun control; they will only be satisfied with gun confiscation. This is why no quarter can be given to them. No compromises. No diplomacy. Nothing.

Its important to clarify where gun rights advocates are coming from, because leftists dont get it. They are perfectly willing to give up their freedoms in exchange for false security. Let me put it this way:

History shows us that disarmament of any population or subset of a population is eventually followed by the oppression and often genocide of that same population. Statistically, disarmament has led to some of the worst mass murders in the history of humanity. We risk losing far more lives by giving up our guns than we risk by keeping our guns.

By extension, a common argument among gun grabbers is that other western nations have extensive gun restrictions and they dont have tyranny. I beg to differ. As we recently witnessed with the covid mandates and the attempted vaccine passports, many governments from the EU to Australia and New Zealand took the mask off (pun intended) and showed their true totalitarian colors to the point that they even created covid camps where people were locked up without due process.

I would argue that had it not been for the growing opposition among conservatives in the US and in parts of Canada, the covid mandate agenda would still be active today and most of our freedoms would be erased. The opposition in the US is the reason why medical tyranny was scrapped through most of the world. For if we can be free despite the existence of covid, then so can everyone else.

And how were conservatives able to defeat the mandates? Ultimately, its because we have guns.

But what about the deaths of children in Uvalde and elsewhere? Dont they matter? Of course they do, and every pro-gun person out there agrees. What we dont agree on is the idea that government should have a monopoly on security and on force. When government has a monopoly on force, millions of people die instead of dozens.

A gun ban will not protect us from crime, it only encourages tyranny. It also doesnt matter because theres nothing that Biden or the political left can do to take our guns anyway. Other solutions need to be tried, and there is a reason why gun grabbers refuse to acknowledge any alternatives  Because they dont care about protecting the innocent, they only care about eliminating a portion of the constitution that has long prevented them from gaining more power.

Ive said it before and Ill say it again, further encroachments on the 2nd Amendment will lead to war. Leftists might welcome this in the assumption that they have the government and the military on their side. They may not realize that many in the military are also gun rights supporters. They also might have forgotten the results of asymmetric wars in places like Afghanistan, and frankly, many Americans have far better gear and much better training than the Taliban. This will not end well for anti-gun authoritarians.

In the first video below we hear the warning from Tucker Carlson that we explored above that Democrats are intentionally using all of these mass shooting to disarm the American people while consolidating their power, just like Hitler did, while in the final video below, we hear more about the 1934 Night of the Long Knives roundups and executions of German citizens who stood in the way of the Nazis doing exactly what Joe Biden and Democrats are attempting to do in America right now, consolidating their own power at the expense of over 100 million Americans who strongly disagree with them and will never, ever give in to tyranny, for the future of the entire human race is now at stake.

Read more at: AllNewsPipeline.com
(Natural News) Democratic congressman David Cicilline told House Republicans they should spare me the bullshit about Constitutional rights, during a debate on gun control Thursday.

(Article by Steve Watson republished from Summit.news)

The Rhode Island representative refused to yield his time during the outburst, while discussing legislation related to red flag laws, that would allow the government and law enforcement to confiscate firearms from anyone deemed to be a danger to themselves or others.

Florida congressman Matt Gaetz attempted to insert an amendment to the legislation stating Congress disfavors the enactment of laws that authorize a court to issue an extreme risk protection order, also known as Red Flag laws, in the States because such laws trample on an individuals due process and Second Amendment rights.

That prompted Cicilline to call the defense of Americans constitutional rights bullshit.

Cicilline proclaimed that those who are an imminent danger to themselves and others, such as they might commit mass murder, have a constitutional right to access a firearm. And to deny them that right would, quote, trample on an individuals due process and second amendment rights.

You know who didnt have due process? Cicilline continued. You know who didnt have their constitutional right to life respected? The kids at Parkland, and Sandy Hook, and Uvalde and Buffalo, and the list goes on and on.

When Gaetz attempted to respond, Cicilline said No I will not yield and Im not going to yield for my entire five minutes, so dont ask again.

Watch:

This tells you everything you need to know about the Democratic attitude to the Second Amendment and the Constitution generally.

The comments came on the same day Joe Biden announced an intention to bring about sweeping gun control measures, including a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines, as well as red flag laws, new laws on background checks and storage, and a vow to repeal the immunity of gun manufacturers from liability.

Biden claimed during his speech that he wasnt taking away anyones rights.

Read more at: Summit.news
The race is on, at least for fundraising, as the four candidates for City Council filed their first financial declarations with the city. The reporting period covers donations and expenditures from July 1 through Sept. 19.Vying for two council seats are Margaux Bangs, a former Planning commissioner; Caitlin Barringer, who now sits on the citys Measure T Committee; Leslie Cornejo, a Ventura County Fair director and board president; and Andy Sobel, who appointed to a short-term on the council two years ago to fill a vacancy.

Cornejo has received the most monetary support so far with a total raised of $9,494. Of that amount, according to her campaign treasurer Mary Deines, $1,000 is a campaign loan from the candidate. Freska Produce International of Oxnard, co-owned by Santa Paulan Chuy Loza, donated $500 to Cornejos campaign as did Rene Smead and Carol Mailloux, also Santa Paula residents. A wide majority of her donors are Santa Paula residents. Cornejo reported $5775.98 in expenditures leaving $3,718.0 in the bank.

Bangs, like Cornejo a first-time candidate, raised $6,893 according to the report prepared by her campaign treasurer Patricia Zavala. Of that, $800 was reported as nonmonetary contributions. Grower Ellen Brokaw of Santa Paula donated $500 to Bangs campaign as did Michael Liberman of Santa Monica, an independent record executive, and Aagie Murphy, a student of Philadelphia. Another $500 donation was given by Brian Davis of Ventura, the chief operating officer of a broadcasting company. A majority of Bangs donations so far are outside Santa Paula. With expenditures of $832, Bangs has an account balance of $5,261.

Sobel has raised $4,299, mostly locally, according to his filing prepared by campaign treasurer Daniel Sandoval. Of that total, $150 was listed as nonmonetary. Notable donors include Ellen Brokaw with $500 as well as Trina Nagele, also of Santa Paula. Suzanne Sobel of Chula Vista also donated $500 to the campaign. With a $1,006.23 in expenditures, Sobel has $3,142.77 in his campaign account.
(Natural News) Democrats must not use a tragedy for their political agenda, according to Worldview Report host Brannon Howse.

So you dont need an AR-15 to kill people. And the Democrats know that. But they have targeted this one weapon for their plans to disarm Americans at a time when they feel more vulnerable to violent crime than perhaps any time since the Civil War. They must not be allowed to use tragedy to advance their political agenda, Howse said during the May 31 edition of his news and commentary program on Brighteon.TV.

History tells us theres only one reason Marxists, globalists, progressives, statists, internationalists, whatever you want to call them  theres only one reason they want to disarm a population: so you cant fight back when they start carrying out horrible crimes against humanity.

Meanwhile, authorities have finally released the timeline of the mass shootings at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Howse said it does not look good because of the way authorities handled the incident, adding that there will be calls for mass resignations and possibly prosecutions.

The Worldview Report host mentioned that the 18-year-old gunman who murdered 19 children and two teachers lingered outside for a reported 12 minutes, firing shots at people in a funeral home across the street before scaling the fence on the school property where he fired more shots according to reports by news outlets.

The gunman then entered the school and barricaded himself in a classroom and reportedly told the children and two teachers that, Its time to die, before shooting them.

Howse said contrary to previous reports there was never any armed security officer inside the school. He added that there is already flip-flopping and a lot of people are involved in trying to cover their rear ends with massive lawsuits expected to come.

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Regional Director Victor Escalon couldnt say why no one stopped the gunman when he entered the school on May 24.

Escalon said the previous report of DPS officials that an armed school officer confronted the gunman as he arrived at the school was incorrect and that no one encountered him as he arrived at the school. He added that the gunman began his morning by shooting his grandmother in the face before using her truck to drive to the school.

Based on the timeline given by Escalon, the Texas law enforcement kept desperate parents outside the school as the gunman was left alone inside the school for up to an hour or so, killing 19 children and two teachers before a border patrol agent charged into the school and killed the suspect. Howse showed a video clip of the women who were shouting at the police soon after the attack began. (Related: Law enforcement allowed Texas shooter to commit mass murder by BLOCKING parents from saving their children.)

American institutions that are supposed to protect the people are failing

We have been telling you for several weeks that you are on your own. All the institutions that are supposed to be there to protect us are failing. Our legislatures, our courts, our police departments, our sheriffs departments. And of course, we know the FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] has turned on the American people along with the Justice Department. We are on our own, Howse said.

You cannot count on the police to safeguard your family or your children. While there may be good police officers, sadly, many of them are not being allowed to do their job. And many of them show up just in time to take a report. Learn from it. Be ready to take care of yourself and your family.

In his Worldview Report commentary, Howse said that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Andrew Pollack, whose daughter Meadow died during a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, are leading the call for increased school security nationwide.

Pollack recently tweeted: Armed guard single point of entry, teacher training, we send out billions to other countries all the time. Why not fund school safety in America?

Howse said Paxton made a similar remark during an interview with Fox News, saying that the days of one or two poorly trained and lightly armed school resource officers may soon be over at least in the school districts. Paxton mentioned that teachers and staff should be allowed to carry weapons and be trained, which he said is what they do in Israel. The Texas AG also said that those who desire to be armed and trained should not be barred from doing so.

Paxton added that America has just spent $40 billion in Ukraine to help protect another nation and it seems like the least that the U.S. could do is fund a police officer or a program in American schools.

Howse pointed out that mass shooters always seek out gun-free zones to spread mayhem and the only answer to this madness is to eliminate the kill zones by inserting armed and trained Americans. He added that the police must return to serving and protecting people, especially the children.

Watch the full May 31 episode of Worldview Report below. Worldview Report with Brannon Howse airs from Monday to Friday at 9-9:30 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.

More related stories:

Criminal charges could be filed against POLICE in Uvalde who stood by and did nothing while children were massacred right in front of them.

Worldview Report: FBI framed civilians in plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer  Brighteon.TV.

Why did Uvalde police stand outside and do nothing while Texas shooter rampaged through Robb Elementary School?

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

WSJ.com
(Natural News) In yesterdays massive defamation award to actor Johnny Depp, his ex-wife Amber Heard was left holding a bill for $15,000,000. Even after a reduction for her own award and a statutory reduction of the punitive damage portion, Heard is still looking at $8,350,000 in damages. Many view that amount (which is $1.35 million more than her divorce settlement) to be justified in light of the damage caused to Depps reputation and career. However, the stain of this verdict should be shared with others, even if they avoided the sting of actual damages. That includes many in the media (including the Washington Post staff) who rushed to paint Heard as a victim and Depp as an abuser. Yet, the greatest condemnation should be reserved for the organization that not only pushed that narrative but actually helped draft the defamatory column: the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

(Article republished from JonathanTurley.org)

The ACLUs role in this scandal emerged during the trial. While Heard was accused of reneging on her public pledge to give the divorce settlement to charity, she did give a large donation to the ACLU. The organization then made her Ambassador for womens rights, with a focus on gender-based violence.

During the trial, evidence was introduced on how the ACLU staff helped Heard craft the defamatory column. ACLU staffer Robin Shulman said in an email to Heard that she tried to capture Heards fire and rage in a draft. It was also reported that the ACLUs executive director, Anthony Romero, and legal director, David Cole, also made contributions.

ACLU staffer Jessica Weitz acknowledged in an email that she was aware that there was the chance of litigation and told Heard I want to make sure nothing was said in here that puts you in jeopardy with your [non-disclosure agreement].

It is not uncommon for celebrities to use ghost writers and editors. However, many of us questioned what Romero and the ACLU were doing in the middle of this celebrity scandal. The answer is that the ACLU long ago abandoned its celebrated legacy as a fearless organization fighting for civil liberties and individual rights.

Under Romero, the ACLU has become openly political and increasingly scandal-prone. The political agenda has corrupted the organization in the sense of cutting it adrift from the strong principles that once held it firmly to its original mission. I have no doubt that the new direction is motivated by deeply held political values. I also do not believe that it has taken this course for purely monetary gains or donations. It is corrupted in the sense of debasing its legacy. The ACLU once represented something more than just another political advocacy group.

As with many other long-standing supporters of the ACLU, I have been critical of the politicization of the ACLU in the last decade. Many of the Old guard at the ACLU left the organization as it took on a public agenda, including abandoning its long tradition of supporting the least popular in our society in favor of individual rights. Those critics include former ACLU head Ira Glasser, who questioned whether the ACLU still maintains its defining commitment to free speech values.

This trend was evident in its painfully nuanced approach to hate speech after criticism following the Charlottesville protests. Free speech protection was once the touchstone of the ACLU which was fearless in its unpopular advocacy. It now seems like an area of open retreat for the organization.

Some of us were particularly alarmed when the ACLU filed to oppose due process rights for students at our colleges and universities, particularly in the imposition of a higher and more consistent evidentiary standard. ACLU filed suit to try to block the increased due process protections mandated by former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in her proposed reforms. I have long been a critic of the rollback on due process on our campuses and noted the absence of the ACLU in leading this fight. The ACLU sounded much like its historic opponents in decrying the scourge of too much due process as inhibiting greater enforcement.

With this free fall at ACLU has come an endless line of controversies like an ACLU staffer encouraging activists to break Sen. Krysten Sinema (D., Ariz.) and another staffer opposed the admission into college of Nicholas Sandmann. At points, it has become a parody of its own self like celebrating the legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by editing her words as offensive.

The payment of the large donation by Heard to the ACLU only magnified concerns over what seemed like an all-hands-on-deck effort to support her public claims. Heard publicly pledged $3.5 million to the ACLU and previously claimed that she made good on the pledge. The trial showed that $1.3 million was donated in her name and it appears that $500,000 likely came from Elon Musk, who once dated Heard.

The ACLU has reportedly filed an action against Depp for $86,000 in reimbursement for the costs of looking for evidence in its files.

The ACLU was once the North Star for those of us in the civil liberties community. The loss of the organization as an independent and apolitical voice in our legal system has been devastating. The emergence of the ACLU at the heart of one of the most sordid celebrity trials in history is the final measure of the decline of this once celebrated civil liberties group. It was not easy to get here. It took the determined work of former President Susan N. Herman, current president Deborah Archer, and Romeo to erase decades of apolitical and impactful advocacy on behalf of civil liberties for all. The trial put the new ACLU on full review as just another political advocacy group. What many saw was not the courageous group that once defended the free speech rights of Nazis. Instead, what they saw was an organization seemed to be pandering to celebrities.

In the Depp-Heard trial, the ACLU finally hit the rock bottom as an organization in free fall. It ultimately was the reputation of the ACLU, not Depp, that may have suffered the most in the trial. Ironically, for critics, Amber Heard became the fitting face and ambassador of the ACLU: conflicted, confused, and corrupted.

Read more at: JonathanTurley.org
(Natural News) The government of Hong Kong paid out a substantial amount of compensation following a death related to the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine.

Hong Kongs Food and Health Bureau recently approved a payout of HK$2 million ($255,000) for a vaccine-related death case. The amount formed part of a HK$1 billion ($127.5 million) indemnity fund established to compensate individuals who suffer from adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination.

According to the Hong Kong Free Press, the HK$2 million ($255,000) payout was not the only amount shelled out to compensate victims of vaccine damage. As of April 23, it had already paid out a total of HK$31.5 million ($4.02 million) for 241 cases of vaccine injury.

The HK$2 million ($255,000) payout applies if the deceased was aged 40 and older. Individuals aged younger than 40 could receive a bigger payout of HK$2.5 million ($318,750).

An official vaccine safety monitoring report published in December 2021 elaborated on the vaccine case. It involved a 66-year-old woman who passed away 16 days after receiving her first doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine in July of that year.

A resulting autopsy found that she died of myocarditis or heart muscle inflammation. The city-states Expert Committee on Clinical Events Assessment Following COVID-19 Immunization subsequently concluded that there was an intermediate relationship between the COVID-19 vaccine and her death. Following this finding, the Hong Kong government approved the payout.

Dr. Ivan Hung Fan-ngai, the expert committees co-convener, explained in an interview that the woman had no long-term illness. He added that her autopsy report indicated the presence of the parvovirus B19 pathogen in her body  which can cause myocarditis  for a period of time. Nevertheless, Hung remarked that the relationship between the condition and vaccination cannot be completely ruled out in the womans case.

The Epoch Times reported that as of May 15, about 17 million vaccine doses were administered in Hong Kong. The special administrative regions health department received 7,484 reports of post-vaccination events, with 103 deaths occurring within two weeks after COVID-19 vaccination. (Related: The Vaccine Death Report reveals that MILLIONS of people have died from covid vaccines.)

COVID vaccines from Sinovac wreak havoc in Hong Kong

Aside from the vaccine death that called for a substantial payout, Hong Kongs vaccination drive led to several fatalities and injuries. Earlier instances of vaccine damage were caused by the Sinovac Biotech COVID-19 vaccine, which is manufactured in mainland China.

Three Hong Kongers died within a span of several days after being injected with the Sinovac shot.

The first victim was a 63-year-old man who died on Feb. 28, 2021, two days after getting vaccinated. He was followed by a 55-year-old woman who died on March 6, four days after her vaccination. Both of them had underlying health conditions.

The third casualty was a 71-year-old man who died on March 8, four days after getting the Sinovac shot. Unlike the two earlier Hong Kong residents, the man was reportedly in good health before vaccination and had no underlying conditions.

Later in March 2021, a healthy 26-year-old man experienced swelling and facial paralysis hours after getting injected with the Sinovac vaccine. The man named Lam, who is a construction worker in the city-state, was perfectly healthy before his vaccination.

Lam told local media outlet Oriental Daily that his right eye was swollen and looked like it had been punched by somebody. He added that he also experienced dizziness, red ears and chest pains. Additional footage revealed the extent of Lams vaccine injury  he was unable to close his eyes, his mouth was tilted to the left and his face was deformed.

I could feel the [first aid] man patting me, and could hear him calling me  but I couldnt respond, Lam said. He was then sent to an emergency room for treatment, where he subsequently regained consciousness.

Hung said on March 24, 2021 at least nine male Hong Kong residents suffered facial paralysis after their first COVID-19 vaccine dose, including the construction worker.

Watch this video that tackles a Hong Kong study about the risk of myocarditis from the COVID-19 vaccine in young boys.

This video is from the David Sancheezy channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Pfizer vaccines HALTED in Hong Kong after multiple defects were reported.

Healthy Hong Kong resident suffers facial paralysis after Sinovac coronavirus jab.

Hong Kong reports third post-vaccination fatality in ongoing Sinovac immunization drive.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com 1

HongKongFP.com

TheEpochTimes.com 2

TheEpochTimes.com 3

TheEpochTimes.com 4

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Just like pretty much every other Western multinational corporation in existence, IBM is celebrating Pride and everything it represents, including the transgender mutilation and pharmaceutical drugging of children.

In a June 1 tweet, IBM announced that We have #Pride in what defines us. The technology corporation added that it stands by those living boldly in the LGBTQ+ community.

Join us during Pride Month as we highlight the LGBTQ+ perspectives that define IBM, the company added proudly.

These perspectives of course include putting pre-pubescent children on hormone-blockers while surgically altering, removing and/or replacing their natural genitalia for gender affirming purposes.

IBMs punch card census technology processed homosexuals into concentration camps

IBMs LGBTQ+ celebration sure is interesting in light of its history as a company, particularly during the 1930s.

At the time, IBM pioneered the creation of the punch card technology that was used to process Jews, homosexuals and other Third Reich prisoners of the Holocaust.

Back then, IBM appears to have held an anti-perversion stance with regard to homosexuality. Today, the company is celebrating it while promoting the destruction of youth at the hands of LGBTQ+ perverts pushing sexual deviancy.

On Twitter, many respondents to IBMs pro-LGBTQ+ post pointed out the companys hypocrisy, particularly in the year 1933 when it created the punch card census technology.

The 1933 census, with design help and tabulation services provided by IBM through its German subsidiary, proved to be pivotal to the Nazis in their efforts to identify, isolate and ultimately destroy the countrys Jewish minority, reads the Wikipedia entry for IBM and the Holocaust, one Twitter user revealed with a screenshot.

The truth even back then, more than likely, is that IBM cared about the money. It may not have even had a political stance in the 1930s either for or against the Third Reich, but even so it supported the movements efforts.

Today, however, IBM is openly and proudly celebrating far-left sexual politics and everything that entails, including the LGBTQ+ destruction of innocent childrens lives.

The twisted history of IBM is hardly a shock, seeing as how most other companies like it are doing many of the same things with similar historical hypocrisy. Would you expect anything less from soulless corporations run by perverts?

During the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) plandemic, IBM was also involved in coming up with the vaccine passport scheme that is still being pushed in some areas.

A modern-day form of human cattle processing, vaccine passports represent another extension of IBMs anti-human, pro-perversion and pro-death agenda.

As we all talk and analyze, the satanic agenda is rolling full steam ahead. Only one person will stop this madness and its Jesus, wrote someone at Natural News. We can fight and die for what we believe in, but the system will continue rolling full steam ahead.

This is a spiritual war and thats why the public cant thwart Satans minions. Start praying that a Holy God will be merciful to the remnant. Weve got work to do if you profess to be a Christian. Ephesians chapter 6.

Another wrote that some Holocaust prisoners were in fact criminals, including sexual criminals who committed atrocities against children, and that from this perspective IBM held a different political view back then than it does today with its newfound celebration of LGBTQ+ sexual deviancy.

Do you not understand that central banker hedge funds (Rothschild family) own controlling shares in IBM, and nearly all the other multinational corporations in on this Great Reset BS?!! added someone else, offering insight into why todays IBM is a pro-LGBTQ+ activist corporation.

More news coverage about corporate pandering to LGBTQ+ perversion can be found at AltLeft.news.

Sources include:

Nitter.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Since Europe imposed sanctions cutting the Russian crude supply, shippers and refiners are getting the oil to market by obscuring its origins.

While United States and Europe are currently facing hikes in the prices of oil and commodities due to the sanctions placed, India is buying up the sanctioned Russian oil at a discounted price of $35 off a barrel and then refines it.

They are selling it to U.S. and European Union (EU) for massive profits, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Indias imports of Russian crude hit a record high in May, data from commodity analyst Kpler shows. The South Asian country imported 840,645 barrels per day (bpd) of Russian crude in May, up from 388,666 bpd in April and 136,774 bpd in May last year, according to Kpler.

June imports will be at an estimate of 1.05 million bpd. Russias share of Indias total imports will rise to just under one quarter, a dramatic spike considering that they were around two percent of the total last year.

The U.S. gave India permission to import Russian oil following Indias threat to stop being Americas ally and just form an alliance with China.

The fuel that was believed to be partially made from Russian crude came to New York and New Jersey last month through the Suez Canal and across the Atlantic from Indian refineries, according to shipping records of Refinitiv Eikon data and analysis by Helsinki-based think tank Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

The Indian energy giant Reliance Industries Ltd. bought seven times more Russian crude in May, making up a fifth of its total intake, Kpler data indicated.

Without a planned destination, Reliance chartered an oil tanker to carry a cargo of alkylate, a gasoline component, departing from the nearby Sikka port on April 21. Updated records said it discharged its cargo on May 22 in New York.

Asian importers at risk of sanctions

The EU recently announced a ban on seaborne imports from Russia. Germany and Poland will also end pipeline imports. Around 90 percent of Russias oil exports to the bloc will end, the EU said.

Because of this, other importers of Russian crude also claimed to end or reduce their imports, including major buyers Japan and South Korea. Australia already banned imports of Russian oil and refined products back in April.

Despite the risk of sanctions, the biggest crude exporter China and third-largest India are still buying increasing volumes because of the cheaper price as compared to other suppliers.

The risk for Indian refiners is that Western buyers of refined exports may begin to target their cargoes for the possibility that the products were refined out of Russian crude.

An example cited by the New Delhi Television (NDTV) website is the Reliance Industries. The company operated a 1.2 million bpd refinery complex at Jamnagar and while it does supply fuel to the domestic market, much of the output is exported.

The port of Sikka handles Reliances crude imports, and Kpler data shows that 10.81 million barrels of Russian crude arrived in May, or about 348,000 bpd. The same port exported two million barrels of diesel, or about 64,500 bpd, to Australia in May.

NDTV also cited Nayara Energy, which operates Indias second-largest refinery.

Nayara is owned by a subsidiary of Russias Rosneft and a subsidiary of commodity trader Trafigura and it operates a refinery at Vadinar in Gujarat. This port exported 340,000 barrels of diesel to Australia in May, Kpler said.

Reuters Clyde Russell said it is likely that at some point countries buying and processing Russian crude, and then exporting refined fuels, such as India and possibly China, will find themselves under scrutiny from those governments trying to isolate Russias energy exports.

There is the risk of secondary sanctions being imposed, but also of measures to make the physical trade more difficult, such as sanctions on ships that have visited Russian ports, bans on insuring Russian crude cargoes or cargoes of refined products made from Russian oil, he said.

Watch the below video that talks about details of the EU reaching a deal to ban 90 percent of Russian oil.

This video is from the SecureLife channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Top shipping companies are suspending bookings to and from Russia.

Hungary says no to EUs Russian oil embargo sanction.

Starting next week, EU will impose full embargo on Russian oil, sending prices above $185 a barrel: JPMorgan.

EU looking at embargo on Russian oil products, potentially causing another supply chain catastrophe.

Sources include:

WSJ.com

InfoWars.com

SPGlobal.com

Business-Standard.com

NDTV.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) poll showed that 44 percent of Americans believe that the United States is headed toward another civil war, which includes 53 percent of Republicans and 39 percent of Democrats.

While this is a cause for concern, another poll showed that one in five individuals somewhat approve of assassinating politicians whom they believe were harming the country or U.S. democracy.

Nearly seven in ten also agreed that left-wing politicians were deliberately driving economic changes to gain power by replacing conservative white voters with non-whites entering the country in what is called the replacement theory.

This replacement theory began in white supremacy circles long ago, but has since moved to mainstream media such as political right-wing citizens.

It also came to the attention of the media in May when the Buffalo shooting suspect penned a 180-page racist document online that promulgated racist conspiracy theories he referred to as the great replacement. He then live-streamed himself gunning down Black shoppers at a supermarket.

He then allegedly used the inspirational idea that minorities were and would be replacing whites as justification for his actions. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray said that the bureau is investigating it as a hate crime.

I want to be clear, for my part, from everything we know, this was a targeted attack, a hate crime, and an act of racially motivated violent extremism, he said. (Related: Toxic, treasonous media pushing white supremacist hoax and hit lists of Trump supporters in desperate scheme to drive America into civil war.)

What we found was a great deal of hostility for people on the other side of the political aisle. A majority of both Republicans and Democrats believe their political opponents pose a threat to the country and want to harm their political opponents, the SPLC said in its report. That kind of animosity could fuel partisan violence.

2015 US military exercise triggered a cascade of conspiracy theories

The U.S. already put in place some parameters in case things could take a turn for the worse. In 2015, the U.S. military conducted a routine exercise in the south that triggered a cascade of conspiracy theories. Some people believed the maneuver was a precursor to a Chinese invasion, while others thought it was in preparation for a massive asteroid strike.

Dark fantasy websites said that the exercise, which was called Jade Helm 15, stood for homeland eradication of local militants.

And then theres the talk of an impending civil war. (Related: The seeds have been planted for the next American Civil War. I dont think anything stops it now.)

Today, almost half of Republicans and Democrats believe in using violence to achieve political ends  a massive increase compared to the less than tenth for each in 2017, or the year Trump took office.

The U.S. has since become a factionalized anocracy, which is just halfway between autocracy and democracy that is quickly approaching the open insurgency stage.

With violence now part of the U.S. political language, novelists like Canadian national Stephen Marche imagine disunion among the states, with the country being one spectacular act of violence away from a national crisis.

Visit Chaos.news for more news related to civil unrest.

Watch the video below to know more about the possibility of the government orchestrating a civil war to escalate its own draconian policies.

This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Bidens disinformation chief Nina Jankowicz: Online mockery of Kamala Harris a threat to democracy and national security.

NY AG Letitia James ignores First Amendment, vows to investigate online platforms after Buffalo shooting.

Was Buffalo a false flag attack to foment more racial division? FBI has history of pressuring targeted scapegoats to write manifestos.

Democrats, Biden and left-wing media jumped all over the Buffalo shootings but ignored, downplayed Waukesha massacre over race.

Buffalo shooter used same neo-Nazi symbols as Ukrainian Azov Battalion US reportedly trained and armed them.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NPR.org

IrishTimes.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has officially rolled back most of its Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions in Shanghai. But this sudden relaxation of restrictions only created chaos as residents en masse packed up their bags and fled the city amid concerns that Beijing could force them back into their homes.

Shanghais 25 million residents spent 76 days almost entirely inside their homes due to the CCPs failed zero-COVID strategy of dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks. (Related: China censoring videos of people being dragged out of their homes and into quarantine camps.)

On Tuesday, May 31, the Communist Party Shanghai Committee, the citys most powerful political body, published a letter online claiming that the lockdown was successful and thanked the citizens for their support and contributions.

The lockdown officially ended at midnight on June 1. The end of the lockdown was met with celebrations, with residents going on Chinese social media websites to post videos of people taking their cars out for the first time in months, going out for food and drinks and hanging out on popular sites around the city.

Just like the lockdown in the beginning, the unlocking also came suddenly, said Daphne, a Taiwanese marketing specialist who has lived for years in Shanghai because of work. Everyone has a feeling of ecstasy and disbelief, and many communities were setting off firecrackers and fireworks.

In the morning, the celebrations turned into scenes of exodus as residents packed up their bags to leave the city as many remained anxious that the CCP or the local communist party could reverse the rollback of restrictions at any moment.

Videos coming out of Shanghai show the citys main train station packed with residents waiting to board trains to flee the city. The stations underground parking lot turned into an impromptu campsite filled with people waiting sometimes days ahead of their scheduled trains.

Those who could not board trains or buses and did not have cars were seen trekking miles across the citys main highways with their luggage.

Many Shanghai neighborhoods put residents back into lockdown just a day after restrictions eased

The fears of those rushing to flee Shanghai are not unfounded. Municipal authorities warned that the reopening was conditional on COVID-19 infections not increasing.

Within a day after the rollback, city health officials announced the discovery of seven new COVID-19 cases in four neighborhoods in the districts of Pudong and Jingan. These neighborhoods were immediately sealed off and designated as medium-risk areas.

Neighborhood officials and volunteers acted quickly to quarantine at least 26 close contacts and over 100 secondary contacts. Nearly half a million people were also forcibly tested for COVID-19.

On the same day, some neighborhoods also voluntarily locked themselves down. One neighborhood even reportedly fenced itself off after a positive case walked through one of its streets.

Community volunteers in these neighborhoods are reportedly taking matters into their own hands to enforce restrictions following warnings from municipal authorities that they will be severely punished if residents return with infections.

In the sub-district of Weifang in the eastern Pudong District, near the Lujiazui financial and business zone, neighborhood officials enforced a so-called static management order. Residents were required to remain at home despite the end of the lockdown. The movements of medical personnel and delivery workers were also restricted.

There are still risks that the virus could lead from the quarantine areas to communities, said Meng Tianying, a senior executive for the Shanghai-based healthcare consultancy firm Domo Medical. The city government has strengthened virus controls to make sure that the time frame for lifting the lockdown can be implemented in a smooth way.

For the latest news about China, head over to CommunistChina.news.

Watch this montage from InfoWars showing clips of Shanghai reopening and its residents fleeing in fear of COVID-19 restrictions returning.

This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.

More related articles:

Shanghais COVID-19 lockdown is causing a shortage of medical dyes, delaying medical tests in US hospitals.

No end in sight for Shanghai COVID-19 lockdown as CCP keeps pushing failed zero-COVID strategy.

SUPPLY CHAIN NIGHTMARE: Taiwanese manufacturers operating in Shanghai forced to shut down operations due to Chinas lockdown.

Deaths in Shanghai elderly care facility prove Chinas zero-COVID strategy is A FAILURE.

Shanghai residents are being ASSAULTED by authorities for not complying with COVID-19 lockdown orders.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

TheGuardian.com

APNews.com

Edition.CNN.com

SCMP.com
(Natural News) Texas officials are now saying that a teacher at Robb Elementary School had actually closed the door after previously stating that the teacher had propped open a door used by gunman Salvador Ramos during last weeks deadly mass shooting.

The unnamed schoolteacher shut the door behind her, but the door did not lock as it should, Travis Considine, chief of communications with the Texas Department of Public Safety, told the media.

We did verify she closed the door. The door did not lock. We know that much, and now investigators are looking into why it did not lock.

Shooter entered building through a propped open door

A few days ago, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw stated during a news conference that the door was propped open and was eventually used by Ramos to gain entry into the building.

The 18-year-old Ramos shot and killed 19 children and two teachers during the killing spree.

That back door was propped open. It wasnt supposed to be propped open; it was supposed to be locked, McCraw said. He added that the teacher saw Ramos crash his automobile and saw him come out with a gun, inciting a 911 call.

After calling 911, the schoolteacher kicked the rock away when she went back in, her attorney Don Flanary said in an interview with the San Antonio Express-News.

She remembers pulling the door closed while telling 911 that he was shooting. She thought the door would lock because that door is always supposed to be locked, said Flanary, who also stated that the door was seemingly being propped open by a rock.

Considine clarified to the media that the teacher did remove the rock before going back inside Robb Elementary School.

McCraw said security footage showed the back door of the school was propped open before the shooting and the gunman used it to enter the school before blockading himself in a classroom. McCraw described the person who propped open the door as a schoolteacher. He added that the teacher called the police at 11:30 a.m. after the gunman crashed his vehicle into a nearby ditch and fired at a passersby.

Three minutes later, McCraw stated the gunman entered the school through the door. The Texas Department of Public Safety didnt respond right away to the employees calls.

Uvalde officials receive heavy criticism over police response

Since the shooting, officials in Uvalde have received heavy criticism over the police response after it was revealed during a news conference that it took more than an hour for law enforcement to enter the two adjacent classrooms where Ramos was hiding. (Related: Why did Uvalde police stand outside and do nothing while Texas shooter rampaged through Robb Elementary School?)

McCraw said the move to delay the police response was the wrong decision.

On Tuesday, May 31, the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, which represents police officers, asked its member officers to collaborate with all government investigations into the shooting and police response and endorsed a federal probe already declared by the Department of Justice.

The organization was also critical of the continually changing narrative of events about the shooting incident.

There has been a great deal of false and misleading information in the aftermath of this tragedy. Some of the information came from the very highest levels of government and law enforcement. Sources that Texans once saw as iron-clad and completely reliable have now been proven false, the association said.

Since last weeks mass shooting in Uvalde, the nations bloodiest at an elementary school since the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012, law-enforcement officials have made critical changes to the attacks timeline about a dozen times.

Furious parents have questioned why it took over an hour for police officers in the school to face the gunman. The recent explanation from the public-safety department stuck the blame on the schools police chief who was apparently leading the response to the shooting.

McCraw stated the police chief declined to send police in because he thought no children were in peril.

Follow Shootings.news for more news about the Uvalde shooting in Texas.

Watch the video below to know why a new information about Uvalde shooting casts doubt on the official story.

This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Uvalde shooting: Federal marshals handcuffed mom for trying to save her children.

Texas cops saved their own kids while tackling and pepper-spraying parents who tried to do the same: Uvalde shooting.

Mother trying to save children at Uvalde was handcuffed by federal marshals.

Was the Uvalde school shooter previously arrested for plotting a mass casualty event in 2018?

Uvalde massacre was a PLANNED STAND DOWN operation  law enforcement saved their own children while parents were pepper-sprayed and handcuffed.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

Yahoo.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Maintaining your oral health is key to your overall well-being, but research suggests that the amount of triclosan in oral care products like toothpaste is linked to an increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

This also ties into the debate concerning the use of antibacterial compounds in consumer products. These compounds could be creating dangerous antibiotic-resistant germs that could soon make treatable conditions untreatable.

According to data from recent studies, triclosan, an antimicrobial chemical used in toothpaste and mouthwash, may reduce the effectiveness of some antibiotic drugs. The chemical can also trigger gut inflammation.

Oral health, triclosan and antibiotic resistance

According to a study involving mice, certain gut microbial enzymes can trigger triclosan toxicity in the gut. Scientists who conducted the study explained that the action can cause damage to the colon and induce symptoms of colitis, a form of inflammatory bowel disease.

In a separate 2019 study in mice, data showed that triclosan in the bloodstream made bactericidal antibiotics significantly less effective. These antibiotics kill bacterial cells instead of just inhibiting their growth.

Petra Levin, a study co-author and professor of biology in arts and sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, explained that normally, one in a million cells survive antibiotics and a functioning immune system can control them. However, triclosan was shifting the number of cells.

Instead of only one in a million bacteria surviving, one in 10 organisms survived after 20 hours. Now, the immune system is overwhelmed, said Levin.

Triclosan created microbial resistance to a wide range of antibiotics. The most notable was ciprofloxacin (Cipro), which was often used to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs).

This is alarming because UTIs are both common among the general population and Cipro is a first-line treatment for the condition. On that note, more than seven in 10 adults in the U.S. have detectable levels of triclosan in their urine.

Researchers who conducted the 2019 study reported that there were 100 times more bacteria in mice treated for UTIs who drank water dosed with triclosan compared to those that werent exposed to the antibacterial compound.

Triclosans negative effects and continued use

This isnt the first time that triclosan has been linked to antibiotic resistance.

Because of proof of triclosans potential negative effects, such as endocrine disruption, sperm count reduction and the creation of antibiotic superbugs, in 2016 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered companies to stop selling hand and bar soaps and body washes that contain the compound.

Surprisingly, the recommendation didnt include toothpastes and mouthwashes, where triclosan use persists. (Related: Are you poisoning yourself with commercial toothpaste?)

In 2018, a representative of the FDAs Division of Health Communications, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said that based on the scientific evidence, the balance of benefit and risk was shown to be favorable for this product.

According to a 2017 review article, triclosan has been linked to cancer development and decreased cardiovascular function in mice. Other studies in humans also suggest that triclosan exposure might have negative effects on fertility, fetal development and rates of asthma.

Preventing antibiotic resistance

Dr. Amesh A. Adalja, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Maryland, warned that antibiotic resistance is becoming a persistent problem.

Culturally, people often over-emphasize sterility, said Adalja. If you have plain soap and water, you dont need antibacterial soaps since the former are just as effective without the risk of promoting antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Over-sterile environments can even take a toll on people, like an increased risk of allergies. Additionally, antibiotics arent just used to treat existing infections, but also to prevent infection.

For example, those people receiving organ transplants and routine surgery are often administered antibiotics prophylactically.

Dr. Aaron Glatt, a spokesperson for the Infectious Diseases Society of America and chairman of South Nassau Communities Hospital in New York, warned that things are starting to look bleak. Previously, quinolone antibiotics used to be effective at treating community-acquired pneumonia, but according to studies antibiotic resistance has made them largely ineffective.

Dont use toothpaste, mouthwash and other products that contain triclosan to avoid its many adverse effects.

Visit HolisticDentistry.news to learn how to maintain oral health with safe and natural products.

Watch the video below to know more about using coconut oil for oral detox.

This video is from the Vibrant Energy Channel channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Can betel leaves be used in commercial toothpaste?

3 DIY toothpaste recipes for optimal oral health and hygiene.

Looking for a natural mouthwash? These medicinal plants have you covered.

Sources include:

Healthline.com 1

Healthline.com 2

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Oak Park-River Forest High School in Chicago apparently believes that black students are dumber than white students and must be given special grading privileges.

Part of the schools new equitable grading system includes giving students with dark skin  meaning non-whites  automatic higher grades because they cannot perform to the same academic standards as light-skinned students. A similar thing occurred in San Diego several years back.

Entitled Transformative Education Professional Development & Grading, the plan was presented at a May 26 meeting presented by Assistant Superintendent for Student Learning Laurie Fiorenza.

[The plan] calls for what OPRF leaders describe as competency-based grading, eliminating zeros from the grade book  encouraging and rewarding growth over time,' reports explained. Teachers are being instructed how to measure student growth while keeping the school leaders political ideology in mind.

The plan, which is slated to be enacted in the fall of 2023, stated: Teachers and administrators at OPRFHS will continue the process necessary to make grading improvements that reflect our core beliefs.

Seventy-seven percent of black students in Illinois fail the SAT

Oak Park-River Forest High School claimed that it needs to hand out unfair higher grades to black students because they simply do not perform at the same rigorous high standards as white students.

The way the school puts it is that it has to adjust classroom grading scales to account for skin color or ethnicity of its students, adding in a slide presentation that traditional grading practices perpetuate inequities.

Not only will black students be handed higher grades automatically, but they will also not be punished for missing class, misbehaving in school or failing to turn in assignments.

In essence, black students who attend Oak Park-River Forest High School will be required to do nothing or anything they want and will graduate with flying colors as they go off to college with their high grades.

It turns out that most black students in Illinois end up failing the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Without an artificial leg up, very few of them would even graduate, based on current statistics.

The Illinois Board of Education said 38 percent of sophomores failed the SAT. Black and Hispanic students have the worst failure rate at 77 and 49 percent, respectively. The best-performing demographic is white students at 25 percent failure rate, followed closely by Asian students with 27 percent failure rate.

According to Margaret Sullivan, associate director at the Education Advisory Board, a college and university consultancy group, teachers must do better to recognize when personal biases manifest in the classroom in order to help blacks fail less often.

Teachers may unintentionally let non-academic factors  like student behavior or whether a student showed up to virtual class  interfere with their final evaluation of students, Sullivan is quoted as saying.

A report issued by Oak Park-River Forest High School further claimed that adopting new language will help black students perform better in school, even if they are not actually performing better in school (wink, wink).

OPRFs administration will adopt language that makes and keeps the system visible and continues to name racism as a complex interconnected structure, the report explained.

We must recognize the unique challenges faced during the pandemic intensify the need for a systemic approach to confronting the racial and socioeconomic discrepancies often experienced by our underrepresented student population.

In the comment section at Breitbart, someone wrote succinctly and straight to the point that this is all going to end poorly.

Lets be clear what this is about, wrote another. This is about teachers unions and school administrators giving themselves an out when it comes to their own accountability.

The latest insanity concerning pro-black, anti-white racism in American public schools can be found at Wokies.news.

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

NaturalNews.com
Sterlite Copper unit which was set up over a decade back in Tamil Nadu was closed and re opened more than once due to environmental issues raised by some activists.

by N.S.Venkataraman

It is reported in the media that NITI Aayog member V.K.Saraswat has pitched for providing a production linked incentive ( PLI) scheme to the copper sector, stating that primary copper production is critical for India to be an export hub.

The above statement is surprising , since Sterlite Copper , a large copper unit has been forced to remain closed for over four years now in Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu and the subject is before the Supreme Court for decision regarding reopening the unit.

Indian Copper scenario :

There are three copper smelter units set up in India namely Hindalco at Dahej, Gujarat with installed capacity of 5 lakh tonne per annum, Sterlite Copper at Tuticorin , Tamil Nadu with installed capacity of 4 lakh tonne per annum and Hindustan Copper Ltd. with much smaller capacity.

Hindustan Copper Ltd produces copper metal from the ore produced at their captive mines. Sterlite Copper and Hindalco Industries Ltd have been producing copper metal from imported copper concentrates.

Sterlite Copper Unit:

Sterlite Copper unit which was set up over a decade back in Tamil Nadu was closed and re opened more than once due to environmental issues raised by some activists.

Sterlite Copper has consistently said that it has not violated any environmental norms. National Green Tribunal confirmed that if there was any environmental issue in Tuticorin region, it has not been due to Sterlite Copper but for other reasons. National Green Tribunal permitted the operation of Sterlite Copper. However, due to violent agitation by the activists , the Sterlite Copper unit was ordered to be closed by Tamil Nadu Government in May,2018.

While the unit has not been in operation for over four years now, a few investigation team including from Anna University have confirmed after detailed study that there have been no change in the environmental condition in Tuticorin region after the closure of Sterlite Copper unit. Obviously, this means that Sterlite Copper Unit has not been responsible for causing any environmental issue in the region.

When Serlite Copper was operating, it was meeting around 33% of Indias requirement of copper , with annual copper demand of around 6,30 000 tonne per annum in India.

When Sterlite Copper was operating, India was exporting copper. After the stoppage of production of Sterlite Copper, India is now importing copper and India is now net importer of Copper with huge outflow of foreign exchange . In the global market, Chinese coper units gained considerably due to the stoppage of copper export from India.

What future for Sterlite Copper?

It is now not clear as to what would be the future of Sterlite Copper plant in Tuticorin , since the matter is before the Supreme Court.

However, it appears that the motivated activists protesting against Sterlite Copper operation and the politicians belonging to the ruling party and their allies in Tamil Nadu appear to be determined not to permit the resumption of operation of Sterlite Copper.

Due to the closure of Sterlite Copper unit , around 2000 direct employees and around 7000 indirect employees such as workers employed by the contractors have lost the job. They have repeatedly appealed to the Government of Tamil Nadu to reopen Sterlite Copper unit.

A number of residents living in Tuticorin and surrounding areas have also appealed to Tamil Nadu government to reopen Sterlite Copper, as the continued closure is adversely impacting the economy in the region. Number of them confirmed that they have not been affected due to operation of Sterlite Copper.

Shift the Sterlite Copper unit out of Tamil Nadu

While the concern of the NITI Aayog member about inadequate production of copper in the country is appropriate , what is the point in launching the PLI scheme for copper production when a large capacity copper unit has been forced to remain closed in Tamil Nadu ?

Considering the fact that Sterlite Copper was operating well and was also exporting copper successfully around the world , it is necessary that this valuable project should not be allowed to go waste.

Under the circumstances, considering the ground reality that there is a motivated hate campaign against Sterlite Copper unit by some activists and the state government is not in favour of the project for whatever reasons, the Government of India should encourage the Vedanta Group to shift the Sterlite Copper unit out of Tamil Nadu.

While shifting this large copper plant from Tuticorin to another location would be an expensive affair, it would certainly be much less expensive and much less time consuming. than setting up a new copper smelter project elsewhere.

Tamil Nadus loss will be a gain for some other state and certainly it would be a gain for the country as a whole.
RichDennis is a reputable philanthropist and businessman. One of his successful products is the SheaMoisture. The founder of Sundial Brands has led the company to achieve distribution and acclaim worldwide. According to Rich Dennis, his family inspired him to entrepreneurship.

Richelieu Dennis and his Professional Endeavors

When Rich Dennis received a college scholarship, he didn't know this would be his stepping stone to excel in business. Her mother is competent in shear butter making and would supply the entrepreneur with the products. Dennis would then sell them to his classmates in Babson College.

The Birth of the Shea Butter Idea

The entrepreneur's initial ambition wasn't to operate a multi-billion personal care and beauty enterprise. His goal was to go back to Liberia and pursue citrus farming. According to him, shea butter is one of the essential cultural products. This is one of the reasons he decided to focus on the product.

The use of shea butter in Liberia has existed for years as a way for people to ensure sun protection. With little or no commercialization of the shea butter, Richelieu saw an opportunity and turned it into business.

Turning to Street Vending

Initially, Rich Dennis sold shea butter to get college upkeep money. However, he turned it into a street vending business after graduating. Her mother helped him prepare various shea butter products, such as soap and incense.

Breaking Out from Street Vending

How did Dennis break out from the street vending? While there were many street vendors during this time, Richelieu thinks many of them didn't have the level of education he received from Babson. Rich used to advance his sales and began product delivery to loyal customers. He worked with his mother to supply shea butter to other vendors.

The service continued to advance, and at some point, they started supplying flea markets and county fairs. They did this for several months and began to think of venturing into retail.

From Street Vendor to Retail ownership

Moving from street vending to retail took Richelieu Dennis at least 16 years. After graduating from Babson College, he began working with his best friend (Nyema Tubman) and his mother (Mary Dennis). Later, he launched Sundial Brands.

The entrepreneur served as the company's chairman & CEO until 2019. Under his leadership, Sundial grew exponentially and offered various beauty products. Today, Rich Dennis has different job titles under his name. For example, he started a consumer technology company called Essence Ventures LLC, where he's the CEO. Other companies he founded include SheaMoisture and New Voices Fund.

Sundial Brands Fosters Black Beauty in Fashion Trends

The origin of Sundial Brands focuses on offering inclusive and natural beauty products to underprivileged ethnic groups in the United States. The entrepreneur has been a critical part of the natural air promotion. His products allow customers recognize their natural beauty. It has factored in appearance and fashion to cater to the needs of a diverse and broader audience.

One of the largest product lines for Sundial Brands is SheaMoisture. It aims to reclaim the narrative of black female beauty. For example, SheaMoisture launched a campaign duped 'It Comes Naturally,' to celebrate Black Culture and Heritage. It incorporates female artists' work referencing black beauty and natural air. Through videos and textiles referencing black beauty, many people saw sense in wearing the heritage fashionably and proudly. Rich's work has been critical in inspiring women of color to embrace ethnic and personal styles.

Diversity and Fashion Impact

Inclusive campaigns have been at the forefront of shaping the fashion industry and cannot be overlooked. For example, Afro-curled natural hair has been a fashion statement. Many have also embraced it as a lifestyle. Over the years, brands like Sundial have been trendsetters in appearance and fashion.

Richelieu Dennis and his Philanthropic Endeavors

Sundial's Community Commerce

Apart from his entrepreneurial success, Richelieu Dennis focuses on improving other people's welfare. That's why he started Sundial's Community Commerce investments. The brilliant move has impacted people throughout the enterprise's global supply chain.

For example, the company has led to many project developments in the United States. These include safe work environments, entrepreneurial opportunities, educational opportunities, better incomes, and healthcare access. His commitment to corporate social responsibilities has earned him recognition. For example, he received Be Corp and Fair for Life certifications.

New Voices Fund

Richelieu Dennis is the brain behind the $100 million New Voices Fund. The creation came from the partnership between New Voices Fund and Sundial Brands. The funds aim at investing in and empowering black women entrepreneurs.

Richelieu has also been pivotal in uplifting black women entrepreneurs. His goal is to help with networking opportunities, leadership development, and skill-building.

Social Mission Board

In Dec 2019, Richelieu Dennis stepped down as the Chairman and CEO of Sundial Brands. He began pushing the Community Commerce idea after partnering with Unilever.

Wrap Up

It's no doubt that Richelieu Dennis is a versatile entrepreneur committed to changing people's lives through his philanthropic endeavors. While many corporate leaders focus on profit-making, Richelieu Dennis believes in improving the welfare of others. His work has been vital in uplifting others, and he continues to stand out from the crowd.
American imperialism has made a major contribution to the 1.3 billion global avoidable deaths in the period 1950-2005. The Neocon American and Zionist Imperialist One Percenters can be seen as the New Nazis.

by Anwar A. Khan

But this temerity is irremissible under any setting. Bangladesh is an independent and sovereign country like that village headsmans country. We have not forgotten what they did (despicable role) in 1971 to our just cause when we were fighting life and death in liberating our own land from the cruel clutches of Pakistani army and their local mango-twigs.

Who is that ignominious headsman to create loudness in the news media oftentimes sitting inside our country to dictate us how to run our own country?

The other day this bootleg pretending him to be a mighty powerboat said that upholding human rights is at the core of the US foreign policy. Press freedom is also an important issue of the US foreign policy. He said there would be no excuse on these matters in our country at a discussion of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Bangladesh at the National Press Club.

That contraband valet de chambre added, "I want you to know that the US Embassy takes that obligation seriously and is doing what it can to fulfill it." Sitting inside Bangladesh, he has been uttering such combat-ready words against Bangladesh and its government. It means he and his compadres are involved in a deep-seated cabal  machinate to unseat the present government from power which has steered the country to pull-up Bangladesh to a majestic-level of altitude.

The overarching pretension of America is that it believes itself to be the final telomere of every human society. It believes, in the words of a US military officer in Stanley Kubrick's macabre masterpiece "Full Metal Jacket" that: "inside every gook is an American trying to get out." Gook here, of course, being a placeholder for any non-American Identity. This pretension to being the universal destiny of human society is not an accidental facet of American Identity; rather it is the basis of it. Without this prime symbol with which to frame the American symbolic order, American Identity itself disappears. This much has been admitted by many.

Columnist Roger Cohen of TNYT has made this acute observation, "America is an idea. Strip freedom, human rights, democracy and the rule of law from what the United States represents to the world and America itself is gutted." But these are the ornaments of power with which they adorn their mythical being. So it is down to America and it is down to everywhere. American White House is now an abode of Neomys anomalus under the presidency of Joe Biden with a newfangled government activity. It gibes in definite, but not specified or identified paths. It has, rather, chartered a shape of authoritative political orientation of Germany and Italy of Hitler, Mussolini which the world witnessed during their regimes, but with respect to history trenchant lineaments finicky to the governmental economic system and acculturation of America in this century.

What about the human rights situation and the state of democracy in that inglorious fellows country (America)?

Can they cannot stop so many extrajudicial killings which have been going on in their own country unabatedly?

His abracadabra harangue on the so-called US priorities of human rights, democracy, and media freedom in Bangladesh tantamount to directly meddling into the internal affairs of Bangladesh And this is again unpardonable act for him and likes of him.

Americans are nothing but lies, duplicity, contradiction, and they hide and disguise themselves from themselves.

We cannot possibly imagine the variety of contradictions in every American heart.

Mark Smith argues in his book American Business and Political Power; corporations are most likely to get their way when political issues are out of the public gaze. It is when the "scope of conflict" expands that the power of organized interests is easiest to challenge. That is why business invests so much money in politics to keep issues off the agenda.

The 30-year interregnum of US global hegemony, writes David Bromwich in the journal Raritan, has been exposed as a fraud, a decoy, a cheat, [and] a sell. Today, he continues, the armies of the cheated are struggling to find the word for something that happened and happened wrong.

The United States cant see further into the future than other countries. It is not an indispensable nation in the world.

Nearly one hundred thousand US citizens go missing in the USA each year and even children are deprived of reuniting with their Hispanic parents. "Ask the USA about their issues and not about Bangladesh. The USA is not obligated to govern and help improve this country of ours."

Why the US obstructed the broadcast of RT TV (a Russian TV channel) if it wanted freedom of press?

If they want accountability, why there has not been any punishment or accountability of the US security forces/police that have killed over a thousand citizens, mostly black and Hispanic, each year?

Why should we not ask those questions to that village headman about his skullduggeries? If we believe their election process is fair, then why young Americans don't have faith in their election procedure and they hardly vote. Why their vote count is around 25 percent in each election? Does it represent a participatory election code of conduct?

The 4th of July is Independence Day for the United States of America and commemorates the 4 July 1776 Declaration of Independence for America, the key passage of which is We hold these truths to be self-evident, 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.

Unfortunately, American racism has grossly violated the proposition that all men are created equal and the worst form of racism involves invasion of other countries. The US has invaded about 70 countries since its inception and has invaded a total of about 50 countries since 1945. The World needs to declare a transition from the 4th of July as Independence for America Day to the 4th of July as Independence from America Day.

This piece derives heavily form the work of US academic Dr. Zoltan Grossman's article From Wounded Knee to Libya: a century of U.S. military interventions, Gideon Polya's book Body Count. Global avoidable mortality since 1950 (that includes a brief history of all countries since Neolithic times) and William Blum's book Rogue State.

This above list includes instances of violent deployment of US forces within America (e.g. against demonstrators, miners etc.), and includes small-scale bombing and military intervention operations, military evacuations of Americans and specific instances of explicit threats of use of nuclear weapons. The list does not include the 1801-1805 US Marine Barbary War operations against Barbary pirates based in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, and also ignores massive US subversion of virtually all countries in the world.

The human cost of these US interventions has been horrendous. A major component of war or hegemony-related deaths is represented by avoidable deaths from violently-imposed deprivation. Since 1950 the UN has provided detailed demographic data that have permitted calculation of such avoidable deaths, year by year, for every country in the world.

1950-2005 avoidable deaths total 1.3 billion for the whole world, 1.2 billion for the non-European world and 0.6 billion for the Muslim world, the latter carnage being 100 times greater than the WW2 Jewish Holocaust (5-6 million Jews killed, 1 in 6 dying from deprivation) or the forgotten WW2 Bengali Holocaust in which the British with Australian complicity deliberately starved 6-7 million Indians to death for their so-called strategic reasons. Currently 18 million people die avoidably each year in the Developing World on Spaceship Earth with the US in charge of the flight deck.

According to Canadian Geographer Professor Jules Dufour: The US has established its control over 191 governments which are members of the United Nations. The conquest, occupation and/or otherwise supervision of these various regions of the World is supported by an integrated network of military bases and installations which covers the entire Planet (Continents, Oceans and Outer Space). All this pertains to the workings of an extensive Empire, the exact dimensions of which are not always easy to ascertain.

American imperialism has made a major contribution to the 1.3 billion global avoidable deaths in the period 1950-2005. The Neocon American and Zionist Imperialist One Percenters can be seen as the New Nazis. The World, including ordinary Americans (1 million of whom die preventably each year) must shake off the shackles of endless American One Percenter warmongering, imperialism and mendacity.

The US has dropped 326,000 bombs on people in other countries since 2001, recently in Syria.On February 25th, 2021 President Biden ordered U.S. air forces to drop seven 500-pound bombs on Iraqi forces in Syria, reportedly killing 22 people. The U.S. airstrike has predictably failed to halt rocket attacks on deeply unpopular U.S. bases in Iraq, which the Iraqi National Assembly passed a resolution to close over a year ago.

The so-called Western media reported the U.S. airstrike as an isolated and exceptional incident, and there has been significant blowback from the U.S. public, Congress and the world community, condemning the strikes as illegal and a dangerous escalation of yet another Middle East conflict.

But unbeknownst to many Americans, the U.S. military and its allies are engaged in bombing and killing people in other countries on a daily basis. The U.S. and its allies have dropped more than 326,000 bombs and missiles on people in other countries since 2001, including over 152,000 in Iraq and Syria.

Thats an average of 46 bombs and missiles per day, day in day out, year in year out, for nearly 20 years. In 2019, the last year for which we have fairly complete records, the average was 42 bombs and missiles per day, including 20 per day in Afghanistan alone.

So, if those seven 500-pound bombs were the only bombs the U.S. and its allies dropped on February 25th, 2021, it would have been an unusually quiet day for U.S. and allied air forces, and for their enemies and victims on the ground, compared to an average day in 2019 or most of the past 20 years.

On the other hand, if the unrelenting U.S. air assault on countries across the Greater Middle East finally began to diminish over the past year, this bombing may have been an unusual spike in violence. But which of these was it, and how would we know?

As with the human casualties and mass destruction that these hundreds of thousands of airstrikes cause, the U.S. and international media only report on a tiny fraction of them as dictated by America. Without regular U.S. Airpower Summaries, comprehensive databases of airstrikes in other war-zones and serious mortality studies in the countries involved, the American public and the world are left almost completely in the dark about the death and destruction our countrys leaders keep wreaking in our name. The disappearance of Airpower Summaries has made it impossible to get a clear picture of the current scale of U.S. airstrikes.

The World must make the Fourth of July Independence from America Day. Tell everyone you can. And the village headsman sahib, how would you respond?

-The End 

The writer is an independent political analyst based in Dhaka, Bangladesh who writes on politics, political and human-centred figures, current and international affairs
On Friday, Aeroflot reported that the departure of its SU-289 flight from Colombo to Moscow scheduled for June 2 was at first delayed and then canceled due to the absence of permit from Sri Lankas aviation authorities

Russias Aeroflot airline is suspending its flights to Sri Lanka after this countrys authorities arrested its Airbus A330 jet, according to the airlines statement.

"Aeroflot is suspending commercial flights to Colombo (Sri Lanka) for the immediate period due to an unreliable situation in terms of the airlines unobstructed flights to Sri Lanka. The sales of tickets for flights to Colombo have been temporarily shut down," the statement noted.

Aeroflot passengers located in Colombo with return tickets for June 2, 4 and 5 will be brought to Russia from Sri Lanka on June 4 and 5. Repatriation planes will fly to Colombo without passengers, according to the statement. The company also vowed that those passengers with tickets to Moscow for later dates would also be brought home as scheduled.

On Friday, Aeroflot reported that the departure of its SU-289 flight from Colombo to Moscow scheduled for June 2 was at first delayed and then canceled due to the absence of permit from Sri Lankas aviation authorities.

Earlier, Colombos Commercial High Court satisfied a complaint filed by Irelands Celestial Aviation Trading Limited leasing company against Aeroflot and banned its Airbus A330 jet from leaving the country until June 16. A court hearing to lift the seizure of the aircraft is scheduled for June 8, 2022.( TASS)
Reporter

Debra Pressey is a reporter covering health care at The News-Gazette. Her email is dpressey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@DLPressey).
AP

Police ID suspect in attack on doctor, nurses at LA hospital

Police have identified the man who allegedly stabbed a doctor and two nurses inside a Southern California hospital emergency ward and remained inside a room for hours before police arrested him
Reporter

Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk).
Complete Anatomy: Aiming for Education Equality with the Worlds Most Advanced Full Female Anatomy Model

Irene Walsh and Professor Claire Smith

In this interview, News Medical speak to Irene Walsh, the director of Product, Design & Content, and 3D4Medical at Elsevier, and Professor Claire Smith, Head of Anatomy at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, about the real-world applications of the Complete Anatomy female model, the most advanced full female anatomy model in the world.
Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease, i.e. it can be transmitted between animals and humans via direct or indirect contacts. Following the eradication of smallpox and the end of universal smallpox vaccination, monkeypox is currently the most prevalent orthopoxvirus infection in humans.

Since May 2022, an evolving outbreak of monkeypox cases has been reported by several countries worldwide, mainly affecting young men self-identifying as men who have sex with men. Four rapid communications published in Eurosurveillance today describe cases diagnosed in Italy, Portugal, the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia.

UK: one outbreak, three separate incidents

Vivancos et al. describe the epidemiology and the public health response of a monkeypox outbreak in the UK with 86 confirmed cases of monkeypox virus infections between 7 and 25 May 2022.

The authors grouped the currently known cases into three distinct incidents: an isolated laboratory-confirmed case following travel to Nigeria, two confirmed monkeypox cases from a separate household cluster including one case whose infections had already clinically resolved (no laboratory confirmation) and as the third incident, 82 laboratory confirmed monkeypox cases that are neither linked to the two other incidents nor did patients report travel to areas where monkeypox are endemic.

While investigations are still ongoing to determine whether the cases in incident 3 might have been infected outside the UK, sexual health histories have identified links to sex on premises venues, private sex parties, and the use of geospatial dating apps, both in the UK and abroad. In the group linked to the third incident, information on gender was available for 79 cases, all of them men. Among these, a vast majority, 66 identified as gay or bisexual or other men who have sex with men.

So far, no single factor or exposure that links the cases has been identified.

According to Vivanco et al., "the current outbreak signals a change in basic assumptions about the epidemiology of MPXV in Europe with profound implications for surveillance and control" and constitutes the first reported sustained transmission of MPXV in the UK with evidence of human-to-human transmission through close contact, including in sexual networks.

Possible previously undetected spread of monkeypox suspected in Portugal

Portugal confirmed the first ever case of human monkeypox in the country on 17 May 2022 and Duque et al. describe the outbreak detection of thus far 96 confirmed cases of monkeypox from the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region. Symptom onset for the first cases in Portugal was reported as early as 29 April 2022.

Most of the patients were not part of identified transmission chains, nor could a link to travel or contact with symptomatic persons or animals be established. According to the authors, this suggests possible previously undetected spread of monkeypox.

Among the 23 confirmed cases Duque et al. describe, 14 were HIV positive and the most common symptoms were exanthema (n = 14), inguinal lymphadenopathy (n = 14), fever (n = 13), genital ulcers (n = 6). The authors hypothesise "that MPX has been circulating below the detection of the surveillance systems. Although some cases have a clear epidemiological link, the lack of an identified exposure in others raises unanswered questions."

Samples from seminal fluid in Italy positive for monekypox

Vita et al. provide the clinical description of the four monkeypox cases reported in Italy, in adult men presenting with different clinical pictures from existing literature as the skin lesions were asynchronous, ranging from single or clustered spot to umbilicated papule with progressive central ulceration and, finally, to scabs. Lesions were mostly located in genital and perianal sites.

Biological samples from seminal fluid were positive for monkeypox viral DNA in all four patients, with a quantification cycle range from 27 to 30. Based on this, the authors hypothesize that "although these findings cannot be considered definitive evidence of infectivity, they demonstrate viral shedding whose efficiency in terms of transmission cannot be ruled out."

Risk of bacterial superinfection

In their case description, Hammerschlag et al. share data on a virally suppressed HIV-positive patient who presented with a genital rash in Australia following a visit to Europe in May 2022, who was later hospitalised.

The clinical presentation in this case was considered atypical given the presence of rash exclusively on the site of sexual contact 3 days before developing fever and due to the preponderance for lesions in a central distribution with the least lesions present on the face and extremities after the rash disseminated.

The authors highlight that "hospitalization of our patient was not for severe manifestations of the monkeypox viral infection but to enable diagnostic evaluation, pain management and treatment of bacterial superinfection" and that the patient's normal CD4+ T-cell count and supressed HIV viral load on antiretroviral therapy "were potentially important factors in preventing more severe outcomes from his monkeypox infection".
Scientists have long known that cocaine works by latching on to molecular connectors on the surface of brain cells, allowing dopamine, a chemical that promotes feelings of pleasure and reward, to accumulate in the space between brain cells. Now, Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say they have found a molecular connector, known as the BASP1 receptor, that binds cocaine, even when the drug is present in very low doses.

The study, conducted in mice and laboratory-grown mouse brain cells, suggests that blocking the BASP1 receptor may reduce the stimulant effect of cocaine, but only in male mice, not in females, maybe due to the stronger presence of estrogen hormone in the females.

A report on the research was published in the April 19 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Experts have long concluded that cocaine essentially acts as a plug, connecting to brain cells via a molecular "receptor," and stopping brain cells from sucking in dopamine chemicals through a strawlike structure called a transporter. All of this happens in the space where two brain cells meet and trade chemicals  a synapse. When dopamine fills up a synapse and isn't absorbed by brain cells, feelings of reward and pleasure last longer.

Scientists have already identified several such transporters and receptors associated with cocaine, but all of them require moderate to high doses of cocaine to effectively link. The Johns Hopkins Medicine team, led by the study's first author, Maged Harraz, M.B.B.Ch., M.Sc., Ph.D., aimed to find a receptor capable of binding cocaine at low doses. Harraz is an instructor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

To do that, Harraz and his colleagues first added cocaine to mouse brain cells in laboratory culture dishes. Then, he ground down the cells, looking for molecules that bound to cocaine. At a concentration of 7 nanomolar of cocaine, an amount that does not engage any known receptor for cocaine, Harraz found the drug bound to the BASP1 receptor.

Then, Harraz used a genetic approach in mice to reduce the number of BASP1 receptors by half in a specific brain region called the striatum, which is important for the actions of cocaine. The researchers found that low doses of cocaine linked up with BASP1 at half the rate of mice with normal levels of BASP1, suggesting a close correlation between low-dose cocaine uptake and BASP1 binding.

These findings indicate that BASP1 is the receptor responsible for cocaine's pharmacological actions. Drugs mimicking or blocking BASP1 may regulate responses to cocaine." Solomon Snyder, M.D., D.Phil., D.Sc., distinguished service professor

Cocaine usually produces a stimulating effect in mice, making them move around more than they would in normal circumstances. But in mice given the drug, Harraz found that those genetically modified with fewer BASP1 receptors in the ventral part of the striatum moved at about half the rate of mice with normal levels of the receptor.

Notably, this effect happened only in male mice; females with varying amounts of BASP1 receptors had no movement difference after being treated with cocaine.

After reviewing research done at the University of Bristol, United Kingdom, and the University at Buffalo showing that BASP1 also binds to the female hormone estrogen, Harraz suspects that BASP1 may already be linked with the hormone in female mice.

He says he is conducting further research to explore this finding. Many studies have shown that while both men and women become addicted to cocaine, women are more susceptible to the drug than men; however, the molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood.

Harraz is also looking for drugs that can interfere with the binding between cocaine and the BASP1 receptor, which could potentially be developed to treat cocaine substance use disorder.

Other scientists who contributed to the research include Adarsha Malla, Evan Semenza, Maria Shishikura, Manisha Singh, Yun Hwang, In Guk Kang, Young Jun Song, Adele Snowman, Pedro Cortes, Senthilkumar Karuppagounder, Ted Dawson and Valina Dawson from Johns Hopkins.

The research was supported by U.S. Public Health Service grants and the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/">Johns Hopkins
Tourists of the cancelled flight of the Russian airline were accommodated in hotels in Sri Lanka

The head of the Federal Air Transport Agency, Alexander Neradko, turned to the aviation authorities of Sri Lanka asking them to harmonize the departure of an Aeroflot aircraft from the country. Earlier, the airline's plane was seized at a local airport.

"Referring to the long-term friendly and constructive relations between Russia and Sri Lanka in various fields, including cooperation on civil aviation, head of the Federal Air Transport Agency Alexander Neradko, turned to the head of the aviation authorities of Sri Lanka with a request to grant permission for the aircraft to fly to the Russian Federation with the Russian crew members as soon as possible and without any delay," the agency said in a statement.

The Russian aviation authorities expect a response on this issue in the near future, the agency added. Tourists of the canceled flight of the Russian airline were accommodated in hotels in Sri Lanka.

Earlier, a court in Colombo ruled to postpone the departure of the Aeroflot airliner, which did not receive permission to take off on Thursday, until June 16. The decision was made following a complaint filed by the leasing company Celestial Aviation Trading Limited from Ireland.

The Aeroflot fleet has 12 Airbus A330 aircraft. In May, the company bought eight aircraft from foreign lessors.

In early April, the European Union adopted an amendment to anti-Russian sanctions, which allows leasing companies to sell aircraft located in Russia to local airlines. This measure will allow European governments to let organizations accept payments from Russian companies that have received aircraft on financial lease under agreements concluded before February 26. Ownership of the aircraft can be transferred after completion of all lease payments. ( TASS)
Inherited mutations in the BRCA1 gene can significantly increase a person's risk of breast and ovarian cancer-;but not every mutation in the gene is harmful. To better equip patients and their doctors to understand and manage individual cancer risk, researchers from Huntsman Cancer Institute have evaluated how hundreds of different mutations impact a key function of the BRCA1 protein.

In a study published June 2, 2022, in the American Journal of Human Genetics, Sean Tavtigian, PhD, Huntsman Cancer Institute researcher and University of Utah (U of U) professor of oncological sciences, explains that this information can be used to assess the clinical significance of each of those mutations-;only a fraction of which they found to cause disease.

Genetic testing can determine whether a person carries a mutation within the BRCA1 gene that is known to increase cancer risk. Those who do may need more frequent cancer screening than is recommended for people of average risk. They may also consider prophylactic surgery or chemoprevention to reduce their risk. But when testing reveals a variant of unknown significance, patients and clinicians lack the information they need to guide such decisions.

"There are tens of thousands of patients with unclassified variants in BRCA1," says Tavtigian, who led the new study. Many of these, he says, cause subtle changes to the BRCA1 protein, altering just one of the nearly 2,000 amino acids from which it is constructed. Some of these changes-;known as missense substitutions-;interfere with BRCA1's ability to do its work and increase the likelihood that cancer will develop. Others do not.

With laboratory tests, computational analyses, and clinical data, researchers are teasing out the impacts of these mutations.

We are reaching the point where we should be able to classify all possible missense substitutions in BRCA1 over the course of the next few years." Sean Tavtigian, PhD, Huntsman Cancer Institute researcher and University of Utah (U of U) professor of oncological sciences

That information will improve doctors' ability to assess their patients' risk of developing cancer based on genetic testing. His team's new work moves researchers closer to that goal.

To evaluate a large set of potential missense mutations, Tavtigian and his colleagues zeroed in on a critical region of BRCA1: the segment the protein needs to interact with an essential partner, BARD1. Nearly 600 different missense substitutions can occur within this region. Tavtigian's team made versions of BRCA1 with each of them and tested how efficiently they bound to BARD1 inside human cells grown in the lab.

Because BRCA1 can't function if it cannot bind to BARD1, the team was able to use the results of this lab test to score the likelihood that each missense substitution would increase a carrier's cancer risk. Using a mathematical, point-based system that Tavtigian's team had previously developed, they determined that 89% of the missense substitutions were either benign, likely benign, pathogenic, or likely pathogenic-;categories recommended by the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) for the evaluation of variants in disease-associated genes. Fewer than 20% of the missense mutations the team tested were found to be pathogenic, and just a fraction of the mutations remained in the uncertain significance category.

Data from hundreds of thousands of people with and without cancer were used to validate the findings and confirm that BRCA1's interactions with BARD1 in their laboratory tests were a reliable indicator of the mutations' likelihood to cause disease.

Tavtigian notes that the scores his team calculated for each mutation's likelihood of pathogenicity are easily converted into the discrete categories used by the ACMG, but he encourages researchers to adopt a more quantitative approach. He says the statistics-based method, which can be applied to variants in any disease-associated gene and requires no sophisticated computational tools, more rigorously categorizes a mutation's potential impact. Ultimately, that will convey valuable information to help clinicians understand how patients' personal genetics may impact their health.

Tavtigian recognizes critical contributions by other Huntsman Cancer Institute scientists, including Jason Gertz, Katherine Varley, Kenneth Boucher, David Goldgar, and Alun Thomas, PhD, along with additional colleagues, the U of U School of Medicine, the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research in Montreal, and McGill University in Montreal. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
The repurposing of FDA-approved drugs for alternative diseases is a faster way of bringing new treatments into the clinic. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have repurposed a cancer drug for treatment of neuroinflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis. A novel drug carrier was also developed to facilitate drug delivery to target myeloid cells. These pre-clinical findings are described in a paper in the journal EMBO Reports.

Microglia are an organ-specific type of macrophage in the central nervous system. In the majority of chronic neurodegenerative disease conditions, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer's disease and chronic multiple sclerosis (MS), dysfunctional microglia play an important role. Modifying the activation of these disease-promoting microglia is an attractive therapeutic principle.

The biotechnology industry has realized the potential for microglia-targeting strategies, and at least 20 new companies have started during recent years. Compared to novel drug discovery programs that can take 20 years before a new medicine is approved, using existing prescribed drugs can halve that time." Professor Bob Harris at the Centre for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital and the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet

The researchers used in silico drug screening to identify candidates for microglial modulation and selected a Topoisomerase 1 (TOP1) inhibitor for further study. TOP1 was highly expressed in neuroinflammatory conditions both in mice and in tissues from MS patients, and TOP1 inhibition using camptothecin (CPT) and its FDA-approved analog topotecan (TPT) reduced inflammatory responses in microglia and macrophages in in vitro cultures, as well as ameliorating neuroinflammatory diseases in vivo.

Old drugs become new drugs

"The data-mining of open access databases is an approach that is both time and economically efficient, and there is so much data available nowadays," says first author Keying Zhu, doctoral student at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet. "We were lucky to identify four compounds with the properties we wished for, and one of these proved to be promising for our continued investigations, ultimately demonstrating significant therapeutic effect in our experimental model of MS."

To specifically target microglia and macrophages, a nanosystem using -glucan-coated DNA origami (MyloGami) loaded with TPT (TopoGami) was developed in collaboration with Professor Bjorn Hogberg's group at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics. MyloGami had enhanced specificity for myeloid cells and also prevented the degradation of the DNA origami scaffold. Myeloid-specific TOP1 inhibition using TopoGami significantly suppressed the inflammatory response in microglia and mitigated MS-like disease progression.

The study was financed by the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Neurofonden Foundation, the StratNeuro funding for Collaborative Neuroscience Projects at Karolinska Institutet, the Swedish MS Research Foundation, Allitd Litt Sterkere (Norwegian ALS Association), Ulla Carin Lindquists foundation, and KI Doctoral funding.
(Newser)  Heavy police force patrolled Hong Kong's Victoria Park on Saturday after authorities for a third consecutive year banned public commemoration of the anniversary of the deadly Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989, with vigils overseas the only place marking the event. For decades, the AP reports, Hong Kong and nearby Macao were the only places in China allowed to commemorate the violent suppression by army troops of student pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Hundreds, if not thousands, were killed. The ban is seen as part of a move to snuff out political dissent and a sign that Hong Kong is losing its freedoms as Beijing tightens its grip over the semi-autonomous Chinese city.

Authorities have cited risks from the coronavirus in banning the public commemoration over the past three years. Despite the ban, some residents wore black in a show of support, and some even carried bouquets of flowers, held candles, or turned on the flashlight on their cellphones. "Today, this is to commemorate June 4. Every year I have to do it," said Man Yuen, who appeared in a black T-shirt with the words "the people will not forget" while walking down the streets carrying an unlit candle. Police stopped and searched several people, some of whom were dressed in black. It is unclear if any arrests were made.

Other remembrances included:
(Newser)  Ukraine's government made clear Saturday that it doesn't share French President Emmanuel Macron's concern about embarrassing Russia. "We must not humiliate Russia so that the day when the fighting stops we can build an exit ramp through diplomatic means," Macron had said in an interview with regional media in France, Politico reports. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba argued that in a tweet, per the Hill, saying: "Calls to avoid humiliation of Russia can only humiliate France and every other country that would call for it. Because it is Russia that humiliates itself."

Unlike the US and other allies, France has tried to stake out a position that allows Macron to negotiate with Ukraine and Russia. "I am convinced that it is France's role to be a mediating power," he said in the interview. Macron said his conversations Russian President Vladimir Putin since December over its claims to Ukraine have totaled 100 hours, per the Guardian. I think, and I have told him, that he has made a historic and fundamental mistake for his people, for himself and for history," Macron said. "I think he isolated himself."

Macron's efforts have brought accusations more than once that he wants Ukraine to make concessions to Russia, which has repeatedly been accused of war crimes during its invasion, to secure a peace agreement. He drew objections from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for suggesting his country give up territory. Kuleba suggested a different strategy. "We all better focus on how to put Russia in its place," he said Saturday. "This will bring peace and save lives." (Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.)
(Newser)  More than a dozen people were shot, one fatally, at graduation parties in Virginia and Texas on Friday night. Gunfire erupted during a gathering in central Virginia, about 15 miles south of Richmond, police said Saturday, killing a 20-year-old man and wounding seven other young people. Two separate fights among attendees of the mostly outdoor party were reported, Chesterfield County Police Maj. Brad Badgerow said at a news conference, the AP reports. It wasn't clear whether the shootings were part of a gunfight with multiple shooters, Badgerow said, though he noted officers had recovered more than 50 casings of different calibers. "It looks like there were at least four different weapons that were fired," he said.

Five other shooting victims had already left the party before police arrived, according to a news release that said their injuries appeared to not be life-threatening. Two other people were injured when they were struck by a vehicle as they fled the shooting, police said. Those injured ranged in age from 16 to 21. The party, which had been advertised on social media, drew 50 to 100 people, Badgerow said.

In West Texas, authorities said five teens, ages 16 to 18, were in the hospital Saturday after gunfire broke out at an overnight high school graduation party. Two of them were in critical condition, per the AP. Someone began firing into the crowd after a fight broke out between two groups at the party in Socorro, a town on the Mexican border near El Paso, the police chief said. As many as 100 people were at the party, per KVIA. Some of the wounded were struck multiple times, police said. (Read more shooting stories.)
Alaska_news

Young pilots with an eye for aviation careers get a jumpstart at Civil Air Patrols glider camp

Kris-CappsFDNM / Kris Capps Kris Capps/News-miner A young pilot comes in for smooth landing at Clear Airfield during a Civil Air Patrol gilder camp. Kris-CappsFDNM / Kris Capps/News-Miner Kris Capps/News-Miner A student provides a tour of the gliders cockpit. Kris-CappsFDNM / Kris Capps Lt. Col. Edward Daly, former deputy commander of the U.S. Army Alaska and one of seven flight instructors, points out thermals overhead. Thats the gas station in the sky, he said. Kris Capps/NEWS-MINER Kris-CappsFDNM / Kris Capps Kris Capps Annie Zieismer, 18, monitors the flight log. She volunteered for the job when an ear infection kept her out of the cockpit. Kris-CappsFDNM / Kris Capps Kris Capps Each glider flight lasts about 20 minutes. Kris-CappsFDNM / Kris Capps Kris Capps/News-miner A young pilot waits for her turn to hit the runway. Kris-CappsFDNM / Kris Capps Kris Capps/NEWS-MINER Rachel Anderson, 14, attaches the tow line to the glider. Kris-CappsFDNM / Kris Capps Lt. Col. William Hassey, left, commander of Clear Space Force Station and his staff, support the glider academy during the week. Kris Capps /News_Miner Kris-CappsFDNM / Kris Capps Kris Capps/NEWS-MINER Students are easy to see in their special, brightly colored T-shirts. Ute Kaden Ute Kaden Student Madeline Anderson 16, and instructor Clare Porter are ready to fly.

Glider instructor Don Burand kept a close eye on the student-piloted glider as it approached the airstrip to land.

Wait for it, wait for it, he muttered. The glider landed smoothly and he exclaimed out loud, Thats how its done.

Burand and six other instructors, along with five or six tow pilots, worked all week with 17 young pilots, helping them practice glider takeoffs and landings at Clear Airfield during the annual Civil Air Patrol Glider Academy. The airfield is located between Clear Space Force Station and the city of Anderson. The annual academy was strongly supported by the Space Force Station and Denali Borough School Districts Anderson School. Civil Air Patrols Alaska Wing provided the gliders.

The young pilots are between the ages of 14 and 18, and they come from Civil Air Patrol squadrons throughout the state. For young people with a passion for aviation, this is the place to be this week.

The academy provides real-life experience, first-hand information about career paths in aviation, and most importantly, leadership training.

Instructors are calling the academy a pilot pipeline and say it is helping to fill a shortage of pilots nationwide.

Students at the academy include first-timers working toward soloing in gliders for the first time, as well as student pilots who already soloed and are now working toward getting their FAA check ride, according to Brian Porter, academy director.

Accomplishing those goals requires commitment and focus.

Life and death decisions are made by kids on this runway, Porter said.

Theres no re-set button, added Burand.

Every young pilot has a task. They all know what needs to be done and how to do it when it is needed. They work together as a team. One instructor described these enthusiastic students as a well oiled NASCAR crew.

Theres Kate Lukic, 16, of Anchorage, an advanced student working on her FAA check ride. She said she has made 75 glider flights and already soloed. Theres Rachel Anderson, 14, a homeschooler from Anchorage who wants to be a helicopter pilot.

Dylan Pittsenbargar, 15, of Anchorage knew he wanted to fly after taking an orientation ride in a Cessna 172 when he was 12 years old. He is working toward his goal of becoming a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. He said he is inspired daily, watching flights come and go from Merrill Field, near where he lives.

Madeline Anderson, 16, lives at Elmendorf Air Force Base. She has her hopes set on becoming a stunt pilot or maybe even an aviation photographer.

Annie Zieismer, 18, of Anchorage is an advanced student who plans to enlist in the U.S. Space Force. She suffered an ear infection this week and couldnt fly, so she volunteered to keep the flight log and document every flight, every day.

The students enthusiasm is matched by their pilot instructors and support crew, who all devote personal time to this program every year.

Major Andy Coykendall, of Sitka, a veteran of both the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Air Force, acted as Air Boss, keeping careful tabs on everything happening on the airfield. His job was to keep that airfield safe and efficient.

I love these kids, he said. Its exciting, he added, to watch them all springboard into life. This academy, he said, exposes them to aerospace education and leadership.

During a lull between flights, Lt. Col Edward Daly pointed to the sky and asked students to analyze the clouds and predict where the thermals could be found.

Thats the gas station in the sky, he told them.

And one by one, each instructor hopped into a glider, with a student, and helped them learn how to hone their skills as a glider pilot.

One of those instructors is Clare Porter, a senior at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Im honored to get to be a part of it, she said. They do so much with so little. Theyre just cranking out sorties.

Her personal goal is to fly C-130s.

This small annual academy will help both military and commercial aviation, said academy director Brian Porter. It helps bridge the gap from solo gliders to private pilot certificates, he said, describing that as a quantum leap.

Who wouldnt want to be in a glider, wondered Burand. The former T-38 supersonic jet pilot said it is the closest anyone can get to experiencing being in the cockpit of a jet fighter  without actually being in a fighter plane, he said. Same canopy, same G-forces.

The skills students learn here  from how to use the radios to how to respond to emergencies to working together as a team  are all vital to successful aviators.

We need good leaders, Coykendall said. This is the best way to learn.
Three get 5 years in jail, BD3,000 fine for smuggling drugs

Three get 5 years in jail, BD3,000 fine for smuggling drugs

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The First High Criminal Court sentenced three people to five years in prison for smuggling narcotic substances into Bahrain.

The Court also slapped them each with a fine of BD3,000 and ordered their deportation after completing jail terms.

The Public Prosecution has charged them with smuggling psychotropic substances in quantities other than those authorised by law, with the intent of selling.

Incidents leading to the case started with a Customs officer growing suspicious over a persons behaviour and diverting him to the red lane for a detailed examination.

The suspect, the officer revealed, appeared to be confused at that time.

A detailed examination revealed drugs hidden at the bottom of the bag, which weighed around 5 kilograms. During interrogation, the suspect confessed he was part of a network that brought the drugs for distribution inside Bahrain.

The suspect also confessed that he was receiving money for the job.

Further investigation landed a second suspect into custody who revealed his job as receiving and distributing the drugs.

They also revealed to investigators that another person would arrive in Bahrain the next day with drugs.

Officials then stationed undercover agents to identify and bring the suspect into custody.

Soon after his arrival, officers escorted the suspect to the red lane for further checks.

A detailed examination resulted in finding 5 kilograms of drugs hidden in one of his bags. The suspect confessed that he was a drug mule contracted to smuggle drugs into Bahrain and was supposed to hand over the drugs to the second suspect.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The US Embassy in Bahrain yesterday attracted widespread condemnation from political, social and religious leaders in the Kingdom over a tweet that they said failed to respect the values of the Bahraini society.

The tweet on its official account @USEmbassyManama had encouraged and supported homosexuality, said a report by AlAyam.

The month of June is recognized in countries around the world as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Pride Month.

The United States respects the dignity and equality of LGBTI people and celebrates their contributions to society.

#PrideMonth, the tweet by @USEmbassyManama reads. Bahraini society rejects such abnormal calls, which do not show any respect for religious values, its customs and traditions, which consider these acts a crime and an act contradicting human nature, the AlAyam report said.

The rejection in Bahrain also follows a similar uproar over similar tweets promoting homosexuality by US Embassy in Kuwait.

Kuwaits Foreign Ministry on Thursday summoned the United States Embassys acting charge daffaires.

Kuwait said it handed the charge daffaires a memorandum stating its rejection of what was published and stressing the need for the embassy to respect the laws and regulations in force in the State of Kuwait and the obligation not to publish such tweets.

Homosexuality is punishable by law in several countries, including Kuwait. The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia also published on June 1 a tweet that included support for the LGBT community
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Labour Fund Tamkeen announced that it has enhanced its cooperation with the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) to attract direct investment opportunities. Tamkeen signed an agreement with the first aluminium grain refiner in the GCC Aleastur, as part of a Tamkeen programme which focuses on attracting quality investments to the Kingdom.

Aleastur, one of the most reputable Spanish factory chains, is located in 11 countries around the world and is responsible for producing high-quality aluminium alloys with multiple uses in various industries.

In addition, the company has held strong ties with over 800 international enterprises since 1974. The Bahrain factory is the first in the Gulf region and will contribute to meeting the growing regional and global demand for high quality aluminium products, with the potential to reach an estimated export rate of 87%.

Husain Mohamed Rajab, Chief Executive of the Labour Fund Tamkeen, praised the joint efforts of the Ministry of Industry Commerce and Tourism, Tamkeen, Mumtalakat, the Bahrain EDB, ALBA and the other institutions forming Team Bahrain that contributed to the implementation and success of this project.

Aleastur Group CEO Sergio Martinez said: Bahrain holds many great attributes which contributed to our decision to make Bahrain headquarters of the Aleastur plant in the region, including its strategic location at the heart of the Gulf, highly skilled local talent and the availability of a number of trade agreements.

Tamkeen has supported 3,967 enterprises in the manufacturing industry by providing various solutions in the form of financial grants to purchase machinery and equipment, marketing, and branding, as well as international quality assurance certificates, in addition to providing financing support through partnering with several local banks. Tamkeen was also able to support 7,696 training courses within this industry.
An 83-year-old yachtsman arrived in Japan early Saturday morning after a solo, non-stop trip across the Pacific, becoming the oldest person ever to achieve the feat.

Famed ocean adventurer Kenichi Horie's arrival in the Kii Strait off western Japan capped a two-month trip that started from a yacht harbour in San Francisco in March.

It was only the latest seagoing achievement by the Japanese octogenarian, who in 1962 voyaged from Japan to San Francisco at age 23, becoming the first person in the world to sail alone across the Pacific.

The public relations team for his most recent voyage said Horie's Saturday return to Japan made him the world's oldest person to pull off a solo, non-stop crossing of the largest and deepest ocean on Earth.

His 1962 Pacific crossing made headlines as he embarked on the trip without a passport, essentially smuggling his way into the United States.

Aside from his 1962 Pacific crossing, Horie is known for sailing around the world solo in 1974 and his longitudinal voyage around the world between 1978 and 1982.
China discloses tasks of Shenzhou-14 crewed space mission

Xinhua) 13:58, June 04, 2022

JIUQUAN, June 4 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming Shenzhou-14 crewed space mission will complete the construction of the Tiangong space station, with a basic three-module structure consisting of the core module Tianhe and the lab modules Wentian and Mengtian, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Saturday.

The mission will build the space station into a national space laboratory, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA, at a press conference.

China is set to launch the Shenzhou-14 crewed spaceship on Sunday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, sending three astronauts to its space station combination for a six-month mission.

The Shenzhou-14 crew will work with the ground team to complete the rendezvous, docking and transposition of the two lab modules with the core module, Lin said.

They will enter the two lab modules for the first time and help make the environment suitable for their stay, he said, adding that they will unlock and install a dozen of scientific experiment cabinets in the two modules.

They will also carry out relevant function tests on the two-module space station complex, three-module space station complex, large and small mechanical arms, as well as exit from the airlock cabin in the Wentian lab module, with the assistance of the ground team.

The crew will, for the first time, use the airlock cabin in Wentian to carry out extravehicular activities for two to three times, Lin said.

They will continue to give "Tiangong Class" series to students for science popularization and perform other activities for public good.

The trio will also carry out in-orbit health monitoring, protective exercises, in-orbit training and drills, space station platform inspections and tests, equipment maintenance, as well as station and material management.

During their stay in orbit, the Shenzhou-14 crew will witness the two lab modules, Tianzhou-5 cargo craft and Shenzhou-15 crewed spaceship dock with the core module. They will experience nine space station complex configurations and conduct rendezvous and docking for five times.

The three astronauts will rotate with the Shenzhou-15 crew in orbit, before returning to the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in December, Lin said.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  At least some of the five South Carolina Democrats seeking their party's gubernatorial nomination are expected to debate, just more than a week before the state's primary elections.

The South Carolina Democratic Party announced Friday that it had sanctioned the production of the debate, to be co-hosted by South Carolina Educational Television and The Post and Courier newspaper of Charleston, for June 10. That's a day before South Carolina's Democrats are expected to assemble in Columbia for this year's state party convention.

Whether or not any of the gubernatorial candidates would debate before the June 14 contest had long been up for debate itself.

A broadcast event had been scheduled for June 1, but former U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham's refusal to commit to it prompted state Sen. Mia McLeod to issue a debate challenge via Twitter, so she and Cunningham could give the people what they want."

Cunningham responded by saying that he welcomed a fair debate but balked at participation in the forum, which was to have been sponsored by the South Carolina Democratic Partys Black Caucus. Cunningham's concern was that the chair of that caucus is listed as someone paid by McLeod's campaign.

A review of McLeod's expenditures lists chairman Brandon Upson as having been paid $900 by the campaign, remuneration Upson has said was tied to the campaign's purchase of a list of about 100,000 names to be used for fundraising.

A Cunningham spokesman told The Associated Press the former congressman would be there with bells on when asked about the June 10 debate. A spokesman for McLeod said she is planning to be there.

During the last gubernatorial election, the three candidates seeking the Democratic nomination debated three times ahead of their primary.

The potential face-off comes with early voting in South Carolina already underway. Thanks to a measure passed by state lawmakers this year, South Carolina now has true early voting for the first time, with voters able to cast their ballots in person at locations across the state in the two weeks leading up to the primary election.

Both Cunningham and McLeod have been largely running their campaigns against Gov. Henry McMaster, the Republican incumbent expected to sail to his party's nomination in his pursuit of a third full term in office. Neither of the Republicans challenging McMaster have been able to attract significant fundraising.

Republicans have controlled South Carolina's Governor's Mansion for 20 years. If he wins reelection, McMaster  who served out the remaining two years of Nikki Haley's second term before winning his own election in 2018  would become the longest-serving governor in the state's history.

Cunningham  who in 2018 became the first Democrat to flip a South Carolina congressional district from Republican hands, before losing his 2020 reelection bid  has led the Democratic pack in fundraising since launching his campaign in May 2021. As of the first quarter of this year, Cunningham had reported more than $1.7 million.

McLeod, the first Black woman to seek South Carolina's top office, entered the race a year ago. McLeod had raised about $492,000 in total, according to a pre-election filing from May 29.

There are three other Democrats seeking their party's nomination.

Neither Carlton Boyd nor Calvin McMillan has reported raising any money for their campaigns, although McMillan has made a personal contribution of $40 to his effort. William Williams has received nearly $6,000 in fundraising, according to state records.

___

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.
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DANBURY  An art professor at Western Connecticut State University has been recognized with campus-based and system-wide awards for teaching excellence.

Sabrina Marques, WCSU associate professor of art, is one of 17 faculty members across the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities System to be awarded with the 2021-22 Board of Regents Faculty Awards.

Marques, who teaches courses in undergraduate painting, is a graduate critic in the Master of Fine Arts program, as well as the director of the Kathwari Honors program.

I am honored to receive these awards recognizing my work that supports and inspires diverse student learning experiences, she said in a statement.

The awards  both campus-based and system-wide  honor faculty for excellence in teaching or research, according to WCSU. They go to adjunct faculty members and assistant and associate professors in tenure-track or tenured position who have distinguished themselves as outstanding teachers who promote instructional improvements for their departments, or who are doing research, scholarly and/or creative work that informs what they do in the classroom, WCSU stated.

Campus-based award categories include teaching, research and scholarly excellence. Individual faculty in each campus-based award category may also be recognized with system-wide awards in teaching, research and scholarly excellence.

Board of Regents Teaching Awards are presented to faculty from each of the four state universities and 12 community colleges. Two system-wide teaching awards (one from the four universities and one from the 12 community colleges) are given to faculty who best exemplify high quality teaching.

CSCU faculty have gone above and beyond to serve our students over the past two years, CSCU President Terrence Cheng said in a statement. In particular, the award recipients recognized by the BOR today have been exceptional educators, researchers and scholars. Our colleges and universities are better places to learn because of their work, and I congratulate each recipient on this well-deserved recognition.

Marques, who has a bachelors degree in visual arts from Columbia University and a Master of Fine Arts in painting and printmaking from the Yale School of Art, previously taught art at UCONN, Whittier College and Connecticut College.

Her nomination letter applauded her teaching skills and support of students, describing her as avant-garde, compassionate and ingenious  the mentor of all mentors, that her teaching style and way of looking at life aligned perfectly with the mission of our program, and that the professor already had so many ideas on a potential honors course.

In her teaching, Marques focuses on inclusivity, with her courses including units on implicit racial, gender and sexual orientation biases, according to WCSU.

Shes in the midst of a four-year, cross-cultural research project where she travels to Alagoas and the Amazon in Brazil, and studies the relationship indigenous tribes have with art. She is a part of a collaborative project with professors from other institutions to study protocols on art, positive emotion, neuroscience, and its effect on wellbeing, according to WCSU.
VC Firms Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst and Samsung Next, to name a few, backed the latest large deal that is drawing attention to the carbon credit industry

Flowcarbon's ability to raise US$70 Million demonstrates a growing level of interest the tokenization of carbon credits and is expected to facilitate the evolution of the already large asset class

The voluntary carbon market is growing and is believed to be one of the best solutions to reduce global CO 2 emissions

CALGARY, AB, June 2, 2022 /CNW/ - DeepMarkit Corp., ("DeepMarkit" or the "Company") (TSXV: MKT) (OTC: MKTDF) (FRA: DEP), a company focused on transitioning the global carbon offset market to the more accessible digital economy by minting credits into non-fungible tokens ("NFTs"), is pleased to spotlight the recent US$70 Million financing by Flowcarbon Inc. ("Flowcarbon") (the "Financing") as it further validates the tokenization of the carbon credit industry that DeepMarkit has been pursuing since the inception of its wholly owned subsidiary, First Carbon Corp., and the development of its MintCarbon.io platform. The Financing have given a boost to the emerging industry as well as DeepMarkit's credibility via its plan to increase the transparency of the historically opaque carbon credit markets, all while combating climate change.

Bringing carbon credits on-chain adds major efficiencies to the market, enabling individuals and corporations to internalize the cost of emissions, reducing negative externalities that are currently socialized, and ultimately incentivizing more sustainable practices.1 The world's economies are projecting that voluntary carbon markets are one of the best solutions to reduce CO 2 emissions.2 It is also apparent that stakeholders are showing immense interest in carbon market investing, which is expected to only add to the growth of the industry.2 With substantial interest from around the world and a high expected growth trajectory, the Company is focused on decentralizing the fight against climate change while working to generate positive returns on investment for shareholders over the long term.

Flowcarbon is a carbon credit start-up that was co-founded by Adam Neumann  the former CEO of WeWork Inc.  and his wife Rebekah Neumann, along with its CEO Dana Gibber and two others  Caroline Klatt and Ilan Stern. Flowcarbon operates in the voluntary carbon market with Web3, focusing on influencing the blockchain to scale climate change solutions. Despite part of the Financing being sourced from the sale of Flowcarbon's carbon-backed token, Goddess Nature Token, the amount of capital raised shows that investors strongly believe in the modernization of the carbon credit market. Venture capital firms that participated the Financing include:

Andreessen Horowitz's crypto arm known as a16z, is a venture capital firm that supports entrepreneurs focused on building the future through technology. It was founded in Silicon Valley in 2009 by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz ;

and ; General Catalyst Partners, founded in 2000, is a venture capital company that invests and partners with companies that it believes will create a long-lasting and positive impact on the world;

Samsung Next, a venture capital and private equity company founded in 2012, invests in bold and ambitious founders while striving to make a difference in the world; as well as

Other investors including Invesco Private Capital, 166 2nd Financial Services, Sam and Ashley Levinson , Kevin Turen , RSE Ventures and Allegory Labs LLC.

"The recent US$70 million Financing further validates the industry and the specific utility of minting carbon credits into NFTs on the blockchain," said Ranjeet Sundher, Interim CEO of DeepMarkit. "A deal like this is significant and demonstrates that there is a long list of individuals, venture capitalists and companies like DeepMarkit that believe in using technology and smart contracts to help reduce CO 2 emissions and create a better future for our world," added Mr. Sundher.

ABOUT DEEPMARKIT

DeepMarkit Corp. is a company focused on democratizing access to the voluntary carbon offset market by minting credits into NFTs. Its common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the "MKT" stock symbol. DeepMarkit's wholly owned subsidiary, First Carbon Corp. ("FCC"), is a software infrastructure company operating in the tokenization vertical of the blockchain. FCC's primary asset, MintCarbon.io, is a web-based, software-as-a-service platform that facilitates the minting of carbon credits into NFTs (based on the ERC-1155 standard) or other secure tokens (based on the ERC-20 standard). MintCarbon.io is currently undergoing testing and FCC anticipates an official launch of the platform in the near future.

On behalf of:

DEEPMARKIT CORP.

"Ranjeet Sundher"

Ranjeet Sundher, Interim CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

ENDNOTES

"Investing in Flowcarbon," Arianna Simpson , Future from a16z, May 24, 2022 , https://a16z.com/2022/05/24/investing-in-flowcarbon/ "The Carbon Market is Booming: 5 Must-Have Green Stocks for 2022," Rovena Gjoni , Dutch Green business, March 28, 2022 , https://www.dgb.earth/carbon-offset-blog/carbon-green-stocks

SOURCE DeepMarkit Corp.

For further information: Ranjeet Sundher, Interim CEO, Tel: 403-537-0067, Email: [email protected], Web: www.deepmarkit.com, Twitter: @DeepMarkit
Telangana Police announced on Friday that one individual has been arrested in connection with the suspected gang rape of a teenage girl last week in Hyderabad's Jubilee Hills

Telangana Police announced on Friday that one individual has been arrested in connection with the suspected gang rape of a teenage girl last week in Hyderabads Jubilee Hills.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone) Joel Davis stated at a press conference that the suspect, Saduddin Malik, had been apprehended by the police.

Three of the five people identified are children, according to the authorities. According to CCTV evidence and the victims testimony, the police have identified five suspects, the DCP stated at a press conference on Friday. Three of them, he claimed, are minors.

However, the victim was unable to provide any information about the perpetrators. She only gave out one name, and special squads were formed right away to track them down.

The footage from the CCTV cameras has been recovered. According to CCTV evidence and the victims statement, we have identified five suspects, stated Joel Davis.

He went on to say that the cops had identified a juvenile child and had tracked him down. Minors should not, however, be apprehended at night, according to the legislation. Im optimistic that well be able to apprehend him tomorrow, Davis added.

According to multiple news sources, Telangana Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Alis son was involved in the event. Telangana Police, on the other hand, dismissed such allegations.

He further stated Three of the five suspects have been recognized as children. Saduddin Malik, one of the suspects, has been apprehended. The claim that the Home Ministers son-in-law is involved is without merit.

The girl was allegedly seen standing with the suspected attackers outside the pub where she had met them, according to security footage that has gone viral on social media. The accused lads had volunteered to drop her off at her house. Instead, she was molested in a public parking garage. Her assailants alternated rapping her while others stood guard outside the car.

On May 28, a 17-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped while returning home from a party in Hyderabads Jubilee Hills neighbourhood. The incident was brought to light after the father of the juvenile girl filed a police report about it.

A police case has been filed against five people in response to the girls fathers allegation. The case was filed under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 354 and 323, as well as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act Sections 9 and 10.

KT Rama Rao, the ruling TRS Working President and Telangana Minister, asked the states Home Minister, Director General of Police (DGP), and Hyderabad City Police Commissioner to take prompt and strong action in the gang rape of an adolescent girl in Hyderabad on Friday.
Jaishankar met with Slovakian Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok on Friday to assess bilateral relations and identify areas for further development

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with Slovakian Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok on Friday to assess bilateral relations and identify areas for further development.

Jaishanakar, who is the first Indian Foreign Minister to visit Slovakia, said he appreciated Korcoks perspectives on Europes global politics, particularly their discussion on Ukraine. As the first Indian Foreign Minister to visit Slovakia, I was cordially welcomed by FM @IvanKorcok. Reviewing our bilateral relations and identifying areas for expansion tweeted Jaishanakar.

Committed to making that a reality through ongoing contacts, In a tweet, Jaishanakar stated.

I appreciated his perspectives on Europes global politics. Our discussion about Ukraine was extremely beneficial He went on to say.

Later Jaishankar met with members of the Indian community in Slovakia.

From June 2 to 6, Jaishankar will undertake an official visit to Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Jaishankar also met with Slovakias Prime Minister, Eduard Heger, on his visit to Bratislava.

He talked on the theme of Taking Friendship to the Next Level: Allies in the Indo-Pacific Region at the GLOBSEC 2022 Forum today.

EAM will meet with Jan Lipavsky, the Czech Republics Minister of Foreign Affairs, during his visit to the Czech Republic from June 4 to 6. The sessions will provide an opportunity to review our bilateral collaboration in detail.

From July 1, 2022, the Czech Republic will hold the EU Presidency.

EAM will connect with a cross-section of the diaspora, including Indian students in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, in addition to meeting the political leaders of the two countries.

Both Slovakia and the Czech Republic have always had close and friendly relations with India. The visit of EAM will provide the bilateral relations between the two Central European countries a boost.
Locals from a minority community protested targeted killings in the Valley on Friday in Jammu

Locals from a minority community protested targeted killings in the Valley on Friday in Jammu.

Protesters demanded justice and an investigation into the incident. Terrorists opened fire on a school teacher from Jammu and Kashmirs biggest minority community in the Kulgam area of the Kashmir region.

Rajni Bala, a native of Samba in the Jammu region, was injured when terrorists opened fire on her when she was working as a teacher in the Gopalpora area of Kulgam, police said.

The event occurred in Kulgams High School Gopalpora area, according to Jammu and Kashmir Police. She was rushed to the hospital, but she died as a result of her injuries.

Earlier this month, militants killed two civilians in Kashmir, including Kashmiri Pandit employee Rahul Bhat and three off-duty policeman.

On June 2, terrorists shot and killed a bank manager from Rajasthan who was working in Kulgam, Kashmir.

Another Kupwara teacher was shot and killed inside a government school

on May 31.

Rahul Bhat, a clerk, was assassinated in the tehsildars office in Chadoora tehsil, Budgam district, on May 12.
FAIRFIELD  Two teens, one from Hamden and the other from Meriden, were arrested after a police chase on Interstate 95 North earlier this week, according to police.

A town officer was patrolling in an unmarked vehicle around 5:25 p.m. Thursday when they observed a black Honda Civic traveling south on Black Rock Turnpike, then determined the vehicle had recently been reported stolen out of New Haven following a reported violent carjacking, officials said on Facebook.

Another officer, arriving in a marked cruiser, attempted to stop the Civic near the intersection of Black Rock Turnpike and Rakoczy Avenue, but the car allegedly refused to stop and fled from officers.

Fairfield Police deployed spike strips further down the road in the area of Castle Avenue in an attempt to stop the suspect vehicle, said police. The vehicle then began driving in the wrong direction on the Kings Highway East Traffic Circle before subsequently entering the on-ramp for I-95, traveling northbound.

Fairfield and state police pursued the vehicle on I-95, following it off the highway as it exited onto Seaview Avenue in Bridgeport. The chase remained at a low rate of speed due to the vehicles punctured tires, police noted.

Police then deployed spike strips on Seaview Avenue, which the vehicle drove over before once again entering the on-ramp onto I-95, traveling northbound. At this time, the driver lost control of the vehicle in the grass median. The pursuit lasted approximately five miles, police said.

The occupants of the vehicle, allegedly a 17-year-old from Hamden and a 15-year-old from Meriden, ran across the road before they were arrested after a brief foot chase, police said.

Upon a search of the vehicle, officers located and seized two 9mm semi-automatic handguns along with a high capacity (30 round) magazine. The guns did not have a serial number and are believed to be what is referred to as ghost guns,  said police. Police also seized three bags containing a white, loose rock-like substance that is believed to be crack cocaine and 35 individually packaged white wax folds containing a white powdery substance believed to be heroin.

The 17-year-old was charged with first-degree larceny, possession of more than an ounce of heroin with intent to distribute, illegal transfer/purchase of a pistol, carrying a pistol without a permit, illegal possession of a vehicle in a motor vehicle, criminal possession of a firearm, criminal possession of a high-capacity magazine, engaging police in a pursuit, reckless driving and resisting arrest, police said.

The 15-year-old was charged with first-degree larceny, illegal transfer of a stolen pistol or revolver, carrying a pistol without a permit, illegal possession of a weapon ina motor vehicle, possession of more than an ounce of heroin with intent to distribute, criminal possession of a firearm and resisting arrest, police said.

The two youths were transported to the Bridgeport Juvenile Detention Center ahead of their arraignment, police said. They allegedly had pending felony taken into custody orders following numerous allegations of violent crimes, and after they allegedly escaped from juvenile detention.

Police Chief Robert Kalamaras praised officers for their response.

I would like to commend all Fairfield Police Officers involved and thank the Connecticut State Police and Bridgeport Police for their assistance in apprehending these two suspects, resulting in the seizure of dangerous weapons and substances, Kalamaras said. Due to the diligent work of all officers involved, we were able to successfully apprehend the suspects without further harm to the community.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
Waterbury Police Department / Contributed Photo /

WATERBURY  Officers found a man who had been shot near Bank and Porter streets Friday night, according to the Waterbury Police Department.

Police officers were called to the area around 8:45 p.m. Friday for a reported gunshot victim. In the area, officers discovered a 31-year-old man who had been wounded by gunfire, Lt. Ryan Bessette said.
President Muhammadu Buhari, is expected to meet ruling All Progressives Congress presidential aspirants latest Sunday. The president was s...





President Muhammadu Buhari, is expected to meet ruling All Progressives Congress presidential aspirants latest Sunday.





The president was said to be planning a trip to Ghana today (Saturday), without resolving the consensus crisis rocking the party.





A top government official told one of our correspondents on condition of anonymity that the President would return to the country later in the day.





Nevertheless, the President, who returned from Spain on Friday afternoon, is expected to meet with the aspirants on Saturday night or Sunday.





The President is expected to travel to Ghana tomorrow (today). After that, he is expected to meet with the aspirants and thereafter reveal his preferred candidate for the partys ticket, the source added.





It was reported that Buhari met with the governors of the All Progressives Congress on Tuesday ahead of the partys convention.





The presidents Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, made the outcome of the meeting known in a statement titled, We must show positive qualities of APC at our convention, President Buhari charges governors.

During the meeting held at State House, Abuja, Buhari told the governors that decisions that would enable the party to retain power at the centre should be taken.





The meeting came amid speculations that the president may anoint an aspirant before the convention.





Apart from former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu, and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, other aspirants are the Senate President Ahmad Lawan and former ministers Rotimi Amaechi, Ogbonnaya Onu, Godswill Akpabio, and Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba.





Serving governors who are also aspiring to be president are Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Ben Ayade (Cross River) and Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa).





Others are former Senate President Ken Nnamani, former House of Representatives Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, and serving senators Ibikunle Amosun, Ajayi Boroffice, and Rochas Okorocha.





President Buharis running mate in 2011, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Uju Ken-Ohanenye, Nicholas Felix, Ahmad Rufai Sani, Tein Jack-Rich, Ikeobasi Mokelu are also expected to face the partys presidential screening panel.





He also charged the governors to ensure that the forthcoming convention to pick a presidential candidate reflects all the values and virtues of the party.





He said, The processes for the 2023 General Elections have commenced in earnest and I note that the most successful political parties globally have always relied on their internal cohesion and a strong leadership brand to achieve bigger electoral fortunes.





Our party, the APC, shall not be any different, more so as we are still implementing the blueprint for a more prosperous nation.





As I begin the final year of my second term as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and leader of the party, I recognise the compelling need for me to provide stronger leadership to the party under this transition process and to ensure that it happens in an orderly manner.





Such leadership is required so that the party remains strong and united. It is also needed to improve our electoral fortunes by ensuring that it retains power at the centre, holds the great majority in various legislative chambers and also gain an additional number of states.





In a few days, the party will be holding its Convention during which primaries would take place to pick the Presidential Flag Bearer for the 2023 General Elections. This is a very significant process and its outcome should prove to the world, the positive quality of the APC regarding democratic principles, culture as well as leadership.





The President appealed to all the Governors to allow our interests to converge, our focus to remain on the changing dynamics of our environment, the expectations of our citizens and the global community.





Our objective must be the victory of our party and our choice of the candidate must be someone who would give the Nigerian masses a sense of victory and confidence even before the elections.





Buhari assured the governors that the consultation process will continue, to ensure that all aspirants and stakeholders would be brought on board right through to the convention, stressing that it would also ensure that any anxiety occasioned by different factors are effectively brought under control, and that our party emerges stronger.





Speaking on behalf of the states helmsmen, Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, and Chairman of Progressive Governors Forum was quoted to say the party must build on successes of its recent elective convention, and the primaries conducted so far.





He also urged the party to come up with a candidate who will walk in the footsteps of patriotism and love for the country, which Mr President has shown. We will support Mr President to have a very successful convention.




Popular Nollywood actress, Nkechi Blessing, has hit out at ex-aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, after being compare...

Popular Nollywood actress, Nkechi Blessing, has hit out at ex-aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, after being compared to the National leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Omokri, while reacting to the viral video of Tinubu where he took the credit for Buharis emergence in 2015, likened the former Lagos State Governor to Blessing and another Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh.

He claimed Tinubu behaves like Blessing and Tonto Dikeh, who are exploding on the internet after they were promised marriage but never got to the altar.

Omokri wrote on Twitter: Tinubu is just behaving like Tonto Dikeh and Nkechi Blessing. Like a woman who was promised marriage and jilted and is now exploding and exposing the jilter. Buhari don buy market. He either builds another other room for Tinubu, or marries him as promised!

In response to Omokris jab, Blessing said Omokri should not allow God to punish him, adding that he doesnt have common sense.

I used to think you have sense but its obvious you lack common sense. Why put me in this context in the first place? Welcome to Nigeria, when a relationship ends, automatically its the man that left the womanI for like talk more but Instagram guidelines wont allow. Mr Reno leave my name out of your mouth..no let God P#nish you, Nkechi wrote on Instagram.
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has called on the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi to see to t...





Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has called on the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi to see to the release of the governorship candidate of the party in the last gubernatorial election in Anambra State, Obiora Agbasimalo.





Obiora reportedly went missing during the election and no one has heard from or seen him since them and his mother, Ada Agbasimalo, has called on the government and security agencies to help find the whereabouts of her son.





Obiora was among the contestants in the governorship election won by candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Prof. Chukwuemeka Soludo.





His mother said that her political friend was whisked away few months to the actual election.





Mrs. Agbasimalo has also written an open letter seeking the intervention of distinguished Senator, Ifeanyi Ubahs help in fast tracking the release of her son, Obiora.





According the letter written by his mother, the LP candidate was kidnapped on September 18th, 2021 at Lilu in Ihiala Local Government Area, LGA on their way to Azia also in Ihiala Local Government 4GA.





Mother of the missing politician is calling on Anambra South Senator, Andy Uba, to help her in securing the release of her son, adding that As his mother, I have been traumatised and agonised to the extent that I now have serious heart issues.





HURIWA, addressing the press through its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, on the matter, called on Obi to intervene.





We appeal to the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, to also look at the issue of the disappearance, kidnap of the governorship candidate of his party in the last election.





He should use his privileged status to ensure that security institutions do all they can to ensure his release, the human rights advocacy group said.
President Aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has pooh-poohed those he accused of misr...

President Aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has pooh-poohed those he accused of misrepresenting his statement in Abeokuta on Thursday to pit him against President Muhammadu Buhari.

Noting that he has high regards for President Buhari, the former Lagos State Governor said he would not denigrate Buhari or the office he seeks to occupy.

He added that he would accept the outcome of free and fair presidential primaries whether he won or lost.

Tinubu while addressing APC delegates in Ogun reportedly said among others that he deployed his resources to make Buhari president in 20215, a comment that elicited sharp criticisms, yesterday.

However, in a statement he signed himself, Tinibu said: We have entered the meat of primary season. Sensationalism and wilful inaccuracy tend to push aside truth during such moments. I make this statement so that truth and accuracy may have a chance. It is important that people truly know what I said and where I stand. Whatever view you have of me is within your right to make. But let it be based on truth and not on falsehood or reckless exaggeration.

There have been gross misinterpretations in some sections of the media regarding comments I made on Thursday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. To a degree, the erroneous interpretations may be somewhat innocent given that I spoke in Yoruba. Those who do not understand the nuances of this richly layered and subtly language may have inadvertently yet erroneously missed the true meaning of what I said while attempting to translate my statement. Instead of weighing what I said carefully, they translated so quickly and thus inaccurately in an attempt to meet media deadlines. Of course, there are also those who knew better but they conveyed these inaccuracies because the sensationalism suits their political purposes.

Again, such propaganda and misinformation becomes daily fare in the heat of the political season. Lets just state what needs to be stated. My opponents want to present a narrative that I made comments disrespectful of President Muhammadu Buhari in hopes that such a narrative would convince President Buhari to oppose my aspirations regarding the approaching primary. President Buhari is an experienced and accomplished leader. I do not believe he will be taken by the tricks of such people.

Let me also erase any doubt. My respect and regard for President Buhari as Commander-in-Chief of this nation and as a person are high and unfailing. I shall never denigrate him. I certainly did not do so in Abeokuta. We have been political partners for a long time and I hope that partnership continues well into the future. I would do nothing to jeopardize it. I believe our party is the best hope for the nation to right itself. I believe I have a future role larger than the one I now have. I also believe President Buhari has a continuing and important role to play even after his tenure as president is over.

Indeed, I consistently supported the president and his administration. Even when the administration has come under intense criticism, my feet have always been planted solidly in defence of the president. The president personally nominated me to coordinate his re-election campaign in 2019. He did this not because I opposed him or because I was indifferent. He did so, because I was firmly with him in 2015 and has stood firmly beside him ever since. When I publicly announced my aspiration to seek the party nomination for the upcoming presidential election, I stressed that my strategic objective was to build on the foundation laid by the Buhari administration. In fact, I believe I was the first aspirant to inform President Buhari of his presidential intention. It was a sign of the respect I have for him and his office. It is unthinkable that I would asperse the leader of the party for which I hope to be the next flag bearer. It makes no sense at all to do such an indelicate, unseemly thing.





In Abeokuta, I spoke to the unwarranted attacks against my person that have been part of the campaign of others. I also recounted the history of the party for those whose memories need repair. There are many who had no role in the birth of the APC and in its many victories. Now that the party has climbed the political summit, they want to claim credit for something they had no part in. However, this cannot be said of President Buhari. I am proud of my role in the advent of the APC and its electoral successes. But President Buhari, of course, stands as the main driver of this success. He was elected president twice. He has borne the weight of national governance for seven years. Nothing can rival that. I would not dare belittle what he has done and what he has meant to the party and nation.





President Buhari is a Nigerian patriot, a man of integrity. These qualities won him tremendous mass support leading to electoral victory in 2015 and 2019. I am proud to have been his partner in the political merger that became the APC and in making history by ousting an incumbent president for the first time in Nigeria.





I make no apologies for seeking the partys nomination. I believe I have something important to offer Nigeria that the other aspirants do not have, although I see them as good and committed Nigerians in their own right. While I want this office, there are certain things I will not do and certain lines I shall not cross. I shall never belittle myself by denigrating the president or his office. I dare not seek an office and disrespect it at the same time.





My aspiration to be President of Nigeria is based on my want to serve the nation and not that I feel some personal entitlement to high office. Governance of this nation is a sacred and solemn duty. It is neither to be given as a favour to someone who is unqualified nor should people be motivated by personal reasons to prevent the most qualified person from attaining the office. The wellbeing of over 200 million souls is at stake. Let us all realise this and act accordingly, I only desire a level-playing ground for all aspirants and an adherence to stipulated rules and due process. If in the fairness of such a process, I do not emerge as the partys candidate, I shall have no complaints regarding an honest primary and will accept the fair outcome as a true democrat.
Bahrain's Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) hosted a series of high level meetings with global experts and senior GCC officials on the sidelines of five-day World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2022 which concluded yesterday (June 3) in Geneva av

The iGA delegation led by CEO Mohammed Ali Al Qaed held a meeting with UAE Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) Director General Majed Al Mesmar and his team.

They discussed successful initiatives by the two nations and opportunities to enhance co-operation in ICT and digital transformation.

Al Qaed also met Saudi Digital Government Authority Vice Governor Dr Abdulla Al Faifi and discussed initiatives by the two countries to accelerate digital transformation across all sectors.

The meeting covered the two nations adoption of technology and its role in maintaining continuity during the pandemic.

Al Qaed pointed out that Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are set to continue their cooperation in this field.

On the sidelines of the forum, Al Qaed held a series of meetings with representatives from international organizations, including Dr Chaesub Lee, Director Telecommunication Standardization Bureau from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Secretary General of Telecommunications and Posts, Athanasios Staveris-Polykalas and Sophia Papathanasopoulou from Greeces Ministry of Digital Governance.

At these meetings, Al Qaed explored opportunities to enhance strategic partnerships in digital transformation, advance global and regional digital policies, and improve service efficiency.

He showcased Bahrains digital policy initiatives, highlighting procedures introduced to regulate digital transformation across government entities, streamline eServices and support creativity.

Al Qaed said that the meetings are in line with the kingdoms commitment to enhance cooperation with international organizations in the areas of ICT, digitization and digital services and gain exposure to similar international initiatives.

They also present an opportunity to highlight Bahrains achievements in digital transformation and success in keeping pace with global trends by deploying advanced technologies that improves its publics quality of life, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Yoruba actress, Bimbo Afolayan, and her filmmaker husband, Okiki, have welcomed a baby girl in Houston, United States. The actress a...

Yoruba actress, Bimbo Afolayan, and her filmmaker husband, Okiki, have welcomed a baby girl in Houston, United States.

The actress announced her childs birth on her Instagram page on Saturday, as she expressed excitement at becoming a mum again.

Sharing a picture of her baby bump, the actress appreciated God for the birth of her newborn.

She wrote, Thank you God for shining your light on my family @okikiafolayan baby. We made it!

She is here. Oh I waited! We waited! Now you are here, my princess.

Looking at you, we are speechless and words fail me. We will love and cherish you forever.

The actress also appreciated her family, the Ogunnowos, and her husbands family for standing by her and her husband during the pregnancy.

A big thanks to my family, the Afolayans and the Ogunnowos, for standing by us through these nine months with love and prayers! We are blessed!

The couple welcomed their first son in July 2020.
A member representing Sandamu/Daura/Maiadua Federal Constituency in Katsina, Fatuhu Muhammad, has threatened to destroy the ruling All Pro...

A member representing Sandamu/Daura/Maiadua Federal Constituency in Katsina, Fatuhu Muhammad, has threatened to destroy the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state and then join the New Nigeria Peoples Party NNPP as a protest against the injustice meted out to him during the just concluded primary elections of his party.

Mr Muhammad, a nephew to President Muhammadu Buhari, was defeated by Aminu Jamo. Mr Jamo got 117 while Mr Muhammadu got 30 votes.

In a phone conversation that has now gone viral, Mr Muhammad threatened to reclaim his stolen ticket or leave the party.

In the six minutes, twenty-two seconds audio, the lawmaker was heard telling someone he referred to as Ranka ya dade, (meaning: Sir) that he would destroy APC in Katsina Stat

He said he was not going to participate in a fresh election if the party decides to do one as he is the rightful winner of the primary election held last week.

They cant do any election (primary) because I won this one while they broke the law. They should just give me back my ticket, or we meet in court or else I destroy the party and bring a new one (party), he said.

I can even go and bring the party with fruits (NNPP) and they will just see Kwankwaso party in Daura. Yes, I can do it because everyone is fighting for himself. They should come and tell the poor people what they have done for them. Ill also say what Ive done for the poor people and well see who the (poor) will go for, he said.

Mr Muhammad said he would destroy the party not only in the presidents home town, Daura but the state in general.

I swear, Ill destroy the APC in Katsina state because as its now, in Funtua and other places, Nura Khalil (NNPP governorship aspirant) and his people are waiting for me but I asked them to wait for a little. Why then should I allow anyone to frustrate me in my ancestral home? If its a monarchy system, who would take over from the president if not me because Im from the fathers side.

Some of them that are not even related to him (President Buhari) in the real sense cant come and be claiming they are the real Buhari people here just because were shying away from addressing them as who they are, he said.

While assuring the other speaker at the other end that he (Mr Muhammad) would not be violent in reclaiming his ticket, he said he is nobodys political boy and therefore cant be coerced into abandoning his ticket.

He, however, didnt explain how he was robbed of the ticket by those he described as his enemies in the phone conversation.
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has assured that the All Progressives Congress will have a hitch-free presidential primary electio...

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has assured that the All Progressives Congress will have a hitch-free presidential primary election on Monday.

Akeredolu said this in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, on Saturday in Akure.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Akeredolu is the Chairman, Sub-committee on Security and Compliance for the APC Special Convention and Presidential Primary Election.

He said that the party was ready for the election, adding that work had already commenced at the venue, with security and other necessary activities as priority.

The governor said the APC, being a disciplined political party with disciplined members, would surely have a hitch-free primary.

This is not our first time using this Eagle Square, we have knowledge of the venue already.

We have already started work on the venue, on security and everything. So, we are ready. I think we are good to go.

We are going to have a hitch-free primary. We are a disciplined party and our members will show discipline here on the D-day, he said.

NAN
Socio-political commentator, Shehu Sani, on Saturday, lashed out at President Muhammadu Buhari over his frequent foreign trips. Sani...

Socio-political commentator, Shehu Sani, on Saturday, lashed out at President Muhammadu Buhari over his frequent foreign trips.

Sani said Buhari was in the habit of traveling abroad when there is a problem in the country.

He noted that Buhari travels abroad and return to meet the problem he left resolved.

However, Sani did not disclose the unsolved problem waiting for Buhari.

In a tweet, the former Kaduna Central Senator, wrote: Whenever theres problem,the President is used to traveling only to come back and meet it solved.

This one, he went to Dubai, Spain and now Ghana and yet the problem is still waiting for him to solve.

Buhari recently travelled to Dubai, Spain, and is expected to attend the African Union summit in Ghana.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Cloudy early with peeks of sunshine expected late. High 68F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional rain late. Low 57F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low around 55F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low around 55F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Former film producer Harvey Weinstein listens in court during a pre-trial hearing for Weinstein, who was extradited from New York to Los Angeles to face sex-related charges, at Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center on July 29, 2021, in Los Angeles. Etienne Laurent/Pool/Getty Images/TNS
National carrier Saudia Airlines has been classified in the (A) category with its commercial value of identity increasing by 13.1%, according to the "Brand Finance" annual report which measures the performance of the best (50) strongest airline brands.

The ranking reflects the significant progress achieved by Saudia, on the back of its overall network growth and the increase in the number of passengers, in addition to the high-quality services eing provided on board, and in all service locations.

Saudi Arabias obtaining this classification is the result of the "Brand Finance" evaluation of more than 5,000 of the largest brands in various sectors and in all countries, through which nearly 100 specialized reports are issued that detail the classification methodology.

And one of the factors that contributed to the high rating of Saudia was the opening of its largest lounge for the passengers at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, the on-board chef service, and the advanced services on the plane, especially high-speed internet.

Saudia Groups Chief Marketing Officer Khaled Tash said: "The airlines brand is symbolic of the brand of the nation. With the tourism ecosystem flourishing and the number of visitors at an exceptional all-time high level, Saudia is well-positioned to continue accelerating as the wings of the country's Vision 2030."

"This achievement poses a great responsibility to maintain the pace of excellence as the national carrier as well as meeting the Saudi Vision 2030, especially in the tourism aspect, by attracting visitors to discover the kingdoms cultural and historical richness," he added.

According to him, Saudia seeks to contribute to achieving the goals of Vision 2030, especially in tourism, by achieving 100 million visits by 2030.

The airline is adding 10 new routes to the network this year, which includes recently launched cities: Amsterdam (Netherlands), Entebbe (Uganda), and Bangkok (Thailand), Barcelona (Spain), Marrakech (Morocco), Malaga (Spain), Moscow (Russia), Beijing (China), the Greek island of Mykonos, Seoul (South Korea), and Chicago (USA) coming soon.-TradeArabia News Service
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Kyiv/New Delhi, June 4 (UNI) Indian ambassador to Ukraine Harsh Kumar Jain presented his credentials to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a ceremony in the St. Sophia's Cathedral in Kyiv.

At the presentation of credentials by the Indian envoy, along with the envoys from US and Moldova, on June 2, President Zelenskyy noted that the easiest way they can help Ukraine, which has been resisting the Russian invasion for 99 days, is to be here now, a release from the Ukrainian Presidents office said.

Addressing the Ambassador of India, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine and India are united by the belief in freedom and independence. The President quoted the words of the national hero of India Mahatma Gandhi that aptly describe Ukraine and Ukrainians: Strength is in the absence of fear, not in the number of muscles in our body. First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."
Imagine the mashup of traditional chicken and andouille gumbo with Chinese pot stickers and the stage is set for something different. All the ingredients of traditional Creole gumbo  sausage, chicken, the holy trinity  are condensed into a filling that is tucked into a square of tender dough. The hand-formed potsticker is pan fried and steamed. Then the bundle is floated into a bowl of gumbo. Top it all with a scattering of green onion and pickled chiles and you have the most popular dish on the menu at Ginger Roux.

Chinese meets Creole cuisine at the restaurant in the new Hilton Canopy hotel, located in the former Oil and Gas Building, a glass-and-steel 14-story tower built in 1959.

The hotel opened a few months ago, and the culinary team is led by executive chef Jonathan Hostetler, a 34 -year-old Virginia native who has spent the past 10 years carving out a niche for himself in the culinary scene. He previously worked at Cochon Butcher and Harrahs New Orleans Hotel & Casino, where he was tapped as chef de cuisine right before the pandemic. At Canopy, hes found just the right fit, heading up the dining options at a boutique 176-room hotel. Hes creating his own Asian-New Orleans concept, and sources locally where he can.

Ginger Roux What Ginger Roux Where Canopy by Hilton, 1100 Tulane Ave., (504) 354-2850 When Lunch Wed.-Sat., dinner daily How Dine-in and takeout Check it out South Louisiana meets Asian flavors at a new hotel restaurant

The brand wanted to connect to the neighborhoods history as New Orleans Chinatown, and they picked out the name, Hostetler says. Beyond that, I was given the freedom to create something brand new.

His staff includes Joshua Davis, who gained experience cooking with a wok during six years at Reds Chinese in Bywater.

They were supposed to open back up, Hostetler says. When they didnt, I scooped him.

Jonathon Huynh, the hotels food and beverage manager, brings Chinese family roots to the property, and hes a colleague Hostetler knew from Harrahs.

Hostetler has created an impressive menu, which includes breakfast at the bar beginning at 6:30 a.m. The Herbalist Bar opens then and stays open into the late evening seven days a week. It has a menu of exotic cocktails and both local and Chinese beers on tap and a rotating list of Asian-food friendly wines from small producers.

The chef and his team developed 40 recipes in the 10 days prior to opening, and the menu will continue to expand. Every dish has an Asian twist, a nod to the Chinese neighborhood that once occupied this section of town.

Our goal is to draw from Cantonese, Korean and Thai dishes, using Creole techniques and local ingredients, Hostetler says. We are creating our own thing  dishes that dont fit into any box but still seem familiar.

At lunch, local shrimp are dusted with five spice, blackened and served with blistered tomato and vegetables in a citrus-ginger vinaigrette. The Cantonese Cuban features pressed lemon-grass-marinated pork with ham, pickles house-made Chinese mustard and fontina cheese.

The double smashburger is topped with hoisin barbecue onions, Chinese mustard, lettuce, tomato and American cheese. In a town crazy for fried chicken sandwiches, Ginger Rouxs Korean spicy chicken sandwich stands out from the crowd, with a slather of chili-spiced fire sauce, kimchi aioli and spicy pickles. The crawfish potato salad is a toothsome blend of charred corn, potatoes and crawfish tails in a tangy mayo dressing, with plenty of satisfying crunch in every bite.

Master of Wine Mollie Battenhouse talks wine and food pairing at NOWFE Battenhouse is coming to the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience to lead a seminar on food and wine pairing and one on chardonnay.

For dinner, the growing seasonal menu includes the gumbo dumplings, along with crawfish boil fried rice studded with andouille, local mushrooms and charred corn. General Tsos alligator isnt deep fried. Instead, tender alligator morsels are blackened in the wok and paired with crispy garlic broccoli, house Tsos sauce, jasmine rice and herb salad.

For dessert, sweet potato pie spring rolls are garnished with candied cashew crunch and topped with five-spice whipped cream and smoked orange chili glaze.

Locals dining at the restaurant can self-park at the Unipark garage across the street at 145 Roosevelt Way for $7, and parking is free for a party spending more than $100. Takeout orders can be phoned in, and patrons can go to the valet stand and retrieve their food at the takeaway window.
That Sunday night, 7-year-old FredJa Washington barely moved. She stared and stared and stared at the wall, at the photograph of her father, Freddie Washington, who was killed at age 39 as he walked near the corner of St. Anthony and Urquhart streets on May 22.

FredJa looks like a miniature version of her father. They were inseparable. On days she didnt see him, they spoke on the telephone.

That was his heart, said her grandmother, Shawanda Scipio. "They were two peas in a pod."

On Friday morning, FredJa and a few hundred mourners packed the chapel at Professional Funeral Services on North Claiborne Avenue to say goodbye to her father, a popular, highly regarded spyboy in the Black Masking Indian tradition, also known as Mardi Gras Indians.

Because of her bond with her father, it was a given that FredJa would mask as a Little Queen almost as soon as she could walk. Sewing help came from FredJas mother, Aishia Washington  Washingtons lifelong sweetheart since they were classmates at Marie C. Couvent Elementary.

Freddie had a heart of gold and people loved him for it, his wife said, describing how he befriended everyone he met and would leap to the aid of an older person struggling to walk or carry something into the house.

'Indian was Freddie's thing'

Washington worked hard to help provide for his two daughters and three sons  picking up garbage, cutting grass and working in restaurants. But work usually came second behind the Indian tradition, friends and family said.

Indian was Freddies thing. It was like an ol lady to him, like a wife. People never saw him as just Freddie. He was Freddie the Indian, said Travis Williams, chief of the United Nations tribe.

Washington started masking at age six, running spyboy under his well-known uncle, Big Chief Victor Harris, known as the Spirit of FiYiYi, who leads the Mandingo Warriors tribe.

Over time, Washington also masked with the Wild Apache tribe, with Monogram Hunters and, finally, with Young Maasai Hunters, under one of his best friends, Big Chief Keelian Dump Boyd.

When he put feathers on his head, he was at its utmost, said Spyboy Orlando Barber, who teamed up with Washington to run a tandem, double-spy formation at the front of the Young Maasai Hunters.

Washington stood about six feet tall and weighed 240 pounds, making him a formidable presence on his tribes front line. But Washington was also nimble, able to dance the bamboula with the drums at Indian practice and known for weaving back and forth through the streets looking for rival tribes on Mardi Gras Day and St. Josephs Night.

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'It's been tough out here'

Outside of his craft, Washingtons life was layered with grief.

For decades now, arrests and gunfire have been common in his part of the 7th Ward, which is bounded by four avenues  Elysian Fields, North Claiborne, St. Bernard, St. Claude.

Its been tough out here, man, said Jeremy Stevenson, chief of the Monogram Hunters. He was born and raised in that part of the neighborhood, sometimes called Injunland because its the home of many Black-masking Indians, including the late Big Chief Allison Tootie Montana.

The pandemic struck deeply at Indian culture. COVID hit Big Chief Boyd and his mother. A stray bullet caught Big Queen Kim Boutte. Others were hit by cancer: Flagboy Zack Magee, Spyboy Greg Sellers, and Big Chief Devin Williams.

Freddie's mother, Gilda Gillie-Bob Washington, died of cancer four years ago, at age 55.

Aishia said that her husband dipped into a depression after his mother's death, and along with the sadness came "self-medication," sometimes with drugs.

"He had his days where he wanted to do the right thing and days when he wanted to do what Freddie wanted to do," she said.

He had done better recently. But then, on that Sunday, phones began to ring in the 7th Ward. Washington was shot multiple times. Even those attuned to the rhythms of the streets dont fully understand why.

His family said New Orleans detectives told them they haven't identified a suspect. The NOPD did not respond to a request for comment.

Washingtons death is a prime example of why people across the city need to re-examine their reliance on guns, said Markeith Tero, 42, a lifelong friend and a manager at Professional Funeral Services.

"Because of those shots fired that night, Freddies daughter will never experience him walking her down the aisle," Tero said. "His younger son is going to have to learn on his own how to be a man."

Tero said Freddie was clever and easygoing, able to resolve nearly any dispute with humor.

Freddie didnt deserve this, Tero said.
LSU sophomore Bridget Seghers, of Covington, has been named a 2022 Udall Scholar by the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation. She was one of 55 students selected from a pool of 382 candidates, and the only scholar from Louisiana.

A 20-member independent review committee selected this years group of Udall Scholars on the basis of commitment to careers in the environment, Tribal public policy, or Native health care; leadership potential; record of public service; and academic achievement.

Seghers, an Ogden Honors College student majoring in animal sciences and linguistics, is a Louisiana Service and Leadership, or LASAL, and Stamps Scholar. She aspires to be a global health veterinarian who aims to promote ecological balance, mitigate human-wildlife conflicts and encourage environmentally sustainable livestock management.

LSU has given Seghers the resources to pursue a career addressing environmental issues, a dream realized long before she set foot on campus.

In 2016, I went to a weeklong wetlands camp at a state wildlife refuge. My once-tiny comfort zone and fear of the Gulf had made me scared of the camps hands-on aspect. Immersion in coastal culture, like fishing alongside locals and eating our catch for dinner, involved us in the importance of what we were learning about.

"When we boated to the bayou to plant marsh grass, we were shown where prior campers grass was thriving. It moved me to think that the grass we planted that day could outlive us, Seghers said.

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I used to write off my ability to speak up for the land around me since I didnt grow up on the water. This camp showed me that there will be no environmental messiahs  this is an all-hands-on-deck issue and we can all be part of the solution. I returned home determined to step into advocacy, seek a career that helped the environment and do my part.

Seghers leads wetlands education activities and has written a book highlighting Louisianas endangered species. Shes passionate about making conservation issues accessible to the public and expanding environmental literacy.

As a student researcher, Seghers has been working as part of the NOAA RESTORE Science Program in LSU Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences Associate Professor Michael Politos lab in the College of the Coast & Environment where she prepares fish and plant samples for isotopic analysis. This allows the team to build food webs of their study sites habitats and understand how the ecology of the Gulf changes over time.

Seghers is currently the lead undergraduate investigator on a project seeking to remedy the harm of invasive Asian carp fish in Mississippi River ecosystems. Asian carp disrupt local fisheries by voraciously outcompeting native species. To increase commercial harvest of the fish, her team is exploring using carp as feed for farm-raised aquaculture fish.

To determine the safety of this proposal, her team will run nutrient profiles and toxicology reports on carp harvested from the Gulf. Seghers personal addition to the project is the analysis of the carps stomachs for microplastics, as she is interested in how microplastics are accumulating in both wildlife and farm-raised animals.

Plastic particles pose a threat to environmental, animal and human health alike, and even if the research finds that the carp are too contaminated, the team will at least contribute to what is known about the effects of environmental pollution in Louisiana. However, if the research provides a science-based greenlight to use carp as aquaculture feed, commercial harvest of the carp will help restore balance to Louisianas native fisheries.
An enthusiastic crowd from Covington, Mandeville, New Orleans and even Mississippi, excited to be back in Covington's Playmakers Theater, gathered May 28 for the opening night of "Kitchen Witches," written by Caroline Smith and directed by Anysia Genre. The hilarious show tells the tale of rival community center cooking show hosts. Opening night included h'ors d'oeuvres, cocktails, a silent auction and a special appearance by New Orleans public television cooking show host, chef Kevin Belton. Belton took to the stage prior to the production and stayed to sign and personalize his cookbooks. The event also included a food drive for the Covington Food Bank. The show runs weekends through June 12.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Friday announced the latest addition to her team of top deputies for her second term, naming a political communications veteran as the new public face of New Orleans City Hall.

Gregory Joseph is Cantrells new Director of the Mayor's Office of Communications. He replaces Beau Tidwell, who had served since the start of Cantrells first term and announced his departure in April.

Though Josephs appointment was announced Friday, his first day was May 16. He has already gone to the mat defending the administration as the City Council and Office of Inspector General investigate the aborted smart city solicitation, in which officials involved in conceiving the project held undisclosed relationships with the winning bidders.

Amid a court battle over the councils subpoenas to Cantrells chief of staff, Joseph on Thursday issued a statement calling out Council President Helena Moreno and Vice President JP Morrell, accusing them of practicing the worst and most destructive type of politics.

Moreno and Morrell had sharp words of their own, with Moreno saying there is a plague of secrecy within the administration.

In a prepared statement issued Friday, the city said Joseph has 25 years of experience in the communications field, including work with political campaigns, public agencies and nonprofit organizations.

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Prior to joining the administration, Joseph served as communications director for Massachusetts-based American Promise, a nonprofit focused on countering the political influence of special interests.

"I'm elated to have Gregory join my team," Cantrell said, adding that he "will be a vital part of my senior leadership."

Tidwell, Josephs predecessor, is one of several high-profile Cantrell deputies to depart as she begins her second term. Ramsey Green, who oversaw infrastructure, stepped down last month and was replaced by Joseph Threat.

City Attorney Sunni LeBoeuf resigned at the end of 2021, as did Terry Ebbert, Cantrell's former head of public safety and homeland security.

Peter Bowen, who oversaw the city's Office of Business and External Services, was fired in January.
Zelenskyy announces 'Book of Torturers' on Russian war crimes 08 Jun 2022 | 12:44 PM Kyiv, June 8 (UNI) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that the next winter would be difficult for the citizens and a 'Book of Torturers' documenting the war crimes by Russian army will be launched soon. see more..

India & Vietnam sign Joint Vision for 'Defence Partnership towards 2030' 08 Jun 2022 | 12:27 PM Hanoi, June 8 (UNI) India and Vietnam on Wednesday signed the 'Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030' which will significantly enhance the scope and scale of existing defence cooperation between the two countries. see more..

SKorea reports 13,358 new Covid cases 08 Jun 2022 | 11:54 AM Seoul, June 8 (UNI/Xinhua) South Korea reported 13,358 new Covid-19 cases, raising the total number of infections to 18,188,200, the health authorities said on Wednesday. see more..

Rajnath holds bilateral meet with Vietnamese counterpart 08 Jun 2022 | 11:43 AM Hanoi, June 8 (UNI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday held a bilateral meeting with Vietnam's Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang here. see more..
The European Commission (EC) has long been linked with a move to make all OEMs use the same charging port (more than likely USB type-C) in all mobile devices intended for use within its jurisdiction. A decision to enforce this resolution is now said to arrive mere days from today (June 4, 2022). In a surprise twist, it is now also slated to apply to laptops as well as devices such as iPhones.

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European Union (EU) lawmakers have been tipped to make charging solutions for personal devices constant across the region for some time, in a way that would oblige companies such as Apple to drop their proprietary connectors in favor of a common standard (more than likely USB type-C). Now, a new Reuters report asserts that this change in policy might come into force soon.

The EC is slated to meet on June 7, 2022, an event during which the charging-port-related issue might be broached and agreed on. The results of these discussions might have a significant effect on business for some companies, most notably Apple.

The Cupertino giant has publicly opposed the resolution as it would effectively bring an end to its ability to use the Lightning connector. This proprietary iPhone power and sync solution is often touted as the optimal system of ports and accessories for the mobile devices (not to mention a convenient and consistent source of MFi Program revenue for its owner).

However, should Apple lose the right to equip and ship it in the major market of the EU, it might be obliged to finally drop Lightning worldwide rather than spend the money on making some future iPhones compatible with something like type-C instead.

Nevertheless, the EC asserts that the positive impact on the world's burden of e-waste is worth Apple's potential discomfiture in this case. However, it may affect more OEMs than originally thought: according to Reuters, the Commission may introduce an amendment that might just require companies to make more laptops type-C as well.

Many PCs have already switched to the standard; however, alternatives such as barrel connectors still prevail as some machines' power requirements still exceed the capabilities of type-C. Therefore, Apple just might find more allies against the potential Lightning-port ban soon.
UVALDE, TexasThe state agency investigating the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde has determined that the commander facing criticism for the slow police response was not carrying a radio as the massacre unfolded, a Texas state senator said Friday.

Sen. Roland Gutierrez told The Associated Press in a brief telephone interview that a Texas Department of Public Safety official told him school district police Chief Pete Arredondo was without a radio during the May 24 attack by a lone gunman at Robb Elementary School that left 19 students and two teachers dead. Seventeen more people were injured.

Authorities have not said how Arredondo was communicating with other law enforcement officials at the scene, including the more than a dozen officers who were at one point waiting outside the classroom where the shooter was holed up. Arredondo heads the districts small department and was in charge of the multi-agency response to the shooting.

He has not responded to multiple interview requests from AP since the attack, including a telephone message left with district police Friday.

The apparently missing radio is the latest detail to underscore concerns about how police handled the shooting and why they didnt confront the gunman faster, even as anguished parents outside the school urged officers to go inside. The Justice Department has said it will review the law enforcement response.

Focus has turned to the chief in recent days after Steven McCraw, the head of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said Arredondo believed the active shooting had turned into a hostage situation, and that he made the wrong decision to not order officers to breach the classroom more quickly to confront the gunman.

Gutierrez, who represents Uvalde, complained Thursday that Arredondo was not informed of panicked 911 calls coming from students trapped inside a classroom where the gunman had holed up. The Democrat called it a system failure.

Police radios are a crucial source of real-time communication during an emergency and, according to experts, often how information from 911 calls is relayed to officers on the ground. Its unclear who at the scene was aware of the calls. Uvalde police did not respond to questions about the calls Thursday.

The shooter in Uvalde, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, spent roughly 80 minutes inside the school, and more than an hour passed from when the first officers followed him into the building and when he was killed by law enforcement, according to an official timeline.

Ramos slipped through an unlocked door into adjoining fourth-grade classrooms at 11:33, authorities said. He rapidly fired off more than 100 rounds.

Officers entered minutes later, exchanging fire with Ramos, and by 12:03 there were as many as 19 officers in the hallway outside the classroom, McCraw said. Authorities have not said where Arredondo was during this period.

Officers from other agencies urged the school police chief to let them move in because children were in danger, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they had not been authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.

A U.S. Border Patrol tactical team used a school employees key to unlock the classroom door and kill the gunman around 12:50 p.m., McCraw said.

Law enforcement and state officials have struggled to present an accurate timeline and details of the shooting and how police responded, sometimes providing conflicting information or withdrawing statements hours later. State police have said some accounts were preliminary and may change as more witnesses are interviewed.
Tokyo, June 4 (UNI) Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is planning to attend a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit that is slated for late June in Spain, a government source said on Saturday.

This would make him the first Japanese leader to be taking part in a Western alliance meet.

Kyodo News quoted the source as saying that Kishida's attendance at the June 29-30 event in Madrid is dependent on the domestic political situation leading up to a House of Councillors election likely to be held July 10.
A Valparaiso business executive was recently honored by the Chicago Paint & Coatings Association.

The 135-year-old trade association for the paint and coatings industry in Chicagoland conferred an Award of Excellence on Valparaiso resident Erik Olson, a sales executive with Producers Chemical Co., a chemical wholesaler headquartered in Sugar Grove in Chicago's western suburbs. He was recognized for his dedicated service to the association and commitment to the success of CPCA and to the industry.

Producers Chemical Co. distributes industrial chemicals like solvents, acids, alcohols, esters, aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, glycols, glycol ethers, ketones, phosphates and laboratory-grade chemicals nationwide.

It serves customers in a number of sectors such as printing, contract packagers, food producers, adhesives, lubricants, metal treatment, electronics, agriculture, municipal and pool and spa.

Olson is a past president of the Chicago Paint & Coatings Association who worked for nearly two decades as a sales manager for The Chidley & Peto Co., a regional specialty chemical distributor, before he joined Producers Chemical. He is a current board member of the Chicago Paint & Coatings Association who earned a bachelor's degree from Governors State University and a Master of Business Administration from Olivet Nazarene University.

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CROWN POINT  A Lake Criminal Court jury convicted a Chicago woman of murder Friday for fatally shooting her ex-girlfriend two years ago after learning she had started dating a man.

Lydia T. Conley, 39, could face a sentence of 45 to 65 years in prison for the murder of 40-year-old Delilah Martinez, who was shot in the back of her head and right side of her back about 2:55 a.m. Oct. 27, 2019, in front of her home in the 1100 block of 115th Street in Hammond's Robertsdale neighborhood.

Lake County Deputy Prosecutor Jessica Arnold said evidence and testimony presented this week showed Conley was begging Martinez to take her back and repeatedly asked if Martinez was seeing someone else.

In the days leading up to the homicide, Conley's conciliatory tone changed, and she began sending Martinez angry text messages, Arnold said.

The day before Martinez was killed, Conley moved her teenage daughter out of Martinez's home, despite plans to allow the girl to continue living there until the end of the school year or at least another month.

Conley's daughter, Felicia Conley, testified her mother repeatedly called Martinez and appeared to be more upset than ever after picking her up from Martinez's home.

When they arrived in Chicago, Conley told her daughter she wanted to be alone, sent the girl inside without going in herself and wasn't seen again that night by the daughter, Arnold said.

The same day Conley moved her daughter out, she got into a "road rage" incident with Martinez. During that incident, Conley saw Martinez's new boyfriend, Lucas Xavier Mercado, in Martinez's white Chevrolet and threatened to kill Martinez and Mercado, Arnold said.

Afterward, Martinez canceled plans to go out for drinks with a friend because "she was scared for her life," Arnold said.

Meanwhile, Conley borrowed a car from her sister-in-law, even though it was in need of repair, and turned off Google tracking data on her cellphone, the deputy prosecutor said.

Hammond police Detective Sgt. Brian Webber testified he still was able to obtain Conley's location data from T-Mobile and Facebook, and it showed she was in the area of Martinez's home at the time of the homicide.

Investigators also found surveillance video of Conley's sister-in-law's car traveling through an alley near Martinez's house, he said.

When Martinez's family told Conley that Martinez had been shot, Conley didn't go to the hospital.

Instead, she began accusing Martinez's teenage daughter of "playing" with her. She also left the daughter a voicemail, saying, "Your mom told me she was outside."

Conley knew where Martinez was when she was shot because Conley was there, Arnold said.

Defense attorney John Cantrell told jurors they had to be firmly convinced of Conley's guilt and argued Arnold and Deputy Prosecutor Maureen Koonce didn't present enough evidence to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.

In the days before the homicide, Mercado threw a brick through a window where "30 to 40 people" were having a house party in Chicago after he accompanied Martinez and her daughter on a trip to look for the daughter's boyfriend.

Later the same night, Mercado punched the boyfriend and an older man he lived with during a confrontation at the home where the boyfriend was staying in Chicago.

Cantrell said Hammond police never determined who lived at the party house or whether they were "homicidal maniacs" or "nice people playing Jenga."

"I really don't discount the age of who could be responsible," the defense attorney said. "Little kids have guns these days, and they're dangerous."

He criticized police for quickly ruling out the boyfriend and his family as suspects and never interviewing Conley's ex-girlfriend, despite a previous exchange between her and Martinez of two photos and one "trash-talking" text message.

Cantrell also questioned why the state never called Mercado to testify.

"I want to see all these people you think are suspects," Cantrell said. "I want to size them up."

Evidence regarding Conley's cellphone location data showed only that she was close to Martinez's house, not that she pulled the trigger, he said.

Arnold said Martinez's daughter's then-boyfriend, Jose Echabarria, and his family cooperated with police. Echabarria also testified this week that Martinez was more of a mother to him than his own mother, she said.

The defense wanted the jury to believe police didn't conduct a thorough investigation, but Webber testified for more than seven hours during the trial about the work police did, she said.

Webber testified he put in thousands of hours on the case.

"That is not a rush to judgment," Arnold said. "That is an investigation that is very thorough in order to find the right person."

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CROWN POINT  Three weeks after a man was convicted of murder for shooting a man to death in 2020 inside a Gary gas station, one of his co-defendants pleaded guilty to a reduced charge.

Myles Thomas, 27, of Gary, admitted to one count of aggravated battery, a level 3 felony, in the homicide of 29-year-old Rayvon Harris on Aug. 22, 2020, inside the Save gas station in the 4500 block of Broadway.

In exchange for Thomas' plea, Lake County prosecutors agreed to dismiss a count of murder.

Thomas' co-defendant, Courtney M. Moss, 32, of Gary, was convicted by a Lake Criminal Court jury May 12 of murdering Harris, of Gary.

Thomas admitted in his plea agreement he argued with Harris, who did not have a gun, and began to hit Harris. Moss shot Harris while Thomas was striking him, court records state.

If Judge Salvador Vasquez accepts Thomas' plea agreement, he would face a sentence of three to 10 years.

Level 3 felonies typically carry a possible penalty of three to 16 years, but prosecutors agreed to a 10-year cap. Thomas was represented by attorney James Thiros.

During Moss's trial earlier this month, Moss testified he had his 9mm handgun in his waistband as he watched Thomas and co-defendant Willie A. Jones Jr., 22, each strike Harris inside the gas station.

Moss claimed he shot Harris in self-defense, but the jury rejected his account of the shooting after watching surveillance videos.

Lake County Deputy Prosecutors Jacquelyn Altpeter and Jovanni Miramontes argued at trial the shooting was unjustified and Moss fired the shots that ultimately killed Harris.

Harris, a father of one son, died at the scene.

Jones, who was wounded in the shooting and lost a limb as a result, pleaded guilty in October to battery resulting in serious bodily injury, a level 5 felony. He testified against Moss and could face a sentence of one to six years.

A fourth co-defendant, Roy C. Akins Jr., 19, is accused of running into the gas station as the fight ended and firing an assault-style rifle at Harris.

Akins has never been arrested in the case. The U.S. Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to his arrest. Tips can be submitted by phone at 877-926-8332 or online at USMS Tips.

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GARY  Authorities are asking the public's help in finding a woman who was last seen before Memorial Day.

The Gary Police Department said Da'Shanice Davis may be in danger. She was last seen Sunday in the 2400 block of West 21st Avenue in Gary.

Davis is described as a 29-year-old black woman with brown eyes and brown hair. Police released a photo of her Friday in hopes that someone can alert authorities of her whereabouts.

Anyone who sees or has contact with Davis is asked to call 911. Anyone with information about her whereabouts can contact Gary Sgt. M. Salazar at 219-881-1209.

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Islamabad, June 4 (UNI) Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency on Saturday sought the arrest of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son and Punjab province Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz in a 16 billion Pakistani rupees money laundering case.

The FIA has told the Special Court (Central-I) that the agency wanted to arrest PM Sharif and Hamza in the Rs16 billion money laundering case filed against the father and son duo, according to Geo News.

During Saturday's hearing, the agency's lawyer said that they were "not part of the investigation".

However, Hamza's lawyer refuted the claims and accused the FIA of misleading the court.

The FIA has been investigating for the last one-and-a-half year and it has been unable to produce any evidence against them, the counsel of the both Pakistan Muslim League (N) leaders said during his argument.

The counsel also highlighted that the FIA interrogated them when they were in prison.

In December 2021, the agency had filed a 'challan' against Shehbaz and Hamza in the court for allegedly involved in laundering of 16 billion rupees in the sugar scam case, according to Geo News.

The team has "detected 28 benami accounts of the Shehbaz family through which money laundering of Rs16.3bn was committed during 2008-18. The FIA examined the money trail of 17,000 credit transactions," according to the FIA's report.

The interim bail of PM Shehbaz and Hamza was extended by the court till June 4 on the last hearing.

UNI VP RNJ
CROWN POINT  A Rensselaer man was arrested last week in connection with an August hit-and-run at the Cleveland-Cliffs steel mill in East Chicago that left a father of two young kids dead.

Nick A. Peterson, 60, is accused of hitting and killing 40-year-old Ryan Briney while driving a truck registered to the company that employed them both Aug. 21 in the 3300 block of Dickey Road.

Briney, of Portage, was taken by ambulance to St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago, where he was pronounced dead.

East Chicago police returned to the mill Aug. 22, after they were notified that a white truck had been found on the property with a dent on its front bumper and hood and suspected blood on its front bumper, Lake Criminal Court records show.

A magistrate entered a not guilty plea on Peterson's behalf to one count of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, a level 4 felony.

If convicted of the charge, Peterson could face a sentence of two to 12 years.

Peterson was released from jail May 27 after posting a bond of $35,000 surety or $3,500 cash, records showed.

According to charging documents, police arrived at the mill and found paramedics tending to Briney, who was working for Reftech International.

"There were 14 other employees, but none of them observed what happened except for a white truck fleeing the scene," court records state.

Police Sgt. Juda Parks interviewed all Reftech employees Aug. 23 and 24, and all of them denied driving a company vehicle the day of the hit-and-run except Peterson, records state.

On Aug. 27, a Reftech employee contacted Parks and said he was a passenger in the truck and Peterson was driving. The employee told police he didn't realize "anyone was struck while he was in the vehicle," court records state.

Peterson spoke to police Sept. 14 with his attorney, Steven Mullins, according to court documents.

Peterson said "he did not realize that he had struck anyone or anything," records state.

Briney was an ironworker with Local 395, which is based in Portage. He was working as a contractor at the East Chicago mill.

"Ryan was an eccentric, free spirit. He was a devoted father and loved his children," his family said in an obituary. "He was a loving member of Narcotics Anonymous. Ryan's unique personality showed through in everything he did and was always 'living the dream.'"

Briney had a 12-year-old child and took care of a 7-year-old child. He was active in helping addicts recover. A family member described him as "a mentor who people looked up to."

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MICHIGAN CITY  Life in prison is being sought for an inmate accused of killing and seriously injuring two correctional officers in stabbings at Indiana State Prison last year.

Tymetri Campbell is charged with murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery and prisoner possessing dangerous device or materials.

The LaPorte County prosecutors office also filed notice that life in prison without parole will be sought if Campbell is convicted of murder.

A hearing is scheduled June 10 to set a trial date in the case filed in LaPorte Superior Court 2.

Lt. Gene Lasco, 57, of LaPorte died from multiple stab wounds while Sgt. Padrick Schmitt, 22, of Lake Station was critically wounded in the knife attack in February 2021.

According to court documents, the 39-year-old Campbell somehow freed a hand out of one of the handcuffs he was wearing after taking a shower.

He pushed his way past a female correctional officer escorting him back to his cell.

She used her radio to alert other correctional officers that Campbell was on the loose.

Campbell was running down a stairwell when confronted by Schmitt, who was repeatedly stabbed by the inmate.

According to court documents, Campbell after reaching the main level was encountered by Lasco and stabbed him multiple times.

Court documents also revealed the female correctional officer pushed by Campbell stopped to try and slow the bleeding from a neck wound sustained by Lasco.

Campbell reemerged and holding more than one knife chased her.

The correctional officer ran inside a security cage and tried to shut the door but Campbell shoved his way in through the door.

She managed to escape by going inside an employee bathroom where other correctional officers were hiding with the door locked.

According to court documents, Campbell was moving in the direction of two other correctional officers with a knife in his hand when hit with pepper spray.

He dropped the knife and was tackled to the ground.

The two prison guards then regained control over Campbell, who stated Im sorry, according to court documents.

According to court documents, Campbell told investigators he freed one of his hands by using a homemade handcuff key.

In explaining the motive, investigators said Campbell claimed he felt possessed by a different entity and believed people were out to harm or kill him, according to court documents.

LaPorte County Prosecutor John Lake said the charges werent filed until now because Campbell is already serving a 130-year prison sentence for a triple murder.

He said that allowed plenty of time for the investigation and other evidence-gathering procedures to be conducted as thoroughly as possible before prosecuting the case.

Because hes already incarcerated, hes not going anywhere, he said.

Lake said seeking the death penalty is still under consideration.

Campbell pleaded guilty to the fatal shootings of three men that occurred in 2002 in Indianapolis.

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A Chicago police officer has been hospitalized in critical condition after she was shot on the citys South Side. In a news conference at the University of Chicago Medical Center, Police Supt. David Brown said that at 5:42 p.m. Wednesday two uniformed officers were in a marked squad car attempting a traffic stop. The car the officers were trying to pull over first sped up, and then slowed down to pull even with the squad car. Brown says that at that point, someone in the car started firing a gun at the officers. He says the officer who was driving was shot and wounded in her upper body. She's in critical but stable condition. Her name hasnt been released.
As children get older, the patterns change, but drowning remains a major risk. And the most important messages for older children involve swimming lessons with water safety competence as an essential life skill to be taught to all children; there are notable disparities in access to swimming lessons, and drowning rates are higher in minority populations. Adult supervision and never swimming alone are still essential, as well as Coast-Guard-approved life jackets, even for strong swimmers. Anyone involved in activities on water where there is a current (tubing on a river, for example) should be wearing one of those life vests.

So few people are aware that drowning is a big-kid problem too, said Ms. Gage, who is a member of Families United to Prevent Drowning, which makes many family stories available. When an older person drowns, its typically in open water, and typically theres a lot of victim blaming. People look for an explanation that involves reckless behavior, she said, or intoxication. In fact, she said, parents need to understand the importance of continuing to model safe behavior as their children get older. Wear life vests, just as you dont get into a car without a seatbelt, she said. Just because your child knows how to swim does not mean your child is drown-proof.

The risk of drowning increases greatly among teenagers, especially boys, and remains elevated into adulthood, and may be tied to risk-taking behaviors. Ms. Gage said that the only laws that regulate life vests are connected to boating  so people tend to assume that theres no need for life vests in other open water activities. And older children have also been affected by the circumstances of the Covid year, she said, with boat sales having increased and, again, with parents profoundly stressed and sometimes less able to supervise.

Ms. Hughes said that many parents who have been willing to take extreme precautions all year to avoid any chance of their children being exposed to Covid might not realize that statistically, drowning kills more young children  in 2019, 864 children 18 and under in the United States died by drowning, compared to about 300 pediatric deaths from Covid over the course of the pandemic.

Ms. Hughes said she worries that parents encourage children to believe that water is fun. And she said it is not enough to simply warn them about the risks. Since I spoke with her two years ago, she has become a strong believer in the value of swimming lessons for young children.

Some swim classes for kids may in fact rely on flotation devices, or on having children swim from one adult to another  which wont necessarily help if no adult is there, Ms. Hughes said. And those lessons may convey only the message that water is fun, she said, without the attendant warning that it can also be deadly. In an email, she wrote, When parents are trying to find a swim provider, especially for the age group most at risk (1 to 4), the most important question they should ask the swim instructor is: Will these lessons teach my child how to get to the surface and get oxygen independently?

I also checked back with Dr. Benjamin Hoffman, who is the medical director of the Tom Sargent Safety Center at Doernbecher Childrens Hospital in Oregon, and who was one of the authors of the American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement on drowning prevention, asking, among other things, whether there was new research available on successful strategies for keeping children safe. He is looking forward to results from a study in Florida that will look at the effectiveness of classes for children from 3 to 7 years old that specifically teach water survival skills beyond standard swimming lessons, but this research is just getting underway.
This is the fundamental weakness of every organization run as a cult of personality: The dear leader cant be everywhere or make every decision but often fails to provide the clear code of values that allows managers to independently shape their decisions around common goals. When the success of the company is tied to one mans whims, you get bizarre phenomena like managers deciding whether or not to take issues to Mr. Musk based on the shade of blond of his wifes hair that day (with platinum shades being correlated with better moods).

When the boss happens to run tunneling, rocket and brain-implant companies in addition to a high-profile car company, even the most brilliant minds will occasionally be too disconnected from the realities of the decisions that they must make. After the collapses of Theranos and WeWork  companies with similarly confident founders who insisted that they would achieve their soaring ambitions if given more time and money  Mr. Musks reliance on hype is especially jarring.

Indeed, the main difference between Mr. Musk and Silicon Valleys fallen heroes is that he has been able to deliver on some promises: Tesla does make cars, and SpaceX does land rockets. But as a number of old promises like fully self-driving cars appear to be more aspirational and less plausible, the distinction between him and those fallen heroes is starting to lose its meaning. His long list of unfulfilled commitments  a fully solar-powered electric vehicle charging network, a fully automated manufacturing system, an autonomous minibus and even a rocket-powered flying car  wildly exceed his achievements.

By moving to buy Twitter, Mr. Musk has not only added another distraction to his long list but has also already shown the same drive to announce sweeping decisions in public. While he had some success in realizing user features at Tesla, his contradictory goals of increasing algorithmic transparency and eliminating spam bots on Twitter are the most obvious sign that he intends to impose his will on the service without drawing on the expertise of workers who have been wrestling with Twitters thorniest challenges.

Ultimately Mr. Musks goals for Twitter, as they are for Tesla, are not about making the right decisions for his companies or the people who make them possible. They are about playing to the crowd and burnishing the legend that keeps fresh bodies and minds moving through the businesses that chew them up and spit them out. Now if Twitter falls into his control, Mr. Musk will have seized the means of making the product he has always cared about most: his own myth making.
FIXIN, France  More than 200 years ago, the early French wine authority Andre Jullien, in his book Topography of All Known Vineyards, cited the Clos de la Perriere as being among the top vineyards in all of Burgundy.

He ranked the vineyard, here in this small village near the northern end of the Cote dOr, the heart of Burgundy, in hallowed territory alongside Chambertin and Musigny, illustrious names still murmured reverentially today and among the most prized and coveted of all wines.

His praise was echoed in 1855 by Jules Lavalle, a botanist and authority on Burgundys vineyards, in his seminal work History and Statistics of the Vine and of the Great Wines of the Cote dOr. Lavalle, if he does not place Clos de la Perriere in his highest echelon of vineyards, holds it among the best with other esteemed names like Bonnes Mares and Grands Echezeaux.

Yet today, Clos de la Perrieres exalted past is largely forgotten and its owner, Domaine Joliet, is little known. The wines of Fixin are often lost in the shadow of Gevrey-Chambertin, the vineyards renowned neighbor to the south, to which it is often considered a rustic cousin, as Jasper Morris put it in the most recent edition of his book Inside Burgundy.
Judge Elizabeth L. Gleicher wrote in the ruling that the Board of State Canvassers did not have a clear legal duty to compare all of the signatures on the petitions for Mr. Craig to the Qualified Voter File, a registry maintained by the state, as Mr. Craig had argued. Some of the signatures were cross-checked with that database, and none had redeeming qualities, according to the staff report that was cited in the ruling.

In Mr. Johnsons challenge, the Michigan Court of Appeals reached a similar conclusion, writing in its ruling on Wednesday that the canvassing board had a clear legal duty to investigate, but it did not have a clear legal duty to conduct a comparison of each fraudulent signature against the Qualified Voter File.

In its review last week of the nominating petitions, the Michigan Bureau of Elections issued a stinging criticism of the methods used by the candidates campaigns to collect signatures and the operatives working for the candidates.

The bureau is unaware of another election cycle in which this many circulators submitted such a substantial volume of fraudulent petition sheets consisting of invalid signatures, the bureau said. It also clarified that it saw no evidence that the candidates had any knowledge of the fraud.

Election officials said they had identified 36 people who had submitted fraudulent petition sheets consisting entirely of invalid signatures. On May 23, 19 candidates learned that they had not met the signature requirement to get onto the ballot, including three Republicans and one Democrat seeking House seats, and 10 nonpartisan candidates seeking judicial posts.

More than half of the 21,305 signatures submitted by Mr. Craigs campaign were rejected, leaving him with 10,192 valid signatures, the bureau said in its report, which noted that little effort had been made to vary handwriting.

In some cases, rather than attempting varying signatures, the circulator would intentionally scrawl illegibly, the bureau said of the petitions for Mr. Craig. In other instances, they circulated petition sheets among themselves, each filling out a line.
After two years she transferred to the Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in Virginia, earning a bachelors degree in art history there in 1945.

She went on to do graduate work at Ohio State University, first studying printmaking, then sculpture, although she encountered some resistance in that genre.

I ran into problems of not only racism but also sexism, she said, where my professors felt that women shouldnt do welding because of the heavy equipment involved. So she focused on painting and on broadening her study of art history, developing particular expertise in Asian and pre-Columbian art. She earned a masters degree there in 1948  the year she married Paul G. Lewis, a mathematician  and in 1951 became the first Black woman to receive a Ph.D. in fine arts and art history at the university. A posting on a university website once called her the godmother of African-American art.

In 1953 Dr. Lewis was appointed head of the art department at Florida A&M University, which needed bolstering. According to the book African Americans in the Visual Arts (2003), by Steven Otfinoski, she once told the university president that she would paint his portrait in exchange for more funding for her department.

The Lewises became active in civil rights issues, and harassment by the Ku Klux Klan and others led them to leave Florida in 1958, when Dr. Lewis took a teaching post at the State University of New York in Plattsburgh. In 1966 she took a post at California State University at Long Beach. That same year she made the first of several short documentaries, The Black Artists, a survey of African American art.

Though she was vocal about Black art and artists, Dr. Lewis said that, especially in her teaching, she tried to draw on her expertise in Asian art and other areas to make connections.
Teslas chief executive, Elon Musk, plans to cut 10 percent of the electric carmakers salaried work force, he told staff in an email on Friday.

The job cuts will not apply to employees who build cars or batteries or who install solar panels, and the number of hourly employees will increase, Mr. Musk said in the email, a copy of which was reviewed by The New York Times. Tesla will be reducing salaried head count by 10 percent, as we have become over staffed in many areas, he said.

Reuters reported the news earlier, citing a different email that Mr. Musk sent only to Tesla executives. The automakers share price closed on Friday down about 9 percent after that article was published.

Teslas staff has grown substantially as sales have surged and it has built new factories, including two that opened this year near Berlin and Austin, Texas. The company employed more than 99,000 workers at the end of last year. Just two years earlier, Tesla had 48,000.
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June 1 marks the beginning of Pride month, when parades pop up in cities around the world and rainbows start appearing in ads for liquor, banks, makeup and big-box department stores.

These events and campaigns are visible shows of support for the L.G.B.T.Q. community. Theyre also good for business. Sometimes lumped under the label of rainbow capitalism, pride ads and merchandise are often the subject of jokes and memes that question the sincerity of corporate marketing and the influencers who help boost such messages. This year, the online ribbing started right away.

Katie Johantgen riffed on a common joke format just after midnight on June 1: an emotional coming-out message, ending with the reveal of a brand partnership: Ive realized life is short, she wrote on Twitter, which is why this pride Ive decided to partner with Taco Bell, so I can Live Mas.
Islamabad, June 4 (UNI) The Islamabad High Court (IHC) passed an order stopping the police from arresting former interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and has instead sought details of cases registered against him during the PTIs long march, The News reported on Saturday.

IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah who heard the case, in which the petitioner stated that he had been granted bail in four cases, but now another case had been registered against him.

On the courts query, the petitioner said he was still a member of the National Assembly, following the court granted the petitioner protective bail and adjourned the case.

The IHC CJ also dismissed a contempt of court petition against the prime minister, Punjab chief minister, interior minister and the capital police chief, declaring it non maintainable.

Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard the case filed by Advocate Kalsoom Khaliq, seeking contempt of court proceedings because cases had been registered against PTI workers on the night of May 25 while the top court had ordered to release them.

To which the chief justice remarked that the apex court had disposed of the matter.

UNI ACL
The primary initially produced a photo finish in which both campaigns calling for all votes to be counted vividly contrasted with how Republican supporters of former President Donald J. Trump reacted to his loss in Pennsylvania in 2020, when he and his allies tried to block the counting of ballots beyond Election Day.

Mr. Trump, who endorsed Dr. Oz, urged him the day after the election to follow his own conspiratorial script  he still maintains the presidential election was stolen  and declare victory before all the votes were in.

Dr. Oz, the longtime host of The Dr. Oz Show on daytime television, mostly ignored the advice. But as the recount began on May 27, he declared himself the presumptive nominee. The recount was ordered by Leigh M. Chapman, the states acting secretary of the commonwealth, and was triggered automatically by Pennsylvania law because the gap between candidates was under 0.5 percent.

Armies of lawyers for the candidates challenged small batches of provisional ballots in front of county election boards, sought hand recounts in certain precincts and went to court, scrapping over every vote. Mr. McCormick, who led his opponent on mail ballots, sued to include 850 or so mail-in votes that were received on time but did not have voters handwritten dates on the envelopes. Although he received a favorable ruling from the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, it was clear that there just werent enough outstanding votes under any scenario for Mr. McCormick to prevail.

Suspense around the race for weeks deflected attention from Mr. Fetterman, who suffered a stroke May 13, days before the election, leading to a hospital stay and the implantation of a pacemaker and defibrillator in his heart. Mr. Fettermans absence from the campaign trail ever since and his refusal until Friday to offer more than scant details of his condition raised questions about his ability to campaign in the general election.
Television stations in North Carolina made the unusual decision on Friday to take down an attack ad against Cheri Beasley, a Democratic Senate candidate, after complaints that the ad falsely accused Ms. Beasley of freeing a man convicted on charges of possessing lewd images of children when she served as chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.

The ad, made by the Republican Senate campaign arm, highlighted the case of a child porn offender, and it accused Ms. Beasley of having voted to set him free. A female narrator spoke ominously over images of a young girl and jail bars sliding open.

On Friday, five TV stations in Raleigh and Charlotte said they would pull the ad or that they had paused it pending an examination of its claims, according to emails from the stations to Courtney Weisman, a lawyer working for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which were reviewed by The New York Times.

On Thursday, two Charlotte stations took the ad off the air. A representative for the stations, WAXN and WSOC, explained in an email to Ms. Weisman that the ads claim about Ms. Beasley is in error, as it appears the defendant was not set free by the State Supreme Court decision.
Garett Koger, a lawyer for Mr. Markey, lamented the courts decision in an email on Friday night, but did not say what the campaigns next steps might be.

We respect the courts decision and understand it was under an extreme time crunch, but we are disappointed it didnt take Mr. Markeys case up and rule on the merits, Mr. Koger said. Its our position Michigans voters should have had a robust field of candidates this August rather than it being narrowed by an unchecked bureaucracy.

The ruling came as the state faced a Friday deadline for completing ballots for the Aug. 2 primary, which state election officials have said is crucial for programming computers and preparing absentee ballots.

In its review last week of the nominating petitions, the Michigan Bureau of Elections issued a stinging criticism of the methods used by the candidates campaigns to collect signatures and the operatives working for the candidates.

The bureau is unaware of another election cycle in which this many circulators submitted such a substantial volume of fraudulent petition sheets consisting of invalid signatures, the bureau said. It also clarified that it saw no evidence that the candidates had any knowledge of the fraud.

Election officials said they had identified 36 people who had submitted fraudulent petition sheets consisting entirely of invalid signatures. On May 23, 19 candidates learned that they had not met the signature requirement to get onto the ballot, including three Republicans and one Democrat seeking House seats, and 10 nonpartisan candidates seeking judicial posts.

More than half of the 21,305 signatures submitted by Mr. Craigs campaign were rejected, leaving him with 10,192 valid signatures, the bureau said in its report, which noted that little effort had been made to vary handwriting.
The attorney general of Wisconsin said that a 68-year-old man was killed in his home on Friday in a shooting that appeared to be motivated by a judicial matter, and that others might have been targeted in connection to the case.

Josh Kaul, the attorney general, said in a news conference that the shooting appeared to be based on some sort of court case or court cases. He added that we are not aware of any evidence indicating that there is any active danger to other individuals.

While Mr. Kaul did not identify the man who had died, an official identified the victim of the shooting as John Roemer, who had served as a judge in Juneau County for several years.

Image Judge John Roemer in 2007. Credit... Tom Loucks/Daily Tribune-USA TODAY NETWORK

The killing unfolded early Friday morning in New Lisbon, a small, rural town in central Wisconsin. Around 6:30 a.m., according to authorities, the Juneau County Sheriffs Office received a call that said an armed individual was at a New Lisbon home and that two shots had been fired. The person who contacted the police had left the home and called from a nearby house.
For years, the suspects were legion:

Humphrey Bogart. Shirley Temple. Elizabeth Taylor. Brooke Shields. Bob Dole. Richard M. Nixon.

Any one of them, or so the urban legends ran, might have been the model for the most ubiquitous baby picture in the world: the charcoal sketch of the winsome infant that for more than 90 years has graced the label of every Gerber product, from infant formula to baby food to bottled juice.

But the one name no one thought to mention  because for half a century no one knew it  was that of Ann Turner Cook, a retired schoolteacher who died early Friday at her home in St. Petersburg, Fla., her family confirmed on Saturday. She was 95.

Ms. Cook was the bona fide Gerber baby, the winner of a nationwide contest in 1928 that has since seen her portrait reproduced on billions of jars of baby food and other items sold round the world.

In 1990, The New York Times described the sketch, by the artist Dorothy Hope Smith, as being among the worlds most recognizable corporate logos.
Ive come to think of that impulse to know as academic team energy. More than just a drive to understand things better, it is also the joy of knowing, of taking a fact from a page in a book and putting it in my brain, where I will keep it forever.

But if youve spent a lot of time online or tried to talk about politics with someone youve just met, you probably have witnessed a different kind of relationship to knowledge. I call it debate team energy, the irritating cousin of academic team energy, in which the point of the discussion isnt a craving for information but a lust for victory. Its an irrepressible need to achieve some sort of win in a conversation with someone who will inevitably regret participating in it.

Debate team energy is characterized by loudness and fast talking. And even if you think you know quite a bit about a given topic, a person hopped up on debate team energy, now your opponent, seems dismissive of your ideas and convinced that a conversation about the best ways to combat climate change or stop mass shootings is actually a battle in which the aim is to destroy you.

Of course, winning was part of academic team ethos, too, but victory required answering questions the other teams couldnt, not beating them into submission. One team won, and one team lost, and we shook hands and moved on with our lives, with more knowledge and no simmering loathing for our opposition.

Debate team energy is abundant in our culture. It fuels the way that some media outlets cover politics; everything is up for debate. It floods basically any conversation people attempt to have on Twitter. And it is at play in so many of our discussions these days, as we regard those with opposing views as losers and jerks.
If the new Lucy Calkins curriculum addresses and accomplishes all of the above, it will be worthwhile and will benefit todays students and those in generations to come.

Athena Galitsis

Beechhurst, N.Y.

To the Editor:

The decades-long debate over how to teach reading has flared up anew. What this and prior deliberations fail to factor in is a harsh and immutable reality that is present before a child ever sets foot in the classroom: 90 percent of the brain develops in the first five years.

It is heartbreaking that two out of three of American children are missing critical literacy benchmarks in fourth and eighth grade. And no amount of reading instruction  phonics-based or otherwise  will work if it is built on an inadequate early literacy foundation. If that foundation is not laid in the first five years, everything that is tried in the classroom will fall short, with devastating consequences for our childrens  and our societys  future.

How to teach reading? Begin at birth. Provide parents with consistent support and tools from Day 1. Help them build a rich and robust home literacy environment that includes lots of books. Help ensure that children arrive at kindergarten strong and ready for what lies ahead.

Only once we stop ignoring the first five years can we meaningfully turn to the debate over how to teach reading.

Ginger Young

Chapel Hill, N.C.

The writer is the founder and C.E.O. of Book Harvest, which provides books and literacy support to children and families.

To the Editor:

I was disturbed to see that the pendulum continues to swing back and forth between phonics and emphasis on meaning in reading.
All four of those I talked to also recommended trying to get your kid to empathize with the kid he or she is sparring with. Sally Hunter, a clinical associate professor of child and family studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, said she tries to tell her kids that they might not have all the information about what is going on in another childs life that may lead him or her to lash out. She tells her sons that they cant control how someone else behaves and that they can only control their own responses: Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent your reaction, she said.

In terms of their reactions, if our kids find themselves getting overly heated in an argument with a friend, Dr. Towery said, though it takes a lot of maturity, we can advise them to just walk away until theyre less worked up. Let the other person know and then come back when youre more calm.

While we want to give our kids tools to deal with conflict without having to get directly involved ourselves, that doesnt mean we should leave them to fend for themselves in a bullying situation. I asked Saskia Ferrar, a psychologist at Montreal Childrens Hospital who has done research on adolescents and conflict resolution, about how to tell the difference between bullying and normal conflict among kids. She emailed:

The biggest difference between ordinary peer conflict and bullying comes down to power. In ordinary peer conflict, the children are on equal footing. By contrast, bullying involves repeated acts of aggression inflicted by someone with more power onto someone with less power. This power can be physical, where the bully dominates the victim because they are bigger and stronger. But it can also be based on status, such as when a more popular child repeatedly makes fun of a less popular peer. In either case, the victimized child is made to feel inferior in some way. Signs to look out for might include the frequency and intensity of the conflicts and the childs perception of what they can do about it. When a child tells their parent that they cant assert themselves because so-and-so is stronger, has a bigger friend group or because speaking out will lead to further exclusion or abuse, bullying may be occurring.

If you suspect your child is being bullied or is the bully themselves, speaking to your childs teacher, camp counselor, another childs parent or another authority figure involved would be appropriate. But when we can, we should try to butt out, especially as our kids get older. I would encourage parents to follow their kids lead: some will want their parents help and advice, while others might just want support and validation, said Ferrar.

In my daughters case, she just wanted to vent, and she was mildly horrified by my joking suggestion of a retort. Even though she knew I wasnt seriously suggesting that she mock the other kid right back, I do think she appreciated that I made it clear he was in the wrong and that she didnt have to accept his disrespect. Though I hate the idea of anyone talking smack to her, a part of life is learning how to navigate that and get a thick-enough skin, said Dr. Towery. The more parents stay out of that, the more kids will learn how.
But hospital officials soon realized that few cases met this narrow criterion, and the committee had to decline many applications. As some of those women resorted to self-induced abortion or underground surgeries, Dr. Marder said, the committee broadened eligibility to women who displayed a disorder of thinking, feeling or behavior producing a breakdown in living so that the individual cannot deal with reality or cannot function.

That created its own tension as psychiatrists struggled to discern whether a womans stated intent to kill herself was truthful. With many doctors reflexively discounting suicide threats, a desperate woman could become insistent during the psychiatric assessment. The patient may consciously exaggerate all of her symptoms and frequently can be considered manipulative and malingering, Dr. Marder noted. Any hope of conducting a careful assessment, one San Francisco psychiatrist commented, was compromised from the outset.

As more states liberalized their abortion statutes between 1967 and 1973  13 states extended exceptions to circumstances including the health of the woman and four states repealed abortion bans  psychiatrists increasingly faced painful dilemmas, among them the vast discrepancy in access to abortion. Middle- and upper-class women in psychoanalysis, those who knew the right words with which to request an abortion (which, according to a 1967 article about abortion in New York City was if I have this baby Ill kill myself) and those with means to pay a psychiatrist to evaluate them in the first place had a clear advantage in obtaining approval for abortions.

Compounding the problem, psychiatrists did not have a strong database on which to draw to determine whether a pregnancy was likely to constitute a threat to the life and mental health of a given woman. (Even now, that remains true.)

The approval process placed psychiatrists in an ethically tenuous position. Though a 1969 survey of psychiatrists found that 79.5 percent (71.7 percent without qualification, and 7.8 percent with qualification) believed that abortion should be available to any woman capable of giving legal consent, some were uneasy about rubber-stamping permission for women who were not seriously mentally ill or truly suicidal.

Others committed small acts of rebellion, stretching boundaries. I recommended abortion for all, recalled Dr. H. Steven Moffic in a recent Psychiatric Times article. My mental health analysis at the time was not only about the mental health of the would-be mothers, but their upcoming children if abortion was not done.

The hypocrisy grated on some. One psychiatrist rued in The New England Journal of Medicine in 1969 that humanitarian rationales for abortion could masquerade under psychiatric labels. Yet others lamented the arbitrariness of approval, noting that the psychiatrists anxieties concerning humanitarian, social, economic, and religious considerations rather than any definite psychiatric criteria play a definite role in his objections or consent.
Yet when I read the broader theories of hawkish commentators, their ideas about Americas strategic vision and what kind of endgame we should be seeking in the war, I still find myself baffled by their confidence and absolutism.

For instance, for all their defensive successes, we have not yet established that Ukraines military can regain significant amounts of territory in the countrys south and east. Yet we have Anne Applebaum of The Atlantic insisting that only Putins defeat and indeed humiliation can restore European stability, while elsewhere in the same magazine Casey Michel calls for dismantling the Russian Federation, framed as the decolonization of Russias remaining empire, as the only policy for lasting peace.

Or again, the United States has currently committed an extraordinary sum to back Ukraine  far more than we spent in foreign aid to Afghanistan in any recent year, for instance  and our support roughly trebles the support offered by the European Union. Yet when this newspapers editorial board raised questions about the sustainability of such support, the response from many Ukraine hawks was a furious how dare you  with an emphasis, to quote Benjamin Wittes of the Brookings Institution, on Ukraines absolute right to fight until every inch of their territory is free, Americas strictly modest and advisory role in Ukrainian decision making and the importance of offering Kyiv, if not a blank check, at least a very very big check with more checks to follow.

These theories all seem to confuse what is desirable with what is likely, and what is morally ideal with what is strategically achievable. I have written previously about the risks of nuclear escalation in the event of a Russian military collapse, risks that hawkish theories understate. But given the state of the war right now, the more likely near-future scenario is one where Russian collapse remains a pleasant fancy, the conflict becomes stalemated and frozen, and we have to put our Ukrainian policy on a sustainable footing without removing Putins regime or dismantling the Russian empire.

In that scenario, our plan cannot be to keep writing countless checks while tiptoeing modestly around the Ukrainians and letting them dictate the ends to which our guns and weaponry are used. The United States is an embattled global hegemon facing threats more significant than Russia. We are also an internally divided country led by an unpopular president whose majorities may be poised for political collapse. So if Kyiv and Moscow are headed for a multiyear or even multidecade frozen conflict, we will need to push Ukraine toward its most realistic rather than its most ambitious military strategy. And just as urgently, we will need to shift some of the burden of supporting Kyiv from our own budget to our European allies.
ORLANDO, Fla.  The first tropical threat of the hurricane season in Florida drenched the southern part of the state, leaving behind flooded streets, motorists calling for help from stranded cars and even a sewage overflow.

In Miami, drivers faced slashing rains and impassable streets that disrupted the city and surrounding areas throughout Saturday. The citys fire department responded to several people caught in cars amid the rising waters, rescuing residents from flooded areas and bringing them to higher ground. Six high-water vehicles with mammoth tires were deployed in the city, the department said on Twitter.

Winds of 40 miles per hour did not meet the threshold necessary for the system to be classified as Tropical Storm Alex, but they did slosh water into the downtown area, which lapped up against sandbags and door frames.

The storm brought more than 10 inches of rain to Miami over a 72-hour span, according to AccuWeather. Key Largo, about 70 miles south of the city, received 11 inches, and Biscayne Park, north of Miami, was hit with 11.6.
Barry Sussman, the editor closest to The Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein as they covered the Watergate break-in and pursued the subsequent scandal that led to President Richard M. Nixons resignation, died on Wednesday at his home in Rockville, Md. He was 87.

His daughter Shari Sussman Golob said the cause was unknown.

Most of the glory for guiding The Posts Pulitzer Prize-winning Watergate coverage fell to Ben Bradlee, the papers colorful executive editor. But it was Mr. Sussman, as the District of Columbia editor and later the Watergate editor, who was an indispensable partner to Mr. Woodward and Mr. Bernstein.

Barry was constantly in touch with them, constantly reacting to the things they were finding and where they might lead, Leonard Downie Jr., who, as the papers deputy metropolitan editor at the time, was Mr. Sussmans boss, said in a phone interview. He was always looking ahead, trying to figure out where the story was going.

Mr. Sussman played that inquisitive role for about a year, starting with the break-in of the Democratic National headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington on June 17, 1972. The burglary was a local news story, so Mr. Sussman called Mr. Woodward into the office to start reporting.
He is frustrated just like me, just like everyone else, said State Senator Roland Gutierrez, a Democrat who represents Uvalde and who made his own interruption at another Abbott news conference, urging the governor to call for a special session of the Texas Legislature to pass gun-control legislation.

Mr. ORourkes campaign for governor is an uphill battle that some say remains all but impossible in Texas, where Republicans have a solid grip on state power.

No Democrat has won a statewide race in Texas since November 1994 and no Democrat has occupied the governors mansion since January 1995, the last day of Gov. Ann W. Richardss tenure. Despite years of Democratic promises of a blue wave, Texas keeps passing and enforcing some of the most conservative policies in the country. Democratic organizers continue to grapple with low voter turnout as Republicans have made gains in South Texas border cities. And in the governors race, Mr. Abbott has a significant financial advantage  he had nearly $50 million in cash on hand compared to Mr. ORourkes roughly $6.8 million as of Feb. 19, according to the latest Texas Ethics Commission filings.

Their prospects are bleak, said Cal Jillson, a political analyst and professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. In a good year, they can win some down-ballot offices and even some Texas state legislative seats, but they have not been able to break through statewide, and 2022 is not shaping up to be a good year.

For the longtime Democratic strategists and activists who have been working to turn the state blue, recent electoral contests have left them at once optimistic and worried. Mr. ORourkes Senate bid in 2018 re-energized the party and helped sway down-ballot races in favor of Democrats as he came within three percentage points of unseating Senator Ted Cruz.

But Texas Republicans were aided by higher turnout in smaller counties in the 2020 election, and those largely rural areas have been shifting even more to the right. In a Republican primary runoff for attorney general two weeks ago, Ken Paxton, the Trump-backed incumbent, trounced George P. Bush, the states land commissioner and the last member of the Bush family still in public office.

Mr. ORourke, the former El Paso congressman, has cast the race between himself and Mr. Abbott as a choice between old leadership beholden to the gun lobby and his vision for a state where weapons of war are removed from civilian life. At the Dallas forum on Wednesday, he said he had rushed the stage to confront the governor in Uvalde because he wished someone had done the same after a mass shooting at a Walmart in his hometown of El Paso in 2019.
A former Air Force sergeant who participated online in an extremist anti-government movement was sentenced on Friday to 41 years in prison for murdering a federal security officer and injuring another outside a courthouse in Oakland, Calif., according to court documents.

Steven Carrillo, who was on active duty at the time of the attack but has since been discharged from the military, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder of a government employee and attempted murder of a government employee.

The murder took place on the night of May 29, 2020, during an intense period of protests focused on the killing of George Floyd, and that was by design, according to court documents. Mr. Carrillo aimed to heighten a period of civil unrest, with the ultimate goal of destroying the government, court documents said.

The attack took the form of a drive-by shooting, said the documents, with an accomplice of Mr. Carrillos, Robert Alvin Justus Jr., driving a van while Mr. Carrillo fired on two guards at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse.
Officers with the Uvalde school districts police force had gone through active shooter training as recently as two months ago, with guidelines that call for them to confront a gunman to halt the bloodshed. A first responder unwilling to place the lives of the innocent above their own safety should consider another career field, the guidelines say.

While some of the first officers on the scene initially moved toward the door that the gunman was behind, they were grazed with bullets, and the district police chief decided to delay a confrontation, officials have said. A growing group of officers waited for more than an hour outside the classrooms where the gunman had opened fire, even as children inside the rooms called 911 and pleaded for help.

There is a precedent for bringing charges against law enforcement for its response to a mass casualty event. In the shooting that killed 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Fla., four years ago, prosecutors are pursuing a criminal case against Scot Peterson, arguing that as a school resource officer, the laws that apply to caregivers should apply to him. Mr. Peterson, who prosecutors say took cover behind a wall while a gunman moved through several floors of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, has been charged with seven felony counts of child neglect.

Mr. Peterson had been trained in how to deal with mass shootings several times and was an instructor for active killer training, according to a statement filed by prosecutors. The training prioritized the lives of deputies third, after hostages or victims and innocent bystanders, but before suspects. Officers in Uvalde were taught similar priorities in their active shooting training.
Since 2020, when Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong, the local government has essentially banned public commemorations of the 1989 killings, which wiped out a student-led protest movement calling for democratic change in China. Taipei  the capital of Taiwan, which has resisted Chinas claims of sovereignty for decades  has since emerged as the new center for remembrance of the massacre.

On Saturday, people who joined commemorations in Taipei, Sydney and London said they had also come to denounce the erasure of political freedoms in Hong Kong, as well as Chinas draconian policies in two other regions, Xinjiang and Tibet.

Now Hong Kong can no longer tell the truth and the real history, we must pass on this history even more in Taiwan, said Henry Tong, a 41-year-old from Hong Kong who moved to Taiwan last year and attended this years vigil in Taipei. Because of Hong Kongs prohibition and suppression, it has blossomed everywhere.

In London, protesters held signs with slogans like Democracy Now! in front of Chinas Embassy and brought a cardboard replica of a military tank, an image indelibly associated with the crackdown 33 years ago. Lawmakers and activists who had fled to Britain from Hong Kong were lined up to speak.
Britain has called the program a humanitarian, post-colonial responsibility after a crackdown in Hong Kong by the Chinese government, saying that Beijing is violating the terms of a handover agreement in 1997 that would leave the former British colony untouched politically.

From bustling cities like Birmingham in the Midlands to vibrant towns like Kingston, south of London, tens of thousands of people from Hong Kong have spent the past year searching for jobs and new homes. They have settled into fast-growing communities of other people from Hong Kong, a comfort for many, but at the cost of leaving behind a city where they had once hoped to grow old with their children, often having to say painful farewells to loved ones.

You grow up in a place, and you dont recognize it. It becomes a stranger, Mr. Wong said on a recent afternoon, reflecting on the changes in Hong Kong as he mixed evaporated milk into a kettle of steaming tea. When we think of it, we just want to cry.

He said that he had been forced to leave his ailing father behind in Hong Kong, but that concern for the future of his 4-year-old daughter, after whom he has named his new business in England, had trumped other concerns. People say I brought Trini to England, he said, but I think of it as the opposite: Trini brought me here.
That lingering uncertainty poses an acute challenge to Charles, who at 73 is already the longest-serving heir in British history. His unspoken transition into the sovereigns role amounts to a kind of soft launch, royal experts said, allowing Britons to get used to the idea of him as king. But with Buckingham Palace averse to designating him a regent, the delineation of his duties can become constitutionally tricky.

Prince Charles is now the de facto, front-of-house head of state, said Peter Hunt, a former royal correspondent for the BBC. A frail queen will mostly be a virtual presence in our lives. Whats yet to be resolved is what happens if she can no longer carry out her core duties, such as her weekly discussions with the prime minister.

The four-day jubilee, which concludes Sunday, has served as a vivid reminder that the queen remains the most popular member of the royal family. She has a 75 percent approval rating, according to a recent poll by the market research firm YouGov. Her grandson Prince William is the next most favored, with a 66 percent approval rating, while Charles is at 50 percent, a number that has ticked up slightly over the last year.

For those who lined the Mall in front of Buckingham Palace on Thursday, including admirers from the United States and other countries around the world, the queen was clearly the main attraction. Her initial, surprise appearance on the balcony to inspect the troops drew a thunderous cheer. And her absence at St. Pauls, while not a surprise given the forbidding logistics, was a letdown.

On Saturday morning, the police briefly evacuated Trafalgar Square after finding a suspicious vehicle, an unnerving reminder of the terrorist attacks that have struck London over the years. The police said this incident was not related to terrorism, and the square was reopened to traffic by midday.
LONDON  The police evacuated crowds and cordoned off Trafalgar Square in central London on Saturday morning after responding to a report of a suspicious vehicle, rattling the British capital on the third day of Queen Elizabeths Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The Metropolitan Police said on Twitter that the incident, first reported at 9:22 a.m., was not related to terrorism, though they did not specify how they had come to that conclusion. A photograph by the Reuters news agency showed a vehicle being removed on the back of a police truck. The square was reopened by midday.

This was investigated and after police took action we have no further concern, the police tweeted. This was not terrorism related.

Trafalgar Square lies at the opposite end of the Mall from Buckingham Palace, where a large concert is scheduled for Saturday evening as part of the jubilee festivities.
SIVERSK DISTRICT, Ukraine  One of the few civilians still driving on a road leading toward the battle front, Oleksandr Chaplik skidded to a stop and leaned out the car window to swap information with a villager.

He was taking supplies back to his village, one of a handful still in Ukrainian hands that lie in the path of the Russian advance.

We are surrounded on all sides, said Mr. Chaplik, 55, a dairy and livestock farmer. It is the second month without light, without water, without gas, without communication, without the internet, without news. Basically, horror.

But people need to eat, he said. I am a businessman. So I am doing my job.

Mr. Chaplik owns about 75 acres of land near the city of Sievierodonetsk, where Russian and Ukrainian troops have been battling for control in heavy street fighting in recent days. The countryside around his farm is under almost constant bombardment by Russian forces trying to encircle the easternmost Ukrainian forces and lay siege to Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk.
China, Timor-Leste expect to expand pragmatic cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure

Xinhua) 14:05, June 04, 2022

DILI, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Timor-Leste's Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak and visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi agreed to cement bilateral ties and expand pragmatic cooperation to support Timor-Leste's economic recovery here on Friday.

Ruak said since the establishment of diplomatic ties, Timor-Leste and China have been conducting mutually beneficial cooperation in a broad range of fields. He expressed gratitude to China for its support to his country in safeguarding security, coping with disasters, fighting epidemics, and for standing up for Timor-Leste on the international arena and backing it to integrate into the international system.

Timor-Leste will firmly adhere to the one-China policy, expand friendly cooperation, and open up new prospects for the development of bilateral relations, Ruak added.

For his part, Wang said the Chinese side also supports Timor-Leste in its efforts to safeguard sovereignty, independence and national dignity, choose a development path and governance model of its own, and play a bigger role in regional and international affairs.

He said China is willing to work with the Timor-Leste side to draw successful experiences of bilateral exchanges to work out a joint plan for the development of bilateral ties in the next two decades.

Wang said both sides signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and the "one network", "one expressway" and "one port" projects have been undertaken by Chinese enterprises in Timor-Leste, which have greatly improved the infrastructure and people's livelihood in the country.

The Chinese-built projects include the Timor-Leste State Grid, the Suai-Beaco Highway, the country's first expressway, and the Tibar Bay Port.

China is ready to work with Timor-Leste to map out a BRI cooperation plan and determine key areas, so as to inject new impetus into Timor-Leste's post-pandemic economic recovery as well as its mid- and long-term development, he added.

In 2021, Timor-Leste's export to China increased by more than 90 times, fully demonstrating the huge potential of bilateral economic and trade cooperation, Wang said.

China welcomes Timor-Leste to make full use of the opportunities provided by China's super-large market and encourages Chinese enterprises to invest in Timor Leste to support its economic development, he said.

China will continue to send medical teams to Timor-Leste to support its fight against COVID-19, Wang added.

Ruak said Timor-Leste looks forward to seizing vast development opportunities brought by China to expand bilateral practical cooperation in economic and trade investment, infrastructure, education and tourism, speed up self-development and bring more benefits to the Timor-Leste people.

Wang said China stands ready to strengthen cooperation with other developing countries, adhere to independence, speed up respective development and achieve common prosperity.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
KRAMATORSK, Ukraine  As Ukrainian troops tried to claw back territory and stave off a blistering Russian assault along the countrys embattled eastern front, the government on Saturday sought also to repel a demand earlier in the day by President Emmanuel Macron of France that Moscow not be humiliated to improve chances of reaching a diplomatic solution.

We must not humiliate Russia so that the day when the fighting stops we can build an exit ramp through diplomatic means, Mr. Macron, who has sought to position himself as the worlds chief negotiator with the Kremlin, said in an interview with French newspapers. I am convinced that it is Frances role to be a mediating power.

Ukraines foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, responded with a scathing post on social media.

Calls to avoid humiliation of Russia can only humiliate France and every other country that would call for it, Mr. Kuleba wrote. Instead, he argued, peace and the saving of lives could best be achieved by Russia being put in its place.
Russia has increased its use of air power in support of artillery and ground troops who are fighting to expand their territory in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, including in the city of Sievierodonetsk, a British intelligence report said on Saturday.

Ukrainian forces moved heavy guns and howitzers toward the front line in Sievierodonetsk on Friday, pouring men and armor into the fight in an apparent refusal to pull back from a city that Russia has pounded with missile fire for weeks. A Russian defense ministry statement on Saturday said that Ukrainian forces were retreating from the city, a position that Ukrainian officials have denied. The regional Ukrainian military administrator had said overnight that Ukrainian troops had managed to push back Russian forces by 20 percent.

President Vladimir V. Putins forces have made the heavily industrial Donbas region, which borders Russia, the focus of his military campaign after Russian forces failed to seize the capital Kyiv, early in the conflict.

That came in part because of Moscows inability to destroy Ukraines air defense systems.

In the wars second phase, however, Russia has deployed air power to support guided and unguided missile strikes in what the British intelligence report on Sunday called its creeping advance.
The death of a senior Iranian military officer at his home in a Tehran suburb a week ago has fueled conflicting reports that he fell from a balcony, committed suicide or was killed.

The officer, Col. Ali Esmaelzadeh, died about a week after another high-ranking officer in the same unit, Col. Sayad Khodayee, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Tehran.

Their deaths come amid a new wave of heightened tensions between Iran and Israel, which for years have conducted a clandestine war of sabotage and targeted killings.

Both officers were high-ranking members of an elite secret detachment of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Force, Unit 840, which Israeli officials say is tasked with killing foreigners abroad.
The European Union this week agreed to ban most Russian oil imports by the end of the year. What exception was included to appease Hungary, which had been blocking the ban?
If the key gun control proposals now being considered in Congress had been law since 1999, four gunmen younger than 21 would have been blocked from legally buying the rifles they used in mass shootings.

At least four other assailants would have been subject to a required background check, instead of slipping through a loophole. Ten might have been unable to steal their weapons because of efforts to require or encourage safer gun storage. And 20 might not have been allowed to legally purchase the large-capacity magazines that they used to upgrade their guns, helping them kill, on average, 16 people each.

Taken together, those four measures might have changed the course of at least 35 mass shootings  a third of such episodes in the United States since the massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado, a New York Times analysis has found. Those 35 shootings killed a combined 446 people.

Mass shootings since Columbine Mass shootings in which one of four gun policies might have had an effect are highlighted Source: New York Times analysis of the Violence Project Mass Shooter Database

But in a nation awash with guns, the majority of mass killings might have been unaffected  either because assailants obtained their guns illegally or because they were older adults using weapons that wouldnt have been subject to any proposed restrictions.

Another proposed measure, a ban on the sale of military-style semiautomatic guns known as assault weapons, could in theory have had greater impact. But it faces even tougher opposition than the other proposals. Congress banned the sale of such guns in 1994, but the law expired 10 years later, and the weapons have since surged in popularity. Weapons covered under the expired ban were used in 30 percent of the shootings in the data, causing nearly 400 deaths. In a speech Thursday, President Biden asked Congress to renew the ban.

No law would be guaranteed to stop any one shooting, and America already has more guns than people, leaving a motivated individual with numerous paths to violence. But after recent massacres in Texas and New York State, which authorities said were committed by 18-year-old men who legally bought military-style rifles, Democrats have made emotional appeals to advance gun-control legislation. Its time to act, Mr. Biden said Thursday.

Republican leaders have dismissed many of the proposals as unfair or unconstitutional curtailments of law-abiding gun owners civil rights without clear evidence they would improve public safety.

We all want to keep children safe in school, but this bill wouldnt do that, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, Jim Jordan of Ohio, said during a hearing on Thursday.

Researchers who study gun violence said that deterring a third of mass shootings would be a substantial success, given the nations widespread gun ownership. Theres no such thing as a perfect, 100 percent effective policy or suite of policies, said Garen Wintemute, the director of the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California at Davis. But there is a chance to make a real difference.

Several of the bills are unlikely to become law. To evaluate the range of possibilities, The Times analyzed a database of mass shootings kept by the Violence Project, a nonprofit group that has collected information about shootings in public places that have killed four or more people, not including the gunman. (This articles definition of mass shooting is based on that standard. The database was last updated after the shooting in Buffalo, and The Times added the more recent Texas shooting.)

The Times accounting is conservative. The current proposal on large-capacity magazines in Congress would ban all that hold more than 10 bullets. The database defined extended-capacity magazines as ones where the guns standard magazine had been replaced with a larger one. If the standard magazine came with 30 bullets, for example, and was not replaced, it was not counted. The data also doesnt have every detail about every shooting.

Nonetheless, the measure that seems most likely to achieve bipartisan support in the Senate  a broader background check law  would have had a clear influence on only a handful of shootings, according to the database. Measures to prevent gun thefts and to bar the sale of magazines that hold more than 10 bullets would have affected more shootings, but appear less likely to become law.

An additional measure that the House will vote on next week and that is under discussion in the Senate would expand so-called red-flag laws in more states, establishing a legal process for removing guns from people in crisis. Depending on how those laws were structured and how widely they are used, they could make a bigger difference: In a startling 46 percent of shootings in the database, attackers had told someone about their intent to cause harm before the attacks. And in 36 percent of cases, an attacker had previously expressed suicidal intentions, another cause for possible gun removal under the laws.

But invoking such red-flag laws generally requires a court order, making it hard to know when they might have been used. They would also be easy to evade unless Congress also expanded background checks, which would prevent flagged people from simply buying new weapons. And the analysis showed the limits of such laws: Eight shootings were carried out by gunmen who were known to have previously threatened violence or suicide, even though they lived in states that already had a red-flag law.

A majority of the House supports a broad package of gun reforms and has already passed legislation to expand background checks. Other measures are expected to pass in a floor vote next week. But gun legislation faces an uphill battle in the Senate, where any measure will need the votes of 10 Republicans to overcome a legislative filibuster, even if every Democrat supports it.

Few Republican senators have signaled much enthusiasm for the bills, though a bipartisan group is negotiating over possible legislation. Some version of a red-flag law and some form of a background check have been part of those conversations so far.

Mass shootings account for a tiny share of the roughly 100 Americans who die on average every day from gun violence. But researchers say many of the measures under discussion to prevent mass shootings would also reduce other gun violence, including suicides.

Several of the measures are designed to close gaps in existing federal gun laws, which stop 18-year-olds from buying handguns but not assault rifles, and require background checks for guns bought from a licensed dealer but not those bought from private sellers, often online or at gun shows. Other proposals, like regulations for gun storage and high-capacity magazines, dont currently exist in federal law.

Many states have already passed some or all of these policies already. But the patchwork of laws limits the effectiveness of such restrictions because gun purchasers can travel to a neighboring state with fewer rules. The authors of the House legislation have emphasized the value of national laws that would apply uniformly.

They go to the states where its easy to buy guns, where there are practically no limitations, and then they take those guns to other states, said Representative Ted Deutch, a Democrat from Florida, who is a co-sponsor of multiple parts of the House package. And this will just ensure that this cant happen.

In a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the legislation Thursday, Republican members rejected the proposed measures as ineffective.

It is not kind, and is not compassionate, to tell people you are doing something to help them, when in fact you have no idea whether or not this legislation that youve fashioned would in fact do that, said Representative Matt Gaetz, a Republican from Florida. I would suggest that its potentially cruel to tell people that theyve inspired a response to a tragedy when in fact that response wont work.

The National Rifle Association, the nations most influential gun lobby, opposes the package. In a news release Thursday, the group said the policies would harm the rights of law-abiding Americans who have never, and will never, commit a crime. A spokesman for the group declined to comment on the Times analysis.

There is limited academic evidence about what policies could prevent mass shootings. A 2020 review of research on gun policies by the RAND Corporation drew few conclusions. But Andrew Morral, who led the project, said the absence of clear proof did not mean that policymaking would be fruitless. Mass shootings are much rarer than other forms of gun violence, making them hard to study. And some policies will never be easy to evaluate if they are not tried.

Its great if you have rigorous scientific evidence on which to base your policies, but thats almost never true, and its an impossible standard, he said. When there's no evidence there, it doesnt mean the policies are not good. It only means the science isnt good.

Details of the proposals

Democrats are proposing several policies, with different prospects of becoming law. Heres what we learned about six of them.

Raising the minimum age to purchase certain guns to 21

Four gunmen were under the age of 21 and purchased their weapons legally. Source: New York Times analysis of the Violence Project Mass Shooter Database

The proposal: Federal law currently limits the ability of those under 21 to purchase handguns but does not stop those 18 and over from buying so-called assault rifles. A House proposal would raise the minimum gun-purchasing age to 21 for more weapons, but not all. (Eighteen-year-olds would still be able to buy hunting rifles.)

Where it stands: The House is expected to pass the measure next week. President Biden endorsed it in his speech. It does not appear to be the subject of current negotiations among senators. Republicans have called the provision unconstitutional, pointing to a recent ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which found that Californias ban on the sale of some semiautomatic weapons to adults under 21 violated the Second Amendment.

What the analysis shows: Most mass shooters in the database who legally purchased their guns were older than 21, but four of the gunmen might have been stymied by such a law.

Mass shootings by younger attackers may be becoming more common. All four mass shooters who legally bought guns before turning 21 conducted their attacks in the last five years.

Age-based restrictions may limit gun violence more generally, evidence suggests, even if they may not have prevented many mass shootings. Studies of state laws have shown they seem in particular to prevent suicides, which are a leading cause of death among young Americans.

Expanding background checks to cover private sales

At least four attackers purchased a weapon from a private seller in a state where background checks were not required for such sales. Source: New York Times analysis of the Violence Project Mass Shooter Database

The proposal: Americans who buy guns from licensed dealers have to undergo a background check, but under federal law, such checks are not required when people buy guns from private sellers at gun shows or through online marketplaces. A bill that passed the House would make such checks more universal, and give investigators more time to complete the check.

Where it stands: President Biden has endorsed the House bill. A bipartisan group of senators is discussing a possible background check bill, but it may differ in its details or may not advance in any form.

What the analysis shows: Among the perpetrators of mass shootings in the database, four purchased guns from private sellers. One, the gunman in a 2019 shooting that killed seven people in Odessa, Texas, had already failed a background check before purchasing his weapon.

Several other attackers had backgrounds that should have prevented them from obtaining a gun, but the information was not uncovered during the check. The gunman in a 2017 shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, who killed 25 people in a church, had a domestic violence conviction that should have made him ineligible to purchase a gun, but it was never reported to the database.

No background check law can prevent all private gun transfers. Many people purchase guns from acquaintances, or buy them using purchasers with no flags who were hired to obtain the weapons. But subjecting more gun purchases to background checks would make it harder for ineligible people to obtain guns through legal channels.

Encouraging safe gun storage and punishing people who fail to secure guns from children and criminals

10 percent of the shootings involved a stolen gun. Source: New York Times analysis of the Violence Project Mass Shooter Database Note: Thefts include guns borrowed or stolen from a friend or family member.

The proposal: Measures before the House would impose requirements and incentives for safer gun storage, which could make guns harder to steal. The bill would also impose penalties for people who fail to secure a gun, but those would apply only to households where a minor is likely to gain access or where a person prohibited from owning a gun lives. Other provisions would teach the public about the benefits of safe storage and offer rebates for people who buy safety devices.

Where it stands: President Biden endorsed the House bill in his speech. Safe gun storage legislation does not appear to be a topic of current negotiations in the Senate.

What the analysis shows: Ten percent of mass shootings involved weapons that were stolen. Several of those shootings have involved young assailants, including in 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

Banning the sale of large-capacity magazines

Extended magazines were used in a fifth of shootings. Source: New York Times analysis of the Violence Project Mass Shooter Database

The proposal: The House is also considering a bill that would ban the purchase of ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 bullets.

Where it stands: The House is expected to pass the bill next week, and President Biden endorsed it. Senate Republicans are seen as unlikely to advance the measure.

What the analysis shows: At least 19 percent of all shootings in the database involved assailants who upgraded their guns with magazines that were larger than those that came standard with their weapons, including several with the largest death counts.

The approach used in the database undercounts the number of shootings that could be affected by the current House proposal, which would make the magazines that come standard in many guns illegal. According to research from Louis Klarevas, a professor at Columbia University, and colleagues, at least an additional 13 mass shootings through 2019 involved magazines that held more than 10 bullets. The omitted shootings include Sandy Hook, where the assailant used several 30-round magazines that came standard with the Bushmaster XM15 rifle he used.

A ban on large-capacity magazines might reduce the number of mass shootings by eliminating a tool that makes them seem possible to would-be gunmen, advocates say. They could also reduce the number of people shot, by requiring more frequent reloading.

The 2017 shooting of spectators at a country music concert in Las Vegas caused the greatest number of deaths of any event in the database; it involved several large-capacity magazines, and a gun modification known as a bump stock that can make a semiautomatic weapon function more like a fully automatic machine gun. Without such tools, it is unlikely the gunman could have shot so many people.

Expanding red-flag laws to remove guns from people in crisis

In 46 percent of shootings, an attacker expressed interest in harming others. In 36 percent, at least one attacker was previously known to be suicidal. Source: New York Times analysis of the Violence Project Mass Shooter Database

The proposal: Nineteen states have passed laws that allow the police and other citizens to seek a court order to temporarily confiscate guns from people who are deemed an immediate threat to themselves or others. Congress is considering legislation that might broaden such laws.

Where it stands: A House bill would allow federal courts to issue such orders in states without their own laws. Senators are considering a proposal that would offer grants as an incentive for more states to establish such laws.

What the analysis shows: Research has shown that awareness of the laws and enthusiasm for using them varies by jurisdiction. But there is some evidence they can prevent violence.

A study in Connecticut found that the presence of such a law reduced the number of gun suicides, which is the most common type of gun-related death. A study of red-flag applications in California from 2019 included several examples of people who had threatened mass violence.

In one case, a man who threatened to shoot his former co-workers after losing his job was flagged while he waited for a background check to clear on a shotgun. When the police visited his home, they found 400 rounds of ammunition. Dr. Wintemute, a co-author on the study, said about 30 percent of red-flag applications in California had involved possible mass shooters.

It critically depends on people being willing to obey the old adage: If you see something, say something, he said. There has to be a report. And thats just the first step.

In 57 percent of shootings, the attacker had issued a specific threat or was known to have been previously suicidal, behavior that might have initiated a gun confiscation. But in eight of those shootings, states had already enacted red-flag laws, an indication that threats of violence have not always resulted in gun confiscations, even when a law is on the books.

Banning so-called assault weapons

30 percent of shootings involved guns that were banned under the now-expired 1994 federal assault-weapons law. Source: New York Times analysis of the Violence Project Mass Shooter Database

The proposal: A House bill, not scheduled for a vote, would bar the sale of certain semiautomatic rifles, pistols and shotguns that the bill describes as assault weapons.

Where it stands: More than 200 House Democrats have co-sponsored the bill, but not enough to command a majority of the House. Representative Jerry Nadler, a Democrat from New York who is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said he and colleagues were trying to persuade more lawmakers to support such a bill. An assault weapons ban seems unlikely to advance in the Senate. Some of the Republican senators who have been negotiating on other measures have opposed banning such a popular category of weapon.

What the analysis shows: Around 30 percent of the mass shootings in the database involved a weapon that would probably be banned by such a law. On average, they caused twice as many fatalities as other shootings.

If an assault weapons ban were added to the other policies under consideration, the share of mass shootings that could have been affected would rise to 47 percent.
People who do not need urgent hospital care over the June Bank Holiday weekend will face "very long waiting times" in Tullamore Hospital if they attended with an non-emergency condition, the HSE has warned.

To avoid this happening, the HSE encouraging the public to look at all options available before attending emergency departments across the Midlands and to keep the ED available for those who most urgently need care.

In a statement issued on Friday, June 3 the HSE's Dublin Midland Hospital Group said that, as the June Bank Holiday approaches, the public should consider all care options before attending Emergency Departments at hospitals in Laois, Dublin, Offaly and Kildare and and elsewhere because EDs need to be kept clear for staff patients who need urgent and emergency care .

This year, the HSE said hospitals have reported record numbers of patients presenting at EDs for care and treatment, including a sharp increase in the number of patients who are seen and treated in the ED and then discharged without requiring admission to hospital. It added that many of these patients could have been treated at other healthcare services such as Injury Units, GP and GP out of Hour services and pharmacies.

The HSE reminded the public that patients who require urgent and emergency will be treated first.

"Patients who attend EDs for routine and non-urgent treatment are being advised that they will experience very long waiting times over the coming weekend and into early next week," it said.

While the HSE said it regrets this delay and it said it is asking all to help staff through a challenging time for our services by:

 Considering all healthcare options before attending ED including Injury Units, GP services and pharmacies

 Dialling 999 or 112 for emergency care if there is concern for serious illness or injury

 Continuing to wear face masks and maintaining good hand hygiene practices when attending hospitals

 Abiding by all infection control measures including visiting restrictions in hospitals and hospitals wards

The HSE advised if someone else is seriously ill or needs urgent emergency care do not delay going to ED or dialling 999/112 for help.

The Dublin Midlands Hospital Group urged the public to use out of hours primary care provided by MIDOC, an appointment only GP service located in the Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath Areas.

It said this service is for patients who need urgent medical attention that cannot wait to be seen by their usual GP.

The HSE said the opening hours are Monday to Friday: 6pm-8am and Saturday/Sunday/Bank Hols: 24 Hours. Telephone: 1800 302 702 or go to www.midoc.ie for more information.

The Dublin Midland Hospital Group oversees hospitals in Portlaoise, Tullamore, Naas and Dublin on behalf of the HSE.
MANY areas of Tullamore have very high levels of Radon Gas according to an interactive map published by the EPA Environmental Protection Agency.

A High Radon Area is any area where it is predicted that more than 10% of homes will exceed the Reference Level of 200 Becquerels per cubic metre (Bq/m3).

The EPA map which depicts areas worst affected in the colour red allows people to click on their road or street, having done so a message will appear saying that ''one in five houses in your area is likely to have high levels of radon'' that is if you are in a red zone. Tullamore and Kilcormac in Offaly appear to be the worst affected.

According to the EPA Radon is a radioactive gas that causes about 350 cases of lung cancer in Ireland each year. It can enter your home from the ground and build up to high levels indoors. Homes in some parts of the country are more likely to have a radon problem than others. The EPA says that even if your home is not in a High Radon Area, it may have high levels of radon.

By Law all workplaces and schools in High Radon Areas must be tested. You can check if your workplace is in a High Radon Area on the EPAs Radon in Workplaces map.

The Government's Building Regulations require that all new homes in High Radon Areas are installed with a radon membrane.

According to the EPA every home has different amounts of radon so even if your neighbours have tested their home for radon, you should still test your home.

To test your home, you will need two small detectors placed in your home for three months. One detector is placed in a bedroom and the other in a living room - the rooms in the home where you and your family spend most of your time.

After three-months, you send the detectors back to the testing service for analysis and youll then receive a report with your results.

The EPA has a video available on how to test your home and where to get the equipment.

They will also tell you what to do if your home has high levels of the gas.

For more information log onto https://www.epa.ie/environment-and-you/radon/radon-map/#d.en.70996
Irish premier Micheal Martin has there will be challenges to offer support to Ukraine, as the war-torn country continues its bid for a speedy accession to the EU.

Ukraine is currently in the early stages of applying for EU membership.

The Taoiseach said that for a long time he had backed a faster, more accelerated process towards EU membership more generally.

Speaking at the ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe) party congress in Dublin, he said: What is vital is that we have acceptance of Ukraines application to become a candidate country.

It can take a significant length of time, but that would be a very significant decision in itself and a very significant message to the Ukrainian people, that you are part of the European family.

And already, if you look at the interaction between the European Union and Ukraine in terms of customs, in terms of the welcome across the European continent for the Ukrainian people, it is very clear to me that the future of Ukraine is within the European Union.

Mr Martin would not speculate on what the timeline should be, but said that he would be pushing for the shortest possible timeframe for Ukraines accession to the EU.

"Ireland has been a huge supporter, friend & ally of Ukraine. But no matter how long the distance, the values are the one. We are happy to be here today & happy to be supported by this brave nation. Thank you." Deputy Prime Minister of #Ukraine @StefanishynaO #AldeCongress pic.twitter.com/ro4r3iSBQU  Fianna Fail (@fiannafailparty) June 3, 2022

Olha Stefanishyna, deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine, who met with the Taoiseach at the ALDE congress, said that Ukraine needed to be granted candidate status by the EU, and that it needed promises to materialise.

All the history, of Ukraines independence has been done with promises. From Budapest when Ukraine withdrew from the nuclear weapons, to Bucharest when Ukraine was promised membership to Nato, which has never materialised.

Since that time weve had three wars on European soil, two of which are now taking place on our territory.

So weve submitted the application, to be integrated to European Union, we need promises to be materialised into concrete decisions as a candidate status.

This is the ultimate decision at this stage.

Further discussions on an enlargement policy on the way towards membership, this takes time, we are ready to take as long as it needs.

Ms Stefanishyna also praised Ireland for its support for Ukraine.

I want to praise your personal commitment and the commitment of the whole government to host warmly the Ukrainian people the people who are running out of their houses and homes to survive the war, and particularly grateful to the Irish people, the hospitality and the warmth with which you mobilised your support.

She asked that Russian officers be held accountable for their actions within Ukraine.

Addressing the ALDE congress on Friday afternoon, Mr Martin said: We did too little to stand with the people of Ukraine after 2014. We did too little to reject Putins new imperialism and his demand to control other countries in a sphere of influence.

The determination of the last few months must be maintained, he said.

The Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, told the congress that if further conditions need to be met for Ukraine to reach candidacy status, these would be fulfilled as soon as possible.

Mr Bettel also said that a refusal from the European Commission to grant candidacy status to Ukraine in June is not acceptable.

Ms Stefanishynas speech to the ALDE congress received a standing ovation from delegates.
The Prime Minister says the Platinum Jubilee celebrations are not the time to discuss Australia becoming a republic, as he pushes case for a referendum.
Queensland teachers under attack of their students are calling for more support in the classroom.
From her coronation in 1952 to the controversial Palace Letters and the prospect of the country becoming a republic, the reign of Queen Elizabeth has had a lasting impact on Australia.
From Kyiv to The Hague to national jurisdictions: Legal cooperation across courts and borders aims to put Kremlin decision-makers in the dock to face charges of war crimes and other aggressions committed in Ukraine.
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, attended a service to celebrate the 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II, who skipped Fridays event. Catch up on highlights.
Senior members of the royal family have wished Lilibet - the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - a happy first birthday.

Lilibet's grandparents Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and her uncle and aunt the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge sent greetings to mark her special day on Saturday (04.06.22).

A tweet from Charles and Camilla's account read: "Wishing Lilibet a very happy 1st birthday today!"

The message from Prince William and Catherine's joint Kensington Royal account said: "Wishing a very happy birthday to Lilibet, turning one today!"

Queen Elizabeth met her great-granddaughter for the first time this week as Prince Harry and Meghan returned to the UK for the monarch's Platinum Jubilee celebrations - two years on from their decision to step down as senior royals and relocate to California.

Lilibet was born in the United States and was named in honour of the Queen, whose family nickname has been Lilibet since she was a child.

According to the Daily Mail newspaper, the 96-year-old monarch met Lilibet at Windsor after the royals attended the Trooping the Colour ceremony on Thursday (02.06.22) - where Harry and Meghan were spotted watching the parade from the Major General's Office having not been invited to join the Queen and other royals on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

Prince Harry and Meghan made their first public appearance in the UK together since 2020 on Friday (03.06.22) as they attended a service of thanksgiving for the Queen's reign at St Paul's Cathedral.

The couple travelled to the UK with their three-year-old son Archie and Lilibet but neither of the children have been seen at the Platinum Jubilee events so far.
Ukraine's military says Russia is deploying more troops as it continues its efforts to take the city of Sievierodonetsk in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. Follow DW for the latest.
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Ukrainian troops have recaptured a chunk of the city of Severodonetsk - a main focus of the Russian offensive and the site of heavy fighting - it is claimed.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has previously appealed to racists and other Cro-Magnon types. His actions against Special Olympics appeal to anti-vaxxers.


The Prime Minister of Slovakia and Chancellor of Austria discuss what needs to be done to solve several huge challenges concerning the release of grain from Ukraines ports on the Black Sea.
Ukraine's foreign minister has criticised Emmanuel Macron after the French leader said Russia must not be "humiliated" over the invasion of its neighbour.
In the end, Johnny Depp got what he wanted. A jury found his ex-wife, Amber Heard, liable for defamation, and he proclaimed victory.



Meanwhile, Depp's supporters celebrated the trial's conclusion as vindication of their hero. Never mind that a judge in the UK found evidence for Heard's claims of domestic abuse and dismissed...
Ukrainian authorities accused Russia of stealing Turkey's grain ahead of foreign minister Sergei Lavrov's visit to the Western nation. The situation comes after Moscow's invasion entered its 100th day on Friday and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.
United States President Joe Biden fired back at Tesla CEO Elon Musk who expressed his "super bad feeling" about the U.S. economy. The Democratic leader made a sarcastic remarks in response to the billionaire entrepreneur's comments, wishing him, "luck on his trip to the moon."
Daily Record 05 Jun 2022

Sunday Mail columnist Jean Johansson says that while she believes in Scotland remaining as part of the UK, she's not a royalist.
Russia denies that Moscow could offset the energy crisis by selling cheap oil to Joe Biden and his allies as their actions caused it.
At least four people were killed when a regional train derailed in southern Germany, according to local authorities.
It's Time For Your Land-Based Casino to Launch Online Gambling

Published June 4, 2022 by Elana K

Online casinos are often seen as competition to land-based casinos, but they dont need to be. Land-based casino owners who launch their own online initiatives can see additional profits, not decreased profits. In fact, they can expand their audience significantly. Land-based casinos can only make money from visitors who come, but online casinos can make money from people all over the world.

The online casino industry has been growing steadily and constantly developing since it launched in the late 1990s. Whereas online casinos first featured traditional casino games like slots, blackjack, and baccarat, today there are live dealer games, mobile games, VR, AR, and so much more.

As an industry that is constantly improving upon itself, its no surprise that land-based casino owners have been some of the online sectors biggest backers. Eager to stay relevant and profitable, land-based casino owners have jumped on the online gambling bandwagon wholeheartedly. If you havent yet done so, its time to seriously consider it.



The Case for Expanding to Online Gambling

Online casinos are often seen as competition to land-based casinos, but they dont need to be. Land-based casino owners who launch their own online initiatives can see additional profits, not decreased profits. In fact, they can expand their audience significantly. Land-based casinos can only make money from visitors who come, but online casinos can make money from people all over the world.

Moreover, online casinos are much easier to access than land-based casinos, especially for millennials and Generation Z who have grown up on computers. While theres definitely something to be said for the in-casino experience, most people dont go to casinos on a regular basis. Online casinos, however, can be accessed from desktops and mobile devices and lend themselves to regular online visitors.

New Jersey: A Prime Example of Online Casino Success

New Jersey is a great example of how land-based casinos expanded into the online gambling world and reaped tremendous benefits. New Jersey, home of Atlantic City, which is second only to Las Vegas in terms of gambling in the United States, legalized online gambling in 2013. Atlantic City casinos partnered with online operators and launched their own online casinos.

Since then, online gambling revenue generates upward of $130 million per month, and at times has reached over $200 million. When COVID first broke out, online gambling was the only option for playersand profits soared. Without online gambling, New Jersey wouldnt have had any gambling revenue during that period since its land-based casinos were shut down.

Other states that have legalized online gambling often see that the revenue from online casinos surpasses that of their land-based casinos.



How to Launch an Online Casino

Land-based casino owners who want to launch online operations need to do things by the book. First, youll need a license for your online casino. Even if you have a license for a land-based casino, online gambling requires its own separate license. This is because online gambling has components that land-based gambling doesnt have, like encryption technology for secure payments, customer support, consumer protection, transparency, and more.

Then youll need to choose the platform for your casino, along with the contentproviders, games, payment methods, etc. The good news is that there is no shortage of suppliersmany companies specialize in online casino platforms and software, and some offer white label packages as well.

We recommend choosing a company that offers everything: licensing, platform, software, payment methods, and a comprehensive back-end that offers data analytics, reports, affiliate programs, and more. Today, you will probably want to look for a company that offers cryptocurrency as one of its payment methods, since crypto is becoming a popular choice among online gamblers.

Slotegrator is a great example of a company that provides all of the aboveit offers several solutions, including:

The Turnkey Online Casino Solution, allows you to build your own online casino from the ground up

The White Label Online Casino, which offers casino platform development, player support, and even a Curacao sublicense

The Bitcoin-Casino, integrates cryptocurrency payments into your online casino

The Casino Kit, allows operators to create unique front ends with a diverse range of interface

If you're not sure which solution is best for you, Slotegrator offers an extremely user-friendly comparison chart so you can see what each solution offers. You can also contact Slotegrator customer support for help with your decision.

When you make the leap and expand your land-based operations to the online world, you will be securing a place for yourself in the future of gambling. Just make sure you choose the right company to help you do it.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  Two U.N. peacekeepers were killed Friday when their armored personnel carrier hit an improvised explosive device in central Mali in the sixth incident in less than two weeks targeting the U.N. mission in the West African nation that has faced a decade-long Islamic insurgency.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the device that killed the Egyptian peacekeepers and wounded one other was planted on a road outside the town of Douentza in the Mopti region.

Their APC was escorting a civilian convoy and was on its way from Douentza to Timbuktu when it hit the device, he said.

The intent is to disrupt the lives of the Malian people, to disrupt transport, to disrupt security, Dujarric said. These roads are used by civilians, civilian trucks, civilian buses, but also by the security forces, whether its the Malian army or U.N. peacekeepers  (who) have been victims over and over again of improvised explosive devices.

It was the sixth incident in which a U.N. peacekeeping mission convoy was hit since May 22 and the second fatal attack on a convoy this week, the U.N. spokesman said.

A U.N. peacekeeping convoy was attacked by suspected terrorists in the northern Kidal region on Wednesday and a Jordanian peacekeeper was killed and three other Jordanians were wounded. Dujarric said the supply convoy came under sustained fire for about an hour from attackers who used small arms and rocket launchers.

Mali has been in turmoil since a 2012 uprising prompted mutinous soldiers to overthrow the president. The power vacuum that resulted ultimately led to an Islamic insurgency and a French-led war that ousted the jihadists from power in 2013. But insurgents remain active and extremist groups affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have moved from the arid north to more populated central Mali since 2015, stoking animosity and violence between ethnic groups in the region.

Malis current ruling junta seized power in August 2020, and in April the junta leaders said a transition to civilian, democratic rule would take at least two years.

The U.N. Security Council and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned Fridays attack in separate statements and called on Malis transitional government to swiftly identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice. They both underlined that attacks on peacekeepers may constitute war crimes.

The secretary-general pays tribute to the determination and the courage of peacekeepers, who continue to implement their mandates in extremely challenging circumstances in support of the people of Mali, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The Security Council stressed that involvement in planning, directing, sponsoring or conducting attacks against peacekeepers also constitutes a basis for U.N. sanctions.

Council members expressed their concern about the security situation in Mali and the transnational dimension of the terrorist threat in the Sahel region and urged full implementation of a 2015 peace agreement without further delay.

The U.N. mission says over 255 of its peacekeepers and personnel have died since 2013, making Mali the deadliest of the U.N.s dozen peacekeeping missions worldwide.

The word grateful isnt strong enough to express how we feel towards those member states which continue to provide many peacekeepers around the world, Dujarric said. Egyptians, Jordanians, Chadians and others have given their lives for the people of Mali for the cause of peace and were eternally grateful for their continued support.

The head of the U.N. mission in Mali, El Ghassim Wane, condemned Fridays attack on the U.N. convoy, saying such attacks can constitute war crimes.

He also condemned an attack Wednesday near Kayes in western Mali by gunmen riding motorcycles against a vehicle marked with the Red Cross emblem that killed a worker for the Dutch Red Cross and the cars driver.
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PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP)  Cambodians headed to the polls Sunday in local elections that are their first chance to vote since the ruling party of long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen swept a 2018 general election that was widely criticized as unfair.

Hun Sens Cambodian Peoples Party is certain to sail to easy victory again following what the U.N. Human Rights Office charged Thursday was a pattern of threats, intimidation and obstruction targeting opposition candidates. 

"Candidates have faced numerous restrictions and reprisals that have hindered their activities, with imprisonment of a number of candidates that appears designed to curb political campaigning, the agency said. It added that at least six opposition candidates and activists were in detention four days before the polls, awaiting trial, while others summonsed on politically motivated charges had gone into hiding.

Cambodia's delegation at the U.N. Geneva offices said in a statement that the criticism was erroneous, politicized and selective. It said all political parties, including opposition ones, have fully exercised their rights in line with the laws and registered schedules without any threats and obstruction.

Hun Sen and his wife cast their ballots Sunday morning in Kandal province near the capital, Phnom Penh.

Hun Sen, an authoritarian ruler in a nominally democratic state, has held power for 37 years. He has said he intends to stay in office until 2028 and has endorsed one of his sons to succeed him.

His party is the only one to field candidates nationwide in all 1,652 communes. Its only serious rival, the Candlelight Party, has candidates in 1,632 communes, and the royalist FUNCINPEC Party has challengers in 688 communes. There are a total of 82,786 candidates from 17 political parties with 9.2 million registered voters.

The local elections are held a year ahead of the general election, and are regarded as a test of the parties strength.

In the last communal elections in 2017, the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party made an unexpectedly strong showing, which led Hun Sens government to crack down on it as well as independent media. The party was dissolved by the Supreme Court on a charge of treason, widely seen as politically motivated, and the free press was driven out of business or cowed into submission.

Without the Cambodian National Rescue Party on the ballot, Hun Sens party was assured of victory in the general election the following year.

Several Western nations imposed sanctions on the government after concluding the 2018 election was neither free nor fair. The harshest measure came from the European Union, which withdrew some preferential trading privileges.

The dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party, whose sitting members were also ousted from their political posts, remains banned, with most of its top leaders in exile.

The Candlelight Party is now seeking to challenge the ruling party by rallying its former supporters, though its activities have remained severely curtailed.

The original Candlelight Party was founded in 1995 by Sam Rainsy, the main political rival of Hun Sen, and later folded into the Cambodia National Rescue Party. Sam Rainsy, faced with legal harassment, went into self-exile in France, and the co-founder of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, Kem Sokha, is currently being tried on a thinly supported treason charge.
Paducah, KY (42003)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms in the morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. Potential for severe thunderstorms. High 83F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable.
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdelhamid al-Dbaiba, held a meeting on Saturday at the Ministry of Interior to follow up on the problem of fuel shortage, especially in the municipalities of Greater Tripoli
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The UN Security Council has renewed the authorization to inspect ships suspected of violating the arms embargo against Libya, adopting resolution 2635/2022 with 14 votes in favour and the abstention of the Russian Federation
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British High Commissioner to Ghana, Her Excellency Harriet Thompson, and Head of Strategic Partnerships and Diaspora, Jasmine Griffiths, have spent the first six months of 2022 visiting some British-Ghanaian movers and shakers working across the countrys business community.



Harriet and Jasmine kicked-off their visits with the team at Shell Foundation, a UK charity supporting Freezelink, a Ghanaian temperature-controlled transport and warehousing company founded by Owusu Akoto. Both Owusu and the Shell Foundations West Africa Regional Manager, Kwaku Owusu-Achaw met with the British High Commission Team to talk about the progress of the company.



Since the first visit to Freezelink at the beginning of the year, Harriet and Jasmine have gone on to visit and met with:



 Sylvia Arthur who founded LOATAD (Library of Africa and The African Diaspora), housing books by writers of African, African-American, Caribbean, Black European, Afro-Latin, and Indigenous descent;



 Izzy Obeng at Foundervine, an international training consultancy which made it onto Forbes 30 list of Social Impact 2022;



 Andrew Takyi- Appiah Director and co-Founder of Zeepay, one of Ghanas fastest growing Fintechs;



 Sustainability champion, Valerie Labi, co-founder of Cargo Bikes, who offer a solution to the problem of increasing carbon emissions from vehicles.



 And finally, Eben Awuah, at Dr Mensa Otabils newly built International Central Gospel Church-Christ Temple East, where Ebens company Amason, an audio-visual has just installed a state-of-the art sound system.



The British High Commission in Ghana has long championed the work of British-Ghanaians; this increased after HRH Prince Charles and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall visited Ghana in 2018. Today the High Commission continues to work with our diaspora friends, partners and colleagues to grow opportunities and partnerships.



The Mission worked closely with the Diaspora Affairs Office of the President and the Ministry of Tourism during the Year of Return and Beyond the Return initiative and continues to partner with Diaspora-led events such as Tech in Ghana, Afronation and Afrochella.



To ensure the ongoing mutual success of the High Commissions work and partnership with the Diaspora, the Mission is growing by creating and recruiting two new leadership roles within the team: Head of Diaspora Relations & Strategic Partnerships, and Diaspora Engagement Manager.



Commenting on the work of the Diaspora team, British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson said:



The people connections between the UK and Ghana are to be treasured. Ghanaian-British, British-Ghanaians and members of the diaspora have so much to offer both countries. I have loved my visits to these trailblazers, and there are so many more on our list to visit. We want to do more with these communities, which is why we are expanding our Strategic Partnership & Diaspora team with two new roles.



We are looking for individuals to own the High Commissions relationship with the diaspora and diaspora institutions and help to coordinate the main tools of the UKs cultural power. They will establish a new public-facing British-Ghana Diaspora Office  the first of its type in the world for the UK, to build and enhance our strategic partnership with organisations such as the British Museum, V & A, Clarence House, Tech in Ghana, Ghana Museums Board, iconic British brands, and other major cultural institutions.



Further information about the new vacancies:



Head of Diaspora Relations and Strategic Partnerships



Diaspora Engagement Manager HEO



Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The police have arrested and arraigned a 37-year-old driver, Jacob Kwesi Acquah, for allegedly killing a Chinese national, Xiong Yin, in cold blood at Dansoman, Accra.



Acquah, a former employee of the deceased, is said to have gone to her house to demand the phone number of her house help.



When Xiong proceeded to her bedroom to get the phone number for Acquah, he followed her, pushed her onto the bed and strangled her with a pillow, allegedly.



Acquah was also said to have smashed the deceased's head, several times, on the floor and on a metallic sliding door.



He also used the metal part of a shower handle to strike her several times, allegedly.



Two other accomplices, Faustina Otimah, a 21-year-old house help, and Memunatu Allotey, a trader, alleged to have facilitated the murder by assisting Acquah, also appeared before the Kaneshie District Court.



They are being held for abetment of crime to wit murder.



The court, presided over by Ms Ama Adomako Kwakye, reserved their plea and remanded them into police custody to reappear on June 15.



Narrating the facts of the case, Inspector Apewa Achana said the complainant, Lin Youji, a Chinese national, was residing at Dansoman Exhibition in Accra.



Acquah resided at Chorkor-Santana and Otimah, the house help of the deceased, resided at Mpoase, while Memunatu was the girlfriend of Acquah.



The prosecution said about seven months ago, Acquah was dismissed by the complainant for misconducting himself, but Acquah had been in touch with Otimah.



On May 10, 2022, Acquah called Otimah and asked her to alert him on the activities of the deceased and her fellow workers, especially when Xiong (deceased) was left alone in the house and that she should leave the small gate unlocked when leaving the house.



Prosecution said Acquah called Otimah 12 times between 9am and 11 am on May 10 to find out whether Xiong was alone in the house.



It said Acquah convinced Otimah to leave the house without informing the deceased and she (Otimah) complied.



Acquah took advantage of the unlocked gate, entered the compound of Xiong and met her in the living room and pretended he needed the contact of Otimah.



The prosecutor said Xiong innocently left Acquah in the corridor and walked towards her bedroom to pick up her phone to get him the number he demanded.



Acquah followed Xiong and attacked her, pushed her onto her bed, covered her face with a pillow and strangled her, prosecution said.



On seeing that Xiong was weak, he lifted her and sent her to the bathroom and hit her head on the metallic part of the sliding door and against the floor.



Prosecution said Acquah further used the metal part of the hand shower to hit her head several times, causing her to bleed.



Acquah, after killing her, went to the living room where a CCTV camera was fixed, removed it from the ceiling and dumped it in a water closet with the intention of erasing any trace of evidence that might implicate him.



The complainant went to the house after several calls to the deceased went unanswered, prosecution said.



To his surprise, he found both the small gate and main door to the various rooms unlocked.



He rushed to open the deceaseds door and found it locked with the key in front.



When the complainant opened the door, he found the room ransacked, so he proceeded to the deceaseds bathroom where he found her lying in a pool of blood in a supine position.



Prosecution said the complainant quickly rushed to the gate and alerted one Emmanuel Aziati about what he had seen, and both went to observe the body and went to report to the police.



It said the police went to the scene, took pictures and conveyed the body to the Police Hospital Morgue.



On the dawn of May 12, the police had information that Acquah was hiding in the house of Memunatu and they proceeded to the place but Memunatu kept Acquah in her room and led the police to a different location.



The police retrieved the memory card of the CCTV Camera where Acquah was seen in the footage entering the living room of the deceased, prosecution said.









Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
As part of the 43rd June 4th anniversary celebration, the NDC has organized a clean-up exercise in the Awutu Senya Constituency led by Stephen Ofosu Agyare the Constituency Chairman. Many NDC members in the Constituency gathered at the Mother & Child hospital built by the former President, John Dramani Mahama, where the surroundings of the hospital were weeded and cleaned up as part of the activities of the anniversary celebration.



The honorable Chairman Stephen Ofosu Agyare donated a number of essential items to the hospital including payments of hospital bills of patients who were detained as a result of not being able to pay their medical bills.



He settled bills ranging from, as low as GHS45.00 to GHS1000.00 of many patients in the hospital who could not be discharged because they hitherto owed the hospital.



This proves the current hard economic situation in the country where prices of everything has increased astronomically, including transport fares. Prices of goods and services have risen so badly that families are struggling to survive and cannot even afford to pay hospital bills as low as GHS45.00, especially in the case of patients, in the Mother & Child hospital in Kasoa.



Some members of the NDC present at the hospital during the donations, donated their blood to be added to the blood bank of the hospital, so that patients in need of blood can easily have access to it to recover from their illnesses and save their lives.



He granted an interview to journalists present at the occasion saying that the NPPs promise of one district one factory is a scam because there is no single factory in Kasoa and other parts of the country built by the NPP government since they assumed power. The promise of one Constituency one million dollars also hasn't materialized, said by the chairman.



He appealed to the people of the Constituency and the country in general to vote massively for the NDC and John Mahama in the coming general elections in 2024 to rescue this country from the hands of corrupt men who only care about themselves, family and friends, and not the wellbeing of the Ghanaian people.



He said that the current hardship in the country is unprecedented and added that such hardship was what sparked the June 4th revolution whose values are premised on accountability, probity and transparency.



He spoke about how the covid funds donated to Ghana where shared among top NPP leaders and how bad governance has been, in the country, so far.



He strongly believes that a John Mahama government will correct all the deadly blunders this government is committing and has urged the people of this country to keep hope alive since there is an opportunity for them to vote out the corrupt NPP government in 2024.

Source: Peacefmonline









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Ghana's gold extractive industry has matured over the decades, and we applaud the government's measures to develop local capacity, said Gregory Andrews, Australian High Commissioner to Ghana.



He said his country was proud to work hand in hand with Ghana, while it developed the right structures and systems to ensure mining revenues led to economic development and delivered improvements in the living standards of the local people.



Addressing a special session of the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Assembly's meeting held at Ahwetieso, Mr Andrews in a speech read on his behalf said, over the years, Australian mining and mining services companies had contributed directly to the sector, through job creation, knowledge and skills transfer, revenue generation and corporate social responsibility as well as community development projects.



More importantly, Australia prides itself as a key partner for the Ghanaian government in promoting fair, sustainable, and environmentally friendly mining practices that translate into shared wealth and socio-economic development for mining communities, he stated.



According to the High Commissioner, "Those linkages were amplified when the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor addressed a crowd of investors at the Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town two weeks ago, during an Australian Government hosted event.



It was our pleasure to support the Minister's call for foreign investment in developing new minerals in Ghana. Things to stable governance and a highly educated workforce. We believe the right platforms exist to build on the success of Ghana's gold extraction experience".



He said Australia through its various programmes such as scholarship awards, the former International Mining for Development Centre and its successor, the minerals and energy for Development Alliance, the Australia Africa partnership facility and the cadastral administration system at the Minerals Commission was proud to have contributed over the years to the development of mining in Ghana.



Mr Andrews pointed out that "We have also supported skills development in the sector by providing over 500 mining-related courses, scholarships and fellowships in the last decade, including 375 short course awards, delivered by Universities in Africa and Australia on extractive governance through their studies and experiences in Australia our African alumni transfer best practices, knowledge and cutting-edge skills to the mining industry to the huge benefit of their home countries".



He emphasized that in Ghana they were encouraged by the government's commitment to implement the economic and social reforms required to produce jobs and growth.



"It is not by any means an easy balance to attract investment, while at the same time ensuring a fair return for the Nation under whose soil the minerals lie, but it can be done and Australia is a good example of where this can be achieved", he further said.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has concluded that Ghanas return to constitutional rule in 1993 was a landmark accomplishment in the countrys history worth celebrating.



In view of this, Ghanaians must protect the 1992 Constitution at all times as good citizens to strengthen the peace and stability of Ghana, respect and protection of the fundamental human rights and freedoms of all citizens, Mr. Samuel Etsey Ada West District Director of the NCCE has stated in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Sege.



According to him, Article 3 (4) of the 1992 Constitution mandate Ghanaians to defend the Constitution and stand against any person, group, or issue that threatens the fabric of Ghanas democracy.



Mr Etsey said the Constitution also mandates Ghanaians to reject the oppressors rule in any form or anything that seeks to disturb the peace and stability of the country.



In our pursuit of liberty, equality of opportunity, and prosperity, we must make it our duty to understand these aspirations to consolidate Ghanas democracy, he stressed.



In pursuit of NCCEs national agenda to build and imbed the tenets of the Constitution in the youth, the Ada West District Directorate has engaged school children in basic schools to mark the 2022 National Citizenship Week celebrations.



The celebration is a platform created to educate the pupils on issues of national concern relevant to the 1992 Constitution.



Mr. Etsey said the celebration among other things reminded the pupils of their core responsibilities as active citizens to play their role to strengthen Ghanas democracy.



He reiterated the need for Ghanaians to put Ghana first in all endeavours, an attitude he said should be inculcated into the Ghanaian child at an early age.



He said this year's celebration was on the theme: Three Decades of Democratic Rule under The 1992 Constitution: Revisiting the Agenda for Constitutional Reforms.



Engaging basic school pupils in the District on the sub-theme; Sustaining Our Democracy: Ghanaian Values in Practice: The Role of the Child, Mr. Etsey indicated.



According to him, it was of great importance for children to develop the spirit of patriotism and respect for core national values such as discipline, trustworthiness, integrity, and loyalty.



He stated that the citizenry needed to tolerate dissenting views to ensure peaceful coexistence and national cohesion as enshrined in the constitution.



He said the Constitution week was one of the flagship programmes of the Commission which was instituted in 2001 to commemorate the coming into force of the 1992 Constitution.



He added that the 1992 Constitution has seen three decades of uninterrupted Constitutional Rule.



"In view of this, the Ada West District office of the NCCE joins other Districts in the country to mark the 30 years of uninterrupted constitutional rule," he added.



The pupils promised to live positive lives to benefit society in the future.



The schools engaged in the Ada West District included; Akplabanya D/A Junior High School (A&B), Agbedrafor D/A Junior High School, Agbedrafor Presby Primary School, Toflokpo D/A Junior High School, and Toflokpo Presby Primary School.



The rest were, Amuyaokope D/A Junior High School, Kpetuhor D/A Basic School, Sege Community School No. 1, Sege Presbyterian Junior High School No. 1and Zion Care International School.



Others were Divine Leadership Academy School, Victory Baptist Experimental School, Sege-Koni D/A Primary School, St. Emmanuel School Complex, and Mountain Kids Academy.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Oliver Barker-Vormawor is a shameful example of what is wrong in Ghana as a country, he spewed rhetoric that so many believe willingly, that has no basis in fact. He, along with those that support him need to be held accountable," Fixing the Country Movement has said.



Police statement



The Ghana Police Service on Wednesday responded to a group intending to embark on a three-day 'armed' demonstration.



The group made up of broadcasters Captain Smart and Okatakyie Afrifa, convener of the #FixTheCountry, Oliver Barker-Vormawor and Benjamin Darko intends to demonstrate on June 4 and picket at the Ghana Police Headquarters and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).



However, according to the police, the demonstration has the potential to disrupt public order and public safety; hence they should reconsider and organize a lawful and peaceful protest".



Nation Wreckers



Fixing the Country Movement, speaking to the media on Thursday said "we're honestly at a loss at how idiotic these political self-seekers who are mere politicians of fortune and their enablers have been. We're also appalled by the reckless behavior of these guys and by the lack of respect shown for our institutions, constitution and our law enforcement".



"This anarchist of an activist pretending to believe in Democracy described our military as "USELESS," and because the "useless" military has abstained from partisan politics and conducted themselves professionally, he will do the coup himself. He also posted a random video of a burning V8 vehicle with the caption "Has the REVOLUTION started?"



And this same guy is asking the police administration to allow him demonstrate with weapons. Ladies and gentlemen, how would you describe this recklessness by Oliver Barker-Vormawor and his gangster friends? Oliver Barker-Vormawor is a shameful example of what is wrong in Ghana as a country, he spewed rhetoric that so many believe willingly, that has no basis in fact. He, along with those that support him needs to be held accountable.



Warning



The group has meanwhile, cautioned Oliver Barker-Vormawor to "take heed...lest he follows the corpse to the grave like the stubborn fly".



"In the words of the great French Military and Political Strategist, the man widely considered one of the greatest military generals in history, Napoleon Bonaparte, in politics, stupidity is not a handicap. He also averred that there are but two powers in the world, the sword and the mind. In the long run the sword is always beaten by the mind.



Let Oliver Barker-Vormawor take heed of advise and listen to these words of wisdom, lest he follows the corpse to the grave like the stubborn fly".







Read the group's statement below





Statement By Fixing The Country Movement At A Press Conference Held On Thursday 02/06/2022 In Accra On June 4 demonstration.





Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, we are compelled to assemble you here once again to do justice to some pertinent issues.



We have become aware of a letter from the police administration detailing the request made on the state by a group of NDC-aligned elements including Oliver Barker-Vormawor, Mensah Thompson, Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah and Captain Smart.



Ladies and gentlemen of the media, what these nation wreckers are basically seeking to do is to stage demonstrations for four consecutive days with their own armed security detail.



They essentially want to demonstrate with their registered weapons and they're prepared to come with their private security, and they are also forcefully demanding to be allowed to address the Nation with their grievances on GTV.



As a matter of fact, these nation wreckers are asking the state to look on while they engage in total madness with guns on the street. In other words, they're calling for total anarchy.



Thankfully, the Police in a clear language has told the group that the PUBLIC ORDER ACT, 1994 ACT 491 does not make room for such prepositions.



Ladies and gentlemen of the media, although we recognize the importance of the constitutionally protected rights to assemble and protest, Fixing The Country Movement abhors and rejects the acts that perpetuate systemic violence and undermining of institutions of state.



It is horrific and ultimately tragic to note that there are people in this country who want the disruption of the relative peace that we're enjoying.



The Fixing The Country Movement cherishes the free speech right of the people peaceably to assemble to share their grievances. But that this whole demonstration has nothing to do with "peaceably assemble."



Ladies and gentlemen, the leader of this gang, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, an appendage of the John Mahama led NDC is already facing treasonable charges for threatening a coup detat. He's seeking to use this opportunity to follow through with his coup rhetoric.



This anarchist of an activist pretending to believe in Democracy described our military as "USELESS," and because the "useless" military has abstain from partisan politics and conducted themselves professionally, he will do the coup himself. He also posted a random video of a burning V8 vehicle with the caption "Has the REVOLUTION started?"



And this same guy is asking the police administration to allow him demonstrate with weapons.



Ladies and gentlemen, how would you describe this recklessness by Oliver Barker-Vormawor and his gangster friends?



For us, we're honestly at a loss at how idiotic these political self-seekers who are mere politicians of fortune and their enablers have been.



We're also appalled by the reckless behavior of these guys and by the lack of respect shown for our institutions, constitution and our law enforcement.



These so-called Fix the country gangsters are calling for accountable governance but their hearts and minds are stained with impunity.



Oliver Barker-Vormawor is a shameful example of what is wrong in Ghana as a country, he spewed rhetoric that so many believe willingly, that has no basis in fact. He, along with those that supports him need to be held accountable.



Ladies and gentlemen, all over the world, throughout history, the treatment against traitors to a nation has always been the same: arrest swiftly, prosecute vigorously, sentence harshly. These gang should be treated the exact same way.



We must stand togetherregardless of political party or point of viewto condemn this irresponsible behaviour, and to uphold, protect and defend our homeland Ghana.



My father's people have this saying that "no matter how beautiful a coffin looks, no one at the funeral wishes for death."



Oliver Barker-Vormawor and company needs to be told in plain words that their conduct warrant psychiatric evaluation. No sane person engages in such recklessness in the name of public advocacy.



Let it be on record that the only legitimate means of changing our government is through the ballot box. The only acceptable form of governance in this 21st century is through democratic elections. It is the only way to install  and the only way to change  an administration. The days of coups and government without votes are over.



Ghana is held in the highest esteem as the first post-colonial country to gain independence and the first African country to hold multi-party elections by universal suffrage. Ghana is the first, true African democracy.



As such, the INVISIBLE GHANAIAN YOUTH are on red alert to protect and defend the constitution and deal with any recalcitrant elements seeking to undermine our democratic gains.



Ladies and gentlemen of the media, Martin Luther King Jr., American Baptist Minister, led the struggle against racial discrimination in the 1960s, inspiring supporters with the power of his rhetoric. He advocated the principle of non-violent protest, affirming that opposition should be tackled with compassion rather than aggression.



That's the essence of public advocacy. We engage in advocacy for a positive transformation and not endless whingeing and calls for coup detat.



Citizens are entitled to call for accountable governance and leadership but in doing so, we must watch out for people who have hidden agendas and pretending to be more Patriotic than the rest of us.



In the words of the great French Military and Political Strategist, the man widely considered one of the greatest military generals in history, Napoleon Bonaparte, in politics, stupidity is not a handicap.



He also averred that there are but two powers in the world, the sword and the mind. In the long run the sword is always beaten by the mind.



Let Oliver Barker-Vormawor take heed of advise and listen to these words of wisdom, lest he follows the corpse to the grave like the stubborn fly.





Enough is Enough.





Signed;

Ernst Kofi Owusu Bempah - Political Strategist and Convener of fixing the country movement

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Seasoned journalist, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has scolded FixtheCountry activists, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, Okatakyie Afrifa and Captain Smart among others over their request to embark on armed demonstration on June 4th, 2022.



The activists, in a letter to the Police, noted they would like to "bring our own security company to provide protection to demonstrators. All weapons held by demonstrators or by the contracted security personal will be for personal protection only; and all weapons will be duly permitted in accordance with the Arms and Ammunitions Act, 1972 (NRCD 9) e) Proposed route and destination: We expect that the Demonstrators will gather at Circle".



They also requested to address the nation on national television.



"The procession will move from Circle to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, where the Protestors will make a demand a slot on GTV to speak directly to the Nation and lay out our grievances, in accordance with Article 55(11), which guarantees fair opportunity to Ghanaians to present their programmes to the public through equal access to the state-owned media."



After perusing the demands, the Ghana Police Service has secured an injunction from the Accra High Court against the intended demonstration.



After hearing the application [on Friday, May 3], the Court granted an order to restrain the organisers, their agents, assigns and whoever is claiming through them from embarking on the armed demonstration as had been intended, the Police said in a statement on Friday.



Kwesi Pratt, touching on the issue, blasted the FixtheCountry activists for making what he termed as "childish" demands.



He asked what they would be doing with the weapons and their rationale for seeking to go on national Television.



"What do these people want to do? That you put a pen to paper or sit behind the computer and type a letter with your 10 fingers to the Police that I am coming on demonstration and will be carrying a gun. What! Then this is war; declaration of war. I can't just fathom it. I mean what was the writer of the letter thinking? That you write to the Police that we are coming to your headquarters and we will be bringing along guns", he stated.



To him, the group would not want to take guns with them if they don't intend to use it.



"Do we joke with guns? You bringing a gun to a demonstration means you will shoot if given the opportunity. If you won't shoot, why bring it? It means you will trigger the gun."



To Mr. Pratt, the group is defeating the essence of demonstration.



"What kind of childish behaviour is this? If you do these things and write these letters, you undermine the right to demonstrate because you have now empowered those who dislike demonstrations. They have a basis talking against demonstrations and so on. You have cause it; you are not enhancing our freedoms. You are diminishing our freedoms and so on", he said on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/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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Editor-in-Chief of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt has blamed the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) over the behavior of the FixtheCountry conveners regarding their letter of request to the Ghana Police Service.



The conveners, writing to the Police, requested permit to embark on an "armed" demonstration on June 4th but their request as well as their demonstration has been turned down.



The group, in the letter, said "we will bring our own security company to provide protection to demonstrators. All weapons held by demonstrators or by the contracted security personal will be for personal protection only; and all weapons will be duly permitted in accordance with the Arms and Ammunitions Act, 1972 (NRCD 9) e) Proposed route and destination: We expect that the Demonstrators will gather at Circle".



"The procession will move from Circle to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, where the Protestors will make a demand a slot on GTV to speak directly to the Nation and lay out our grievances, in accordance with Article 55(11), which guarantees fair opportunity to Ghanaians to present their programmes to the public through equal access to the state-owned media", they added.



The Ghana Police Service has secured a court injunction against the intended demonstration.



After hearing the application [on Friday, May 3], the Court granted an order to restrain the organisers, their agents, assigns and whoever is claiming through them from embarking on the armed demonstration as had been intended, the Police said in a statement on Friday.



To Mr. Kwesi Pratt, the NPP cannot extricate themselves from blame if today a group has arisen and demanding to go on demonstration without Police protection.



According to him, the group's motivation to go for private security stems from the NPP's formation of its "Invisible Forces".



He referenced the members of the NPP justifying the activities of the Invisible Forces when people opposed the idea.



"I can't blame them alone. Let's be truthful. I remember when our comrades in the New Patriotic Party started the Invisible Forces and we spoke against it, what did they say? They said they have no confidence in the Police, so they want to protect themselves. Is this not the same thing that these people are saying? This 'we have no confidence in the Police', we heard it a long time; it's not just the FixtheCountry people saying it", he said.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/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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Friends of the Port Harcourt big girl who died from a plastic surgery, have shared video of the doctor allegedly behind the process being confronted.



A young lady named Christabel allegedly died at the hospital in Lagos few days ago.



Her friend claimed on Twitter that before Christabel's death, she complained to the clinic that did her surgery that she was bleeding. The friend claimed the clinic told Christabel it was a normal post-surgery experience and the bleeding will stop. Sadly, it proved fatal.

She said when friends didn't hear from Christabel for days, they searched at the hospital where she went for the surgery and the hospital allegedly gave them a letter showing that her body has been deposited at the morgue.



The friend said the hospital didn't contact any of Christabel's relatives to let them know of her death, until they went to the hospital.



A friend of the deceased shared a video of the doctor alleged to have conducted the surgery being confronted with the caption "Wicked goat, look at the doctor, he took my friend's life".





Watch the video below...

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SRS and Politics Reporter

I cover the Savannah River Site and politics. I previously covered government and politics for the Morning News in Florence. I am graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law and the University of Charleston (W.Va.).
Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High 89F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

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Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. Low 71F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Aim low! (On the HERS Index, that is)
In 2020, a Black homeowner in Indiana believed two appraisals lowballed the value of her home. She then removed items that identified her race and asked a White male friend to be there during a third appraisal.

The result: She said the house's appraisal more than doubled in value.

Proponents of proposed federal legislation to address perceived discrimination in the appraisal profession that is predominantly White and largely male point to the Indiana case as an example of embedded bias in the industry.

Critics of more oversight recognize bad actors exist in the profession, but they say the problem is not pervasive and believe a new law is government overreach.

For appraiser Jody Bishop of Mount Pleasant, the issue is front and center.

For most of his adult life, Bishop has told homeowners what he thinks their properties are worth, and this year he is president of the Appraisal Institute, a 90-year-old trade group representing more than 16,000 members in 50 countries around the globe.

In the U.S., 86 percent of active appraisers are White, according to the Chicago-based organization's most recent statistics. In South Carolina, 96 percent of licensed appraisers are White, according to the state Real Estate Appraisers Board.

The overall populations of the U.S. and the Palmetto State are about two-thirds White, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Bishop, with Valbridge Property Advisors, readily admits the profession has some work to do.

"We have a long way to go on diversity," he said. "Our profession should mirror the faces of the community where we work."

He's not alone in that line of thought.

The National Fair Housing Alliance and other national trade groups related to the appraisal industry agree, saying more diversity could help with the perception that the profession unfairly values homes in minority neighborhoods.

Correcting the disparity is another matter.

Act of Congress

On the national level, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-California, chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, is proposing federal legislation called the Fair Appraisal and Inequity Reform Act of 2022, or FAIR, to combat notions of bias and discrimination in the profession.

Her bill is based on many of the recommendations made by President Joe Biden's interagency task force called Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity, or PAVE. The group was created in 2021 to tackle alleged racial bias in home lending and appraisals and to establish actions to root out inequity.

The task force recently found that, on average, "homes in majority-Black neighborhoods are valued at less than half of those in neighborhoods with few or no Black residents."

During a recent congressional hearing, Lisa Rice, president and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance, called it "a systemic" problem, one that affects the whole appraisal industry and not just some parts of it.

The racial makeup of the profession, the history of redlining in Black neighborhoods to deny loans and suspected bias built into software for automated valuations point to a pervasive problem that leads to lower appraisals, less equity and a wider wealth gap between minorities and Whites, Rice and proponents of more oversight say.

The deflated value of one home will affect the overall value of the property in the neighborhood that's used for comparative sales and perpetuate inequities, Rice said.

"We have to change the system to increase standardization for uniform outcomes and more accurate appraisals," she said.

Critics call instances, such as the one in Indiana, outliers and say such cases should not indict the entire industry.

"I believe there are instances where appraisers are biased," said Tobias Peter, assistant director of the Housing Center, which focuses on housing risks and mortgage markets at the American Enterprise Institute, a public policy think tank in Washington, D.C. "Our research indicates it's not systemic and not widespread."

In a recent study of 240,000 loans, Peter told a congressional committee his group did not find a pervasive problem related to race.

Peter believes the perceived disparities in home values are rooted more in socioeconomics than race and says one way to combat the problem is by enticing more people to get into the appraisal profession. That, he believes, will increase competition and drive out bad actors.

He called new proposals, such as Waters' proposed legislation and Biden's task force recommendations, misguided efforts that could lead to wrongfully calculated home values "on a massive scale."

"I think it would misvalue homes in rural areas, which could be dire," Peter said.

Bishop, too, told a congressional panel the problem of racial inequity in appraising "is not rampant but isolated" but pointed out "one instance is unacceptable."

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"I can't tell you there is not a racist appraiser out there," he said. "There probably is. If they see unconscious bias in their work, they should recognize the bias and eliminate it."

In South Carolina, there is little evidence of a widespread problem of appraisal bias.

How appraisals are done Jody Bishop with Valbridge Property Advisors of Mount Pleasant is the current president of the Chicago-based Appraisal Institute. This is how he outlined the appraisal process. Someone asks for an appraisal and he schedules an appointment. Beforehand, he will check sources for recent nearby sales. He then rides through the neighborhood, looking for "For Sale" or "Sold" signs. He pulls up to the driveway, notes the building material, landscaping, whether the street is curb-and-gutter or there's an open ditch in front of the house, determines if it is supplied by public water and sewer or by well and septic system, and notes electrical lines as underground or overhead. "I do all of that before I enter the home," Bishop said. He then knocks on door and lets the property owner know he's there before beginning to measure the house outside. Once in the backyard, he notes if the site has a pool, storage barn or accessory dwelling unit. He also looks underneath to see if the house is on piles, blocks or slab. He then goes inside, notes the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, notes the floorplan and condition of house, opens closets, peeks behind shades and checks out the attic for insulation or spray foam. Before leaving, he also jots down the age of appliances and heating and air-conditioning systems. "I now have all the facts about the property," he said. "I start looking around for similar houses by age or style." Bishop uses public records, MLS data and other sources to determine the price of three recently sold, comparable, nearby properties to form an appraisal opinion of the value of a property. "It's all based on facts," he said.

The state's Real Estate Appraisers Board has fielded a couple of grievances in past years, but it found no proof of discrimination, according to Lesia Kudelka, spokeswoman for the state's Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, which oversees the board.

If "dishonest, fraudulent or improper conduct" is determined, state law says the board can take disciplinary action against an appraiser.

The state Human Affairs Commission also said it hasn't seen evidence of a widespread problem in the Palmetto State.

"We might get one a year, and that's being generous," Deputy Commissioner Marvin Caldwell said of grievances related to property appraisals.

Many complaints are found to be baseless, and he had to think back to recall a case several years ago that was eventually settled through mediation.

If the commission finds an accusation to have merit, Caldwell said a person can seek legal action or take the case before a panel of three commission members for an administrative hearing, which could determine if a property was unfairly appraised.

Recruitment

To recruit more minorities, Bishop pointed to a pilot program through the Appraisal Institute that will place ambassadors in historically Black colleges and universities to try to recruit people to the profession.

"That's where we might make great strides," he said.

Bishop said the ambassador program is in its infancy and no representatives have been placed in any of South Carolina's historically Black undergraduate schools, but the institute has reached out through connections at some colleges in the nation to promote the profession.

To become a real estate appraiser, there are three elements: education, experience and examinations, according to Scott Dibiasio of the Appraisal Institute.

Trainees don't need a college education, but they need to take specific appraisal class offerings and complete a supervisor/trainee course, while licensed and certified appraisers require more education and exams.

To help with education expenses, the Appraisal Institute's Education and Relief Foundation offers scholarships to women and minorities. One major financial firm recently got involved.

Last year, JPMorgan Chase & Co. donated $3 million to the Appraiser Diversity Initiative established by the Appraisal Institute and other agencies to help pay for books, calculators and additional course requirements, a move that's expected to add 700 new appraisers over a three-year period. Its specific targets include minorities, women, veterans and putting more workers in rural areas.

Task force recommendations President Joe Biden's interagency task force, called Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity, or PAVE, made several findings and recommendations recently to address alleged racial bias in home lending and appraisals. The impact of undervaluation on homebuyers, sellers and communities can sometimes result in higher down payments for buyers. That can often cause a sale to fall through, while low valuations in a refinance transaction can reduce the cash-out available and sometimes affect the refinance interest rate and mortgage insurance premiums paid by the homeowner.

The racial homeownership gap has widened, more than 50 years after the Fair Housing Act became law. Black ownership stands at 44 percent to 74 percent for Whites.

Set new policies to reconsider a valuation that comes in lower than expected and change the governing structure of the appraisal industry to ensure transparency.

Enhance fair housing and fair lending enforcement to hold people or businesses accountable, set up data sharing among federal agencies to detect patterns of appraisal bias and let consumers know what resources they have to counter a perceived low appraisal.

Lower or eliminate some of the requirements to become a qualified appraiser, including reconsidering if a college degree is necessary to be certified and alternately adopting a comprehensive exam to become credentialed.

Require appraisal anti-bias and fair housing training for appraisers seeking recertification and those aspiring to the profession.

Reduce racial or ethnic bias by considering a range of value estimates instead of an exact amount, modifying the sales comparison approach and sharing historical data.

Bishop said 150 prospects who want to enter the profession have already been selected.

A barrier to the industry has been the requirement that trainees must be supervised by a professional appraiser for a period of time, Bishop said.

Most appraisal companies are small, and appraisers often complain they don't have time to spend with a trainee because it costs them time and money, Bishop said. He also said some lenders will not allow trainees to appraise property on their own, "even though they are completely capable."

An alternative to the supervisor/trainee model was recently created.

The Appraisal Foundation, a group authorized by Congress to set appraisal standards and appraiser qualifications, initiated a program in 2021 called Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal. It will allow prospective appraisers to get experience through simulated training with periodic mentoring before advancing through the course.

Participants must complete education requirements before signing up, and they must pass the national licensing and certification exam afterward.

The computer program is still being developed and has not been introduced yet.

The biggest obstacles to getting new blood into the profession are time and money, but Bishop believes simulated training will help to satisfy the experience requirement and scholarships will help defray the cost.

Bishop agrees with the task force's increased education goals for appraisers, lenders and consumers, but, like Peter, he thinks over-regulation of the profession that's already facing declining numbers could hurt more than help.

The number of appraisers in the U.S. has gradually fallen in recent years to about 75,000, Bishop said. In 2014, there were more than 87,000.

All of the concerned parties, he noted, are trying to eliminate bias and bring new people into a profession where 70 percent of the workforce is over the age of 50.

Progress has been slow on increasing diversity, but the bottom line, Bishop pointed out, is making sure appraisals are fair.

"We are trying to be part of the solution for the appraisal gap," he said.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

A few clouds. Low 74F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

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A few clouds. Low 74F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
A group of former Columbia gang members, which calls itself Getting A New Generation Started in Peace, says its members are working in their neighborhoods to encourage an end to shootings and gun violence.
Summerville, SC (29483)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning. Thunderstorms likely during the afternoon. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High 89F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
MYRTLE BEACH  "Tiger King" star Bhagavan Doc Antle was arrested by the FBI on June 3, according to Horry County jail records.

No charges are listed, but his arrest is tied to allegations of money laundering with a hearing scheduled for Monday, according to a source close to the investigation.

Antle, 62, has been a controversial figure among animal rights advocates who have accused the owner of Myrtle Beach Safari of mistreating lions and other wildlife, including allowing people to hold the animals.

Antle was featured on the hit Netflix series "Tiger King," about animal handler and zoo operator Joe Exotic, who also was targeted for animal mistreatment and was sent to prison in a plot to kill a rival, Carole Baskin.

Antle is facing other criminal charges.

In Virginia, he faces two felony counts on wildlife trafficking and conspiracy to wildlife traffic charges, as well as 13 misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act and animal cruelty charges tied to trafficking lion cubs.

Two of Antles daughters have also been charged in Virginia. Tawny Antle and Tilakum Watterson both face two misdemeanor counts  cruelty to animals and violating the Endangered Species Act.

Antle has a history of recorded violations, stretching as far back as 1989, when he was fined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for abandoning deer and peacocks at his zoo in Virginia. Over the years, he has more than 35 USDA violations for mistreating animals.

Trials for his Virginia charges are scheduled to start next month.

Antle remained in J. Reuben Long Detention Center on June 3 after being booked at 5:38 p.m. A FBI spokesman declined comment.

An official with the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals praised Antle's arrest.

"Its fitting that Doc Antle is behind bars after years of locking up the endangered animals he uses in tawdry photo ops," said Debbie Metzler, PETA's associate director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement. "His legal woes are mounting ... and the end to his reign of terrorizing tiger cubs cant come soon enough."

In May, PETA asked the IRS to probe Antle's Rare Species Fund, a nonprofit raising money for wildlife conservation, on allegations that he uses some of the fund's money to subsidize his safari site in Socastee outside Myrtle Beach.

Avery Wilks and Andy Shain contributed from Columbia.
The lot between the Charleston Squash Club and Carters City Self-Storage on Heriot Street is easy to miss. It appears overgrown and empty, but looks can be deceiving.

That ground holds the remains of more than 2,000 African Americans who were buried there between 1865 and 1965.

The Heriot Street cemetery is one of many Black cemeteries scattered throughout Charleston and is among the least desecrated. Others have been paved over, built upon, dug up, obscured or belittled by unscrupulous developers and those who stand to gain something at the expense of the dead.

Now, the Preservation Society of Charleston wants to make it easier to discover details about these sacred places before the bulldozers and cranes get to work. A $50,000 grant from the National Park Service will help the nonprofit launch its Mapping Charlestons Black Burial Grounds initiative, a collaborative effort to produce a comprehensive inventory of the citys lost, forgotten, overlooked and unprotected cemeteries.

The main goals of the two-year project are to create a centralized database of burial grounds, determining their boundaries and contents and providing GIS data the city of Charleston can use as a planning and preservation tool.

The city already has taken steps to protect cemeteries. Council members passed a gravesite protection ordinance in September 2021 making it illegal for anyone to destroy or desecrate a burial ground. The ordinance also requires developers and contractors to immediately stop working on a gravesite and report it to authorities once they become aware of it. No work on the gravesite can commence without an ordinance from the state or county and the city building official.

The ordinance, and the NPS grant application, were a response to threats posed earlier that year by development in Cainhoy, where construction plans in the Oak Bluff neighborhood impacted an adjacent, poorly documented Black burial ground, prompting the Department of Health and Environmental Control to issue a temporary stop-work order.

City officials intervened in renovation work at 88 Smith St., where a private owner digging in the yard disturbed graves. But the rules are generally difficult to enforce without more documentary evidence and oversight. Permitted work at both sites later resumed.

Even the federal government has gotten involved. A bill passed the Senate in December 2020 that would authorize the Department of the Interior to conduct a comprehensive study of Black burial grounds nationwide. The legislation, if passed by the House where it is currently held up, and if signed into law by the president, also would pave the way for Congress to establish the African American Burial Grounds Network  a project enabling historians, archaeologists and preservationists to coordinate efforts, create a nationwide database, receive grant funding and more.

This work ties into a broader national conversation, Preservation Society President and CEO Brian Turner said. Our aim is to ensure proper care for the resting places of those who built our cities yet were denied equal access to land and financial resources."

'What the community wants'

The efforts to identify and secure graveyards in the city began in earnest after remains were found in 2013 near the Gaillard Center when the building was being renovated. The late Ade Ofunniyin, an anthropologist and adjunct professor at the College of Charleston, started the nonprofit Gullah Society and assembled a small team of researchers who began the process of documenting Black burial grounds in the area.

The Gullah Society dissolved after Ofunniyins death in 2020, but its work continues. The Anson Street African Burial Ground Project has been investigating the remains of 36 people found near the Gaillard and arranging for a permanent memorial. Leaders at the Preservation Society have embraced Ofunniyins mission and made it their own. The International African American Museum has thrown support behind the latest initiative and the city has endorsed it.

Together we recognize the urgent need for more data and information about African American burial sites to help inform land-use planning so as to avoid harmful impacts to gravesites, especially those which are unmarked, Mayor John Tecklenburg wrote in a letter of support that accompanied the grant application.

Turner said the NPS grant will help city officials and preservationists modernize their toolkit.

The city doesnt have a tool to flag development proposals that could impact known cemeteries, he said. They are not thought of as historic resources.

The erasure of the African American landscape is not limited to burial grounds. Turner wants the cemetery mapping project to be part of a larger effort in the region and beyond to document the contributions of Black people.

Fundamentally, community engagement has to be part of the process, he said. We would be irresponsible if we didnt lead with community dialogue to discern what the community wants.

DeMett Jenkins, the International African American Museums director of education and engagement for faith-based communities and a member of the African American Cemeteries Restoration Project committee, said she hopes every cemetery eventually is located, restored if possible, named and marked, and that all who are buried within them are identified.

We cant erase what history has done, but we can certainly respect what was there, she said.

To do so will depend in part on community involvement, since many alive today likely know where their ancestors are interred. She believes that the new museum can play an important role in helping to uncover and share this history, and in making genealogical connections once the Center for Family History is up and running.

More proactive

Robert Summerfield, the citys director of planning, said incorporating information provided by the Preservation Society into the GIS system will enable developers (and anyone else) to access a new layer of data regarding burial sites during the preparation phase of a construction project. He believes this will result in fewer surprises.

Its 100 percent about trying to be more proactive, so people dont get caught up after investing millions in a project that could require changes, Summerfield said.

He added that the collaboration with the Preservation Society is welcomed.

Youve got to have somebody who can look at the older records, maps and survey data that may be available, then piece it together, like a true Indiana Jones-type of project, he said. Like everything, its a resource issue, which is why its really great that we have a partner in the project.

The grant money likely will be spent researching the Heriot Street cemetery, Turner said. The archaeological firm Brockington and Associates will be engaged to help define the boundaries, conduct surface testing and perform other survey work.

Researcher Grant Mishoe, who previously was affiliated with the Gullah Society, has been investigating this property for years.

Among the more than 2,000 people buried there are chef Nat Fuller, two victims of the 1886 earthquake and at least four Black firefighters. Mishoe estimates that about 80 people were laid to rest in the cemetery each year beginning in 1875.

For years, it was thought the property had no deed. The city used it to store heavy equipment for a while, and occasionally sent someone to cut the grass. Mishoe found the deed, which dates to 1863. The land once was part of Rat Trap Plantation and it was purchased by a group of African Americans after the owner died and his property was subdivided into smaller lots.

Work to do

Last month, Mishoe and his colleagues spent some time examining the cemetery. They found about 35 headstones, metal nameplates, casket handles and other small pieces of hardware before deciding to stop. Assisting them for a spell were a few firefighters from Charleston Fire Station 9 across the street. They had heard about the Black firemen interred there and wanted to help.

Mishoe said the cemetery includes some caskets just 12 inches from the surface, suggesting the possibility of more than one layer of people laid to rest within. Some of the headstones featured ornate decorations, others mere scratchings. One they found was made of granite and included a brass nameplate, indicating that the family could have been of some means.

A few of the people buried in the cemetery were born in Africa and Haiti. Most were born in South Carolina.

This was the first cemetery I started working on 30 years ago, Mishoe said. There was equipment parked on it. People walked through it. It was out of sight, out of mind.

Not anymore.
Molly Spearman is probably the best superintendent of education South Carolina has ever had, and as we prepare to elect her successor, its useful to consider why.

The superintendents job is to run the S.C. Department of Education, a huge state agency that handles nearly half the state budget, and to serve as chief advocate for public education in our state. So it demands significant administrative experience and knowledge about education, along with the ability to present a smart vision for improving the education we provide for children and to work with the Legislature, the governor, the public, local school officials and teachers to make that vision a reality.

Ms. Spearman had the experience to do the job, having served as a public school teacher, a state legislator, a top deputy at the Education Department and director of the S.C. Association of School Administrators. She also had a collaborative, pragmatic approach rather than the ideological mindset that had crippled the agency under her predecessor.

That combination allowed her to turn down the temperature of education debates that had become far too political, as the Education Department and much of the political class focused on scapegoating teachers. She returned the agency to its role of serving as a resource to help school districts improve, while also holding them accountable. And she was able to convince tiny school districts to consolidate, turn around failing districts and overhaul the states curriculum to focus it more sharply on preparing students for work or college.

Theres no Molly Spearman on the ballot this year, but if we look to the Molly Spearman template, one candidate stands out: Kathy Maness.

Like Ms. Spearman, Ms. Maness is a former teacher who went on to run a large education advocacy group, from which she has participated in every important education policy debate in our state in the past two decades. Ms. Maness has the distinction among the Republican candidates of having served in elective office (Lexington Town Council since 2004), which gives her an understanding most of us lack about answering to voters and building consensus in order to get anything accomplished.

Her work at the Palmetto State Teachers Association is noteworthy because the state's largest teacher organization was founded specifically as an alternative to the S.C. Education Association, which is affiliated with the overly politicized National Education Association. So Ms. Maness job has been to represent teachers while working in a bipartisan way to present a pragmatic vision for education to the Legislature.

The Republican candidates all recognize the urgency of the states teacher shortage and want to get more education dollars into the classroom and give parents more choices, including with one exception paying them to send their kids to private schools. But Ms. Maness also wants to ensure taxpayer accountability for those funds, by requiring the same testing for kids attending private schools with vouchers as kids in public schools. And she has a track record of working across the political spectrum to build coalitions; that might not seem important in a Legislature dominated by Republicans, but it is in education, where success requires buy-in not just at the Statehouse but also in less-monolithic school boards and classrooms.

Indeed, our biggest concerns about the presumed frontrunner, Ellen Weaver, are that she is so closely aligned with former U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, who cultivated a reputation as a no-compromise ideologue, and is seen as the voucher candidate  an impression she underscores when she lists lack of school choice options first in her list of the many specific dysfunctions of our education system. Again, those characteristics might not hurt her at the Statehouse, but they make her immediately suspect to many of the teachers and would-be teachers she needs to help our state attract and retain, as well as school administrators and school board members who carry out the work the superintendent is supposed to inspire and oversee.

The other concern about Ms. Weaver is that she (like Travis Bedson) doesnt have a masters degree, as required by state law. When she learned of the requirement in mid-April, she said she had just started working on one at Western Governors University. She has since switched to her alma mater Bob Jones University, whose website says its program takes 1 to 1  years; that raises questions about whether she will meet the legal deadline and, if she does, whether its a legitimate degree.

Were not convinced that a masters is necessary to do the job, but the law is the law, and the fact that candidates would file for office apparently without knowing this is deeply disturbing.

We need a superintendent of education who respects the law and is attentive enough to details to know the parts that so directly affect her. We also need one who understands, like Ms. Spearman, that education should not be about political ideology. Kathy Maness pragmatic and collaborative approach to governing make her the best successor to Ms. Spearman. We urge voters to vote in the Republican primary and cast their ballots for her.
I havent written much about the latest round of gun control hysteria, mostly because I have said everything I have to say on that topic many times over the years. The liberal solutions to mass shooting incidents, which are very rare, are every bit as silly and ineffective as their solutions to crime in general, which is ubiquitous and therefore vastly more important. Defunding the police makes about as much sense as banning some arbitrarily selected category of firearm. Neither measure will do anything to stem the tide of crime and violence that has swept over us.

The National Rifle Association has a great deal more expertise on these issues than left-wing politicians, and as you might expect, the NRAs proposals make much more sense. The NRAs response to Joe Bidens televised gun control speech includes this:

The NRA has long supported securing our schools so that our teachers and children will be safe. We support strict enforcement of all our nations laws that target violent criminals. We support prosecution and punishment of criminals who break these laws. Indeed, the NRA supports the arrest, prosecution and punishment of any violent criminal or other dangerous prohibited person who tries to purchase or possess a firearm.

The Obama administration whined about gun crime, but actual criminal prosecution of crimes involving firearms sank like a stone, compared with the Bush administration, when Obama took office.

We support fully funding law-enforcement agencies. And, we wholeheartedly support the right of any law-abiding American to defend themselves and their loved ones. Even though its rarely reported, more than a million law abiding Americans use firearms in self-defense every year  most without ever firing a shot. What we dont support are senseless policies like no-cash bail that create a revolving door justice system that only endangers good citizens. And, we will fight any proposal that will disarm law-abiding Americans.

This is perhaps the most important point, which for some reason we dont hear much about:

And, America does have a critical mental health crisis. Many are sick, too few people are able to recognize their illness, and even less get help. The sad reality is there are too few resources for those who need it. Over the last 60 years, the number of beds available at psychiatric hospitals in America has dropped by 96 percent. In 1955, there were an estimated 340 beds per 100,000 people with mental health illnesses. In 2016, that number fell to 11.7 beds per 100,000 people. We must find a way to reach these people before they hurt themselves or others. And, we must fund places for these people to find refuge and treatment.

Emphasis added. The U.S. once had a mental health care system, but it was dismantled after a couple of unusually stupid movies portrayed closing down mental hospitals as a species of liberation. Now the mentally ill are either tossed out onto the streets or remitted to the care of their families, who often are entirely unable to deal with them. The Sandy Hook murderer killed his mother; the Uvalde murderer shot his grandmother. The liberals idea that families can cope with the seriously mentally ill is delusional.

Until this country develops an actual, functioning mental health care system that includes identification and hospitalization of the dangerously mentally ill on a reasonably consistent basis, we will continue to see high crime rates as well as occasional explosions of mass violence by the deranged.
Taking a look back at what I have written about the Republican senatorial primary in Pennsylvania, I see I will have to retire my adaptation of the famous translation of one of the Roman poet Martials epigrams. When the outcome of the primary was still in doubt, I commented:

I do not love thee, Dr. Oz.

The reason why? Well, because

Reasons  plural. I draw straws.

I do not love thee, Dr. Oz.

Yesterday afternoon David McCormick conceded to the Trump-endorsed Oz. The AP covers yesterdays developments here. Politico here.

With Trumps endorsement Oz edged McCormick by some 972 votes (out of 1,340,000) when the initial count finally came to rest. McCormicks concession anticipates the outcome of the recount, which will conclude next week.

Both Oz and McCormick drew about 31 percent of the vote. Given the Trump endorsement, I thought that was a particularly weak performance on Ozs part. Even Trump supporters werent necessarily sold on the merits of Dr. Oz.

Ozs Democratic opponent is the unfettered leftist John Fetterman. Fetterman is fettered only by health problems that landed him in the hospital after his decisive win over Conor Lamb in the Democratic primary. I have posted a physicians update on Fettermans health below. RedStates Nick Arama explores the weirdness here.

Having chosen Fetterman, Pennsylvania Democrats are in a fightin mood. With any luck I will find the man behind the curtain of the Oz campaign and handicap this critical race a little further down the line.
Two favorite guests and friends join us at the bar for this weeks Three Whisky Happy Hour, to hash out bar fights they started in less reputable watering holes. Jeremy Carl argues in The American Conservative that there needs to be A Republican Counter-Elite, while Glenn Ellmers continues to spark controversy with his article a year ago, Conservatism Is No Longer Enough, and now, last week, a sequel (channeling his Lordship Kevin Bacon in Animal House)Remain Calm, All Is Well; How Not to Save the Republic.

What were really after is a response to two great axioms from classic authors. The first is G.K. Chesterton, who wrote 100 years ago: The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of Conservatives is to prevent mistakes from being corrected. How is it that weve taken so long to catch up with his perception? The second is from Eric Hoffer, and bears on the dissatisfaction expressed today in the phrase Conservatism, IncEvery great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.

Last week Lucretia and I took note of the intramural controversy of the ideas of equality and equity, and whether, as some conservatives have long argued, the first necessarily leads to the degeneration into the second. And can we really infiltrate or seduce Americas elite institutions (the academic-media-Hollywood complex), or should we simply seek to destroy them if we can? We decided at the end that the best way to delve into this subject was to have Jeremy and Glenn on together.

Its a wide-ranging and lively conversation with many twists and turns along the way. Meanwhile, the exit music this week is deliberately chosen as a not-so-esoteric rendering of Leo Strausss controversial interpretation of John Locke. Maybe the band should have called itself Down the Tubes instead. What else can you Ask From Life?

You know what to do now: listen here, or, properly fortified with your latest single malt, shuffle on over to our hosts at Ricochet.

P.S. Glenn Ellmers revises and extends his remarks on a key point here.
President Muhammadu Buhari says any decision to be taken by ECOWAS leaders on the political situations in Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea must consider the victims of unconstitutional changes of government and the adverse consequences of isolation on them.

The president spoke on Saturday in Accra, Ghana at the 6th Extraordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State on the political situations in the three countries.

He expressed concern that since the last Summit of ECOWAS leaders on March 25 this year, not much has been achieved in terms of having an acceptable timetable for the conduct of elections to restore democratic rule in the affected countries.

He noted that although the military leadership in Burkina Faso has released President Kabore in line with the request by ECOWAS leaders , further measures must be taken to ensure his safety and full freedom.

President Buhari warned that the security situation in both Mali and Burkina Faso has reached alarming levels with incessant attacks by extremist groups on the civilian populace and military facilities, aggravating the humanitarian condition in the two countries.

The deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Mali and Burkina Faso should be a source of serious concern to us as leaders in the region. As you may be aware, the world is still recovering from the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, which wrecked the global economy.

While our economies begin to recover, the impact of the war between Russia and Ukraine has led to a surge in prices of many commodities including foodstuffs.

We are, therefore, left with no option but to devise means of sustaining our economies by becoming more creative and evolving in finding other channels of demand and supply, in order to ensure that we cushion the effect of the war and prevent our economies from collapsing, and our people remain productive.

We (ECOWAS) must, therefore, ensure that, in whatever decision we take, we must remember the mass of the populations in the affected countries, who are victims of the unconstitutional change of government and the adverse consequences of isolation brought about, he said.

To this end, the Nigerian leader called on the Authority to revisit the report presented by former President Goodluck Jonathan, the ECOWAS Mediator on Mali, on a transition timetable for the West African country.

President Buhari noted that Jonathan had recommended 16 months transitional timeframe as well as his further personal appeal and observation to us to give the military leadership in Mali up to 18 months for the conduct of election, starting from March 2022.

Furthermore, Nigeria is also calling on the Authority to consider the proposal earlier made for the Chair to personally visit Bamako and present this proposal. Nigeria equally welcomes the magnanimous offer by President Macky Sall, Chair of the Assembly of African Union to accompany H.E. President Nana Addo to Bamako for the purpose.

From our findings, we are certain that the high-level visit proposed would be welcomed by the military leadership and would achieve the needed consensus. At the same time, the region must be ready to provide the needed support to Mali to return to democratic rule as soon as possible.

On the situation in Guinea and Burkina Faso, President Buhari expressed concern that, till date, their proposed timeframes are not in tandem with the expectations of the regional leaders as well as their respective citizens.

He urged the military authorities in Burkina Faso and Guinea to renew their determination and immediately provide acceptable timeframes for the return to democracy in their respective countries.

He announced that Nigeria fully supports any action, including imposition of further sanctions that the Authority may adopt to compel the military leaderships in the two countries to submit an acceptable electoral timetable.

Nevertheless, there is need for ECOWAS to continue to engage the military leaderships and key stakeholders in Burkina Faso and Guinea in order to reach an agreeable understanding, especially on the transition timeframes, he said.

Earlier, the Chairperson of the Authority and President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, thanked his counterparts for their strong commitment to democracy, peace and stability in the region and for staying focused on the situation in the countries.

President Akufo-Addo, who acknowledged the presence of African Union Commission Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, said the Summit hopes to find lasting solutions to political instability and the resurgence of coup detats in the region since August 2020.

Femi Adesina

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

June 04, 2022

WATCH: Governor Yahaya Bello's Roadmap to Hope 2023
The Federal High Court in Kano, on Friday, held that statutory delegates can participate in primaries of political parties in accordance with the Nigerian constitution.

Statutory delegates are usually political office holders such as lawmakers, commissioners and ministers.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that the judgement comes less 72 hours to the national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Eagles Square in Abuja, where a presidential candidate for the party will emerge for next years polls.

The Federal High Court in Kano held that Section 84(8) cannot be interpreted to have excluded statutory delegates from voting at the convention, congress.

The judge, A.M. Liman, while delivering judgement in a suit filed by Masijde El-Jibrin Gogowa, a legislative aide to Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives; Habibu Sani and Bilyaminu Shinkafi, said Section 223 of the Nigerian constitution and the APC constitution allow statutory Delegation (sic) to vote at convention, congress or meeting.

In the suit filed on May 24, the plaintiffs listed the Senate President, APC National Chairman, Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants.

While the Senate President challenged the propriety of the case, the APC National Chairman, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and INEC did not file any court documents concerning the suit.

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED AS FOLLOWS:

That Section 84(8) cannot be -interpreted to have excluded statutory delegates from voting at the convention, congress or meeting by virtue of Section 223 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Article 20(iv)(c) of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Constitution, which allow Statutory Delegation to vote at convention, congress or meeting, the judge said.

The APC has already approved elected delegates, three per local government area, to take part in the presidential primary. Since the judge did not order the party to allow the statutory delegates, it is not clear if the ruling party will amend its rules to now allow for statutory delegates.

The ruling party has also held its other primaries, state and legislative, without statutory delegates.

The PDP also held its primaries without statutory delegates.

Although the National Assembly passed an amendment to Section 84(8) so as to allow statutory delegates vote, President Muhammadu Buhari has, so far, refused to sign the amendment.

Background

Section 84(8) is not the only controversial part of the new Electoral Act.

There have been conflicting orders from courts of coordinate jurisdiction over the interpretation of Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act 2022 and provisions of the constitution.

The Federal High Court in Abuja had in March barred President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly from tampering with the controversial clause in the Electoral Amendment Act.

The controversial clause in the Electoral Amendment Act 2022, provides that No political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at the convention or congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election.

The controversy generated by the new Electoral Act compelled Mr Buhari and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), to approach the Supreme Court, seeking an interpretation of the controversial clause in the Electoral Act.

Two of the defendants in the pending suit at the apex court  National Assembly and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)  challenged the jurisdiction of Supreme Court to hear and determine the case.

On March 18, a Federal High Court in Umuahia, Abia State,in a suit filed by Nduka Edede, a lawyer and member of the Action Alliance (AA), ordered the AGF to immediately delete section 84 (12) on the grounds that it violates the provisions of the constitution.

However, in its ruling on May 11, a Court of Appeal panel headed by Hamma Barka held that Evelyn Anyadike, judge of the Umuahia court, did not have the necessary jurisdiction to make such an order because the plaintiff did not have the locus to file the case in the first place.

The appellate court, however, held that if the suit had been properly instituted, it would have ruled that the provision is unconstitutional because it violates Section 42 (1)(a) of the constitution and denies a class of Nigerians their right to participate in elections.

WATCH: Governor Yahaya Bello's Roadmap to Hope 2023
Nigerians will on Saturday discuss the countrys next general elections and the preparedness of its electoral commission.

The event, slated to be held at the Shehu Musa Yaradua Centre in Abuja, will afford Nigerians an opportunity to engage the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, on his agencys preparation for the elections.

The hybrid event, themed The Electorates, will be anchored by Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, a television host and presenter.

It will discuss issues around INECs commitment and preparedness towards free, fair and peaceful elections.

Ahead of the Saturday event slated for 12 noon, the Executive Director of the Electoral College Nigeria, Kunle Lawal, said engagements as this are necessary to entrench the needed proliteracy of the electorate so we can solidify the gains on this journey to a better governed nation.

Also looking forward to the event, the Executive Director of Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), one of the organisers, Tobi Oluwatola, said the platform will offer another opportunity to foster youth participation in the electoral process.

He noted that  effective liberal democracy requires the participation of the majority of people but also diverse interests that may not be represented by the majority. As the electoral umpire, INEC has a role to play to ensure expanded participation especially among youth. This platform provides an opportunity to motivate youth participation.

Samson Itodo of YIAGA Africa, one of the EiE partners for the programme, expressed similar thoughts.

PREMIUM TIMES will bring you live updates from the event.





WATCH: Governor Yahaya Bello's Roadmap to Hope 2023
The governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, has said his decision to withdraw from the PDP presidential primary election was his own way of strengthening democracy in Nigeria.

Mr Tambuwal stepped down for a former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, just before voting commenced. He also asked his supporters to vote for Mr Abubakar.

While addressing his supporters on Friday evening at Sokoto Government House, Mr Tambuwal, for the first time, stated publicly the reason behind his withdrawal.

What we have done is for the good of our party and the country. I appreciate everyone of you that prayed for me and our party. The sacrifice that I have made on your behalf is aimed at strengthening our party, our democracy, and; by the grace of God, soft landing our polity, he said.

Mr Tambuwal said he was taught by his leaders to make sacrifice for others, especially for the good of the country.

He called on the people of the state and Nigerians to vote for the PDP.

This is in consonance with the teachings of our leaders and the [emulation] of the examples they have given to us in the past: that we must continue to make sacrifice for the good of all of us and our country.

I thank the people of Sokoto state and all my supporters across the country for their support. Rest assured, we shall work assiduously for the victory of our party come 2023 General Elections.

Campaign teams meeting

Meanwhile, the campaign team for Mr Tambuwal has met with that of Mr Abubakar in Abuja as part of strategies towards selling the Adamawa-born politician to Nigerians.

Mr Tambuwals spokesperson, Muhammad Bello, in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES, said the campaign team led by a retired military general, Tunde Ogbeha, had other members including Emeka Ihedioha, Bello Suleiman, Mahdi Aliyu  Gusau, Yemi Arokodare, Mariya Waziri, Nicholas Msheliza, Steve Emelieze,Paul Kazeem and Fatima Saleh.

After the visit, Mr Abubakar wrote on his social media platforms that he excitedly paused my domestic activities to receive our able Gov Aminu Tambuwal when he paid me a courtesy visit.

He added that they discussed a wide range of issues, especially the need for our party, the PDP, to stand united ahead of the 2023 elections, reaffirming that the party remains one family, calling on all Nigerians to join it to rescue and rebuild the country in 2023.

WATCH: Governor Yahaya Bello's Roadmap to Hope 2023
Two police officers were, on Thursday, killed when gunmen attacked Nkpamte Community in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigerias South-east.

Nkpamte is a remote community, just a few kiolemeters from Igbo-Eze North Local Government Headquarters.

Emeka Peter, a resident of the area, told PREMIUM TIMES that the incident happened at a Royal Mass Transit Workshop located in the area.

He said the incident has thrown many residents into fear.

Even today (Saturday) we have been hearing gunshots. Everybody is afraid because you dont know who is who, Mr Peter said.

When contacted on Saturday, the police spokesperson in Enugu State, Daniel Ndukwe, confirmed the incident to PREMIUM TIMES.

He said the two police officers were shot by the gunmen during a gun duel in the area.

The two police officers were immediately moved to the hospital, but were unfortunately confirmed dead by doctors on duty, Mr Ndukwe said.

The police spokesperson said investigation and manhunt had commenced to track down the suspects.

Increased attacks

Security in Nigerias South-east has deteriorated in recent times with attacks by armed persons reported almost on a daily basis across the region.

Anambra State has witnessed some of the worst attacks in the region. The attacks often target security agencies, government officials, and facilities.

The Nigerian government accused the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region. But the group has repeatedly denied their involvement in the attacks.

The separatist group is leading agitation for an independent state of Biafra to be carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south Nigeria.

Leader of the secessionist group, Mr Kanu, is currently being detained in Abuja where he is facing trial for treason.

Mr Kanu appeared in court on May 18 in continuation of his trial. He is billed to appear in court again on June 28.

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The federal government said the latest dip in electricity generation in the country is as a result of a partial shutdown of a gas plant.

The shutdown has caused power outage across the country for days.

The government said the Oben gas plant collapsed and failed to generate supply. Isa Sanusi, spokesperson to the Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, said this in a statement on Saturday.

He said the plant was shut down to allow for the repair of critical gas processing equipment.

Eko Electricity Distribution Company informed its customers of power interruption in the early hours of Saturday.

Dear Esteemed Customers, we regret to inform you of the significant drop in load allocation to our network which has led to massive load shedding, it said.

Kindly bear with us as we are currently working with our TCN partners for a swift resolution.

Mr Sanusi said the incident occurred at a time other power plants are undergoing planned maintenance and capacity testing.

We wish to notify the public that Seplat Energy Plc has mobilized equipment, material and personnel to site with a view to expediting the restoration of normal gas supply to the affected power plants, he said.

ALSO READ: Nigerians experience power blackout as national grid collapses again

We have been assured that the repair work would be concluded this weekend and normalcy will be restored. While pleading with electricity consumers with the current state of supply, we wish to assure the general public that efforts are being made for a sustained improvement of supply across the country.

Nigeria has struggled with poor power supply for years, often caused by generation and transmission problems. In 2022 alone, the countrys national grid has collapsed at least five times.

Editors Note: A glitch in our editing process caused a misattribution of the cause of the recent power outage to grid collapse. This has been corrected and we apologise for the error.

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The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Adamu, has warned all presidential aspirants on the platform of the APC to desist from attacking President Muhammadu Buhari.

Mr Adamu also said the party takes exception to the recent comments by former Lagos State governor and presidential aspirant, Bola Tinubu, against the president.

He condemned the comment and warned that the party will take punitive action against any of the aspirants who make scathing comments against Mr Buhari.

The national chairman spoke while addressing journalists at the national secretariat of the party in, Abuja on Saturday.

Mr Tinubu had on Thursday while addressing APC delegates in Ogun State, recounted how he helped to make Mr Buhari president in 2015.

If not for me that stood behind Buhari he wouldnt have become the president, said Mr Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State.

He tried the first time, he failed, the second time, he failed, the third, he failed, he even wept on national television and vowed never to contest again but I went to meet him in Kaduna and told him he will run again, I will stand by you and you will win, but you must not joke with Yorubas and he agreed.

Since he became the president, I have never got ministerial slots, I didnt collect any contract, I have never begged for anything from him, it is the turn of Yoruba, it is my turn.

However, a day after, Mr Tinubu, in a statement, tried to retract what he said, adding thatvhe had the greatest respect for the president.

Not enough

Mr Adamu said the attempt at retracting the statement is not enough, adding that the deed had been done.

It is a bit amazing, how a fellow APC person could make those kinds of comments in that circumstance about the president. We take exception to this. It does not show any appreciable level of respect.

Therefore, without any equivocation whatsoever, we are saddened by what we saw in the video, in that reportage and we condemn it in the strongest of terms.

We do hope that we never proceed in that kind of thing again on the screen, either on social media or on television or hear that kind of thing on radio or any public appearance, particularly those of the APC extraction, to make that kind of comment that is unbecoming.

Yes, we saw some effort to retract. That effort is not adequate, if it was sincere, it is not in-depth enough. It does not whip off the negative impression that the event has left in our minds. This is our position. I, as the chairman, have the duty to stand by our party, by our president to safeguard our partys integrity and integrity of our government, he said.

He said the party will take punitive action against aspirants making any negative comments against the president.

We will be on the watch out, if there is a need to penalise anybodynot just Bola Tinubu, every member, Mr Adamu said.

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President Muhammadu Buhari will host all presidential aspirants on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) tonight (Saturday).

The National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Adamu disclosed this on Saturday while speaking with journalists on the report of the screening committee.

Although Mr Adamu did not disclose the agenda of the meeting, he said Mr Buhari would interact with the aspirants.

Mr Adamu dismissed reports that the screening committee headed by John Oyegun disqualified 10 presidential aspirants. He explained that the committee did not screen out aspirants, but instead graded them on certain criteria.

Nobody has been disqualified. We have the report. No aspirant has been disqualified. It is like sitting in an exam. Even if you pass, there is grading. There is first class, second class upper and the rest.

As it stands, no aspirant has been disqualified. As a matter of fact, the president has invited all of them to the villa for interaction, the national chairman said.

On Tuesday, the president held a meeting with the APC governors with Mr Adamu in attendance.

At the meeting, the president spoke on the process of picking his successor, while asking the governors to support him in picking the right successor.

In keeping with the established internal policies of the Party and as we approach the Convention in a few days, therefore, I wish to solicit the reciprocity and support of the Governors and other stakeholders in picking my successor, who would fly the flag of our party for election into the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2023, Mr Buhari said.

After the meeting, the president left for Spain on a state visit. He came back on Friday.

The governors have had several meetings to consider the request by the president but those meetings have ended in deadlock as they failed to agree on zoning.

It is not clear if the president will declare his preferred candidate at the meeting tonight.

The ruling party has fixed its convention for June 6 to 8.

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President Muhammadu Buhari is currently meeting with the presidential aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The meeting started at 9 p.m. on Saturday, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

Some of the presidential aspirants at the meeting are Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, ex-Lagos governor Bola Tinubu, ex-transport minister Rotimi Amaechi and Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi.

The meeting is holding less than 48 hours before the APC commences its presidential primary to elect its presidential candidate for next years general election.

A total of 23 presidential aspirants are still in contention to be the partys candidate.

However, President Buhari recently told APC state governors that he wants to pick his successor and needs their support to do so.

Details later

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Governors and other leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Northern Nigeria have demanded that the presidential ticket of the party be zoned to the southern part of the country.

The governors stated their position in a public statement signed by 10 of them and the leader of the party in Sokoto State, Aliyu Wamakko.

A total of 22 of Nigerias 36 states are governed by the APC. Fourteen of the governors are from the North, while eight are from the South.

Only four northern APC state governors did not sign the statement. Two of them, Yahaya Bello of Kogi and Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa, are among the APCs 23 presidential aspirants.

The 10 Northern APC governors that signed the statement are those of Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Niger, Nasarawa, Zamfara, Gombe, Borno, Plateau and Kebbi.

The statement by the Northern governors comes a few days after President Muhammadu Buhari told APC governors that he wanted to pick his successor and needs their support to do so.

Mr Buhari did not, however, name his preferred candidate, thus leaving room for speculations.

At the time of this report, Mr Buhari was meeting with the 23 presidential aspirants of the APC.

Before the stance of the northern APC governors, their colleagues from the south had unanimously stated that the partys presidential candidate should be from the southern part of the country.

Read the full statement by the Northern APC governors below.

Statement by Northern States APC Governors and Political Leaders

APC governors and political leaders from the northern states of Nigeria today met to review the political situation and to further support our Party in providing progressive leadership amidst our national challenges. During our discussions, we welcomed President Muhammadu Buharis invitation to governors and other stakeholders to contribute to the emergence of a strong presidential candidate for the APC.

After careful deliberation, we wish to state our firm conviction that after eight years in office of President Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the APC for the 2023 elections should be one of our teeming members from the southern states of Nigeria. It is a question of honour for the APC, an obligation that is not in anyway affected by the decisions taken by another political party. We affirm that upholding this principle is in the interest of building a stronger, more united and more progressive country.

We therefore wish to strongly recommend to President Muhammadu Buhari that the search for a successor as the APCs presidential candidate be limited to our compatriots from the southern states. We appeal to all aspirants from the northern states to withdraw in the national interest and allow only the aspirants from the south to proceed to the primaries. We are delighted by the decision of our esteemed colleague, His Excellency, Governor Abubakar Badaru to contribute to this patriotic quest by withdrawing his presidential aspiration.

The APC has a duty to ensure that the 2023 elections offer a nation-building moment, reaffirming that a democratic pathway to power exists for all who value cooperation and build national platforms. This moment calls for the most sober and inclusive approach to selecting our partys candidate, and we call on all APC leaders to fulfil their responsibility in this regard.

Signed, 4th June 2022:

1. Aminu Bello Masari Governor of Katsina State

2. Abubakar Sani Bello Governor of Niger State

3. Abdullahi A. Sule Governor of Nasarawa State

4. Prof. B.G. Umara Zulum Governor of Borno State

5. Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai Governor of Kaduna State

6. Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya Governor of Gombe State

7. Bello M. Matawalle Governor of Zamfara State

8. Simon Bako Lalong Governor of Plateau State

9. Senator Aliyu Wamakko Former Governor of Sokoto State

10. Dr. A.U. Ganduje Governor of Kano State

11. Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu Governor of Kebbi State

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President Muhammadu Buhari has urged presidential aspirants of the ruling party, APC, to work towards producing a consensus and formidable candidate.

Mr Buhari stated this at a Saturday night meeting with the 23 presidential aspirants of the party at the State House, Abuja.

The meeting was held behind closed doors and its details were sent to PREMIUM TIMES by Femi Adesina, the presidents spokesperson.

Similarly, I wish to remind you that our choice of flag bearer must be formidable, appealing to the electorate across the board and should command such ability to unify the country and capacity to address our critical challenges, Mr Buhari was quoted as telling the aspirants.

Some of the aspirants at the meeting include Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, ex-Lagos governor Bola Tinubu, ex-transportation minister Rotimi Amaechi and Ebonyi governor David Umahi.

The chairperson of the APC screening committee, John Odigie-Oyegun, had told journalists Friday that all the APC presidential aspirants, except one, were open to the option of a consensus candidate.

He did not name the outlier but quoted the aspirant as saying he would only accept a consensus if he is the choice.

Earlier on Saturday, APC governors from Northern Nigeria met and declared their support for the presidential ticket of the party to be zoned to the South.

Read Mr Adesinas full statement below.

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

PRESIDENT BUHARI TO APC PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRANTS: CONSULT, BUILD CONSENSUS, AND COME UP WITH FORMIDABLE CANDIDATE

President Muhammadu Buhari Saturday night met with all the aspirants for President on the platform of All Progressives Congress, at State House, Abuja, urging them to hold consultations, and come up with a formidable candidate before the party holds its primary election between June 6-8, 2022.

The President said the meeting was a continuation of the on-going consultative process aimed at ensuring a smooth and strategic emergence of a standard bearer, who will lead the APC to a resounding victory in the upcoming presidential polls.

Looking at this assemblage of personalities and considering your rich pedigree of accomplishments in life, I have come to the conclusion that our party, the APC, is rich in human resources and also that our nation is blessed with capable people that can successfully steer the ship of state into the future, President Buhari said.

He added that with his first-hand knowledge of the demands of the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the expectations of the citizens, I must salute your courage and your selfless spirit, in volunteering to serve in the highest office of the land.

The President added: Our party, the APC, has won two successive presidential elections in 2015, first when we were in the opposition and in 2019 when I sought re-election. Both processes were achieved through unity of purpose, strategic alignment, consultation, fairness, determination and effective leadership. In both instances, national and party interests were overriding factors in our deliberations and decision-making.

The 2023 General Elections are fast approaching in a global, regional and national environment that is constantly changing and challenging. This demands that our party should become more aware of the changing environment, be responsive to the yearnings of our citizens, re-evaluate our strategy and strengthen our internal mechanism so that we would sustain the electoral successes.

I am pleased to note that the party, recognizing the significance of all these demands, has over time developed several democratically acceptable processes and policies, that promote consultation, internal cohesion and leadership to facilitate victories at the polls.

The President recalled the consultation he had held with stakeholders that would help the electoral fortunes of our party, beginning with the State Governors. This is the second in the series and I still look forward to meeting with party stakeholders. These steps are being taken to ensure that the unity and cohesion of the party are sustained and to provide direction.

Amongst others things, I reminded the APC Governors of the need for the party to proceed to the 2023 Presidential elections with strength, unity of purpose and to present a flag bearer who will give Nigerians a sense of hope and confidence, while ensuring victory for our party. I extend a similar reminder to all of you distinguished aspirants.

Saying the APC will on Monday June 6, 2022 commence its national convention during which one candidate will be picked by delegates to fly the flag of the party for the 2023 Presidential Election, President Buhari said he was aware that there is anxiety among party members about the outcome of the process.

Given these circumstances, I charge you to recognize the importance of the stability and unity of the party, which cannot be overemphasized.

Similarly, I wish to remind you that our choice of flag bearer must be formidable, appealing to the electorate across the board and should command such ability to unify the country and capacity to address our critical challenges.

Ahead of the Convention, the party machinery has screened and found all aspirants eminently qualified. Recognizing this fact, the Screening Committee has, amongst others, recommended that consensus building through consultation, be intensified.

Without prejudice to your qualifications, I urge all of you to hold consultations amongst yourselves and with the party, with a view to building a consensus in a manner that would help the party reduce the number of aspirants, bring up a formidable candidate and scale down the anxiety of party members.

The President assured that in the interest of the nation and the party, he would continue to provide effective leadership during the transition processes and on-going consultations, until we successfully make the choice on the candidate that will fly the flag of our party for the presidential elections and make the party stronger. I seek your support in this all important responsibility.

Earlier, National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu had promised that all stakeholders of the party would be reached in the consultation process.

Responding on behalf of the aspirants, former Governor of old Abia State and immediate past Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, Governor Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa State, and Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, thanked the President for his leadership and guidance, pledging that they would hold the consultations as counseled for the unity and strength of our party, the APC.

Femi Adesina

Special Adviser to the President

(Media and Publicity)

June 4, 2022

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A day after returning from an official visit to Spain, President Muhammadu Buhari will travel to Ghana for an official visit.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that Mr Buhari arrived from Spain on Friday.

The presidents office said he will leave for Ghana on Saturday to attend an ECOWAS summit. He will, however, return same day.

Read the statement from the presidents office below.

PRESIDENT BUHARI TO ATTEND ECOWAS EXTRAORDINARY SUMMIT IN ACCRA

President Muhammadu Buhari will today Saturday, June 4 in Accra, Ghana, attend an Extraordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government on the political situation in Mali and other parts of the sub-region.

The Summit which will hold at the Presidential Palace, Accra, also known as the Jubilee House, is expected to review progress made by Malis military junta on the return of the country to democratic rule.

The Heads of State will also review the situation in the Republics of Burkina Faso and Guinea.

The President will be accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, National Security Adviser, Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno (rtd) and Director-General, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Amb. Ahmed Rufai Abubakar.

He will return to Abuja same day at the end of the Summit.

Femi Adesina

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

June 04, 2022

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has added new rules and regulations to its guidelines ahead of the 2023 general elections.

In its 36 new pages guidelines released on Friday, the commission barred election officials from making or receiving calls during collation of results.

The regulation, as also obtained in the 2019 version of the guidelines, is aimed at ensuring that its officials remain focused on their assignments.

To accommodate the provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act, the 2022 guidelines has expanded from addressing merely 52 points to 106.

While COVID-19 restrictions have been relaxed, INEC, in its schedule attached to the newly released guidelines, insisted that each vehicle deployed to convey election staff shall carry only 50 per cent of its normal passenger capacity as all passengers must wear nose masks.

The INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, at the presentation of the guidelines during the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security meeting in Abuja, said the commission has officially ended its formal preparations for the forthcoming elections.

On several occasions, the Commission has assured Nigerians that we are finalising the Regulations and Guidelines for the elections. I am glad to announce that the document is ready and will be presented to Nigerians shortly. The soft copy will be uploaded to our website with the link shared on our social media platforms.

With the release of the Regulations and Guidelines today, and the publication of the Strategic Plan (SP) 2022-2026 and Election Project Plan 2023 earlier, the Commission has virtually concluded the planning processes for the 2023 General Election nine months ahead of the election. In the next couple of weeks, the training manual will also be presented to Nigerians, he said.

Mr Yakubu said the commission will now focus on election administration as it prepares for the June 18 Ekiti Governorship Election.

Recounting the INEC preparations toward the success of the Ekiti election, the chairman said he has visited the state and can ascertain that the commission is fully prepared to conduct the election.

He also hopes to return to the state soon to sign the INEC Peace Accord with stakeholders and political parties before the election.

We will again return to Ekiti State shortly to meet with the stakeholders and for the signing of the Peace Accord by political parties and candidates under the auspices of the National Peace Committee.

As the Commission is getting ready for the Ekiti State Governorship election, we have also gone far with similar preparations for the Osun State Governorship election holding next month i.e. Saturday 16th July 2022. At the same time, the Commission continues with preparations for the 2023 General Election, he said.

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NAHCON CHAIRMAN ANNOUNCES HAJJ FARE FOR 2022 HAJJ

Nigerian pilgrims for 2022 Hajj from Southern Nigeria are to pay N2,496,815.29, while their counterparts from Northern part of the country will pay N2,449,607.89. For Adamawa and Borno states, they are to pay N2,408,197.89 due to proximity to Saudi Arabia. The air ticket cost is the major difference in the Hajj fare.

This was announced today, June 4, 2022 by the NAHCON Chairman, Zikrullah Hassan, in an extraordinary meeting with Chief Executives of Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards in the NAHCON Hajj House headquarters.

Following announcement of the fare, the entire State Pilgrims Welfare Boards Executive Officers and other participants gave the NAHCON leadership a standing ovation for doing a job well done in holding down the Hajj fare below N2.5 million deposit despite the obvious challenges. The gathering appreciated the effort put in place by the NAHCON Chairman in achieving this feat on behalf of Nigerian pilgrims.

In his opening remarks, Mr Hassan, reminded the gathering that all stakeholders do not have the luxury of time and from experience, we know that Saudi Arabia will not add an hour extra once the deadline for landing is due. He informed that the commission has requested for more Hajj seats, but NAHCON is still waiting for response.

Therefore, in the meantime, all states are to work with and exhaust the allocations they have been granted instead of waiting for more.

It was disclosed by Mr Hassan that while visas of officials and pilgrims in the inaugural flight are ready, the states should start visa processing for all categories of registered pilgrims. The chairman urged others to send their staff to study the visa processing system due to recent modifications that were introduced by Saudi Arabia this year.

However, those state board executives that are ready will be guided on the process today after the meeting.

On the issue of difficulty acquiring travel passports, Mr Hassan informed that the board member representing Nigeria Immigration Service had promised to assist any state board having problem processing the travel document for their pilgrims. He therefore directed the state boards Executive Secretaries to contact her for assistance.

A call was made to intensify enlightenment on Hadaya to avoid pilgrims being duped. In addition, the NAHCON Chief Executive Officer said, it costs cheaper when paid from Nigeria due to the benefit of the foreign exchange.

Similarly, the Chairman disclosed that pilgrims will get their covid-19 PCR test done at a discounted rate of 30,000.

Details will follow

Nura Yakassai, NAHCONs Commissioner in charge of Policy, Personnel Management and Finance encouraged the states to conclude fund remittance to fast-track Hajj preparations and for processing of Basic Travelling Allowances.

In his closing remarks, the chairman of Forum of States, Idris Al Makura, praised the NAHCON board for the commendable job and called for cooperation from all quarters.

Fatima Sanda Usara,

AD, Public Affairs,

NAHCON

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has approved the repeat of primaries in Federal and State Constituencies for Lagos, Imo, Benue, Katsina States to nominate candidates for the 2023 general elections.

The party disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday night by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, in Abuja.

Mr Ologunagba said after careful deliberations on the reports of the Electoral and Appeal Panels on the congresses of PDP in Lagos, Imo, Benue and Katsina States, the National Working Committee (NWC) approved repeat of the primaries.

He said that the NWC approved June 5 for the repeat primaries in Ahiazu and Orsu State Constituencies of Imo; as well as Musawa, Dandume, Zango State Constituencies of Katsina State.

Others, according to him, are: Oru East/Orsu/Orlu Federal Constituency of Imo and Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency of Benue.

Also, June 6 has been rescheduled for Lagos State House of Representatives Primaries (24 Federal Constituencies)

Furthermore, Kaduna Central Senatorial District of Kaduna State, Enugu West Senatorial Districts of Enugu State as well as Boki/Ikom Federal Constituency and Yakuur II State Constituency, both of Cross River earlier scheduled for Saturday June 4 have been cancelled, he said.

He advised all party members in the affected states to take note of the new dates.

(NAN)

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RRS Commander, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi, 5th from right, and other officers rewarded for outstanding performances

The Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the police command in Lagos State has rewarded some of its operatives and teams for outstanding performances and gallantry.

This is contained in a statement posted on the Twitter handle of the command on Saturday.

The RRS rewarded five individuals for outstanding contributions, and 11 teams for gallantry.

It rewarded the officers and teams with cash, plaques, and commendation letters.

The recipients included the team that intercepted a busload of illicit drugs and turned down a N500,000 bribe.

They also included a team that recovered an AK- 47 rifle and pump-action gun, another that recovered robbers loot and pistols, and one that recovered three locally-made guns, among others.

The unit said that the awards were designed to encourage hard work, values of modern policing, and being alive to responsibilities.

Presenting the awards, the Permanent Secretary, Office of Chief of Staff to Lagos State Governor, Olawale Musa, praised all the awardees for contributions toward security in the state.

He urged them to see the awards as tokens of appreciation of their efforts. (NAN)

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The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown measures to control the pandemic exacerbated gender-based violence (GBV) and authorities were ill-prepared to handle the fallout, a conference on gender equality has stated.

The four-day conference, organised by the Centre for Gender and Social Policy Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, was themed Gender Equality and Pandemics: Rethinking National, Regional and International Growth and Development Pathways.

It was held at the African Centre of Excellence in ICT-Driven Knowledge Park in the university between May 17th and 20th.

According to the organisers, the aim of the conference was to identify new pathways to promote and ensure gender equality while grappling with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There were over 50 oral abstract presentations, and five roundtable and symposium sessions.

Highlights

Among the key highlights of the conference include identifying COVID-19 pandemic related gender-based violence as a major public health concern.

The conference identified that the prevalence of intimate and non-intimate gender-based violence (GBV) is still high and includes but is not limited to rape, assault, harassment, and femicide, stated a communique issued at the end of the conference.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown measures to control the pandemic was an exacerbating factor for GBV.

Conference participants, according to the communique, identified that there is an urgent need to institute intervention that mitigates the socio-cultural and religious ideations, beliefs and attitudes sustaining GBV.

They also highlighted that vulnerabilities were heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic and recognized that marginalized groups, including women in their diversity, were worse affected by the pandemic.

Many faced financial, social and economic insecurities, the communique read.

People with disabilities were disproportionately affected by the pandemic and yet, had limited access to health, transportation, and financial support services.

Access of vulnerable populations of women to government support like the Conditional Cash Transfer programme and the COVID-19 palliatives offered by the government of Nigeria, is poor.

Conference participants identified the need for communities to be involved in identifying members in need of support services, and for researchers to develop evidence driven inclusive pathways for reaching hard to reach vulnerable populations with palliative measures during health emergencies.

The participants also identified that inequality in access to services was further entrenched during the pandemic.

Inequality in access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene, and healthcare were exacerbated during the pandemic.

The conference identified that women and girls had to handle the increased need to meet the diverse household needs despite the challenges and dangers the pandemic posed.

These include ensuring continued access to water, sanitation, child nutrition and security despite the increased risk for the unavailability of these services during the pandemic.

The poor access to maternal and child health and sexual and reproductive health services may heighten the poor health outcomes of women as an aftermath of the pandemic.

Recommendations

Some recommendations at the conference include generating evidence on root causes and effective mitigation measures; intervening at the individual, household, community, and societal levels; and disseminating information on prevention and control measures.

Others are collaborating with societal institutions to institute speedy legal measures; training health workers to identify cases and institute prevention measures; and addressing the palliative care needs during country emergency responses.



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Interview: Timor-Leste president highlights China's important role in promoting regional peace, stability

Xinhua) 14:07, June 04, 2022

DILI, June 4 (Xinhua) -- China is very concerned about the global and regional economy, and has done its share in supporting many countries in Asia, President of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta has said.

In an interview with Xinhua on Thursday, Ramos-Horta said China's role is indispensable for the peace and stability, development and prosperity of the region.

President Ramos-Horta recalled that 20 years ago, on behalf of Timor-Leste, he signed the joint communique on the establishment of diplomatic ties with China, and bilateral relations have ever since become "very strong, solid and fraternal."

China is one of the main trading partners of Timor-Leste, and has been very generous in supporting the nation in the fields of education, health, agriculture and infrastructure, Ramos-Horta noted.

"We have many Timorese studying in China, Chinese doctors working here, and Chinese agricultural experts advising in some rural areas of Timor-Leste. In addition, major Chinese construction companies have participated in the infrastructure development of Timor-Leste," said the president.

"What China is providing to us as it has done in the last 20 years, is extremely important for Timor-Leste to keep progressing economically," he stressed.

The president expressed his hope that China will help diversify Timor-Leste's economy, and in particular, the country's industrial development will be further enhanced with China's assistance.

Ramos-Horta also mentioned that as a national strategic goal, Timor-Leste is in the process of joining ASEAN, and will in time bring tremendous benefit to foreign companies investing in the country.

The president also thanked China for the help in the fight against COVID-19.

"I believe that for the next years to come, the relations between Timor-Leste and China will expand even more, for the benefit of both countries," said Ramos-Horta.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
Yau Darazo, the senior special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Special Duties, has urged Nigerians, especially members of the All Progressives Congress, to ignore the malicious attempt by the opponents of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to misrepresent what he told party leaders and delegates in Abeokuta, Ogun State on Thursday.

Mr Darazo, in a statement he signed in his personal capacity as supporter of the presidential ambition of Mr Tinubu, claimed Mr Tinubus comment in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, was distorted in what he said was a dubious attempt to cause discord between him and President Buhari.

The Senior Presidential aide started his statement by stating that he was speaking for himself as a member of the team working for Mr Tinubus campaign.

Let me start with a disclaimer. I am issuing this statement in my personal capacity. This is very important before mischief makers start attributing it to some other persons.

For the avoidance of doubts, I am a supporter of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I, therefore, belong to the team assiduously working for Asiwajus 2023 Presidential Project. On his mandate I stand!!

While addressing party delegates and supporters in Abeokuta, Mr Tinubu recalled his contribution to the formation of APC and how his support made it possible for President Buhari to be elected President in 2015 having lost in three previous attempts in 2003, 2007 and 2011.

The presidential aide said Mr Tinubus address, which was made in Yoruba, was taken out of context by opponents and mischief makers to damage his standing with the President.

Mr Darazo said President Buhari was capable of seeing through the mischief having been a victim of misrepresentation himself in the past and no ill-motivated plot can destroy the relationship between Buhari and Tinubu.

In the last 48 hours or so the media space has been polluted by the odious breath of mischief makers-nay ingrates? Who misrepresented Asiwajus speech with the sole aim of planting discord between him and President Muhammadu Buhari. In their mischievous mind, that would earn them added advantage in the primaries for the Ticket of the APC.

I have a message for them. They have failed woefully. They should not take Nigerians for granted; Nigerians are wise enough. Let the mischief makers note that, good and purposeful leadership is not on the same page with mischief. Its good that Nigerians know them early enough. Its very clear that their purpose of seeking leadership is not service driven.

I was with Asiwaju in Abeokuta among other good people of Ogun State when he delivered the speech in question. It was in Yoruba Language. It was later translated to mewhich I found quite acceptable and politically relevant to audience and even beyond. Truth is Sacred. If the mischief makers think that by mispresenting Asiwajus Statement they will get the sympathy of the President; they have failed againand failed woefully.

President Buhari is not a stranger to the bashing of media mischief. He is a veteran. He passed through it. He suffered from it like no other leader in this country. When he sees media mischief, he would know it; certainly, like this one against Asiwaju.

Citing examples of how President Buhari had been unfairly misrepresented in the past just to damage him politically, Mr Darazo said Mr Buhari was presented to Nigerians as a religious bigot when he addressed a Muslim event in Sokoto in 2002.

Let me for now give only three examples;

Firstly, few years ago, President Buhari delivered an address in Hausa language to a Muslim event in Sokoto. He urged Muslims to actively participate in politics particularly at the local levels and not only that, they should present some of their best in order to improve the quality governance at the local government and states assembly levels.

The mischief makers went to town propagating that General Buhari, as he was then addressed, had urged Muslims to vote Muslims only. Their mission like this one on Asiwaju was to stop General Buharis success by putting his opponent on an added advantage.

Secondly, also some few years back in an election of a certain constituency in Kaduna State, members of the defunct ANPP in that constituency mobilised themselves to protect their votes against the serial onslaught and rigging machine of the PDP. At the end of the day, PDP had no alternative but let the then INEC declared ANPP candidate as winner.

After the declaration, the people came to see General Buhari. He addressed them in Hausa language, part of which he humorously quoted the Hausa proverb regarding Baboon and Dog; one defending his life and the other determined to have a meal. Again, the mischief makers went to town misinterpreting his speech. The same way they are now doing against Asiwaju. They said General Buhari was mobilising northerners for a bloody and violence election. Again, they wanted to put General Buhari on disadvantage against the PDP candidate.

And thirdly, as far back as 1984 when General Buhari was the Head of State. Some elements within the system, who were against his programmes and therefore determined to discredit him went on to harass late Chief Awolowo and late Sheikh Mahmud Gumi, after which they went into town mischievously propagating that the Head of State had concluded an arrangement to detain and humiliate them. Curious enough, some of these elements of the 1984 project are still around.

They are very active members of the PDP and are opposing all what President Buhari stood for. These powerful elements are said to have recruited agents within the APC to do two projects for them. Ensure that APC produces a weak candidate that will give PDP a walkover. Secondly, to ensure APC produces a Northern candidate so that they will turn round and accuse the President as a Northern irredentist who denied shift of power to the South.

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Gaskiya Youth Movement, a youth group that says it is a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to disqualify Bola Tinubu, one of the partys presidential aspirants.

Umar Iliyasu, Suleiman Baba and Abubakar Adamu, on behalf of the group, filed a suit on June 2 with the APC, Mr Tinubu and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants, respectively.

Mr Iliyasu, who claims to be APC member in Bichi Local Government Area of Kano State, in the affidavit he deposed to support the suit, stated that Mr Tinubus educational history is not consistent with the educational history submitted in 1999 when he contested for Lagos State governor.

The court document also claimed that Mr Tinubu has discrepancies in his date of birth. In addition, questions were also raised on the state of origin of the former governor.

In the affidavit, Mr Iliyasu said the March 29, 1952, date on the form filled by Mr Tinubu is not his real age. He posited that the aspirant misled the electoral body in the forms filled.

The second defendant presented an incorrect educational history and inconsistent date of birth in his forms and ought to be disqualified from seeking or contesting for the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 1999 (as amended).

Except this court makes an order for disqualification of the 2nd defendant from contesting the primary election of the APC presidential election and restrain the 3rd defendant from presenting him for election, the 2nd defendant will seek and present himself for election, contrary to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And the plaintiff and 1st defendant will not be in a position to enforce the violation of the constitution against the 2nd defendant.

Consequently, the plaintiff, among other prayers, asked the court for an order of perpetual injunction restraining Mr Tinubu from participating or presenting himself in any primary elections with any political party in Nigeria to be nominated as a presidential aspirant for the 2023 elections.

Mr Tinubu has 30 days to respond to the originating summon.

This is the latest in the series of challenges against the presidential aspiration of Mr Tinubu.

Last month, a member of the party wrote a petition against him on the basis of his educational qualification.

Sagir Mai Iyali, also from Kano, asked the APC presidential screening committee to disqualify Mr Tinubu, citing discrepancies in his educational qualification.

From the information contained in prior submissions to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), particularly in 1999, Mr Tinubu presented a false claim, on oath, of his attendance at University of Chicago from 1972-1976.

It is clear now that these claims are false. Not only was this filed in the INEC form with a declaration on oath on December 20 1999, it was also contained in an affidavit of loss sworn to before the High Court of Lagos, Ikeja Registry, December 29th 1998.

The latter claim that seeks to transpose history is untenable. Mr Tinubu has to show proof he attended University of Chicago or he must stand disqualified as the opposition is in possession of these same documents. Over the years, the identity of Asiwaju Bola Anmed Tinubu has been shrouded in secrecy, the petition reads.

Although Mr Tinubu submitted information to INEC in 1999, on his education, that turned out to be false, he has said that it was done in error by his political ally who filled the form for him.

The Chicago State University graduate was later cleared by the Lagos State House of Assembly which investigated the matter.

Mr Tinubu is the frontrunner for the APC ticket although he is expected to face a stiff challenge from other aspirants including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

President Muhammadu Buhari has also recently indicated that he would like to pick his successor, a development that could put an end to the aspirations of Mr Tinubu and the other 22 presidential aspirants of the APC.

Meanwhile, Mr Tinubu has continued with his quest to be the APC presidential candidate in the 2023 election.

On Thursday, ahead of the June 6 primary election, while speaking with delegates in Ogun State, he went on some sort of emotional outburst.

If not for me that stood behind Buhari he wouldnt have become the president, Mr Tinubu told the delegates in Yoruba.

He (Mr Buhari) tried the first time, he failed, the second time, he failed, the third, he failed, he even wept on national television and vowed never to contest again but I went to meet him in Kaduna and told him he will run again, I will stand by you and you will win, but you must not joke with Yorubas and he agreed.

Since he became the president, I have never got ministerial slots, I didnt collect any contract, I have never begged for anything from him, it is the turn of Yoruba, it is my turn.

Mr Tinubu said he was also instrumental in Dapo Abiodun becoming the Ogun governor, as well as Yemi Osinbajo becoming vice president.

He equally referred to Mr Abiodun as this one, a phrase many considered to be offensive and disrespectful.

The outburst may not be unconnected with the pronouncement by Mr Buhari that the APC governors should allow him to pick his successor.

In keeping with the established internal policies of the party and as we approach the convention in a few days, therefore, I wish to solicit the reciprocity and support of the governors and other stakeholders in picking my successor, who would fly the flag of our party for election into the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2023, the president said at the meeting with the governors which was also attended by the APC National Chairman, Abdulahi Adamu.

On Friday, Mr Tinubu later walked back on his statement on the president, saying he was misquoted.

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Two hundred and one residents of Sharada Quarters, Kano, were on Friday reportedly hospitalised after inhaling chemicals from a cylinder dismantled by metal scrappers.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the victims were rushed to Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Sharada Industrial Hospital and Jaen Hospital, for urgent medical attention.

The Kano Territorial Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Nuradeen Abdullahi, confirmed the incident to NAN in Kano.

The cylinder chemical explosion occurred on Friday at about 4:00 p.m., at Sharada Industrial Area.

The victims were suffocated and unconscious, he said.

A witness, Sani Muhammad, said the victims collapsed and became unconscious after inhaling toxic substance from the cylinder dismantled by some metal scrappers.

He said the chemicals contained in the cylinder escaped into the air and made those who inhaled it to become unconscious.

The Chief Medical Director of Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Hussaini Muhammad, said they received over 70 victims out of which 65 were now in stable condition.

Thirty-five victims received treatment at Sharada Industrial Hospital and 96 at Jaen Hospital, he added.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Faruk, visited some of the victims at the hospital.

She was represented by the Humanitarian Affairs Permanent Secretary, Nasir Sani-Gwarzo.

The minister commended the hospitals managements, NEMA, SEMA and the Nigerian Red Cross, for their support to the victims during the incident.

She assured that the ministry would support the victims.

NAN reports that NEMA, Nigerian Red Cross and Kano State Emergency Management Agency were part of the rescue team.

(NAN)

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Former Nigerian Army Officer and Chief of Staff of the defunct Biafran Army, Alexander Madiebo, is dead.

The ex-general died on Friday. He was 90 years old.

His death was confirmed by his family in a terse statement.

We are sad to announce the passing of General Alexander Madiebo, Chief of Staff of the Biafran Army and last of the titans, the statement read in part.

Mr Madiebo hailed from Umuokpu in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State.

He was commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1956, beginning his journey as a second Lieutenant. He would later be promoted to become the first regimental commander of the Nigerian Army Artillery.

When Nigeria secured her independence in 1960, he was made the ADC to Nnamdi Azikiwe, the then Governor-General of the independent Nigeria.

When the civil war broke out in 1967, Mr Madiebo, after narrowly escaping an alleged massacre in the northern part of the country, became the commander of Biafras 51 Brigade.

At the heat of the civil war, ex- Biafran war Lord, Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, promoted him to become the General Officer commanding the entire Biafran Army, a position he held until the war ended in 1970.

Soludo mourns

Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State has expressed deep sadness and sense of loss over the death of Mr Madiebo.

In a statement by his spokesperson, Christian Aburime, on Friday, the governor regretted that Mr Madiebo died at a time his wise counsel was needed in moving the state ahead.

The governor, however, expressed gratitude to God that the former Biafran chief of staff lived a worthy life and died at a very advanced age.

Though we would have loved him to still be with us, we take joy that he lived a life of service and accomplishment. His contributions to nation building and development of his immediate environment, remain strong reference points in patriotism and nationalism, Mr Soludo said.

The governor described Mr Madiebo as a great patriot, courageous soldier and officer gentleman whose fatherly and wise counsel would be greatly missed.

He put his life on the line in protecting his people when it mattered most. It is gratifying that while in the battle fields, he kept notes that enabled him to write one of the greatest books about the Nigerian civil war The Nigerian Revolution and the Biafran Civil War, he added.

Mr Soludo asked God to grant his immediate family and other relations the fortitude to bear the pains of the ex-generals demise.

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The ruling party All Progressives Congress (APC) says it will proceed with its special convention without statutory delegates despite the pronouncement by the Federal High Court in Kano.

The party will hold the convention to elects its presidential candidate for the 2023 election from June 6 to 8.

The court on Friday, held that statutory delegates can participate in the primaries of political parties in accordance with the Nigerian constitution.

Statutory delegates include ward councillors, local government chairmen and their deputies, governors and their deputies, president and vice president.

Others are senators and members of the House of Representatives and of State assemblies, and chairmen of the parties in the 774 local government areas.

The judge, A.M. Liman, while delivering judgement in a suit filed by Masijde El-Jibrin Gogowa, a legislative aide to Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives; Habibu Sani and Bilyaminu Shinkafi, said Section 223 of the Nigerian constitution and the APC constitution allow statutory Delegation (sic) to vote at convention, congress or meeting.

In the suit filed on May 24, the plaintiffs listed the Senate President, APC National Chairman, Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants.

The spokesperson of the APC, Felix Morka, told PREMIUM TIMES that the party will proceed with its convention using the elected delegates as provided in section 84(8) of the electoral act.

Mr Morka said the APC was not a party to the case, as only the National Chairman, Abdulahi Adamu was included in the suit.

He noted that Mr Adamu is not APC.

We are proceeding with our convention as plannedas originally planned, Mr Morka said over the phone.

When asked about the courts decision, he said What court case? Was the party (APC) a party to the case? Go look at the parties to the case. APC is not a party to the case. They listed the national chairman National chairman is not a juristic person, APC is the legal person. Nobody sued APC in that matter, so why would you bother with whatever judgement the court gave?

Background

In the new Electoral Act, the lawmaker had excluded statutory delegates from persons that can vote at congresses and national convention.

Section 84(8) provides that 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 and meeting.

On May 10, the Senate passed an amendment to the Electoral Act following the consideration of the bill sponsored by the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege. The bill was given speedy passage.

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.

The following day, the House of Representatives concurred with the Senate in passing the bill. The bill was transmitted to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent. However, no feedback has been gotten.

The APC has already approved elected delegates, three per local government area, to take part in the presidential primary. The ruling party has also held its other primaries, state and legislative, without statutory delegates.

The main opposition party, PDP, also used elected delegates for its presidential primary, which produced Atiku Abubakar.

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Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has won the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) re-scheduled governorship primary election in the state.

The Returning Officer and Chairman, Governorship Primary Election Committee, Murtala Damagum, announced Mr Mohammeds victory at the end of the exercise held on Saturday in Bauchi.

He said that Mr Mohammed as the sole contestant in the election polled 646 votes.

Mr Damagum said that 650 out of the total 656 delegates were accredited, while 646 votes were cast, adding that the election was free and fair.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the rescheduled governorship primaries came after the voluntary withdrawal of Ibrahim Kashim, who won the May 28 election in the state.

Mr Kashim, who was the Secretary to the State Government, resigned his position, joined the PDP governorship race, and polled 655 votes to emerge its flag bearer while Mr Mohammed sought the presidential ticket of the party.

Following the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as PDPs presidential candidate, the governor returned to the state to seek re-election for a second term in the 2023 general elections.

The party subsequently fixed June 4 for a fresh governorship primary election with Mr Mohammed as the sole candidate.

In his acceptance speech, Mr Mohammed appreciated the party and the delegates for the smooth conduct of the exercise.

He said the party would sweep polls in the upcoming general elections, adding that, we have impacted positively through the provision of infrastructure and good governance in the last three years of our administration.

Politics is a nice game, we will continue to play politics with decency, decorum, and not a do-or-die affair, he said. (NAN)

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theprogress made so far has revealed that civic-tech solutions can go a long away in addressing citizens apathy for elections and by extension, democratic governance. Technology may not be a silver bullet that solves all election and governance-related challenges, but it is about better access to information usage and dissemination, while putting the right information into the right hands at the right time for better decisions.

There has been consistent concern in recent times about the steady rise in the cost of conducting elections in Nigeria, despite the steady decline in voter turnout, and even as citizens continue to lose interest in not only the electoral process but in governance. Taxpayers are used to run elections, but citizens continue to show little or no interest in the process that will produce leaders who will make decisions that will govern them for at least four years.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has proposed N305 billion for the conduct of the 2023 general elections in its Election Project Plan (EPP). This represents a 67 per cent increase over the N189 billion spent on the 2019 elections. It is important to note, however, that the 2023 elections are expected to have more registered voters than the 84 million registered voters recorded in 2019, with over 56,000 new polling units. It is also worth noting that the 2019 general elections saw approximately a 35 per cent voter turnout, whereas the most recent governorship election held in Anambra in 2021 saw an all-time low voter turnout of 10 per cent.

The main reasons for this are due to the lack of trust in the process and the fact that Nigerians do not always feel the effects of governance. Regardless, elections will continue to be held at higher costs, with INEC making provisions for all eligible voters, including the more than 60 per cent who may not show up. Political analysts may argue that the cost of conducting elections in Nigeria will continue to rise, but the reality is that voter turnout may continue to fall if practical steps to address voter apathy in Nigeria are not taken.

not only INEC, but also security agencies, can use technological devices to create early warning systems that will prevent electoral violence from escalating. To ensure transparency, critical election stakeholders are deploying technologies to track the election day process

It is heartening, however, that recent technological innovations by election stakeholders, particularly INEC, are gradually demonstrating that citizens are likely willing to participate in the process, only if it is seamless. In fact, the ongoing Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) process, which began online, has revealed that more young people are accessing the online portal to register. For example, as of May 16, over 16 million Nigerians had accessed the INEC portal for new registration, transfer of registration, request for new Permanent Voters Card, voter information update, and other purposes. Over nine million prospective voters have begun the process of joining the voters register online, but only slightly more than five million Nigerians have gone on to complete the process at the INEC registration centres (this includes the 1.4 million that were flagged as invalid). If the process was only done online, an enormous number of voters would have been added to the register, increasing citizens trust in the process.

Beyond the CVR, technological advancements such as the Smart Card Reader, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), and the report viewing portal have demonstrated that the electoral process can be made more transparent and credible, thereby encouraging participation. Ordinary citizens could view results from the result viewing portal, even before the official election results were announced during the 2020 Edo and Ondo governorship elections. During the Ondo elections in 2022, a leading election observer group reported that more than 90 per cent of the election results were available on the portal by 4 p.m.

Thus, not only INEC, but also security agencies, can use technological devices to create early warning systems that will prevent electoral violence from escalating. To ensure transparency, critical election stakeholders are deploying technologies to track the election day process from arrival, set-up, and accreditation to the announcement of results. YvoteNaija, a civic hub for young people, is a good example people who are leveraging the power of technology to track election results and making it available in real-time. This further encourages citizens to actively engage in the electoral process and also monitor their polling units. With effective deployment of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), ordinary citizens can observe the process and verify the accuracy of official election results.

In a nutshell, election management bodies and civil society organisations can use technology to make the registration process seamless, encouraging citizens to participate, and the election day process transparent and credible enough to ensure the sanctity of votes.

Thus, the fact that technologies can provide these alternatives, which place power in the hands of citizens not just to actively participate and decide who leads them but also to provide information on the credibility of the process and recommendations on how the process can get better. There is no gainsaying that the 2022 Electoral Act that empowers INEC to deploy technology for the accreditation and transmission of election results was driven by young people who understand that civic-technology can go a long way in addressing voter apathy, especially among the youths who are by far the largest demography.

In a nutshell, election management bodies and civil society organisations can use technology to make the registration process seamless, encouraging citizens to participate, and the election day process transparent and credible enough to ensure the sanctity of votes. Following that, CSOs such as BudgIT, Connected Development, Yiaga Africa, Tracka, and others have been consistently working on accountability, particularly in the area of budgeting, with innovative technologies that track budget implementation and, in recent times, have exposed public office holders who diverted public funds or inflated contracts.

Indeed, it is not yet Uhuru and, of course, it is not as easy as it is written above but the little progress made so far has revealed that civic-tech solutions can go a long away in addressing citizens apathy for elections and by extension, democratic governance. Technology may not be a silver bullet that solves all election and governance-related challenges, but it is about better access to information usage and dissemination, while putting the right information into the right hands at the right time for better decisions.

Olasupo Abideen is a good governance, youth investment and public policy enthusiast. Abideen serves as the Kwara state coordinator of the NotTooYoungToRun movement and he is the executive director, Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative. Please send comments and feedback to abideenolasupo@gmail.com. He tweets @opegoogle.

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As the party leaders engage and delegates go to vote, they must look at the broad picture dispassionately and objectively. They must not succumb to playing the PDP game because APC will be the loser. A focus on a less controversial but capable, young candidate in Dr Fayemi is the way to go. There wont be a second time to fix the error of a faulty decision today.

The delegates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will meet from June 6 to pick the partys presidential candidate. The contest is a contest for Nigerias future. The country needs people with not only experience, connections, understanding and capacity but who also have an understanding of where the world is going and what Nigeria needs to do to go along with the world. The party needs a candidate who is a capable leader and can inspire the country to move in a progressive direction.

The need to properly interrogate the candidates and decide on the right person is uppermost here. The country is at a crossroads where we have been stuck with 19th century thinking in the 21st century, the age of knowledge. The APC seems consumed by an obsession with the outcome of the presidential primary of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a party that seems driven by the ideas of yesterday and the past. The emergence of my very good friend and former Vice President Alhaji Abubakar Atiku seems to have left stakeholders in the APC scrambling for a response as if ours is a party looking to the past and no longer the pacesetter that we promised to be. And so, everyone who has access to a medium has talked about why their candidate deserves to be the APC flag bearer. Also, reports have emerged of a desire among APC bigwigs to field a candidate of either Northern extraction or one in the mirror image of Atiku.

Atiku belongs to a different party and that party has its own philosophy, different from the APC, the ruling party in Nigeria. It is this difference in our philosophy that made Nigerians vote for our party. We must therefore not bring a candidate in the mirror image of the PDP candidate. After all, the last presidency of the PDP was from the South, so it could be argued that by choosing a Northern candidate this time, they have not really offset their zoning arrangement.

Perception is everything and the perception today is that Atiku and the PDP represent the past and everything that is objectionable about our politics and leadership. In getting obsessed with Atiku, the APC is desperately trying to brand itself in the image of the PDP. It shouldnt do so. It should feel the pulse in the streets and know that the days of oligarchs running for office and winning are long gone. Nigerians are long past that age and a robust youth engagement is afoot to upturn the regular. APC must put its best foot forward. Else, the party will be roundly humiliated.

It is, therefore, sad that in response to Atikus emergence, Alhaji Ahmed Tinubu, one of the APC presidential aspirants, has said and rolled out his supporters to campaign that he is the only man who can beat Atiku. This is fallacious. Tinubu and Atiku are two sides of the same coin and the pulse of the voters indicate that they will have none of them. The APC must not waste the opportunity of setting the agenda for Nigerias future and being in the right side of history. And the right thing to do now is to zone the presidency to the South and to a younger president, who still has age on his side.

The APCs future is neither in the hands of a Northern candidate nor in that of Tinubu, a mirror image of Atiku. First, on a Northern candidate. The idea that another Northerner should succeed President Muhammadu Buhari is anathema. As Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) rightly said on Thursday, It is the turn of the Southern part of the country to produce the next president. The party leadership should have no difficulty in making pronouncements on this very important issue, just as it has fixed various fees for the purchase of forms. This must be done without delay. The principle of Federal Character is enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, as amended. It will be disingenuous for anyone to argue against rotation at this period. The only thing the party has to do is settle for the best man for Nigeria at this time. The PDP candidate is beatable because the party represents the past and all its sordidness and to present a candidate that mirrors him will send a wrong message to young and discerning voters. This is why Tinubu and his message that only he can defeat Atiku must be rejected.

It is clear that the APC needs to do the right thing. Nigerians will not be easy on the party if in its faulty calculations it assumes that a Northerner can hold the forte. As it is today, the country is divided along the fault lines of ethnicity, religion, age, regions and competing visions. The productive class, men and women who are leaders in industry, young people in their 20s and 30s, executives in their 40s and even entrepreneurs and retirees are sick and tired of a political elite with a sense of entitlement, men who have lived off the state and plan to retire on the state. APC should do better. It should look to a candidate with the elan, comportment and focus to inspire confidence within and without. It should look to Dr John Kayode Fayemi (JKF). In Fayemi, APC has a game changer. With him, I am absolutely Nigeria will prosper.

The presidential campaign for the general election, more than ever before, will focus on the capacity and outlook of the candidates. Compared to Atiku, Fayemi is daylight shining bright. Highly educated, with diverse experiences from the civil sector to journalism, activism, lecturing, public administration, as minister and as a State governor. Fayemi is a total package. At 57 years of age, he is a bridge between the youth and elderly, and understands both the nexus and the future. But nothing speaks to the mans quality more than the testimonials from those who have interacted with him. They speak of a man who is a natural leader.

On the campaign for the APC presidential ticket, Fayemi who is currently a second term governor of Ekiti State, got praises from both APC governors and those from the opposition PDP, speaking to his capacity to reach across the aisles, build consensus and heal wounds. Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje says of Fayemi: Your leadership qualities are not hidden. The way you have led the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) for two terms with unity of purpose and with no dissent is a testament to your leadership skills. You have led 36 governors from across different parties effectively. Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma has this to say: His management of affairs of the NGF is a classic testimony to his renowned man-management acumen. He is a terrific team player, consensus-builder, and brilliant leader. The conviction behind his words provokes you to want to listen more to the wisdom in his thoughts. To Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom: The cohesion you (Fayemi) have brought to the affairs of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) is what Nigeria needs now. You are a fantastic team leader, team player, just and fair minded. I am sure that with you in the saddle, the future is great for Nigeria. Osun State Governor Gboyega Oyetola describes Fayemi as a great bridge builder, team leader, consensus manager and one of the best sons of Oodua. He takes everyones problem as his own, this is why in four years we (The Nigeria Governors Forum) have always spoken with one voice.

Why must the party look to Fayemi? I have looked at Atiku and Tinubu, they do not exude hope. Dour and foraging on experiences long lost and forgotten, they are out of step with modern realities and do not represent the best for our future.

As the party leaders engage and delegates go to vote, they must look at the broad picture dispassionately and objectively. They must not succumb to playing the PDP game because APC will be the loser. A focus on a less controversial but capable, young candidate in Dr Fayemi is the way to go. There wont be a second time to fix the error of a faulty decision today.

Domingo Alaba Obende who was a member of the Senate between 2011 and 2015 wrote in from Abuja.

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if the man says he has paid his dues and insists he deserves the presidential ticket of the party he helped form, is that asking for too much? If attempts are being made to deny him the opportunity of testing his acceptance among his party men (and women), should he keep sealed lips? When those he had assisted with his God-given talents and resources decide to stab him in the back, should he offer his belly to them also?

A couple of weeks ago, on April 29 to be precise, I sent a message to my friend of over two decades, Richard Akinnola, complaining about a news report credited to the vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, to the effect that Interior minister, Rauf Aregbesola, nominated him as the vice president.

For the uninitiated, Akinnola is a respected journalist, celebrated human rights activist and an influentual social media influencer.

Presently, he is at the forefront of the campaign for his friend, the vice president, to be the president of Nigeria.

I told Akinnola to advise his friend to stick to his usual refrain: that it would be a disservice to the nation if he doesnt contest for the presidency and to emphasise his experience and expertise.

I also told him that the VP could leverage on the fact that he wouldnt have to learn on the job if elected.

Crediting Aregbesola, a man who had just thrown Tinubu, his benefactor, under the bus with is nomination as VP was a low, I told my friend.

As was his wont, Akinnola promptly responded, and said what the VP said was that Aregbesola notified him of his nomination, not that the goatee-spotting minister nominated him.

Even then, he agreed with me that the VP ought not to have said that and promised that he would tell the VP.

It is in the light of incidents like this that we should situate Tinubus outburst of Thursday, when he met the Ogun State

All Progressives Congress (APC) delegates in Abeokuta.

At the meeting, an angry Tinubu had said without him and God, the president, the VP and the governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, wouldnt be holding the positions they are holding today.

Those close to Tinubu say its not in the character of the man to talk in that manner. But that the Jagaban of Borgu had been pushed to the wall by those bent on frustrating him within the APC.

They say it is visible to the blind and audible to the deaf that the Jagaban of Borgu, who has campaigned in more states than all the presidential aspirants in the APC, is the man to beat. Therefore, the man couldnt understand why obstacles are deliberately being put in his way.

They allege that the president deliberately encouraged serving ministers to enter the race to frustrate Tinubus ambition.

The idea of a consensus arrangement is also a ploy to screen Tinubu out.

The attempt to draft former President Goodluck Jonathan and the governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, were also cited as attempts to frustrate Tinubu out of the presidential race.

Tinubu sympathisers also allege that picking John Odigie Oyegun, a former chairman of the APC, who doesnt see eye-to-eye with Tinubu to chair the APCs screening committee was another attempt to throw a spanner in the wheels of the Jagabans presidential ambition.

To make matters worse, was the presidents address to the APC governors, shortly before he travelled out to Spain, that he be allowed to choose a successor, since the APC had a policy where the governors had a hand in choosing their successors.

Furthermore, according to those close to the Asiwaju, Dapo Abiodun had been avoiding receiving the Jagaban Each time the Jagaban informed him of his plan to come and campaign to the Ogun delegates, Abiodun always found an excuse to discourage the Jagaban Its either he wouldnt be in town or he was indisposed To add insult to injury, when the vice president came on his campaign trail, he publicly credited the vice president with his emergence as governor.

It is in this light, Tinubus supporters argue, that we should situate the Jagabans outburst on Thursday.

Come to think of it, if a man is pushed to the wall, what do you expect him to do?

All Tinubu is asking for, say his admirers, is a level-playing field where all aspirants are allowed to test their popularity.

Come to think of it, have critics bothered to ask why the Jagaban had to put Dapo Abiodun in his shoes?

For Gods sake, Abiodun has a right to throw his weight behind his preferred candidate but he has no right to distort history.

As Asiwaju rightly pointed out, Abioduns predecessor, Ibikunle Amosun, a fellow APC man didnt want Abiodun and wanted his protege to succeed him but it was Asiwaju who threw his weight behind Abiodun and ensured his emergence as governor.

Indeed, when the APC presidential candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari came to campaign in Abeokuta, he urged the party supporters to vote him as president but that they were free to vote for anybody in the other elections.

He didnt campaign for his partys candidate, Dapo Abiodun.

Buhari did this because he didnt want to offend his friend, Ibikunle Amosun.

Furthermore, according to those close to the Asiwaju, Dapo Abiodun had been avoiding receiving the Jagaban.

Each time the Jagaban informed him of his plan to come and campaign to the Ogun delegates, Abiodun always found an excuse to discourage the Jagaban.

Its either he wouldnt be in town or he was indisposed.

To add insult to injury, when the vice president came on his campaign trail, he publicly credited the vice president with his emergence as governor.

That was too much for the Jagaban to take, hence his outburst.

Those who accuse the Jagaban of having a sense of entitlement, forget that he wasnt talking to the country. He was addressing his party men (and women), reminding them of how much he has sacrificed for the party.

He reminded them that but for his sacrifice, President Buhari wouldnt have achieved his ambition.

As a human being, it is natural for Tinubu to expect Buhari not to be antagonistic to his ambition, even if he would not support him.

Those who are against Tinubus ambition make a song and dance of his so-called baggage Pray, which human being doesnt have a baggage? Which human being hasnt done something he or she is not proud of?But they conveniently forget the mans role in the attainment and sustenance of democracy.

Thrice Buhari tried to be Nigerias president.

Thrice he failed, until Tinubu went to him and the rest, as they say, is history.

Those who are against Tinubus ambition make a song and dance of his so-called baggage.

Pray, which human being doesnt have a baggage? Which human being hasnt done something he or she is not proud of?

But they conveniently forget the mans role in the attainment and sustenance of democracy.

But for the Jagaban, there would have been no opposition party in Nigeria.

He, it was, who ensured that there was a platform to challenge the behemoth Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the presidency of Olusegun Obasanjo.

By challenging the Federal Government in the court on many occasions, he ensured the enthronement of federalism in the country.

He formed the Acton Congress (AC); he formed the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), to democratise the political party space and ensure the plurality of opinions in the country.

To demonstrate his selflessness, he gave the presidential ticket of the parties to Northerners: first Atiku Abubakar and later, Nuhu Ribadu.

Thanks to the Jagaban, he retrieved through the courts the stolen mandates of Governors Segun Mimiko in Ondo; Kayode Fayemi in Ekiti; Adams Oshiomhole in Edo; and Raufu Aregbesola in Osun.

He achieved this by flying into the country, one Adrian Forty, probably the worlds best forensic evidence expert.

Of course, at his expense.

So, if the man says he has paid his dues and insists he deserves the presidential ticket of the party he helped form, is that asking for too much?

If attempts are being made to deny him the opportunity of testing his acceptance among his party men (and women), should he keep sealed lips?

When those he had assisted with his God-given talents and resources decide to stab him in the back, should he offer his belly to them also?

The man is human.

Gbemiga Ogunleye is a Nigerian lawyer, journalist, media scholar and the former provost of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism.

WATCH: Governor Yahaya Bello's Roadmap to Hope 2023
If there is anything that motivates me to go into politics, it is my love for the masses and general interest of the public. I have fulfilled my dream as a professional Human Resources and Healthcare Facility Management Consultant.

Following my years of experience in the field, I was contracted by the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar in 2019 to set up a new logistics company called Priam Integrated Logistics LTD in Yola, capital of Adamawa State. Soon, we rolled out applications, needing about 50 people to work as truck drivers and administrative staff.

I was, however, wowed by the number of applications we got. I felt devastated seeing hundreds of Nigerian graduates jostling to work as truck drivers. While there is no doubt that the unemployment rate in the country is alarming, I was more bothered that most of the applicants did not also have any skill to fall back to. That was a period of reflection for me and I knew to be part of any positive change, I must start from my local government which is Yola-North.

I decided to join politics and use my vast experience in recruitment and training to help my people. Soon, I registered as a card carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and swiftly drew out plans on how to make my constituency great with outstanding young Nigerians willing to change our narratives to positive. I wanted this change to manifest as quickly as possible particularly for our women and youth.

I did not just decide to run for political office, I spent years contributing to the growth and development of my constituents by sponsoring the activities of our dear party, PDP at ward level. I created jobs for hundreds of youth from Yola-North, Yola-South and Girei. Today, I feel happy that many of them are still working in Turkish colleges in Yobe, Kano and Abuja and many other places. I was able to perfect all of these by liaising with my local government.

The transition to active politics for the sake of my people

Like many other states preparing for 2023 general elections, the Adamawa State political scene has increasingly become tense, heated and largely unpredictable. The incumbent, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, might be in for an uphill task and wanted to do everything to retain his office.

He seems to care less if he achieved his aim by ruining the lives of others and this was evident in the conduct of the primaries that were held in the state. The way Governor Fintiri has been treating some of us who are loyalists of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar makes one to suspect that once he is aware that you are a close friend or ardent supporter of the ex-vice president Atiku then you are regarded as an enemy by the governor. It is as if Atiku in the estimation of Fintiri is a never do well leader of the state.

As a patriot, lover of my constituency and constituents, I purchased the nomination and expression of interest form of the party, to run for primary and represent the good people of Yola-North, Yola-South and Girei as a member of House of Representatives at the National Assembly.

I knew I was not expected to clinch the ticket with a tea party. There was need for hard work and I did tirelessly as I had to fully move to Yola. I did consultation from ward to ward, visiting all the 32 wards of the three local governments in my constituency.

It was tasking but looked fruitful. The future, however, became blurry when Governor Fintiri asked his Secretary to the State Government (SSG) to call all the aspirants from Yola-North local government for a meeting. Expectedly the SSG did and we met for three hours on April 17.

What happened at the meeting

The meeting was a testimony of conviction that Fintiri does not believe that democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people. We were ironically served a certificate of confirmation that Governor Fintiri is an advocate of the government of some people, by some people and for minorities in the state.

The meeting had in attendance the SSG, local government party chairman, council chairman and his deputy and some party stakeholders. Without mincing words, the SSG said the governor had instructed us to withdraw from the contest for his anointed candidate.

We were seven aspirants from Yola-North local government, Yola-South had three aspirants, while Girei local government had one aspirant. We all maintained our stand that no one was going to swallow his cough because he fears to disturb another.

Responding to our objection, the SSG said Governor Fintiri is in charge of appointing the delegates and if they wished they could instruct them not to vote any one of us. The governors camp later chose a 65-year-old retired civil servant, Yushau Modibbo as their preferred candidate.

The bastardisation of the processes

I visited the party local government days after the unproductive meeting to request for the list of delegates, but was declined and then they shut their access door against all other aspirants.

They initially wanted to have the primary at the Government House but later changed the venue on two different occasions until it eventually held at a restaurant. Even when we requested for updates, they ignored us. A day before the election, the governor endorsed Jafaru Suleiman Ribadu (the incumbent) as his preferred candidate, instructing all delegates from Yola-North, Yola-South and Girei local governments to vote for him. There were 11 contestants but only two people were allowed to enter the election.

Though Jafaru Suleiman Ribadu is from Yola-South, but his people rejected him and dared the governor. Girei and Yola-South local governments formed an alliance and defeated the candidate of the governor.

I later discovered that my major offence is being a friend and lover of Atiku as he continues to work against the ambition of the ex-vice president to become president. He is not interested in liberator. He wants to remain in power to undermine the collective joy of the masses.

My supporters and I arent power drunk, hence we would have dumped the party in protest of the injustice and marginalisation. I reminded my followers that we are in PDP because of the love we have for our people and our leader, Atiku. We should respect him and ensure that victory comes for all.

Governor Fintiri needs to understand that no nation grows with a tyrant as a leader. This is not military regime and peoples constitutional rights to contest, vote and be voted for must be respected. Claiming to be supporting Atikus ambition and at the same time fighting whoever has a link with him is being hypocritical because you cant love Atiku and hate his children.

Governor Ahmadu Fintiri is so afraid that he has to crush his opposition to remain relevant. Adamawa is no doubt a flashpoint of trying times. Political game-changers mean well for the state but we are being buried in the troubled political water of Fintiris undemocratic tendencies.

We cant continue like this!

Ibrahim Babani Suleiman, cipd, shrm, ihfma

Human Resources and Healthcare facility Management Consultant.

Email: ibrobabani@aol.com

WATCH: Governor Yahaya Bello's Roadmap to Hope 2023
The Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Samuel Kanu-Uche, has recounted his experiences in the hands of kidnappers who attacked him in Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigerias South-east.

Mr Kanu-Uche was kidnapped last week, while returning from a programme in the area alongside his chaplain, Abidemi Shittu and the Churchs Owerri Bishop, Dennis Okechukwu.

The clerics were released nearly two days later after paying N100 million to the kidnappers.

In an interview with Arise TV, on Thursday which was rebroadcast Saturday morning, the prelate said their vehicle was attacked by a group of eight heavily-armed young men dressed in black attire.

He said his driver had attempted to circumvent the kidnappers when they jumped out of the bush, but they fired shots and deflated their vehicles tyres.

After two of them fired shots at our tyres, our vehicle started swooping and fell, he recalled.

The cleric noted they forced them inside a forest after the leader of the kidnappers introduced himself as the commander-general of the forest in the area and also in charge of kidnappings from Lokpa, Isuochi, Ihube and Isikwuato, all in Abia State.

According to the Methodist Prelate, the commander told him that they were not robbers but only kidnap for ransom, assuring that they would be freed if they were able to pay the agreed ransom.

The Commander later warned the cleric that they would behead them and dump their corpses in a big gully without being traced if they failed to pay the ransom.

Mr Kanu-Uche said they were joined in the vehicle by two male officials of the church who ran away during the attack.

The cleric said they threatened to kill one of them when he pleaded with the kidnappers to accept N50 million as ransom.

They said the least money you can pay us and we will accept is N100 million, the cleric said.

Mr Kanu-Uche said the kidnappers said the money would be shared with their sponsors.

He said the church rallied around to bring the money to the kidnappers before they were asked to go.

When they went to collect the ransom (from our people), they brought in more people hidden somewhere with more guns.

And they were heartless. When they said, you can go, they didnt even give us even N200 to board a bike. Nothing. They just allowed us to walk like that. It was the worst humiliation I have ever witnessed in life, he said.

He said they stole his wedding ring worth $150 and other valuables.

Who are the kidnappers?

Mr Kanu-Uche also revealed the identities of the kidnappers, insisting that members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra had no hand in his ordeal.

It was a full kidnapping by Fulani herdsmen. Their cattle were very close there. And I am suspecting that those who cut off peoples heads are not really Igbos. Igbos are not known for cutting peoples heads, he said.

The Methodist prelate, who hails from Ihube in Imo State, said when he spoke to his colleague in Igbo language, the leader of the kidnappers interrupted in Igboland language explaining to the prelate that he grew up in Umuahia and also understood the language.

The gang leader also told the cleric that he joined the kidnapping business because he has been shouldering the responsibilities of fending for his younger siblings after he lost his parents.

There are Fulanis children born in Igboland. You cannot differentiate them (from original Igbos). They grew up there (in Igboland) and integrated themselves into Igbos, the cleric said, trying to explain the leaders fluency in Igbo language despite being a Fulani.

On the kind of people the kidnappers are, the cleric said, some of them are stack illiterates. Only one (of them) was communicating fluently.

Explaining further, Mr Kanu-Uche said, their leader said he was a Fulani from Sudan and that about five of them are all Fulanis from Sudan and two of them were from Mali and one of them was from Songhai. But they have lived in Nigeria for many years.

Soldiers complicit, Mr Kanu-Uche insists

Earlier, the Nigeria Army has denied claims that its troops were complicit in the kidnap of the cleric and his colleagues, but Mr Kanu-Uche insisted that soldiers whose checkpoint was close to the area cannot deny complicity.

In fact, people saw one (unidentified) boy at the front of the military checkpoint (close to the area). So, our man wanted to harass him (by shouting) what are you doing there? Who are you? (but) the military said hey! hey!! hey!!! Leave him. He came to drop something for us.

And it is the same military people that normally say to people, dont cross here, if you cross this line, we will fire you. Dont go inside the bush, he narrated.

So, why are they shielding the people (suspected kidnappers)? Why are they shielding them? the cleric queried. Some people have plan to do something in this country. But only God will foil it.

WATCH: Governor Yahaya Bello's Roadmap to Hope 2023
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Key Automotive Drive Shaft Sourcing and Procurement Report Highlights:

Market growth 2022-2026: USD 3.25 Billion Growth momentum & CAGR: Accelerate at a CAGR of 5.18% Top Pricing Models: Cost-plus pricing, and Volume-based pricing Key consumer countries: North America , Europe , and APAC Supplier Selection Criteria: Business needs, Technical specifications, Operational requirements, Security compliance, Regulatory mandates, Legal requirements, Quality control, Change management procedures, Pricing models, Penalty clauses, Working environment, Evaluation criteria, and Acceptance criteria Top Suppliers: Melrose Industries, NSK, and American Axle & Manufacturing

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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 Automotive Drive Shaft market. The report also aids buyers with relevant Automotive Drive Shaft pricing levels, pros, and cons of prevalent pricing models such as Unit-based pricing, and Bundled pricing, category management strategies and best practices to fulfil their category objectives.

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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.

Identify favorable opportunities in Automotive Drive Shaft 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.

To know more about various other market drivers, trends and challenges.

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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

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SOURCE SpendEdge
SALVATION ARMY NATIONAL COMMANDER DISCUSSES HISTORY AND CONNECTION WITH SWEET TREATS

*National Donut Day is Friday, June 3*

ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --

BACKGROUND:

On the first Friday in June, Americans celebrate all the gooey goodness of donuts. But this beloved American treat doesn't just taste good, donuts actually have their roots in doing good. National Donut Day was established in 1938 to honor the work of nearly 250 Salvation Army officers known as "Donut Lassies" who traveled overseas to provide emotional and spiritual support as well as fried confectionary, clothes, and supplies to troops in World War I. For more than a century, the organization has continued to provide a wide range of essential services to the most vulnerable and the men and women serving on the front lines of need.

Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/9050451-the-salvation-army-national-donut-day-2022/

Commissioners Kenneth and Jolene Hodder, National Leaders for The Salvation Army, share details on National Donut Day and how the holiday is rooted in Salvation Army history, giving it a deeper meaning than you might expect.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Salvation Army in Chicago celebrated the first National Donut Day in 1938 to help those in need during the Great Depression and to commemorate the work of the "Donut Lassies," who served donuts to soldiers during World War I.

celebrated the first National Donut Day in 1938 to help those in need during the Great Depression and to commemorate the work of the "Donut Lassies," who served donuts to soldiers during World War I. In 1917, The Salvation Army began a mission to provide spiritual and emotional support for U.S. soldiers fighting in France during World War I. Nearly 250 Salvation Army officers traveled overseas and set up small huts near the front lines where they could give soldiers clothes, supplies and, of course, donuts.

during World War I. Nearly 250 Salvation Army officers traveled overseas and set up small huts near the front lines where they could give soldiers clothes, supplies and, of course, donuts. The "Donut Lassies" fried donuts in a small pan to boost morale of U.S. soldiers and are credited with popularizing the donut in the United States when troops returned home from war.

when troops returned home from war. The original century-old recipe is still being used today and can be found on The Salvation Army's website.

For more information, please visit: www.salvationarmyusa.org/

Interview provided by: The Salvation Army

Media Contact: Mary Newsome, Public Relations ([email protected])

SOURCE The Salvation Army
NEW ORLEANS, June 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq., a partner at the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF"), announces that KSF has commenced an investigation into Lightning eMotors, Inc. (NYSE: ZEV).

On August 16, 2021, the Company announced its financial results for 2Q2021, including a $46.1 million net loss, or 79 cents per share, for the quarter, up more than 1,500% from the $2.8 million loss, or 10 cents per share, that it reported in the second quarter of 2020. The Company also pulled its full year financial guidance for the remainder of 2021, citing an expectation of revenues of just $4 million to $6 million in the next quarter.

The Company was subsequently sued in a securities class action lawsuit for failing to disclose material information, violating federal securities laws, which remains ongoing.

KSF's investigation is focusing on whether Lightning eMotors' officers and/or directors breached their fiduciary duties to the Company's shareholders or otherwise violated state or federal laws.

If you have information that would assist KSF in its investigation, or have been a long-term holder of Lightning eMotors shares and would like to discuss your legal rights, you may, without obligation or cost to you, call toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or email KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn ([email protected]), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-zev/ to learn more.

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients  including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors  in seeking to recover investment losses due to corporate fraud and malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California, Louisiana and New Jersey.

To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com.

Contact:

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

Lewis Kahn, Managing Partner

[email protected]

1-877-515-1850

1100 Poydras St., Suite 3200

New Orleans, LA 70163

SOURCE Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC
"Despite the gains that African Americans have made, too many youths aren't taking advantage of education in America," said SAU President Dr. Christine Johnson McPhail. "With year-long access to the university, students will find opportunities to come to SAU, including summer enrichment programs, financial aid, and scholarships, starting in the ninth grade."

The nation's first HBCU Urban Access Hub will take the HBCU experience to urban communities where there is no HBCU.

The HBCU Urban Access Hub offers a convenient, cost-effective opportunity for students to attend SAU and seamlessly accumulate college transfer credit while matriculating at their home institutions. The first institutions to join SAU in this venture are Wayne County Community College District (WCCCD) and Cass Technical High School, both located in Detroit, MI.

"Our mission has always been to find pathways to better lives through education," said Wayne County Community College District (WCCCD) Chancellor Dr. Curtis L. Ivery. "We are very excited about this collaboration with SAU's HBCU Urban Access Hub Program."

"We were honored to have a visit from Saint Augustine's University," said Cass Technical High School Principal Lisa Phillips. "President McPhail is a leader who makes a commitment and follows through with precision. I enjoyed the relaxed down-home meeting, and the leadership team made me want to re-enroll in their university. I'm looking forward to a great partnership with one of the most prestigious and oldest HBCUs in the country."

In addition, after a historic meeting in New York at the 2022 American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Conference in New York, NY, the HBCU Urban Access Hub gained the attention and support of community college leaders from across the country such as:

Dr. Lorenzo Esters, Chancellor, Ivy Tech Community College

Dr. L. Marshall Washington, President, Kalamazoo Valley Community College

Dr. Cesar Maldonado, Chancellor, Houston Community College

Dr. Annette Parker, President, South Central College

Dr. Kimberly Beatty, Chancellor, Metropolitan Community College

Dr. Landon Pirius, Vice Chancellor of Academic and Student Affairs, Colorado Community College System

The SAU Urban Access Hub will collaborate with partner institutions to advance the program's pillars, which include:

Leadership & Commitment

Outreach & Preparation

Admissions & Advising

Financial Aid

Student Engagement & Academic Affairs

"Urban students need an HBCU experience," said Dr. McPhail. "The programs such as these epitomize the meaning of legacy building."

About Saint Augustine's University Founded in 1867 by the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, the mission of Saint Augustine's University is to sustain a learning community in which students can prepare academically, socially and spiritually for leadership in a complex, diverse and rapidly changing world.

SOURCE Saint Augustine's University
Market Dynamics

The key factor driving the global artificial intelligence (AI) market growth in the retail sector is the rise in investments and R&D in AI startups. Many governments have come up with formal AI frameworks and strategies, such as the US executive order on American leadership in AI, China's Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan, and AI Made in Germany, all of which are aimed at driving economic and technological growth. In addition, some major vendors such as SoftBank made investments in many firms, including biotech firm Zymergen (USD 400 million) and Automation Anywhere (USD 300 million), a robotics process automation (RPA) company. Microsoft invested approximately USD 33 million to develop an AI & R and D hub in Taiwan. Many companies, such as Google, increased their RD workforce to expand their research in AI. Such factors will drive artificial intelligence (AI) in the retail market during the forecast period.

However, the key challenge to the global artificial intelligence market growth in the retail sector is the privacy issues associated with AI deployment. By using advanced data mining techniques, data is gathered on several parameters such as the customer's buying habits, customers' online behavior, and payment information. For instance, e-commerce giants like Amazon use ML in a combination of collaborative filtering and next-in-sequence models to make predictions on the customer buying behavior and recommend products to the individual based on their previous purchases. Amazon is privy to a huge database of consumer purchase behavior to optimize its predictions. The probable impact of AI on individual privacy is huge, which is why privacy issues are expected to challenge artificial intelligence in the retail market in the coming years.

To know about other drivers & challenges along with market trends - Download a sample now!

Company Profiles

The artificial intelligence (AI) market in the retail sector market is fragmented and the vendors are deploying growth strategies such as pricing and marketing strategies and product differentiation to compete in the market. Some of the companies covered in this report are Accenture Plc, Amazon.com Inc., BloomReach Inc., Capgemini SE, Daisy Intelligence Corp., Element AI Inc., Evolv Technology Solutions Inc., Inbenta Technologies Inc., Infosys Ltd., Intel Corp., International Business Machines Corp., Mad Street Den Inc., Microsoft Corp., NVIDIA Corp., Oracle Corp., Plexure Group Ltd., Salesforce.com Inc., SAP SE, Symphony Retail Solutions, and Trax Technology Solutions Pte. Ltd., etc.

Accenture Plc - The company offers retail Artificial Intelligence solutions for customer profit and revenue, dynamic merchandising and assortment, supply network, analytics, and profitability.

The company offers retail Artificial Intelligence solutions for customer profit and revenue, dynamic merchandising and assortment, supply network, analytics, and profitability. To know about all major vendor offerings - Download a sample now!

Competitive Analysis

The competitive scenario provided in the artificial intelligence (AI) market in retail sector market report analyzes, evaluates, and positions companies based on various performance indicators. Some of the factors considered for this analysis include the financial performance of companies over the past few years, growth strategies, product innovations, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc. Don't wait, Make a strategic approach & boost your business goals with our artificial intelligence (AI) market Market Forecast Report - Buy Now!

Segmentation Analysis

By Application, the market is classified as sales and marketing, in-store, PPP, and logistics management.

the market is classified as sales and marketing, in-store, PPP, and logistics management. By Geography, the market is classified as North America , APAC, Europe , the Middle East and Africa , and South America.

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The AI market share in the recruitment industry is expected to increase to USD 222.94 million from 2021 to 2026 at an accelerating CAGR of 6.84%. Download a sample now!

is expected to increase to USD 222.94 million from 2021 to 2026 at an accelerating CAGR of 6.84%. The AI-powered fleet-management software market share is expected to rise to 4.68 billion by 2026, at an accelerating CAGR of 20.04%. Download a sample now!

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market In Retail Sector Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 35.69% Market growth 2022-2026 USD 29.57 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 31.45 Performing market contribution North America at 40% Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Accenture Plc, Amazon.com Inc., BloomReach Inc., Capgemini SE, Daisy Intelligence Corp., Element AI Inc., Evolv Technology Solutions Inc., Inbenta Technologies Inc., Infosys Ltd., Intel Corp., International Business Machines Corp., Mad Street Den Inc., Microsoft Corp., NVIDIA Corp., Oracle Corp., Plexure Group Ltd., Salesforce.com Inc., SAP SE, Symphony Retail Solutions, and Trax Technology Solutions Pte. Ltd. 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 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 Content

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 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 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 Sales and marketing - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 28: Chart on Sales and marketing - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 29: Data Table on Sales and marketing - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 30: Chart on Sales and marketing - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Sales and marketing - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.4 In-store - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 32: Chart on In-store - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 33: Data Table on In-store - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 34: Chart on In-store - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on In-store - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.5 PPP - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 36: Chart on PPP - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on PPP - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 38: Chart on PPP - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on PPP - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.6 Logistics management - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 40: Chart on Logistics management - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Logistics management - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 42: Chart on Logistics management - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 43: Data Table on Logistics management - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.7 Market opportunity by Application

Exhibit 44: Market opportunity by Application ($ million)

6 Customer Landscape

6.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 45: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

7 Geographic Landscape

7.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 46: Chart on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 47: Data Table on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)

7.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 48: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 49: Data Table on Geographic comparison

7.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 50: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 51: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 52: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 53: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.4 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 (%)

7.5 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 (%)

7.6 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 62: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 63: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 64: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

and - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 65: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.7 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 (%)

7.8 US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 70: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 71: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 72: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 73: 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 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 (%)

7.10 UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 78: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 79: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 80: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 81: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.11 Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 82: Chart on Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 83: Data Table on Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 84: Chart on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 85: Data Table on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.12 Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 86: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 87: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 88: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 89: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 90: 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 91: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2021 and 2026

8.4 Market trends

9 Vendor Landscape

9.1 Overview

9.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 92: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

9.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 93: Overview on factors of disruption

9.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 94: Impact of key risks on business

10 Vendor Analysis

10.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 95: Vendors covered

10.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 96: Matrix on vendor position and classification

10.3 Accenture Plc

Exhibit 97: Accenture Plc - Overview



Exhibit 98: Accenture Plc - Business segments



Exhibit 99: Accenture Plc - Key news



Exhibit 100: Accenture Plc - Key offerings



Exhibit 101: Accenture Plc - Segment focus

10.4 Amazon.com Inc.

Exhibit 102: Amazon.com Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 103: Amazon.com Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 104: Amazon.com Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 105: Amazon.com Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 106: Amazon.com Inc. - Segment focus

10.5 BloomReach Inc.

Exhibit 107: BloomReach Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 108: BloomReach Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 109: BloomReach Inc. - Key offerings

10.6 Capgemini SE

Exhibit 110: Capgemini SE - Overview



Exhibit 111: Capgemini SE - Business segments



Exhibit 112: Capgemini SE - Key news



Exhibit 113: Capgemini SE - Key offerings



Exhibit 114: Capgemini SE - Segment focus

10.7 Infosys Ltd.

Exhibit 115: Infosys Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 116: Infosys Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 117: Infosys Ltd. - Key news



Exhibit 118: Infosys Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 119: Infosys Ltd. - Segment focus

10.8 Intel Corp.

Exhibit 120: Intel Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 121: Intel Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 122: Intel Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 123: Intel Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 124: Intel Corp. - Segment focus

10.9 International Business Machines Corp.

Exhibit 125: International Business Machines Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 126: International Business Machines Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 127: International Business Machines Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 128: International Business Machines Corp. - Segment focus

10.10 Microsoft Corp.

Exhibit 129: Microsoft Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 130: Microsoft Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 131: Microsoft Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 132: Microsoft Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 133: Microsoft Corp. - Segment focus

10.11 NVIDIA Corp.

Exhibit 134: NVIDIA Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 135: NVIDIA Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 136: NVIDIA Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 137: NVIDIA Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 138: NVIDIA Corp. - Segment focus

10.12 Oracle Corp.

Exhibit 139: Oracle Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 140: Oracle Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 141: Oracle Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 142: Oracle Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 143: Oracle Corp. - Segment focus

11 Appendix

11.1 Scope of the report

11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 144: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 145: Exclusions checklist

11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 146: Currency conversion rates for US$

11.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 147: Research methodology



Exhibit 148: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 149: Information sources

11.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 150: 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

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Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
SACRAMENTO, June 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The nation's largest union of fully-licensed medical doctors will rally outside the State Capitol to demand California fix its broken public mental health system. At issue is doctors who cannot spend enough time with patients because 52 percent of the psychiatric doctor positions across State mental hospitals are unfilled, and 48 percent of the psychiatric doctor positions across the State prison system are unfilled.

Five California state prisons had no psychiatrists at all to treat patients' mental health issues.

"California is in a mental health crisis, and the signs are obvious for all of us to see," said Dr. Stuart A. Bussey, President of the Sacramento-based Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD). "We all see the homelessness, crime, and inmate recidivism. That's why it is critical we address this shortage in badly needed care now."

DATE: Monday, June 6, 2022

TIME: 12 pm - 2 pm

PLACE: West side of the State Capitol in Sacramento, California (1305 10th Street)

Sue Wilson,

(510)926-0408,

[email protected]

SOURCE Union of American Physicians and Dentists
Formal Process Initiated to Assert Prospera ZEDE's Rights

WASHINGTON, June 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Honduras Prospera Inc. (US-Delaware), the promoter and organizer of the innovative special economic zone known as Prospera ZEDE, and its affiliates St. John's Bay Development Company LLC (US-Delaware) and Prospera Arbitration Center LLC (US-Texas), invited the Republic of Honduras to engage in consultations pursuant to the Investment Chapter of the Dominican RepublicCentral AmericaUnited States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR).

Honduras Prospera and its affiliates have made significant investments in Honduras in reliance on the ZEDE legal framework and commitments made by Honduras under Honduran law, international treaties, and legal stability agreements. Among other things, Honduras has guaranteed legal stability for 50 years, and the company plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars more in the coming years. In order to draw new foreign investment to Honduras at a scale never-before-seen, Prospera ZEDE investors have been deploying a business model of delivering high integrity, high efficiency rule-of-law governance, which meets or exceeds U.S. anticorruption standards. This business model already sustains gainful employment for hundreds of local Hondurans and dozens of innovative Honduran and international businesses, and much more is planned for the years to come. Legal stability is a cornerstone of such large-scale, long-term investments.

Despite recent efforts to repeal the ZEDE legal framework, Prospera ZEDE continues to enjoy the rights it was previously granted because Honduras guaranteed legal stability for 50 years. Honduras Prospera expects the Government of Honduras to respect its legal stability commitments; and, accordingly, that the ZEDE legal framework will remain in full effect as to Honduras Prospera notwithstanding Honduras' recent repeal efforts. A failure to uphold these commitments would constitute a breach of international and Honduran law, as well as wrongful and unfair treatment of Honduras Prospera. Moreover, it would send a message to the world that no foreign investment in Honduras is secure. Honduras Prospera has sent letters to the Government of Honduras underscoring this message, and inviting confirmation that Honduras Prospera's rights will be respected. Despite repeated requests, there has been no response, while there have been misleading statements in the media that Prospera ZEDE will not be able to operate.

Honduras Prospera and its affiliates look forward to engaging in productive consultations with Honduras under the CAFTA-DR. It is not too late for Honduras to reaffirm its commitments, abide by the undertakings it made to attract foreign investment, and avoid an international investor-State arbitration. The legal team of Honduras Prospera Inc. stands ready, willing, and able to participate in good faith and hopes that Honduras will do the same.

Honduras Prospera is represented by the international law firm White & Case LLP.

SOURCE Prospera
"Strawberries grown outside the United States have been a source of hepatitis A illness in the past," said Bill Marler. Tweet this

David Arthur began to experience symptoms related to his infection on or about May 8, 2022. His initial symptoms included clammy skin, stomach upset, and body aches and progressed to lethargy, pain, extreme fatigue, loss of appetite, dark urine, and jaundice. While Michelle and their daughter recovered, on May 19, 2022, David's symptoms worsened, and his medical condition progressed to acute liver failure. David was hospitalized, and fortunately, with significant medical testing and intervention, he was discharged from the hospital on May 20, 2022.

"Strawberries grown outside the United States have been a source of hepatitis A infections in the past," said William Marler, managing partner at the food safety law firm Marler Clark. "The FDA and retailers need to do a far better job of inspecting so we can avoid human fecal contamination," added Marler.

On May 27, 2022, the FDA, CDC, Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced that they are investigating 27 outbreak-associated cases of hepatitis A in Canada and the United States. The agencies will consider these hepatitis A illnesses linked to organic strawberries, branded as FreshKampo and HEB, and purchased between March 5, 2022, and April 25, 2022.

Victims of hepatitis A outbreak in the United States and Canada



Total United States Illnesses: 17  Canada 10

United States Hospitalizations: 12  Canada 4

Illness onset dates range from March 28  April 30, 2022.

States with Cases: California (15), Minnesota (1), North Dakota (1)  Provinces with Cases: Alberta (4) and Saskatchewan (6)

Hepatitis A is a food borne virus that can be passed by infected food handlers to consumers. The virus attacks the liver, and symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, dark urine, fever, chills, fatigue, body aches, loss of appetite, and jaundice. In extreme cases, liver failure can result. The virus has a long incubation period, and symptoms may not appear for fifteen to fifty days. More information on Hepatitis A can be found at www.about-hepatitis.com.

Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation's leading law firm representing victims of Hepatitis A outbreaks. The Hepatitis A lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Hepatitis A and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $700 million for clients. Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation. The law firm has brought Hepatitis A lawsuits against such companies as Costco, Subway, McDonald's, Red Robin, Chipotle, Quiznos and Carl's Jr.

SOURCE Marler Clark, The Nation's Food Safety Law Firm
Animal welfare groups urge Gov. Hochul to sign bill to shut down the puppy mill pipeline

NEW YORK, June 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, animal welfare groups commended the New York State Legislature for passing the Puppy Mill Pipeline Bill, groundbreaking legislation that will end the retail sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores across the state. Championed by Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF-Manhattan) and Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris (D-Queens), this bill now heads to Gov. Kathy Hochul. If signed into law, it would stop the flow of cruelly bred puppies into New York.

The Puppy Mill Pipeline Bill is supported by leading animal welfare groups including the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), New York State Animal Protection Federation (NYSAPF), Voters For Animal Rights (VFAR), Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS), Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), and the NYC Bar Association's Animal Law Committee and millions of New York animal lovers who support ending the sale of puppies in pet stores.

Right now, out-of-state puppy mills ship their puppies to New York pet stores, where they are marketed as healthy puppies from responsible breeders, which is far from the truth. Puppies sold in pet stores come from commercial breeding operations that are designed to prioritize profit over the well-being of the animals. Breeding dogs in these facilities are often kept in crowded cages their entire lives without adequate shelter, veterinary care, food or socialization. They are not pets; their only value is to produce puppies who are shipped and sold to pet stores. These puppies can suffer severe health and behavioral issues  and families are often unprepared for the financial loss and heartbreak that come with buying a sick puppy.

This cruel and broken system is made possible because it's still legal to sell dogs in New York pet stores, leaving New York to become one of the puppy mill industry's largest markets. When the Puppy Mill Pipeline Bill is signed into law, New York will shut down this pipeline and deny cruel mills access to New York's communities.

Please see below for commentary from sponsors and supporters of the bill:

"Puppy mills breed cruelty. Banning the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in New York pet stores will deal the puppy mill-to-pet store pipeline a near-mortal blow," said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF-Manhattan). "The cute puppies, kittens and bunnies in pet store windows mask a sad reality: these animals are products of horrific neglect in puppy mills. Puppy, kitty and bunny mills use and abuse animals to churn out pets for sale, which are often riddled with congenital diseases, that cost unsuspecting consumers hundreds or thousands of dollars in veterinary bills and incalculable emotional stress. Over the years we have tried to regulate pet stores, but the industry continues to prioritize profits over the welfare of animals. My legislation will finally shut down the pet store-to-puppy mill pipeline once and for all."

"With so many good animals in need of rescue, there is no need for abusive puppy mills to supply pet stores. Our four-legged companions should be treated with respect, not like commodities," said Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris. "I am proud to have authored this important bill and thrilled to see it pass the Legislature. And now I am hopeful Governor Hochul will sign it into law. Thanks to Assembly Member Rosenthal for her partnership and all the advocates who made this possible."

"My dog Sami was rescued from a puppy mill, where she spent two years living in a box, in the dark, without a name and she was forced to have puppies who were sold to pet stores," said actress and animal advocate Edie Falco. "I'm grateful that New York lawmakers have taken action to protect other dogs from the horrific conditions Sami endured just to keep the cruel breeding industry in business, and I urge Governor Hochul to quickly sign this critical bill into law to finally end our state's participation in the cruel puppy mill to pet store pipeline."

"Once signed into law, the Puppy Mill Pipeline bill will finally end the sale of cruelly bred puppy mill dogs in pet shops across New York state, which has one of the country's highest concentrations of pet stores that sell puppies," said Matt Bershadker, ASPCA President and CEO. "Shutting down the puppy mill pipeline will help stop retail sellers and commercial breeders from engaging inand profiting fromunconscionable brutality. We're grateful to Assemblymember Rosenthal and Senator Gianaris for championing the passage of the Puppy Mill Pipeline Bill and urge Governor Hochul to sign it to signal New York's determination to reject animal cruelty statewide."

"Today's vote makes it clear that New Yorkers flatly reject cruel puppy mills and their pet store sales outlets," said Brian Shapiro, New York state director for the Humane Society of the United States. We applaud Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal and Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris for their steadfast commitment to bringing this historic bill over the finish line and respectfully urge Governor Kathy Hochul to take similar action by swiftly signing this legislation into law."

"We recently rescued a female 6-year-old Golden Retriever from an Amish Puppy Mill in Ohio. The options from the owner weresomeone come and get her, or I'll take her out back and shoot her. Needless to say, she was rescued. We named her Sophie. She only weighs 40 lbsshe was bred every six months and never given the chance to grow. When she came to us, Sophie hid in a corner for three days. She's been with us just shy of 7 months and she still suffers from Puppy Mill PTSD," said Libby Post, executive director of the New York State Animal Protection Federation. "We all focus on the puppies. We also need to focus on the lives these breeding dogs live in a cage, bred over and over until they're spent. Shutting down the Puppy Mill Pipeline means New York will no longer be complicit in animal abuse."

"We're beyond grateful that the New York legislature has passed a groundbreaking bill signaling to the abusive puppy mill industry that cruelty has no place in the Empire State, said Allie Taylor, President of Voters For Animal Rights. "This bipartisan legislation echoes the wishes of compassionate voters and sends a resounding message to commercial dog, cat and rabbit breeders that New York pet stores will no longer be an avenue for their cruelty. Thank you to Linda Rosenthal and Senator Michael Gianaris for championing this historic bill. We now call on Governor Hochul to quickly sign it into law."

"Banning the retail sale of puppies sends a clear message to puppy mills: New York does not support business models built on animal cruelty," says Animal Legal Defense Fund Executive Director Stephen Wells. "This law is an important step forward, combating commercial operations that put profits over the well-being and health of animals."

"New York has a long and proud tradition of protecting animals through its laws. This bill is no exception. It targets the cruel commercial breeding of dogs, cats, and rabbits; further, the bill promotes animal adoption, and protects consumers and the environment," said Robyn Hederman and Rebecca Seltzer, Co-Chairs, New York City Bar Association Animal Law Committee. "The New York City Bar Association's Animal Law Committee applauds the Assembly for moving the bill one step closer to becoming law."

###

About the ASPCA

Founded in 1866, the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) was the first animal welfare organization to be established in North America and today serves as the nation's leading voice for vulnerable and victimized animals. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation with more than two million supporters nationwide, the ASPCA is committed to preventing cruelty to dogs, cats, equines, and farm animals throughout the United States. The ASPCA assists animals in need through on-the-ground disaster and cruelty interventions, behavioral rehabilitation, animal placement, legal and legislative advocacy, and the advancement of the sheltering and veterinary community through research, training, and resources. For more information, visit www.ASPCA.org, and follow the ASPCA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About the Humane Society of the United States

Founded in 1954, the Humane Society of the United States and its affiliates around the globe fight the big fights to end suffering for all animals. Together with millions of supporters, the HSUS takes on puppy mills, factory farms, trophy hunts, animal testing and other cruel industries, and together with its affiliates, rescues and provides direct care for over 100,000 animals every year. The HSUS works on reforming corporate policy, improving and enforcing laws and elevating public awareness on animal issues. More at humanesociety.org.

Subscribe to Kitty Block's blog, A Humane World. Follow the HSUS Media Relations department on Twitter. Read the award-winning All Animals magazine. Listen to the Humane Voices Podcast.

About New York State Animal Protection Federation

The New York State Animal Protection Federation is the voice of all the non-profit and municipal animal shelters, humane societies and SPCAs across the state. The Federation serves as an educational and policy-development resource and through a united voice, promotes favorable legislative initiatives. For more information, please visit www.nysapf.org and follow us on Facebook. You can also download our app on New York State's animal laws at http://www.nysapf.org/nys-animal-law-app.

About Voters For Animal Rights

Voters for Animal Rights' mission is to help elect candidates who support animal protection, lobby for strong laws to stop animal cruelty, and hold elected officials accountable to humane voters in New York State. Through the political process, we are building a coalition of advocates seeking to strike at the root cause of animal abuse and cruelty, which is a lack of fundamental rights and laws to protect them. Learn more at vfar.org and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

About Companion Animal Protection Society

Founded in 1992, the Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS) is the only national nonprofit dedicated exclusively to protecting companion animals from cruelty in pet shops and puppy/kitten mills. CAPS addresses animal suffering through investigations, outreach, legislation, legal advocacy, consumer assistance, and rescue.

About the Animal Legal Defense Fund

Forty years of fighting for animals: The Animal Legal Defense Fund was founded in 1979 to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. To accomplish this mission, the Animal Legal Defense Fund files high-impact lawsuits to protect animals from harm; provides free legal assistance and training to prosecutors to assure that animal abusers are punished for their crimes; supports tough animal protection legislation and fights harmful legislation; and provides resources and opportunities to law students and professionals to advance the emerging field of animal law. For more information, please visit aldf.org.

About the New York City Bar Association

The mission of the New York City Bar Association, which was founded in 1870 and has 24,000 members, is to equip and mobilize a diverse legal profession to practice with excellence, promote reform of the law, and uphold the rule of law and access to justice in support of a fair society and the public interest in our community, our nation, and throughout the world. www.nycbar.org

SOURCE ASPCA
NEW ORLEANS, June 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until July 1, 2022 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Riskified Ltd. (the "Company") (NYSE: RSKD), if they purchased or acquired the Company's Class A common stock in or traceable to the Company's July 2021 initial public offering (the "IPO"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Get Help

Riskified investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nyse-rskd/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options.

About the Lawsuit

Riskified and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information in its IPO Registration Statement, violating federal securities laws.

The alleged false and misleading statements and omissions include, but are not limited to, that: (i) as the Company expanded its user base, the quality of the Company's machine learning platform had deteriorated (rather than improved as represented in the Registration Statement); (ii) the Company had expanded its customer base into industries with relatively high rates of fraud  including partnerships with cryptocurrency and remittance business  in which the Company had limited experience, and that this expansion had negatively impacted the effectiveness of the Company's machine learning platform; (iii) the Company suffered from materially higher chargebacks and cost of revenue and depressed gross profits and gross profit margins during its third fiscal quarter of 2021; and (iv) as a result of the foregoing, the Company's representations in its Registration Statement were materially false and misleading, and lacked a factual basis.

The case is Thomas v. Riskified Ltd., et al., No. 22-cv-03545.

About ClaimsFiler

ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations.

To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com.

SOURCE ClaimsFiler
"Writing can serve as a bridge between cultures where we learn what makes each of us unique, as well as discover how much more we have in common than what was previously assumed. I am heartened to experience the American and Welsh students learning so much from each other during the past week," said Dr. Toni-Ann Vroom, Co-Executive Director of TWR.

The St. Cadoc's and St. Peter's teachers have been learning TWR writing strategies in preparation for the upcoming school year. The schools' leadership teams wanted to visit an elementary school that has experienced success with The Writing Revolution's Hochman Method.

After discussions with TWR, the Cardiff schools decided to visit P.S. 60, a TWR partner school.

Since 2017, P.S. 60 has been using the Hochman Method  a method of expository writing instruction that can be embedded in all grades and subject areas. The method was developed by Dr. Judith C. Hochman, former head of The Windward School in White Plains, NY, founder of the Writing Revolution and co-author of the book of the same name.

US News and GreatSchools.org have each identified P.S. 60's statewide test scores and student progress as "Above Average". In addition, P.S. 60 has earned an above-average educational equity rating from GreatSchools.org.

Elizabeth Orsini-Fox, principal of P.S. 60, captured the excitement her school's students and staff felt during the visit: "I am proud of our partnership with TWR and how our teachers enjoyed sharing their command of the Hochman method with our new Welsh friends. I look forward to continued success implementing the Hochman Method and building a global relationship that will increase our students' writing proficiency and love of [language]."

"It's been a wonderful experience to be able to learn from the expertise of the teachers of P.S. 60, and The Writing Revolution team," said Gareth Rein, headmaster of St. Peter's. remarked about the St. Peter's teaching staff who traveled with the students.

"This trip has been a chance of a lifetime for the whole group; to travel over 3,000 miles to learn incredible things about writing, about another culture. To have experiences like this for a group of such young children is something they will remember forever," said Rein.

Rachel Fisher, headteacher of St. Cadoc's, agrees: "[The trip has been] a lifetime opportunity for them  the students have been able to do things that you can only dream of doing at that age."

"P.S. 60's staff and students had the wonderful opportunity to meet and work collaboratively with the staff and students from St. Peter's and St. Cadoc's. Their students worked side-by-side with PS 60's students, shared ideas, discussed cultural similarities and differences, and developed friendships that will last a lifetime," noted Kathleen Degnan, assistant principal of P.S. 60.

Tata Njini, 11, a St. Peter's student who loved writing from a young age, recalled the students in P.S. 60 as "very nice, [and] welcoming".

Reuben Attard, 10, a Cadoc student, enjoyed learning how to "expand sentences, use appositives and the single-paragraph outline" from P.S. 60's teachers.

"I feel very proud to come to P.S. 60," says Katelyn L., a fifth grader from P.S. 60. "Kids came from Wales to visit us to see how we use The Writing Revolution  It's been an awesome experience."

P.S. 60, St. Cadoc's, and St. Peter's have expressed an interest in becoming pen pals and continuing their collaboration.

About The Writing Revolution

Founded by Dr, Judith C. Hochman and based in New York City, The Writing Revolution's mission is to enable students, especially those from historically-marginalized communities, to develop writing skills  an enabler to improved reading comprehension and the ability to think more critically  so they will have enhanced opportunities to succeed in school, in the workplace, and in life.

TWR trains and supports teachers and school leaders in implementing the Hochman Method, an explicit set of evidence-based proven strategies for teaching expository writing. The method builds from sentences to compositions and is embedded in curricula across all content areas and grade levels. The organization believes that improved writing skills support the improvement of overall academic performance, and will position students with stronger personal skill sets that can help to narrow the social inequality gap. TWR has positioned writing instruction as a solution to help address the students' learning loss that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Published in 2017, the book, The Writing Revolution: A Guide To Advancing Thinking Through Writing In All Subjects and Grades, was co-written by Dr. Hochman and Natalie Wexler. A top-seller within the educator community, The Writing Revolution has been sold throughout all 50 U.S. states, 36 countries, and more than 1,000 colleges and universities.

Through courses, workshops, and webinars, TWR's training footprint spans North America and 17 other countries.

While TWR's book and courses are available for purchase by any educator, school, district, and community member, the organization focuses its partnership work on educational institutions that are located within historically-marginalized neighborhoods.

Contact:

The Writing Revolution

90 Broad St, Third Floor

New York, NY 10004

thewritingrevolution.org

[email protected]

+1 (212) 206-0985

Links

The Writing Revolution

St. Cadoc's RC Primary School; Cardiff, Wales

St. Peter's RC Primary School; Cardiff Wales

SOURCE The Writing Revolution
Program Supported by Target Recognizes New Orleans (LA), Irving (TX) and Central Falls (RI)

RENO, Nev., June 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, in partnership with Target, announced the winners of this year's Police Reform and Racial Justice Grant Program: New Orleans (LA), Irving (TX), and Central Falls (RI). The program aims to identify, promote, and support police policies and practices that cities of all sizes are finding to be most effective in advancing the goal of justice for all residents.

In the second year of this competitive grant program, judges named one winner in each of the program's large (over 300,000), mid-sized (100,000  300,000) and small (under 100,000) population categories. The three winning cities will share in this year's total of $350,000 in grant funds.

Police Reform and Racial Justice Grant Winners

Large City Award: New Orleans  Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD)

Currently operating out of the Police Department's 8 th District, this initiative targets individuals who cycle in and out of the criminal legal system. Street-level client-centered handling of those involved in non-violent municipal offenses related to substance use, serious mental illness, and trauma has produced significant drops in police summons, arrests, and average time spent in jail. The $175,000 grant awarded will be applied to the City's goal of expanding LEAD services and taking the program city-wide.



Currently operating out of the Police Department's 8 District, this initiative targets individuals who cycle in and out of the criminal legal system. Street-level client-centered handling of those involved in non-violent municipal offenses related to substance use, serious mental illness, and trauma has produced significant drops in police summons, arrests, and average time spent in jail. The grant awarded will be applied to the City's goal of expanding LEAD services and taking the program city-wide. Mid-Sized City Award: Irving, TX  Shop Talk

Developed by the Police Department in 2016 in the wake of the murder of five police officers, the Shop Talk program is an outreach initiative involving random, impromptu visits by officers to barbershops in the African American community and wide-ranging discussions of patrons' issues and concerns that improve community relations and develop trust. Supported by barbershop owners, the program now includes 30 shops and additional salons, 100 police officers, and a licensed clinical social worker to help barbers identify patrons who may be in need of mental health services. The $100,000 grant award will be applied to the expansion of the program into other minority communities and to creation of additional program events and enhancements.



Developed by the Police Department in 2016 in the wake of the murder of five police officers, the Shop Talk program is an outreach initiative involving random, impromptu visits by officers to barbershops in the African American community and wide-ranging discussions of patrons' issues and concerns that improve community relations and develop trust. Supported by barbershop owners, the program now includes 30 shops and additional salons, 100 police officers, and a licensed clinical social worker to help barbers identify patrons who may be in need of mental health services. The grant award will be applied to the expansion of the program into other minority communities and to creation of additional program events and enhancements. Small City Award: Central Falls, RI  The Leading Ladies Initiative

Serving a city in which high percentages of children live in below-poverty-level families and attend schools with high dropout rates, The Central Falls Police Department engages community-minded women with diverse professional backgrounds to serve as mentors for underserved teenage girls, advising them on preparation for higher education, interviews, and obstacles likely to be encountered along the way. The experience includes mentors and girls shopping together for clothing appropriate for the workplace and having lunch or dinner in a local restaurant. The $75,000 grant will be applied to program expansion, the addition of boys, tutoring, and scholarships.

"At Target, we're proud to sponsor the Police Reform and Racial Justice Grant Program because we believe we all have a role to play in creating spaces where our team members, guests and communities feel safe," said Target's Laysha Ward. "This year's winners are proof of what can happen through partnership. By working together to achieve racial equity and social justice, we can move our communities and our country forward by offering opportunity, hope and progress for all Americans."

"We continue to be grateful for our partnership with Target as we recognize and support cities that are putting in the work to achieve greater racial justice and strengthen the trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve," said Tom Cochran, CEO and Executive Director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. "There is no doubt that these grants will help mayors build on their efforts to create lasting change in their cities."

"On behalf of the City of New Orleans, it is an honor to have been selected as a winner of the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Police Reform and Racial Justice Grant Program," said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. "We are thrilled to receive this grant as we continue our focus on advancing community safety through proven initiatives that help those who have been overly incarcerated and possess underlying and unmet behavioral health needs. This client-centered approach and investment to our community will allow us to identify additional essential services through a racial equity lens and target the specific needs of some of our most vulnerable residents who are overrepresented in the carceral system. This grant will also afford us with an opportunity to expand our Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program to better meet our people where they are. Thank you again for recognizing our hard work and the accomplishments of the New Orleans LEAD program."

"Shop Talk started with a very simple idea: to build relationships and trust between Irving Police and the African American community," said Irving Mayor Rick Stopfer. "Over the years, Officer Plunkett has worked to expand the program and truly develop meaningful connections. I am so proud of the positive impact Shop Talk has had and appreciate the recognition and USCM/Target Police Reform and Racial Justice Grant to continue growing the program in Irving."

"Our City's Leading Ladies Initiative, in partnership with our Central Falls Police Department, will connect dozens of high school students who are at-risk with powerful and inspiring one-on-one female mentors, many of whom are leaders of color, just like our students. From CEOs to statewide elected officials to police officers, this leadership development initiative will provide students with first-hand professional mentorship experience, while simultaneously instilling

necessary awareness and confidence to navigate racial and misogynistic hurdles they will likely face and overcome throughout their careers," said Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera. "I want to

thank Target for the incredible funding that's making this initiative possible, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors for giving our City the platform to highlight this important work."

Summary descriptions of the winning programs, along with the balance of the 32 programs submitted by cities in this second round of the grant competition, have been posted on the Conference of Mayors website under the Center for Compassionate and Equitable Cities . The goal is to share with all mayors information on the approaches to police reform being taken or planned by their colleagues throughout the U.S.

Learn more about the partnership between Target and USCM, and the Police Reform and Racial Justice Grant program, in the announcement here .

About the United States Conference of Mayors -- The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are more than 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

SOURCE U.S. Conference of Mayors
Ahmedabad, June 4 : A report released by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel (MAGP) has recommended that the Gujarat Assembly need to develop an application wherein questions asked by the legislators and their replies can be searched.

As per the report, the 14th Assembly has held 10 sessions with 141 days of work in the last five years.

The Gujarat Assembly has a total of 182 seats, out of which four are lying vacant. These four constituencies are -- Bhiloda, Unjha, Dwarka and Khedbrahma.

The report further pointed out that a total of 38,121 Starred Questions( in which answers are desired to be given orally on the floor of the House during the Question Hour) and 10,224 Unstarred Questions (written reply is desired) were asked during nine sessions of the Assembly.

Among Starred Questions, out of 26 departments, Judiciary and Parliamentary affairs & Climate Change Department received lowest questions. Whereas Agriculture and Co-operation, Industries and Mines, Home, Panchayat and Revenue are five departments that received highest questions during five years.

For Unstarred Questions, lowest numbers of questions were related to Climate Change Department whereas the highest number of questions were linked to the Home, Agriculture, Revenue, Health and Narmada got highest number of questions.

Out of 38,121 Starred Questions only 600 were answered in the house, that constitute 2 per cent whereas 4,800 (32%) Unstarred Questions were answered in the house.

Similarly, under the Member of Legislative Assembly Local Area Development (MLA LAD) Fund Scheme, under which every MLA can recommend or suggest development works worth Rs 1.5 crore in her or his constituency.

In Gujarat, under the MLA LAD scheme, works or projects costing over Rs 1,004 crore were announced during 2017-2022, of which works worth Rs 849.64 crores were approved and 677.5 crores were spent on them till March.

In tribal districts, out of total 252 crore funds available with MLAs, works of Rs 230.37 crores were sanctioned. However only Rs 177.40 crores were spent.

The report also suggested that 95 per cent out of 182 MLAs participated for less than 50 times during the last 5 years in any discussions, despite their attendance in the state Assembly. Out of which 36 per cent participated less than 10 times.

The report also recomnded that there should be separate web portal for disclosing MLA LAD Scheme expenses where in sectoral as well as constituency-wise data can be seen on dashboards. There should be comprehensive guidelines for kind of work to be recommended under MLA LAD scheme, implementation mechanism, review for its progress, if work could not be started, then reason for same, reason for under-utilisation etc.

The attendance of the member of the state Asembly should also be displayed in the form of dashboard.
Ankara, June 4 : Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that Turkey's security concerns on Sweden and Finland's intention to join the alliance were based on "just and legitimate" grounds, according to a statement from the Turkish presidency.

"Both countries should clearly display that they have given up supporting terrorism, that they have lifted sanctions against Turkey, and that they are ready to show alliance solidarity," Erdogan told the NATO chief in a phone call, Xinhua news agency reported.

Stoltenberg stressed the "necessity to meet the expectations of Turkey, an important ally." Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO following the Russia-Ukraine conflict that erupted in late February.

NATO allies, except for Turkey, have welcomed the Nordics' appeal. Ankara, however, citing the Swedish and Finnish ties with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and other anti-Turkey outlawed groups, objected to their entry into the alliance.

Turkey demanded an array of "concrete assurances" from Sweden and Finland, which included "termination of political support for terrorism," "elimination of the source of terrorism financing" and "cessation of arms support" to the PKK and its Syrian Kurdish offshoot.

The demands also include the lifting of the two countries' arms sanctions against Turkey.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Stockholm, June 4 : Hundreds of speakers attending Stockholm+50 have called for "real" commitment to urgently address global environmental concerns and for a just transition to sustainable economies that work for all people.

The two-day international meeting concluded with a statement from co-hosts Sweden and Kenya, drawn from member states and stakeholders through the meeting's plenaries and leadership dialogues.

The statement contains several recommendations for an actionable agenda, including, placing human well-being at the centre of a healthy planet and prosperity for all; recognizing and implementing the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment; adopting systemwide changes in the way the current economic system works, and accelerate transformations of high impact sectors among others.

"We believe that we have collectively mobilized and used the potential of this meeting. We now have a blueprint of acceleration to take further," Sweden's Minister for Climate and the Environment, Annika Strandhall, said in her closing remarks on Friday.

"Stockholm+50 has been a milestone on our path towards a healthy planet for all, leaving no one behind." Stockholm+50 featured four plenary sessions in which leaders made calls for bold environmental action to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Three leadership dialogues, hundreds of side events -- including several youth-led sessions -- and webinars, as well as series of regional multi-stakeholder consultations in the run-up to the meeting enabled thousands of people around the world to engage in discussions and put forward their views.

"The variety of voices and bold messages that have emerged from these two days demonstrate a genuine wish to live up to the potential of this meeting and build a future for our children and grandchildren on this, our only planet," said Keriako Tobiko, Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for the Environment.

"We didn't just come here to commemorate, but to build forward and better, based on the steps taken since 1972." "We came to Stockholm 50 years after the UN Conference on the Human Environment knowing that something must change. Knowing that if we do not change, the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste will only accelerate," said Inger Andersen, Secretary-General of Stockholm+50 and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme.

"Now we must take forward this energy, this commitment to action to shape our world," she added.

There were calls from the floor calling for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and strong calls to end the expansion of fossil fuels and, while the final text has yet to be released, it would be an important move to see those calls echoed in the closing documents.

Tzeporah Berman, Chair of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, told IANS: "For too long, fossil fuel production has become a festering wound of the climate crisis due to decades of ignoring the problem at the negotiating table.

"We have no more time for targets without action, vague net zero promises and accounting tricks while governments continue to approve more oil, gas and coal projects. The bottom line is the world's governments still have no framework for working together to end the expansion of fossil fuel production and that's why we need a Fossil Fuel Treaty." Governments around the world are still approving plans to produce twice as much oil, gas and coal than can be burned for a livable planet, taking us far off track to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

As the UNEP Production Gap Report has consistently highlighted, failure to stop fossil fuel expansion and to plan for a global just transition for the managed phase out of fossil fuels undermines any efforts to meet Paris Agreement goals.

On the sidelines of the Stockholm+50 meeting, India and Canada have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish stronger cooperation on environmental protection and climate action.

India's Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav and Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault signed the MoU to increase bilateral cooperation on climate action, environmental protection and conservation.

The signing was made possible thanks to an earlier meeting between the two ministers at COP26 in 2021.

Under the MoU, both countries have agreed to collaborate, exchange information and expertise, and support the respective ambition in a wide range of areas, including increasing renewable energy capacity, decarbonizing heavy industries, reducing plastic pollution, supporting the sound management of chemicals, and ensuring sustainable consumption.

Both countries are intent on supporting each other's climate and environmental goals by finding effective, long-term solutions that will also provide opportunities to advance economic growth and job creation.
Udaipur, June 4 : As the Rajya Sabha (RS) polls near, the resort politics has yet again started and pictures of Congress MLAs living a lavish life in Udaipur-based five star hotel are going viral.

This is the same hotel which hosted Congress' Chintan Shivir, however, Congress concerns seem to be escalating as six Congress MLAs are yet to join the political fencing and have missed their Friday deadline.

It needs to be mentioned here that the BJP has supported Subhas Chandra as its second candidate for the RS seat which has heightened the worries of the Congress and thus it has taken its MLAs for political fencing to Udaipur.

The trouble makers in Gehlot's nest are ex-BSP MLAs who were seen enjoying safari in Sariska while the Congress MLAs were going for camping and their pictures were going viral. In fact, they are openly speaking about their annoyance with the Congress government.

On Friday Rajendra Gudha, Rajasthan Minister of State for Sainik Kalyan attacked Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, saying that the later talks a lot but it will be better for him if he sits down and get "anxious" instead.

He alleged that the Congress did not fulfill the promise made to them. Expressing his displeasure, he said, "It is a fact that the respect that should have been given to us was not given. I don't know what was their compulsion. Gehlot sahib speaks a lot in the media. Ajay Maken promised us but he did not fulfill it." In his statement to media, he said, "Gehlot saheb bolte bahut hain, bolte toh hain he, ke ye kiya, media mein bolte hain. Kabhi baith ke chinta karte toh zyada theek hota (Gehlot sahib talks a lot, he does talk a lot, that he has done this, he says so in the media. But it would have been better had he sat down and get anxious)." Another BSP turned Congress MLA Wajib Ali raised question on the stance of the bureaucracy and the lack of action against complaints sent to the Chief Minister. He has also taunted Gehlot.

Ali was neither made a minister nor given a political appointment despite coming from BSP to Congress. This is considered as the main reason for his "displeasure".

Apart from Gudha and Ali, two other BSP-turned-Congress leaders including Lakhan Singh (Karauli MLA) and Sandeep Kumar (Tijara, Alwar) are yet to reach Udaipur. Also missing are Girraj Singh (Bari, Dholpur) and Khiladi Lal Bairwa (Baseri, Dholpur).

Sources said that Chief Minister Gehlot has taken the charge to bring all MLAs to Udaipur.

Ali further has left the Chief Minister red-faced by denying his claim. Gehlot a day earlier had told the media that the Central government has issued notice to Congress MLA Ali and is threatening the MLAs during the Rajya Sabha elections. However, Ali refuted Gehlot's claim. He said that till now he has not received any notice from the Central agencies. Even he gets so (the notice), he is ready for investigation.

Meanwhile, former deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot has left for Delhi on Friday evening. He reached the airport directly from Taj Aravali Resort in Udaipur.

Earlier, Pilot with other MLAs including Ramila Khadia (who too was angry with Gehlot), went to Udaipur in a plane. Former state Congress chief said that the party shall win on all three seats. He will return to Udaipur on Monday.
Jaipur, June 4 : Rajasthan has become the second Indian state to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to save soil by preventing and reversing desertification of fertile lands.

In the Save Soil programme held in Jaipur on Friday night, Rajesh Chand Meena, state minister for panchayat raj and rural development, Lalchand Kataria, state agriculture minister with Sadhguru, Founder of Isha Foundation, called for immediate policy-driven action to save the state and country's agricultural land from becoming barren.

A policy needs to be constituted to save soil in the world, he said, adding: "In India, the average organic content in agricultural soils is estimated to be 0.68 per cent, putting the country at high risk of desertification and soil extinction. About 30 per cent of the fertile soils in the country have already become barren and unable to yield." Kataria and Sadhguru exchanged MoU to save the soil of the state by making farmer and soil friendly agriculture policies.

Sadhguru, who is currently on a 100-day, 30,000-km solo motorcycle journey across Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East to build a global consensus to address soil health, hit the Indian coast on May 29 at the port of Jamnagar, Gujarat.

During Sadhguru's stay in Jamnagar, the state of Gujarat became the first Indian state to sign an MoU to save soil.

Meanwhile Meena speaking on the occasion said: "Everything we see in nature comes from the soil and will go back to the soil. This movement is not Sadhguru's personal movement, it is for the benefit of the common man." Thousands of people flocked to the Jaipur Exhibition and Convention Centre (JECC) for the event. With music and dance performances by renowned folk artists Ila Arun, Kutle Khan and Isha's home troupe, Sounds of Isha and Isha Sanskriti.

Sadhguru launched the global movement to save soil in the wake of dangerous soil erosion, which could lead to the desertification of 90 per cent of the earth's agricultural soils by 2050, less than three decades from now.

The basic objective of the Save Soil campaign is to tackle the extinction of soil and to insist on ensuring at least 3-6 per cent organic matter in agricultural land through immediate policy reforms on all the countries of the world.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Bengaluru, June 4 : In a major development, the Karnataka government has disbanded the Textbook Revision Committee headed by writer Rohith Chakrathirtha.

The development comes after the committee faced flak, with allegations of saffronisation of school syllabus and insulting great personalities of Karnataka.

Religious seers wrote letters to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to rectify the mistakes and had also warned the state government not to play with the feelings of people.

In a statement on Friday night, the Chief Minister said the Committee was disbanded following the completion of its revision work.

He also assured that the state's ruling BJP government is open to further rectify the syllabus.

Bommai added that the textbook revision exercise is undertaken regularly to find if there were objectionable content in Kannada and Social Science textbooks prescribed for children.

"Panditaradhya Swamiji and other seers have objected to the content on Basavanna in the syllabus. The content is same regarding Basavanna when compared to previous revision committee headed by Prof Baragur Ramachandrappa. However, the content on Basavanna will be revised in such a way that feelings are not hurt." The cyber crime police, Bengaluru, have been directed to investigate and initiate legal action against the persons who had distorted the state anthem as per the wishes of Nirmalanandanatha Swamiji and other seers, he said.

Bommai maintained that no lesson of any great personalities have been dropped from the syllabus as alleged by the Opposition.

He explained that lesson on Hinduism is included along with Islam and Christian religions in the new syllabus.
Seoul, June 4 : Police in South Korea on Saturday apprehended a university student who allegedly posted an online message threatening a terror attack on President Yoon Suk-yeol's residence.

The student was nabbed on the southern island of Geoje, about 400 km south of Seoul, reports Yonhap News Agency.

The student, currently on leave of absence, told police he posted the threat in anger over Yoon's breach of his campaign pledge to more than triple conscripted soldiers' salaries.

The suspect is likely to be released soon as the act is not a serious crime, the police said.

The post was uploaded on an online fan community for First Lady Kim Keon-hee on Thursday, threatening to launch a terror attack against Yoon's private home in southern Seoul at 6 a.m. on Friday.

After it was reported to the National Intelligence Service, the police beefed up security around Yoon's home, including deploying police commandos.
San Francisco, June 4 : Nearly a dozen advocacy groups have launched a new campaign against Elon Musk to block his $44 billion takeover deal, as the micro-blogging platform said the waiting period for the deal has expired under the HSR (Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements) Act in the US.

The Stop the Deal campaign is persuading Tesla stockholders to take action against the takeover deal, which has been put on hold by Musk as he wants more information on fake accounts on the platform, The group with nonprofits like Accountable Tech, Center for Countering Digital Hate, GLAAD and MediaJustice, has also asked Tesla stakeholders to ask advertisers to stop spending on the platform.

Musk "would steamroll basic content moderation safeguards and provide a megaphone to extremists who traffic in white nationalism, hate, disinformation, and harassment, further endangering marginalized communities", the group said in a statement.

Musk would "reinstate Twitter accounts of public figures who were banned for inciting violence and spreading dangerous disinformation".

"Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter will not lead to more 'free speech' on the platform," Rahna Epting, executive director of MoveOn, said in a statement.

"It will simply lead to more extreme voices exploiting the platform to stoke hate, violence and harassment. Social media platforms that are nothing more than toxic cesspools of disinformation are harmful to our society and our politics." Meanwhile, Twitter said late on Friday that the completion of the deal is now "subject to remaining customary closing conditions, including approval by Twitter stockholders and the receipt of applicable regulatory approvals".
Chennai, June 4 : Two private hospitals in Tamil Nadu's Erode is under scanner after police arrested three persons on a complaint by a minor girl that she was forced into illegal trade of her embryo in fertility centres.

The 16-year-old girl lodged a complaint with the police that her mother's lover sexually exploited her since she was 12 years of age and used to sell her embryo in private fertility clinics with the connivance of local hospitals.

Unable to bear the trauma, she had run away from her home and reached a relative's place and lodged a complaint with the police, she said.

In her complaint, the girl stated that she had sold her embryo eight times and her mother used to get Rs 20,000 for each sale. The girl also said that a woman, Malathi was the agent between her mother and the hospitals. She said that Malathi was given Rs 5,000 as her commission.

Erode police on Friday arrested the girl's mother, her lover, and agent Malathi. Another person John who had tampered with evidence was also arrested. Police said that all four were charged under the Prevention of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian, while speaking to IANS, pointed out: "It's brought into my notice and have directed the state health secretary to take immediate action against the erring hospitals. The district health authorities have already served notices to the hospitals and stringent action will be taken against these hospitals." Dr Suchitra Menon, Gynecologist and senior professor at a private medical college in Chennai while speaking to IANS said: "This is shocking. The hospitals and their management have to be given strong punishment for exploiting the helplessness of a minor girl. If the hospitals had reported to the authorities on this such a thing would not have continued." The health department, according to sources, is also planning a state wide crackdown on hospitals to find out whether such illegal practices are being carried out in other hosptials as well.
Islamabad, June 4 : For the first time, the Pakistan government has publicly acknowledged that it was negotiating a peace deal with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and also welcomed a ceasefire announced by the terror group.

Friday's confirmation from the government came a day after the TTP extended the ceasefire for an indefinite period after the Pakistani tribal jirga visited Kabul and held talks with the outfit's leadership, reports The Express Tribune.

Although the two sides have held talks for several weeks now, the Pakistan government did not officially confirm the negotiations.

In a statement, Federal Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said the talks with the TTP were taking place at the government level and was being mediated by the Afghan Taliban regime.

"Talks with the TTP began in 2021 and these negotiations have been taking place at the government level," The Express Tribune quoted the Minister confirming the peace talks with the banned group.

She also said civil and military representatives were part of the Pakistani side holding talks with the TTP.

The ceasefire was to expire on May 30 but the TTP extended it now for an indefinite period as both sides were trying to reach a peace deal.

The peace process resumed last month after Pakistan sent a clear message to the Afghan Taliban government that it would no more tolerate cross-border terrorist attacks.
New Delhi, June 4 : India on Saturday reported a marginal decline of 3,962 fresh Covid cases in last 24 hours, against the 4,041 infections registered the previous day, the Union Health Ministry said.

In the same period, the country reported 26 new Covid fatalities, taking the nationwide death toll to 5,24,677.

The active caseload of the country also increased to 22,416 cases, accounting for 0.05 per cent of the country's total positive cases.

The recovery of 2,697 patients in the last 24 hours took the cumulative tally to 4,26,25,454. Consequently, India's recovery rate stands at 98.73 per cent.

While the daily positivity rate slightly dropped to 0.89 per cent, the weekly positivity rate stood at 0.77 per cent.

Also in the same period, a total of 4,45,814 tests were conducted across the country, increasing the overall tally to over 85.22 crore.

As of Saturday morning, India's Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 193.96 crore, achieved via 2,47,05,065 sessions.

Over 3.43 crore adolescents have been administered with a first dose of Covid-19 jab since the beginning of vaccination drive for this age bracket.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
San Francisco, June 4 : Microsoft has detected and disabled a previously undocumented Lebanon-based activity group that is working with other actors affiliated with Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) to attack organisations in Israel.

Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) named the group 'Polonium'.

The tech giant suspended more than 20 malicious OneDrive applications created by Polonium actors, notified affected organisations, and deployed a series of security intelligence updates that will quarantine tools developed by Polonium operators.

"Our goal is to help deter future activity by exposing and sharing the Polonium tactics with the community at large," the company said in a statement.

The group is linked with Iranian government and such collaboration or direction from Tehran would align with a string of revelations since late 2020 that the "Government of Iran is using third parties to carry out cyber operations on their behalf, likely to enhance Iran's plausible deniability".

Polonium has targeted or compromised more than 20 organisations based in Israel and one intergovernmental organisation with operations in Lebanon over the past three months.

"This actor has deployed unique tools that abuse legitimate cloud services for command and control (C2) across most of their victims. Polonium was observed creating and using legitimate OneDrive accounts, then utilising those accounts as C2 to execute part of their attack operation," explained Microsoft.

This activity does not represent any security issues or vulnerabilities on the OneDrive platform.

"As with any observed nation-state actor activity, Microsoft directly notifies customers that have been targeted or compromised, providing them with the information they need to secure their accounts," said the company.

Since February, Polonium has been observed primarily targeting organisations in Israel with a focus on critical manufacturing, IT, and Israel's defense industry.

In at least one case, Polonium's compromise of an IT company was used to target a downstream aviation company and law firm in a supply chain attack that relied on service provider credentials to gain access to the targeted networks, according to the researchers.
Hyderabad, June 4 : Hyderabad police on Saturday made the second arrest in the sensational gang rape case while forces were on the lookout for the remaining three accused in places outside the city.

A day after arresting a youth in the May 28 gang rape of a 17-year-old girl, police apprehended the second accused, a juvenile.

Police confirmed that he is the son of a VIP but declined to reveal the latter's name as this would identify the juvenile thus violating the rules.

The minor could not be apprehended by police on Friday. Police had clarified that rules didn't permit them to apprehend him during night hours.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Joel Davis told reporters on Friday night that five accused including two juveniles aged 16-17 have been identified.

One of the major accused Saduddin Malik (18) was arrested on Friday while the police teams were searching for Omair Khan (18) and two other juveniles.

Since the accused were not known to the victim and the crime was reported three days later, the accused escaped to other places.

Various police teams were searching for the accused in other places in Telangana and in neighbouring states.

The DCP exuded confidence that police would arrest all the accused within 48 hours.

The accused sexually assaulted the victim in an Innova vehicle on the evening of May 28 after promising to drop her home from a pub in Jubilee Hills where the victim and the accused attended a party.

The police official refused to reveal the location where the offence took place saying this would reveal the identity of the victim. He, however, said the accused left in a car from the pub and stopped at a pastry shop enroute. There they left the car and boarded another vehicle.

While the car has been seized by the police, there was no word about the Innova vehicle. The DCP evaded replies about the SUV's owner.

The police investigation revealed that after committing the crime, the accused dropped the victim back near the pub. She called her father, who picked her up but suspected something untoward happened to her as there were bruises on her neck.

On May 31, the victim's father approached the police saying his daughter went to a day-time non-alcoholic party and suspected that molestation might have taken place there. He told police that the girl is in a state of shock and is not able to speak.

Based on the complaint, police registered a case under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections 9 and 10 of Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and started investigation. As per the Standard Operating Procedure, the next day after counseling the victim child, police sent her to Bharosa Centre where lady officials made her comfortable and gave her confidence.

It was only the next day she revealed to lady officials what happened and gave her statement," the DCP said Based on the victim's statement, police altered the case to section 376 D of IPC and section 5 and 6 of POCSO Act and since there were bruises on the victim, Section 323 of IPC was also added.

On the direction of the City Police Commissioner, various teams were constituted which started collecting details. "The victim was not in a position to reveal the identity of the accused as they were not known to her earlier. Based on CCTV footage and other technical evidence and CCTV and after it was corroborated with the victim's statement we identified five accused, two of them major and three aged 16-17," he said.

There have been allegations by leaders of opposition BJP that grandson of state home minister and son of a MLA of MIM were also involved.

The police officer termed as '100 per cent baseless' the allegations about the home minister's grandson. He also said neither the victim's statement nor other evidence gathered so far show that AMLA's son was involved.

The police officer, however, said the investigations were on and once the victim is in a position to give a detailed statement and if something comes out during investigation about involvement of others action will be taken accordingly.
Islamabad, June 4 : Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was dismayed at the development lag in Gwadar and vowed to work on "war footings" for the port city.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Gwadar Eastbay Expressway, the premier said the Gwadar Airport has not been completed since its foundation back in 2017-18, Geo News reported.

He lamented that Chinese President Xi Jinping had provided the funds required for the airport, but due to some reasons, it has still not been completed.

The Prime Minister said that the electricity transmission lines could not be laid even after many years. "The previous government also did not start the dredging of Gwadar Port." He added that Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has been directed to meet the ministers concerned and complete all the projects on time

Further, the premier lauded the Chinese government for setting up a desalination plant in Gwadar.

"There might be a reduction in the water reserves. If the plants were installed first at cheaper rates, then every household would have drinking water by now," he said.

Sharif also said that solar panels are being provided to 3,200 families living in the city. He said that getting electricity from Iran might be a good decision, Geo News reported.

Shedding light on the government's austerity drive, the prime minister said that he will take strict measures and the government officials and people belonging to the upper socioeconomic classes will have to agree with the measures.

"First of all, I, including the federal ministers and other leaders, will have to face the tough measures," he said, adding that the upper class will have to make sacrifices and adopt simplicity.
New Delhi, June 4 : A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has moved the Supreme Court challenging the validity of Section 2 (C) of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) Act, 1992 terming it 'arbitrary' and 'contrary' to the Constitution.

Petitioner Devkinandan Thakur Ji, filed through Advocate Ashutosh Dubey, also sought directions from the Centre to define 'minority' and lay down a guidelines for identification of minorities at district level in order to ensure that only those religious and linguistic groups, which are socially economically politically non-dominant and numerically very inferior, get the benefits and protections guaranteed under Articles 29-30.

"Hindus are merely 1 per cent in Ladakh, 2.75 per cent in Mizoram, 2.77 per cent in Lakshdweep, 4 per cent in Kashmir, 8.74 per cent in Nagaland, 11.52 per cent in Meghalaya, 29 per cent in Arunachal Pradesh, 38.49 per cent in Punjab and 41.29 per cent in Manipur but the Central government has not declared them 'minority' under Section 2(c) of the NCM Act and Section 2 (f) of the NCMEI Act, thus Hindus are not protected under Articles 29-30 and cannot establish-administer educational institution of their choice," the PIL contended.

It further stated that the Act using unbridled power under S. 2(c), the Centre arbitrarily notified five communities --Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsi-- as minority at national level.

Cause of action continues till date because followers of Judaism, Bahaism and Hinduism, who are real minorities in Ladakh, Mizoram, Lakshdweep, Kashmir, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur, cannot establish and administer educational institutions of their choice because of non-identification of 'minority' at state level, thus jeopardising their basic rights guaranteed under Article 29-30, the PIL claimed.

Their right under Articles 29-30 is being siphoned off illegally to the majority community in the state because the Centre has not notified them as 'minority' under NCM Act.

Followers of Judaism, Bahaism and Hinduism are being deprived of their basic rights to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.

"On the other hand, Muslims are in majority in Lakshdweep (96.58 per cent) and Kashmir (96 per cent) and there is significant population in Ladhakh (44 per cent), Assam (34.20 per cent), Bengal (27.5 per cent), Kerala (26.60 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (19.30 per cent) and Bihar (18 per cent); can establish & administer educational institutions of their choice. Christians are a majority in Nagaland (88.10 per cent), Mizoram (87.16 per cent) and Meghalaya (74.59 per cent), and there is significant population in Arunachal, Goa, Kerala, Manipur, Tamil Nadu & West Bengal, can also establish and administer," it read.

Likewise, Sikhs are a majority in Punjab and there is large population in Delhi, Chandigarh, Haryana, but they can establish and administer.

Similarly, Buddists are majority in Ladakh but they can establish and administer educational institutions of their choice, the PIL added.
Los Angeles, June 4 : Comic artiste-filmmaker-writer Louis C.K., who admitted to several incidents of sexual misconduct back in 2017, is prepping up for the release of his comedy-drama 'Fourth of July'.

The film marks the controversial comedian's first feature directorial effort since admitting to sexual misconduct, reports 'Variety'.

As per 'Variety', the film, which C.K. also co-wrote with Joe List, tells the story of a recovering alcoholic from New York City who clashes with family on their annual July 4th vacation trip. List stars in the film opposite Sarah Tollemache, Paula Plum, Robert Walsh and Robert Kelly. C.K. also appears in a small role.

According to C.K.'s official website, 'Fourth of July' will be getting a theatrical release starting July 1. Showtimes and theatre locations have yet to be announced. C.K. will also be touring with the film for one-night only screenings in New York City (Beacon Theatre, June 30), Boston (Shubert Theatre, July 1) and Chicago (The Vic, July 2). Tickets for these special screenings are available now on C.K.'s website.

While C.K. has toured the country with comedy sets since admitting to sexual misconduct, 'Fourth of July' release will mark his return to movies for the first time since the 2017 controversy. A couple of months before C.K. was accused of sexual misconduct, he debuted his directorial effort 'I Love You, Daddy' at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.

The film starred C.K., Chloe Grace Moretz, Pamela Adlon, John Malkovich, Rose Byrne, Charlie Day, Edie Falco and Helen Hunt.

Moretz played a teenager who is seduced by an older film director.

Film distributor The Orchard had theatrical rights to 'I Love You, Daddy' but cancelled the film's New York premiere shortly ahead of The New York Times dropping its report on C.K.'s history of sexual misconduct.

The distributor then scrapped the film's theatrical rollout and dropped the movie. 'I Love You, Daddy' was never officially released.
Thiruvananthapuram, June 4 : The 41-member Congress-led opposition in the Kerala Assembly now has Uma Thomas after her thumping win from Thrikkakara Assembly constituency, making her the second widow in the opposition ranks whose husband was bete noire of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Uma, wife of two time former Thrikkakara legislator P.T.Thomas who passed away in December last year, won the bypoll with a massive margin of over 25,000 votes against her CPI-M rival Joe Joseph, an interventional cardiologist, when votes were counted on Friday.

And now when the Assembly meets later this month, Uma will join K.K.Rema.

Rema, who won with the support of the Congress-led UDF, is the widow of top notch former CPI-M leader Chandrasekheran who was brutally murdered near his house in Kozhikode in 2012.

Chandrasekheran left the party in 2008 and formed his own party Revolutionary Marxist Party turning into a thorn in the flesh of CPI-M.

As many as 11 people were sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with his murder, of which three were CPI-M leaders of the area.

Even after the brutal murder of Chandrasekharan with the alleged knowledge of the top CPI-M top brass, Vijayan called him a "renegade" which had come under huge attack from numerous quarters.

In the floor of the Assembly every time Rema gets up to speak, there is a complete silence as on a few occasions in the past one year, she has taken on Vijayan.

Likewise, P.T.Thomas, during the first term of Vijayan 2016-21 and till he passed away during Vijayan's second term, there were numerous occasions when a war of words broke out between two which, at times, had led to tumultuous situations.

Reacting to this, Uma said that she might not be as vociferous as her husband, she will be making her presence in the assembly in her own way.

"I have known Rema for a very long time and it's good that she will be there in the Assembly. I am happy that I will be able to move along with her," said Uma, adding she will be taking forward all unfinished tasks of Thomas.

Uma will be sworn in on the first day of the upcoming session of the Assembly scheduled to be held later this month.
Berlin, June 4 : At least four people were killed when a train derailed near the Alpine ski town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Germany's Bavaria state.

Dozens of people were injured in the accident on Friday, and some of the train's carriages were overturned, Xinhua news agency reported.

Local authorities said it is possible that many students were on the train, which was travelling in the direction of Munich.

The cause of the accident is under probe.
June 04 : Alia Bhatt, who is currently in London, shared a glimpse of her recent outing with her best friend Tanya Saha Gupta in London. Alia is shooting for her Hollywood debut film in the city.

Alia took to her Instagram handle and shared two pictures with Tanya. In the pictures, the girls can be seen soaking in the sun at a park. Alia as usual can be seen in her signature no-makeup look as both posed for the camera amidst greenery. Alia and Tanya also twinned as they both opted for white tops. Sharing the pictures, the Gangubai Kathiawadi actor wrote, Sometimes the greatest adventure is simply a conversation  Amadeus Wolfe. Karisma Kapoor took to the comments section of the post and wrote, Gorgeous girls.

Tanya also shared a couple of pictures from the outing. In one of the photos, Alia can be seen in black sunglasses.

Alia is currently shooting for her Hollywood debut, Netflixs Heart of Stone, which also stars Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan. The spy thriller is directed by British filmmaker Tom Harper. Before leaving for London, Alia shared a selfie on Instagram and wrote, And off I go to shoot my first ever Hollywood film!!!! Feel like a newcomer all over again-- so nervous!!!! Wish me luck.

Earlier, speaking about her first Hollywood project, Alia had clarified that she did not accept the offer just for an International debut. I just dont want to do it for the heck of it and to tick it off the box. I want to look at opportunities which should have a good part, an interesting dynamic, and cast, something that is new and relevant, she told News18.

Alia recently missed the Brahmastra promotion in Vishakapatnam, where Ranbir Kapoor and Ayan Mukherji were joined by RRR director SS Rajamouli. Alia sent a special video for her fans, expressing how she missed being with the team. In the video, that was played at the event, the Gully Boy actress asked all fans to come and watch Brahmastra on September 9. I really wish I could be there today with everyone. I am missing the whole team, Ayan, and Ranbir. But I am there in spirit and especially there in Ranbirs heart, Alia said.

Alia who was last seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Gangubai Kathiawadi, has Karan Johar's Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani in her kitty. The film also stars Ranveer Singh, Shabana Azmi, Jaya Bachchan and Dharmendra.
New Delhi, June 4 : Khalistan had become a thing of the past after India trudged on from the grisly period of peaking insurgency in Punjab, the assassination of a powerful Prime Minister, and the anti-Sikh riots that followed.

Kavya Dubey New Delhi, June 4 (IANS) Khalistan had become a thing of the past after India trudged on from the grisly period of peaking insurgency in Punjab, the assassination of a powerful Prime Minister, and the anti-Sikh riots that followed.

But certain occurrences in the past few months hint at the unearthing of a buried hatchet. In the light of these developments, an understanding of the evolution, dissolution and reappearance of the movement is called for.

Historical roots The Khalistan movement started out as a Sikh separatist movement with the intention to carve out a Sikh homeland by way of establishing a sovereign state called Khalistan, meaning the 'Land of the Khalsa', in the Punjab region that includes both India and Pakistan.

'Khalsa' is a common term of reference for the community that adheres to Sikhism as a faith and also a special group of initiated Sikhs. The word means (to be) pure, clear, or free from. The Khalsa tradition was introduced by Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Guru, in 1699, after his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was beheaded in the reign of Aurangzeb.

The establishment of Khalsa order gave a fresh orientation to Sikhism with a new system of leadership and gave a political and religious vision for the Sikh community. A Khalsa was then initiated as a warrior to protect people from Islamic religious persecution.

Fast forward to modern age, the idea of a separate Sikh homeland took shape during the fall of the British empire. It was in 1940 when for the first time, an explicit call for Khalistan was made in a pamphlet by the same name.

With the political and financial support of the Sikh diaspora, the movement for Khalistan began to gather momentum in Punjab. It continued through the 1970s and reached its pinnacle in the late 1980s as a separatist movement.

The territorial ambitions of Khalistan have since then expanded to include Chandigarh and much of northern India and parts of western India.

Jagjit Singh Chohan is the discredited founder of the Khalistan movement. Initially a dentist, Chohan was first elected to the Punjab Assembly in 1967. He went on to become the finance minister, but in 1969, he lost the Assembly election.

Building an overseas base Following his electoral debacle, Chohan moved to Britain in 1969, and began campaigning for Khalistan to be created. In 1971, he went to Nankana Sahib in Pakistan and attempted to set up a Sikh government.

Yahaya Khan, the military dictator of Pakistan, proclaimed Chohan a Sikh leader; he was handed over certain Sikh relics which he took with him to Britain. These relics helped Chohan consolidate support and followers. Subsequently, he visited US upon the invitation of his supporters in the Sikh diaspora.

On October 13, 1971, The New York Times carried a paid ad claiming an independent Sikh state. This ad of Chohan enabled him to gather huge funds from the overseas community.

Towards the end of 1970s, Chohan was associated with the diplomatic mission in Pakistan which aimed to encourage Sikh youth to travel to Pakistan for pilgrimage and indoctrination for separatist propaganda.

Chohan maintained that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, had assured him all assistance in creating Khalistan after the 1971 Indo-Pak war.

Chohan returned to India in 1977, and then travelled to Britain in 1979, and established the Khalistan National Council. The contacts with various groups in Canada, the US and Germany were maintained and Chohan visited Pakistan as a state guest.

On April 12, 1980, Chohan formally announced the formation of the 'National Council of Khalistan' at Anandpur Sahib, and declared himself its president. Balbir Singh Sandhu was its Secretary General.

A month later, Chohan travelled to London and proclaimed the formation of Khalistan. Sandhu made a similar announcement in Amritsar.

Eventually, Chohan proclaimed himself the president of the 'Republic of Khalistan', set up a Cabinet, and issued Khalistan passports, stamps, and currency (Khalistan dollars).

On June 12, 1984, Chohan was interviewed by the BBC in London.

When asked "Do you actually want to see the downfall of Mrs Gandhi's government?", Chohan had asserted, "Within a few days, you will have the news that Mrs Gandhi and her family have been beheaded. That is what Sikhs will do." The Margaret Thatcher government in Britain then put a check on Chohan's activities after this proclamation.

On June 13, 1984, Chohan announced a government in exile, and on October 31, 1984, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated.

In 1989, Chohan hoisted the flag of Khalistan at the Anandpur Sahib gurdwara in Punjab. On April 24, 1989, his Indian passport was deemed invalid and India protested when he was allowed to enter the US with a cancelled Indian passport.

Mellowing down of the radicals Chohan gradually appeared to soften his stance and supported India's attempts to defuse the tension by accepting surrenders by militants. However, the sister organisations in Britain and North America remained devoted to the cause of Khalistan.

In June 2001, after 21 years of exile, Chohan was permitted to return to India after he was granted pardon by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

Although the government chose to overlook his history of militant pursuits, upon his return, he said in an interview that he would keep the Khalistan movement alive democratically and underlined that he was always against violence.

In 2002, he founded a political party by the name of Khalsa Raj Party and became its president. The aim of this party was admittedly to continue his campaign for Khalistan. However, this notion was no longer attractive to the new generation of Sikhs.

Chohan largely retired from public life in his later years and passed away on April 4, 2007, after a heart attack at the age of 78. With his demise, the Khalistan movement also petered out.

The end of insurgency The insurgency tapered off in the 1990s and the movement failed owing to several factors, primarily heavy police crackdown on separatists, factional infighting, and disenchantment from the Sikh population.

With annual demonstrations for those killed during Operation Blue Star, there remain traces of some support within India and the Sikh diaspora.

In the light of the recent developments, questions have been raised regarding the resurrection of the notion of Khalistan.

In early 2018, the police had apprehended some militant groups in Punjab. Then Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had remarked that the extremism was backed by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence and Khalistani sympathisers in Canada, Italy and the UK.

Khalistan rears up its ugly head It was reported in February this year that Pro-Khalistan groups like the proscribed Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) have been trying to rake up sentiments and revive the movement in Punjab.

Expressions of anti-India sentiments from Canada are no secret, but India's big security concern lately has been this outfit which has a strong virtual presence and is able to radicalise a good number people to rebel against the government of India.

An NIA team reached Canada last November, to probe the funding channels of pro-Khalistan groups which can contribute to unrest in India. Reportedly, over one lakh USD was collected in the name of farmers' protests, as cited by officials.

On May 5, Haryana Police apprehended four people at a toll plaza in Karnal carrying three IEDs weighing 2.5 kg each.

On May 8, flags of Khalistan were found affixed to the main entrance of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly complex in Dharamsala. Himachal Pradesh Police booked SFJ leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun under UAPA and sealed the state's borders and beefed up security in the state citing pro-Khalistan activities.

The outfit's announcement of a Khalistan referendum day on June 6 has also been banned.

On May 9, a Pakistan-made rocket-propelled grenade explosion was reported from the Punjab Police Intelligence headquarters in Mohali, just a day after the state police seized an IED loaded with RDX from Punjab's Tarn Taran district.

These attacks happened after a communal rift between certain Sikh and Hindu groups in Patiala on April 29, setting off an alarm pertaining to security concerns.

These developments gravely point to efforts of Khalistani elements to sow seeds of distrusts in India, and this is a concern niggling at India's security.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Chandigarh, June 4 : The recent high-profile killing of rapper Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, widely known by his stage name Sidhu Moosewal, points to the rise of gangsters in Punjab which shares a 553-km long international border, from where drone-drop of explosives and drugs by Pakistan-based terror outfits is on the rise.

Officials familiar with the development believe the use of drones is Pakistan ISI's game plan to carry out terror attacks across the country rather than reviving the full-fledged Khalistan movement in Punjab at this point in time.

The just concluded year-long farmers' protests and the last month's rocket-propelled grenade attack on Punjab Police's intelligence headquarters building could be a platform for a handful Sikh separatists settled abroad to fight an "existential battle".

"The sensational killing of Moosewala now and Youth Akali Dal leader, Vikramjit Singh, aka Vicky Middukhera, last year could be linked to the avenge killing by hiring gangsters or to an act of gang war retaliation. This could be seen more in the context of an upsurge in gang related crime, rather than in the backdrop of attempts to revive pro-Khalistan activities," a senior official, who is part of investigating team of the recent killings and terror attacks, told IANS, requesting anonymity.

He is categorically clear in saying the organised gangs and criminals have no Khalistani ideology as most of them are non-Sikhs and belong to areas bordering Punjab's Malwa region.

The border states of Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan had not seen a decade-long insurgency when it was at its peak in Punjab in the 1980s that claimed more than 20,000 lives.

Now with political patronage, the gangsters are making money under the garb of terrorism, the official said, adding that the area of concern is most of them are organised gangs and are in touch with terror modules for procuring weapons from across the border.

Prior to killings of Moosewala and Middukhera, the killing of an international kabbadi player in Nakodar and incidents of sacrilege and drug trafficking in Punjab are largely linked to the upsurge of gangster culture in the state.

However, highly placed intelligence officials admit pro-Khalistan sympathisers, largely settled in Germany, France, Australia, the UK, Canada and the US, have been running 'whisper' campaigns with the intention to disturb the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India.

They are raising funds for hiring gangsters even from outside the state for contract killing or illegal activities, a dangerous trend, said a senior official.

As per Director General of Police V.K. Bhawra, the grenade attack on police's intelligence headquarters was carried out with the involvement of gangsters from outside the state hired by Canada-based Lakhbir Landa on the directions of Khalistani terrorist Harvinder Singh Rinda, who is believed to be in Pakistan.

The DGP recently said there have been recent reports about rise in gangster-related murders in the state but the fact is it has marginally decreased in comparison to last two years.

According to him, the crime data indicates that 158 murders have taken place in the state during the first 100 days of this year, making an average of 50 murders per month, while in previous years, the number of murders was 724 and 757 in 2021 and 2020, respectively, making the monthly average of murders for 2021 and 2020 as 60 and 65 murders respectively.

He said six gangster-related murders witnessed in the state till April 11, all of which have been traced after a thorough investigation on professional lines and 24 accused involved in these cases have been arrested along with a recovery of seven pistols, 18 cartridges and seven vehicles.

There is a sordid tale of jails in Punjab, the dens of gangsters.

The 2016 Nabha jailbreak in which gangsters freed six hardcore prisoners showed "lawlessness".

Officials cite seizure of lethal weapons and mobile phones from jail premises, indicating the rot in prison management.

As per official data, during the special drive from March 16 to May 10 a total of 710 mobile phones have been recovered from jail inmates.

Police officials say with the increasing footprint of Punjab-based gangsters in off-shore, the central government should press for their extradition.

Also in the murder of Moosewala, Goldy Brar, who is based in Canada, has claimed the responsibility on behalf of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

Admitting that Moosewala had a huge following in Canada, Gurpreet Singh, a newscast and talk show host at Spice Radio in Vancouver, told IANS over phone that the massive coverage of the news of his death in the mainstream newspapers here clearly indicates that.

"However, there are those who have been critical of his songs allegedly promoting gun culture. That was the reason why one of his events was cancelled in Surrey." Responding to the reports about a Canada-based gangster taking responsibility of his murder, he said it needs to be jointly investigated by the Canadian and the Indian police.

"As per the procedure, the request for that has to come from Punjab Police under whose jurisdiction the crime occurred. Until then, it is hard to corroborate any such claim which has no legal value," freelance journalist Gurpreet Singh said.

Also it is wrong to presume that Canada has become some sort of safe refuge for international gangsters when Canadian police itself is grappling with domestic gang violence, he said.

It is a separate matter that the Indo-Canadian gangs have been active in this country for more than two decades now. But most of those involved are the Canadian born kids of Indian heritage through their parents, he added.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
New Delhi, June 4 : The gangsters operating different gangs in the national capital have reportedly formed 'Mahagathbandhan' in a bid to help and save each other and run their crime syndicate smoothly. They are trying to spread a pan India network and work at the behest of their associated gangs.

The gangs are also reportedly helping each other in passing crucial information about their rivals, targets and helping their partners in procuring sophisticated arms.

Sources in Delhi Police have told IANS that these gangsters have joined hands to settle scores with their rivals. "They are now saying that their associate's enemies are their enemies, and this is what we witnessed earlier too in several gangs. In Sidhu Singh Moosewala's killing, names of Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar gangs have emerged. Both had vowed to kill Moosewala to avenge the death of Vikramjeet Singh Middukhera, a Youth Akali Dal leader," said the source.

Since Special Cell of Delhi Police has cases against Bishnoi, Jatheri and other gangsters who have alleged links in Moosewala murder case, they are helping Punjab Police in identifying all the suspects involved in the case.

There are around 30 gangs operating in the national capital out of which around 200 gang members have been identified by the Delhi Police. Delhi Police have arrested around 120 gang members of different gangs in a bid to put a stop to gang wars.

The gangs are still reportedly operating from behind the bars. They are running extortion rackets in the National Capital Region area, controlling their aides from the jail.

(Atul Krishan can be approached at atul.k@ians.in)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, June 4 : In an unexpected gesture, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat issued a conciliatory statement on the now simmering dispute over the Gyanvapi mosque issue.

Even fter reaching the Supreme Court, the matter is now being heard by the sessions court in Varanasi. While the Hindu side insists the mosque has a Shivling which proves that a temple was destroyed to build a mosque over it by the orders of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb, the Muslim side insists that the Shivling is actually a fountain and that the mosque actually predates Aurangzeb.

Hot heads from both communities have sought to inflame passions over the issue and make often unsubstantiated and reckless allegations against each other.

Mohan Bhagwat stepped in in an effort to cool down tempers and said while Hindus do have faith in the existence of a Kashi Vishwanath temple, history cannot be changed and it is unwise to look for a Shivling in every mosque.

CVoter conducted a nationwide survey on behalf of IANS on the issue to try and find out if the conciliatory gesture made by the RSS chief had an impact on ordinary Indians. The responses were mixed and not very encouraging.

Overall, 36.4 per cent of the respondents felt Bhagwat made the right statement, while 34.8 per cent disagreed with the contention and almost 29 per cent had no opinion.

The NDA supporters were sharply divided, with 39 per cent of the respondents saying he made the right statement, while more than 33 per cent of the respondents disagreed.

The survey also asked Indians if the statement could help both sides reach an amicable solution to the dispute.

Overall, 51 per cent of the respondents stated that it will help amiable resolve the dispute, while 22 per cent disagreed and almost 28 per cent had no opinion.

Amongst opposition supporters, more than 42 per cent of the respondents felt that it will not help lead to an amicable resolution.

Clearly, the battle lines over Gyanvapi are firmly drawn.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, June 4 : National Green Tribunal (NGT) chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel on Saturday called for appropriate use and maintenance of natural resources.

In his message for World Environment Day, the Chairperson stated: "The fifth June--'World Environment Day' is a reminder to all of us to protect our precious and pristine environment." The greatest gift to mankind and other life is water and air which needs to be conserved, he said, adding: "Let us once again commit to protecting water sources, use them appropriately and maintain their cleanliness," Goel said.

"We also keep our ambient air for gasping and not to contaminate it. We can't afford to either lose or degrade them as such loss or degradation cannot be made out by any monetary cost", he added.
Brasilia, June 4 : The death toll from heavy rain in Recife, capital of the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, and its metropolitan area has risen to 128, local authorities said.

Over 9,300 people have been evacuated and 34 municipalities have declared a state of emergency, Pernambuco Governor Paulo Camara said at a press conference.

Camara added that rescue efforts for possible survivors have come to an end, reports Xinhua news agency.

Pernambuco has recorded heavy rains since last week, which intensified over the weekend, killing more than 100 people, mostly in foothills that suffered major landslides.

The state government will compensate the families of the deceased and will give 1,500 reals ($312 ) to all those displaced by the rains, many of whom lost all their property.

The rain also affected the Brazilian states of Sergipe, Alagoas, Paraiba and Rio Grande do Norte.
Panaji, June 4 : Visiting a spa in Goa's coastal belt, check online reviews first, North Goa Superintendent of Police Shobhit Saxena said on Saturday, even as the police official said that the uniformed force had proactively started accepting complaints by tourists made online and via social media for investigation.

Saxena also said that tourists should take adequate precaution while visiting night clubs in the popular beach village of Calangute, especially those which have been in the news for negative reasons.

"If you come to Goa, do not listen to touts, if you visit a spa, please be cautious, check the reviews to see what kind of a place you are visiting. If you go towards Calangute beach to party at night, then please verify which place you are going to," Saxena told reporters.

"There are some clubs where one or two incidents have occurred. We should avoid those and we should tell the people that if you are going to such places, please take care. The Chandgad case which we have registered and cases against the staff at Calangute's Shield Club and Devil's Club," the police official also said.

The Chandgad case referred to by Saxena involves a brutal attack on 11 youngsters from Chandgad sub-district in Maharashtra, who were visiting Goa as tourists last week. The youngsters were lured by a tout on the pretext of a cheap meal and 'spa treatment' and were later beaten up by local goons. More than half a dozen persons have been arrested in connection with the case.

Saxena also said that the state police had begun proactively registering complaints made by tourists on social media.
Yangon, June 4 : The Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) has added 137 more companies to a blacklist for failing to deposit export earnings into accounts in domestic banks within the prescribed periods.

The decision came after multiple efforts including issuing notices, revoking exporter and importer registrations were made, Xinhua news agency quoted the bank as saying.

The CBM added the export companies and their members of boards of directors to a blacklist for not repatriating the earnings from goods exported in 2019, the statement said.

On May 9, the central bank also blacklisted 158 export companies for violating the same regulation.

Under the country's foreign exchange management regulation, all exporters in Myanmar are required to deposit export proceeds into bank accounts in the country within the prescribed periods.
Chennai, June 4 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Saturday called upon the people of Tamil Nadu to be more conscious about the environment and be environmental friendly.

He was speaking after flagging off 25 e-vehicles that were handed over to Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) officials as part of the enviornment day celebrations to be held on June 5.

The vehicles, he said, will be pressed into service as part of the measures to reduce carbon footprint and global warming. The state exchequer has spent an amount of Rs 3.42 crore for purchase of 25 e-vehicles, the Chief Minister said.

Chief Minister Stalin also handed over the 'Pasumai' awards for protecting environment to district collectors, Aneesh Shekhar( Madurai), D. Mohan (Villupuram), and B. Murugesh (Tiruvannamalai). The awards were presented as part of the world environment day celebrations.

Stalin also handed over the Pasumai Muthanmayilar awards to 79 institutions that include industries and educational institutions. Cash prizes and mementos were handed over to these institutions for promoting environment and taking initiatives against global warming.

Minister of state for environment and Forest Siva V. Meyyanthan, Chief Secretary Irai Anbu, and Principal Secretary environment and Forest, Supriya Sahu were present during the function held in Chennai.
Beijing, June 4 : One person was killed and eight others were injured after a bullet train derailed on Saturday in Rongjiang County in China's Guizhou province, authorities said.

According to China State Railway Group Co., Ltd., two carriages of the train D2809 from Guiyang to Guangzhou came off the tracks that were hit by mud and rockslide as it was about to arrive at the Rongjiang station, Xinhua news agency.

It said that the victim was the driver of the train and injured people comprised one attendant and seven passengers.

They have been receiving treatment at local hospital.

A total of 136 other passengers have been evacuated, the company said.

The investigation of the accident is underway.
Gurugram, June 4 : A 21-year-old woman was allegedly killed by her live-in partner, who suspected her of having an affair, in Rathiwas village of Gurugram on Saturday morning, police said.

The accused after committing the crime informed the police about the brutal killing.

The accused Rahul Gujjar (23), a resident of Bhiwadi in Rajasthan, was apprehended by the police, an official said.

Gujjar allegedly killed his girlfriend Bharti, a resident of Palwal district in Haryana, by slitting her throat, the official said.

Rahul suspected the victim of having an affair, he said. According to the police, the duo had been in a live-in relationship for the last two and a half years, and had shifted to the village two days ago.

The accused has been arrested under section 302 (murder) of the IPC. An FIR has been registered at the Bilaspur police station and further investigation in the matter is underway, the official added.
Agartala :Tripura BJP president Manik Saha on Sunday was sworn in as the 12th new chief minister of the state on Sunday, May 15, 2022.(Photo:Twitter) Image Source: IANS News

Agartala, June 4 : The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday announced candidates for the June 23 bypolls to four Tripura Assembly seats nominating Chief Minister Manik Saha from the Town Bordowali constituency.

BJP Spokesman Nabendu Bhattacharjee said here that the party's Parliamentary Board announced the names of the four candidates in Delhi also fielding state BJP Vice-President Ashok Sinha in the prestigious Agartala seat.

It also nominated two women candidates - Swapna Das Paul and Malina Debnath - for the Surma (SC) and Jubarajnagar Assembly constituencies respectively. In his around three-decade-long political career, Tripura Chief Minister Saha, also currently a Rajya Sabha member and state BJP President, for the first time would contest a direct election in the bypolls as he is not a member of the state Assembly.

Opposition Congress also on Saturday announced two candidates - Sudip Roy Barman in Agartala seat and Ashish Kumar Saha in Town Bordowali constituency respectively. According to party sources, the Congress likely announce its candidate for the Jubarajnagar seat on Sunday and forge alliance with Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance headed by Tripura's royal scion, Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barman in Surma seat, reserved for the Scheduled Caste.

Political pundits say that the by-elections to four Assembly seats will be a multi-cornered contest between the ruling BJP, and the CPI-M-led Left Front, the Congress, and the Trinamool Congress and these bypolls are considered as a semi-final before the next year's general elections to 60-seat Tripura Assembly.

The opposition Congress would also announce the names of the candidates on Saturday or Sunday, though, party sources confirmed that Ashish Kumar Saha would contest from Town Bordowali seat and Sudip Roy Barman would contest from his old seat Agartala constituency.

Both ruling and opposition parties started their hectic campaign immediately after the Election Commission announced the schedule of the politically important by-elections on May 25.

According to the EC's schedule, the last date of filing of nomination is June 6, the scrutiny will be done on the next day and the last date of withdrawal of nomination is June 9.

The votes will be counted on June 26.

The bypolls were necessitated after the resignation of three BJP MLAs, and the death of CPI-M legislator Ramendra Chandra Debnath.

Amid open resentment by a section of BJP legislators against then CM Deb, three MLAs, Roy Barman (Agartala), Ashish Kumar Saha (Town Bordowali), Ashis Das (Surma), quit the BJP and the Assembly.

Roy Barman, also a former BJP minister, and Saha joined the Congress in February this year while Das joined Trinamool Congress last year.

Elected from the Jubarajnagar constituency six times, Debnath was Assembly speaker multiple times.

He passed away on February 2 in Kolkata due to kidney failure.
New Delhi, June 4 : The Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police has arrested two persons for inducing financial institutions and banks by way of availing home loans from them by multi-mortgaging the same property and misappropriating the funds, an official said on Saturday.

The accused, identified as Amarjeet Singh (38) and Om Parkash Singh (39), cheated the financial institutions to the tune of Rs 2 crore.

Furnishing details, Joint Commissioner of Police (Economic Offences Wing) Chhaya Sharma said a case was registered on the complaint of Edelweiss Housing Finance Ltd.

As per the complaint, the complainant company had extended a loan facility of Rs 2,00,50,000 to the accused Om Parkash Singh as borrower. It was alleged that initially the borrower and co-borrower paid the monthly instalment amount as per agreed repayment schedule.

However, later accused persons stopped paying the monthly loan instalments. When company officials visited the mortgaged property for inspection, they found that the said property was under the physical possession of the Punjab National Bank under SARFAESI Act and the said property was found mortgaged with the PNB Housing Bank.

Accordingly, the police registered a case under relevant sections of law and initiated an investigation.

During investigation, it was found that the accused person used to cheat by way of transferring the sale-deed in the name of his relatives and then by obtaining housing loans by multi-mortgaging the said property with different financial institutions/banks.

The police received a tip-off about the accused duo's location and subsequently arrested both of them -- Amarjeet Singh on June 1 and Om Prakash on June 2.
New Delhi, June 4 : The Delhi High Court on Saturday stayed the special court's direction allowing the presence of a lawyer during the interrogation of arrested Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

A single bench of Justice Yogesh Khanna had reserved the order on Friday.

The judge on Saturday held that Jain cannot claim to have the presence of his counsels during the course of recording his statement since there is neither an FIR nor a complaint against him.

The judge was pointing out that Jain could not get the right of an accused due to this.

On May 31, a Special CBI Court Judge Geetanjali Goel sent Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money-laundering case, to the agency's custody till June 9.

However, the CBI court allowed the presence of a lawyer for Jain. "Considering the facts and circumstances, it is directed that during the time of inquiry/interrogation from the accused one advocate of the accused shall be allowed to remain present at a safe distance where from he can see the accused but not hear him," the court said in its order.

Challenging this, the central probe agency submitted that this condition will 'vitiate' the custody granted to them. On Friday, after hearing the submissions, the high court had reserved its verdict in the matter.

During the course of the hearing, Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju appeared for the ED and argued that the condition was contrary to various Supreme Court and other judgements.

Pointing out that Jain is already arrested, the ED's counsel said thus he is not entitled to other rights which are available to accused persons. However, Jain's counsel Senior Advocate A.M. Singhvi opposed ED's arguments, saying the prosecution knew that the law is 100 per cent against them.

The ED had attached the properties of Jain's relatives' worth Rs 4.81 crore in April this year. The ED initiated the money-laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), against Jain and others under Section 109 of IPC -- read with sections 13(2) and 13(1) (e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
New Delhi, June 4 : A minor girl was raped in Sultanpuri area of Delhi, an official said on Saturday. According to the official, the victim girl came to Sultanpuri police station on May 17 following which her statement was recorded and her medical test was conducted.

Based on her complaint, the police registered a case under section 376 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code and section 6 of the POCSO Act at the Sultanpuri police station. Meanwhile, the police have identified the accused as Yash, a civil defence volunteer. However, the accused is absconding after the incident.

"Notice under section 41(A) of the CrPC was sent twice to the accused's father for joining the investigation but the accused did not join," the official said, adding that several raids have been conducted at all possible hideouts of the accused to trace him. A non-bailable warrant has also been issued against the accused.
Bhubaneswar, June 4 : Just a day after completion of the bypoll to Brajarajnagar Assembly seat, Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik has initiated the process for a complete revamp of his cabinet.

According to BJD sources, all the ministers have been asked to step down with immediate effect. Accordingly, the ministers have submitted their papers, the source said.

Similarly, Assembly Speaker S.N. Patro has also resigned from his seat. The Speaker has submitted his resignation to deputy speaker Rajani Kanta Singh. It is speculated that for the first time a woman BJD MLA will be appointed as Speaker. Patro may get a berth in the new cabinet.

For the first time, Naveen is going to make a complete revamp of his cabinet. The new ministers are likely to take oath at Raj Bhawan convention hall on Sunday.

Local political analysts feel that such a move has been taken to ensure that there will be no conflict or indifference among the outgoing ministers. Soon after the reshuffle, some senior leaders, who were dropped from the cabinet, will be given key roles in the organisation aiming at the 2024 elections.

Patnaik started his fifth innings as Odisha Chief Minister on May 29, 2019. The reshuffle was delayed for a few months in view of the panchayat and urban elections, and then the Brajarajnagar bypoll, a BJD leader said. Notably, the ruling party in Odisha has registered landslide victories in both panchayat and urban polls.
New Delhi, June 4 : Hyderabad-based Pharmaceuticals firm Biological E Ltd (BE) on Saturday announced that its Covid-19 vaccine Corbevax has been cleared by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) as a heterologous Covid-19 booster for 18 plus population after their primary vaccination with two doses of Covishield and Covaxin.

With this, Biological E Limited's Corbevax has become the first Covid-19 vaccine in India to be approved by the DCGI as a heterologous Covid-19 booster dose.

The Corbevax booster can be given six months after administration of the second dose of the vaccine. The adults fully vaccinated with Covishield or Covaxin can take Corbevax as their third or booster dose.

"BE has furnished clinical trials data to the DGCI who after a detailed evaluation and deliberation with Subject Experts Committee, granted their approval for administering Corbevax vaccine as a heterologous booster dose", said vaccine manufacturer in a statement.

"We are very happy with this approval, which will address the need for Covid-19 booster doses in India. We have crossed yet another milestone in our Covid-19 vaccination journey. This approval reflects once again the sustained world class safety standards and high immunogenicity of Corbevax," Mahima Datla, Managing Director of Biological E Ltd, said.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, June 4 : Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu called for fully exploring the complementarities and opportunities in economic ties with African nations to bring about quicker and sustainable mutual progress.

"India emerges as a key driver in global governance and global growth, African nations will continue to play a prominent role as India's trusted partners and stakeholders in its prosperity," the Vice President said at India-Senegal Business Event in Dakar.

Naidu is on a four-day visit to the country, which is the first-ever State visit from India to Senegal.

Noting that India and Senegal have had a fruitful 60 years of diplomatic relations, the Vice President observed that both countries have pluralistic traditions, believe in cultural tolerance and that these values form the core of people-to-people relations.

He pointed out that India, as the largest democracy in the world, and Senegal, as one of the most stable and model democracies in Africa, are natural development partners and share a natural affinity with each other.

He called for greater collaboration in fighting terrorism, ensuring freedom of navigation and stated that India stands ready to enhance defence and security partnership with Senegal.

He also called for India and Africa to strive together to make global governance more equitable and work towards an expanded UN Security Council.

The Vice President observed that there is immense scope for Indian companies to invest in Senegal, especially in agriculture, healthcare, ICT, mining, among others.

He mentioned the success of the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technical Development (CETD), set up as a grant project by India in Dakar, which has 1,000 students from Senegal and 19 other African countries.

Stressing the need to strengthen B2B exchanges to tap potential unrealised areas, Naidu appreciated the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for making an effort and mounting a business delegation to Senegal.
Kolkata, June 4 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing the coal and cattle smuggling cases in West Bengal, has requested the UAE government through the Ministry of External Affairs to closely monitor the movements of Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and his wife Rujira Narula during their ongoing trip to Dubai.

Accompanied by his wife, Abhishek Banerjee is currently in Dubai to undergo ophthalmological treatment.

While the ED was unwilling to allow his Dubai trip, later a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court permitted him and his wife to travel to Dubai.

However, before leaving for Dubai, the couple had to submit their travel details to the ED officials as per the court order.

It is learnt that through the Ministry of External Affairs, the ED sleuths have forwarded the travel details of the couple to the UAE government for the convenience of the latter to monitor their movements. The ED has briefed the UAE government about their interrogation in connection with the coal smuggling scam.

Meanwhile, Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar has raised questions over Abhishek Banerjee's Dubai trip for ophthalmological treatment.

According to Majumdar, when a number of hospitals in India provide the best ophthalmological treatment facilities, there was no justification of making a trip to Dubai for the same.

Countering Majumdar's claim, Trinamool Rajya Sabha member Shantanu Sen said that since the former is not a qualified doctor, he does not have the expertise or knowledge to comment on the issue.

In fact, during the hearing in the Calcutta High Court, the ED counsels also questioned the justification of travelling to Dubai for ophthalmological treatment.

However, the court ruled that the place of treatment is anyone's personal choice. The court gave relief to Abhishek Banerjee from June 2 to June 10 from appearing before the ED for questioning.
New Delhi, June 4 : Raising awareness about soil health through the 'Save Soil Movement' and launching a global initiative 'Lifestyle for the Environment (LiFE) Movement' would be among the top engagements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the World Environment Day on Sunday.

In the first half, Modi will address the gathering at the 'Save Soil Movement' programme at Vigyan Bhawan in the national capital.

'Save Soil Movement' is a global movement to increase awareness about deteriorating soil health and bring about a conscious response to improve it. The movement was started by spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev in March 2022.

He had embarked on a 100-day motorcycle journey passing through 27 countries. June 5 marks the 75th day. The Prime Minister's participation in the programme will be reflective of the shared concerns and commitment towards improving the health of soil in India," a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said on Saturday.

Later in the second half, the Prime Minister will launch the global initiative 'LiFE Movement' via video conferencing.

This was a call originally made by Prime Minister Modi at the high-level ministerial segment at the climate change Conference of Parties (COP26) at Glasgow in November 2021 as a mantra to combat rising global warming.

The idea promotes an environment conscious lifestyle that focuses on "mindful and deliberate utilisation" instead of "mindless and destructive consumption".

The launch will initiate 'LiFE Global Call for Papers' inviting ideas and suggestions from academics, universities & research institutions etc to influence and persuade individuals, communities and organisations across the world to adopt an environment conscious lifestyle.

The programme will also witness participation of Bill Gates, co-chairman, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Lord Nicholas Stern, climate economist; Cass Sunstein, author of Nudge Theory; Aniruddha Dasgupta, CEO and president, World Resources Institute; Inger Andersen, UNEP global head; Achim Steiner, UNDP global head and David Malpass, World Bank president, among others, the PMO statement said.
New Delhi, June 4 : The Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry has written to Twitter and YouTube to remove video advertisements of a deodorant brand Layer'r Shot for their alleged obscene content.

"It has come to the notice of the ministry that an inappropriate and derogatory advertisement of a deodorant is circulating on social media. The Ministry has asked Twitter and YouTube to immediately pull down all instances of this advertisement," the ministry tweeted, attaching the email it has sent to the platforms.

Also, the TV channel on which it appeared has already pulled it down on directions of the broadcasting ministry, another tweet said.

The move by the ministry came after the advertising body Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) found the advertisements going against the existing codes.

The ministry found that the ads violate the Rule 3(1)(b)(ii) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, and are detrimental to the portrayal of women in the interest of decency or morality.

The video has been watched around a million times and has been shared in other social media platforms, the ministry said in the email to the platforms.

"The ad is in serious breach of the ASCI Code and is against public interest. We have taken immediate action and notified the advertiser to suspend the ad, pending investigation," the email said.

The ad was brought into the notice of ASCI via Twitter by some viewers on Friday, as per a report.
Islamabad, June 4 : Pakistan has welcomed the ceasefire announced by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), as the federal government for the first time publicly acknowledged it was negotiating a peace deal with the outlawed outfit, the media reported.

The confirmation from the government came a day after the TTP extended the ceasefire for an indefinite period after the Pakistani tribal jirga visited Kabul and held talks with the TTP leadership, Express Tribune reported.

Both sides have been holding talks for the last several weeks but the Pakistani side until now remained tight-lipped.

Questions were asked about whether the current government was on board with talks with the TTP as military officials held a series of meetings with the militant outfit in recent days in the Afghan capital.

Pakistan Federal Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb in a statement said the talks with the TTP were taking place at the government level.

"Talks with the TTP began in 2021 and these negotiations have been taking place at the government level," the minister said in a statement confirming the peace talks with the banned group.

The minister also confirmed that the Afghan Taliban government was acting as a mediator between the two sides. She said civil and military representatives were part of the Pakistani side holding talks with the TTP.

She said the government welcomed the ceasefire announced by the TTP.

The truce was to expire on May 30 but the TTP extended it now for an indefinite period as both sides were trying to reach a peace deal.
New Delhi, June 4 : Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday levelled a fresh allegation of corruption against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, accusing the latter of awarding PPE kits' contracts to his kin during Covid emergency.

Addressing a press conference, Sisodia said Sarma, the then health minister, had given contracts to firms of his wife and son's business partners to supply PPE kits above market rates in 2020.

Referring to a media report, the Deputy CM said that while the Assam government procured PPE kits for Rs 600 a piece from other companies, Sarma gave urgent supply orders to the firms of his wife and son's business partners for Rs 990 a piece taking advantage of the emergency situation.

"While the contract given to the firm of Sarma's wife was cancelled as the company could not supply PPE kits, another supply order was given to the firm belonging to the business partners of his son at a rate of Rs 1,680 per kit," Sisodia said.

Speaking about Satyendar Jain's arrest, Sisodia referred to the ED's statement to court where it said the arrested minister is not an accused in the case, but is being questioned in the case. He said that all of BJP's allegations against AAP leaders are proved untrue as they always make fake claims.

Reacting to the issue, the Assam CM took to Twitter to refute the allegations. "At a time when the entire country was facing the worst pandemic in over 100 years, Assam hardly had any PPE Kits. My wife took the courage of coming forward and donating around 1500 kits free of cost to the govt to save lives. She didn't take a single penny," he said in a tweet.

"While you Mr Manish Sisodia at that point of time showed a completely different side. You refused my multiple calls to help Assamese people stuck in Delhi. I can never forget one instance when I had to wait 7 days just to get an Assamese Covid victim's body from Delhi's mortuary," he tweeted.

"Stop sermonising and I will see you soon in Guwahati as you will face criminal defamation," said Assam CM in another tweet.
New Delhi, June 4 : Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana on Saturday approved to immediately relieve Shankar Choudhary from his duty as Deputy Commissioner of Police for Dwarka district of the national capital, hours after the latter's name surfaced in a late night party ruckus where a woman was injured.

"Sh Shankar Choudhary IPS 2011 is hereby relieved from his duty as DCP/Dwarka, Delhi with immediate effect and directed to report to police headquarters for further orders. This issues with the approval of Commissioner of Police, Delhi," an official order read.

The incident took place in the wee hours and the injured woman was taken to Max Hospital after which her husband made a PCR call alleging that an officer of Delhi Police of the rank of DCP had assaulted his wife at a birthday party in a private club.

However, later the complainant took back the complaint owing to a 'miscommunication' between them.

According to the complainant, she along with her husband went to a family party at a private club named 'Uncultured Club' in south Delhi where DCP Shankar Choudhary also came along with his family.

"After 1-2 hours, the DCP and his wife left the party and around 12.30-1.00 a.m. two boys were passing a glass by throwing it in the air. It is at this time the glass hit me on my forehead," the complainant wrote before she cancelled her complaint.

She said that those two unknown boys claimed that they are DCP Dwarka's friends which infuriated her husband and he made a PCR call.

Meanwhile, Delhi Police PRO and Spokesperson Suman Nalwa said that due to a miscommunication the name of the DCP cropped up in the ensuing commotion.

"The matter has been resolved as it was a family issue," she added.

However, hours after the statement from Delhi Police PRO, DCP Choudhary was relieved from his duty.
Hyderabad, June 4 : The gang rape of a 17-year-old girl by five accused, including the son of a leader of ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), has kicked up a storm with the opposition launching a fierce attack on the government for alleged attempts to shield the culprits.

A day after the BJP staged a protest at Jubilee Hills police station, leaders and workers of Jana Sena also staged a sit-in, leading to their arrests.

The protestors demanded immediate arrest and stringent punishment to all the accused. Raising slogans, they demanded justice for the victim.

Security was tightened around the police station in anticipation of more protests by the opposition parties.

The BJP reiterated its allegation that the TRS government is trying to shield the culprits in the May 28 incident. Its MLA M. Raghunandan Rao disputed the police claim that the crime was committed in Innova vehicle and alleged that the sexual assault happened in Mercedes car belonging to the family of a MIM MLA.

He alleged that the police were trying to derail the investigation by protecting the MIM lawmaker's son and his friends who were inside the Mercedes.

The BJP MLA also showed photographs and videos purported to be that of the MLA's son in a compromising position with the victim in the car.

He said the police may claim that the girl has given her consent for the sexual act but since she is minor giving consent doesn't hold as per the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

The MLA cautioned the police against tampering with the CCTV footage and other evidence and said he would submit all the evidence available to him to the court at an appropriate time.

Police were reportedly trying to find out how the photographs and videos of the accused reached the BJP MLA.

Meanwhile, police have warned that action would be taken against those circulating photographs and videos which may lead to disclosure of the victim's identity.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Joel Davis appealed to media to stop revealing direct or indirect content related to the victim which may lead to the identification of the victim.

The police official had told media on Friday night that the victim's statement and other evidence show that MLA's son was not involved.

The police have so far arrested three accused including two juveniles in the case and were on lookout for two other accused including a juvenile.

A delegation of BJP leaders called on Director General of Police M. Mahender Reddy on Saturday and demanded that the case be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation. They alleged that since children of influential persons were involved in the crime, there was a delay in the investigation.

Ramchandra Rao, who was part of the delegation, said rape culture along with pub culture was growing in Hyderabad. He said BJP wants a safe Hyderabad.

Congress Legislature Party leader Bhatti Vikramarka also alleged that Hyderabad has become a hub of drugs. Slamming the government for treating liquor as a source of revenue, he remarked that Telangana state was not achieved for indiscriminate sale of liquor.

He questioned the delay in investigating gang rape case. The Congress leader alleged that the law and order situation in the state was not under control. He criticised the police for not allowing women leaders of the Congress from meeting Home Minister Mahmood Ali.
New Delhi, June 4 : A fire broke out at a private hospital in east Delhi on Saturday evening but there were no casualties, a fire department official said.

The official said that they received a call about the fire incident at the Jain Hospital, located at Pushpanjali Enclave, Vikas Marg Extension, Patparganj at around 4.45 p.m. after which five fire tenders were immediately pressed into service.

"The fire was in a split air conditioner on the second floor of the hospital building," Delhi Fire Service chief Atul Garg said, adding that all the patients were safely evacuated.

On May 27, the city witnessed back-to-back fire incidents at two different hospitals but fortunately no injuries or casualties were reported.
Kolkata, June 4 : The Public Police has been incorporated as a registered trust (NGO) in Delhi with the blessings of its Chairman, Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, former Chief Justice of India and ex-Chairman of National Human Rights Commission, and with guidance from former high court judges, former senior IAS officers, ex-law secretaries and other distinguished members from different walks of life.

The aim of the NGO is to establish itself as a trustworthy and reliable interconnection link between the society and the law enforcement agencies to ensure greater confidence mutually, to create public awareness and build a stronger relationship with the community.

Justice K.G. Balakrishnan said that he is pleased to launch the West Bengal chapter of Public Police NGO under the dynamic leadership of Dr H.P. Kanoria.

He extended his good wishes for doing great humanitarian work in West Bengal, particularly for women empowerment and upliftment of underprivileged people of West Bengal. Due to unavoidable circumstances, he could not personally be present on this occasion.

Dr Kanoria, President of the West Bengal chapter, said that let us work together for serving the people and for harmony and peace.

"We need to generate awareness and familiarise several laws, rules and regulations. We intend to organise conferences, camps, events and meet people at large. We are confident that people will live in happiness and harmony," he said.

Several distinguished personalities are joining in the advisory committee of the Public Police NGO's West Bengal Chapter. Some of the names are as follows: Mr Malay Kr De, IAS (Retd), former Chief Secretary of West Bengal; Mr C.S. Samal, IAS (Retd); Mr Sitaram Sharma, Chairman, West Bengal Federation of United Nations and Honorary Consul of Belarus; Mr J.K. Saraff, noted industrialist and Honorary Consul of Chile; Dr Ratiranjan Mandal, former member of Planning Commission of India, and several others whose experience will enrich the functioning of the chapter.

Dr Rahul Varma, Secretary General of the state chapter of Public Police NGO, emphasised on the need for this NGO which to become a trustworthy and reliable intercommunication link between the society and the law enforcing agencies, which is the need of the hour.
Surat, June 4 : Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal will take part in the 'Grand Tiranga Yatra' being organised by the Gujarat chapter of AAP in Mehsana on June 6, the party's state unit chief Gopal Italia said on Saturday.

"People of Gujarat are tired of voting for the BJP and the Congress, but they had to do so as there was no strong alternative or trustworthy leader. This time, however, the Aam Aadmi Party is extending its presence across Gujarat in full force," Italia said.

The 182-member Gujarat Assembly will go to the polls at the end of this year.

Italia said, "For the past 20 days, the Aam Aadmi Party has been conducting the 'Parivartan Yatra' across Gujarat. The Parivartan Yatra, which began on May 15, will end on June 5. Arvind Kejriwal is visiting Gujarat to spread the concept of 'Parivartan'." Informing the people about Kejriwal's schedule, Italia said, "Arvind Kejriwal will arrive at the Ahmedabad Airport on June 6 at 3 pm. From there he will go straight to the Mehsana Circuit House. After a short stop at the Circuit House, he will set out to take part in the Grand Tiranga Yatra organised by the Gujarat chapter of AAP at 5:30 pm.

"He will lead the Yatra from the Mahatma Gandhi Municipal Shopping Centre, and will address the public during the procession. After the completion of the Yatra, he will leave for the Ahmedabad Airport after a brief halt at the Mehsana Circuit House." The Gujarat AAP leader added, "The BJP is terrified of AAP's growing popularity in the state. As a result, they are turning to vandalism, taking down our posters, banners and flags, denying permission for rallies, and filing bogus FIRs against our workers in order to intimidate them.

"We are honest AAP warriors, thus we are not afraid of the BJP's low-class acts. We will not back down. The people of Gujarat have extended a great deal of support to AAP, thus a change is a certain conclusion. Gujarat's citizens have resolved to effect change in areas such as education, health, power, water, agriculture, employment and governance."
San Francisco, June 4 : Jeff Bezos' space venture Blue Origin successfully launched its fifth tourist flight to space on Saturday.

Six people were carried to space above the Karman line -- an internationally recognised boundary of space that lies 62 miles (100 km) above the Earth's surface - in a typical 11-minute flight.

The flight lifted off 9.25 a.m. EDT from Launch Site One, the company's facility in west Texas.

New Shepard consists of a rocket and a capsule, both of which are reusable. The booster comes down shortly before the capsule does, making powered vertical landings, as the first stages of SpaceX Falcon 9 orbital rockets do.

The flight was the 21st overall for Blue Origin and New Shepard. It was the second crewed flight for the company this year, following NS-20, which launched and landed on March 31.

Earlier, it was scheduled to fly on May 20, but cancelled as it faced some issues with the vehicle, which the company did not disclose.

The crew includes investor and NS-19 Astronaut Evan Dick, electrical engineer and former NASA test lead Katya Echazarreta, business jet pilot and Action Aviation Chairman Hamish Harding, civil production engineer Victor Correa Hespanha, adventurer and Dream Variation Ventures co-founder Jaison Robinson, and explorer and co-founder of private equity firm Insight Equity Victor Vescovo, Commander, USN (retd).

Echazarreta became the first Mexican-born woman and youngest American woman to fly to space, while Hespanha was the second Brazilian to fly to space.

The company conducted its fourth human flight to the edge of space with six people in March.
New Delhi, June 4 : The Narcotics section of the Crime Branch of Delhi Police has busted two drug trafficking networks that were operating in the city and arrested three persons, including one African national, an official said on Saturday.

The accused persons were identified as Ankush (22), Sanjay and Anthony (Nigerian national).

In the first operation, a tip-off was received at the Narcotics section on May 25 regarding drug peddling by Ankush. Acting on the information, a trap was laid near main Keshav Nagar, Delhi and suspect Ankush was apprehended. From his possession, 505 gm of fine quality of heroin was recovered.

In the second operation, a trap was laid near the power house, Dabri Mahavir enclave, Delhi on May 27 and the Nigerian National Anthony and Sanjay were apprehended. From their possession, 3 kg heroine was recovered.

"Anthony was the mastermind of this syndicate. He used to procure the contraband from his associates who also hail from African countries," DCP KPS Malhotra said.

Further efforts are being made to trace and arrest the source of supply, he added.
Dhaka, June 4 : A Guinness World record-holding cyclist was stabbed to death for protesting harassment of a female friend in Bangladesh's Bogura, police said on Saturday.

"We have identified the main accused and are making efforts to arrest him," Sazzadul Selim Reza, the officer in charge of of the Bogura Sadar police station said, adding that the accused Ariful Islam Arif has two murder cases against him at the police station.

The deceased, Md Al Jamiul Boni, 22, achieved a Guinness world record for an official attempt for most users to complete a remote 10km in 24 hours on September 29, 2021. According to Guinness, the attempt was held for virtual runners (total 25,523) in Germany for other participants from different countries, and Boni was part of it.

A fifth semester student of Bogura Polytechnic Institute, Boni died at the Bogura Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital after getting stabbed by local goons on Friday for protesting the harassment, police told IANS.

Quoting witnesses, Bonani police outpost Sub-Inspector Sazzadul said: "Boni went to a fair organized in front of the Mohammad Ali Hospital of the town where local youths were teasing his female friend. At the time, an altercation occurred between them." Two hours later, Boni went to a restaurant near the fair where Arif, along with two-three others, attacked him and stabbed him.

Locals rescued Boni and took to a hospital where he died while undergoing treatment. His body was handed over to his family this afternoon after an autopsy.

His father Anisur filed a case against two youths, Arif, 28, and Sohan, 26, and another three to four unidentified accused, said Selim Reza.
Guwahati/Kolkata, June 4 : The Assam government on Saturday strongly denied the allegations of irregularity in supply of PPE kits and sanitisers and that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's family was involved in the reported malpractice.

The opposition Congress, Trinamool Congress, Raijor Dal and Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) and other political parties have been demanding a Supreme Court monitored probe or by the central agencies in the matter.

Assam's Information and Public Relations Minister Pijush Hazarika, who is also the state government's spokesman, said there was no irregularity in the supply of PPE kits and no member of Sarma's family was involved.

Claiming that the allegations are "bogus, malicious and imaginary", Hazarika, who was the minister of state of Health and Family welfare in 2020, said that the false campaign is a handiwork of a certain section with vested interests.

"If they have evidence they can go to the appropriate court instead of making false and unsubstantiated allegations," the Minister said.

The political controversy erupted after a New Delhi based online media and a Guwahati based media outlet claimed that the Assam government in 2020 placed four Covid-19 related emergency medical supply orders, without following proper procedures. Hazarika said that considering the emergency situation, orders for supply of PPE kits were placed with 35 firms and for supply of sanitisers orders were placed to nine firms.

A supply order of only Rs 85 lakh was given to the firm referred to by the media portals, the Minister said.

Sarma, now Chief Minister, was the Health and Family Welfare Minister in the previous Assam government headed by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who is now the Union Minister.

Chief Minister's wife Riniki Bhuyan Sharma in a statement said that a news website has come out with an unfounded accusation with regard to my supply of PPE kits to the National Health Mission. "In the first week of the pandemic, not a single PPE kit was available in Assam. Taking cognisance of the same, I reached out to a business acquaintance, and delivered around 1,500 PPE kits to the NHM with a lot of effort. Later, I wrote to the NHM to treat the same as a part of my CSR. A due acknowledgment is enclosed. I did not take a single penny out of this supply. I have always been transparent about my belief in giving back to the society, irrespective of my husband's political standing. My organisation has also supported the NHM in the fight against Covid by donating to the Aarogya Nidhi," Bhuyan Sharma said.

In Kolkata, Trinamool Congress' Rajya Sabha Member Sukhendu Sekhar Ray quoting the media reports, said that PPE kits were purchased at the rate of Rs 2,200 per piece. "However, the actual market prices of the same that time in the open market were Rs 600-700. The time referred to here is March-April of 2020 when these PPE kits were procured. A total of 10,000 PPE kits were procured from Agile Associates at the rate of Rs 2,200 per piece. Two companies named Agile Associates and Meditime Healthcare were involved and included the participation of the wife and son of the then Health Minister of Assam," Ray said.

Demanding a Supreme Court monitored probe in the alleged scam, Meditime Healthcare bagged orders worth Rs 4.20 crore for the supply of PPE kits.

On the other hand, Agile Associates received orders worth Rs 2,20,50,000 for the same. These facts surfaced in the RTI replies and documents submitted on the purchases by the concerned department published in the media, said Ray, also a senior lawyer.

Congress leaders in Guwahati announced that they would continue the agitations till the probe was ordered to unearth the "irregularities".

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday accused Assam Chief Minister of "awarding PPE kits' contracts to his kin during Covid emergency".

In reply, Assam Chief Minister Sarma in a statement said: "Manish Bhai, most surprising that you once claimed to be an 'anti corruption' activist. At that point of Covid wave, we in Assam did not have any single PPE kit. After hectic efforts, my wife managed to bring in a few kits to save precious lives. Although the NHM issued an order, the company raised no bill and the kits were gifted to the Govt." Saying that not a single penny was transacted, the Chief Minister asked Sisodia where is the corruption? "Due to acute shortage then, every government including yours waived the tender process for PPE kits and went for direct purchase. Don't cherry-pick from half the documents. Have the courage to put all the facts. Don't show half of a document trail, have courage to put all the facts?" Sarma stated.
New Delhi, June 4 : Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) on Saturday asked the central government to uphold the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 to protect Gyanvapi and other mosques in the country.

Addressing a press briefing at its headquarters here, JIH Vice-President Prof Mohammed Salim Engineer voiced concern over the recent developments related to the targeting of Muslim places of worship in the country. He said that the courts should not have entertained petitions pertaining to demands for survey of Gyanvapi and other mosques when the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 prohibits altering the character of religious places.

He asked the central government to uphold the 1991 law in the interest of justice and peace.

JIH vice-president said that on the occasion of Ram Navami, various processions were deliberately carried out in communally sensitive areas and attempts were made to hoist saffron flags on the minarets of mosques.

"All this was done with the police and local administration looking the other way", he added.

Strongly condemning the targeted killing of minorities and outsiders in Jammu and Kashmir, the JIH vice-president demanded a thorough investigation to bring the real culprits and conspirators to book.

JIH secretary for Community Affairs and Public Relations Mohammad Ahmed appealed to the Union Home Ministry to urgently come out with a statement and uphold the Places of Worship Act 1991 which states that a mosque, temple, church, or any place of public worship in existence on August 15, 1947, will retain the same religious character that it had on that day - irrespective of its history - and cannot be changed by the courts or the government.
New Delhi, June 4 : The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) at Pune has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Adani Group for collaboration in the field of atmospheric modeling and renewable energy.

IITM is an important research agency under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).

"An MoU was signed between IITM and Adani Group (for) collaboration in the field of atmospheric modeling and renewable energy that will work in setting up of weather research and forecasting mesoscale model and to improve the accuracy of wind, solar and rain forecasting model provided by IITM," said a scientist from the IITM.

Adani Power Limited (APL), a part of the diversified Adani Group, is the largest private thermal power producer in India. It has a power generation capacity of 12,450 MW comprising thermal power plants in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, and a 40 MW solar power project in Gujarat, according to its website.

The MoU was signed on Friday between R. Krishnan, Director at the IITM, and Kiran Kumar, Head (Technology) at Adani Green. The MoU will be effective for the next three years.

Asked what kind of weather research the MoU envisages, a senior official from the MoES said, "It is about providing tailor-made forecasts for them (Adani Group) by doing required R&D." However, this is not the first time that IITM has signed an MoU with a private entity.

"Earlier, IITM had an MoU with TATA Power when I was the director at the Institute. The National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) too has MOUs with private agencies. We have been supporting private industries, but rather very silently," Madhavan Rajeevan, former Secretary in the Ministry of Earth Sciences, told IANS.

In fact, just on Thursday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), another agency under the MoES, had renewed its MoU with the Power System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO), the national grid operator, wherein weather information provided by the IMD will be used across India for better management of Indian power systems.
Srinagar, June 4 : A Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist commander, active since 2018, was killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Saturday, police said.

Security forces have neutralised a commander of proscribed terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen in an anti-terrorist operation at Rishipora area in Anantnag, a police official said, adding that arms/ammunition, including an AK-47 rifle, have been seized from the spot.

According to police, at about 7.15 p.m. on Friday, on a specific input regarding the presence of a terrorist in Rishipora area of Anantnag, police, army (19RR) and the CRPF launched a joint cordon and search operation in the said area.

"As the joint team was establishing the cordon around the suspected area, the hiding terrorist started indiscriminate firing upon the search party which was retaliated effectively leading to an encounter. In the initial exchange of fire, three army personnel and a civilian got injured. All the injured were immediately airlifted to 92 Base Hospital Srinagar for treatment and are stated to be stable." Police said in the ensuing encounter, the hiding terrorist was killed and his body was retrieved from the site of encounter. He has been identified as Nisar Khanday of the proscribed HM and active since 2018.

"As per police records, the killed terrorist is a categorised terrorist and was part of the groups involved in several terror cases including attacks on police/security Forces and civilian atrocities. It is pertinent to mention that the killed terrorist was earlier arrested in 2000 along with arms/ammunition and detained under PSA. Before joining terrorist ranks in 2018, the killed terrorist was working as the terrorist associate of proscribed terror outfit HM. He has been involved in several killings of civilians and security forces besides being a mastermind in fresh recruitment of youth into terror ranks." Meanwhile, IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar congratulated the joint teams for carrying out the operation in professional manner and neutralising the wanted terrorist commander. He also appreciated the valour and dedication of injured personnel and prayed for their speedy recovery.
New Delhi, June 4 : In a joint operation with Jharkhand police, the Special Cell of the Delhi Police has arrested four persons allegedly involved in a case of sensational broad daylight murder in Ranchi, from the Ghazipur area of national capital, the police said on Saturday.

The accused persons have been identified as Rahul Kujur, Dablu Kujur, Kawish Adman and Munawer Agaque.

They had allegedly killed a man -- Bharat, by opening fire indiscriminately on his car on May 30 in Ranchi.

DCP of Special Cell, Jasmeet Singh said that Inspector Shiv Kumar, Karambir Singh and ACP Attar Singh had got a tip-off about the accused. The information was shared with the SIT of Jharkhand Police which was already looking into the matter.

"The input in this regard was shared with with both the police teams. The Jharkhand police team arrived in Delhi on June 3. On a tip-off received later on, a joint team of Special Cell and SIT Jharkhand Police was constituted and multiple raids were conducted at the hideouts of suspects at various locations in Delhi and all the four accused persons were finally arrested during the night from Ghazipur," said the police officer.

He said that the accused disclosed that following a conspiracy, they killed one Bharat in Ranchi when he was sitting in his car along with his bodyguard. He had sustained 5 gunshot injuries and later, succumbed to the injuries.

Bharat had fired upon one Rahul, and to avenge this, the accused had planned to eliminate him. Accused persons have disclosed that they, in order to evade their arrest had gone to Kolkata immediately after committing the murder and thereafter, came to Delhi on June 3.

The arrested persons have been found previously arrested in many criminal cases including of extortion, murder, attempt to murder, threat, conspiracy, assault, hurt, intimidation, arms act etc., in Jharkhand.

All the four were handed over to the Jharkhand Police.
Guwahati/Kolkata, June 4 : The Assam government on Saturday strongly denied the allegations of irregularity in supply of PPE kits and sanitisers and that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's family was involved in the reported malpractice.

Earlier on Saturday, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had levelled a fresh allegation of corruption against Sarma, accusing the latter of awarding PPE kit contracts to his kin during the Covid emergency.

Referring to a media report, Sisodia said that while the Assam government procured PPE kits for Rs 600 a piece from other companies, Sarma gave urgent supply orders to the firms of his wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma and son's business partners for Rs 990 a piece, taking advantage of the emergency situation.

Sarma later hit back at Sisodia, threatening to file a criminal defamation suit against him.

"Stop sermonising and I will see you soon in Guwahati as you will face criminal defamation," Sarma tweeted.

In another tweet, Sarma said: "At a time when the entire country was facing the worst pandemic in over 100 years, Assam hardly had any PPE kits. My wife took the courage of coming forward and donating around 1,500 free of cost to the govt to save lives. She didn't take a single penny." The opposition Congress, Trinamool Congress, Raijor Dal and Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) and other political parties have been demanding a Supreme Court monitored probe or by the central agencies into the matter.

Assam's Information and Public Relations Minister Pijush Hazarika, who is also the state government's spokesman, said there was no irregularity in the supply of PPE kits and no member of Sarma's family was involved.

Claiming that the allegations are "bogus, malicious and imaginary", Hazarika, who was the minister of state of Health and Family welfare in 2020, said that the false campaign is a handiwork of a certain section with vested interests.

"If they have evidence they can go to the appropriate court instead of making false and unsubstantiated allegations," the Minister said.

The political controversy erupted after a New Delhi-based online media outlet along with a Guwahati-based media outlet claimed that the Assam government in 2020 placed four Covid-19 related emergency medical supply orders without following the proper procedures.

Hazarika said that considering the emergency situation, orders for supply of PPE kits were placed with 35 firms and for supply of sanitisers, orders were placed to nine firms.

A supply order of only Rs 85 lakh was given to the firm referred to by the media portals, the minister said.

Sarma, now the Chief Minister, was the Health and Family Welfare Minister in the previous Assam government headed by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who is now a Union minister.

The Chief Minister's wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, said in a statement that a news website has come out with an unfounded accusation with regard to her supply of PPE kits to the National Health Mission.

"In the first week of the pandemic, not a single PPE kit was available in Assam. Taking cognisance of the same, I reached out to a business acquaintance, and delivered around 1,500 PPE kits to the NHM with a lot of effort.

"Later, I wrote to the NHM to treat the same as a part of my CSR. A due acknowledgment is enclosed. I did not take a single penny out of this supply. I have always been transparent about my belief in giving back to the society, irrespective of my husband's political standing. My organisation has also supported the NHM in the fight against Covid by donating to the Aarogya Nidhi," she said.

In Kolkata, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, quoting media reports, said that PPE kits were purchased at the rate of Rs 2,200 per piece.

"However, the actual price of the same at that time in the open market was Rs 600-700. The time referred to here is March-April of 2020 when these PPE kits were procured.

"A total of 10,000 PPE kits were procured from Agile Associates at the rate of Rs 2,200 per piece. Two companies named Agile Associates and Meditime Healthcare were involved, and it included the participation of the wife and son of then Health Minister of Assam," Ray said.

Meditime Healthcare bagged orders worth Rs 4.20 crore for the supply of PPE kits, he said.

On the other hand, Agile Associates received orders worth Rs 2,20,50,000 for the same. These facts surfaced in the RTI replies and documents submitted on the purchases by the concerned departments which were published in the media, said Ray, who's also a senior lawyer.

Congress leaders in Guwahati announced that they would continue their agitation till a probe is ordered to unearth the "irregularities".
Guwahati, June 4 : Junmoni Rabha -- a woman Assam Police Sub Inspector, who had come to the limelight after she had arrested her fiance in a case of fraud, was arrested on Saturday.

The police in Majuli have arrested Rabha in connection with a case against her fiance on various charges, including criminal conspiracy and cheating. She was presented at the court following which the magistrate sent her to a 14-day judicial custody.

Two contractors -- Ram Abatra Sharma and Ajit Bora, had filed two separate FIRs against Rabha's fiance Rana Pogag, alleging huge financial transactions between them.

The complainants claimed that Junmoni had introduced Pogag to them and it was because of her perusal, that they had given the money to Pogag for getting contract works from the ONGC. At that time, she was posted in Majuli.

The police questioned Junmoni Rabha for the last two days and finally arrested her. Even as her name appeared in the FIRs, she was not an accused.

Following the case, Rabha was transferred from Nagaon to Kaliabor.

Her fiance Pogag, who is currently in judicial custody, was arrested under sections 120B, 170, 406, 419, 420, 468, 471, and 472 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
New Delhi, June 4 : Delhi Police has arrested a person from Punjab who used to dupe people by collecting money from them on the pretext of installing a mobile tower at their premises, an official said on Saturday.

In an unconventional modus operandi, the accused used to get the entire amount of money -- after cheating the people, transferred to the bank account of a beggar.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (east district) Priyanka Kashyap said one person had reported at Cyber Police Station, East District that he read an advertisement in a newspaper regarding the Galaxy Tower Enterprises in which they claimed to deal with the installation of mobile towers.

When the complainant contacted, the accused lured him by telling the benefits of having a tower at his place and subsequently the complainant agreed to their terms and transferred a sum of Rs 62,450 in four transactions as a processing fee to install the tower.

When the fraudster demanded more money, the complainant realised that he had been cheated and lodged a complaint at Cyber police station.

During the probe, the police with the help of technical evidence, found that the bank account as well as the mobile number belonged to one Kuldeep Kumar, a resident of Sangrur, Punjab.

When the police team reached Sangrur, they found out that Kuldeep was a beggar and was not aware about the incident. He told the police about the prime accused Binder Kumar who had opened his bank account.

The police then conducted another raid and Binder was apprehended. The accused disclosed that he had single-handedly committed this fraud since March 2022.

A notebook was also recovered from his possession wherein several entries were found of the callers and the money received from them. A total of Rs 1,90,000 have been credited in the bank account during this period.
Kiev, June 5 : Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, speaking at a panel of the GLOBSEC-2022 International Security Forum in Bratislava, has said that the HIMARS and M270 multiple rocket launchers would help deter Russian troops.

Reznikov added that Ukrainian gunners had already started their training for HIMARS and M270 in Europe, Ukrinform news agency reported, citing the Ministry of Defence.

The Minister welcomed the decision made by the US administration to provide Ukraine with HIMARS MLR systems, noting that the British Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, announced the supply of M270 systems.

"Recall the words of American astronaut Neil Armstrong, who landed on the moon, that 'this is a small step for man, but a giant leap for all mankind.' So, the decision of the White House on HIMARS and London - on M270 is the first step for Ukraine and a huge leap in the issue of repulsing Russian aggression," said the Minister of Defence.

The minister also praised the implementation of the idea of the US and UK defence chiefs on holding a conference on assistance to Ukraine, which took place in London, and later transformed into the Ramstein format.

"The next meeting is expected in June. Such a coordination system will help us ensure continued supplies in the future. For example, new aircraft, missile systems, or cybernetic systems. The demining program in Ukraine is urgent because we have a lot of unexploded ordnance in our land," Reznikov added.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
"CRIMSON Espresso Blend is citrus and spice forward with a chocolate and vanilla finish. The resulting cup is approachable, but also nuanced, satisfying both coffee experts and those who are new to specialty coffee." - Sustainability Director Brandon Bir

New CRIMSON Espresso Blend from Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea combines two rare and exceptional coffees to produce a nuanced cup with tasting notes of lime, cocoa nibs and vanilla pudding.

The blend marries cherry dried Natural Gesha coffee grown by Hector Portocarerro in Oxapampa, Peru, with fully washed Kinini AA Bourbon craft coffee grown by members of the Kinini AA Cooperative in the Rulindo District of Rwanda.

Crimson Cup created the limited-edition blend to share with coffee professionals at SCA Expo 2022 in Boston.

The goal was to cut through four to eight ounces of milk, preserving a heavy coffee presence without roasting the coffee to a darker, more carbonic profile, said Sustainability Director Brandon Bir. We achieved this goal by blending one super spicy and acidic coffee with another coffee that has more available sugars and developed notes.

This balance yielded substantial soluble materials, creating an espresso that is citrus and spice forward with a chocolate and vanilla finish, he added. The resulting cup is approachable, but also nuanced, satisfying both coffee experts and those who are new to specialty coffee.

Crimson Cup sourced both of the coffees in CRIMSON Espresso Blend as part of its Focus on Good. The roaster creates positive change through its products and relationships around the world, inspiring coffee lovers to help make a meaningful impact with every cup.

Crimson Cups Natural Gesha craft coffee was a finalist in the 2021 Good Food Awards, winning a place among the countrys top craft coffees.

Bir discovered the coffee during one of his frequent trips to develop relationships with Peruvian coffee farmers.

He met grower Hector Portocarrero through the NARSA (NEGOCIACIONES AGROINDUSTRIAL AREVALO S. A.) co-op. Portocarrero grows his Gesha coffee at 1,750 meters above sea level in the Oxapampa region of Peru.

We are thankful that Hector shares his exceptional Gesha with us, Bir said. Our friends at NARSA dried this special coffee on their roof-top drying facility, which assisted in even-drying and clarity in flavor and sweetness.

Crimson Cup has been working with NARSA since 2014 as a part of its unique Friend2Farmer initiatives, which make economic, environmental and social impacts in coffee farming communities.

NARSA Founder Don Julio Abel Arevalo Tello and his team focus on helping small coffee and cacao farmers in Perus Central Highlands and Amazon regions gain market access throughout Peru and beyond.

Don Julios team pushes cup quality and crop health to develop a more sustainable industry, Bir said. This aligns perfectly with Crimson Cups commitment to quality and sustainability.

The story of the Kinini Cooperatives began over a decade ago when partners Jacquie Turner and Malcolm Clear embarked on a mission to help the children of the Rwandan genocide. Their first project was a school in Eastern Rwanda.

As they got to know that community, they realized the children needed much more than just education. So, they lobbied the local government and international donors to support construction of a local pharmacy, micro-finance credit institution, and other services.

Later, they turned their hands to creating economic sustainability through coffee, which saw a meteoric rise after Paul Kagame became the sixth president of Rwanda in 2000. Their work led to the formation of the Kinini Cooperatives.

Kinini means, literally, this big thing right here, Bir said. Its a collaboration of cooperatives that pool their efforts to improve their coffee lots. About 85 percent of the members are women.

Headquartered in Kinini town, the Kinini cooperatives and their washing station collect from the neighboring villages of Tumba and Mageragere.

The cooperatives produce a fully washed Bourbon coffee grown at 1,800 to 2,200 meters above sea level. Their first crop scored 87 points.

I was fortunate enough to meet Jacquie Turner at the SCA Expo in Boston and sourced the coffee based on this new relationship, Bir said.

We found the lot from Tumba Village to be something worth sharing in our Kinini AA Bourbon craft coffee, he added. Were proud to pair it with our superb Natural Gesha to create CRIMSON Espresso Blend.

CRIMSON Espresso Blend craft coffee is available on the Crimson Cup website, at the companys CRIMSON flagship store, and at Crimson Cup Coffee Houses in Columbus, Tallmadge and West Chester, Ohio. Order for pickup through the Crimson Cup App.

To pull a shot of CRIMSON espresso, Bir recommends using 19 grams of espresso-ground coffee to 36 grams of filtered water.

About Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea

Founded in 1991, Crimson Cup is at the forefront of the coffee industry. Its attentive roasting, startup support and global partnerships are consciously designed for the greater good of communities around the world. Among other national recognitions, the company has earned 2020 and 2017 Good Food Awards, the 2019 Golden Bean Champion for Small Franchise/Chain Roaster and Roast magazines 2016 Macro Roaster of the Year.

Crimson Cup travels the world searching for the perfect cup  driven by meaningful relationships, honesty and a shared vision for the future. Its Friend2Farmer initiatives foster respect and decency through mutually beneficial collaboration across local and global communities.

Through its 7 Steps to Success coffee shop startup program, the company teaches entrepreneurs how to open and run independent coffee houses in their local communities. By developing a coffee shop business plan, entrepreneurs gain insight into how much it costs to open a coffee shop.

Crimson Cup coffee is available through over 350 independent coffee houses, grocers, college and universities, restaurants and food service operations across 30 states, Guam and Bangladesh. The company also owns several Crimson Cup Coffee Shops and a new CRIMSON retail flagship store. To learn more, visit crimsoncup.com, or follow the company on Facebook and Instagram.
Kara Kelly, MD, led research showing that brentuximab vedotin with standard chemotherapy is safe and effective as treatment for high-risk pediatric/adolescent Hodgkin lymphoma. This study was the first to he first to establish that brentuximab vedotin in combination with chemotherapy is safe and effective in children and adolescents with high-risk Hodgkin lymphoma. The benefits we observed are pronounced enough to support a change in clinical practice.

New research led by Kara Kelly, MD, of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and presented today at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2022 Annual Meeting in Chicago shows that a combination of brentuximab vedotin (Bv) and standard chemotherapy is safe and more effective than standard chemotherapy in pediatric patients up to age 21 years with newly diagnosed high-risk Hodgkin lymphoma. The findings from a phase 3 National Cancer Institute-supported multicenter Childrens Oncology Group clinical trial (NCT 02166463) are being presented by first author Sharon Castellino, MD, of Emory University and Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta in an oral abstract session today at 2:12 p.m. CDT.

Bv is an antibody-drug conjugate designed to selectively kill tumor cells expressing the CD30 antigen, a marker of Hodgkin lymphoma, while generally sparing healthy cells. The FDA has approved the use of Bv for the treatment of adults with advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma.

Were sincerely excited about the results from this phase 3 clinical trial conducted at Roswell Park and 150 other treatment centers, which was the first to establish that brentuximab vedotin in combination with chemotherapy is safe and effective in children and adolescents with high-risk Hodgkin lymphoma, says Dr. Kelly, Chair of the Roswell Park Oishei Childrens Cancer and Blood Disorders Program and the Waldemar J. Kaminski Endowed Chair of Pediatrics at Roswell Park, and the studys senior author. The benefits we observed are pronounced enough to support a change in clinical practice.

In the four-year study, 587 eligible children and adolescents aged 2 to 21 years with newly diagnosed, previously untreated, high-risk Hodgkin lymphoma were randomized to receive five cycles of either Bv combined with doxorubicin, vincristine, etoposide, prednisone and cyclophosphamide chemotherapy (Bv-AVE-PC) or standard pediatric dose-intensive regimen of bleomycin-containing chemotherapy consisting of doxorubicin, bleomycin, vincristine, etoposide, cyclophosphamide and prednisone (ABVE-PC).

The dose-intensive Bv-AVE-PC regimen was superior to standard chemotherapy, with a three-year event-free survival rate of 92% compared to 82%  which amounts to an overall risk reduction of 59%  with no increase in toxicity and fewer patients receiving radiation compared to prior pediatric trials for high-risk disease. Rates of disease relapse were lower in patients who received Bv-AVE-PC (7%) than in those who received standard chemotherapy (17%). Researchers found no difference in serious adverse events or rates of myelosuppression or neuropathy between groups.

The researchers concluded that Bv in combination with AVE-PC chemotherapy has superior efficacy to the standard ABVE-PC regimen in pediatric patients up to age 21 years with high-risk Hodgkin lymphoma and could be used as a frontline treatment in this patient population.

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Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is a community united by the drive to eliminate cancers grip on humanity by unlocking its secrets through personalized approaches and unleashing the healing power of hope. Founded by Dr. Roswell Park in 1898, it is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. Learn more at http://www.roswellpark.org, or contact us at 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or ASKRoswell@RoswellPark.org.
Library groups this week joined with booksellers, publishers, and public advocacy groups in sounding the alarm over a lawsuit in Virginia in which two popular authors and their publishers have been ordered to defend their works against obscenity charges.

The legal action was filed last month by Virginia Beach lawyer and delegate in the Virginia Assembly Tim Anderson (on behalf of local plaintiff and congressional candidate Tommy Altman), citing an obscure state obscenity law. It alleges that two books for sale in a Virginia Beach Barnes & NobleMaia Kobabes popular graphic memoir Gender Queer (Oni Press) and A Court of Mist and Fury (Bloomsbury) by bestselling author Sarah J. Maasare obscene for unrestricted viewing by minors.

Most adults feel uncomfortable having these words read aloud, Altman told the Virginian Pilot last week, repeating an oft-cited theme amid the current nationwide wave of book bans. This is not about book banning," he told the Pilot, Its about restoring parental rights.

According to the Virginia Mercury, the little-utilized state law allows any citizen to ask a court to weigh in on books alleged to be obscene. And in a development that has shocked observers, a local judge on May 18 found there was probable cause the books could be deemed obscene and ordered the authors and publishers to defend the books later this month.

According to the Mercury, the judge who issued the order, Pamela Baskervill, is a retired Petersburg-area judge, who is handling the case because all other judges in Virginia Beach recused themselves.

The courts order raises the possibility that the court could issue a restraining order barring the books from public display and restraining booksellers and libraries from selling or loaning the books to minors without parental consent. In a Facebook post, Anderson hailed the judges order as a major legal victory and laid out the playbook for those seeking to restrict access to materials they find objectionable: Suits like this can be filed all over Virginia, Anderson wrote. There are dozens of books. Hundreds of schools.

In a statement issued this week, freedom to read advocates say the intent of the obscenity action is clear: to prevent readers from making a personal choice to read these books, and as a means to criminally prosecute librarians, booksellers, and publishers for making materials they disapprove of available to the public.

If persons like the petitioners obtain similar orders every time they have objections to a book, it will chill the freedom to read and stifle the voices of authors and publishers, the statement reads. The undersigned organizations strongly urge Virginiansand all Americansto stand against any attempt to use government action to dictate what we can read and how to think about what we read. Prohibiting the sale and distribution of books is an affront to our democratic values and threatens each person's and each family's individual liberties. It is contrary to our principles of democracy to allow anyone, regardless of their beliefs or political position, to determine what other Americans can read.

 If persons like the petitioners obtain similar orders every time they have objections to a book, it will chill the freedom to read and stifle the voices of authors and publishers. 

The statement is signed by the ACLU, the ACLU of Virginia, the American Booksellers for Free Expression, the American Library Association, the Association of American Publishers, the Authors Guild, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, the Freedom to Read Foundation, the National Coalition Against Censorship, the National Council of Teachers of English, PEN America, the Virginia Association of School Librarians, and the Virginia Library Association.

The statement also notes that a book has not been declared obscene by a court in more than 50 yearsand suggests that finding the books in question are in fact obscene would be an extraordinary outcome.

The Supreme Court has established a narrow test for obscenity that requires that the text as a whole, even if it references sex or nudity, lack serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value, the statement points out. Neither of the books challenged in these cases comes remotely close to meeting the Supreme Courts long-established criterion for a finding of obscenity.

Kobabes Gender Queer is an award-winning coming of age story that has become a focus for book banning efforts around the country, and is the most challenged book in the ALAs recently released top 10 list. But despite some explicit content, the statement insists that suggestions that a few depictions of sexual experience render the entire 240-page book obscene are, quite simply, false.

A Court of Mist and Fury, meanwhile, is a bestselling novel widely praised work with serious literary and artistic value, the statement notes, with strong reviews and praise for its portrayals of mental health struggles, female empowerment, and the dynamics of romantic relationships.

Reps for Kobabe's publishers, Oni Press, declined comment at this time. Reps for Maas have not yet responded to requests for comment.

A report in the Virginian Pilot last week noted the case could be "a longshot," based on the opinions of local attorneys. You cant just have government officials and law enforcement officers deciding on an ad hoc basis what they do and dont like, one local attorney told reporters. The expression slippery slope has been overused over the years, but it certainly fits.
Glass, the pseudonym of Christi Daugherty (the YA Night School thrillers), introduces a novice British spy, Emma Makepeace, in Alias Emma (Bantam, Aug.).

Why the pseudonym?

Alias Emma is very different from my previous books. I want this series to have its own unique identity. And I want Ava Glass to have her own unique identity as well.

Some early readers are likening Emma Makepeace to a female James Bond. Is that how you see her?

I read a lot of spy fiction before I started writing and kept coming back to Ian Fleming. In the novels, Bond is determined, incredibly skilled, with a dry wit. But while theres an element of Bondian fantasy to Emmas ingenuity, shes also flawed. When things blow up, she gets hurt. I hope she feels real to people. She feels real to me.

There are more than 500,000 CCTV cameras in London. How did this help inspire the plot for Alias Emma?

Years ago, in a quiet London neighborhood, I noticed a CCTV camera mounted and pointed straight at me. When I moved, it moved with me and tracked my progress until I turned the corner. Ive always wondered what would happen if those cameras were hacked by an enemy state.

Emma relies mostly on her wits and old-fashioned tradecraft. Was it difficult to balance the technology-rich reality of today with the needs of your narrative?

Introducing old-school spycraft was at the top of my agenda for this book. Theres something exhilarating about the old methods. And I can assure you there are still people on the ground all over the world doing in-person, death-defying spy work. Thats the kind of intelligence work Emma does. Its why the agency she works for doesnt have a name. Its too secret to be identified in any way.

The action is very kinetic, but you paint a convincing picture of Emmas background and motivation. How did you conceive of her character?

Emma was born in England, but her roots are in Russia. This gave her a complexity I could play with throughout the book: strong but vulnerable, smart but prone to taking risks, multilingualand dedicated to her adopted country.
I wasnt prepared for how physical motherhood would be, Jessie Burton says via Zoom from her eclectic kitchenthink green patterned wallpaper and quirky cat figurinesin southeast London. The author gave birth to her first child, a son, last September, and its been diapers, midnight feedings, and playtime ever since. Im constantly crawling around on my hands and knees, holding the baby on my hip. I feel okay, but Im also primed for more injury.

Burton was pregnant when she wrote her new novel, The House of Fortune (Bloomsbury, Aug.), which follows a family in financial straits in 18th-century Amsterdam, whose fates are connected to a mysterious artist who leaves miniature figurines on their doorstep. The novel, a showcase for Burtons graceful prose, is a standalone companion to her debut, The Miniaturist, which has sold two million copies worldwide since its 2014 publication, according to Bloomsbury, and has been translated into 40 languages.

It was odd the way my pregnancy mirrored the pregnancy of The House of Fortune, notes Burton, who battled morning sickness while writing. I pushed myself to finish it before my son was born. I thought, Im sure as hell not going to be able to work this freely when hes here. So I got my book baby done, then the human baby turned up. She adds: I did something with this novel that Ive never done before. I wrote a whole book and threw it away, then I did it again and threw that away. The book that readers will get is my third attempt. I really wanted to do justice to the characters, and I dont like letting myself down.

 I wrote a whole book and threw it away, then I did it again and threw that away. 

Jonathan Lee, Burtons editor, says, Jessies new novel speaks to the head and the heart. It never feels like fusty, dusty historical fiction. As an editor, you look desperately for first pages that crackle with charisma, and when you find someone who knows how to charm you with unexpected details, its a pleasure.

Burton, whose books include a retelling of a German fairy tale and a young adult novel about Medusa, was born in London. I had quite an osmotic relationship with fantasy and couldnt always keep track of reality, she recalls. An only child, she had a strange triangular dynamic with her parents, who took her to galleries and museums instead of fairs and theme parks, and a passion for fashion. I was usually wearing 15 hair clips and a pearl necklace, and clutching a little bag. I like to dress up, always have.

A graduate of the University of Oxford and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Burton worked in her 20s as a theater actor. I loved acting, but its a demanding and unfair business, she says. Auditions were hard to get, and she hustled as a temp to make ends meet. My brain was calcifying, and I felt frustrated in my life. By the time I was 28, I could see the writing on the wallthe dream to be the next Kate Winslet wasnt going to happen. I never fell out of love with acting, it fell out of love with me. She had to make a career pivot. I replaced one dreambeing a successful working actresswith the dream of getting published.

Burton wrote parts of The Miniaturist on her phone while commuting by train to a temp job. Set in 17th-century Amsterdam, it follows a teenage bride who develops a connection with a miniaturist after her wealthy older husband gives her an elaborate doll house. The subject of a bidding war at the 2013 London Book Fair, the novel propelled Burton onto international bestseller lists. It was later turned into a PBS series. She shouldve been thrilled, but instead she fell into a depression.

Id been given the jackpot, but I wasnt ready for the exposure that came with it, Burton admits. Perhaps Id been used to hiding in plain sight as an actress. When your name is on the cover of a book and youre doing interviews, youre no longer playing a part. Getting published is what I wanted and it wasnt making me happy, but you cant say that, because it looks ungrateful. Im very grateful, and Im grateful to people who understand that its complicated. The thing you love can be the thing that disables you from doing more of it. But that was then. Therapy has helped enormously.

Sophie Jonathan, editorial director of Picador and Burtons U.K. editor, says, I dont know any writer who can conjure a world as vividly as Jessie. Shes interested in color and texture and has a beautifully curated home. All that shows up in her writing, and you feel pressed up against the experience of it all. The House of Fortune is a perfect sequel to The Miniaturist, but one that stands on its own two feet. It shows a writer whos at the height of her powers.

Burton, who turns 40 in August, plans to take the summer off from fiction writing to be with her son. (Hes already made several adorable appearances in her Instagram feed.) I talk about books as something I have to push out, but the difference between my son and my imagination is that his is a story I dont know, she says. Some novelists dont wish to talk about motherhood and babies, but I dont think I feel like that. The more we pretend its stuff that happens behind the scenes, the more we reinforce this idea that children are a threat to our time and identity.

Jessie doesnt see limitations, or she does and chooses to rebel against them, says Burtons friend Elizabeth Day, a BBC broadcaster, podcaster, and bestselling author of the novel Magpie. I feel deeply connected to her, almost like we were linked in a past life. Its amazing to have such an emotionally intelligent sounding board. Im blown away by her ability to understand human nature, and to inhabit her characters. Her books are commercial and literary, and its a rare bird who can do both. And she makes a great margarita.

Becoming a mom has given Burton the opportunity to reflect on what makes her happy. I used to think that being an actress meant that I was a show-off, but Im actually not, she says. Im more introverted than I thought. The quieter things in life, the smaller pleasuresthats what Ive come to value. She smiles. That said, I am desperate to go on a big trip and get out there again. Time is not infinite, and Burton still has a restless heart.

Elaine Szewczyks writing has appeared in McSweeneys and other publications. Shes the author of the novel Im with Stupid.
Excitement has been building for 2022s Childrens Institute in Phoenix, especially after the previous two conferences slated for the Grand Canyon State were forced to move online and this years Winter Institute was canceled due to high Covid rates. Final registration figures were not available at press time, but 328 booksellers registered for the previous in-person Childrens Institute, held in Pittsburgh in 2019.

CI10 will be held June 2022 at the Arizona Biltmore; it will be the American Booksellers Associations first in-person conference since 2020s Winter Institute in Baltimore. After two years of isolation, this years Childrens Institute is destined to be remembered as one of the most significant events in our collective understanding of pandemic-era bookselling, says Kim Hooyboer, ABAs new director of education.

The 2022 Childrens Institute also marks more than a decades worth of expanded childrens programming created by ABA in the wake of its 2010 merger with the Association of Booksellers for Children. At the time, ABA executive director Oren Teicher said, We at ABA see this vote [to merge] as an opportunity to be able to accomplish more to serve the present and future needs of childrens booksellers. We are confident that building on the thoughtful planning that led to the final vote, childrens booksellers will continue to have the resources and support necessary to grow and prosper.

Since the very first Childrens Institute, held concurrently with BookExpo America in 2012, ABA has kept that promise. It paused the institute for a year to further refine it and turn it into a standalone educational opportunity, which pre-Covid was frequently co-located with state or national library shows.

Much of the programming at the 2022 Childrens Institute is similar to that of the past, starting with a tour of area bookstores: Changing Hands Bookstore, a large general bookstore and bar; Grassrootz Bookstore, Arizonas only Black-owned bricks-and-mortar bookstore; and Palabras Bilingual Bookstore, which promotes cultural representation and diversity. The event officially kicks off with an opening night reception and costume party with booksellers encouraged to dress as favorite book characters. Other popular programming that will be back includes a talk on the U.S. childrens book market and trends to watch, presented by NPD Group books insights manager Brenna Connor, as well as an Indies Introduce lunch. Scholastic is also hosting an after-party the last night, which this year will focus on upcoming graphic novels and writers with Scholastic Graphix.

With close to 70 authors and illustrators attending this years conference, booksellers will once again have a chance to meet a number of bestselling authors in person, including Ibram X. Kendi (Stamped from the Beginning and the forthcoming Goodnight Racism) and closing keynoter Charlie Jane Anders (Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak), whose Go Ahead, Dream About the Future TED Talk garnered 700,000 views in its first week.

Diversity is a key component of the 10th-anniversary gathering. ABA is planning a celebration to mark Juneteenth (which became a federal holiday in 2021), commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S. This is also the first institute to include a multiauthor Native American keynote. Danielle Greendeer (Keepunumuk); Cynthia Leitich Smith, author-curator of Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Childrens Books; and Traci Sorell (Powwow Day) will discuss how reader awareness and shifts in publishing have affected the way they create new stories with Native characters at the center, and share stories of the past. Theres even a sessionYoure Speaking My Languageon making stores more inclusive by stocking books in languages other than English. The institute will close with a Loteria and a drag queen story hour.

This years something-for-everybody programming is deliberate, with some educational events that are clearly designed for bookstore generalists, others for childrens specialists. As ABA CEO Allison Hill notes, The conference has evolved into an event that everyone in bookselling can benefit from. Among the educational sessions that she singles out as robust and relevant are a TikTok workshop and a BookTok session, a crisis communication workshop, and discussions about banned books and having challenging community conversations, making bookstores media ready, best practices for managing inventory, mental health and self-care, and financial benchmarking for maximizing profitability.

Hill calls childrens bookselling the foundation of bookselling, noting that childrens booksellers create excitement for reading, support reluctant readers, amplify diverse voices, discover authors, and energize bookstores.

That said, ABA education for childrens booksellers could be changing. Hill says that both Hooyboer and Gen de Botton, ABA senior childrens program and education manager, will take a fresh look at Childrens Institute this year. Theyre excited to think about how the event could evolve in the future.

Read more from our Children's Institute 2022 coverage:

Children's Institute 2022: Bookselling in Arizona

The Grand Canyon State is marked by diverse bookstores, with many appealing to bilingual readers and outdoor enthusiasts.

Children's Institute 2022: Buyings New Normal

Childrens book buyers adjust to supply chain issues and changes in reading preferences.

Children's Institute 2022: Supply Chain Issues Hit Sidelines, Too

Sales of jigsaw puzzles and games remain strong sellers, along with art supplies more than two years into Covid.

Children's Institute 2022: Doing Well by Doing Good

Community service helps bookstores thrive.

Children's Institute 2022: Authors and Illustrators to Meet

More than five dozen writers and artists will be featured at Childrens Institute 2022.
Sales of jigsaw puzzles and games, which spiked at the beginning of the pandemic, may have leveled off at some stores after stay-at-home restrictions lifted, but for the indies PW contacted, more than two years into Covid they remain strong sellers, along with art supplies. Families are still seeking out games and activities that they can do together like puzzles, card games, and making art, says Diane Capriola, co-owner of Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, Ga.

"Bookstores are finding success with sidelines despite the fact that everything seems to be more expensive or the same price and smaller, says Hannah Amrollahi of the Bookworm in Omaha. The store sells a mix of high- and low-price-point items, and the hottest sidelines are Warmies plush stuffed animals and Folkmanis puppets.

Sales of plush toys shot up at many other stores during the pandemic, and they remain up. Jamie Thomas of Women & Children First in Chicago says that she cannot keep MerryMakers plush dolls in stock, particularly the Snowy Day and Last Stop on Market Street dolls.

Holly Weinkauf, owner of the Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul, Minn., says that sales of sidelines have increased dramatically since March 2020, with customers bundling purchases. JellyCat plush stuffed animals and outdoor-themed items like binoculars are strong sellers at her store. Up north, in Duluth, Jennifer Jubenville, manager of Fitgers Bookstore, says that customers come in asking specifically for Wild Republics plush loons (the loon is Minnesotas state bird).

Supply chain issues have forced booksellers to order sidelines earlier, especially for holidays. The Reading Bug in San Carlos, Calif., received an order of 100 stuffed animal hearts from China for a Valentines Day display in late March. Since gift items are nonreturnable, co-owner Lauren Savage will try to sell them, though it may be slow going until next February.

Were really thinking hard about where were ordering from, who were supporting, and what were supporting, Thomas says.

Weinkauf echoes that sentiment and has been searching out local vendors like Frostbeard Studio in Minneapolis, which sells book-themed candles that are popular with her customers.

Similarly, Cynthia Compton of 4Kids & Toys in Zionsville, Ind., says that without Toy Fair New York and Spielwarenmesse International Toy Fair in Germany, which were both canceled last year, she relies more on smaller vendors and previous store bestsellers. Last Christmass hit, Toniebox, a digital audio player that provides a screen-free alternative for stories and music, has become this springs bestseller.

Capriola also focuses on smaller vendors and uses Faires online wholesale marketplace to find unique sidelines. Our merchandising is leaning more toward telling a story by pairing sidelines with books and other themed merch, she says. Were doing this as a way to help customers with their gift buying while pushing up our UPT [units per transaction].

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Bookstores are not really moneymaking ventures, says Nicole Sullivan, longtime owner of Denvers BookBar and the Bookies, a childrens bookstore that she purchased last fall. We are a community service. The process of making her bookstores a public benefit corporation in 2021 was an acknowledgment of that reality, she adds. With the new designationa step in the process of becoming a B Corpthe bookstores put their service mission front and center, formalizing what theyve already been doing for years, according to Sullivan.

Book Give, the stores affiliated nonprofit, partners with close to 250 organizationsincluding schools, prisons, shelters, and assisted living centersto provide free new and used books. Ten percent of BookBar and the Bookiess sales already go to Book Give. So by simply buying a book, customers are helping their community. Its a great way to involve the community in what we do, Sullivan says.

Sullivan is one of a number of booksellers who have rooted their businesses in community partnerships. Thats the case at three-year-old Brave + Kind Bookshop, a Black-owned, mom-run bookstore in Decatur, Ga. Inspired by her daughters love of reading and her desire to find books for her in which she could see herself, Bunnie Hilliard started the subscription box service Giggle Girls Book Club in 2014. With the opening of the store, she renamed it the Brave + Kind Book Club.

Opening a bricks-and-mortar store was always a dream, so when a suitable space became available in 2018, Hilliard launched an Indiegogo campaign that included naming opportunities for the stores shelves. Now bookcases are embellished with little green clouds displaying the names of those who invested in the store. Theres even a family tree on the store wall displaying the names of those who donated, emphasizing that the community that cares about inclusive books is part of the stores family. It feels like something we are all doing, not just me, Hilliard says.

That visible presence of community support is just one way that Hilliard fosters inclusivity at Brave + Kind, in addition to its inventory. Partnerships with local organizations extend the stores mission to help young readers find themselves in books. Brave + Kind supplies books to Page Turners Make Great Learners, an Atlanta nonprofit that provides books to underserved schools and to Readers to Dreamers, which brings diverse authors and illustrators to schools free of charge.

In addition to these grant- and donor-funded initiatives, Hilliard offers consulting services and fulfillment for schools and libraries wanting to diversify their collections. The store hosts virtual pop-up bookfairs at schools across the country, bringing a thoughtfully researched collection of diverse books into schools and offering options for teachers to create wish lists and for anyone with a link to donate. Because her store has limited foot traffic, Hilliard says, these initiatives allow her to stretch her reach.

For Pranati Prinoo Kumar, founder and owner of Rohis Readery, a social-justice-driven childrens bookstore in West Palm Beach, Fla., community partnerships are integral to the stores mission. Collaboration and community are two of our favorite words! she wrote on the Readerys website. An educator focused on critical literacy and DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusivity, and anti-racism), Kumar came to bookselling after working in early childhood education in the South Bronx and Harlem and cofounding a charter school for immigrant and refugee children in Seattle.

Kumar named the Readery, which opened last June, for her grandmother and her young daughter, Rohini. Her mission, she says, is to offer beautiful stories of historically marginalized communities, creating an identity-driven experience and building human connections through the love of books.

The Readery hosts 1215 events per month. Because accessibility is so important to Kumars mission, events are free, but donations are accepted. Profits from book sales are cycled back into programming to pay presenters from community organizations and small business owners from marginalized communities for sharing their talents. Some of those programs have included a panel discussion with Eclectic Conversations, a group that organizes conversation parties to promote community dialogue and a gathering with the Melanin Mommy Society, an organization promoting wellness for mothers of color.

Bookstores are in a unique position to bring disparate people together; we are that third place that allows for the introduction of new ideas and sometimes new causes as well, says Cynthia Compton, who founded 4 Kids Books & Toys in Zionsville, Ind., in 2003. Compton takes the stores position at the intersection of the community and cultural conversation seriously, actively seeking opportunities for connection. Shes passionate about animal rescue and has been partnering with rescue organizations for many years.

Nothing brings a kid into a store faster than a puppy, Compton says. Families coming in for adoption events for rescues learn about the store, the books, and the organization. Some even leave with a new furry friend. Through the years, partnerships with community organizations have included letting the Girl Scouts set up a table, offering groups a meeting space, or donating a portion of sales. But the store doesnt limit its outreach to the stores physical space. You can be a bricks-and-mortar store and still have a pop-up tent and a folding tent, Compton says. Everything you do should be a partnership. We should be in each others business in the best sense.

Joanne OSullivan is a journalist, editor, author of YA fiction and childrens nonfiction, and regular PW contributor.

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DEAL OF THE WEEK

Bantam Enters Matlins Forest After a four-house auction, Jenny Chen at Bantam bought Lisa Matlins debut novel, Find Myself Within a Dark Forest. The two-book, world rights agreement was brokered by Naomi Davis at Bookends. The publisher said the novel was pitched as The Talented Mr. Ripley meets The Wife Upstairs and is about an influencer with multiple stolen personas who buys a murder house to renovateexcept things go sideways fast, and she wonders whether someone could be onto her ruse or if it might be the house itself.

McElroy and HarperVia Collide

Isle McElroy sold world rights to People Collide to Rakesh Satyal at HarperVia. The novel, set for 2023, is about a man who wakes up alone in his apartment in Bulgaria and finds he is in his wifes body. What follows, Harper said, is a search across Europe for a missing womanand a roving, no-holds-barred exploration of gender and embodied experience. Harper added that People Collide throws refreshing new light on everything we thought we knew about love, sexuality, and the truth of who we are. Marya Spence at Janklow & Nesbit brokered the deal.

Dev Gets Vibrant at Kalings New Imprint

In one of the first acquisitions for Mindys Book Studio, Mindy Kalings boutique imprint at Amazon Publishing, Alicia Clancy took world English rights to Sonali Devs The Vibrant Years. Set for December, the novel follows, the publisher said, three women who set out on a journey of self-discovery, hilariously embracing their missteps, impulsive decisions, and cringeworthy dates that ultimately upend their lives for the better as they learn to live life on their own terms. Dev, the bestselling author of the Rajes series, was represented by Alexandra Machinist at ICM Partners.

Big, Fat Anthology Sells to Page Street

For Page Street Publishing, Lauren Knowles bought world English rights to My Big, Fat, Desi Wedding. The YA anthology, sold by Gordon Warnock at Fuse Literary, is being edited by Prerna Pickett. Warnock called the book a genre-bending collection that celebrates the diversity of Desi cultures through a universally epic event featuring drama, fashion, food, and one merry, meddling auntie. It will feature stories from Payal Doshi, Sarah Mughal, and Aamna Qureshi, and is set for spring 2023.

Whitemires Peggram Finds Home at Viking

Ethelene Whitemire, a former librarian-in-residence at Yale University and the current chair of the department of African studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, sold The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram to Viking. Emily Wunderlich took world rights to the narrative nonfiction work from Jennifer Herrera at the David Black Agency at auction. Viking says the book follows the life of a queer, Black man of humble origins, who graduated from Harvard at the top of his class and continued his studies in Europe on the brink of WWII. It offers a lens on the pursuit of dignity and beauty against the backdrop of Black Americans struggle for basic rights in a nation entering war.

AstroTwins Land at Element

Astrologers Ophira and Tali Edut, known as the AstroTwins, sold a currently untitled lifestyle book to Simon Element. In it, the publisher said, the siblings, who consult for various celebrities, reveal their astrology-based archetype system to help readers optimize their professional and personal lives. Jackie Ashton at Lucinda Literary handled the world rights agreement, with Veronica Alvarado acquiring at Simon Element.
In his regular letter from London, our correspondent Frank Swinnerton took note of some of the publishing industry members who had joined the fight against Nazi Germany and detailed the measures publishers had taken to cope with the challenges caused by the start of World War II. As we noted, Swinnertons report was prepared before Germanys May 10 invasion of the Netherlands, the attack that ended the period known as the Phoney War.

From the Archive: June 1, 1940 by Publishers Weekly on Scribd

For the complete article in the Publishers Weekly archive, go to publishersweekly.com/jun-1-1940.
Forty years ago, Lisa Ekus left her position as senior publicist at Crown Publishing to head to Hatfield, Mass., a town about six miles northeast of Northampton, to open the Lisa Ekus Public Relations Co. It would eventually become the Lisa Ekus Group, working exclusively with those involved with cookbooks and culinary pursuits. Businesses owned and run by a woman were a rarity at the time, but Ekus prevailed, and in April, her daughter, Sally Ekus, a full partner for 12 years, took the company helm. Accordingly, the company also has a new name, changing from the Lisa Ekus Group to simply the Ekus Group.

From the beginning, the Lisa Ekus Group provided services beyond a typical book publicity firm by offering media training for cookbook authors and chefs set to appear on everything from Good Morning Cleveland to the Today show. The debut of the Food Network was still a decade away, and only devout foodies would call anyone a celebrity chef at the time, but some of those whom Lisa trained did indeed achieve such status. Among them are Padma Lakshmi, Steven Raichlen, Charlie Trotter, and Norman Van Aiken. As the companys focus on media training and agenting grew, public relations took a back seat in its roster of services, prompting its first name change. (Agenting is now the biggest part of the business.)

We have navigated well and intelligently the changes in the publishing industry, Lisa said. The quick growth of e-book sales didnt have much impact on the company, since Lisa was specializing in cookbooks at the time, a category where print still reigns. Cookbooks are usually four-color, highly produced, beautiful packages, she added, noting that even as e-books have improved, many people still want physical copies of cookbooks.

It also turns out that cooking the recipes from a cookbook is just one of the reasons people purchase them. On average, only three recipes from a book are used, Sally said. Clearly people are buying cookbooks for other reasons. Among those is that cookbooks include all kinds of background information about their respective cuisines, the cultures from which they hail, and the chefs behind them, as well as other entertaining anecdotes. Another cookbook attraction for readers is the carefully styled and shot photographs. Plus, Sally added, a cookbook makes an ideal gift.

The past two years have been a boon for cookbooks, with the pandemic forcing more people to eat at home. But while the e-book may not be a formidable foe to cookbooks, what about the ability to get a recipe for just about anything on a smartphone? The problem with online recipes, according to Lisa, is credibility: Who created the recipe? Has it been tested? She admits that online resources such as New York Times Cooking are highly reputable, but notes that while the Times does a great job, its app and online recipes have only been around for the last few years.

The Ekus Group has always served as agents for authors and illustrators of a variety of cookbooks, representing an array of cultures, cuisines, and eating habits. Now, regional and global cuisines are extremely popular, partly because of the wide availability of formerly esoteric ingredients such as cilantro and fish sauce, which were practically unheard of years ago. Deep dives into hyperlocal cultures are not always easily found online.

Sadly, Lisa said, another reason for the fascination with international cuisines is conflict and war. People become aware of a place and a culture, she explained. And what is the entry point into a culture or country? Its food. She noted that the Gulf Wars brought Middle Eastern food to the forefront, and that cookbooks featuring Ukrainian fare are already hitting the market.

Lisa has always sought chefs who strive to introduce people to new tastesa tradition the younger Ekus is eager to embrace. What I love about what we do is that weve always been an agency thats dedicated to firstsfirst-time authors, origin stories, traceable cuisines, Sally said. We dont just promote firsts, we celebrate them.

Books by authors whom the Ekus Group has represented include the 2020 James Beard Awardwinning Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking by Toni Tipton Martin and the bestseller Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling. On deck for this year are Frankie Gaws First Generation: Recipes from My Taiwanese-America Home and Brian Noyess second cookbook, The Red Truck Bakery Farmhouse Cookbook: Sweet and Savory Comfort Food from Americas Favorite Rural Bakery.
Were seeing tremendous growth in our list of Spanish-language books for children, says Melanie Cordova, an editor at Candlewick Press and a 2021 PW Star Watch honoree. Candlewick started translating titles into Spanish in 2009, and the publishing house releases approximately four Spanish books per year, with a total of 50 so far. The titles are for a range of agesfrom board books to middle grade and young adult novelsand are a mix of original works, translations from English, and bilingual editions. We sometimes pick titles from our list to translate, or we work with a translator and author to create books for the list, Cordova says.

The Spanish publishing program is evolving with the times. For example, the most recent list includes La vispera de Orgullo by Joanna McClintick, illustrated by Juana Medina, which is the Spanish translation of The Night Before Pride. The translator, David Bowles, used nonbinary, gender-neutral language for the book, Cordova says. In this way, we are making progress in small but important ways.

Cordova credits her incredible group of authors, illustrators, and translators for the success of the list, whose sales were up 30% in 2021 compared to the previous year. The market for Spanish-language books is broad, and Candlewicks customers include independent bookstores, school libraries, Barnes & Noble, and nontraditional book retailers. I can only see sales getting stronger in the coming year as retailers and readers become more aware of the books we have to offer, Cordova says.

Featured titles on the Candlewick en espanol list for the spring/summer of 2022 include the following:

A veces, yo soy todo lo que necesito

Juliana Perdomo, out now

Perdomo, an author and art therapist in Bogota, Colombia, highlights themes of resiliency, mindfulness, and self-care in this story about a little girl who learns to self sooth in moments of discomfort.

Leila, la brujita perfecta

Flavia Z. Drago, July

The author of Gustavo, The Shy Ghost, which is also available in Spanish as Gustavo, el fantasmita timido, is back with the story of Leila, a confident witch who has won trophies for potions, herbology, and alchemyand now she dreams of winning the Magnificent Witchy Cake-Off. As the youngest in a long line of masters of the Dark Arts of Patisserie, Leila wants her entry to be perfect. But even with the most bewitching of recipes, she realizes a terrible truth: shes a disaster in the kitchen.

Lupe Lopez: Reglas de una estrella de rock!

E.E. Charlton-Trujillo and Pat Zietlow Miller, illus. by Joe Cepeda, trans. from the English by Georgina Lazaro, June

This picture book, based on Charlton-Trujillos childhood experiences in Texas, recounts the first day of kindergarten for Lupe Lopez, a would-be rock star who tries to attract fans and not friends, until her teacher tempers her enthusiasm, causing her to reconsiderMaybe it isnt such a bad idea to make friends after all.

Un verano especial con la abuela

Tania de Regil, Aug.

During her first trip outside her hometown of Mexico City, a young girl discovers why her grandmother really is a special person. The author, who lives in Mexico City, incorporates poems written by her grandfather into the books illustrations.

La vispera de Orgullo

Joanna McClintick, illus. by Juana Medina, trans. from the English by David Bowles, out now

Its the night before Pride, and families are preparing for the festivities. McClinticka debut author and social worker at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center in Manhattanoffers joyful illustrations and lyrical, age-appropriate rhyme modeled on The Night Before Christmas.
As international writers expose themselves to considerable danger to protest injustice, look back on historical repression, or express radical ways of living in the world, the role of the translator to effectively render a story into another language grows ever more crucial.

Translation is an art, but its also a science, says Max Lawton, who translates Russian dissident writer Vladimir Sorokin. You have to liberate the language from the source text and create something new.

PW spoke with Lawton and other translators about how their work shines a light on issues of oppression and on our shared humanity.

International datelines

Sorokins Telluria (NYRB, Aug.), which PWs review called hypnotic and hallucinatory, takes place in a fractured future of small states and principalities that arise after Russia splinters. The novel, mixing elements of speculative fiction against a feudal backdrop, typifies Sorokins defiance of convention and, according to Lawton, also demonstrates the subtlety of Sorokins political thought. Sorokins work is political in a nuanced way, not polemical, Lawton says. If youre transparent, the state likes you. They can see right through you. There is this sort of nontransparency in the language that Sorokin uses as an anti-authoritarian tactic. Its a political choice as well as an aesthetic one.

Translating Telluria has taken on new meaning for Lawton in the current political climate. Telluria, on one hand, is a dystopia, but I actually think its much more of a utopia, he says. I didnt understand this side of the book until this whole nightmare started in Ukraine, but the idea of Russia crumbling down into tiny nation-states that are all different is a utopian idea from the perspective of Russias history of territorial land grabbing.

Similarly, Carol Apollonio, who translated the Russian political satire cum murder mystery Offended Sensibilities by Alisa Ganieva (Deep Vellum, Nov.), says the war in Ukraine has profoundly affected her translation work. The world turned upside down February 24, says Apollonio, who has translated two previous novels by Ganieva. Were all reeling in shock and anguish and horror. Alisa has left the country. She cant stay there. The novel examines political corruption and censorship in an unnamed provincial town, which Apollonio views as a stand-in for all of Russia. The lies Alisa exposes in the book are so relevant, she says.

Apollonio places Ganievas novel in a Russian literary tradition of political opposition. Internal dissidents and thoughtful truth tellers like Alisa need to be respected because theyre putting their lives on the line. Thats an important political message we always get from Russian literature.

In The Censors Notebook (Seven Stories, Oct.), Romanian author Liliana Corobca also probes political repression. Framed around a former censor who donates a stolen notebook from 1974 to a new museum of communism, the novel opens a window onto the secretive world of censorship during that era in Romania. The story is so multilayered, says translator Monica Cure. Its a kind of hodgepodge of notes the censor has taken, fragments of different novels and poems, all made up by the author but presented as if they were found. Cure, whose grandfather was imprisoned and who herself was a refugee from the Communist regime in Romania, adds that translating the novel gave her a deeper appreciation for the importance of protecting freedom of expression. Its healthy to be able to talk about censorship, which is basically the illegitimate silencing of voices. Legitimacy is what we as a community decide on. What we get to do in a democracy is decide on what voices have been wrongly silenced.

Writers often pay a huge price for work that criticizes or even questions the states authority. Uyghur writer Perhat Tursuns novel The Backstreets (Columbia Univ., Sept.) follows a Uyghur migrants journey to an ethnically Han Chinese majority city. Its a story of alienation and a descent into madness, says translator Darren Byler, an anthropologist who began working in Northwest China in 2011, met Tursun, and started translating the novel. To protect Tursun and his Uyghur cotranslator, Byler held off publishing, but when his cotranslator was disappeared and Tursun was arrested and sentenced to 16 years imprisonment as part of Chinas mass internment of members of ethnic minorities, Byler decided the time was right. Translating and finding a publisher for this work was an obligation I felt toward Tursun, he says. He had given me a lot. Hed become my friend.

Byler hopes readers appreciate the books wisdom and insight. Its conveying something about life for Uyghurs and a Uyghur sensibility, a way of seeing the world that I think speaks to what it means to be human.

Translator Paul G. Starkey was also moved to bring attention to an underrepresented cultural and literary tradition, with Hammour Ziadas The Drowning (Interlink, Sept.), a historical novel set in 1968 Sudan. Its a vivid portrayal of social relations in a repressive and tightly regulated traditional Sudanese village, Starkey says. There is very little Sudanese literature available in English translation, so I saw this as a chance to make a hopefully interesting contribution to whats available. In the context of the profound upheavals that have taken place and are currently taking place in the wider Arabic-speaking world, the novel offers readers a portrait of those who live the region. I hope that it may help to convey some sense of empathy with people in situations and conditions vastly different from our own, Starkey says.

Love languages

The process of working so closely with a text can transform how a translator identifies with the story. In Concerning My Daughter (Restless, Sept.), by South Korean novelist Kim Hye-Jin, a lesbian activist and her partner begin living with her more conservative mother. Translator Jamie Chang was initially skeptical of the mother-daughter relationship. I found myself thinking, why are you moving in with your mother and why are you taking your partner with you? This is going to be too much for her, Chang says. But thats the thing about good stories. You put characters with strong opinions, strong feelings, and strong bonds in a pressure cooker and see what happens. The result is a story of connection that crosses generations. This is the kind of book you could read with your mother if youre just coming out, she adds. By the time I finished I felt fully convinced its possible for a Korean lesbian and their partner to get along with their elderly mom. The solidarity between these women feels so realistic.

Another novel pushing against convention is Hugs and Cuddles (Two Lines, Oct.), by Brazilian novelist Joao Gilberto Noll. Edgar Garbelotto, who translated two Noll novels prior to this one, has always been attracted to the ambition of Nolls vision. I was totally fascinated by the way he was writing, the language he was usingeven thematically by the places he was going, Garbelotto says. The novel follows a narrator who, inspired by a formative sexual experience in his youth, abandons his former life and sets out on a quest for personal liberation. In the process the narrator rejects his social standing, the constraints of his gender, and the sexual mores that previously inhibited him.

Nolls liberatory message inspired Garbelotto. I think one of the main motivations for a translator is your desire to share work that impressed you so much, he says. I hope readers can experience through Nolls incredible prose this adventure of living freely, leaving what is expected from capitalism and society behind. We can live that experience through Nolls characters. Thats the power of literature.

Stories from unfamiliar cultural contexts can nonetheless resonate with readers. The Impatient (HarperVia, Sept.), by Cameroonian writer Djaili Amadou Amal, follows three women struggling to free themselves from forced marriage, polygamy, and abuse in a Cameroonian village. The novels critique of this atmosphere of sexual control and violence struck translator Emma Ramadan as universally relevant. Women everywhere have this experience of being forced into situations and faced with misogyny and a toxic patriarchy, Ramadan says. We can be both interested in understanding whats happening in other places and also use this novel as an opportunity to reflect on whats happening in our communities. Thats the beauty of translation.

The story of the women also highlighted for Ramadan the importance of finding unity in a common cause. One of the lessons of the book is that we as womenand really any oppressed groupare stronger when we bind together, she notes.

The Impatient and other novels discussed here present readers with an opportunity to find common ground with cultures and societies from around the world. Our role as translators is not just to bring something over but also to allow a conversation to happen here about it, Ramadan says. The goal of translation, she explains, is to have a conversation that doesnt foreignize or other or distance, but that brings this story home and forces us to examine ourselves in the ways were examining the characters in a book.

Matthew Broaddus is a poet and associate poetry editor at Okay Donkey Press.

Read more from our Literature in Translation feature.

Identity Papers: Literature in Translation 2022

These new translated works of fiction challenge questions of identity and what it means to belong.

The Language of the Body: PW Talks with Stephanie McCarter

In her forthcoming translation of Ovids 'Metamorphoses' (Penguin Classics, Sept.), classicist McCarter renders the poets concern with questions of power, violence, and gender intelligible to a contemporary audience.
Elisa Shua Dusapin and her translator, Aneesa Abbas Higgins, won the 2021 National Book Award for Translated Literature with Dusapins debut, Winter in Sokcho. The novel follows a young French Korean woman as she wrestles with desire, daughterhood, and identity, PWs starred review said. The duos forthcoming follow-up is among several new translated works of fiction that similarly challenge questions of identity and what it means to belong.

In Dusapin and Higginss The Pachinko Parlor (Open Letter, Sept.), Swiss Korean protagonist Claire spends a summer in Tokyo, where her grandparents have lived for decades as Zainichi Korean exiles after fleeing war in their home country. Dusapin was born in France and raised in Paris, Seoul, and Switzerland; Higgins says that the novel captures the experience of living much of ones life between various cultures, of being both insider and outsider, and asks readers to reflect on the worlds that are open to some and closed to others. Language is essential to bridging the gap between generations in Dusapins story, Higgins explains. The novel expresses feelings of hovering between languages and searching for the best vehicle to communicate.

1,000 Coils of Fear by Olivia Wenzel (Catapult, July), which PWs review called an exciting, confident debut, explores the experiences of a Black German woman, from her childhood in East Germany and during German reunification in the 1990s through the rise of populism in the U.S. circa 2016. Translator Priscilla Layne says she appreciates Wenzels nuanced depiction of Black identity: The novel stresses the local East German context while also acknowledging the ways in which Black people across the diaspora are connected through their experiences with racism, discrimination, and feeling vulnerable to violence. As the daughter of Caribbean immigrants to the U.S., Layne identified with the narrators experience. People challenged my identity because I wasnt Black in a way that was legible to them, she explains. So I related to the narrator. A lot of the novel is about piecing together your identity, how other people see you, and negotiating how you feel on the inside versus what people project onto you.

Another German debut that treads this slippery terrain is the aptly titled Identitti by Mithu Sanyal (Astra House, July). When Nevidita, a well-known blogger who describes herself as a mixed-race Wonder Woman, discovers that Saraswati, her doctoral mentor in postcolonial studies, has been passing as Indian, the student and activist is forced to reevaluate her sense of self and how shes perceived in the world. The text incorporates blog posts and Twitter threads, a unique experience for translator Alta L. Price. Sanyal used these made-up social media handles to push the boundaries of the narrative and of language, Price says. Youre getting slang and culturally and linguistically dependent jokes. It was a fun challenge to bring those into English.

Though the novel addresses specific complexities of German identity politics, Price believes it can resonate broadly. It brings up these uncomfortable questions we dont necessarily have the language in any language to talk about, she says. But we have to try.

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Putin, AU head discuss bilateral cooperation, impact of Western sanctions

Xinhua) 14:17, June 04, 2022

MOSCOW, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed political, trade and economic cooperation, as well as the impact of Western sanctions with the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) and Senegalese President Macky Sall in the southern Russian city of Sochi on Friday.

Putin and Sall addressed a wide range of cooperation issues, including the importance of enhancing political dialogue as well as economic and humanitarian cooperation between Russia and African countries, the Kremlin said.

Putin said that Russia was ready to develop humanitarian ties with African countries, mentioning Russia's strong interest in African culture.

The Russian president said that from a political perspective, Africa's influence in the international arena has grown, adding that Moscow was dedicated to further developing its long-standing friendly relations with the continent as a whole.

Sall in turn expressed willingness to foster cooperation between Russia and Africa.

Sall also noted the influence of Western sanctions on Russia, adding that many African countries were directly affected by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

"Sanctions against Russia have further exacerbated this situation, and we currently have no access to grains from Russia, especially wheat ... most importantly, we do not have access to fertilizers ... and this has consequences for food security in Africa," Sall was cited by the Kremlin as saying.

(Web editor: Zhange Wenjie, Bianji)
The debt package comprises committed facilities of 3.9 billion and an accordion facility of 1 billion. In addition to supporting the primary objective, the new facilities will also go towards rolling out a gigabit infrastructure to a third of the UK market by 2025 as well as enabling up-weighted participation in the UK governments Project Gigabit programme designed to expand gigabit connectivity to rural as well as urban locations in the UK.The debt raise has been underwritten by NatWest, Societe Generale, Credit Agricole CIB, BBVA, Intesa Sanpaolo, ING and SEB; with ABN AMRO, Lloyds Bank and the pensions and M&G Investments, the international asset manager, joining as core lenders. In addition, CityFibre says participation in the funding of the UK Infrastructure Bank is recognition of its contribution to critical national infrastructure deployment and the Governments levelling up programmeThe financing follows 1.125 billion in equity investments that CityFibre has closed in the last ten months from two new investors, Mubadala and Interogo Holding as well as from existing investors Antin Infrastructure Partners and the Infrastructure business within Goldman Sachs Asset Management.Over the last decade weve built a business that has transformed the UKs digital connectivity landscape for the better. With our rollout now fully financed, backed by so many esteemed financial institutions, we have emerged as a strong national challenger,commented Greg Mesch, chief executive officer of CityFibre.But CityFibres aim is not simply to challenge . Its to be better. Its to establish ourselves as the preferred network wherever we build, bringing higher-quality, more affordable infrastructure within reach of millions and unleashing the transformative economic potential of Full Fibre to help level up the UK. We have never been more confident that we will succeed. UK Infrastructure Bank CEO John Flint, CEO said: We are pleased to act as a cornerstone investor in what will be the largest digital debt transaction in the UK market to date, connecting a third of UK households with fast and reliable broadband throughout England and Scotland. It is clear how important good quality connectivity is for the UK economy, and in addressing regional inequalities.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 06/04/2022



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

The Bachelor alum Abigail Heringer has revealed that she never wants to get married on television.Abigail, who just moved in with boyfriend Noah Erb in Huntington Beach, CA, after meeting on the 2021 season of , apparently pictures a more intimate wedding ceremony in her future."I'm very grateful that Paradise gave us the environment for us to meet each other," Abigail, 27, told The New York Post's Page Six, "but I am also very content to leave that chapter behind us, too."Abigail said she's not looking for another way to publicize her relationship with Noah, especially since they've just begun settling into a new routine and have been spending more time together than ever."No more cameras. I don't think I would want to," Abigail noted.Noah, 27, however, apparently sees the upside of having ABC front the money for their wedding and televising it."Weddings are expensive," Noah said. "I'm like, 'Oh, could I get it all paid for?' That's the finance side of me thinking that."But at the end of the day, Noah wants Abigail to be happy and has taken her side on this."I also don't want to deal with some guy that I met on Paradise standing up and objecting and me tackling him from the pews," Noah joked, suggesting drama from the show could resurface."I don't want to deal with that... I wouldn't want to do a televised wedding," he added.Regardless of what the wedding looks like, Noah insisted "the end goal is to get married."The traveling nurse originally from Oklahoma confirmed that he and Abigail have "talked about it.""Our mindset is we wouldn't be as serious as we are if that wasn't the end goal," Abigail shared."But we're also not putting any pressure on us or a timeframe because I think we already have enough people trying to do that. We're just enjoying life."Abigail and Noah were smitten with each other on 's seventh season last summer, but they broke up before Fantasy Suites because Abigail had struggled to be vulnerable and so Noah lost his confidence that he and Abigail were meant to be together.But after filming ended in Summer 2021, Noah and Abigail reconciled , and 's October 2021 finale revealed the couple planned to take things "slowly" going forward.Abigail and Noah said they snuck around for four months until they could profess their love to each other on social media in late 2021.Abigail proceeded to announce on Instagram in late March 2022 that she'd be relocating from New York City to the West Coast in order to be close to Noah and her family.Looking back on their breakup, Noah told Us Weekly earlier this week that his time apart from Abigail made their relationship "more real.""You step away -- no cameras, no production, just you and somebody you like that were in a crazy experience in the real world," Noah explained."I think it's good. It makes it more real. You get to say, 'Okay, where am I at in real life with my own thoughts and my own time?' And all that."Prior to falling in love with Abigail, Noah competed for Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams on The Bachelorette's sixteenth season in 2020.Noah dubbed his The Bachelorette stint and journey on 's seventh season last year "a distant, fond memory.""And now I'm like, 'Where are we at now? What are we doing now?' Our focus is on our relationship, you know, the date nights... We're trying to go try new restaurants all the time. We travel a lot. It was a good experience, but now it's [the] real world," Noah told the magazine.Abigail, who found fame on Matt James ' The Bachelor season in early 2021, elaborated on how she and Noah have traveled to Costa Rica and Mexico and she'd like to do a trip to Europe soon, with Noah adding how he'd love to stop in Italy.Interested in more The Bachelor news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group
Police ID suspect in attack on doctor, nurses at LA hospital

Police have identified the man who allegedly stabbed a doctor and two nurses inside a Southern California hospital emergency ward and remained inside a room for hours before police arrested him
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WEST HARTFORD  Police said a pedestrian was killed Friday at the intersection of North Main Street and Farmington Avenue.

The department said they responded to the scene shortly after 10 a.m. A 61-year-old male pedestrian died as a result of injuries sustained. The 67-year-old female driver was transported to the hospital with minor injuries.
NORWALKWith a new South Norwalk elementary school location identified and $76 million allocated for the buildings construction, the city is now searching for a principal to preside over the new school.

In a job opening posted Wednesday, Norwalk Public Schools is seeking a principal for the South Norwalk school for the 2022-23 school year.

We are seeking an inspirational leader who will maintain our rigorous learning environment while being committed to our talented staff and students, while engaging in the deep roots of the community, the summary description read.

NPS Superintendent Dr. Alexandra Estrella said the district plans to have a SoNo Elementary School principal selected by the end of the month.

Earlier this week, the district hosted a community discussion around what the core values should be for the upcoming SoNo school.

We collected some essential features for our new leader coming in and will further formulate what core values and central features of school will be, Estrella previously said. We also left with information needed from the community in really knowing what qualities they wanted from leaders. We are putting posting up today to start search process in trying to identify the leadership for the school with the goal to identify someone by the end of the month.

Once a principal is hired for the new school, they will become integral in helping shape the schools environment, Estrella said.

By that point in time we will have students attending the incubator and students and educators will play an essential role in defining what the actual interior of the building should have that aligns to school. The most important thing is we are in a really positive trajectory forward. SoNos been waiting for this for some time, Estrella said. We are really excited for the work were going to be doing this summer to ensure SoNo students can start going to school in their community and eventually, in two years or so, transition to a new state-of-the-art facility.

Many of the principals tasks will revolve around construction of the new school, including participating in the process for hiring the best qualified and most competent personnel, maintaining records of all building activities and facilitates the routine operations of the school, and establishing relationships with community groups to solicit support for certain activities and programs, according to the job posting.

Requirements for the job include the ability to communicate effectively with parents and staff,.

The position will report to the executive director of leadership development, a title held by both Sandra Kase and Mary-Anne Sheppard, according to the NPS staff directory.

The address listed on the opening is the South Norwalk Community Center, with plans to house the school until construction is completed.

Families in South Norwalk wont have to wait until construction is complete to enroll their children in the new neighborhood school, as the school plans to open this fall at a different facility until the school is constructed.

Norwalk Public Schools plans to start incubating the new school this fall at the Concord Magnet School building on Concord Street that will be left vacant when CMS relocates to the Ponus Ridge campus over the summer.

Incubating the school while the new location is being built allows the school to start establishing its character and academic programs, and makes for an easier transition once the new school building is ready, NPS Superintendent Dr. Alexandra Estrella previously said.

abigail.brone@hearstmediact.com
Pottsville, PA (17901)

Today

Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 78F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Rain early...then remaining cloudy with thundershowers developing overnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%.
Political bullying before and during the campaign period has cast a shadow over the elections, observers said.

Candlelight Party Vice President Son Chhay [right] appeals to voters on the final day of campaigning June 3, two days before commune council elections.

Cambodians will go to the polls Sunday to elect local commune councils in what observers believe will be a test case of support for a rising opposition party after five years of a coordinated campaign by Prime Minister Hun Sen and his supporters to squash dissent.

Hun Sen has ruled Cambodia for more than three decades. His Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) is expected to win in a landslide, as it is the only political party large enough to field candidates nationwide.

Heading into Sundays vote, the United Nations Human Rights Office criticized what it called a systemic shrinking of political space in the country, leaving room only for the CPP.

We are disturbed by the pattern of threats, intimidation and obstruction targeting opposition candidates ahead of communal elections in Cambodia on 5 June, office spokesperson Liz Throssell said in a statement.

Candidates have faced numerous restrictions and reprisals that have hindered their activities, with imprisonment of a number of candidates that appears designed to curb political campaigning. Four days before the election, at least six opposition candidates and activists are in detention awaiting trial while others summonsed on politically motivated charges have gone into hiding.

Throssell noted the governments response to the last commune elections, five years ago. The Supreme Court dissolved the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) after it performed well in the local races in 2017, a decision that paved the way for the CPP to take all 125 seats in the National Assembly in the 2018 general election.

Though the country is essentially now a one-party state, a new opposition party, the Candlelight Party, has entered the fray and will face its first major test on Sunday.

The Future Forum, an independent think tank based in Phnom Penh, called the election a litmus test for the country.

The outstanding and primary concern of any election cycle set today is the absence of a viable political opposition, it said in a report. This in itself renders the anticipated outcome of such processes reasonably predictable. It is however crucial to note that, versus the 2018 cycle, there are a larger number of electoral observers, and the presence of an alternative vote for nearly all communes in the kingdom.

The elections will not have much effect on the balance of national power, as commune councils are concerned mostly with local matters. But councilors elected Sunday will vote on behalf of their constituents in 2024 elections for the Cambodian Senate.

Election watchers are looking at the contest between the CPP and 16 other parties for 11,622 seats in 1,652 rural and urban precincts to find out how much support the opposition Candlelight Party can win in the atmosphere and after months of harassment from the ruling party.

Members of parliaments in other Southeast Asian countries condemned harassment and intimidation suffered by the opposition during the campaign.

In a statement released Friday, the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) took issue with incidents of political bullying by local officials.

It is impossible to hold free and fair elections in an ongoing climate of persecution against the opposition  these polls cannot be regarded as an exercise in pluralism and democracy when the CPP led by Prime Minister Hun Sen is not allowing anyone who can challenge their power to campaign freely and safely, said Maria Chin Abdullah, a member of the Malaysian Parliament and an APHR member.

The intimidation of the opposition we are witnessing now is nothing new. It is part of a long pattern in which Hun Sen and his party have maintained and increased their control over Cambodia, closing the space for opposition and rights defenders to dissent without fear of reprisal. This does not bode well for the future of democracy in Cambodia. The outcome of this local election will pave the way for next years national elections and will determine who will control the countrys overall political power, Abdullah said.

She urged neighboring countries to maintain a critical eye on Cambodia and not accept that Sundays elections would be a true democratic exercise, criticizing the elections as another attempt by the CPP to legitimize its increasingly dictatorial rule.

Campaign draws to a close

On the last day of the official two-week campaign Friday, the CPP and Candlelight Party held political rallies all over the country, with thousands in the capital Phnom Penh attending the rallies for both sides.

Hun Sens son Hun Many attended campaign events in the capital, as CPP supporters including famous celebrities drove luxury cars in a convoy, hoping to sway voters with star appeal.

Candlelight supporters drove their own convoy through the city, using megaphones to remind people to vote.

Both sides reflected on the campaign period optimistically.

For the past 14 days, we have showed that we are better and more firmly situated than other parties, Sar Kheng, who is the CPPs vice president and the countrys minister of interior, said to supporters while leading campaign activities in the southern province of Prey Veng.

We have shown that the CPP is the only party can guarantee peace and read development, he said.

Candlelights vice president, Thach Setha, who led campaign activities in Phnom Penh Friday, told RFAs Khmer Service that his party has received overwhelming support because the voters recognize their true need for democracy. He acknowledged that the campaign is supported mainly by donations from supporters.

During Fridays convoy, people cheering the party on provided campaigners with water from the roadsides, he said.

[The people] want change, and they want to tell the CPP that they want change, they dont want to keep doing the same thing, Thach Setha said.

The campaign period was mostly peaceful, Hang Puthea, spokesperson for the countrys National Election Commission (NEC), told RFA.

Over the past 14 days, there was no violence or threats, he said. The NEC received only 52 complaints during the campaign period. The campaigns were helped with good security and order, he said.

But Kang Savang, a coordinator at the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (Comfrel), noted that the property of opposing political parties have been destroyed and civil servants have abused their positions by using government resources for campaign activities.

Comfrel is urging the government to review the status of civil servants, members of the military and court officials, who participated in campaign activities, he told RFA, because these people cannot serve the public while out campaigning.

Were giving these recommendations so the law can be strengthened by using this years experience to improve the situation ahead of the 2023 general election, he said.

Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Ukraine will fight to recover all its territory that has been occupied by Russian forces, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said as Ukrainian forces struggled to hold on to the eastern city of Syevyerodonetsk.

The Ukrainian military reported that during the day on June 7 in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Russian troops fired on more than 16 settlements, killing one civilian and injuring six.



Ukrainian defenders repulsed 11 enemy attacks, and fighting was still going on at two locations, the military said. Ukrainian forces claimed to have destroyed three Russian tanks, five artillery systems, several vehicles, and three ammunition depots.



Air-defense units shot down two drones in the skies over the Donbas, the Ukrainian military said. None of the claims could be independently verified.

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.

Zelenskiy said earlier that Ukrainian forces were still holding out in Syevyerodonetsk despite being outnumbered and outgunned by the Russian military.

He said intense house-to-house fighting and the Russians' indiscriminate shelling had turned Syevyerodonetsk and its twin city of Lysychansk into "dead cities."

Regional head Serhiy Hayday said on June 7 Ukrainian forces were finding it hard to stave off Russian attacks in the center of Syevyerodonetsk, but Moscow's forces did not control the city. Hayday also said Russian troops were constantly shelling Lysychansk, which lies across the Siverskiy Donets River.

If captured, the two strategic targets that are still in Ukrainian hands would deliver Russian forces the entire eastern Luhansk region.

The Ukrainian armed forces said in a morning update on June 7 that Russia's "main efforts" remain focused on Syevyerodonetsk and on nearby Bakhmut, where another counterattack had been launched.

The Russians' advance last month toward Popasna, some 50 kilometers south of Syevyerodonetsk, stalled last week, Britain's Defense Ministry said on June 7 in its daily intelligence bulletin.

The bulletin said that Moscow will "almost certainly" need to achieve a breakthrough either in Popasna, or north of Syevyerodonetsk, in the Izyum area if it wants to achieve "success and progress towards its political objective of controlling all of Donetsk Oblast."

Zelenskiy said in his nightly address on June 6 that there may be more than 2,500 prisoners from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol now detained by the Russians in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine.

Zelenskiy said the Russians' intentions regarding those prisoners were changing constantly. Moscow-backed separatist officials in Donetsk have spoken of putting some of the Azovstal defenders on trial for alleged human rights abuses in Ukraine.

The bodies of some Ukrainian troops killed during the siege of Azovstal have been returned by the Russian forces to Ukraine, the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders said.

The association said forensic examination of the bodies may take up to three months. Relatives of the victims are participating in identification procedures.

The Ukrainian military said the Russians had handed over 210 bodies of Ukrainian fighters, most of whom who died defending the city of Mariupol from Russian forces at the vast steel works.



Mariupol residents have been facing a growing humanitarian crisis, compounded by acute shortages of food and water.

A Ukrainian official said June 6 that contamination from decomposing corpses and rubbish had sparked a cholera outbreak -- prompting a citywide quarantine.

"We are seeing the city get closed off," Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to the city's mayor, told the media.

Zelenskiy also said the country is hoping to create secure corridors that would allow its ships to export grain from Black Sea ports blocked by the fighting.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on June 7 arrived in Turkey for talks on unblocking grain exports from Ukraine.

Turkey has offered to escort maritime convoys from Ukraine's Black Sea ports, which have been blocked by Moscow's forces.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on June 7 said Poland was in the process of signing a wide-ranging treaty for the delivery of weapons to Ukraine.

The deal is "one of the biggest, if not the biggest weapons export deal of the last 30 years," Morawiecki said after visiting a Polish armaments company. He said the weapons would be critical in helping Ukraine drive out the Russian invaders.

He did not provide specifics on the kinds of weapons to be transferred or other details of the deal, but during a presentation at the company, he and Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak posed in front of self-propelled gun systems.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said radiation detectors in the exclusion zone around Ukraine's defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant are back online for the first time since Russia seized the area on February 24. Radiation levels are normal, the UN nuclear watchdog said.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, CNN, BBC, dpa, and AP
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has accused the "enemy-- a reference mainly to the United States -- of seeking to use protests to destabilize the Islamic Republic.

"Today the enemy counts on popular demonstrations to strike the Islamic system," Khamenei said in a speech on the anniversary of the death of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini on June 4.

Khamenei, 82, said Iran's enemies try to pit its citizens against the Islamic system through psychological warfare, the Internet, and financial support.

Anti-government protests have increased in Iran in recent years.

Iranian security forces have brutally clamped down on popular protests over corruption that led to the collapse of a building in the southern city of Abadan, killing at least 38 people on May 23.

The collapse of the residential building has highlighted rising anger at Irans establishment.

Protesters initially directed their fury at local authorities, but the target of their protests quickly turned to the clerical regime, with demonstrators chanting Death to Khamenei and "Death to the dictator," also a reference to the supreme leader.

Authorities have disrupted the Internet and used tear gas to quell the rallies.

Before the protests over the building collapse, authorities had faced weeks of demonstrations in at least seven provinces over the skyrocketing prices of basic food items.

Iran has been struggling under the effect of sanctions reimposed by the United States since 2018 and this has been exacerbated by rising prices worldwide following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February.

Based on reporting by AFP, AP, RFE/RLs Radio Farda
An outspoken parent of one of the sailors feared to have died in the sinking of the Russian cruiser Moskva says hes been questioned at his home by Russias security services, who also seized his laptop.

Dmitry Shkrebets said he fears authorities will try to plant information on his computer to charge him under an article of the Russian Criminal Code that forbids reporting false information about an act of terrorism.

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.

They definitely cant find anything there because theres nothing there. You cannot find a black cat in a dark room, especially if it is not there, Skhrebets told Current Time, the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA.



On June 2, Shkrebets wrote on VKontakte, Russias largest social-media network, that agents from an unidentified security agency had visited his apartment and questioned him about alleged bomb threats.



"Apparently, it seemed to someone that the tragic death of my son did not shock me enough, not enough grief, not enough trouble," he wrote on VKontakte, which is known as VK. "Someone wanted to turn me into scumbag terrorist."



According to Shkrebets, security service officers claimed that under his name, messages were sent to some organizations with bomb threats by e-mail."



He denied these allegations, calling them "absurd."



His son, Yegor Shkrebets, was a cook aboard the guided-missile cruiser Moskva in the Black Sea when it was reportedly struck by two Ukrainian Neptune missiles on April 13 while far from shore. Moscow attributed the disaster to an ammunition explosion.



The flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, the Moskva, which had about 500 crew members on board, caught fire and sank in stormy weather the following day, before reaching port.

The elder Shkrebets said naval officers contacted him shortly after the incident to say his 20-year-old son was not dead but rather included among the missing, a statement he seemed to find incredulous considering the circumstances.

He soon became one of the most vocal parents of the Moskva crew, demanding answers from authorities about their fate.



Shkrebets criticized the military authorities actions over the sinking of the Moskva, calling for punishment against all those responsible for letting conscripts take part in the war with Ukraine.



President Vladimir Putin initially denied that conscripts were participating in Russias invasion of Ukraine, yet later admitted they "take part."



'Vile Silence'



Shkrebets told Current Time that he continues to seek answers from authorities and vows he will not remain silent.



Whether I succeed in getting those responsible held accountableyou understand, that I can only speak and write, the levers of power are in the hands of others, Shkrebets said.

The virtual media blackout of the incident and its aftermath shocks Shkrebets.



Try to find some fresh news on the Internet that relates to the Moskva cruiser! You won't find anything. Neither about the crew nor about the cruiser -- you will not find anything. I am amazed! How is it possible if we have a free society and a free country? Why don't we discuss this? he asked.



Shkrebets also said he stirs clear of Russian state-run media, which has been under strict Kremlin rules about how to report on what is happening in Ukraine.



Believe it or not, I haven't watched TV since April 17. I feel sick when I turn on the TV channels. I tried to turn it on to watch the news once -- I just felt sick, I turned it off. I don't watch TV anymore; I don't want to watch it. After this hypocrisy, this vile silence, I cannot forgive them.



Three days after the Moskva sank, the Russian Defense Ministry issued a video -- broadcast on state-run media  which was said to show surviving crewmen from the guided-missile cruiser.

However, doubts quickly emerged regarding the authenticity of the footage.

Asked whether he still supports what Putin has termed Russias special military operation in Ukraine, Shkrebets declined to answer.



I will not answer this question. I won't. I will keep my opinion on this to myself.

Written by Tony Wesolowsky based on an interview by Timofei Rozhanskiy
Only a few thousand Russians have publicly protested against the invasion of Ukraine, risking arrest, fines, imprisonment, dismissal from their jobs, and more to take a principled stand.

The government, with its tightening grip on the national media and its powerful law enforcement machinery, has spared no effort to stifle such dissent and to prevent those who oppose the war from getting their message out to the broader public.



RFE/RL has spoken to many of those who have protested across the country to find out why they felt compelled to take the risk and to hear their stories in their own words.



Vyacheslav Chernov

Vyacheslav Chernov is a 48-year-old businessman from the town of Tashtarol in the Kemerovo region of Siberia. He has twice been charged with extremism for his political activism, and his business has been targeted by local officials. This country has 1,001 ways to destroy whatever you hold dear, he told RFE/RL.

He has served an administrative jail term for his anti-war statements, but answered defiantly when asked if he fears a prison term might be next.



Why should I be afraid? Chernov said. I am speaking the truth. And if I have to suffer  Im not ashamed to suffer for the truth. What is the point of living comfortably if your conscience is troubled? That is torture, not life. If I lose myself, that would be a bigger catastrophe for me than losing my freedom. If the authorities think they can break me by sending me to prison, let them try.



Aikhal Ammosov

Aikhal Ammosov is an activist and musician in the eastern Siberian city of Yakutsk who has twice been convicted of hooliganism for anti-war graffiti. He currently faces criminal charges for discrediting the armed forces for spraying the slogan No war. He said he was held five days in solitary confinement after his detention and was threatened with a gun and a taser: They tried to break me, mentally.



He told RFE/RL he is certain he will be sent to prison.



The scary thing is that these cases against me are being used to shut up everyone who is for peace, he said. They catch people like me, and everyone in Yakutsk becomes afraid. We are too far from Moscow and St. Petersburg. There is no protection here. There are practically no human rights defenders at all.



I think a lot of people are frightened in Yakutsk, Ammosov said. They have been terrorizing us since Soviet times. Our parents and our grandparents were very frightened people If Russia is a dictatorship, then Yakutia is an ultra-dictatorship. Here you can be crippled for life for having an opinion other than the official one.



When coffins start coming back, people will understand and when their eyes are opened, they will take to the streets, Ammosov said. But for now it is as if they want more war, more bloodshed. Well destroy Ukraine and then go further. People are so caught up in all that and so intolerant of people who think differentlythat they seriously threaten them, following them around and saying: We will take you around the corner and break your arms and legs.

Ammosov said he has been stealthily carrying out anti-war activities since the day of Russias large-scale invasion of Ukraine, February 24.



I even quit my jobin order to fight against the war full time, he said. They searched for me for two months, more or less. I was in hiding, staying different places every night.



Maria Ponomarenko

Maria Ponomarenko is a journalist from Barnaul in Siberias Altai region. She is currently in pretrial custody in St. Petersburg, facing a criminal charge of discrediting the armed forces for a social media post about the Russian bombing of civilians in Ukraines Mariupol. She faces up to 10 years in prison.



She responded to written questions from her jail cell.



[The war on] Ukraine is painful, she wrote. A pain in the soul, in the heart, in the mind. When the war started, I felt deep despair because it seemed impossible to stop this fratricidal madness. I have the right to call it war. In the first weeks, and even now, I felt devastating emotions, a sense of guilt. But I have done everything I could. I wasnt silent. I didnt give consent. Silence in Russia today is equivalent to abetting a crime.



A repressive machine is shutting our mouths, Ponomarenko continued. But even under such conditions, when you might be imprisoned for five or 10 years, we find brave people who refuse to take upon themselves the burden of participating in the murder of the civilian population of Ukraine. We are fighting, although there arent many of us. Much depends on free Russians now. If just 5 percent of Russians find the courage and determination, changes will come.



Anna Krivonos

Anna Krivonos is a journalist in the Far Eastern city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. She was fined 30,000 rubles ($475) for a social media post from March 2 called Sakhalin Oblast Wants Peace that urged people to sign on to her anti-war statement.



When she wrote the post, she said, she was certain that she could convince people that the war in Ukraine was immoral and dangerous.



I was absolutely convinced of this, she said. I thought that people who supported this hell simply hadnt thought about it enough.



The passage of time, though, has changed her opinion.



For all these months, people could find any information, they could check and recheck it from many sources, Krivonos said. If they wanted to. If someone is supporting what is going on now, it is a conscious choice. There is nothing more to talk about. I was thinking recently that I am going to the police, to the court, and all for nothing.



In fact, even back then, in early April, there was no point, she added. The signatures came slowly. Some people signed and then asked me to remove their names, saying theyd changed their minds. I have many friends but out of all of them, only three signed. It was a painful lesson.



Her court hearing lasted just a few minutes, Krivonos said, but it made a lasting impression on her.



I had some very strange feelings, she recalled. For some reason, there was a sense of freedom, of absolute certainty, and of truth. Earlier, I felt anxiety and fear. But in the courtroom -- only freedom. I think the judge, a woman about my age, had strange feelings too. I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and say: You dont have to do this. You have a choice. Because I even felt sorry for her.



Aleksandr Dneprov

Aleksandr Dneprov is a 33-year-old computer specialist in Naberezhnye Chelny, the second-largest city in the Tatarstan region. He has been conducting one-man antiwar pickets since April. Unusually, he has not been approached by the police. No one has taken interest in me, he said.



Asked to describe his feelings on February 24, when Russia launched its unprovoked war in Ukraine, Dneprov said one of them was shame.



There were mixed feelings -- shame and disbelief that our president had committed such a monstrous crime, he said. I wouldnt say that I was afraid -- I was hurt and ashamed in front of the Ukrainian people.



Previously I hadnt felt like a participant in any political events, Dneprov continued. But on that day, I felt that it was not possible to be silent anymore. We had to admit that we were guilty. Could we have stopped this earlier? It is a hard question because we didnt know it would come to this. I never believed my government could commit such aggression.



This whole story was cooked up by Russia itself and only Russia is to blame, he added.



Kamil Churayev

Kamil Churayev is a designer and artist in Ufa, the capital of the Bashkortostan region. He has held three one-man pickets against the war but has not been detained.



What happened and what is happening is so terrible and significant -- touching literally every one of us -- that it would be dishonest to pretend that somehow it doesn't involve you, Churayev told RFE/RL. The pickets were a natural reaction, a desire to convey to people that I am personally against what is happening. What can I do? I can scribble on a piece of paper and go outside [to protest]. There is nothing else.



My friends from Ukraine write that it is important for them to see support from people in Russia, he added.



I consider it my sacred right to call things by their real names, Churayev said. If a war is going on, I will call it a war.



Ravil Sharafutdinov

Ravil Sharafutdinov is a 29-year-old lawyer from Syzran, a city in the Samara region. He became the first citizen of Syzran to be detained for protesting the war when he carried out a one-person picket on May 3. He was fined 30,000 rubles ($475) for discrediting the armed forces.



From the very beginning, I was categorically against the war, he told RFE/RL.



But it was only after about 10 weeks of war that he protested in public.



I guess it became physically difficult to stay silent, he said. My conscience wouldnt calm down. With each day the difference between black and white became clearer and clearer. And it isnt possible to balance between black and white. You understand that if you want to remain in the light, you have to cross the line and stop doing nothing. At least, thats what it was like for me.



In March, he said, he tried to protest.



I tried to take a poster into the center of the city, he recalled. I stood for a few minutes and realized that I wasnt ready to be taken away in a police van to a cell. I have three small children and a wife.



Later he reasoned that such pickets are not illegal.



I might get a fine or spend a few days in jail, he said, but at least I would remain a human being.



Despite his arrest, Sharafutdinov plans to continue protesting, although he hopes to avoid criminal charges.



But if it comes to a criminal case, so be it, he said. Ill go to court. Ill defend myself.



Yevgenia Isayeva

Yevgenia Isayeva is an artist in St. Petersburg. Shortly after the February 24 invasion, she appeared in the center of the city in a white dress, smeared in blood-red paint. Her protest lasted 10 minutes, and she was sentenced to eight days in jail for petty hooliganism.



My protestwas a sort of experience of freedom for me, she said. Since February 24, I was unable to live normally. I felt bad and for the first time in many years, I had panic attacks. But this gesture helped me. I felt better.



State propaganda tries to convince everyone that people like me have lost our minds, Isayeva said. But I have not lost my mind. I told the police at the station that history will judge us and that it will happen quite soon.



We are all prisoners of this system, she added. But if we just throw up our hands, then all this blackness will swallow us up, devour us. But there are absolute truths that we must speak.



Now is the best moment to act, Isayeva said, and not to throw up ones hands. We must help one another. Turning inward and feeling guilty, in my opinion, is not productive.

Written by Robert Coalson based on reporting by RFE/RLs Idel.Realities, North.Realities, and Siberia.Realities.
Timur, a graphic designer from St. Petersburg, was among tens of thousands of middle-class Russians who fled the country in March, seeking to escape the harsh economic and political fallout from the war in Ukraine.

Like many other tech industry professionals, Timur can work remotely, so he kept his job at a Russian company as he gets settled into his new life in the northwestern Kazakh city of Aqtobe.

Before moving here I imagined Kazakhstan as a somewhat backward, not-quite-so developed country; something like a big village. But I was pleasantly surprised when I came here, he told RFE/RL.

Public services are more digitized here than in Russia. For example, even in this relatively small city of Aqtobe, you can pay for public transport with a QR code, Timur said. Food is cheaper here than in St. Petersburg, while the quality is much better. Many services, too, are two to three times cheaper here.

Timur, 25, didnt want to give his full name as he fears for the safety of his family members in Russia.

Kazakhstan wasnt the first choice for Timur when he decided to leave Russia. Most of the Russians who left their country abruptly because of the war initially wanted to go to the West.

But because of a lack of visas, flights, tickets, and financial resources, many ended up in post-Soviet countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus.

When I was in an Aqtobe bank to open an account, workers told me that an unbelievably high number of Russians have moved here and [have come to the bank since the war began on] February 24, Timur said.

Russian is still widely spoken in many parts of Central Asia, a factor that has made Russian emigres' transition to their new lives much easier, according to Timur and others.

Timur hasnt yet sought a residency permit. As a Russian citizen, he is eligible to stay in Kazakhstan visa-free for up to three months.

But he hasnt yet abandoned plans to move to a country in the European Union.

In neighboring Kyrgyzstan, Marina and her adult son -- also emigres from St. Petersburg -- are already calling Bishkek their new, "forever" home.

I dont want to be in Russia anymore. Of course, I could go to protests, but they wont change anything anytime soon, Marina told RFE/RL.

Marina, 65, has rented out her St. Petersburg apartment for about $400 a month. The income from that easily covers her living costs in the very affordable Kyrgyz capital, where the mother and son rent a wonderful, three-room apartment in a decent neighborhood.

We can use our Russian debit cards to withdraw money or purchase goods in shops, Marina said. The Internet is good, too.

Marina has already applied for permanent residency and is looking for work. A childrens psychologist by profession, Marina wants to start or join a project that works with disabled children.

Wait And See

Its not known how many Russians have moved to Central Asia since February. But the numbers were high enough to drive rent prices up in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, and other cities in the region.

There were many highly skilled professionals among those fleeing Russia, which caused something of a brain drain in the country.

Just a month after the war began, the Russian Association of Electronic Communications said that up to 70,000 information technology specialists had already left and up to 100,000 others were on their way out.

Uzbekistan saw an opportunity to lure them in an effort to boost its own IT industry. Tashkents offer of expedited work and residency permits, tax benefits, and housing and child-care assistance attracted thousands of Russian IT workers within weeks.

Russian IT specialists generally have better qualifications than the local specialists here, said Eldar, a 30-year-old postgraduate student from Moscow. There is a high demand in the Uzbek labor marker for tech workers and English teachers. These are among the high-earning jobs in this country.

Eldar flew to Tashkent in March with a plan to stay there for a short while, as he thought the war wouldnt last long.

But the military conflict didnt end as quickly as he had hoped it would, and he still remains in Uzbekistan.

Eldar has found his life in Uzbekistan relatively easy so far, as there are not many cultural barriers, everybody around him speaks Russian, and he hasnt noticed any anti-Russian sentiment that he felt in some other former Soviet countries.

I had been to Tbilisi, where many young people dont speak Russian and answer you back in English, he said.

In Uzbekistan, knowledge of Russian is considered an advantage when applying for a job. Its not seen as the language of the occupiers, there are no negative connotations here.

Even with the newly inflated rent prices, Eldar said it is still possible to find a fairly good one-room apartment in Tashkent for $400 a month.

Eldar doesnt know what the immediate future holds for him. He has applied for a position at a university in Germany where he had studied for a postgraduate degree.

He wants to return home unless developments in Russia turn out to be completely monstrous. Eldar said he will wait and watch to see how the situation unfolds.

'We Must Treat People Better'

Maksim, a 35-year-old small-business owner, has already returned to his home city of Volgograd in Russias southwest after spending several weeks in Tajikistan.

Most of the passengers on the midnight flight that took Maksim to Dushanbe in early March were anxious fellow Russians fleeing a country that was thrown into uncertainty with the Kremlins invasion of Ukraine.

But Tajikistan was just a transit stop for them as many on the plane planned to move to a third country.

Maksim met more newly arrived Russians at a Dushanbe hostel where he spent the first few days of his life as an emigre.

My first morning in a completely unfamiliar city, I had breakfast, read the news, and called my parents. I even cried a bit. It was sad and scary, and I had no idea where I would go from here, said Maksim, describing his first impressions.

He said he felt better when he and several other Russians took a walk around the city and quickly saw a sign that COVID vaccinations were being offered for free at a nearby clinic.

Maksim said they decided to get Western-made vaccines that werent available in Russia, which relies almost entirely on domestically made Sputnik shots.

We found the clinic, got Pfizer jabs, and were issued certificates. Absolutely no questions, no obstacles! he recalls.

Maksim soon found out that he was almost the only one among the Russians he met in Dushanbe who didnt have any clear plan in hand. Also, everybody else was still doing their work remotely. Within days some of them left for Turkey or Uzbekistan.

It seemed that I had left Russia purely on emotions and did not know what to do next. And I started looking at return tickets, Maksim said.

Now, I knew what I wanted: In Russia, I have my family, my work that I enjoy, and my employees that Im responsible for. Outside Russia, I have nothing.

Maksim spent a few more days in Dushanbe and also traveled to the countryside, where he recalls being stuck in the middle of a mountainous road amid a snowstorm. He and the cab driver spent the night in a nearby village.

In Tajikistan you can approach a stranger, ask them for help, and they will always help you, he said.

Speaking to RFE/RL from Volgograd, Maksim said one of the lessons he learned during his brief spell as an emigre in Central Asia is that Russians should treat Central Asian migrants better.

I felt ashamed, frankly. People from Tajikistan come to Russia for work, they work hard, but we dont see them as our equals, he said. But when we went to Tajikistan we were treated with kindness.

Written by Farangis Najibullah with interviews by RFE/RLs Russian Service
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has vowed that Ukrainian forces' "heroic defense" of the Donbas region will continue despite being outnumbered and outgunned by the invading Russian military, as fierce street fighting continued for the control of the key city of Syevyerdonetsk.

"Our soldiers are successfully holding back the assault in the city of Syevyerodonetsk," the Ukrainian military's General Staff said on June 8, adding its troops were also holding off attacks in Toshkyvka and Ustynyvka to the south.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the major developments on Russia's invasion, how Kyiv is fighting back, the plight of civilians, and Western reaction. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

The Luhansk region's governor, Serhiy Hayday, said that Lysychansk, which is across the river from Syevyerodonetsk, was also being shelled.



The reports could not be immediately verified.



The strategic city of Syevyerodonetsk is currently the target of Russia's assault after their forces were repelled from other parts of Ukraine following the February invasion.



"The occupiers did not believe that the resistance of our military would be so strong," Zelenskiy said in his nightly address late on June 7. "The absolutely heroic defense of Donbas continues," he said.



Intense street fighting has raged in Syevyerodonetsk for days, with the situation on the ground changing rapidly.



Russia claimed on June 7 that residential areas in Syevyerodonetsk had been "fully liberated" while Ukrainian forces still held the industrial zone and surrounding settlements.



But the British Defense Ministry said on June 8 that It is unlikely that either side had gained "significant ground" in the last 24 hours.



The Ukrainian defenses are holding, the ministry said in its daily intelligence bulletin, despite Russia's continued assault on the city from three directions.



The British intelligence report assessed that Russian forces have been solely concentrating their offensive on the central Donbas sector and have remained on the defensive on its flanks.



The report also said Ukrainians had even achieved some success recently "by counterattacking in the southwestern Kherson region, including regaining a foothold on the eastern bank of the Ingulets River."

WATCH: Mykola Kulychenko says a Russian soldier placed a gun to his mouth and tried to execute him, but that he jerked his head as the trigger was pulled.

Meanwhile, Russian news agency TASS reported that more than 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers who were taken prisoner in the Azovstal steel plant in the city of Mariupol have been transferred to Russia for investigation.



"More than 1,000 people from Azovstal were brought to Russia. Law enforcement organs are working with them closely," TASS quoted a law enforcement source as saying.



Ukraine is seeking the handover of all the estimated 2,000 fighters from the Azovstal plant in a prisoner swap, but Russian lawmakers have demanded that some of the soldiers be put on trial.



Zelenskiy said the Russians' intentions regarding those prisoners were changing constantly.



On June 7, footage emerged of three men, reported to be Britons Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner and Moroccan Saaudun Brahim, in what appears to be a court dock in territory held by Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.



The three are reportedly charged with being mercenaries, although their families say they were in Ukraine's military.



It is feared that a separatist court, which is not internationally recognized, could condemn the three to death if it finds them guilty.



The bodies of some Ukrainian fighters killed during the siege of Azovstal have been returned by the Russian forces to Ukraine, the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders said.



The association said forensic examination of the bodies may take up to three months. Relatives of the victims are participating in identification procedures.



The Ukrainian military said the Russians had handed over 210 bodies of Ukrainian troops, most of whom who died defending the city of Mariupol from Russian forces at the vast steel works.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, CNN, BBC, dpa, and AP
Russia has so far failed to achieve its military objectives since invading Ukraine, but the chances are still high that President Vladimir Putin may attempt another assault on the capital, Kyiv, says a Ukrainian legislator who is now serving in the countrys military.

Roman Kostenko, a special forces commander and member of the liberal pro-European Holos (Voice) party, made his remarks in an interview on June 3 with Current Time, the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. He was speaking as Russias unprovoked invasion of Ukraine entered its 100th day.

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.

Russian military forces are now largely focused on seizing controlling of the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, also known collectively as the Donbas. Moscow has made seizing the whole eastern Donbas a key objective of its unprovoked invasion after being pushed back from Kyiv.

However, the Ukrainian capital could face a second Russian assault with the likelihood of such a scenario possibly dependent on Belarus, explained Kostenko, who also serves as secretary of the national security, defense, and intelligence committee.

Alyaksandr Lukashenka, the authoritarian ruler of Belarus and close Putin ally, has said his troops are not taking part in Russias invasion, but the countrys territory has served as a launchpad for Russia to send thousands of troops across the border since the invasion began on February 24.

Belarus is also our enemy, and we understand this. A country, that allowed our enemies to use its territory to kill our civilians, its leaders are also our enemies, said Kostenko.

Given the ongoing security risk posed by Belarus, Ukrainian forces were being deployed along their common border, which stretches some 1,080 kilometers, Kostenko explained.

We regard this threat as high. Either the Russians will be able to enter there if they gather forces and announce a mobilization, or they talk the Belarusians into taking part.

Buoyed by Russian advances in Donbas, the Kremlin is reportedly contemplating a second assault on Kyiv, the Latvia-based independent Meduza news outlet reported on May 27.

In the early days of the invasion, Kostenko said, the Russian military gravely miscalculated what would await them in Ukraine.

They hoped that the population of Ukraine would clearly support them and that with the help of these people they would not have to conduct long-term military operations here. They expected light skirmishes, that the Ukrainian Army would lay down their arms and Russia would take control of the entire territory, Kostenko said. As a result, there were these long [military] columns, that we hit with great precision. They had no communications, no coordination, no joint operations. They just went to the slaughter.

Huge Setback

Russias inability to achieve air supremacy in the skies over Ukraine was another huge setback for the Russian military, Kostenko noted.

They tried to destroy our airfields with cruise missiles, they tried to destroy our radars and they did not succeed. And Russian planes, I know for certain, that they are afraid to fly into the territory of Ukraine; they are afraid to be bombed along the front line, because our air defense still terrifies them.

Since then, the Russian military has learned and adapted, Kostenko explained.

They have started setting up defensive positions; they have begun to use their equipment better; they are incorporating artillery. They are learning and it has become a more difficult fight for us, he added.

Russias military has increased its use of tactical air to support its creeping advance in the Donbas, Britains Defense Ministry said in its daily intelligence bulletin on June 4.

Ukraines fighting capability is also improving, Kostenko pointed out, thanks in large part to the more sophisticated and lethal weapons being supplied by Ukraines Western partners.

If we have long-range artillery and precision artillery, then this requires one tactic. When we were fighting with Cold War-era weapons, that required a different tactic, Kostenko said.

Longer-Range Missiles

Ukrainian officials have been asking allies for longer-range missile systems that can fire a barrage of rockets hundreds of kilometers away, in the hopes of turning the tide in the three-month-long war.

U.S. President Joe Biden has agreed to provide Ukraine with advanced rocket systems that can strike with precision at targets up to 80 kilometers away.

"We will provide the Ukrainians with more advanced rocket systems and munitions that will enable them to more precisely strike key targets on the battlefield in Ukraine," Biden wrote in a guest essay in The New York Times on May 31.

Although Russian invading military forces may now control up to 20 percent of Ukrainian territory, as Ukrainian President Volodymy Zelenskiy has noted, Kostensko is confident Ukraine will ultimately win.

When we survived the first month [of the Russian invasion], we realized that we had already won. Our country has united, our country was able to and continues to fight back against the Russian Federation. We foiled all the plans that the Russian Federation had. That is the complete occupation of Ukraine; the occupation of the south, and the seizure of our eastern territories, Kostenko offered.

The Russian Federation is active only in the eastern territories, and bloody battles are now taking place there. And Ukrainian troops stubbornly defend their territory. Therefore, we have already won, there are still very big tests ahead of us, but all the people are united with the goal of defeating the Russian Federation and getting their territories back.

Written by Tony Wesolowsky based on an interview by Irina Romaliiska.
Alina Korenyuk remembers exactly where she was 100 days ago when Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

That morning I woke up at 5:30 a.m. and a full-scale war was under way, said the native of Popasna, a town in the Luhansk region. We were called to a meeting at my work and everything was explained to us. Then my family made the decision to flee to [the central Ukrainian city of] Kryviy Rih. There was shelling as we drove out -- I was driving one car and my husband followed in his.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the major developments on Russia's invasion, how Kyiv is fighting back, the plight of civilians, and Western reaction. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

The kids asked me to close the windows so they couldnt hear the explosions, said Korenyuk, who is now a refugee in the United Kingdom. But I had to keep them open so I could hear what direction the shelling was coming from.

She still has difficulty believing that February 23 was the last night she would spend in her home.

I never thought that on February 24 we would gather up what we could and that I would end up with only the things I could take with me, she told Current Time, the Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. You make plans for your life. We had plans. Now, I cant say what will come next.

Popasna was the scene of fighting in 2014-15, when Russia seized Ukraines Crimean Peninsula and fomented a separatist conflict in the part of the eastern Ukrainian region known as the Donbas. Korenyuks mothers home was badly damaged at that time.

But no one left, Korenyuk said. We rebuilt it and she kept living there.

In the ensuing years, the city began to rebuild, she said. Streets were repaired and improved. Fountains were installed. People began making plans for the future. Now, after 100 days of war, the town is in ruins, and the plans of its residents are in tatters.

Adding Insult To Injury

For Korenyuk and her family, insult was added to injury when they saw a Reuters photograph of a Russian tank bearing the Latin letter 'Z,' which has become the Russian governments symbol for its so-called special military operation in Ukraine, that was taken in Popasna on May 26.

More specifically, it was the box, bed linens, and other items strapped to the top of the tank that caught their attention in the photograph, which they could tell had been taken about a five-minute drive from their home.

My husband sent me a message on WhatsApp saying: Do you notice anything strange? Korenyuk said. I began to look carefully. Naturally, I didnt notice the box with the hot-water heater at first. The first thing I saw was the childrens bed linen, which we had never managed to use. They were Disney sheets.

By all appearances, the items on the tank had been looted from the Korenyuks home. The box contained a hot-water heater that the family had purchased around New Years and planned to install this year when they renovated their kitchen.

Plus, when I looked more closely at the photograph, I recognized an old bedcover that we used out in the yard and a green tablecloth that was in the cupboard in my kitchen, she said. And there was something wrapped up in these things, but there is no way to tell what it might be. I think it could be our television and other things like that.

Widespread Evidence

There have been widespread reports and evidence of Russian looting since the early days of the war. In April, a Belarusian Telegram channel published extensive video footage apparently showing Russian soldiers sending tons of parcels back to Russia. The journalists believed the parcels contained goods stolen in Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials accused Russia of looting hundreds of thousands of tons of Ukrainian grain from the territory Moscows military controls in southern and eastern Ukraine.

Last month, an opposition Telegram channel in Chechnya, 1ADAT, published video purporting to show Russian troops from the North Caucasus region sending stolen Ukrainian agricultural equipment back to Russia.

Looting during war time is prohibited by international law and considered a war crime.

It was pure chance that my things ended up in that photograph, Korenyuk said. There were about 15,000 people living in Popasna who are now in approximately the same situation as I am now. They have no shelter, no possessions. Some have it even worse, with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. We at least were able to grab a few things, take our documents with us.

It isnt enough that they destroyed so much -- do they have to steal, too? she added. They have stolen every last thing they didnt destroy.

Robert Coalson contributed to this report.
The Womens Museum of California Is Back With a New Space and a Refreshed Vision

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AU head, Putin discuss suspension of sanctions on cereals, political solution to ongoing conflict

Xinhua) 15:10, June 04, 2022

ADDIS ABABA, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Chairperson of the African Union (AU) and Senegalese President Macky Sall on Friday discussed the suspension of sanctions against cereals and the need for a political solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict with the Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Russia.

Sall, accompanied by the AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, held "wide-ranging discussions" with Putin to reiterate the AU's position for the need of a political solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and its grave human, economic costs to the region and the world, Mahamat said in a Twitter post on Friday evening.

"We appealed for the suspension of sanctions against cereals and other key commodities; the need for their safe sea passage to mitigate the devastating economic and socio-economic effects of a growing food and energy crisis, further hampering global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic," Mahamat added.

The two AU officials further underscored "the historical, strong fraternal relations between Russia and Africa."

They also expressed the African continent's "fervent wish for compromise and dialogue to allow a negotiated settlement in the interests of global peace and stability," Mahamat said.

The Senegalese presidency in a press release on Thursday said the visit by the two officials is aimed at "freeing up stocks of cereals and fertilizers, the blockage of which particularly affects African countries," and also easing the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

In March and April, Macky Sall had phone conversations separately with Putin and the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
Coronavirus cases have fallen in the Bay Area over the past week  the first glimpse of the latest surge having hit its peak, though health experts cautioned Friday that the virus remains widespread in the region and it may be too soon to say the worst is over for all counties.

State data released Friday shows cases leveling off or dropping in most of the region for the first time in more than two months. Daily average cases have declined every day for the past week, and are down about 20% from two weeks ago; in San Francisco, average daily cases have fallen under 500 as of Friday, from about 600 two weeks ago.

Still, the declining numbers come even as five counties  Marin, Napa, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma  on Thursday were placed in the highest risk category as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And Alameda County became the first in the state to reinstate a local indoor mask mandate, largely in response to spiking COVID hospitalizations.

The mixed bag of reports underscore the ongoing challenges of interpreting COVID risk in a community, health experts said. But the overriding takeaway is that even if this surge is finally starting to level off, there is still a lot of virus circulating and people should remain cautious  including wearing masks indoors, whether theyre required or not.

I suspect we may be getting out of this current surge, said Dr. George Rutherford, an infectious disease expert at UCSF. But it may take another two or three weeks for it to really abate.

Experts also warned that the rapid emergence of multiple coronavirus variants could prolong this surge even as it declines, or trigger a new wave before the current one is fully over.

This surge has been fueled largely by the BA.2 variant in California, though another variant  BA.2.12.1  also has driven cases, and two more highly infectious variants are just now being detected.

Theres a decent likelihood that well see this handoff between dominant variants, and we may get part of the way down the curve, and then the next variant takes over, said Joshua Salomon, an infectious disease expert at Stanford. This is definitely a period when its pretty hard to try to anticipate whats coming over the next weeks or months.

The Bay Area as a whole as of Friday was reporting about 3,500 cases a day on average, down about 20% from what may have been the peak of 4,500 cases a day two weeks ago.

Health officials note that actual cases are far higher than whats reported, due to so many people testing at home now or not testing at all.

Statewide, cases appear to be leveling off but not yet falling. And not all Bay Area counties are yet on a clear downward trend, though all appear to be at least hitting a plateau; cases were flat week over week in Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, as of Friday.

Ive been fooled so many times by COVID, even during this wave, that Im very cautious to say that weve peaked, said Dr. Nicholas Moss, the Alameda County health officer. In some of the counties the data is more convincing, but its too soon for us to call it.

Other health experts similarly warned that cases may be artificially lower at the moment due to lack of testing over the long Memorial Day weekend, and they worry that numbers will begin to climb again in another week or two. They also note that graduations, weddings and other events taking place this month could lead to further increases in cases.

Our cases are being driven in many cases by gatherings, said Dr. Matt Willis, the Marin County health officer. Almost any large indoor gathering is a super-spreader event at this point.

Willis said hes fairly confident that the surge is leveling off in Marin County, based on case reports, the positive test rate and hospitalizations. None of those metrics has fallen dramatically, but all are notably down from one or two weeks ago, he said.

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He added that he was surprised that the county was placed in the CDCs top-risk tier on Thursday. He suspects its due to how the CDC calculates community risk, which may involve lumping multiple counties together.

The CDCs three-tiered risk calculator takes into account local case rates and hospitalizations, and whether hospitals may be under stress due to high COVID patient loads.

Ive been reluctant to call a plateau, because theres been so much unpredictability in this surge, Willis said. But now were looking at more than two weeks under our belt of ever slightly declining case counts. Transmission remains very high  I would call this a high plateau.

Though he said he does not plan to follow Alameda Countys lead and bring back a local mask mandate, he said he strongly advises people to wear face coverings in indoor public spaces  something most people already appear to be doing in Marin County, he added.

Moss said he decided to reorder masks in Alameda County due mostly to rapidly climbing hospitalizations. There were 110 people in the hospital with COVID in the county as of Thursday  a nearly 50% increase in two weeks. He said the decision was further driven by this surge starting to impact Latino communities in the county that have been hit hardest in earlier waves.

We had been saying all along that if we saw impacts on severe disease or the reemergence of disparities and who was being impacted, those would be things that would put a new mask restriction back on the table, Moss said. And that is what were seeing.

Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @erinallday
A federal appeals court barred the government Friday from approving oil drilling off the California coast that relies on fracking, the injection of high-pressure water and chemicals into the earth to release oil deposits, until U.S. officials study potential dangers to the environment and marine life and consider alternatives.

The issue came to light in 2012 when an environmental group discovered that Interior Department agencies under President Barack Obama had issued 51 permits for fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, to stimulate wells in the Outer Continental Shelf off California without any environmental review. After being sued by environmentalists and the state, the administration conducted an environmental assessment in 2016 but found no prospect of significant harm and said more permits could be issued.

In December 2019, however, a federal judge in Los Angeles halted offshore fracking permits and said the government had failed to consider potential harm to endangered species. On Friday, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco went further and said that the governments 2016 assessment was flawed and that it must conduct a full environmental review and consider restrictions on drilling and fracking.

Rather than taking into account the likelihood of harm to sea creatures and the environment, the agencies decided to let fracking proceed unregulated, Judge Ronald Gould said in the 3-0 ruling. He said the government also violated federal law by failing to consider whether its plans were consistent with Californias federally approved Coastal Zone Management Program, which regulates development along most of the states coastline.

This is an amazing victory for Californias coast and marine life, said Kristen Monsell, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. This decision will prevent more toxic chemicals from poisoning fish, sea otters and other marine life. And it brings us a step closer to ending offshore drilling once and for all.

More praise came from state Attorney General Rob Bonta, whose office also challenged the fracking program.

Offshore drilling  particularly fracking  pollutes our waterways, damages our environment, and exacerbates climate change, Bonta said in a statement. We saw the risks of offshore drilling firsthand with the Huntington Beach oil spill last year, and we see it every day in the form of the climate crisis. The spill, from a ruptured pipeline, released about 25,000 gallons of oil off the Orange County coast.

During negotiations in the case, the state suggested measures short of an outright ban on fracking  such as prohibiting it only at certain times and places, limiting the number of discharges per year and publicly disclosing all chemical additives  but the federal government rejected them.

The fracking program has been defended in court by both the Trump and Biden administrations, and oil companies have filed legal arguments in their support. While expressing some reservations about offshore oil drilling, President Biden has continued to issue drilling permits.

In California, by contrast, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an order in April 2021 prohibiting any new fracking permits after 2023, which would effectively ban the practice in the state a year later.

The case involved waters more than three miles off the coast, which by law are regulated by the federal government with input from the states. Fracking was classified as a well-stimulation treatment, which can extract oil unavailable by conventional methods.

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The court said the governments findings in 2016 of no significant environmental impact ignored evidence that discharges from fracking can harm sea creatures and birds, that it can emit air pollutants that cause cancer, and that it can increase the risk of oil spills from older wells.

Enhanced well life and increased production thus come with a potential environmental price, said Gould, a judicial moderate who was joined by two of the courts more conservative judges, J. Clifford Wallace and Carlos Bea.

Quoting members of Congress who filed arguments in the case, the court said there are at least 25 endangered species in the Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary and many more that visit the nearby Santa Barbara Channel, which could be impacted by fracking discharges. Also nearby, the court said, are the submerged remains of the Chumash people, a Native American tribe that has lived in the region for thousands of years, remains present and is represented in the case by the nonprofit Wishtoyo Foundation.

Gould said the federal agencies lacked data on the possible toxic effects of 31 out of 48 substances that can be discharged by fracking. He said the agencies defended their actions with unconvincing rationalizations, such as a claim that any hazardous substances would be diluted by ocean waters.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
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The San Francisco District Attorneys Office has issued subpoenas in an investigation of the 2016 police killing of Luis Gongora Pat in the Mission District, re-examining a case that had been closed since former DA George Gascon declined to file charges against the two officers who fired shots, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Gongora Pat, a 45-year-old homeless man, was one of five people killed by officers between 2014 and 2017 in controversial cases that prompted the U.S. Department of Justice to recommend a slate of reforms and Police Chief Greg Suhr to resign under pressure.

The video-recorded encounter lasted about 30 seconds, sparking accusations that the officers  who said Gongora Pat ignored orders to drop a large kitchen knife and lunged at them  failed to follow de-escalation training.

A spokesperson for District Attorney Chesa Boudin declined to comment Friday on the investigation. But the sources said prosecutors issued subpoenas in recent months seeking testimony or evidence about the shooting and the officers who were involved.

The people who spoke to The Chronicle, who were not authorized to discuss the case, were granted anonymity in accordance with the newspapers policy on confidential sources.

The status of the investigation is unclear. If Boudin is removed from office in Tuesdays recall election, a successor appointed by Mayor London Breed could decide how to proceed. The subpoenas were issued long before the election, but have not been previously reported.

Oakland attorney Adante Pointer, who represents the family of Gongora Pat, said he was relieved to hear the case was being re-examined. He said prosecutors under Gascon, now the district attorney in Los Angeles, overlooked key factors, including that Gongora Pat was initially sitting on the ground when he was approached by officers, one of whom who fired less-lethal beanbag projectile rounds at him.

We felt and knew all along that the officers should have been severely disciplined as well as criminally prosecuted, Pointer said of the case. From our perspective, it never got the attention it deserved.

Alison Berry Wilkinson, an attorney representing Officer Michael Mellone, one of two officers whom Gascon declined to charge over their role in the shooting, said a new investigation would be outlandish. She said the development, if true, suggests that Boudin pursued the case in an attempt to boost his political fortunes.

Evidence clearly established that the officers shot in self-defense, as Gongora charged at them with a knife, Berry Wilkinson said. I cant think of any other reason why (Boudin) would reopen this case that this point other than self-interest. I just find the whole thing puzzling.

If the case were to proceed to trial, Berry Wilkinson said the defense would try to call Gascon as its chief witness since his office released a 35-page report that cleared the officers.

An attorney representing Sgt. Nathaniel Steger, the second officer in the shooting, declined to comment.

Gascon concluded in his report that because the prosecution carries the legal burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers did not shoot in self-defense or in defense of others, the available evidence cannot support the filing of criminal charges in this matter.

The existence of the subpoenas revealed by The Chronicles sources indicates that a criminal grand jury was impaneled to review the killing, though the status of the grand jury is unclear.

Gongora Pat was killed on April 7, 2016, after officers responded to reports that a man was waving a large kitchen knife and acting erratically on Shotwell Street between 18th and 19th streets. Two police officers and a sergeant arrived at the scene and ordered Gongora Pat to drop an 8-inch knife, according to Gascons report.

Gongora Pat initially dropped the knife but picked it back up, the report said. The officers said they commanded him again to drop the weapon in English and Spanish before Mellone fired four beanbag rounds at him.

Thats when Gongora Pat jumped up, knife in hand, and charged at Steger, according to the district attorneys report. Eight witnesses confirmed that account, prosecutors said, but other witnesses gave contradictory statements that investigators said were not supported by the physical evidence.

Steger and Mellone opened fire and hit Gongora Pat six times, including a fatal shot to the head, the report said. The medical examiners report found he was under the influence of methamphetamine at a level enough to kill or hospitalize a non-habitual user.

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Steger remains a police sergeant in San Francisco and was transferred out of a division that oversees department reforms after the shooting. Mellone is an officer in Antioch after quitting San Franciscos police force one day before he could be disciplined; the Internal Affairs division had sought a 10-day suspension against him for allegedly escalating the situation by firing beanbag rounds at Gongora Pat rather than distancing himself, according to media reports.

The shooting became more controversial after surveillance video from a nearby building emerged and showed that only about 30 seconds had passed between the time officers exited their patrol vehicles and when they fired.

If Boudins revived investigation into Gongora Pats killing moves forward, the prosecutors office appears to face a steep road in pursuing in the case. More than six years after Gongora Pats death, the only applicable charge that could be pursued is murder. Felony assault charges have a three-year statute of limitations and manslaughter charges must be leveled in six years.

Laurie Levenson, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and a former federal prosecutor, said the fact that Gascon initially declined to pursue charges would likely have little bearing on a potential case.

It can be evidence in the court of public opinion  you certainly would argue, If the case had major problems before, what makes the difference now? she said. And (defense attorneys) can use it for pretrial motions if theyre alleging some type of misconduct. But its not relevant to evidence in the trial.

Boudins office has pursued criminal prosecutions against nine other officers for alleged misconduct while on the job, including two manslaughter cases related to fatal shootings. The office has not prosecuted any officers for murder. Most of the cases are pending, with the exception of a baton-beating allegation against an officer.

In March, a jury found that officer, Terrance Stangel, not guilty of most of the assault and battery charges, and deadlocked on a final count. That charge, assault under the color of authority, was later dismissed by the District Attorneys Office.

Dustin Gardiner and Megan Cassidy are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com, megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner, @meganrcassidy
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An 83-year-old sailor became the oldest person to cross the Pacific Ocean solo, arriving in Japan 69 days after leaving a San Francisco yacht harbor.

Kenichi Horie sailed into Kii Strait Saturday, June 4, on his 19-foot aluminum sailboat, the Suntory Mermaid III, according to media reports.

It wasnt Hories first solo crossing  not even close.

Hes traversed the Pacific by himself several times, the first in 1962 at age 23. He was an amateur seaman then, piloting a small plywood sloop from Osaka to San Francisco, subsisting on canned food and rice for 94 days. At the time, is was considered a one-man olive branch of postwar diplomacy between Pacific rivals and made Horie a national hero in Japan and launching his status as one of the most famous sailors in the world.

Even in the States, yachtsmen are inspired by his story, said Morgan Smith, manager of interpretation, education and volunteers at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, prior to his departure in March. He took a huge chance, being a young man alone on the ocean.

As the story goes, Horie traveled without a passport or currency and was promptly arrested upon arrival in San Francisco, then released by Mayor George Christopher who later awarded him a key to the city for his bravery.

Before he left the Bay Area in March, Horie met fans, autographed books and posed for photos beneath the vessel he sailed in 1962  the Mermaid, which lives in the museums foyer.

When I first came here 60 years ago, I never imagined Id be back here 60 years later, Horie told a crowd of about 100 people, through a translator.

As to why he has pegged San Francisco for so many of his journeys, he said, Of course, there are other ports  Seattle, Los Angeles  however, you guys have the most beautiful bridge in the entire world, so Id like to make it my start.

In the past six decades, Horie has completed several Pacific voyages in an assortment of unusual, eco-minded vessels, including one powered by foot pedals, and another made from recycled aluminum cans and propelled by dozens of solar panels. In 1999, Horie sailed from San Francisco to Japan in a catamaran built from welded-together beer kegs; for a 2002 trip back across the ocean, he swapped out the beer kegs for a hull made of whiskey barrels.

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He made the trip in a 2,182-pound sailboat of pale aluminum and tailored to Hories 5-foot frame. The slight man with silver-white hair said he doesnt physically train for the long solo trips.

Im always fine, always in shape, he said through a translator in March. No overeating, no overdrinking.

In recent days, Horie said he battled uncooperative currents to get into port, according to media reports. He arrived exhausted, he said.

Prior to his departure he said he didnt have any specific concerns about the attempt.

Nothing at all, he said. Maybe just being old.

Jill Tucker and Gregory Thomas are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com gthomas@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker @gregrthomas
Shyne Staples leaps up and executes a flawless forward roll across a gym mat. She flips into a cartwheel, stands on her hands, then climbs a rope before spinning around a high bar in her San Mateo gymnastics class.

Like many 10-year-old girls, Shyne likes flying around the gym, Simone Biles-style. But unlike most of them, Shyne begins class already in pain, and the exertion puts her to sleep 90 minutes after its over.

Shyne has long COVID.

Lingering, debilitating effects of the coronavirus were identified early in the pandemic, and new studies suggest that at least 1 in 5 adults has ongoing symptoms. But few studies have focused on children who, like Shyne, find their childhood disrupted by COVID months after recovering.

Theres pain. And sometimes children have headaches. But fatigue is characteristically the most common persistent symptom, said Dr. Roshni Mathew, a pediatric infectious disease expert at Stanford Childrens Health who doesnt treat Shyne but sees other children with long COVID in her practice.

Nanette Asimov/The Chronicle

The World Health Organization defines long COVID as symptoms lasting at least two months after probable or confirmed coronavirus infection that cannot be explained by an alternative diagnosis. The National Institutes of Health is spending $1.15 billion to spur research into the phenomenon that can cause a wide range of symptoms, including brain fog, loss of smell, racing heart and chronic fatigue. In April, President Biden unveiled the National Research Action Plan on long COVID to accelerate the research effort.

Studies indicate that millions of people around the world are plagued by long COVID. Vaccination before infection appears to reduce but not eliminate the risk. A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 20% of adults under 65 who had tested positive for the coronavirus developed persistent symptoms, as did 25% of those over 65. A large national survey from 23andMe released in May roughly echoed the findings.

But how many children are affected by long COVID  and for how long  remains elusive. In the U.S. alone, children represent 19% of all COVID cases  more than 13 million kids.

A pediatric study of long COVID published in February in the journal Lancet Child & Adolescent Health compared more than 3,000 British 11- to 17-year-olds who tested positive against a similar group that did not. Neither group reported feeling entirely healthy three months after testing. But researchers found that nearly 30% of the adolescents who had tested positive for the coronavirus experienced multiple symptoms, including fatigue, headaches and shortness of breath, compared with 19% for those who had not.

Nanette Asimov/The Chronicle

Long COVID Kids, a support group in the U.K., features photos of 50 children from around the world on its website holding placards identifying their ongoing symptoms. The youngest is 5, and the oldest 16.

The sign held by one 12-year-old American girl lists memory loss, heart damage and passing out among her symptoms  all devastating for a person of any age. A U.K. 10-year-old peeks out from behind a lineup of 17 symptoms, including nausea and chest pain, under the heading Day 293.

Shyne is not on the page. But she could be.

She tested positive for COVID-19 on Jan. 9, a few days after her adult brother. Her fraternal twin sister, Samantha, stayed healthy, as did her parents. But after Shynes COVID infection faded, along with her sore throat and stuffy nose, other, worse symptoms set in.

Nanette Asimov/The Chronicle

I started getting pain in my arms, my neck and my shoulders and legs, she said, as she practiced backbends on the living room rug of the familys home in San Mateo. Before that, the pain was, like, here, she said, pointing to a spot on her forehead just above her gold-rimmed glasses.

The first pains appeared on Jan. 16. For a while, her mother, Deseree Solano, kept a symptom diary. Feb. 16: Neck and shoulder pain. Feels like she has bruises everywhere. Feb. 19: Face started throbbing ... very winded. Blank staring. March 10: Ear pain, armpit pain, legs. Shoulders, hair loss and now depression. April 20: Leg and back pain. Last week lips started bleeding again. Very tired. Still has hair loss.

Shynes thick brown hair continues to fall out. We thought it was the shampoo, said Samantha, her twin. But it wasnt, because my hair was fine.

Its all since COVID, Solano said. Before then, Shyne would be the first person up and ready for school. Now I have to wake her up numerous times, and Samantha is up before her and ready. Shyne is not a kid to be lazy or get up late.

She stayed home from school for two months before feeling ready to return, despite the pain and other symptoms that persist even now, more than four months later.

Sometimes its, like, burning and pain at once. Its always there, Shyne said of the discomfort in her arms, shoulders and calves. I cant eat a lot. Like I want to throw up.

Solano said her daughter sometimes has difficulty breathing but tries to hide it because she dreads going back to the doctor.

At many medical centers, including Kaiser, where doctors diagnosed Shyne with the post-viral syndrome, patients are not treated specifically for long COVID but are sent to specialists for the individual ailments they complain about.

Nanette Asimov/The Chronicle

A kid with persistent headaches may land in the neurology clinic, said Mathew, the pediatric infectious disease expert at Stanford, who said she often sends children back to their pediatrician after ensuring that no active disease is causing their symptoms.

Its a common experience of long COVID sufferers of all ages that their medical tests come back normal, suggesting nothing is wrong. Shyne, for example, feels like she has bruises  but there are none to be seen.

Researchers, including those at UCSFs Long-term Impact of Infection with Novel Coronavirus, or LIINC, study, point to three likely causes for long COVIDs odd symptoms: persistent inflammation caused by the coronavirus, hidden bits of the virus that remain in the body and autoimmunity  when the bodys own immune system turns on itself.

In February, researchers at the State University of New York reported the case of an 11-year-old girl with persistent abdominal pain and nausea in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. After an endoscopy, colonoscopy and other therapies found nothing wrong, doctors wondered if the coronavirus infection she had had three months earlier could still be causing trouble. They looked for evidence  and found it.

Nanette Asimov/The Chronicle

They discovered nucleocapsid proteins, which are associated with the coronavirus, in the lining of her gastrointestinal tract. Her prolonged symptoms, with evidence of chronic inflammation, strongly suggests a direct consequence of COVID, they wrote.

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University of Southern California researchers also found evidence of a COVID connection in three children with brain inflammation  autoimmune mediated encephalitis  and published their study in January in the Journal of Child Neurology. All three improved after receiving high-dose intravenous corticosteroids, which reduce inflammation, the study said.

Yet clear, clinical evidence of a connection between the coronavirus and ongoing symptoms is often lacking or hard to find, leading some doctors to be skeptical about whether children actually experience long COVID.

Dr. Geraldina Lionetti, a pediatric rheumatologist at UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospitals, said she wasnt comfortable saying whether long COVID in children was real because there may be other potential causes for their symptoms  including physical and psychological aftereffects of the pandemic itself.

Provided by Staples family

Its very difficult to distinguish between symptoms of long COVID and being on lockdown, Lionetti said.

Megan Carmilani, who founded a support group called Long COVID Families, used to find such skepticism infuriating but has made peace with it. To me, all the doctor is saying is, I dont have the knowledge or skills to help, she said.

Carmilani, 43, never had long COVID, but she strongly relates to children who do, because she has had post-viral symptoms since getting mononucleosis at age 14. It wasnt until 2017 that doctors made the connection between her ongoing symptoms and her adolescent illness.

I dont want another child to wait decades for proper medical care, Carmilani said from her home near Pittsburgh.

She points to research showing that ongoing illnesses prompted by initial viral infections are not uncommon. They include long COVID, chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis) and Epstein-Barr, which can cause mononucleosis, among others. Yet the mysterious aftereffects have been ignored and underfunded, she said, especially in pediatrics.

Carmilani founded Long COVID Families to give children the support she lacked, she said. I needed an adult to say: Your symptoms are real. There is a community to support you, and we are going to work together to get you the care you need.

Today, the group has about 2,000 participants and easily 500 children with long COVID, Carmilani said.

Shynes mother has appreciated the community. Its been helpful mentally to have a group of other people that understand what I am going through, she said.

As for Shyne, understanding comes from Krista Prasadi, 10, who is as caring a friend as a kid could hope for.

She tells me how much pain shes in, said Krista. I ask her if shes OK.

And I hope, like, she can feel better.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov
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The national debate over guns continues to swell in the wake of the recent massacre of 19 schoolchildren and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, and as mass shootings continue in communities across the nation, seemingly unabated.

In the Bay Area, a gun buyback on Saturday organized by Marin County attracted a surprising number of people. And separately, hundreds of residents joined a march against guns across the Golden Gate Bridge.

We expected a lot of people, but not this many people, San Rafael Police Chief David Spiller said, looking out at a line of cars outside of the Marin County Sheriffs Office, where the gun buyback was taking place.

The county of Marin, in partnership with several local police agencies and city governments, held the buyback event. It allows people to bring in guns they no longer want and drop them off, no questions asked. The firearms are then destroyed.

San Mateo County also hosted a gun buyback on Saturday, at a parking lot in South San Francisco.

The Marin buyback event opened at 9 a.m. By then, there were already dozens of cars waiting.

I think peoples attitudes towards guns are changing, said Kate Colin, the mayor of San Rafael. After the mass shootings weve seen recently, I think people are wondering, What can we do in our own homes?  What they can do is this.

Felix Uribe/Special to The Chronicle

Spiller said he expected the event to pull hundreds of guns off the streets.

It just warms our hearts to see so many people out here, said Lori Frugoli, the Marin County district attorney, adding that theyd been fundraising for months. After the mass shooting at the elementary school in Uvalde, she said, donations spiked.

Brother and sister John Anderson and Ellin Purdom got to the buy back as soon as it opened  though they still had to wait in line. Theyd inherited several guns from a father-in-law  he was a gun guy, Anderson said  and they wanted to get rid of them.

This is so great, Purdom said. Were just so thankful to get these out of the house and off the street.

Meanwhile, just on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge, organizers with Moms Demand Action, an advocacy group fighting for gun safety, were gathering for their annual Wear Orange walk against gun violence.

Shannon Watts, the groups founder, said that the event was about bringing awareness to the issue, this year and every year, and continuing the momentum in the fight to get politicians to pass more common sense gun safety laws.

This is about everyday gun violence, she said. Our anger and our outreach cant subside.

Several hours before the event, police in Petaluma responded to a call just before midnight at the Roaring Donkey bar, where a patron threatened staff, saying he was going to shoot up the establishment, according to officials. The suspect left before police arrived, but the threat was considered credible and several local bars decided to close early for the night. Police officials said they were conducting extra patrols in the area.

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A recent study from The Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions found that in 2020, there were an average of 124 people killed by a gun everyday in the United States  15 higher than in 2019.

The hundreds of participants included congresswoman Jackie Speier. Participants of all ages held signs saying Protect our children, not guns, and DO SOMETHING.

Dr. Mike Schrader, president of the San Francisco Marin Medical Society, said it is important for him to participate in the walk to bring more awareness to gun violence and push for measures like background checks and red flag laws, more regulation of ghost guns and reasonable restrictions on guns.

So many people get killed by gun violence of all kinds, he said. Thats why this is so important.

I cant even count the number of people Ive seen injured or killed by guns, added Dr. Monique Schaulis, an emergency room physician and the past president of the group.

After a short rally, the marchers carried their signs across the Golden Gate Bridge, quickly filling the pedestrian walkway in a sea of orange.

This is a peaceful way to promote gun sense, said Mimi Pratt, a volunteer with the San Francisco chapter of Moms Demand Action. With all the work we do, its good to see everyone out here and bring visibility to the issues.

Danielle Echeverria is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com
San Francisco loves an ambitious goal. In 2003, the city set the objective to produce zero waste by 2020. In 2014, it vowed to reach zero traffic-related fatalities by 2024. And in 2015, it pledged to get to zero HIV infections and preventable deaths by 2020.

None of those things happened.

Arbitrary time limits have been abandoned (zero waste), quietly erased from the website (vision zero) or extended (HIV infections and deaths).

And so its hard not to view the new plan Mayor London Breed announced this week to house every transgender person experiencing homelessness by 2027 with skepticism. She announced the plan after a dramatic week, where several queer community groups came out against her now reversed decision not to march in the Pride Parade.

Its not easy to tackle intractable, systemic problems on a tight deadline. But Breeds timing further begged the question: Can we really end homelessness in the transgender community in five short years? Or was her promise empty politicking in the wake of a queer backlash?

All signs pointed to politicking. And on Twitter, her plan was attacked accordingly. But the more I dug into it, the more legitimate I found the proposal to be. Part of that is because the plan came from the community its designed to serve; it was presented by the citys Trans Advisory Committee. The proposal includes a long-term rental assistance program, and $6.5 million spread over two years for behavioral health, nonprofit support and to acquire a building to house LGBTQ youth.

Trans people in San Francisco are 18 times more likely to experience homelessness than the general population, according to Our Trans Home SF, but theyre underserved; many organizations are not well-versed in pronouns, gender-affirming care, name changes, or in managing trauma. As a result, many homeless trans people dont engage with traditional services, falling through the cracks in an already difficult-to-navigate system. Breeds proposed funding could allow small nonprofit organizations that hire from the community to increase their staffing and training to help clients navigate the citys complicated housing process.

Joaquin Remora is the director of Our Trans Home SF, the citys first housing program for trans and gender nonconforming people. In March, he helped open the citys first navigation center specifically to serve trans and gender nonconforming people. Breeds proposal would provide residents of both with additional rental subsidies to help them move into permanent housing, where they pay only a portion of their income toward rent.

The goal of navigation centers and transitional housing programs is to prepare someone, so that by the time they go out and live on their own, theyre going to succeed, Remora said. But finding homes for people ready to leave these temporary facilities has been tricky. The 150 housing subsidies proposed in the budget would be a big help.

Nonetheless, the framing of Breeds plan  to solve homelessness in the trans community  irked some people. Concerns that it wont hold up legally appear to be unfounded; trans people experience homelessness at a higher rate, justifying these efforts. But if homelessness in one group is solvable, isnt it for everyone? And why do they get priority over homeless moms or seniors?

Shahada Hull, who is not transgender, but is homeless and trying to find housing, told me shes concerned that the city is prioritizing one population for housing over another. Its not fair, because were all standing in line, she said, noting that it seems, like the citys just focusing on just them.

Remora said he encounters this perspective a fair amount in his work and always reminds people of the intersectionality of identities. Trans people can be moms and elders, he noted, adding that there have always been resources available for other populations. This is the first time, however, that a significant investment is being made to meet the needs of trans people.

The city estimates that at any given time, there are approximately 400 trans and gender nonconforming residents experiencing homelessness  few enough that the problem may be possible to tackle.

For this plan to work, its going to have to evolve and expand based on need  and become sustainable past the citys 2027 goal. That means securing long-term funding to house people in perpetuity. But something as easily overlooked as paying staff well also has to be part of the solution. Many of the citys social service organizations hire people with similar lived experiences of those theyll be working with. But caring for ones personal trauma, while helping a client work through theirs, can be an exhaustive task.

Making jobs sustainable is the No. 1 most-important thing, Remora said, referencing the citys high turnover rate of case workers. Hes seen how staff who are well-compensated and trained have stronger, longer-lasting relationships with clients  which builds trust between providers and those in need, helping people to access the services they need to move indoors.

If approved by the Board of Supervisors, Breeds budget proposal will provide a much-needed influx of funds to support the trans community. And while ending trans homelessness may seem ambitious, particularly in the wake of San Franciscos struggles to hit other goals, many cities across the country have had success in eliminating homelessness among certain populations. New Orleans, Houston and Philadelphia, for example, all claim to have ended homelessness among their veteran populations by expanding services, providing rental assistance and responding quickly if someone loses their home.

There are countless examples of San Francisco politicians receiving accolades for grand plans that then quietly fizzle out. The timing of Breeds announcement and her recent conflict with the queer community certainly made this latest effort seem like political grandstanding. But digging deeper, its clear there was thoughtful attention paid to tackling a deeply complicated social crisis. With a commitment to permanent investment, we may just be able to end trans homelessness by 2027.

Nuala Bishari is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist and editorial writer. Email: nuala.bishari@sfchronicle.com
HANFORD  In early 2018, a 29-year-old Central Valley woman became the first person in decades to be jailed in California for the death of her stillborn infant.

In late 2019, it happened again. Another pregnant woman who struggled with addiction delivered a stillborn baby who tested positive for methamphetamine at Adventist Health hospital in the Kings County seat of Hanford. She was also flagged by doctors, investigated by local law enforcement and charged with murder by District Attorney Keith Fagundes.

The cases sparked national backlash from civil rights groups, which successfully fought to overturn the convictions. But now, as Gov. Gavin Newsom positions California as a reproductive rights sanctuary ahead of the Supreme Courts anticipated reversal of Roe v. Wade, the cases are once again dividing residents in a bitter district attorneys race in this corner of Californias heartland.

Its a contest that outside legal advocates say reflects a national trend toward more frequent prosecutions of pregnant people, which California lawmakers are now trying to ban at the state level. For the candidates and voters in 152,000-person Kings County, the Republican-on-Republican June 7 election is also about corruption allegations and differing views on how conservative rural communities fit into a deep blue state.

Those two cases, theyre a symptom of the disease, said Sarah Hacker, a Hanford lawyer challenging Fagundes. And the disease that has infected our criminal justice system here in Kings County is preferential treatment.

For the incumbent Fagundes, its not an abortion discussion, but a matter of two drug cases that spiraled into a reproductive rights lightning rod  a sequence of events that he said he did not plan for, but which he has embraced.

You know, he said, somebodys gotta be a voice for that fetus.

The anti-San Francisco

The road into Hanford doubles as a condensed tour of the sprawling and diverse San Joaquin Valley. Cows and a mini-horse ranch fly by alongside the Sikh Center of the Pacific Coast, signs telling the governor to stop stealing our dam water! and a Farmers Mini Mart advertising hot meals and liquor. The radio plays fire-and-brimstone preachers, Mexican rancheras and hip-hop beamed in from Fresno.

Hacker grew up 40 miles north in Clovis and interned in Washington, D.C., during the George W. Bush years for former U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.). She came back to the Central Valley and worked alongside Fagundes as a deputy district attorney, then said she quit shortly after he was sworn into the top office in 2015.

Being a prosecutor wasnt about public safety or doing whats right for the public good, Hacker said of her decision to leave for private practice. It became swearing an oath of allegiance and doing what was right to the currently elected D.A.

Fagundes grew up in Kings County, the youngest of seven children in a farming family before his father was elected county supervisor in 2008. Today, the younger Fagundes is outspoken and fond of blaming urban dwellers for state laws like sentencing reform measure Proposition 47, which he says has hurt towns like Hanford by allowing drug crimes to fester.

I havent been to San Francisco in years, because the last time I was there it was disgusting, Fagundes said. And I dont want my community to be like San Francisco.

Still, Fagundes said he didnt set out looking for cases involving stillbirths. He now calls himself the only prosecutor willing to stand up to Democratic politicians like Attorney General Rob Bonta, who later advised counties that the fetal murder cases were a misuse of state laws that advocates say are designed to protect women attacked while pregnant. But Fagundes said he only heard about the case of Hanford mother of nine Adora Perez after local law enforcement got involved.

Perez, whose family declined to comment through an attorney but previously told the Los Angeles Times that sexual abuse and domestic violence contributed to her struggles, served four years in prison before a manslaughter plea deal was thrown out by a judge last month. Chelsea Becker, a 26-year-old woman jailed in 2019 under similar circumstances, was freed in March 2021.

Beckers attorney, Samantha Lee of National Advocates for Pregnant Women, said the isolated California cases are part of a national trend toward criminalizing pregnant people. The advocacy group identified more than 1,330 prosecutions nationwide from 2006 to 2020, more than triple the 413 cases prosecuted from 1973 to 2005.

When that door is opened, then anything someone does or doesnt do during their pregnancy could be charged similarly, Lee said. Were already seeing it, and we expect it to only get worse.

To Fagundes challenger Hacker, who emphasized that Im not a liberal and declined to state her own views on reproductive rights, the issue is twofold. First, the cases open Kings County up to potentially costly legal disputes with the state, where East Bay Assembly Member Buffy Wicks is now moving to explicitly bar pregnancy-related prosecutions with bill AB2223. Hacker also said the cases undermine the concept of justice for all.

But at two dueling pickup trucks blanketed in Hacker and Fagundes campaign signs parked outside the busy Superior Dairy ice cream shop in downtown Hanford, its not the stillbirth cases that shes stressing to voters. Instead, a folder taped to the window of the truck offered printed copies of a lawsuit filed last year by former Kings County District Attorney Chief Investigator Robert Waggle.

The lawsuit, which was filed against the county in September, alleged that Fagundes harassed and retaliated against Waggle, including claims that Fagundes touched Waggle in a sexual manner and kept blackmail folders on employees. The complaint is one of several that Fagundes has attempted to fight off in recent months, including two county-approved settlements with other former employees, one who accused the district attorney of unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial discretion.

Its a bunch of false information that is designed to embarrass me and my family, Fagundes said. Attorneys for Waggle said their clients claims will be proved at the time of trial in the case that has been transferred to San Bernardino County.

The home stretch

The last time Fagundes faced a challenger for district attorney in a June primary election, five months after Perez was arrested in 2018, less than one-third of Kings Countys 51,000 registered voters cast a vote for the office. Fagundes trounced his opponent. This time around, Hacker was outspending the incumbent as of late May by about $77,000 to $45,000, county records show.

Even with all the campaign signs dotting local lawns, voters had mixed opinions and levels of awareness a few days before the election on a sweltering afternoon in Hanfords grassy central square.

One family eating ice cream near a fountain doesnt really vote. Xavier Robbledo, 26, just moved back to the Valley from San Jose for a new job and plans to vote but was still evaluating which candidate would do more to advance criminal justice reform. One woman leaving a crowded orientation for new Del Monte hires had made up her mind: Shed be voting Hacker, she said, because ella es honesta (shes honest).

On Thursday evening, as the line started to grow for Beto's Roasted Corn & Potatoes at a weekly local pop-up market, Barbara Hill was busy registering Democratic voters under a blue tent. The 25-year veteran of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation was less enthused about the district attorneys race; she didnt think either candidate would do enough to fight for women, especially after her own experience with a miscarriage.

I dont want to vote for either, Hill said. Its like between a rock and a hard place.

Behind a folding table stacked with fliers for other candidates, Hills 16-year-old MaryKathryn Norris had her own opinion. It all reminded the local Girl Scout leader, who downed a shaved ice while draped in a rainbow flag, of an argument shed had recently with protesters outside a nearby antiabortion crisis pregnancy center.

I would like to not die of sepsis, Norris said, referring to potential infections after medical procedures. If I end up getting into a situation where I need an abortion, I dont want to have to, like, go into an alleyway.

As voters prepare to mail their ballots or go to the polls, Perezs lawyer Mary McNamara said her client remains at a Bay Area rehabilitation facility. Becker is back in school, which Fagundes said he takes some credit for  a notion that Beckers lawyer Lee called very troubling and instead credited to her clients resilience.

Another way Becker has worked to overcome a lot of trauma from the case: backing the state bill to ensure that prosecutions like hers dont happen again in Kings County, or elsewhere in California. This spring, she wrote in a letter to state lawmakers about how another child was taken from her custody while she was jailed  then adopted by the time she was released.

I suffered alone, she wrote.

Lauren Hepler (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hepler@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LAHepler
New California homes near most public transit wouldn't need parking under new bill
A missing California man was found dead in a remote area of Death Valley on Wednesday, June 1, the National Park Service (NPS) announced.

In a news release, it confirmed that the body belonged to 69-year-old John McCarry of Long Beach, who had last spoken to his family on May 15. After the Long Beach Police Department issued a public service bulletin on May 26, officials found McCarry's parked car in Panamint Valley.

NPS and Bureau of Land Management rangers began an exhaustive two-day search on May 31, using A-81 airplanes and Navy helicopters to locate his body about a quarter mile away from his parked car.

While the official cause of death has not been released yet, foul play is not suspected, NPS said in its release.

Heat may be a factor, as Death Valley is the hottest place on Earth. NPS says that summers are extreme and start early, and recommends visiting from November through March.

This week, temperatures will soar to over 100 degrees, and will likely hit 120 throughout the summer. In July 1913, the air temperature even reached a staggering 134 degrees, establishing a world record.

Death Valley National Park spokesperson Abby Wines told SFGATE in 2021 that there are normally one or two heat-related deaths in the area each year. But the heat may be getting worse, making conditions more dangerous: "Nine of the park's 10 hottest years in history have happened in the last 15 years, since I've lived here," Wines said.

SFGATE managing editor Katie Dowd contributed to this report.
BERTRAND GUAY/AFP/Getty Images

The video is excruciating to watch: At Disneyland Paris, a couple gets on a dais with the newly-restored Sleeping Beautys Castle overlooking the occasion.

The man, dressed in all white, gets down on one knee holding a ring out to his partner with applause heard in the background. Just seconds later, an overly eager Disneyland employee bolts onto the platformed stage and snags the ring from the man while hes still kneeling. He then extends his arms out, gesturing the couple to get off the stage. Another worker, seen slightly off-frame, beckons for the couple to step off.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Brad Johnson, who jumped from rodeo cowboy to portraying the Marlboro Man in cigarette spots and film and TV roles including Steven Spielbergs Always and Melrose Place, has died. He was 62.

Johnson died Feb. 18 in Fort Worth, Texas, of complications from COVID-19, his agent, Linda McAlister, said Saturday.

Johnson played opposite Holly Hunter in 1989s Always, a remake of a 1943 film (A Guy Named Joe) about firefighting pilots. He played a pilot again in the 2000 religious apocalyptic thriller Left Behind, starring Kirk Cameron, and was in its two sequels.

He worked regularly on TV, including in the recurring role of Dr. Dominick OMalley in Melrose Place; Rough Riders, Soldier of Fortune, Inc. and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

Johnson was born in October 1959 to parents Grove, a horse trainer, and Virginia, in Tucson, Arizona. After competing in rodeos as a youth, he began his professional rodeo career in 1984 and was discovered by a movie scout, according to a family biography.

His work as an actor and as a Marlboro Man  one of a succession used by the brand  brought Johnson and his wife, Laurie, to California. They eventually moved their family to a ranch in New Mexico and the Colorado mountains before settling in north Texas. He sold ranchland real estate there.

"As much as he loved cowboying and the outdoors, Brad loved nothing more than his family. He put them before himself in every way and they know that they could not have been blessed with a better husband and father, his family said in a statement.

Although he was taken too early, he lived life to the fullest, they said.

Johnsons survivors include his wife of 35 years, Laurie, as well as their children Shane, Bellamy, Rachel, Eliana, Eden, Rebekah, Annabeth and William, and Johnson's stepmother, Teresa Johnson.
JACUMA HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (AP)  A van carrying five Navy personnel veered off a Southern California freeway near the Mexican border and crashed Friday, killing one person and injuring four others, three of them critically, authorities said.

The van, which was possibly a military vehicle, was heading toward San Diego shortly before 10 a.m. when it veered off Interstate 8, went down a dirt embankment and hit a boulder near unincorporated Jacumba Hot Springs in southeastern San Diego County, California Highway Patrol Officer Travis Garrow said.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP)  Police said Saturday the body of a fifth victim has been been found beneath a train that derailed Friday in the Alps in southern Germany.

The man's body was uncovered after initial attempts to lift the derailed carriages failed. Recovery workers had to wait for a heavy crane to be brought to the site near the resort town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
SAKIB ALI/AP

LUCKNOW, India (AP)  At least eight workers were killed and over a dozen others injured after a fire erupted in a chemical factory in northern India, police said Saturday.

The fire broke out after a boiler exploded in the factory in the Hapur area of Uttar Pradesh state, said senior police officer Pravin Kumar. The injured have been hospitalized and three of them were in critical condition, he said.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP)  A 120-mile (193-kilometer) stretch of Alabama railway is in line for improvements with help from a $5 million federal grant.

The Federal Railroad Administration on Thursday announced the grant from the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program. Nationally, it is awarding $368 million to 46 projects in 32 states and the District of Columbia, al.com reported.
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PERMET, Albania (AP)  Albanias parliament on Saturday elected a top military official as the countrys new president after no candidates were nominated in three rounds of voting.

Gen.-Maj. Bajram Begaj won the post after the 140-seat Parliament voted 78 in favor, four against and one abstained.

The governing left-wing Socialist Party nominated and voted for Begaj, 55, after failing to reach a compromise with the opposition on a candidate to replace President Ilir Meta, and no independent candidate was nominated.

Most of the opposition boycotted the voting.

Begaj is post-communist Albanias eighth president and the third from the military ranks. The five-year presidency has a largely ceremonial role and the chosen candidate is expected to stand above partisan divisions. The president holds some authority over the judiciary and the armed forces and is limited to two terms.

Begaj was elected among six candidates, according to Socialists' leader and Prime Minister Edi Rama, adding that no candidates of the governing majority were taken into consideration.

We gave Albania a normal president, an indisputable personality in his integrity, humanity and commitment for the country and its people, Rama said.

Begaj was released from his army post in a decree from the president, who was on a visit Saturday to Turkey. Meta, who clashed regularly with the government, congratulated the new president. A handover ceremony is planned for July 24.

Begaj has been the armys chief-of-staff since July 2020. Before that, he held several army posts, including ones in public and military hospitals, and trained in the U.S. on strategic medical leadership and defense management.

The European Union, the United States and other Western countries congratulated Begaj in his new post.

We look forward to working together for a prosperous, secure and solid EU-#Albania relationship, as members of one European family, tweeted EUs foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

___

Follow Llazar Semini at https://twitter.com/lsemini
PHOENIX (AP)  A lawyer for the Arizona Republican Party and its firebrand leader, Kelli Ward, urged a judge Friday to invalidate Arizona's overwhelmingly popular system of mail-in voting, a process used by about 90% of voters.

Voting by mail is inconsistent with the Arizona Constitution's requirement for a secret ballot, attorney Alex Kolodin argued. He urged a Mohave County judge to ban the practice for nearly all voters in the 2022 general election in November, but not for the primary in August, for which ballots are scheduled to be mailed next month.

The case is the latest in a multi-pronged effort by Ward and the Arizona Republican Party to roll back a system of no-excuse absentee voting that the GOP-controlled Legislature has adopted since 1991. They've pushed to require most people to cast a ballot in person on Election Day as former President Donald Trump repeats the lie that he lost the 2020 election because of fraud in Arizona and other battleground states.

Only the voters, not the Legislature, can authorize mail voting by amending the constitution, Kolodin argued.

I think it's time for our state to have that debate and voters to get to decide for themselves what sort of system of absentee voting they are comfortable with," Kolodin said.

Lawyers for state and county election officials as well as the Arizona Democratic Party said the vote-by-mail laws have plenty of secrecy safeguards built in and nothing in the state constitution prohibits the Legislature from allowing citizens to vote that way.

They also said it would be extremely difficult for election officials to vastly expand in-person polling places, which served just 10% of voters in 2020, in time for the 2022 general election.

They are not magicians, said Karen Hartman-Tellez, a lawyer from the Maricopa County Attorney's Office representing election officials in six counties. They cannot conjure polling places or poll workers out of nothing.

Mohave County Superior Court Judge Lee Jantzen said he hopes to issue a ruling by noon on Monday.

Ward and the state GOP originally filed their lawsuit directly with the Arizona Supreme Court earlier this year, a highly unusual step, but the justices said it should go through a trial court first and they would only consider it on appeal. They refiled the case last month in Mohave County, the most conservative county in the state and where Ward lives.
HAMILTON, Ohio (AP)  A judge has reduced the $5 million bail set for a man accused of shooting a customer to death in an Ohio Walmart store following an attempted theft, and a hearing has been scheduled on the defendant's bid to use an insanity defense.

Anthony Freeman Brown, 32, of Hamilton had his bail reduced to $900,000 during a Friday afternoon arraignment in Butler County, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported. Brown is also seeking to change his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity, and a July 26 date has been set to hear that motion.
CULPEPER, Va. (AP)  The Virginia General Assembly's recently approved budget appropriates money to create a new state park in Culpeper County that would include two Civil War battlefields.

The spending plan sent to Gov. Glenn Youngkin earlier this week would create a 1,700-acre park focused on Culpeper County's Brandy Station and Cedar Mountain battlefields, which have been preserved by the American Battlefield Trust, the Star-Exponent reported.
CHICAGO (AP)  A Chicago man was charged in the shootings of a U.S. marshal and his police dog who were wounded while serving an arrest warrant, police said Saturday.

Tarrion Johnson, 19, faces charges of attempted murder, attempted robbery with a firearm, aggravated cruelty to animals and injury to a police animal, the Chicago Police Department said.

Johnson was scheduled for bond court appearance Saturday, the department said. It was not immediately clear if he has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Police said Johnson was arrested Thursday shortly after he allegedly shot an officer with the U.S. Marshals Services fugitive apprehension team and his federal police dog. Authorities at the time said two gunmen were arrested, but Chicago police did not say anything about the second person in announcing the charges against Johnson on Saturday

Police said a Chicago officer returned fire during the shooting but did not strike anyone.

After Thursday's shooting, the federal marshal rushed the dog to a veterinary clinic, Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said.

The marshal then realized he had been shot in his hand and an ambulance was called but the officer declined to be taken to a hospital, Langford told the Chicago Sun-Times.

The U.S. Marshals Service said the police dog was in the intensive care unit of an emergency veterinary hospital on Friday, WLS-TV reported.
The City of Orange has named its new fire chief.

The city announced the appointment of John Bilbo as the new fire chief for the Orange Fire Department in a news release on Tuesday.

"The City of Orange congratulates Chief Bilbo and looks forward to his leadership and service to the Fire Department and City of Orange," the release said.

The Orange native has served the fire department for 22 years, including as a firefighter, station captain, battalion chief and most recently fire marshal and interim fire chief, the release said.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in Fire Science from Columbia Southern University and is a veteran of the U.S. Army. He is a Texas Commission on Fire Protection Master Firefighter and a Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) Master Peace Officer, the releas said.

"Bilbo has also acquired numerous awards and certifications during his career," the release said.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexicos president has claimed the leftist candidate in Colombias presidential race faces a dirty war by conservatives, leading the Colombian government to tell President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Friday to stay out of its domestic politics.

Lopez Obrador makes a big point of saying he doesnt interfere in other countries internal affairs, and has used that as an excuse to avoid criticizing non-democratic regimes like Nicaragua and Cuba.

But on Friday Lopez Obrador blasted the opposition to front-running presidential candidate, the leftist Gustavo Petro. Lopez Obrador claimed Petro faces a scare campaign, trying to depict him as dangerous radical, something similar to a campaign used against Lopez Obrador in a failed presidential bid in 2006.

I want to say I'm sending a hug to Petro, Lopez Obrador. Why a hug? Because he is facing a dirty war of the most cowardly and undignified kind, everything we suffered in Mexico. All the conservatives are united, unethically."

Colombia's foreign relations ministry shot back on its social media accounts, saying the Mexican president's comments were an offensive interference in our country's internal affairs.

We ask him to respect the autonomy of the Colombian people to choose their next president without interferences that try to influence voters, the ministry wrote.

Last week Colombian voters chose Sen. Petro, a former rebel, to run in a second round against real estate tycoon Rodolfo Hernandez, an outsider populist businessman.

Petro led the field of six candidates Sunday with just over 40% of the votes, while Hernandez, who has no close ties to any political parties, finished second with more than 28%.
Vasha Hunt/AP

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  Mike Durant, the Black Hawk Down pilot who finished third in Alabama's Republican Senate primary, said he will not make an endorsement in the upcoming runoff.

Durant said he will not endorse either of the remaining candidates for the GOP nomination for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby. The June 21 runoff pits Katie Britt, Shelbys former chief of staff and former leader of a state business group, against U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, who resurrected his campaign after losing former President Donald Trumps backing.
HONOLULU (AP)  A man has been arrested for sexually exploiting children while working as a Honolulu police officer, U.S. prosecutors alleged in an indictment.

Mason Jordan, 31, used a hidden camera to record sexually explicit videos of a child and then impersonated that child on social media to recruit other children to work for him as underage prostitutes, according to the indictment.

Jordan was arrested in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Thursday on charges of sexual exploitation of a child, coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in prostitution, sex trafficking of a child and cyberstalking.

It's not clear who his attorney is.

Prosecutors also accuse Jordan of cyberstalking a woman he met while he was a police officer. He threatened to circulate nude photos taken of her as a child to her family, co-workers and friends if she didn't send him new nude photographs, prosecutors said.

Jordan has been a hands-on sexual offender of multiple children for over nearly half a decade, prosecutors said in a motion Friday asking that he be detained without bail.

His crimes were not opportunistic. Rather, they were part of a years-long premeditated scheme to gain access to, and the trust of, extremely vulnerable children so that he could assault them, the motion said.

According to the Honolulu Police Department, Jordan was hired in November 2013, and resigned in March 2021.

The crimes allegedly took place between 2016 and 2020.
DECATUR, Ga. (AP)  A former police officer in suburban Atlanta pleaded guilty Friday to raping a woman during a 2019 traffic stop, with a judge sentencing him to 25 years in prison.

David Wilborn, 45, pleaded guilty to crimes including rape, aggravated assault and false imprisonment, DeKalb County prosecutors said.

Wilborn was on duty as an officer in Lithonia when officials said he kept a car from leaving a park, ordered a woman to get out and raped her at gunpoint while the car's male driver lay face down in front of the vehicle.

After the rape, Wilborn told the woman to repeat the words nothing happened before allowing the man and woman to leave, prosecutors say.

The woman called police when she got home and investigators determined Wilborn had raped her. Lithonia fired Wilborn after the arrest.

Wilborn had a history of sexual assault allegations. He had resigned from the Atlanta Police Department after someone accused him of assault in 2007. No charges were filed.

At a pretrial hearing, a DeKalb County police sergeant testified that Wilborn had told a supervisor that he had sex with a woman at the same park but said it was consensual. Wilborn said that he messed up and that his career is over, the investigator testified.

Wilborn also pleaded guilty to sexual contact by a police officer, possessing a firearm while committing a felony and five counts of violating his oath of office.

DeKalb County Superior Court Senior Judge David Irwin sentenced Wilborn to a life sentence split between 25 years in prison without parole and the rest on probation. Wilborn also must register as a sex offender.
Burhan Ozbilici/AP

ISTANBUL (AP)  Greece's ambassador to Turkey was summoned to the Foreign Ministry over concerns about the activities of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party in his country, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.

Turkish officials complained to Ambassador Christodoulos Lazaris about the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, carrying out propaganda, financing and recruitment in Greece, Anadolu reported late Friday, citing diplomatic sources.
FAIRFIELD, N.J. (AP)  Federal authorities are investigating the crash of a helicopter shortly after takeoff from a New Jersey airport that seriously injured the pilot.

Fairfield police said on their Facebook page that the 2015 Bell Model 407 helicopter went down just after noon Saturday on the north side of Essex County Airport near Runway 28.
CHICAGO (AP)  A second probable case of monkeypox has been found in Chicago, the Illinois Department of Public Health said Friday.

The second case was a close contact of the first positive case that was announced Thursday, the department said in a tweet.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP)  A northern Indiana man was sentenced to 40 years in prison on child neglect charges stemming from the shooting death of his 1-year-old son by the boy's 4-year-old sibling.

A St. Joseph County judge sentenced Avion Sexton Sr. to the maximum sentence Friday in the June 2020 death of Javion Sexton, who the older sibling killed while playing unsupervised with a gun.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  Most Louisiana Entergy customers will see higher rates this month because of rising natural gas costs and recent storm restoration expenses, the utility said.

Electricity rates will go up in June by as much as $25 for an average household, the company said Friday.

The rate increases will affect areas covered by Entergy Louisiana, which supplies power to roughly 1.1 million customers in 58 parishes, including most of south Louisiana, The Advocate reported.

The impact on customers of Entergy New Orleans, Entergy Corp.'s Orleans Parish subsidiary, remains to be seen. The New Orleans City Council is considering whether to approve a $150 million plan to finance the companys storm repairs, which could mean higher customer rates.

Yovanka Daniel, Entergy Louisianas customer service vice president, said two rate increase categories for June bills involve a fuel adjustment to compensate for the natural gas cost spike, and a fee to offset restoration costs for extensive storm damage from hurricanes Laura, Delta, Zeta and Ida and Winter Storm Uri in February 2021.

For natural gas prices, rates would jump by about $25 for a home that consumes 1,000 kilowatt hours in a month, officials said. However, Daniel said Entergy will push part of that cost to future bills to ease the burden on customers. That would be a $10 deferral for the average customer, leading to a $15 fuel adjustment increase on June bills.

Utility companies routinely charge adjustment fees when faced with higher costs for their fuels, including natural gas.

Daniel said April natural gas prices were twice as high as the same month last year and triple the rate from April 2020. The global supply of natural gas is in flux as countries worldwide try to wean themselves off Russian energy because of the countrys war in Ukraine.

We will continue to work with the Louisiana Public Service Commission to spread out natural gas costs over several months, rather than placing them all on one bill, Daniel said.

For storm restoration costs, the average customer could see an increase of $9 to $10. That spike is part of a $3.2 billion securitization plan the commission approved in late February to finance Entergys storm restoration expenses.

Coupled with the fuel adjustment, that adds up to a $25 surcharge for the standard Entergy Louisiana customer.

It is important to note that Entergy does not profit off either natural gas price increases collected through the fuel adjustment or storm recovery costs, Daniel wrote. We will continue to do everything we can to assist those who are burdened by these increases along with the LPSC and our community partners.

The storm surcharge is slated to last for 15 years, according to Entergy Louisianas PSC-approved plan.

Spreading it out over a number of years keeps bills affordable, Entergy Louisiana spokesman David Freese said.

Daniel said similar charges for hurricanes Katrina and Rita rolled off the books in 2018, and surcharges from hurricanes Gustav and Ike will expire later this year.

Daniel said some storm damage the last two years required an entire rebuild of our electrical infrastructure.

She said the PSC-approved plan is expected to save $2 billion relative to traditional utility financing despite the customer rate increases.

Severe storms like those seen in 2020 and 2021 are an unfortunate reality to our portion of the country and like many of you, we also must do what is necessary to recover, rebuild and harden our system ahead of the next weather event, she wrote.
HILLSBORO, Ore. (AP)  A man has become the third person to die while in jail custody in the past two months west of Portland, Oregon, prompting the Washington County sheriff to call for an independent investigation.

The Washington County Sheriffs Office said the death Wednesday in Hillsboros Washington County Jail involved a 51-year-old man who arrived at 7 a.m., The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.
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WORCESTER, Mass. (AP)  Massachusetts Democrats gathered in Worcester for their state party convention Saturday as they seek to regain the governors office and retain control of virtually every other source of political power in the state.

Attorney General Maura Healey and state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz are both hoping to win the top office in November, but they must first go head-to-head in the fall primary. Healey won the party's endorsement with 71% of the delegate votes Saturday, while Chang-Diaz won 29%, enough to get her name on the September primary ballot.

I am so so humbled, and I promise you this: I will be a governor who sees everyone, who listens to everyone and who makes sure that every voice in this commonwealth is heard, Healey said in accepting the endorsement.

Gov. Charlie Baker, who has remained popular with voters throughout his two terms, has decided not to seek a third four-year term. Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito are the only statewide Republican officeholders in Massachusetts.

Healey and Chang-Diaz are both popular among the party faithful, although Healey has the benefit of having run statewide twice  winning both times. Healey also has a financial edge. As of the beginning of May, Healey had more than $4.9 million in cash in her campaign account, compared to just $353,000 for Chang-Diaz.

Either candidate would make history if they win in November. Despite its liberal reputation, Massachusetts has never elected a woman as governor. Healey would also become the state's first openly gay candidate elected governor and the nation's first openly lesbian chief executive of a state, while Chang-Diaz would be the first Latina and Asian American to hold the office.

Whoever wins in September will face off against the victor of the Republican primary. That race pits former GOP state representative Geoff Diehl, who has the backing of former President Donald Trump, against Wrentham business owner Chris Doughty.

A number of candidates are headed to the Sept. 6 primary after winning enough support Saturday to get their names on the ballot.

Tanisha Sullivan, a lawyer and president of the Boston branch of the NAACP, won the party's nomination for secretary of the commonwealth, with backing from 62% of delegates. She will challenge incumbent William Galvin, who is seeking an eighth four-year term and won 48% of votes at the convention.

There are three Democratic candidates hoping to replace Healey as attorney general: Quentin Palfrey, a former assistant attorney general and 2018 candidate for lieutenant governor; workers rights attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan; and former Boston city councilor Andrea Campbell, who recently ran unsuccessfully for mayor. All three won enough votes to make the primary ballot.

Two Democrats  transportation advocate Chris Dempsey and Methuen state Sen. Diana DiZoglio  are vying for the chance to succeed state Auditor Suzanne Bump who opted not to seek reelection. Both will be on the ballot, with Dempsey edging out DiZoglio for the party endorsement.

Three Democrats qualified to run for lieutenant governor: Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, state Rep. Tami Gouveia of Acton and state Sen. Eric Lesser of Longmeadow. Two others did not win enough support to make the ballot, state Sen. Adam Hinds of Pittsfield and Boston businessman Bret Bero.

Whoever wins that race will join with the winner of the Democratic primary for governor to run as a team in November.

Democratic state Treasurer Deborah Goldberg has no Democratic challengers as she seeks a third four-year term.
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ROME (AP)  Five European Union nations on the Mediterranean who fear possible waves of refugees driven by hunger out of Africa called Saturday for an end to the EU's voluntary solidarity on migrants and a better way to redistribute the burden of caring for them.

The Interior ministers from Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Malta and Spain wrapped up two days of talks in Venice amid worries that the blockade of Ukraine grain exports due to Russias invasion could see huge numbers of refugees from Africa flooding southern Europe.

Cypriot Interior Minister Nicos Nouris told reporters that robust, common EU policy is needed on migration. Solidarity is not a slogan, nor can it be void of substance, Nouris said.

Past EU policies in which member countries could offer to receive some of the hundreds of thousands of migrants landing in Italy, Greece and other southern shores proved grossly inadequate.

Many EU countries didn't step forward. Others, even with they did pledge to receive modest numbers of some of the hundreds of thousands of migrants rescued from smugglers' unseaworthy boats, didn't follow through.

"Solidarity in our mind cannot be voluntary,'' Nouris said.

He noted that after several years of Cyprus taking in migrants, now 5% of the eastern Mediterranean island nation's population consists of asylum-seekers.

The meeting did not address the millions of Ukrainian refugees who recently flooded into northern EU nations like Poland, Hungary and Romania.

How Europe handles large numbers of migrants takes on particular urgency now, amid fears that drought in Africa and surging food prices even before the war made shipping Ukrainian grain to Somalia, Egypt and other poor nations impossible could drive up the already alarmingly numbers of hungry people.

In the Sahel, the part of Africa just below the Sahara desert, an estimated 18 million people are facing severe hunger as farmers endure their worst production season in more than a decade.

Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese cited the blocking of grain in Ukraine as just another reason for the EU to develop a adequate mechanism of distributing migrants among its members.

She also pressed for more repatriation agreements with countries whose people are seeking a better life in Europe but had their asylum bids rejected since they are fleeing poverty, not war or persecution.

Italy has an effective repatriation agreement with Tunisia, but not with most other countries in Africa or in Asia whose citizens take to smugglers' boats to try to reach southern European shores. As a result, even though their asylum applications fail, many migrants remain in Italy, often taking illegal jobs or resorting to begging.

Greece's interior minister expressed support for more legal paths for migration.

"We cannot let smugglers decide who comes to live in Europe,'' minister Notis Mitarachi told reporters.

___

Follow all AP developments on global migration at https://apnews.com/migration.
BONNER, Mont. (AP)  Montana wildlife officials captured two young female sibling grizzly bears, releasing one back into the wild and euthanizing the other due to an infection stemming from losing a front left paw.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks said Friday it captured the 2-year-old females on May 29 after they remained close to homes in the Blackfoot Valley about 10 miles from the town of Bonner in western Montana.
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FALLON, Nev. (AP)  Cathy Williams-Tuni looks over the Lahontan Valley from Rattlesnake Hill.

Small houses and fields of alfalfa sit on the valley floor, where long irrigation canals flow with water.

Williams-Tuni, the chair of the Paiute-Shoshone Tribe of the Fallon Reservation and Colony, points in the direction of a military base seeking to expand on land important to the tribe.

In the opposite direction, about 75 miles away, is a proposed geothermal project that could ruin hot springs the tribes ancestors used for healing.

She points to the irrigation canals that serve as a lifeline for some tribal members who depend on farming.

Members of the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe call themselves the toi-ticutta, which means cattail eaters.

Early tribe members lived in the marshes and wetlands of what is now Northern Nevada and relied on cattails for everything.

Now, the toi-ticutta are facing many battles: a fight to preserve their land, a fight to keep their water rights, and a fight to maintain their culture.

This weekend, the tribe is hosting its first powwow in 18 years, Williams-Tuni said, where people will gather and meet one another.

Im not really a powwow person, she told the Las Vegas Sun. But when I go I feel like Im home. Im proud. Its going to be a big coming home for us.

WATER STRUGGLES

Ancestors of the Paiute-Shoshone have lived in the area for millennia, relying on the marshland for water supply and using cattails to build houses, clothing and baskets.

Williams-Tunis grandmother, like many children of the tribe, had a willow bark skirt.

The tribes land is fragmented with the colony on one side of Rattlesnake Hill and the reservation on the other.

Williams-Tuni, 63, says there was a time when Rattlesnake Hill was filled with water, but the lake has long dried up.

The cattails are still around, but because of the pesticides farmers use in the irrigation system, theyre no longer plentiful, she said.

The struggle for water continues.

The tribe, which has 1,567 members and about 500 people living on the reservation, orders irrigation water through the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District, which is a political subdivision of the state of Nevada that operates dams at Lake Tahoe and diversion dams on the Truckee River.

But the tribe doesnt have a way to properly store its supply when the canals bringing water from Truckee River run dry, the result of the tribe not being able to withdraw more than 10,692.85 acre-feet of water a year.

Help appears to be on the way.

An agreement is in place between the tribe, the federal bureaus of Reclamation and Indian Affairs, and the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District to bring and store water more efficiently, said Leanna Hale, the tribes land and water manager.

You always have to make improvements, Hale said.

Theres a plan to improve whats called the S-Line Reservoir, or the rattlesnake reservoir, by lining it with a geomembrane to better hold water.

The tribe also wants to coordinate with the Bureau of Land Management to create a new route behind Rattlesnake Hill that connects the tribes reservation and colony together so that nontribal members cannot take the water -- a big problem the tribe is facing, as nontribal members sometimes use more than the tribe.

Thats just one of the goals (we) have deep in our hearts, Williams-Tuni said.

There are about 47 tribal families who farm, and the tribe also farms, Hale said.

Irrigation for the area usually starts arriving in early April, said Williams-Tuni, who has three fields near the end of the reservation on which she grows hay.

Every year the tribe gets a water card from the irrigation district saying it has a certain amount of water it can use.

Typically, Williams-Tuni gets three to four good harvests each season.

But due to the drought last year, she and the other farmers decided to shoot for one really good first crop because they werent sure how much water the tribe would get and when they would get cut off.

We have to be cautious of how we irrigate, she said.

PROTECTING A TOAD

About 43 miles from the reservation, the Dixie Meadows hot springs have been used by tribe members for healing and medicinal purposes for centuries, Williams-Tuni said.

The tribes ancestors roamed that area for hunting and gathering, and a lot of artifacts and burials remain in the area.

They are still pristine, she said. People go for prayers and blessings. We always give an offering to Mother Earth, whether its some cedar, (and say) thank you for taking care of us.

But the tribe worries that a geothermal project could change all that.

Ormat Technologies Inc., a renewable energy company in Reno, wants to construct a geothermal project that would include two 30-megawatt geothermal power plants and would help meet the state and the countrys renewable energy goals.

Geothermal projects use underground heat produced by the Earth to generate electricity. They involve pumping water and extracting the heat, and are usually next to hot springs.

The Dixie Valley project calls for the drilling of up to 18 production and injection wells, as well as the construction of pipelines for the geothermal fluids.

In December 2021 the tribe filed a lawsuit with the Center for Biological Diversity against the Bureau of Land Management for approving the project.

The lawsuit contends the project would harm the Dixie Valley toad, a rare species found only in the area. A federal judge ordered that construction be halted for 90 days after the lawsuit was filed.

The tribe is not against renewable energy, Hale said, but there needs to be a balance between protecting the environment and the tribes culture with the need for energy.

The Dixie Valley toad was granted temporary emergency protection in April, for 240 days, under the Endangered Species Act, although the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to extend the protection longer.

The tribes lawyers are going to federal court in June for an update on the lawsuit, Williams-Tuni said.

When she recently went to the hot spring, she saw one of the toads. It was small, fast and had a bluish-greenish-grayish color to it, camouflaging into the surroundings. Seeing the little amphibian that calls the area home, she compared the experience to meeting an ancestor.

I feel like Im meeting my grandmother, she said. Were always told to take care of our plants and animals and Mother Earth because they will take care of us. Its meant to be there to take care of us and to protect us.

MILITARY EXPANSION NEEDS

About six miles from the reservation sits the Naval Air Station Fallon, which is billed as the nations premier tactical air warfare training station. Its where the pilots of Top Gun fame train.

Since it was established during World War II, the station conducts comprehensive training with four bombing ranges, an electronic warfare range and other training facilities.

It has more than 3,000 active-duty personnel, civilian employees and Department of Defense contractors, according to its website.

Military leaders want the station, which over the years spread to 84,000 acres, to expand by another 600,000 acres. It has been brought up over the last few years, but every year it has been put on hold. The project is awaiting approval from Congress.

Through the years, aircraft exercises out of the base have bombed the tribes sacred Medicine Rock in the valley, where Paiute people would gather medicinal plants, Williams-Tuni said.

Multiple times almost every day, planes fly over the reservation, drowning out any conversations and making the area smell like engine fuel, she said.

The Navy is working with the tribes to ensure they are involved in the process, the project website said. It is also working to limit the impact the expansion would have on sacred and cultural sites important to tribes, and intends to develop protocols on how tribal members could access areas on the base that are important to them, according to the project website.

Similar to balancing the need for renewable energy with conservation, the tribe wants to see a balance between the need for strong military with the protection of land.

We know we need to have good national defense, Hale said, but how do we do that in a way that still protects the natural environment, protects our cultural sites?

The Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe joined forces with the nearby tribes of Walker River Paiute Tribe, Lovelock Paiute Tribe and the Yomba Shoshone Tribe to propose a 3 million-acre Numu Newe National Monument. Numu and Newe mean the people in Paiute and Shoshone.

It would be Nevadas fifth national monument and would be the largest in the country if it is approved.

The site could either be created by a presidential proclamation or by a law through Congress.

In March, Williams-Tuni and Hale went to Washington, D.C., to meet with Biden administration officials and congressional representatives about their vision.

For us our ultimate goal is the protection of the land, Hale said.

CULTURAL PRESERVATION

While the tribe deals with issues relating to land and water, another equally important problem must be addressed: preserving the tribes culture.

Lillie Bright, a 96-year-old elder in the tribe, lost her Native language over the years. In school, when she would try to speak Shoshone, teachers would punish her by putting a clothespin on her lips.

It was so painful, Bright said. I can never forget it.

Efforts to teach and revitalize the language are under way. Charlane Starlight, Brights daughter, understands quite a bit of it, but she cant speak it. Starlight is putting together a school curriculum on Native American history that she hopes to see taught in schools.

Weve lost so much, Starlight said.

Tribal members want to build a cultural center that will hold old photos and items important to the tribe and show people how to play traditional games.

One game Hale and Williams-Tuni used to play involved little willow sticks and a token. One of the players would hide a small token, such as a piece of wood, and the other players had to guess who had it. If you guessed wrong, youd have to give up some sticks.

When Williams-Tuni was young, her grandmother gave her a grinding rock, which is a big bowl in which she would grind pine nuts. She also has a pair of moccasins and an eagle feather that she would love to show to others and so people can come and see what we did and what we had.

Thats like an identity, she said.

The area has been home to Shoshone people for thousands of years, and they believe they were created on Fox Peak, which can be seen in the distance of the reservation.

When Hale was a child, she would pick medicines with her grandmother on Fox Peak, go fishing and gather wild onions.

Traditionally, people would eat rabbit, fish, birds, pine nuts, toolies  or cattails  and fresh wild onions, Hale said. But now the rabbits have parasites, and much of the other wildlife is gone.

Here we are today just trying to hang on to what we have left of our cultural history, Hale said.

The cultural center is part of the tribes proposal for the national monument, Williams-Tuni said, which could take a long time to come to fruition.

In the meantime, tribal members gather at the senior center for meals, attend tribal council meetings and talk about their history and future.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)  Federal authorities say a man has been arrested in Charlotte, North Carolina, after he was stopped in the city's airport with more than 23 pounds (more than 10 kilograms) of cocaine concealed in the seat cushions of a motorized wheelchair.

U. S. Customs and Border Protection officers encountered the traveler as he was arriving at Charlotte Douglas International Airport from the Dominican Republic this week, according to a Friday news release.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  A Portland man who killed another man and wounded two others in a shooting as people left a concert at an indoor arena in Portland has been sentenced to life in prison.

Robert Jay James, 39, received the sentence Friday in Multnomah County Circuit Court and must serve 30 years before hes eligible for parole.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP)  Federal prosecutors say a former carpenters union official who once served on the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey board of commissioners has pleaded guilty to embezzlement.

The U.S. attorney's office in New Jersey said George Laufenberg pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in Newark to embezzling about $140,000 in pension benefits and making false statements on a required report to the U.S. Department of Labor.
ATLANTA (AP)  A New York real estate investment firm has pulled out of redeveloping Atlanta's shuttered civic center, raising questions about the plans.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Tishman Speyer withdrew this week. The Atlanta Housing Authority had late last month contracted with Tishman Speyer and Atlanta-based H.J. Russell & Co. to build a mix of affordable and market-rate housing on the 19-acre (8-hectare) property.
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FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP)  An open-records case led to rare agreement Friday between the Kentucky Democratic Party and the state's Republican attorney general, Daniel Cameron, in a legal dispute fraught with undertones related to next years governors race.

Cameron's office concluded that the state Department of Agriculture violated Kentucky's open records law by failing to respond to a request for records from the Democratic Party. The decision involved likely opponents in the 2023 race for governor  which already has threatened to overshadow this year's U.S. Senate and congressional contests.

The agriculture department is run by Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles, who formally entered the race for governor this week. His campaign rivals include Cameron, who filed paperwork last month signaling his bid for governor in what's shaping up as a crowded GOP primary for the state's top political job. The Democratic Party is a frequent critic of Quarles and Cameron, both of whom want to unseat Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.

On Friday, at least, Democrats were trumpeting the open-records decision by Cameron's office. They made no mention of their obvious interest in a contentious Republican gubernatorial primary, which could benefit Beshear when he encounters the winner in a general election bid for a second term.

The agriculture department said Friday night that it does not intend to appeal the ruling, and a Quarles spokesman said the Democrats' pursuit of information was politically motivated, confirming" that the agriculture commissioner is their greatest threat in 2023.

The case stems from a request for records sought by Democrats related to litigation involving Quarles or the agriculture department. The request, which sought emails and text messages generated or sent on government-owned email accounts and cellphones as well as those on non-government email accounts and cellphones, was made by state Democratic Party executive director Sebastian Kitchen.

His initial request was made in February. The agriculture department said it would not provide records protected by attorney-client privilege. It asked that Kitchen clarify which litigation he was referring to in his request. Kitchen refused and submitted a new request April 20.

The Democratic executive sought emails and text messages related to any litigation involving the department during Quarles' tenure as agriculture commissioner. The department did not respond to the follow-up request, and the Democratic Party appealed to the attorney general's office.

The AG's decision, dated Thursday, said the department violated the state's open records law by failing to respond to the April 20 request for records. The ruling also said the department did not commit a violation when it sought clarification of the initial February request.

The Democratic Party responded with a news release touting the AG's opinion and slamming Quarles. The release said Cameron agreed with the party that the agriculture department had violated the open records law.

The public has a right to know how Ryan Quarles is spending their tax dollars and why hes in court," Kitchen said in a follow-up statement.

Offering a starkly different assessment, the agriculture department said the AG's decision showed that politically motivated cronies can't file vague, imprecise and baseless requests.

Under state law, opinions issued by the attorney general on open-records and open-meetings issues carry the weight of law unless appealed in circuit court.
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP)  Tiger King star Bhagavan Doc Antle was arrested by the FBI and expected to appear in court Monday to face federal money laundering charges, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

Federal agents arrested the controversial wild animal trainer Friday and he has been in custody at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center in Conway, South Carolina throughout the weekend.

Antle, the owner of the Myrtle Beach Safari in South Carolina, is featured prominently in Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, a 2020 Netflix documentary miniseries that focused on tiger breeders and private zoo operators in the U.S. The series focused heavily on Oklahoma zoo operator Joe Exotic, who also was targeted for animal mistreatment and was convicted in a plot to kill a rival, Carole Baskin.

The charges against Antle, 62, were expected to be formally announced during a court proceeding Monday afternoon in Florence, South Carolina. The charges relate to allegations of money laundering, a person familiar with the matter told the AP on Saturday. The person could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

Animal rights advocates have accused Antle of mistreating lions and other wildlife. He was indicted in Virginia in 2020 on animal cruelty and wildlife trafficking charges.

In May, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals asked the IRS to probe Antles Rare Species Fund, a nonprofit raising money for wildlife conservation. PETA alleges he uses some of the funds money to subsidize his safari site in Socastee outside Myrtle Beach.

Its fitting that Doc Antle is behind bars after years of locking up the endangered animals he uses in tawdry photo ops. His legal woes are mounting, as PETA recently blew the whistle on his apparent charity scam, and the end to his reign of terrorizing tiger cubs cant come soon enough, said Debbie Metzler, associate director of PETAs Captive Animal Law Enforcement division, in a statement.

Meanwhile, in Virginia, Antle is facing two felony counts of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy to wildlife trafficking charges, as well as 13 misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act and animal cruelty charges tied to trafficking lion cubs. Those charges are scheduled to go to trial next month.

Antle has a history of recorded violations, going as far back as 1989, when he was fined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for abandoning deer and peacocks at his zoo in Virginia. Over the years, he has more than 35 USDA violations for mistreating animals.

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Associated Press writer Michael Balsamo in Washington contributed to this report.
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SEATTLE (AP)  When he was sentenced for killing three teenagers and gravely wounding another at a house party north of Seattle, Allen Ivanov said he was sorry and that he couldn't explain why he did it.

But he noted one factor that allowed him to carry out the shooting  the ease of acquiring a gun. The then-19-year-old bought the assault-style rifle a week earlier and was so unfamiliar with the weapon that he sat in his car outside the party and studied the owner's manual before opening fire on his ex-girlfriend and others.

That theme has repeated itself, yet again, in America's latest spate of mass shootings  in Buffalo, New York; Uvalde, Texas; and Tulsa, Oklahoma  which claimed 35 lives in a span of less than three weeks. It is renewing the debate over whether restrictions such as waiting periods and bans on young adults buying semiautomatic rifles could have saved lives.

If those had been in place, it would have made a difference, said Paul Kramer, who led a successful 2018 effort to impose a 10-day waiting period on semiautomatic rifle purchases in Washington state, as well as a ban on young adults buying such weapons, after his son Will was gravely wounded during Ivanov's shooting spree two years earlier. Those mass shootings would not have unfolded the way that they did, and very likely, lives would have been saved.

Just nine states and Washington, D.C., have explicit waiting periods before people can purchase at least some types of firearms. The restrictions can give authorities more time to conduct background checks and keep impulsive, emotional people from immediately accessing weapons they might use to kill themselves or others, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

The federal government has no waiting period. A bill that passed the Democrat-led U.S. House last year would extend the review period for background checks from three days to 10, but it's opposed by Republicans and is not part of current negotiations in the Senate over how Congress can respond to the recent massacres.

In Tulsa, authorities said the gunman who killed his surgeon, another doctor and two other people Wednesday bought an AR-style rifle just hours beforehand, as well as a handgun on May 29. The shooter, Michael Louis, 45, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, had recently had an operation and blamed his doctor for continuing back pain.

In Uvalde, Texas, the 18-year-old shooter who killed 21 people at Robb Elementary School had purchased two rifles in the preceding week.

California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia have waiting periods for purchases of all types of weapons, ranging from three to 14 days. Minnesota and Washington impose waiting periods for handguns and semiautomatic rifles, while Maryland and New Jersey have waiting periods only for handguns.

In addition, several other states, including Connecticut, Maryland and Massachusetts, require buyers of at least some types of guns to obtain permits first, sometimes including completion of safety classes. Those restrictions can function like waiting periods.

Oklahoma has no law mandating a waiting period, but some Democratic lawmakers called for a special session of the Legislature to address it among other gun violence measures after the Tulsa shooting.

Oklahoma students will be in school in two months, said House Minority Leader Emily Virgin. "If we fail to act before then, it will be because the Legislature has no will to do so. Thats something that I hope all Oklahomans are paying attention to.

They suggested a waiting period on firearms purchases, raising the states minimum age for purchasing weapons from 18 to 21, and a red flag law, allowing guns to be temporarily seized from people who might pose a danger to themselves or others. Those proposals are likely to go nowhere in a GOP-controlled Legislature that has for years pushed for loosening state gun laws.

Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, who is running for reelection, said last week after the Texas shooting that it was too soon to talk about firearms policy.

Florida stands out as a Republican-led state that imposed gun restrictions after a mass shooting. In 2018, after a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland left 14 students and three staff members dead, then-Gov. Rick Scott signed legislation that included a three-day waiting period and raising the minimum age to buy rifles from 18 to 21.

Scott, now a U.S. senator, "encourages all states to look at the action he took in Florida to determine what works best for their state, his communications director, McKinley Lewis, said in an email Friday.

Nationally, about one-third of mass shooters purchased a gun within a month of their crimes, said James Densley, co-founder of The Violence Project, a nonpartisan research group that tracks mass shootings dating back to 1966.

According to a 2017 Harvard Business School review, waiting period laws that delay the purchase of firearms by a few days reduce gun homicides by roughly 17%. But Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of California, called waiting periods an ineffective policy to try to affect gun crime.

The big concern we have is when people want to exercise their right to bear arms, especially when theyre a first-time gun user, theyre delayed in their ability to get the tools that they need to protect themselves, Paredes said.

Daniel Webster, co-director of the Center for Gun Violence Solutions at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said waiting periods are important, and it's obvious to him why more states dont require them: Many firearm laws, he said, are "written by people who sell guns.

Supporters say requiring several days or even a week or more between the purchase and delivery of a gun provides an important cooling off time for someone who is angry or contemplating suicide.

If you get, for whatever reason, a person who is purchasing the gun to use it to harm others, the fact that they cant get the gun in their hands immediately may give an opportunity for the circumstances to change by the time they do get it, assuming theyre entitled to get it in the first place, said Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha.

Giving law enforcement enough time to complete a thorough background check is another advantage of extending the waiting period, he said.

Hawaii has the longest waiting period in the U.S., at 14 days. Alan Beck, an attorney representing residents who are challenging various aspects of the states gun laws, said the two-week period seems arbitrary. If it's meant as a cooling off period for someone who is angry, he said it won't have an effect on potential gun buyers if they already own a firearm.

But state Sen. Karl Rhoads said he believes the waiting period combined with other strict gun control laws have worked, noting that Hawaii has a low homicide rate.

If youre really angry about something and you can go buy a gun and you can get it immediately, then you may act on your impulse, Rhoads said. If you have to wait a couple of weeks, you may calm down and think better of it."

Former Florida state Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat who represented Parkland in 2018 and is now running for Congress, said waiting periods alone aren't enough. Raising the purchase age, adopting red flag laws, increasing mental health spending and boosting school security are all essential, he said.

No one change is going to make a big difference," Moskowitz said. "But every change added together is."

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Associated Press writers Anthony Izaguirre in Tallahassee, Florida; Jennifer Sinco Kelleher in Honolulu; Michael Kunzelman in College Park, Maryland; Jennifer McDermott in Providence, Rhode Island; Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City; Terry Spencer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Don Thompson in Sacramento, California, contributed to this report.

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Follow the APs coverage of the mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, here:

https://apnews.com/hub/uvalde-school-shooting

https://apnews.com/hub/buffalo-supermarket-shooting
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The U.N. Security Council approved a resolution Friday extending the authorization for countries and regional organizations to inspect vessels on the high seas off the coast of Libya suspected of violating the U.N. arms embargo on the troubled north African nation.

The vote on the French-sponsored resolution was 14-0, with Russia abstaining. The brief resolution extends the authorization for inspections for a year.

The monitoring effort has been carried out since March 2020 by a European Union mission called Operation Irini, the Greek word for peace. The EU said at the start that it would have as its core task the implementation of the U.N. arms embargo through the use of aerial, satellite and maritime assets.

Russias U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Friday that when Irini started Russia hoped the inspections would contribute to reducing illegal arms trafficking and therefore promote the long-awaited political settlement of Libyas protracted conflict.

However, this never happened, he said, explaining that Operation Irini and its predecessor, Operation Sophia, have not had any successful cases of interception of smuggled goods.

Nebenzia said Russia will monitor Irinis activities in the next 12 months and we will focus on whether the operation is efficient in curbing the illegal arms flows and complies with the Law of The Sea.

In its first two years of activity, Operation Irini said it investigated more than 6,200 ships, conducted almost 250 visits (also known as friendly approaches) onboard merchant vessels, and 22 inspections. One illegal cargo ship was seized, preventing an illegal export of jet fuel for military aircrafts to Libya, it said.

Irini said it regularly monitors transport activities at 16 Libyan ports and oil facilities and 25 airports and landing strips.

Oil-rich Libya plunged into turmoil after a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 toppled dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed. It then became divided between rival governments  one in the east, backed by military commander Khalifa Hifter, and a U.N.-supported administration in the capital, Tripoli. Each side is supported by different militias and foreign powers.

In April 2019, Hifter and his forces, backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, launched an offensive to try and capture Tripoli. His campaign collapsed after Turkey stepped up its military support for the U.N.-supported government with hundreds of troops and thousands of Syrian mercenaries.

An October 2020 cease-fire deal led to an agreement on a transitional government in early February 2021 and elections were scheduled for last Dec. 24 aimed at unifying the country. But they were canceled and the country now has rival governments with two Libyans claiming to be prime minister.
CAIRO (AP)  A U.N. human rights official Saturday condemned the continued crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Sudan, which has been roiling since a military coup over six months ago.

Adama Dieng, the United Nations expert on human rights in Sudan, urged military authorities to take more bold and concrete actions following the lifting of a nationwide state of emergency on May 29 that had been in place since the military took over Oct. 25.

He called for the release of all people detained under the state of emergency and an end to the use of excessive force and arrests of anti-coup protesters.

Sudan has been politically paralyzed since the coup, with near-daily street protests. Authorities launched a major crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. They fired live ammunition and tear gas at crowds on the streets and knocked the countrys internet and mobile signal offline  all in efforts to keep people from gathering.

Sudanese security forces have also been accused of using sexual violence against women taking part in the demonstrations, according the U.N, At least 99 people have been killed in the anti-coup protests.

Most recently, one protester was shot dead Friday when forces violently dispersed demonstrations in the capital of Khartoum, according to the Sudan Doctors Committee, which is part of the pro-democracy movement. Over 4,400 others have been wounded since the coup.

Another young man whose family are in mourning today. His killing must be investigated immediately, and the perpetrator prosecuted, Dieng said.

The U.N. official's comments came as he wrapped up his second visit to the country since his appointment in November to monitor the human rights situation in Sudan after the coup. Dieng, who visited Sudan in February, was a U.N. special adviser on the prevention of genocide and served as an investigator for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Fridays protests marked the third anniversary of the deadly June 3, 2019 breakup by security forces of a major protest camp outside the militarys headquarters in Khartoum and others in Sudan.

At least 128 protesters were killed in the crackdown, which also involved what activists describe as a campaign of rape and sexual misconduct by troops ordered by the military to crush the pro-democracy movement.

The dispersal was a turning point in ties between between the generals and the movement, which was behind the uprising that led to the militarys removal of longtime strongman Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.
ACCRA, Ghana (AP)  West African heads of state put off further punishing the leaders of Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso at a regional summit Saturday, as coup leaders in all three countries continue to insist that it will take years before new elections can be held.

The 15-nation regional bloc known as ECOWAS will convene again on July 3 before determining if further sanctions will be implemented in the three suspended members states, ECOWAS Commission President Jean-Claude Kassi Brou said.

ECOWAS already imposed strong economic sanctions against Mali back in January  shutting down most commerce, along with land and air borders with other countries in the bloc. Those measures have crippled Mali's economy, prompting concern about the humanitarian consequences on Malians.

The sanctions have not yet brought about a political breakthrough either: In the months since, Col. Assimi Goita has only further isolated the country internationally, pulling out of a regional security force and also shutting down two leading French media broadcasters.

Goita's government also still insists that no vote can be held until 2024, which would extend their time to power to nearly four years despite originally agreeing to an 18-month transition back to democracy.

The juntas in Guinea and Burkina Faso also have proposed three-year transitions, which have been rejected by ECOWAS as too long a wait for new elections.

The wave of military coups began in August 2020, when Goita and other soldiers overthrew Mali's democratically elected president. Nine months later, he carried out a second coup when he dismissed the country's civilian transitional leader and became president himself.

Mutinous soldiers deposed Guinea's president in September 2021, and Burkina Faso's leader was ousted in yet another coup in the region back in January.

The political upheaval came at a time when many observers were starting to think that military power grabs were a thing of the past in West Africa: Mali had gone eight years without one, while Guinea had made it 13 years.

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Associated Press writers Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal, Baba Ahmed in Bamako, Mali; and Boubacar Diallo in Conakry, Guinea contributed.
BIRCH RIVER, W.Va. (AP)  A West Virginia sheriffs deputy was killed, another was injured and a surviving suspect has been charged with murder after a shootout at a residence.

The Nicholas County deputy sheriff, Tom Baker, was killed Friday night while responding to a domestic disturbance in the Birch River area around 5 p.m., Sheriff William Nunley said Saturday. Baker was struck in the back by a bullet.

The area is about an hour east of the state capitol, Charleston.

Police arrived at a camper and made contact with two men who came and talked with the deputies, but at some point the suspects became agitated and ran back inside, Nunley said in a media release.

The deputies pursued them and discharged a taser. The two men began firing at police and officers backed out of the camper, Nunley said.

Baker was shot and another deputy, Corporal J. Ellison, was hit in the leg. Ellison was treated and released from a hospital.

One of the two suspects, 36-year-old Ritchie Holcomb, was fatally shot. The other man, 28-year-old Brent Tyler Kelly, was taken into custody after a short standoff, Nunley said.

Kelly has been charged with first-degree murder, according to WCHS-TV.

West Virginia state police are investigating the incident.

Gov. Jim Justice announced the death of the deputy Friday night. Justice said in a social media post that first responders are heroes. They run to the fire to keep us safe, and we should never forget their service.
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

The San Francisco Department of Public Health on Friday announced the first probable case of monkeypox has been identified in a San Francisco resident.

The case was identified through testing at a California Department of Public Health laboratory.

The individual traveled to a location with an outbreak in cases, is in isolation and is in good condition, health officials said.

The individual reported no close contacts in San Francisco during the time period when they could have spread the infection to others.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health is awaiting confirmation from initial testing completed on Friday.

The risk to the general population from monkeypox is believed to be low.

The known cause of spread of monkeypox is prolonged contact and bodily fluids, according to the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

Having close physical contact, including sex, with multiple people, can put a person at higher risk for monkeypox, health officials said.

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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

San Francisco police this week traveled to Taiwan to arrest a suspect wanted in connection with a March home invasion.

Tianze Zhang, 30, of Los Angeles, was arrested on an outstanding warrant on suspicion of felony burglary, felony kidnapping for robbery and felony terrorists threats, according to the San Francisco Police Department.

On March 16 at approximately 5:30 p.m., San Francisco police officers responded to a residence in the Bernal Heights neighborhood on a report of a home invasion burglary.

Responding officers located a woman who said she was home alone when a man entered her home and physically restrained her.

Police said she was injured during the incident.

The suspect demanded money from the victim and threatened to harm her further if she did not cooperate.

The victim complied and allowed him to transfer nearly $3 million out of her account.

The suspect also stole the victim's cellphones before leaving the home.

Police identified the suspect as Zhang and learned he had fled the United States shortly after the burglary.

A warrant was issued for his arrest, and investigators began working with the FBI and international law enforcement agencies to locate and apprehend Zhang, police said.

On May 30, Zhang was located and detained in Taiwan, and members of the SFPD Burglary Unit traveled to Taipei to escort Zhang back to San Francisco.

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A Caltrans landscape maintenance worker was killed Friday morning while working along Interstate 80 in Solano County.

Quanda McGadney, 51, was killed while working near Lagoon Valley Road on Interstate 80, near Vacaville. A Caltrans spokesperson said McGadney was struck by a hit-and-run driver on westbound Interstate 80 just after 10 a.m. She died on the scene from her injuries.

The California Highway Patrol has arrested a suspect.

McGadney is the first Caltrans District 4 employee to die on the job since 2017. She is the 37th in the history of District 4 and the 190th Caltrans worker to lose their life on the job since 1921. The agency's District 4 represents Bay Area counties.

"The loss of one of our own public servants in this tragic incident is being felt heavily within the Caltrans family today. Our thoughts and heartfelt support are focused on her family, friends and colleagues at this time," said Caltrans Acting Director Steven Keck.

In McGadney's honor, flags are being flown at half-staff at the state Capitol in Sacramento.

McGadney joined Caltrans in 2018. She is survived by her 9-year-old daughter, Nairobi, and two sisters, Priscilla Stevenson and Candice McGadney.

To help McGadney's family, a memorial fund is being established through the California Transportation Foundation.

Police in Union City have arrested a 30-year-old homeless woman in connection with the fatal shooting of a Union City resident.

Stephanie Ledon was detained Wednesday by the Alameda County Sheriff's Department and subsequently arrested by Union City police for her involvement in the murder of Karim Zepeda Martinez, 43, of Union City.

On Friday, Ledon was charged with murder and robbery by the Alameda County District Attorney's Office.

The incident occurred in the early morning hours of April 9 when police were dispatched to the area of Eric Court and Kenita Way for a report of gunshots fired. Once on scene, officers found a single victim with gunshot wounds. Paramedics arrived to provide life-saving measures, but the victim died at the scene.

South San Francisco police are seeking three suspects who robbed someone at gunpoint at a gas station Thursday night.

The robbery was reported around 10:30 p.m. at a gas station in the 200 block of Airport Boulevard, where officers learned that the victim was pumping gas when two suspects pointed a gun at him and demanded his money and jewelry, according to police.

The victim handed the items to the pair, who fled to a vehicle where the third suspect was waiting as the getaway driver, police said.

The suspects then fled in the vehicle, a newer-model black BMW 3 series with a license plate that was stolen off of another vehicle in Milpitas, according to police.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call South San Francisco police at (650) 877-8900.

A man who pleaded guilty to the 2020 shooting death of a security officer at a federal courthouse in Oakland was sentenced Friday to 41 years in prison.

Steven Carrillo, who said he wanted to carry out violent acts against the government, admitted to shooting David Patrick Underwood to death and wounding second officer as a large protest was happening in downtown Oakland on May 29, 2020 following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, according to federal prosecutors.

Carrillo, 34, "admitted that during the months before the shooting, he aligned himself with an anti-government ideology and wanted to carry out violent acts against federal law enforcement," prosecutors said in a news release Friday.

Carrillo, who was an Air Force sergeant at Travis Air Force Base at the time, was captured several days after Underwood's murder at his Ben Lomond home in Santa Cruz County after he allegedly shot and killed sheriff's Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller and injured a second deputy.

He faces separate charges in Santa Cruz County for the second shooting.

Federal prosecutors alleged that Carrillo killed Underwood as part of the "boogaloo" movement that seeks to incite "a violent uprising against perceived government tyranny."

The National Weather Service's Saturday forecast for the greater San Francisco Bay Area is calling for humid conditions with daytime high temperatures in the 60s and 70s. Overnight lows Saturday morning will be mostly in the upper 40s to the upper 50s. Possible precipitation is expected this weekend in the region.

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An 18-year-old was undergoing treatment for an eating disorder when she learned she was pregnant, already in the second trimester. A mom of two found out at 20 weeks that her much-wanted baby had no kidneys or bladder. A young woman was raped and couldn't fathom continuing a pregnancy.

Abortions later in pregnancy are relatively rare, even more so now with the availability of medications to terminate early pregnancies.

Across large parts of the United States, they are also increasingly difficult to obtain.

Now, if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion, women will face even more hurdles in some parts of the country, and may have to travel to another state to get an abortion.

That means more women could end up having the procedure later than they wish, and the burden falls more heavily on some groups, such as teens, poor, Black, Latino and Native American women and those who live in states where access to any abortion is limited.

Its not because people dont want to have them sooner, said Dr. Diane Horvath, an OB-GYN in Baltimore, Maryland, who has performed abortions for 16 years. Its because barriers and new information cause them to have to push it back to later in pregnancy.

The Associated Press interviewed three women who had abortions later in their pregnancy. While their backgrounds and reasons for terminating their pregnancies were varied, none expressed doubt about their decision  or said they were traumatized by it  and all said they were grateful that they were able to do it.

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WANTED BABY, MISSING ORGANS

Christina Taylor already had two kids when she became pregnant with her third. Everything was going well at the start and she was looking forward to welcoming a new baby into the family.

When she was 20 weeks pregnant, Taylor went for an ultrasound and basic anatomy scan that is normally done at this stage. For most people, this is a time to find out the babys sex. For some, its also when fetal abnormalities are detected.

I laid down and the ultrasound tech was doing her thing and she was getting really quiet and was taking a really long time, she recalled. She left the room at one point, I need to talk to the doctor.

When the tech returned, Taylor could see from the look on her face that something was wrong. When the doctor arrived, he told the couple that there was no amniotic fluid. There were also no kidneys. The baby would likely not survive the pregnancy, or if by some miracle made it to full term, he would die shortly after birth.

I told the doctor, look, Im not sure  I dont buy the age of viability thing, but for my own mental health and for the health of my family I want to terminate my pregnancy as soon as possible, Taylor recalled.

She got a second doctors opinion and an MRI, which not only confirmed that there were no kidneys present, but also no bladder.

Fortunately, in Colorado, abortion is legal, as it was at the time, with no gestational limits. In the U.S., nearly all abortions take place in the first trimester of pregnancy. Just over 6% of abortions were performed at 14 to 20 weeks gestation, the second trimester, in 2019 according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. Less than 1% took place at 21 weeks or later, in the third, based on the most recent data available.

Taylors story shows what getting an abortion with access to good health care, health insurance and no legal obstacles can look like.

I had the option to wait it out and see when he passed and then, you know, youd have a stillbirth. But I knew I couldnt do that. Like, I couldnt put my kids through that, Taylor said.

On the way home from the MRI she called her insurance company and found that they covered both types of abortion procedures, dilation and evacuation, D&E, and induction and dilation, or I&D. She chose the latter, which essentially would mean inducing labor and going through delivery. This way, she could have the procedure in a maternity ward, with a team of midwives.

There was a small chance that he could have been born still alive and we would have been able to hold him and say goodbye when he passed, Taylor said.

She labored for a day and a half. Given the circumstances, she recalled it as an overall positive experience, knowing how much worse it could have been had they still lived in Texas, where even in 2017 the procedure would not have been legal. The states current ban of all abortions after 6 weeks makes no exceptions  Taylor would have had to travel out of state to receive care, or possibly wait until her baby died in her womb, putting her at increased risk of infections and even death.

Only eight states allow abortions at any time during a pregnancy. Twenty states have no specific time limits but prohibit abortions at the time of fetal viability, which is generally considered to be around 23 or 24 weeks but depends on a host of other factors besides gestational age.

I still grieve to this day for the loss of my son and my husband does too, Taylor, who has been sharing her abortion story to bring attention to experiences such as hers, said. But you know, we accept that thats something that happens sometimes. And especially because of the context of knowing how lucky we were to just not have laws in the way of just doing what felt right.

___

I WAS FEELING SUICIDAL

Everyone thinks you present pregnancies the same way. You miss a period, you throw up, you take a test and at five weeks, you know youre pregnant. And that is just not how life shakes out for a lot of people, said Erika Christensen, founder of PatientForward, a nonprofit that helps people access later abortions.

Jenn Chalifoux, now 30 and studying law at the University of Colorado in Boulder, became pregnant in 2010, when she was 18 years old and receiving inpatient care for an eating disorder in New York. Her story touches on popular myths  that women always know they are pregnant and that women in liberal states with laws that only ban rare late abortions can easily get them.

Chalifoux returned home from college in the summer before her sophomore year to receive treatment for restrictive eating. A common symptom of such eating disorders is the loss of ones period. A common  though by no means fail-safe  sign of being pregnant is also the loss of ones period.

I had a medical team of doctors and psychiatrists and stuff that I was working with. And at no point did any of us think that the fact that I hadnt gotten my period was because of a pregnancy, Chalifoux said.

As she was starting to recover from the eating disorder, though, her period still hadnt returned. She was on birth control, but just to rule it out, she took a home pregnancy test, which was positive. After confirming the pregnancy through a blood test, she reached out to Planned Parenthood, where she was told that it was too late for a medical abortion and she would need a surgical procedure.

I spent probably at least two weeks thinking about the financials, going through the money that I had, Chalifoux said. And a week makes a difference.

The cost of an abortion increases significantly as time goes on, from a few hundred dollars to thousands in the second trimester and even tens of thousands later on. For many women, financial barriers to abortion serve to push the procedure later, because it can take time to come up with money. Medicaid, which provides health care coverage to low-income Americans, does not pay for abortions except in the case of rape, incest or when the mothers life is in danger.

Its really hard to get an abortion in this country, Christensen said. And the idea that people are able to seek care by a certain date is kind of based on the myths that we get all the information we need by a certain time and that we live in equitable environments with equal access to resources and health care. Neither of those are true.

Horvath, a fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health, said she's already seeing patients from other states in her Maryland practice who have found themselves too far into the pregnancy to be able to have abortions in their state.

Realizing that she could not handle it alone, Chalifoux told her parents, who embraced her with support. By this point, weeks had passed since she learned she was pregnant and she started to experience physical symptoms of pregnancy. The experience of not having control over her body as it changed horrified her and she said she getting intrusive thoughts of performing an abortion on herself.

I just remember feeling like I wanted to cut myself open or die. The experience of not having control over my body and feeling my body, feeling it change, noticing the changes and knowing that I was getting more pregnant every day was just  I mean, it was like horror, she recalled.

After going for an initial appointment at a hospital to prepare for the procedure, another ultrasound revealed that she was further along than first thought. In all, Chalifoux said it took about a month from the time she learned she was pregnant until she was able to receive an abortion, a few days after she turned 19.

It was such a long time ago that Ive healed from a lot of it, but Im able to recognize that where I used to think that my abortion was traumatic for me, I can realize now that it was the pregnancy that was traumatic. And that the abortion was actually very healing, she said.

Today, Chalifoux is studying law, hoping to become a public defender or find work fighting against mass incarceration and speaks publicly about her abortion as part of her reproductive rights activism. Looking back, she says, she does not think she would have survived if she were forced to carry the pregnancy to term.

I can remember having this fear that I would be forced to give birth, she said. And I can remember thinking that I would rather die.

___

RAPE AND A DOCTORS MISCALCULATION

It was July 2020. The young woman decided to check out her friends stand-up comedy show in a downtown Houston comedy club. She wouldnt know anyone in the audience, but that didnt matter. Working in the service industry and being a social, responsible person who had lived on her own since she turned 18, she wasnt worried. She met what seemed like a group of really cool people. She had some drinks with them and had a good time, she recalled. Looking back, she doesnt recall any women being part of the group. But she trusted herself.

Everything kind of happened really fast, said the woman, 31, whom the AP is not identifying because she is the victim of sexual assault. Im pretty sure, pretty sure someone slipped something in one of my drinks. I ended up waking up the next morning in a rundown motel room somewhere in southwest Houston.

She had nothing on her except her clothes and shoes. Her phone, wallet and underwear were missing. It was about 10:30 a.m. and the motels management was banging on her door. Instead of offering help, she recalled, they yelled at her and kicked her out. The woman, who is Black, thinks they might have thought she was a prostitute. She walked along the side of the highway until she found a gas station where she could call a family member to pick her up.

Time went on, and she didnt tell anyone what happened except one close friend. She started dating someone.

In late October, early November of that year, she, took a home pregnancy test. She was on birth control, but she figured maybe it had failed. She was pregnant.

After an initial appointment with a doctor who gave her an incorrect gestational age, she followed up at a womens clinic, where she learned that she was actually further along. She did the math, and traced back the start of her pregnancy to the time she was raped back in July.

And that was just something that I was not  I would not have been able to live with, she said.

The young woman said it took her more than a week to absorb the shock of learning that she became pregnant from a sexual assault. More time passed as she searched for an abortion provider, encountering crisis pregnancy centers that tried to steer her away from terminating the pregnancy. One of the centers, she said, was calling her daily at one point. The woman said she felt harassed.

There was also the cost. According to medical bills the woman provided to the AP, the cost of her procedure increased by $2,500 between the time she was examined in Austin before her abortion and the time she arrived in New Mexico for the procedure. PatientForward helped cover her costs.

She was in her third trimester by the time she got on an airplane, alone, to fly to New Mexico and terminate her pregnancy at 27 weeks of gestation. She hasnt told her family what happened, or any other friends, still coping with feelings of shame and guilt from both the rape and the abortion. She does not know who raped her.

I have no idea who did it. No idea, she said. I never went back and pursued it.

___

Associated Press writer Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this story.
Thunderstorms provided more rain relief for Midland in the early morning hours Friday.

While the National Weather Service recorded 0.61 inch between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. at Midland International, rain gauges across the city broke the 1-inch barrier. Many were between 1.4 inches and 1.54 inches, according to the CoCoRaHS Mapping System -- maps.cocorahs.org. The most was 1.54 inches in central and south Midland, which was a change from earlier in the week when north Midland received the most rain.

Rainfall totals from around the region included 1.52 inches in Hobbs, New Mexico; 1.15 inches in Gaines County (Seminole), 0.64 inch in Reagan County and 0.05 inch in Odessa, according to the National Weather Service.

What has happened in Midland is the creation of a rainy season compared to the previous nine months. The National Weather Service shows 1.41 inches already in June, which is double the total of the previous nine months and the most rain since July 2021.

The impact has been another drop in the drought index. In fact, the Texas A&M Forest Service reported Friday that its drought assessment system  the Keetch-Byram Drought Index -- showed another 45-point drop in Midland County on its 800-point scale.

That index, which helps determine forest fire potential, dropped this week from 679 early in the week to 596 Friday. There was an 83-point drop in Andrews County (to 538), a 63-point drop in Glasscock County (to 596) and a 68-point drop in Martin County (to 603).

Texas A&M Forest Service also reports that Midland County is no longer in the KBDIs highest range (600-800, often associated with increased wildfire occurrence). Moving into the range of 400 to 600, according to the index means Lower litter and duff layers contribute to fire intensity and will burn actively. Wildfire intensity begins to increase significantly. Larger fuels could burn or smolder for several days. This is often seen in late summer and early fall.

Midland County Fire Marshal Justin Bunch has previously told the Reporter-Telegram that the county will not enact a burn ban until our KBI is at or above 575.

Rainfall totals

(according to maps.cocorahs.org)

Central Midland 1.54 inches

South of Midland 1.54 inches

Greenwood 1.5 inches

SH 349 Corridor 1.45 inches

Grasslands 1.45 inches

Northwest Midland 1.25 inches
As a senior in high school, 18 years old, education is all Ive known for the last 14 years. Go to school, my mother tells me, Go to school and learn. Learn, so you can do great things. Education is a pathway  an opportunity to escape our situation. Like millions of other students in the United States, these are words ingrained in us like no other. For so many, education is an escape, a ladder to climb out of poverty and struggle.

School: A place one goes to educate. To grow. To learn. To become individuals who will one day go into society and help create a better future, whatever path they choose to pursue. This is what school is supposed to be. A safe haven, a sanction of protection for so many children with great dreams and aspirations and potential.

Yet the greatest tragedy is the one that has become reality. Now, there are students  tens, hundreds, thousands, millions  who fear for their life each morning when they arrive at the very place supposed to be a barrier from the outside world, where they can emerge themselves in studies and endless knowledge.

I am going to be blunt. There is nowhere to hide, and we should not try to hide from the issue and the root of the issue in the first place. This country has a gun issue. More specifically, an issue with gun control. Or rather, the lack of it in 21st century America. Myself and thousands of others  civilians, politicians, teachers, youth, families, Americans  demand change now. This cannot and will not continue. This can no longer be the horrific reality that millions of students are subjected to every day.

We need to create and ensure a nation in which our students go to school and learn chemistry formulas and math equations, perform science experiments, explore their artistic passions  not a nation that trains its students to become familiar with the fear that courses through them when the classroom lights shut off and the blaring alarm begins, when they are forced to hide under their desks or against the wall, when piercing gunshots drill through the air. But the latter is reality. We are making a problem we are responsible for solving into one for children and youth to bear the burden of.

Imagine a world when parents fear sending their child to school. Imagine the fear in them as they kiss their kid goodbye, watch them go on the bus, having to merely ponder the thought that they might not make it home alive. But you do not have to imagine. This is reality.

I call on the lawmakers who turn a blind eye to this horrific injustice to create and pass stricter gun laws that make it harder to legally purchase a firearm. In the United States, the federal law states that one can, (1) pass a quick background check that only considers criminal convictions, domestic violence and immigration status, and (2) buy a gun. When purchasing from a private seller, federal law does not require a background check. Why is it so easy for just anyone to get their hands on a deadly weapon?

If we take a look at other countries in the world  Japan, for instance  the law is:

one must take a firearm class and pass an exam

get a doctors note to verify mental health

apply for a firing permit

interview with police

pass an in-depth background review

apply for a gunpowder permit

take a firing class

obtain a certificate

buy a gun safe and ammunition locker

allow police inspection

pass another background review

purchase a gun.

With this law in place, Japan has almost completely eliminated gun deathsa country with a population of 127 million, less than 10 per year on average.

Now let us compare this to the U.S. Six months into 2022, weve had 27 school shootings. For shooting fatalities alone in this country, the number has been 17,000 since the start of 2022.

The first step is to open our eyes and become aware of this problem. It will not disappear if we are mere witnesses. We cannot stand on the sidelines and watch injustice pass by us until it sweeps us up in its storm. There must not be any more grief, loss, pain and tragedy over gun violence in schools. Schools must be what they are meant to be: A place to obtain an education. An opportunity for students all over to rise above their circumstances and backgrounds. A pathway to chase dreams and aspirations.

There must be no more innocent lives lost because we choose to ignore the blatant wrong in front of us.

To lawmakers: If you are so concerned with protecting the people, then listen to this. Hear us. Whose lives are you trying to protect with the Second Amendment? By allowing U.S. citizens to bear arms, you do so with the intent to keep them safe. But if we do not amend this outdated amendment, you are letting thousands of people die  the very same people you claim you want to keep safe. You are letting them fear for their lives, and for the lives of all those they love.

I only see hypocrisy.

Bianca Jortner, of Easton, is founder and president of Youth Promise, an organization providing free, virtual tutoring to under-served youth across the globe.
In this weeks developments, the U.S. problem with flight cancellations and delays continues and spreads to Europe; the Justice Department goes to court to protect the governments authority to impose mask mandates; the list of international routes keeps growing as peak season arrives; JetBlues Boston-London service delayed; Southwest begins new San Jose, Sacramento routes; JSX fliers can now earn miles on United; Japan starts to open up to tourists; Italy drops COVID-19 entry requirements; airlines, travel industry reps visit the White House to urge an end to pre-departure testing for inbound travelers; KLM adds premium economy seating; Delta cuts the ribbon on new LaGuardia terminal; two passenger lounges open at Ontario Airport.



The U.S. airline industry got another test of its ability to handle burgeoning passenger numbers over Memorial Day weekend, and it did not do well, as carriers canceled 2,800 departures from Thursday through Monday, leaving thousands of travelers stymied in their hopes of enjoying a brief holiday getaway. This time, the worst problems were at Delta, with more than 800 flights scrapped. And the U.S. isnt alone in its air travel problems, as the same scenario has been playing out at several European airports in recent days.

Its not just holiday weekends. On Thursday, June 2, almost 1,400 U.S. flights were canceled, mostly by American, United and Southwest. The ongoing problems led U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Edward Markey, D-Mass., to send a letter this week to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, asking him to spell out the steps DOT is taking in response to this past weekends cancellations, both to reduce the likelihood of sweeping delays and cancellations from reoccurring and to ensure impacted consumers receive full compensation, including refunds. The senators said they are disappointed that these delays and cancellations are occurring so frequently that they are becoming an almost-expected part of travel.

The causes for these operational problems are many, including bad weather, air traffic control problems, understaffed airport security checkpoints, and the failure of airlines to staff up sufficiently for soaring passenger numbers as peak season hits. Industry observers are worrying that significant flight delays, cancellations and long airport lines could continue to plague the industry through the summer vacation season. Veteran Wall Street airline analyst Helane Becker told Yahoo! Finance that with a busy summer now arriving, she is concerned about the industrys ability to handle the demand. That demand was evident over the holiday weekend when TSA screened more than 11 million travelers from Thursday through Monday.

As we reported last week, several U.S. carriers  most recently Delta  have recently announced cutbacks in their spring and summer schedules in order to avoid having to cancel flights that they likely wont be able to operate due to staffing problems. But will it be enough? Consider recent media headlines: With summer travel heating up, airlines brace for turbulence (Time Magazine); Think airport crowds are bad now? Wait til summer (Wired.com); Staffing hitches, fare hikes await summer crowds (San Francisco Chronicle).

Travelers across the Atlantic are facing similar disruptions. According to a report this week in Simpleflying.com, passenger processing has been chaotic in recent weeks at London Heathrow, Dublin, Manchester, Amsterdam Schiphol and Stockholm Arlanda airports, with lines stretching far outside terminal buildings and thousands of passengers missing their flights. At Amsterdam, KLM briefly suspended ticket sales last weekend after slow security screening created massive passenger backups. In the U.K., Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told airlines to stop selling tickets for flights they cannot staff after a spate of cancellations caused widespread disruption for vacationers. As Euronews.com commented this week, If youve got a holiday planned this summer, its likely youre feeling a little nervous.

Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Although there was no indication that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to reinstate its mask requirement for airline travelers, the Biden administration wants the courts to make it clear that the CDC does have the legal authority to do so if it wants to, for COVID or any future public health threat. So the U.S. Department of Justice this week filed an appeal of the federal district court ruling on April 18 that declared CDC was acting outside of its authority when it issued mask requirements for air travel and other public transportation. DOJs filing said that none of the arguments posed by the district court ruling comes close to showing that the CDC has acted outside the zone of reasonableness in issuing it mask orders.

The list of new or revived international routes keeps getting longer now that the peak summer travel season has arrived. This week, the Italian carrier ITA  the successor to Alitalia  introduced its first West Coast route with a daily A330 flight from Los Angeles International to Rome Fiumicino. Finnair, a member of the American/Alaska Oneworld alliance, kicked off service from Alaskas Seattle hub to Helsinki with three A330-300 flights a week, and Air Canada introduced daily flights from Seattle to Montreal. Vancouver welcomed a new U.S. airline as JetBlue introduced daily A320 flights between the Canadian city and its New York JFK base. Spains Iberia Airlines, an American Airlines partner in the Oneworld alliance, began service to Madrid from Washington Dulles and Dallas/Fort Worth, with four weekly flights in both markets.

United started operating the only nonstop service between the U.S. and Croatia with seasonal Newark-Dubrovnik flights, continuing through Sept. 28. Lufthansa added three flights a week between St. Louis and its Frankfurt hub. Ethiopian Airlines began nonstop service between Washington Dulles and Lome, Togo, in West Africa, with continuing service to Addis Ababa. And American added a big new long-haul route to its network with the launch of JFK-Doha, Qatar, nonstops operating seven days a week, with onward connections available to several countries as part of AAs newly expanded code-share relationship with Qatar Airways.

Craig F. Walker/Denver Post via Getty Images

Next week, United revives its suspended San Francisco-Melbourne route with three weekly 787 flights  the only nonstop service between the U.S. and Melbourne. United also flies to Sydney from San Francisco and Los Angeles. On June 5, Uniteds new schedule from Newark to Cape Town, South Africa, begins, transforming the route from seasonal to year-round service with three flights a week. (Last month, United also applied with the Transportation Department for authority to begin nonstop Cape Town flights from its Washington Dulles hub, with plans to start flying three times a week as of Nov. 17.) On June 9, United will supplement its recent introduction of service to the Azores and to Mallorca by beginning three weekly flights from Newark to Tenerife in Spains Canary Islands.

JetBlues new routes from Boston to London suffered a slight glitch after a delay in aircraft deliveries from Airbus. The start date for the airlines new daily flights from Boston to London Gatwick has been pushed back from July 19 to Aug. 4, and the launch of Boston-London Heathrow service has been delayed from Aug. 22 to Sept. 20. JetBlue said passengers holding tickets on the affected flights will be rebooked through New York JFK or provided with refunds. The airline plans to use new Airbus A321LR aircraft on the Boston-London routes, as it does on its JFK-London flights.

MediaNews Group/The Mercury News/MediaNews Group via Getty Images

In domestic markets, Southwest Airlines on June 5 begins new daily service between Mineta San Jose and Eugene, Oregon  its 26th destination out of SJC. Eugene is home of the University of Oregon. On the same date, Southwest plans to kick off daily flights from Sacramento International to Santa Barbara. Low-cost Avelo Airlines, which started flying to Northern Colorado Regional Airport in Fort Collins just months ago, will discontinue its Fort Collins-Las Vegas service on June 16 and Fort Collins-Las Vegas flights on June 24. Both routes operate twice a week. But on the East Coast, Avelo last week introduced three new routes out of its base at Connecticuts Tweed-New Haven Airport, flying four days a week to Chicago Midway, Raleigh-Durham and Baltimore/Washington International.

JSX, the California-based regional carrier that operates specially configured regional jets and flies mostly from secondary airports, has inked a frequent flier partnership with Uniteds MileagePlus program so its customers can earn United miles on JSX flights. Simply add your MileagePlus number to your JSX profile and hop on, the carrier said on its website. The Points Guy adds more details on the partnership, including that miles earned will range from 50% to 100% of miles flown, based on distance and fare class, and they will not count towards MileagePlus elite status. As of now, there also isnt a way to redeem United miles for JSX flights, The Points Guy noted. Through August, an introductory promotion will give MileagePlus members a mileage multiplier of five to 11 times actual miles flown on JSX, depending on their status in the program. JSX already has a mileage partnership with JetBlues TrueBlue program, and that remains in place.

DAVID GANNON/AFP via Getty Images

Japan, which recently started accepting international business travelers after keeping itself shut off from the world for two years, is now starting to welcome foreign tourists as well  but only on a very limited basis. On June 10, the country will begin to allow a small number of tourist visitors from 98 countries with relatively low COVID case rates, including the U.S., but they must be members of organized tour groups, not independent travelers. The country will increase the cap on daily international visitors from the current 10,000 to 20,000  still just a fraction of pre-pandemic levels. All foreign visitors must get a negative COVID test result before boarding their flights to Japan, and some may be retested after arrival. They will also face strict mask-wearing requirements during their tours.

Across the Atlantic, Italy is the latest major European destination to eliminate COVID-based entry restrictions. As of this week, international travelers arriving in Italy will no longer have to show a vaccination certificate, proof of recovery from COVID, or a negative test result. According to a list published this week by Schengenvisainfo.com, European nations that have now ended all COVID entry rules include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland. The United Kingdom, which is no longer a member of the E.U., has also dropped all COVID entry requirements.

Despite a growing trend among foreign nations to drop COVID entry requirements for international air travelers, the United States continues to insist that anyone flying here  foreigners and citizens alike, vaccinated or not  must still get a negative test result before boarding their plane. The continuation of that policy has been aggravating the U.S. airline and travel industries, especially as the peak summer season has arrived, so this week they once again appealed to the Biden administration to eliminate that testing rule.

Executives from Airlines for America (A4A, the leading airline trade group) and the U.S. Travel Association (USTA), an umbrella group for the industry, met with administration officials at the White House to press their case. Across the country, states that rely on travel and tourism to support their local economies are paying the price. There is simply no scientific justification for maintaining the pre-departure testing requirement, said A4A CEO Nicholas Calio. USTA CEO Roger Dow added that it is long past time for the Biden administration to remove the pre-departure testing requirement for vaccinated air travelers to the U.S. While nearly all other U.S. industries are operating without restrictions, the travel industry remains disproportionately harmed by this requirement, even though the science no longer supports it.

RAMON VAN FLYMEN/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

KLM is the latest international carrier to install a premium economy section on its aircraft. The companys new Premium Comfort class will include 21 to 28 seats, depending on aircraft type, and will be introduced on KLMs North American routes. It is anticipated that passengers will be able to book Premium Comfort to a growing range of destinations from the end of July, KLM said. Situated between business class and regular economy, Premium Comfort seats will be wider than standard seats, with more legroom, a larger video screen and a footrest. Customers on intercontinental flights will get one or two hot meals, coffee and dessert and a variety of snacks and cocktails, along with more flexible baggage arrangements and preferred check-in and boarding, KLM said.

Just weeks after it cut the ribbon on its rebuilt Terminal 3 at Los Angeles International, Delta has now done the same at New York LaGuardia with the opening of its Terminal C there. The rebuilt facility includes a new 10-gate Concourse E along with new check-in, security and baggage claim facilities. Concourse E is the second of four new Delta concourses to open in Deltas LGA terminal reconstruction project. The airline will fully complete the entire four-concourse terminal by the end of 2024, almost two years earlier than originally planned, Delta said. Ultimately Terminals C and D will consolidate into one state-of-the-art facility, spanning 1.3 million square feet and featuring 37 gates across four concourses. The new Delta facilities at LaGuardia  where it is the largest airline, with up to 255 daily flights  will also feature the largest Delta Sky Club in the system when it is finished, the airline said, with seating for 600 guests and total space of 34,000 square feet.

Ontario International Airport in southern California has opened two new premium passenger lounges unaffiliated with any airline. Theyre called Aspire Lounges, operated by Swissport International AG, with one in Terminal 2 and one in Terminal 4. Swissport operates lounges in 38 airports around the world and broke into the U.S. market earlier this year with a lounge at San Diego International. Individual visits to the Ontario lounges cost $37 and can be booked at www.aspirelounges.com. Theyre also open to members of the Priority Pass lounge program and eligible American Express cardholders. Amenities include hot and cold food and beverages, seating with power outlets and high-speed Wi-Fi.
WFO AMARILLO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, June 3, 2022

_____

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

Special Weather Statement

National Weather Service Amarillo TX

640 PM CDT Fri Jun 3 2022

...Strong thunderstorms will impact portions of western Oldham,

northwestern Deaf Smith and western Hartley Counties through 715 PM

CDT...

At 640 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along

a line extending from 4 miles southeast of Amistad to 9 miles south

of Romero to 6 miles northwest of Glenrio. Movement was northeast at

25 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.

Locations impacted include...

Adrian, Glenrio and Romero.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

These storms may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio

stations and available television stations for additional information

and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 1100 PM CDT for

the Panhandle of Texas.

LAT...LON 3606 10304 3606 10271 3570 10252 3505 10254

3502 10304

TIME...MOT...LOC 2340Z 240DEG 20KT 3587 10311 3559 10291 3522 10315

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN

MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO AMARILLO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, June 3, 2022

_____

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

Special Weather Statement

National Weather Service Amarillo TX

950 PM CDT Fri Jun 3 2022

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southwestern Beaver,

southeastern Texas, northeastern Hansford and northern Ochiltree

Counties through 1015 PM CDT...

At 950 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 4

miles northwest of Farnsworth, or 10 miles west of Perryton, moving

east at 30 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph and penny size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around

unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is

possible.

Locations impacted include...

Perryton, Waka, Bryans Corner, Balko, Farnsworth and Boyd.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio

stations and available television stations for additional information

and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.

LAT...LON 3681 10074 3632 10054 3629 10055 3628 10108

3650 10128

TIME...MOT...LOC 0250Z 261DEG 28KT 3638 10101

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN

MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Saturday, June 4, 2022

_____

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

Special Weather Statement

National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio TX

649 AM CDT Sat Jun 4 2022

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southwestern

Williamson and Travis Counties through 730 AM CDT...

At 649 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near

Anderson Mill, moving southeast at 25 mph.

HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph and penny size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around

unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is

possible.

Locations impacted include...

Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, Anderson Mill, Austin

Bergstrom Int Airport, Windemere, Leander, Lakeway, Manor, Lago

Vista, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Hudson Bend, The Hills,

Rollingwood, Barton Creek, Mansfield Dam, Hornsby Bend and Jonestown.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

Torrential rainfall is also occurring with this storm and may lead to

localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded

roadways.

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.

LAT...LON 3043 9808 3061 9784 3042 9738 3009 9764

TIME...MOT...LOC 1149Z 320DEG 23KT 3044 9773

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN

MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO CORPUS CHRISTI Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, June 3, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Southwestern Goliad County in south central Texas...

Central Bee County in south central Texas...

* Until 730 PM CDT.

* At 640 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Beeville,

moving east at 10 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Beeville, Skidmore, Mineral, Normanna, Berclair and Tuleta.

This includes the following highways...

US Highway 181 between mile markers 580 and 600.

US Highway 59 between mile markers 682 and 702.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO CORPUS CHRISTI Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, June 3, 2022

_____

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

Special Weather Statement

National Weather Service Corpus Christi TX

652 PM CDT Fri Jun 3 2022

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southwestern

Victoria and east central Goliad Counties through 715 PM CDT...

At 652 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over

Coleto Creek Park, or 12 miles east of Goliad, moving east at 5 mph.

HAZARD...Winds in excess of 30 mph and pea size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around

unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is

possible.

Locations impacted include...

Fannin, Coleto Creek Park, Oak Village and Saxet Lakes.

This includes the following highways...

US Highway 59 between mile markers 642 and 660.

US Highway 77 between mile markers 584 and 590.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

LAT...LON 2878 9702 2854 9707 2854 9708 2853 9709

2856 9711 2855 9712 2855 9715 2862 9734

2876 9730

TIME...MOT...LOC 2352Z 283DEG 6KT 2869 9719

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN

MAX WIND GUST...30 MPH

The National Weather Service in Amarillo has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Oldham County in the Panhandle of Texas...

Southern Dallam County in the Panhandle of Texas...

Hartley County in the Panhandle of Texas...

* Until 830 PM CDT.

* At 652 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line

extending from 4 miles west of Romero to 10 miles north of Glenrio,

moving northeast at 25 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...

Dalhart, Hartley, Adrian and Romero.

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 Amarillo.

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 730 PM CDT

FOR SOUTHWESTERN GOLIAD AND CENTRAL BEE COUNTIES...

At 654 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Beeville,

moving east at 10 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to

roofs, siding, and trees.

Beeville, Skidmore, Normanna, Berclair and Tuleta.

US Highway 181 between mile markers 580 and 600.

US Highway 59 between mile markers 680 and 702.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO MIDLAND/ODESSA Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Saturday, June 4, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Midland has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

South central Pecos County in southwestern Texas...

East central Brewster County in southwestern Texas...

Southwestern Terrell County in southwestern Texas...

* Until 700 PM CDT.

* At 555 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 13 miles west of

Sanderson, moving southeast 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...

Sanderson.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
Illustrative image. (Photo: SGGP)

The program was co-launched by US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Dang Hoang An, and USAID Vietnam Mission Director Ann Marie Yastishock.



Expected to build on the success of V-LEEP I carried out between 2015 and 2020, V-LEEP II will support the financial mobilization for 2,000 MW of renewable energy and 1,000 MW of gas-fueled power to reduce 59 million tons of CO2.



The new program plans to provide cooperation, training, and capacity building activities, as well as tools to support the management and implementation of technology planning, connection and transfer for power production and management.



Earlier, V-LEEP I, in conjunction with the private sector, contributed to the mobilization of $311 million to successfully develop wind and solar power projects with a combined capacity of 300 MW.







VNA
Vice Chairman of HCMC People's Committee Vo Van Hoan (L) at the event The program takes place on June 2 and 3. Swedish corporations operating in Vietnam such as ABB, Ericsson, H&M, IKEA have shared their experiences and typical solutions to benefit Vietnam and the Vietnam - Sweden partnership.



Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Vo Van Hoan said that the Vietnamese Government has been paying attention to climate change.

At the United Nations Climate Change Summit in 2021 (COP26), the Vietnamese Prime Minister made strong commitments with 150 countries around the world to bring net emissions to zero by 2050.

Sharing visions and implementing activities to promote sustainable development is very important in the context that the world is witnessing great transformations and the prevalence of non-traditional threats.

Diseases, pollution, and environmental degradation, water scarcity are threatening economic growth and the quality of life of people around the world. The Southeast Asian country in general and Ho Chi Minh City, in particular, is also impacted.

Therefore, Mr. Hoan emphasized that sustainable development is no longer an option but the only way to go. In addition to making the most of its resources, Ho Chi Minh City is ready to cooperate with Swedish partners as well as the international community in the aspects of green finance, green technology, and improving competitiveness.

By Minh Hai - Translated by Anh Quan
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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!
Of all the people featured since 2016 on the ABCs ingeniously simple, award-winning Q&A program You Cant Ask That, models are a group that dont quite seem to fit the marginalised and misunderstood part of the description. Misunderstood, probably. But marginalised?

Dont they all have fabulous lives aboard super yachts, guzzling champagne and snorting cocaine? Thats one of the questions anonymously put to the nine participants of varying age, gender, size and ethnicity in this episode.

Chloe Maxwell: I have very fond memories of my time as a model. Credit:

Chloe Maxwell, the 1990s Jeanswest girl who went on to become a television and radio presenter, gives an impressively candid answer on the show. When approached by directors Kirk Docker and Aaron Smith, she jumped at the chance to reflect on her modelling career.

I have very fond memories of my time as a model. Certainly, given the chance, I would want to relive them at any moment, any time. Especially because my husband (former rugby league player, Mat Rogers) is so well known with his career, my kids dont really know a lot about what I did before them. We watched it and they loved seeing Mum talk about old times.
The opening of the Bondi memorial to gay and transgender victims of hate crimes provoked strong emotions at Marks Park in Tamarama on Saturday, including for David McMahon.

McMahon was attacked in the park in 1989, just weeks after the body of John Russell was found at the base of the cliffs below the Bondi to Bronte walk, a death initially regarded by the police as misadventure.

I never saw violence until it happened to me, he said.

There was an emotional response to the opening of The Bondi Memorial: Rise at Marks Park in Tamarama on Saturday. Credit:Rhett Wyman

McMahon was one of several gay men who were assaulted or murdered at Marks Park during a decades-long wave of violence against LGBTQ people in Sydney.
The NSW Supreme Court has slammed a three-minute travesty in a regional NSW court earlier this year in which a magistrate made a decision without the accused explicitly entering a plea, the police prosecutor being in the room or papers being served.

Police were called in February this year when Faiva Peckham was at the Dubbo home of his erstwhile girlfriend, who had an apprehended domestic violence order out against him.

A magistrates conduct at Dubbo Court House has drawn the ire of the NSW Supreme Court. Credit:Fergus Hunter

Peckham was arrested and refused bail to appear at the Dubbo Local Court that afternoon, where he was represented by the Aboriginal Legal Service to appear before Magistrate Gary Wilson on one count of breaching an ADVO.

Several remarkable things happened in the Dubbo Local Court that day. The proceedings were a travesty, said Justice Hamill in a Supreme Court decision quashing the original decision earlier this week.
A man in his 30s who recently returned from Europe has become the fourth person to test positive for monkeypox virus in NSW, as health authorities said a man travelling with him would probably become the states fifth case.

NSW Health said on Saturday the two men developed mild illnesses several days after they arrived in Sydney.

An electron microscope image shows mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virions. Credit:AP

The pair had gone to a doctor with symptoms that were clinically compatible with monkeypox, NSW Health said.

Urgent testing results for one of the men is consistent with monkeypox, making it the fourth case in NSW. His companion is likely to be confirmed as the fifth case.
Over the two years, the NSW government issued invoices for hotel quarantine amounting to a total of $322.5 million. Of that, $263.9 million has been resolved, and $700,000 was paid off in the past two and a half weeks alone. Revenue NSW has issued debt recovery orders  which impose additional costs and are the step before enforcement action  for 63,354 overdue invoices, with a total outstanding balance of $52.6 million. Meanwhile, $7.4 million is being repaid through active payment plans, which can commence before or after a debt recovery order is made. Many returning Australians and travellers believe they should not have to pay because the quarantine was for the benefit of the publicand some legal practitioners support this view. Professor Kim Rubenstein at the University of Canberra said there was a legal basis for the Australian government to require people entering the country to enter quarantine, but it was less certain whether they could charge citizens for the privilege.

There could be a constitutional question as to whether its a valid charge on Australians to re-enter the country, given they were forced to go into quarantine, Rubenstein said. Rubenstein said the High Court had previously found that Australian citizens had a right to return  but this did not necessarily apply to permanent and temporary residents and visitors. Rubenstein said if citizens fought the charges in court and won, the states could be forced to refund people who have already paid. Revenue NSW is yet to take court action over any unpaid quarantine bills. The Sun-Herald has spoken to several people who refuse to pay and plan to fight it in court if necessary. Among them is Doug, who requested his last name withheld, an American with an Australian wife and step-children. He splits his time between Utah, where he is a medical doctor, and his family in Queensland.

I feel like a lot of human rights were violated with how draconian their policies were and how they treated us, Doug said. Fourteen days was just so excessive. I was testing negative, with no symptoms, in quarantine. People in Sydney that were out on the street amongst everyone, when they tested positive, they were able to go home and do home quarantine. I just dont understand that. Travellers were quarantined in hotels for 14 days upon arrival in Australia during the pandemic. Credit:James Brickwood As the partner of an Australian citizen with a spouse visa, Doug did not have to apply for an exemption to enter the country during the pandemic, but the quarantine requirement meant he saw much less of his family than usual, with the separation taking a massive toll. Doug visited four times while the border was closed. The first stint in quarantine was in Brisbane and free, but he repeated the experience in Sydney a further three times, racking up $9000 in debt.

Doug told The Sun-Herald he only received his first invoice recently, and it had a number of late fees on it, even though he had never received a previous invoice. Kirstin Postlethwaite-Thomas, an Australian citizen who has lived in Britain for 20 years, said she was yet to pay her bill after staying in quarantine in Sydney in May 2021. She had two previous flights cancelled before the July 2020 cut-off for free quarantine and had provided evidence, but was still being chased for payment. As of May 17, Revenue NSW had waived 60,105 invoices valued at $363.7 million after the customer provided proof they booked before July 18, 2020. Rebecca, who requested a pseudonym, was working on a set-time contract in the United States when the pandemic started. She said she would not pay her bill for hotel quarantine because the embassies told Australians abroad with jobs and accommodation to shelter in place, and she acted in accordance with that advice.
Queensland celebrates the Platinum Jubilee

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The platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II  an unprecedented event  was celebrated in Britain over a four-day holiday with the Trooping The Colour, an incredible Royal Air Force flyover, four-year-old Prince Louis mugging for the cameras, the National Service of Thanksgiving, the Platinum Jubilee Concert featuring Diana Ross, Duran Duran and Queen, as well as seemingly a million street parties. Britain, as the joke went, was 98 per cent bunting.

In Australia by contrast: tumbleweeds.

Thousands of Britons turn out on the mall in front of Buckingham Palace to mark the Queens Platinum Jubilee. Credit:Bloomberg

Well, not entirely. While reporters scrambled to actually find Australians who were celebrating the occasion, the new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, lit a beacon and said the two countries were no longer parent and young upstart. We stand as equals. More importantly, we stand as friends. We can all agree on that.

And on Saturday we honoured the longest reigning monarch in British history by renaming an island. No, it wasnt some sun-kissed tropical hideaway such as Great Keppel, but Aspen Island, which graces Lake Burley Griffin in the national capital and is home to the Carillon, the modernist-ugly bell tower the Poms gave us to commemorate Canberras 50th anniversary. The Queen opened it in 1970, so there was a nice synergy.
She said this was because demand is so great, and the shortages of nursing and other healthcare staff in operating theatres across the state. Instead, some major Melbourne hospitals report some category two patients are waiting more than three times longer than clinically recommended, based on March data. Tomlinson, a reconstructive and hand surgeon, says category two procedures meant to be completed within 90 days can involve screening tests, such as colonoscopy and gastroscopy, where there is a concern the patient may have cancer, and conditions involving major pain and disability. Its great that the Victorian government has injected billions of dollars into the system and is taking this matter very seriously, but unfortunately I think a tough winter is ahead for Victorians, she said.

On top of waits for elective surgery, doctors say it is not uncommon for category three patients (which can include those with varicose veins, and arthritis requiring joint replacements) to wait an additional year or more for a surgery clinic appointment. Meanwhile, general practitioners say some hospitals are adding to the delays for patients that need care by rejecting their referrals, saying they lack information that made little difference to how the matter would be handled, or that the GP hadnt named a specific doctor on the referral. The Victorian chair of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Dr Anita Munoz, described the request of unnecessary information as really just a delay tactic, and said the college had been in discussions with the state government to try to fix the issue. Hadfield, a vascular surgeon in Ballarat, said the shortfall of surgical services was caused by the same factors that are also contributing to emergency department overcrowding and other health crises in Victoria and around the nation. Burnt-out healthcare staff are increasingly falling sick with COVID-19 and influenza, while patients sick with the same respiratory viruses are taking up beds that would otherwise be used by surgical patients. More patients are needing treatment, adding to the huge backlog of delayed care. An alarming fall in cancer diagnoses during the pandemic means patients are now presenting with more advanced cancers and other conditions.

Hadfield said he didnt know of any hospitals that had been able to get back to normal surgical capacity, adding surgeries were also being cancelled at short notice due to staff falling ill, in some cases when the patient was already in hospital waiting for the procedure to begin. While he said patients were really understanding, their devastation at further delays was obvious. He was also concerned that some category two patients would deteriorate when their surgeries were overdue, to the point where we are not going to be able to get them fully better again. We can improve things, but not as much as we could have.

The Victorian Governments $1.5 billion plan to address the elective surgery backlog will see Frankston Private Hospital transformed into a surgery hub for COVID-19 catch up and eight hubs exclusively performing specific surgeries such as hernia repairs and joint replacements. However, with the Frankston centre not due to be fully operational until 2023, and significant workforce fatigue and illness, there is recognition from both the state government and those working in the field that it will take time for the sector to recover. Loading There are discussions about the private sector taking on more public patients, and the state government expects agreements to be finalised soon. A Victorian government spokesman said the elective surgery catch up plan was a long-term strategy  not a short-term blitz.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said he will engage with East Timor, after the South-East Asian nation agreed to sign a slew of new agreements with Beijing across areas including healthcare and economic co-operation.

On Friday afternoon, Chinese foreign minster Wang Yi travelled to Dili where he was expected to sign off on the deals.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong as they left for the Quad leaders summit in Tokyo. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen.

Albanese, who is due to travel to Jakarta on Sunday for the Annual Leaders Meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, acknowledged that his government would need to work hard to improve Australias regional relationships.

It will take time to rebuild relations, but what we know is that there is strategic competition in the region and that requires Australia to step up, he told reporters in Adelaide.
While Burney has spent the last fortnight talking up Labors plans, shes also spent that time publicly urging the Coalition to support her. Its a message the oppositions new leadership is considering. In his first press conference as Liberal leader, Peter Dutton said hed approach the question of a referendum with an open mind. [Im] very happy to speak with the government, as I note Linda Burney in the last couple of days has said theyre still working through the details of what theyre likely to propose, so well wait for that detail, he said on Monday. While non-committal, it was a far more measured response than Scott Morrisons flat dismissal of the idea just a few weeks earlier. Its not our policy to have a referendum on the Voice, so why would I be doing that? he told reporters on the election campaign trail at the start of May. There are two reasons Labor will want to secure backing from the Coalition.

Firstly, the government will need to pass a referendum bill through both houses of parliament, and it doesnt hold a majority in the Senate. It will need the help of either the Greens or the Coalition to get it through the upper house. Secondly, Labor wants a unified referendum campaign to encourage the Australian people to vote in favour of the constitutional changes. Referendums set a high bar for change. More than half of all voters across the country need to approve the constitutional amendments. But even that isnt enough  more than half of all voters in at least four states must support the changes too. Just eight of the 44 referendums held since federation have managed to meet this requirement. While Dutton hasnt ruled out supporting the governments proposal, it has previously proven to be a controversial topic in the Coalition party room. As these conversations continue over the coming weeks and months, newly elected CLP Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, a Warlpiri-Celtic woman, may be an influential voice in the party room. The outspoken conservative former deputy mayor of Alice Springs and regular Sky News Australia contributor is currently the Coalitions only Indigenous MP, after former Indigenous Australians minister Ken Wyatt lost his seat in Perth.

Price has been open regarding her opposition to the Uluru Statement and an Indigenous Voice to parliament in the past. She hasnt ruled out campaigning for or against Labors proposal, but she told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that she wanted her colleagues to focus on more immediate problems facing Indigenous communities. Weve got to understand what Labor proposes through this Voice process, and weve got to take a look at that before we take a clearer position on it, but I would certainly urge my colleagues to prioritise [more critical] issues, she said. In some ways I think it's redundant given that there are now 10 Indigenous MPs elected to federal parliament. Senator-elect Jacinta Nampijinpa Price in 2019. Credit:Edwina Pickles She argued that the Uluru Statement isnt a genuine reflection of what most Indigenous people want, and is worried a Voice wont address the problems facing her constituents in the Northern Territory.

[The Voice] doesn't clearly outline how in fact were going to solve some of our really critical issues, issues that Ive been very much campaigning on for many years around family and domestic violence, around child sexual abuse, around education, she said. While Price, who sits with the Nationals in parliament, doesnt support the Uluru Statement, there are others in the ranks of the Liberals  such as Julian Leeser and Andrew Bragg  who do. Bragg, a moderate senator from NSW and long-time advocate for the Uluru Statement within the Liberal Party, said the Coalition needed to cooperate with Labor. As outlined in his book Buraadja: The Liberal Case for National Reconciliation, Bragg believes an Indigenous Voice must be enshrined in the Constitution. I think what Peter Dutton has said is very reasonable and Im pleased that the opposition is coming to this with an open mind. I think we should be looking to build on the work of Ken Wyatt, he said. To achieve success at a referendum you do need bipartisan support and the opposition should be included in all the processes. We should play a constructive role in developing the concepts. Bragg lamented the years of harmful rhetoric that had plagued debate around the Voice within his party since the Uluru Statement was issued to the Australian people in 2017. Among that rhetoric were claims from senior members of the Turnbull government that a Voice would amount to a third chamber of parliament.

I think there was a lot of misinformation when Uluru came out that was very damaging to the agenda on my side of politics, Bragg said. The Voice was never a third chamber, the Voice was never going to be a race-based, divisive agenda. While the oppositions position will be important, the Greens cant be overlooked as an increasingly influential political force. With a record four lower house MPs and 12 senators after the election, the minor party could be a notable voice in the move towards a referendum. DjabWurrung Gunnai Gunditjmara woman Lidia Thorpe is the Greens First Nations spokeswoman. She told this masthead the Greens would not actively block a referendum. Loading

We will not stand in the way of progress for First Nations people, so if its about progressing our standing in this country then we will not oppose that, she said. The Greens position on a referendum drew attention during the campaign, after leader Adam Bandt restated his preference for a truth-telling and treaty process before a Voice was enshrined in the Constitution. This would reverse the order of structural reform the Uluru Statement called for. Thorpe herself has made no secret of the fact that she has problems with the statement. She was one of several Indigenous delegates who walked out of the national convention that endorsed the Uluru Statement in 2017, arguing that she was blocked from discussing treaty efforts and that the consultation process wasnt inclusive or accessible enough. Greens senator Lidia Thorpe as she delivered her first speech to parliament in 2020. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen. She would also prefer reforms that would have more power than an advisory Voice body, suggesting that a treaty could guarantee a minimum number of seats for First Nations people in the Senate. Lets reach for the stars, lets not tinker around the edges here! she says.

Despite her reservations, Thorpe is keen to collaborate with Labor on the issue, and is confident Burney will do an excellent job of working with the entire parliament. She was particularly happy with Burneys recent suggestion that Labor could work on a Voice, truth-telling and treaty process at the same time. But Thorpe did say she would reserve her final position until she saw exactly what Voice model and constitutional changes Labor wanted to introduce, and had consulted widely with the Elders, activists and community members she represented. Lets reach for the stars, lets not tinker around the edges here! Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe Thats who Ill be listening to: the people. Not myself, not my colleagues, I listen to the people. If they say pass it, Ill pass it. If they say dont, I wont. Im put there by the people, so I have to do the right thing by my people here, she said. While Labor would prefer a unified front, Burney has said the government will move ahead with a referendum with or without support from the rest of the parliament. The last referendum took place more than two decades ago and the lessons of the past may not apply anymore.
Chinese Wisdom in Xi's Words: Continuing to search high and low

Xinhua) 15:49, June 04, 2022

BEIJING, June 4 (Xinhua) -- "Long as the way is, I will keep on searching high and low." This line, excerpted from the popular ancient poem "Li Sao," has deeply resonated with President Xi Jinping.

While addressing a ceremony marking the 95th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2016, Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, quoted the line to boost the morale of all Party members to stay true to the founding mission of the Party and to continue marching forward.

The poem written by Qu Yuan, a well-known Chinese patriotic poet from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), depicts the poet's concern for the country and people. For thousands of years, the aforementioned line has inspired generations of patriots of high ideals to pursue the truth.

Imbibing the spirit of patriotism from the line, Xi has on multiple occasions emphasized the pursuit of happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, while stressing the importance of forging ahead.

The CPC has achieved an outstanding result in its historic test. However, this test is by no means over, and it is continuing right now, Xi has said.

Under the leadership of the CPC, China has achieved the miracles of rapid economic growth and long-term social stability, and the Chinese nation has undergone a tremendous transformation from obtaining independence and becoming prosperous to growing in strength.

In the new era, the Party is rallying and leading the Chinese people to forge ahead on the new journey toward realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

Xi has called on the entire Party to maintain its modesty and prudence and avoid arrogance and impetuosity, while preserving its tradition of hard work, having the courage to change and innovate, and ensuring that it never becomes rigid or stagnant.

The Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation has to be achieved, and will definitely be achieved, Xi has vowed. "The road ahead is long; striving is the only way forward."

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
Standing beside new Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen last week, former fire chief Greg Mullins laid out his blunt assessment of the 2022 federal election. It was a climate election, he said. Australians have spoken. Theyve seen the disasters. Theyre frightened about climate change.

His assessment is correct. Across much of the state two weeks ago, with the memory of devastating floods in northern NSW still front of mind, voters left damp and mouldy houses and stood in rain to get their chance to vote for more ambitious climate action.

Chris Bowen listens to Greg Mullins at a press conference on Thursday. Credit:James Brickwood

And vote for it they did. The teal independents have swept into parliament on a wave of concern about climate change and inflicted grievous damage upon the Liberal Party in the process, taking six of their seats. The Greens took two as well from the Liberal National Party in Queensland, just for good measure.

The new Labor government has a clear mandate to pursue a goal of 43 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2030. It claims it can do this through investment in renewable energy, which will also cut power bills and create jobs, mostly in regional areas.
Paris: It was not the ending anyone expected following a three-hour contest that produced plenty of high drama as Rafael Nadal reached the French Open final for an incredible 14th time - albeit after Alexander Zverev was forced to retire hurt with an ankle injury while trailing 7-6(8) 6-6.

A semi-final between a Spaniard who has won the claycourt major a record 13-times and a red-hot German playing perhaps the best tennis in his career lived up to expectation for three hours and 13 minutes.

Germanys Alexander Zverev hugs Spains Rafael Nadal, after their semifinal match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium on Friday. Credit:AP Photo/Michel Euler

It took all that time for the players to exchange brutal shots from the baseline, break serve on numerous occasions and even miss multiple set points.

Yet, they never even managed to complete two sets.
London: Downing Street is planning a charm offensive against 64 Tory rebels it believes can be won over to avoid a no-confidence vote in Boris Johnson.

Advisers have drawn up a list of wavering rebels to be invited to Number 10 for a love-bombing meeting led by the prime minister and Oliver Dowden, the Tory chairman.

The list features party grandees and frontbenchers including Theresa May, Julian Lewis, Tom Tugendhat and Julian Smith, and even a serving minister - Guy Opperman.

Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie Johnson at St Pauls Cathedral - where they were booed on the way into the thanksgiving service for the Queens Jubilee. Credit:Pool Daily Mirror

Although other MPs who have been publicly critical of Johnson, including Andrew Bridgen, feature on the list, it does not include some of the most hardcore rebels, such as William Wragg.
London: Prince Charles and his son William, Duke of Cambridge, will both pay a heartfelt tribute to the Queen at a concert in her honour, relaying their memories as she celebrates her Platinum Jubilee.

The Prince and Duke will speak separately at the concert, which starts at 4.30am AEST, in what are expected to be two emotional interludes in between performances from some of the worlds best known singers and musicians.

Prince William and Prince Charles, seen here with Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, at last years James Bond film premiere, will both appear at the Jubilee concert. Credit:AP

Father and son have been working on their tributes in the lead-up to the Jubilee celebrations, and hope to capture both the Queens contribution to the nation and Commonwealth and, movingly, their own family.
Sandberg does not sound her normal self. When weve talked before she was almost superhumanly fluent and well-briefed. This conversation is punctuated by long and uncharacteristic pauses. So, what happened, I ask. Why have you decided to leave? Well, its not one thing or one day, she replies. Im 14 years into what was going to be a five-year job. A job I took thinking it would last five years that went on ... There is a long pause. You and I have talked before about how women face steeper challenges at every stage. Early in their career they are told they shouldnt go for big jobs if they want to have kids, or they are told that if they do take a big job they wont stay in it very long because of kids. And there is a lot of age discrimination that hits women at this stage, you know ... ageism hits women harder than men. Sandberg was famously dubbed middle-aged at the tender age of 35, when she first started at Facebook. There are vanishingly few older female executives in the tech world.

So why leave now, when she was relishing the challenges to come when we last met? Well, theres no clear beginning or end to the advertising business, no beginning or end to the metaverse, she says, opaquely. That is, of course, true. But there has been a growing sense that Sandberg was surplus to requirements on the Metaverse project, which is Zuckerbergs new baby; he is said to be throwing the farm at all things virtual reality and her departure consolidates his own power. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerber with his chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg at a conference in July 2021. Credit:Getty I am very focused on creating a smooth transition, Sandberg says firmly. Im proud of the team weve built. Im proud of the fact that Mark ... she corrects herself, ... that I was able to make this decision ... that I talked to Mark, that we announced it very quickly. And that we are leaving so many strong people in place.

I am focusing on the transition until autumn and then I am going to take a breath and focus more on women, philanthropy and take a pause and think about what I am going to do next. So is this her making peace with her corporate career? Is this the end of the line for her as an executive? Or is she hoping for a next stage? There is another pause. I dont know, she says. I would say never say never. I, of all people, know that you never know what life will bring. Some commentators say Sandberg is wise to get out now: the Meta share price has plummeted (Zuckerberg has said it might take 10 years for the Metaverse to make a profit); Facebooks user numbers have declined for the first time. Former British deputy prime minister Nick Clegg has been installed as Zuckerbergs mouthpiece (a role that used to be Sandbergs) and factotum of government relations (that also used to be Sandbergs territory as a former Washington insider). Zuckerberg and Sandberg are also said to have been at odds over content moderation  with him taking a publish and be damned attitude, while she was more worried about some of the damaging effects of polarising speech and trolls.

I would say never say never. I, of all people, know that you never know what life will bring. Sheryl Sandberg From this conversation, however, Im left with the impression that personal reasons were a big driver. This is a wonderful, wonderful job but not one that leaves time and space for many other things ... it really isnt, she says, with feeling. When we met before the pandemic she girlishly gushed about how excited she was to have fallen in love again after her former husband, Dave Goldberg, had died suddenly in 2015. She admitted that she had asked her new partner, marketing CEO Tom Bernthal to marry her because women shouldnt wait to be asked, we need to get on with planning our lives. Next month, Sandberg will finally wed Bernthal after the pandemic forced a long pause in their wedding plans. Their blended family boasts five teenagers; a big shift for any woman. Sandberg says she proposed to her fiance Tom Bernthal. Credit:Getty

Lets not forget that as well as a massive job at Facebook, she wrote Lean In, a 2013 bestselling book that encouraged women to push themselves forward at work, and set up the Lean In Foundation which now runs 60,000 circles (to fire up female ambition) in 189 countries. Not that her message of female empowerment has aged well, coming in for serious flack in the last few years  mainly that it was advice for other wealthy, white women. In 2018, Michelle Obama told an audience: Its not always enough to lean in because that shit doesnt work all the time. Yet Sandberg has always been practical and passionate, attempting to address that criticism around diversity through the work of her foundation. Her maxims  done is better than perfect; dont leave before you leave (about women scaling back the moment they decide to have a baby); and take your seat at the table  are good mantras for all working women.

Maybe even Sandberg is realising that having it all can also mean doing it all  and theres a limit to what any of us can take. Its no coincidence that, post-pandemic, working women are experiencing record levels of burnout. She also wrote another book, the surprisingly moving Option B, about her grief after Goldbergs death, which happened in Mexico when he was just 48 and left her the single mother of two children. Meta is certainly not the only tune in her songbook. Loading I really want to do more with my foundation; I need to put time and space into helping women, she says. This is such a critically important time  the pandemic has led to 40 per cent of women considering quitting their jobs, there are such high rates of burnout. I want to give myself the time and the space to turbocharge my work on all of that.  Sandberg and I have spoken often about that urge for a change in midlife; about how, in our 50s, we have reached a new flex point with the overwhelming urge to do something different.
Both involved abusive relationships and an ugly breakup. Both allowed cameras into the court to document the sad and twisted highlights. And in both cases, everyone seemed to have a hot take. In between the war in Ukraine, the battle over abortion rights and the latest wave of mass shootings in America, it was segments from a wood-paneled courtroom in northern Virginia that seemed to captivate audiences the most, prompting a litany of TikTok memes, a Saturday Night Live sketch, and endless opinion pieces. Part of it, of course, was the star power of Depp himself - a Hollywood celebrity who many had watched from his heartthrob years on 21 Jump Street to his swashbuckling shift as Jack Sparrow in Disneys Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Part of it, too, was that many men and women could relate to what they were seeing. Maybe theyd endured abusive relationships of their own, felt theyd been maligned by the allegations of an ex, or battled the demons of a traumatic childhood as Depp had done. Or maybe theyd simply had a hideous divorce and found themselves thinking the inevitable: it could always be worse, right? And part of it was also the fact that the trial gave the public a rare glimpse into the toxic soap opera of a celebrity couple who spent 15 months married - and every year since trying to destroy one another.

Celebrity bust-ups are intriguing at the best of times, but this one had all the makings of the proverbial car crash. No matter how awful, it was hard to look away. Supporters of actor Johnny Depp rally outside of Fairfax County Courthouse as a jury was scheduled to hear closing arguments this month. Credit:AP There were photos of faeces that Depp claimed were placed on his bed by Heard as an act of revenge. There was audio of Depp howling like a caged animal as he came down from a cocktail of drugs and alcohol on a flight from Boston to LA, after accusing Heard of having an affair with her co-star James Franco. There was bloody evidence of a brawl in Australia, in which Depp claimed Heard had severed his finger after a fight. And there was horrifying testimony by Heard of being sexually assaulted by Depp with a liquor bottle during the same trip. As a public figure, Depp faced a high bar to win his case, which centred on a 2018 Washington Post op-ed written by Heard titled, I spoke up against sexual violence  and faced our cultures wrath. That has to change.

While the article never mentioned Depp by name, he argued it indirectly referred to allegations Heard made against him in 2016 when the couple divorced and she was granted a temporary restraining order after showing up to a California court with a bruised face, claiming that Depp had thrown a phone at her. He described the allegations against him as disturbing, heinous and not based in any species of truth. Heard, in response, had counter-sued Depp over claims by his former lawyer that she was engaging in an abuse hoax. In the end, the jury in Fairfax County - where Washington Posts opinion pieces are published - found in his favour. Heard was rewarded $US2 million in damages over a comment made by Depps ex lawyer, but the seven-person jury ruled against her on all three of Depps counts, finding that Heard had not only made false and defamatory statements, but that shed done so with malice  a higher threshold for cases involving public figures.

Loading Depp was ultimately awarded $US15 million, but the judge later reduced this to $US10.35 million due to caps on punitive damages under Virginia state law. But after such a blockbuster trial, what happens next? In terms of the legal process, Heard has already indicated that she will appeal the decision, with her lawyer Elaine Charlestone Bredehoft telling CNN that Depps wealth, power and fame had made a huge difference in the jurys thinking. In terms of the media, legal scholars have warned that a dangerous precedent may have been set, in which the US media could be successfully sued for an article - even if it doesnt name a person and speaks about them in the most general terms. (Depps lawsuit was against Heard, not the Washington Post).

And when it comes to gendered violence more broadly, some say Depps win will encourage men to speak up about domestic abuse; others fear the verdict could have chilling implications for women survivors wanting to come forward. Dr Jessica Taylor, a psychologist, feminist author and chief executive of VictimFocus told The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald that women are pulling out of their cases, retracting statements, and are now terrified of being sued if they talk about their abuse or rape. The last six weeks of this hearing have been torture for thousands of women and girls subjected to male violence, she said. They have looked on as millions of observers - men and women - have laughed as they scrutinised everything from how a victim looks, moves, talks, and cries It became apparent early on that the only winner here is Johnny Depp. If he won, he would be vindicated. If he lost, he would be positioned as a victim of an unfair system filled with toxic feminism. If she won, she would be hated and vilified. If she lost, she would be hated and vilified.
OCEANSIDE, Calif. (AP)  A skydiving plane crashed Friday near the Oceanside Municipal Airport, killing one person on board and injuring a second, authorities said.

The plane went down at about 1:45 p.m. about 500 yards east of the airport in the northern San Diego County city, police Lt. Scott Garrett told the San Diego Union-Tribune.
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DURHAM  First Selectman Laura Francis, who has worked for the small town for three decades, the supreme honor of her life, announced Thursday shell be stepping down next month for a leadership position with the South Central Region Council of Governments in West Haven.

The Board of Selectmen will appoint her successor to serve the remainder of her term through December 2023.

Francis, a Republican, began as assistant town clerk, then moved up to town clerk, and became first selectman in 2007. Over the years, she has prided herself on being accessible to her constituents in a rural town with a population of 3,542.

Soliciting and maintaining interpersonal relationships has been a hallmark of her tenure, the first selectman said.

I want residents to know they need to stay involved, said Francis, who has volunteered for the towns signature event, the Durham Fair, for years. She hopes to one day continue giving back to her community.

Ive had an open-door policy, she explained Friday. They knew they can contact me day and night in many ways  email, texts, telephone calls. They need to stay that connected with the next person taking the job.

She will start her new role as deputy director/director of transportation planning July 19, but hopes to take a couple days off before the transition, Francis said.

I have been a good steward of town government, and I believe it is time for me to step down and make room for the next generation of town leaders, the first selectman wrote Thursday in a letter to staff and the public.

Francis said in the statement that she ran for reelection in 2019 because I felt an obligation to finish certain major projects, most notably the water main extension project. Knowing that our residents have access to a clean, reliable, and secure water supply gives special meaning to my years.

Towns across Connecticut, Francis said, are becoming dependent on the partnership with councils of governments for many essential services, including management of state and federal funding that has recently been made available to municipalities.

When she was first elected 15 years ago, Francis set out to modernize town government, which proved quite a task at a time when cellphones were a luxury.

When I started in 1992, there were no computers, no technology, she said.

If any of us just considers all of the changes that happened in 30 years in our lives, and transfer that to how that has affected town government, we had to do that.

Much has changed, she said. All the things we consider part of our everyday lives didnt exist when I started, Francis explained.

Over the years, municipal leaders have been given many responsibilities by the state and federal government, such as homeland security and emergency management, which increased following 9/11, she said.

In next few days, Francis will interview a new resident state trooper so there will be first- and second-shift law enforcement coverage.

Francis also restructured the workforce at Town Hall, consolidating, enhancing and reducing some roles. For example, Durham didnt have a finance director prior to her tenure, she said.

The remote access to town government that our constituents now depend on didnt exist back then, she said.

Shes also worked on projects to bring clean drinking water and a natural gas line to town.

Durham was also among the first towns to implement the Everbridge notification system, something Francis did during her first term.

The very first message I sent out was telling residents they were safe when the Kleen Energy plant blew in Middletown. We felt that in Durham. Our houses shook. No one knew what was going on, and 911 was overwhelmed with the number of calls, she said.

In 2020, she also helped usher in the Clean Energy Tax Force, and Sustainable Durham team, which works with Sustainable CT, a statewide program that gives municipalities coordinated, voluntary actions so it can become a more resilient, collaborative and forward-looking community, according to the town website.

During her reelection campaign, Francis pledged to focus on generating more economic development  but the pandemic presented a roadblock.

We are on a path of recovery. Now is the time to refocus, Francis said. To that end, shes proposed the town partner with neighboring Middlefield to use ARPA funding for a pilot program.

As much as shes eager to start her new position, it wont be easy, Francis acknowledged. However, I will always find a way to stay connected with this community.

As much as shes learned from her years in local government, Francis has also gleaned a lot from citizens.

I dont think the residents of Durham will even know how much theyve helped me grow as a person, and how instructive they have been to me in terms of the importance of a leader setting town for community, Francis said.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)  A former U.S. Air Force staff sergeant and alleged member of the boogaloo extremist movement was sentenced to 41 years in prison Friday for the fatal shooting of a federal security officer in the San Francisco Bay Area amid large 2020 protests against police brutality.

Steven Carrillo, 33, had pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal murder charge in the killing of David Patrick Underwood and to the attempted murder of Underwoods colleague after federal prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty.

The men were shot on May 29, 2020, while they stood in front of a federal building in Oakland as hundreds marched on the streets.

In February, Carrillo admitted to posting messages on Facebook a day before the shooting asking anyone if they were down to boog and saying he was ready to act and not just talk. He also admitted firing 19 rounds from a homemade AR-15 rifle from the back of a white van being driven by a man he connected with online.

I aligned myself with the anti-government movement and wanted to carry out violent acts against federal law enforcement officers in particular, Carrillo said then.

Prosecutors on Jan. 31 said they would not seek the death penalty, but U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said at a February hearing she was not convinced that a 41-year-sentence agreed to by prosecutors and defense lawyers was sufficient for Carrillos crimes.

Gonzalez Rogers had warned that she could reject the plea agreement if she didnt feel prosecutors and defense lawyers did enough to justify the sentence.

On Friday, Gonzalez Rogers sentenced Carrillo to the 41-year term, a lifetime of supervised release and an amount of restitution to be determined at a later date, a court official said. She spoke directly to Underwood's family, explaining why she had accepted the agreement.

I believe there is evil in this world.  But from what I read and studied as I tried to make and find logic in the illogical, as I have looked for answers, as you are frustrated and angry that such a tragedy could happen, what I can tell you is that I do not see evil in Mr. Carrillo," the judge was quoted as saying by the Mercury News.

I know (the plea agreement) wont make you happy but I need you to trust me. I would not accept it if I saw no measure of redemption, she said. He will spend virtually the rest of his life in prison in a cell that is typically no bigger than 10 by 6  not even bigger than that jury box.

Prosecutors have said Carrillo, of Santa Cruz, had ties to the boogaloo movement  a concept embraced by a loose network of gun enthusiasts and militia-style extremists. Experts say the group started in alt-right culture on the internet with the belief that there is an impending U.S. civil war.

Authorities accused Carrillo of fatally shooting Underwood after spraying a guard shack he was in with bullets.

Prosecutors said Robert Alvin Justus Jr., of Millbrae, drove the van. He faces federal charges of murder and attempted murder in the case.

The pair is accused of driving to Oakland and taking advantage of the distraction afforded by people marching through the citys downtown to protest George Floyds killing by a police officer in Minneapolis.

Carrillo was arrested a week after the shooting in Oakland after he allegedly ambushed sheriffs deputies in Santa Cruz County who were responding to a report of a van containing firearms and bomb-making materials. Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, 38, was killed and several other law enforcement officials were wounded, according to authorities and court records.

Prosecutors in Santa Cruz charged Carrillo with a slew of felonies, including murder and attempted murder in connection to that killing.

Carrillo has pleaded not guilty to Gutzwillers killing.
Susan Walsh/AP

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden will travel to New Mexico next week to receive a briefing from state and federal officials as the state continues to deal with t he largest wildfire in state history, the White House announced Friday.

Biden is expected to meet with New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, first responders and personnel from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies during his June 11 visit to the New Mexico State Emergency Operation Center in Santa Fe.
ATLANTA (AP)  Georgia officials have arrested an 18-year-old who they say threatened online to kill a sheriff and his wife over the arrest of rappers Young Thug and Gunna and others.

Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat, alleged to be the target of the threats, announced the arrest Friday. Quartavius Mender was booked into the Fulton County jail last week on 23 counts of making terroristic threats, records show. He's being held without bail. It's unclear if Mender has a lawyer to speak for him.

Local news outlets report Mender threatened to kill Labat, his wife Jacki and the Atlanta school district's police chief on various social media pages if they did not release Young Thug, whose legal name is Jeffery Williams.

#freethug or Imma sh00t u and your wife, Mender wrote, according to arrest warrants reviewed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He allegedly wrote on the sheriffs Instagram page a second time hours later, saying, Imma assassinate you.

Among the 28 people charged in the racketeering indictment is Tenquarius Mender. It was not immediately clear Friday if he and Quartavius Mender are related.

We take these kinds of brazen threats seriously, Labat said in a statement. Social media cyberbullying, and hiding behind a keyboard, will not protect someone from criminal prosecution.

Officials allege Young Thug leads the Young Slime Life gang, arresting him and 27 others in a sprawling indictment brought under Georgia's state racketeering law. It charges the gang members engaged in murders, shootings, carjackings and other crimes.

Young Thug was denied bond Thursday after a Fulton County judge expressed significant concerns about letting him go home on house arrest.

Prosecutors said they plan to offer plea deals to some of the defendants in exchange for testimony, but said some witnesses are already being threatened.

Our witnesses in this case are being threatened with violence, serious violence and death," Fulton County prosecutor Don Geary said.

Young Thug's lawyers strongly deny that he participated in any crimes.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  The Indiana Supreme Court on Friday threw out a law that gave state legislators increased power to intervene during public health emergencies, agreeing with arguments from Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb that the move violated the state constitution.

The courts unanimous decision settles a legal fight that began more than a year ago when Holcomb sued over a law that was a response to his efforts to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new law gave legislative leaders authority to call the General Assembly into an emergency session if the governor declares a statewide emergency. The GOP-dominated Legislature approved it over Holcomb's veto.

Holcombs lawyers contended that the state constitution allows only the governor to call the Legislature into meetings for consideration of new laws outside of its annual sessions that begin in early January and adjourn by the end of April.

Chief Justice Loretta Rush agreed, writing for the five-justice court that Holcomb's attorneys had satisfied the high burden required to establish that the law is unconstitutional."

Under our Constitution, the General Assembly simply cannot do what the challenged law permits absent a constitutional amendment," Rush added.

Holcomb said in a statement that the battle over the law had raised important procedural, statutory and Constitutional questions that only the courts could answer."

Today, the Indiana Supreme Court has provided clarity and finality on these important issues," he said.

The high courts ruling came after a Marion County judge sided with the Legislature in October.

Legislative leaders never tried to convene an emergency session under the law. Holcomb first issued a public health emergency in response to the pandemic on March 6, 2020, and terminated it this March. He had issued 23 monthly extensions, drawing the ire of many conservatives even though any mask mandates or business restrictions ended in spring 2021.

Under the law, it would be up to the Legislative Council  made up of eight senators and eight House members  to call an emergency session if it determined that the governor had declared a state of emergency with statewide impact and that it is necessary for the General Assembly to address the state of emergency with legislative action.

GOP legislative leaders have maintained that the measure wasnt anti-governor and praised Holcombs handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which health officials say has killed more than 23,000 people in the state.

Republican House Speaker Todd Huston said in a statement that he respected the court's ruling. Well consider all options moving forward," he said.

Republican Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray echoed that, saying in a statement: We will work collaboratively to find a way forward that serves the best interests of the State of Indiana."

Although Friday's ruling found the emergency session" law to be unconstitutional, Rush wrote that the General Assembly does have the constitutional authority to set additional sessions.

While our Constitution authorizes only the Governor to call a special session, the General Assembly can set additional sessions -- but only by fixing their length and frequency in a law passed during a legislative session and presented to the Governor, she wrote.

All of the court's justices were appointed by Republican governors. Only Justice Christopher Goff was appointed by Holcomb, in 2017.

Holcombs lawsuit divided Indianas Republican hierarchy, with Attorney General Todd Rokita siding with legislators. Rokitas office unsuccessfully argued that the attorney general alone had the legal authority to represent the state in court.

Rokita said in a statement that the court's ruling had overridden the intent of those who are directly elected by the people."

But the Indiana Democratic Party called the ruling a repudiation of Republican lawmakers, saying that their extremism and unnecessary purity tests have wasted Indiana residents tax dollars.
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BRIDGEPORT  Mayor Joe Ganim ended the week with a handful of personnel announcements, key among them the decision to again put veteran municipal attorney Mark Anastasi in charge of the law department, but part-time.

In 2018, after a 35 year career in that office  23 running it for various mayors, including Ganim when he was first chief executive in the 1990s  Anastasi retired, then was rehired as a part-time outside counsel.

He returns to the leadership position as City Attorney R. Christopher Meyer, who helped Ganim wage a political comeback in 2015, exits after six-and-a-half years. Meyers last day was Friday and Ganims office in a statement that afternoon said Anastasi would fill-in part-time until Meyers permanent successor is chosen and help to identify that individual.

Ganim offered kind words for Meyer Friday, thanking him for his outstanding service to the city, and his leadership in my administration. But as recently reported, Meyer also leaves behind a greatly damaged relationship between the City Council and the law department.

Many members of that legislative branch  all Democrats like Ganim  accused Meyer of displaying an obvious bias toward the mayor and intentionally undermining their efforts to eliminate $500,000 in salaries of other Ganim allies from the municipal payroll during the just-concluded budget season.

That fight ended with Ganim prevailing and his budget automatically going into effect, preserving the jobs the council sought to defund, but also denying the public schools an additional $500,000 in much-needed funding.

The law department is supposed to advise and represent the entirety of city government  something Meyer has insisted he did.

Anastasi was previously no stranger to similar accusations of favoring the mayor  Ganim, then John Fabrizi, then Bill Finch, then Ganim, again  from individuals on the council when city attorney. When he retired, Anastasis gross take-home pay was $143,825. He was brought back as a consultant for $112,950.

The mayors office said Anastasis consultant contract will be terminated as soon as he is sworn in as interim city attorney but did not provide his pay to run the office part-time. The office also did not immediately respond Friday when asked if Ganim would honor requests by City Council President Aidee Nieves and some of her colleagues to involve the legislative branch in the search for Meyers replacement.

Ganim on Thursday also announced the filling of two other key vacancies.

Andre Ford is the citys new director of labor relations, replacing Eric Amado who went from that job to becoming personnel director.

And Andy Carlos Toledo is the administrations new liaison with state government and the legislature in Hartford.

Toledo succeeds Constance Vickers, who left that position last month. Vickers at the time was the third woman to leave the administration within a short period of time and in comments to Hearst Connecticut Media raised questions about gender equality among Ganims staff.

It has come to my attention that there are women in the administration that may be feeling they are not valued or heard equally to their counter parts, Ganim had said in response. I am committed to ensuring that all women feel supported and heard in their positions. My administration, with the support of labor relations and human resources, strives to ensure that the City of Bridgeport is a workplace of diversity, equity and inclusivity.

Ford and Toledo were previously working in New York City  Ford with the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation and Toledo as community engagement specialist for the New York City Civic Engagement Commission.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A U.S. Embassy tweet of a rainbow-flag-festooned message by President Joe Biden in support of Pride Month has drawn a face-to-face diplomatic protest from Kuwait and sparked a rare Twitter fight between the two close allies.

On Friday, U.S. diplomats were doubling down with rainbow flag postings and statements in support of LGBTQ rights on social media. The messages appeared in response to the Kuwaiti government's official objection the day before to what Kuwait's state news agency called the pro-gay rights post of the U.S. Embassy there.

The United States stands with the LGBTQI+ community everywhere around the world, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a pointed retweet Friday of the embassy's original offending Pride Month message.

The dispute began after the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait posted a tweet Thursday that called Biden a champion of LGBTQI rights. All human beings should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear no matter who they are or whom they love," it said.

Late that night, according to the account on Kuwait's state news agency, Kuwait's Foreign Ministry summoned acting embassy charge d'affaires James Holtsnider to express its rejection of the post.

A Foreign Ministry official, Nawaf al Ahmad, handed Holtsnider a written objection as well as stressing necessity for the embassy to respect the country's laws and regulations, according to the Kuwaiti news agency.

Kuwaiti law punishes consensual same-sex relations between men by up to seven years in prison, according to Human Rights Watch. A court ruling this year threw out another law that made imitating the opposite sex a crime punishable by prison.

Some conservative Kuwaitis spoke out in support of their government's action. The U.S. Embassy was attempting to impose modes of abnormal behavior rejected by the Muslim Kuwaiti society, tweeted one, Hamad al Matar.

Asked for comment, the State Department said in a statement Friday, The United States proudly advances efforts around the globe to protect all individuals.

On Friday, the Kuwait U.S. Embassy's Twitter account featured the original tweet, in Arabic and English, that drew the objection, as well as a photo of a rippling rainbow flag against a blue sky set as the account's profile photo.

The U.S. and Kuwait, bound by strategic interests including regional security, have a long history of largely steady good relations. That includes the U.S. leading a 1991 international army to liberate Kuwait from invading forces of Iraq's Saddam Hussein.
The house where great Romanian scientist Emil Racovita, founder of biospeleology, grew up is only 45 kilometers from north-eastern Vaslui, in the former village of Suranesti, today Emil Racovita, in Danesti commune.

The Emil Racovita Mansion complex, listed in the National Register of Historic Monuments 2010, on the 264th place, code LMI VS-II-a-B-06795, consists of the old body (west wing), built in the 19th century by Gheorghe Racovita, Emil Racovita's father, magistrate and founding member of the Junimea Society, the new body (east wing), built by Emil Racovita, at the beginning of the 20th century, ruins, cellars and the park with secular trees.From an architectural point of view, the mansion is part of the neo-Romanian current and has a rectangular plan with three fronts facing the main facade. A source of pride for the locals, who believe that over time more could have been done to promote this spot, the mansion has a troubled history and keeps many memories of the life and work of Emil Racovita, but also from the memorable expedition to Antarctica, on the ship named the Belgica: travel kit, maps with the route of the expedition, drawings, slides and photos made by Emil Racovita at the South Pole, photos and objects specific to cave research, his sword and his academician bicorn, his observation charts on Arctic fauna and flora, scientific papers."The mansion was built by the predecessors of scientist Emil Racovita in the 19th century. His parents, Gheorghe and Eufrosina, owned a property consisting of 1,000 ha of arable land and 500 hectares of forest. During the interwar period, he became the owner of the estate upon the death of his father and sincerely believing in the socialist ideas of his time, Emil Racovita divided the land among the peasants in Suranesti and donated the forest to the state, keeping only his house and 12 hectares of land. During the Second World War, these goods were transferred to state ownership, and in accordance with the provisions of Decree 409/1955, these goods were transmitted to the People's Council of Danesti commune. In the memories of Professor Ionel Coman we find the following testimony: '... they destroyed everything, both the house and the fence. They stole the brick and built the CAP (agricultural production cooperative, ed. n.) headquarters. But they also stole the piano from the museum. No one found it ever again, it was probably set on fire. But then the School Inspectorate invested heavily in repairs. I know that a big activity was organized at one point, and before that the whole interior was changed, and they even set up a biology laboratory for the students of the school in the commune. Each office was equipped with a microscope, a dissection kit, everything by-the-book," says Anca Iordachi, museographer at the Stefan cel Mare County Museum in Vaslui.By Decision of the Executive Committee of the People's Council of Vaslui County, no. 338 of August 18, 1980, the Stefan cel Mare County Museum obtained the right of direct administration of the Emil Racovita Memorial House.According to the data provided by the representatives of the Vaslui museum, between 1962-1964, Emil Racovita's mansion was repaired by the state and was to be opened as a museum, on the occasion of the imminent celebration of the scientist by UNESCO.The Emil Racovita Memorial House was opened in 1964. In November 1988, on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the birth of Emil Racovita, a small group from the Stefan cel Mare County Museum in Vaslui reorganized the main exhibition of the memorial house addressing a theme structured by three major sections: the life and work of Emil Racovita, family, childhood and youth (1868-1947), participation in the Antarctic expedition (1897-1899) and Emil Racovita - the founder of biospeleology (1900-1947).The building has never undergone a major overhaul, with maintenance work only involving finishing, says the management of the Vaslui County Museum. Because the outer and inner walls, as well as the ceilings were heavily damaged by water, a series of repairs to the roofs, gutters and waterspouts were carried out. During all this time, the site, which functioned as an external section of the Vaslui museum, had few visitors."In 2015, calls on the restoration of the monument were launched and, after about two and a half years, the answer for the selection came. The project was drawn up and won. Thus, starting in 2019, the Emil Racovita Memorial House is included in The Restoration of Historical Monuments National Program, its Culture section, managed by the National Heritage Institute. The project involves the restoration, consolidation and valorisation of the monument. The site was handed over to the National Heritage Institute to prepare the feasibility study, the restoration plan and the restoration steps, as well as the designation of the company that will carry out the restoration works. Works are currently expected to begin. The cultural goods that are in the building will be brought to the Stefan cel Mare County Museum and stored until the completion of the works. Our hope is that this important site, which is reminiscent of one of this county's symbols will be returned to the tourist circuit and will enjoy appreciation," said the director of the Stefan cel Mare Vaslui County Museum, Ramona Mocanu.Vintage photographs showing aspects of the interior of the house and the existing plans will be used for the restoration work.
Schnuck Markets Inc. has begun requiring employees and vendors at its stores in St. Louis and St. Louis County to wear masks as the rate of COVID-19 cases rises.

The new directive affects all employees and vendors, regardless of vaccination status, in the two jurisdictions. Stores in other parts of the metro area aren't affected.

Schnucks is requiring face masks in counties where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers COVID-19 community levels to be high," according to the grocer's website.

Customers are not required to wear masks, though Schnucks said it strongly recommends them.

The mask requirements comes as coronavirus rates are increasing.

Masks have been optional since late February when the grocer dropped requirements.

Click here for a full list of Schnucks stores requiring masks.

Posted at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 4.

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SATURDAY, June 4, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- When you're at a beach or pool, would you be able to identify someone who's drowning and take action to save them?

"Even the most experienced swimmers can be in danger if the weather is bad, currents are strong or a medical emergency occurs in the water," said Dr. Gillian Schmitz, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). "Most drowning accidents are preventable, but it only takes seconds for a tragedy to occur."

On average, 11 people die in accidental drownings each day in the United States, and drowning is one of the leading causes of death among 1- to 4-year-olds, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It can be difficult to determine whether someone is drowning, so ACEP outlined the signs:

Bobbing or floating in place.

Head tilted back with mouth open.

Head low in the water, with mouth at water level.

Trying to roll over onto the back.

Hyperventilating or gasping for breath.

Hair over forehead or eyes.

Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus, or eyes closed.

If someone appears to be in trouble in the water, take immediate action. Get help from a lifeguard or call 911. Do not attempt to rescue a drowning person when you're also in the water unless you are trained to do so. Drowning people may panic and try to pull anyone nearby underwater with them, the ACEP explained.

Instead, extend or throw a floating object to the person. Once they are safely out of the water, tilt their head back, lift their chin and check for breath. Turn the person on their side to help them expel water.

If the person is not breathing, anyone trained should begin to perform hands-only CPR until first responders arrive.

"Learning to swim and becoming familiar with water safety are choices that can save a life," Schmitz said in an ACEP news release. "Simple steps to avoid danger can help keep everyone safe."

Keep the following steps in mind:

Always designate a responsible adult to supervise children in or near water.

Clear any loose toys from the pool area to reduce tripping hazards.

Don't use toys as flotation devices. Use life jackets for activities in or near lakes, rivers, or oceans, especially for children and weaker swimmers.

When swimming in natural bodies of water, be wary of hidden hazards such as strong currents, sharp rocks, or tangles of vegetation.

Always check the weather forecast before water activities.

Use the buddy system when swimming.

Don't drink alcohol before or during water activities or while supervising children.

People with medical conditions or those taking certain medications may require additional precautions.

More information

For more about water safety, go to the American Red Cross.

SOURCE: American College of Emergency Physicians, news release, May 26, 2022

Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
FRIDAY, June 3, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Children under the age of 5 may be able to get their first COVID-19 vaccinations as early as June 21, the White House said Thursday.

An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will meet on June 14-15 to weigh the use of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in the only age group still not eligible for COVID-19 shots.

If the FDA authorizes the vaccines for these youngest children, shipments to doctors' offices and pediatric health facilities would begin soon after and the first doses could be available the following week, White House COVID-19 coordinator Ashish Jha, M.D., said during a media briefing on Thursday. He added that the federal government has an initial supply of 10 million doses of pediatric vaccines and states could start placing orders on Friday. However, it may take a few days for them to arrive nationwide and for vaccine appointments for young children to be widely available.

"Our expectation is that within weeks every parent who wants their child to get vaccinated will be able to get an appointment," Jha said. "At the end of the day we all want to move fast, but we've got to get it right."

The White House wants states to prioritize delivery of the doses for young children to high-traffic locations such as children's hospitals, and to offer appointments outside regular work hours so it is easier for parents to get their children vaccinated.

Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
FRIDAY, June 3, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- At least three elderly Americans suffocated after getting trapped in Mobility Transfer Systems adult portable bedrails, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says anyone who has the rails should stop using them immediately.

The warning applies to 10 models of bedrails made and sold by Mobility Transfer Systems Inc. from 1992 to 2021, and by Metal Tubing USA Inc. in 2021 and 2022. Neither company has agreed to recall the 285,000 bedrails they have sold or to offer consumers a safety solution, according to CPSC. It added that it is weighing future possible action.

The agency said patients can become trapped between the bedrail and mattress, or within portions of the bedrail itself, leading to asphyxia. At least three people have died after becoming entrapped in one model of the bedrails. They include a 78-year-old woman in a Michigan assisted living facility in 2006, an 85-year-old man in an Oklahoma nursing home in 2007, and a 90-year-old disabled woman in California in 2013.

The bedrails were sold at Walmart.com, Amazon.com, MTSMedicalSupply.com, VitalityMedical.com, Alimed.com, and other online retailers for between about $30 and $170. The bedrails are also offered for sale on secondhand sites, such as eBay. Anyone with the bedrails should immediately stop using them, then disassemble and dispose of them, CPSC advised.

Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
ST. LOUIS  The first teamster in line was Joseph Gartside, a coal hauler, who had decorated his four horses and wagon with flags and streamers. He paid the 50-cent toll and waited.

A stern-voiced keeper opened the gate at Third Street at 5:30 a.m. Gartside cracked his whip and, with words "more expressive than eloquent," lurched his wagon onto the new Illinois and St. Louis Bridge. The big gathering cheered as his team clopped its way to East St. Louis.

He led more than 700 wagons across the great bridge on June 4, 1874, commencing cross-river commerce on wheels. Bridge builders, led by James B. Eads, were counting on tolls from commercial traffic and trains. Overruns had pushed their bill to $6.5 million, and they needed income.

The first bridge over the Mississippi River at St. Louis was opened in a series of events leading to the July 4, 1874, dedication. Each step was less a matter of planning than availability. Pedestrians were allowed on for a nickel May 23, when workers vacated the street deck. (A newspaper declared it "as popular a trysting place as Lafayette Park.") Wagons couldn't cross until after June 2, when the roadway approach from Illinois was finished.

The first train crossing, a press-publicity ride, took place June 9.

St. Louis leaders had talked about a bridge since the 1830s. The task grew in urgency after Chicago interests spanned the Mississippi at Rock Island, Ill., in 1856. Eads already was famous for salvaging river wrecks and building ironclad gunboats during the Civil War. He took risks and thought big.

His bold solution for getting across the Mississippi was an arch bridge of three spans made of stone, steel and iron, rather than a standard truss bridge requiring many more piers. His sand hogs, diggers working inside pressurized caissons to sink the piers to bedrock, went far deeper than anyone had before. They paid with 14 lives, victims of air-pressure "bends."

Two days before the dedication, Eads parked 14 locomotives on each span to silence the doubters. On July 4, an estimated 200,000 people jammed the riverfront for a 100-gun salute and lengthy speeches - a good turnout for a city of 330,000 people.

But there weren't enough paying customers. The bridge defaulted one year later, passing through financier J.P. Morgan and railroad baron Jay Gould.

It stands today as the Eads Bridge, a great symbol of St. Louis.
WORCESTER, Mass. (AP)  Massachusetts Democrats gathered in Worcester for their state party convention Saturday as they seek to regain the governors office and retain control of virtually every other source of political power in the state.

Attorney General Maura Healey and state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz are both hoping to win the top office in November, but they must first go head-to-head in the fall primary. Healey won the party's endorsement with 71% of the delegate votes Saturday, while Chang-Diaz won 29%, enough to get her name on the September primary ballot.

I am so so humbled, and I promise you this: I will be a governor who sees everyone, who listens to everyone and who makes sure that every voice in this commonwealth is heard, Healey said in accepting the endorsement.

Gov. Charlie Baker, who has remained popular with voters throughout his two terms, has decided not to seek a third four-year term. Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito are the only statewide Republican officeholders in Massachusetts.

Healey and Chang-Diaz are both popular among the party faithful, although Healey has the benefit of having run statewide twice  winning both times. Healey also has a financial edge. As of the beginning of May, Healey had more than $4.9 million in cash in her campaign account, compared to just $353,000 for Chang-Diaz.

Either candidate would make history if they win in November. Despite its liberal reputation, Massachusetts has never elected a woman as governor. Healey would also become the state's first openly gay candidate elected governor and the nation's first openly lesbian chief executive of a state, while Chang-Diaz would be the first Latina and Asian American to hold the office.

Whoever wins in September will face off against the victor of the Republican primary. That race pits former GOP state representative Geoff Diehl, who has the backing of former President Donald Trump, against Wrentham business owner Chris Doughty.

A number of candidates are headed to the Sept. 6 primary after winning enough support Saturday to get their names on the ballot.

Tanisha Sullivan, a lawyer and president of the Boston branch of the NAACP, won the party's nomination for secretary of the commonwealth, with backing from 62% of delegates. She will challenge incumbent William Galvin, who is seeking an eighth four-year term and won 48% of votes at the convention.

There are three Democratic candidates hoping to replace Healey as attorney general: Quentin Palfrey, a former assistant attorney general and 2018 candidate for lieutenant governor; workers rights attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan; and former Boston city councilor Andrea Campbell, who recently ran unsuccessfully for mayor. All three won enough votes to make the primary ballot.

Two Democrats  transportation advocate Chris Dempsey and Methuen state Sen. Diana DiZoglio  are vying for the chance to succeed state Auditor Suzanne Bump who opted not to seek reelection. Both will be on the ballot, with Dempsey edging out DiZoglio for the party endorsement.

Three Democrats qualified to run for lieutenant governor: Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, state Rep. Tami Gouveia of Acton and state Sen. Eric Lesser of Longmeadow. Two others did not win enough support to make the ballot, state Sen. Adam Hinds of Pittsfield and Boston businessman Bret Bero.

Whoever wins that race will join with the winner of the Democratic primary for governor to run as a team in November.

Democratic state Treasurer Deborah Goldberg has no Democratic challengers as she seeks a third four-year term.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
ST. LOUIS  Jeffrey Boyd resigned Friday from the Board of Aldermen and Aldermanic President Lewis Reed was said to be weighing a possible leave of absence the day after they and a former board member were indicted on federal corruption charges.

The fallout after Thursdays indictments comes as the board is in the midst of time-sensitive work, including passing the annual budget and appropriating another $249 million of federal pandemic aid.

Boyd, among the boards longest-serving members, submitted his resignation less than three hours after he took part in the boards weekly meeting, which was held by videoconference because of coronavirus concerns.

In an email to Reed and other officials, Boyd said he was proud of the good work we as a community have accomplished during more than 19 years representing the 22nd Ward.

He made no mention of the bribery and insurance fraud charges he faces; he pleaded not guilty on Thursday.

Boyd, a Democrat, had run unsuccessfully four times for citywide offices, most recently in the August 2020 Democratic primary to try to unseat then-City Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones, who last year was elected mayor. The two had clashed repeatedly over Jones handling as treasurer of city parking operations and on other issues.

The residents of the 22nd Ward will be better served by an alderman who is not facing federal corruption charges, Jones said in a Friday statement following Boyds resignation. Jeffrey Boyd needed to go.

Meanwhile, Alderman Joe Vollmer said after speaking with Reed he expects Reed to take an extended leave of absence, temporarily delegating his board duties to him.

I believe thats whats going to happen, said Vollmer, who already had been asked by Reed to preside over board meetings until further notice. Vollmer, of the 10th Ward, began doing that Friday.

Reed could not be reached for comment.

Vollmer succeeds Boyd as board vice president because he has the most continuous seniority among ward aldermen and would fill in for Reed.

If Reed does go on leave, Vollmer said he expects to take over another of Reeds duties  assigning bills to committees.

Vollmer said he didnt know what Reed would do regarding another one of Reeds key responsibilities  serving on the citys top fiscal panel, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment.

Like Boyd, Reed and former Alderman John Collins-Muhammad pleaded not guilty to charges that they accepted bribes from a small business owner in exchange for approving legislation authorizing property tax breaks.

Collins-Muhammad abruptly resigned from his 21st Ward seat on May 12, asking for forgiveness for shortcomings and mistakes without elaborating.

Boyds final meeting

Boyd submitted his resignation despite giving every indication during Fridays board meeting that he planned to stay on while fighting in court.

At the meeting, Boyd attempted unsuccessfully to pass a development measure he sponsored  a resolution authorizing a property tax break on a warehouse expansion on Bircher Boulevard on the north side.

When Boyd brought up the measure for a vote, Alderman Christine Ingrassia, 6th Ward, made a motion to return it to committee.

Boyd said holding the measure would be an unjust move because this company has done nothing wrong.

Alderman Sharon Tyus, 1st Ward, then suggested that Boyd put the resolution aside until a later meeting.

Tyus said while she is a strong believer in the innocent until proven guilty principle, delaying action would allow board members to kind of look at it and people can feel comfortable with it. Boyd then did as Tyus suggested.

In an interview after the meeting, Ingrassia said given the charges against Boyd related to other property tax abatements, sending the measure back to committee would give him and city development officials an opportunity to help us understand why this is a valid deal.

The measure, which still could be brought up by another alderman, would authorize 10 years of tax abatement for a company tied to Sauget-based FW Logistics, which had recently purchased a warehouse in the Mark Twain Interstate-70 Industrial area. The company planned to invest $1.5 million to renovate the unoccupied building, adding 95 jobs, according to a report from the citys economic development arm, which recommended the incentive in February.

A company official did not respond to a request for comment.

At the end of the meeting, Boyd announced that the influential Housing, Urban Development and Zoning committee he chaired would hold a hearing next week on a major bill authorizing an additional $54 million in street work near the site of the new headquarters of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

The city intends to apply for federal grants as part of the project, and Rob Orr, deputy director of the citys development arm, said during a Friday development board meeting that the aldermanic bill needed to pass so we can be in a position get a competitive grant in line.

Alderman Jack Coatar, the HUDZ vice chair, said he had been in contact with city staff about the need for the bill and would hold the committee hearing Thursday. HUDZ also hears bills appropriating American Rescue Plan Act funds, and Coatar said he would keep the committee humming along as far as theres zoning and development work and ARPA to appropriate.

Were in a situation where weve got a lot of balls in the air and a lot of things to get done, said Coatar, 7th Ward. Those things need to keep moving and they need to keep moving in a way that gives the public confidence, and Im hopeful we can do that.

Whether the indictments affect other development-related measures remains to be seen.

Alderman Bill Stephens, 12th Ward, on Thursday said he was proposing a resolution calling for a moratorium on tax abatements and tax increment financing through the boards current term that ends next year.

We can learn from the events of today, but to learn requires action, he wrote on Twitter Thursday. A resolution alone is insufficient, but it is my hope that it forces the necessary conversations and actions regarding tax incentives and our City.

Filling vacancies

Boyds position will be filled in a special election to be called by the city Election Board. Gary Stoff, an election board official, said it likely would be in late August.

An election on a successor to Collins-Muhammad has been scheduled for Aug. 2, the day of the statewide primary.

People picked to succeed the two will serve the remainder of their terms, which end next April. Reeds term also ends in April.

Boyd is the fourth alderman to resign this year as the board moves toward implementation in April of a plan in which the citys wards and ward aldermen are cut in half to 14 from 28.

The last time criminal charges spurred a resignation from the board was in March 2020 after Larry Arnowitz, who represented the 12th Ward, was indicted. He was sentenced to federal prison in August 2020 after he admitted misusing $21,180 in campaign funds for his home mortgage and other personal expenses.

Joel Currier of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.

Updated at 8:15 p.m. Friday, June 3.

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CLAYTON  St. Louis County Jail Director Scott Anders told an advisory board Friday that a long-discussed audit of the facility will be completed by the end of this month and will include a review of internal investigative records on inmate deaths in past years.

That would include, Anders said, a 2015 death that had been the subject of a recent Post-Dispatch report because county attorneys said they had no Morbidity and Mortality Review (MMR) on the case and failed to produce other records, including internal affairs interviews.

A lawsuit filed in 2020 alleges Drexel Starks, who died of drug withdrawal Aug. 6, 2015, after two days in the facility, was denied infirmary care and neglected for at least 29 hours until he was found unresponsive. Attorneys handling the suit have also failed to produce records including internal investigative interviews that an attorney for the family sought to identify staff tasked with the mans care.

Anders told the Justice Services Advisory Board, during its public monthly meeting, that investigative reports provided to auditors included the 2015 death the newspaper reported that there werent records on, he said.

We do have those records; Im not sure where that source came from, Anders said. He made a similar statement after a board member said his audio had cut out and he didnt hear what Anders said about the 2015 case.

But asked whether the records included an MMR, Anders told a reporter after the meeting that he had misspoken because his understanding of the news report was incorrect. Anders said he was referring only to an investigative report.

County Counselor Beth Orwicks office had previously confirmed that the lack of an MMR but declined further comment and did not address questions about other records including the internal affairs interviews. She said Friday that she could not discuss pending litigation.

The familys attorney, Mark Pedroli, said Friday that he had only received a one-page investigative report summarizing the jails review of the events leading up to Starks death. But the report included the wrong names of staff responsible for Starks care and left large gaps in chronology. Pedroli had sought the records to unearth the details.

Technically, if he was saying there was an investigative report, thats true, there was, but there wasnt audio tape of the interviews, Pedroli said Friday. We want the raw materials used to generate the report, we dont just want what (a supervisor) wrote up as their conclusion.

Anders, who joined the jail in July as deputy director and became director in October, said he did not know whether the report included internal affairs interviews and did not provide more information Friday.

Anders had also told the board that the auditors, CGL Companies, are reviewing the jails staffing procedures, use-of-force policies, internal affairs policies and corrections medical care. A full report is expected before the advisory boards next meeting June 24.

The board meeting was the first since an outspoken member, the Rev. Phillip Duvall, resigned citing frustration with County Executive Sam Pages administration over delays to the audit, which the six-member board had first requested in August 2020, and officials decision to provide auditors investigative reports on the deaths but not medical records. Duvall was the third board member to resign in 14 months.

Duvall, who had chaired the board through September 2020, said he was proud of a suite of reforms at the jail but called for a new panel with subpoena power to compel records and testimony, raising concerns about allegations of misconduct he said werent being internally investigated.

The board did not discuss that suggestion Friday, but they praised Duvall as one of the main forces behind vast improvements at the jail over the last three years, under three of Anders predecessors.

No one has spent nearly as much time in this facility, on our board, as Reverend Duvall has, building relationships from leadership all the way down to the rank and file, Board Chair Jeff Smith said.

Tim McBride, who along with Smith have served on the board since Page reformed it, said the panel had inherited a mess in the jail that was largely neglected in the Stenger administration, and that it it was largely due to Reverend Duvall that we got this ship righted.

Starks death in 2015 had occurred under the administration of former County Executive Steve Stenger, who resigned in April 2019, leaving a jail reeling from three inmate deaths in the weeks prior. Page succeeded Stenger and relaunched the advisory board, which had been dormant for years.

County officials, including Duvall, have since touted a dramatic turnaround at the jail under reforms including multiple internal policy changes, job training for corrections officers and nurses, and the first pay increase for frontline corrections officers in several years.

Pages administration has also enacted programs for inmates aimed at reducing recidivism, including a culinary apprenticeship program, electronic tablets for inmates to call family and access college-level courses, job-placement seminars for outgoing inmates, and provides outgoing inmates with Narcan, an emergency treatment for drug overdoses.

Posted at 6 p.m. Friday, June 3.

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Teachers after Texas attack: None of us are built for this'

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  When graduation balloons popped inside a West Virginia high school, a teacher had to reassure students who ducked for cover that the noise did not come from gunfire. Their reaction showed how the world has changed in recent years  even for teachers who never experienced school shootings firsthand. The teacher was Jessica Salfia, whose mother is also a West Virginia teacher and found herself staring down a student with a gun in her own classroom seven years ago. She was hailed for her role in helping bring the incident to a peaceful end. Already asked to be guidance counselors, social workers and surrogate parents, teachers are sometimes called on to be protectors, too.

American spy agencies review their misses on Ukraine, Russia

WASHINGTON (AP)  U.S. intelligence agencies have begun a review of how they judge the will and ability of foreign governments to fight. American spy services underestimated Ukraine's will to fight while overestimating Russia's ability to overrun its neighbor, even as those agencies accurately predicted Russian President Vladimir Putin would order an invasion. The agencies now face bipartisan pressure to review what they got wrong beforehand, especially after their mistakes in judging Afghanistan last year. U.S. intelligence continues to have a critical role in Ukraine, and as the White House ramps up weapons deliveries to Ukraine, officials are trying to predict what Putin might see as escalatory and the U.S. is seeking to avoid a direct war with Russia.

As Ukraine loses troops, how long can it keep up the fight?

ZHYTOMYR, Ukraine (AP)  President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine is losing 60 to 100 soldiers each day in combat. Just short of 50 American soldiers died per day on average in 1968, during the Vietnam Wars deadliest year for U.S. forces. Concentrations of Russian artillery are causing many of the casualties in the eastern regions that Moscow has focused on since its invading troops failed to take Kyiv early in the war. Retired U.S. Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges describes the Russian strategy as a medieval attrition approach and says such casualties will continue until Ukraine gets weapons to destroy and disrupt Russian batteries.

Mystery solved: UK Queen shares secret with Paddington

LONDON (AP)  Now we know what is in Queen Elizabeth IIs handbag. The long-time mystery was solved Saturday when the British monarch made the second star turn of her career, appearing in a mini-movie to kick off a concert celebrating her 70 years on the throne. The sketch featured the queen having a cream tea with British national treasure Paddington Bear at Buckingham Palace. After drinking all the tea and destroying the cakes, the duffle-coat wearing bear from deepest Peru told Elizabeth how he always had a reserve supply of marmalade sandwiches with him, lifting up his red hat to reveal his favorite treat. So do I, the queen responded before opening her bag and declaring: I keep mine in here.

Shootings expose divisions on gun issue in faith communities

The recent surge of mass shootings in America has led to debates in faith communities over what is pro-life. Those advocating for more gun regulation are challenging conservative Christians pushing to abolish abortion and grant unlimited access to guns. Those who disagree insist the nation doesnt have a gun problem but a sin problem. The partisan divides on abortion and gun rights are even starker after the recent mass shootings in New York, California and Texas. The U.S. Supreme Court is also expected to issue a ruling that could overturn legal abortion at the federal level.

Online pro-gun extremism: 'Cool for active shooter stuff'

As Americans reel from mass shootings, law enforcement officials and experts on extremism are taking increasing notice of the sprawling online space devoted to guns and gun rights. That includes gun forums, tactical training videos, websites that sell unregistered gun kits and social media platforms where far-right gun owners swap practical tips and talk of dark plots to take their weapons. Its an ecosystem rich with potential recruits for extremist groups exploiting the often blurry line separating traditional support for a Constitutional right from militant anti-government movements that embrace racism and violence.

Woman buoyed by support after viral pastor confrontation

An Indiana woman says she has felt "overwhelming support" from people all over the world after she confronted her pastor. She says he started a years-long sexual relationship with her when she was 16 and he was in his late 30s. The video of her May 22 confrontation has been viewed on Facebook nearly a million times. Pastor John B. Lowe II resigned from New Life Christian Church & World Outreach in Warsaw, Indiana. He had confessed to adultery at the May 22 service. She then took the microphone and said it began when she was a teen and that she carried the secret shame for years until now.

Source: Whitmer, McConnell, Evers on Wisconsin gunman's list

A gunman suspected of fatally shooting a retired county judge at a Wisconsin home had a list that included Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers. That's according to Whitmers office and a law enforcement source. The Wisconsin Department of Justice said Saturday that 56-year-old Douglas K. Uhde, who has not been charged, is suspected of killing retired Juneau County Judge John Roemer at Roemers house in New Lisbon on Friday. Uhde was found in the basement of the home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He's hospitalized in critical condition. Uhde has an extensive criminal record dating back two decades, including a case when he was sentenced by Roemer to prison.

Tiger King star Doc Antle to face money laundering charges

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP)  Tiger King star Bhagavan Doc Antle was arrested by the FBI and expected to appear in court Monday to face federal money laundering charges. That's according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on Saturday. FBI agents arrested him Friday and he was taken to the J. Reuben Long Detention Center in Conway, South Carolina. The charges against him were expected to be formally announced during a court proceeding Monday afternoon in Florence, South Carolina. The person familiar with the matter says the charges relate to allegations of money laundering. Antle, 62, has been a controversial figure among animal rights advocates who have accused the owner of Myrtle Beach Safari of mistreating lions and other wildlife.

Celtics add their voices to those asking for Griner's return

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  Brittney Griner hasnt been forgotten at the NBA Finals. The WNBA star has been detained in Russia for more than 100 days  wrongfully so, U.S. officials insist  and some members of the Boston Celtics are using their platform at the NBAs title series to add their voices to the chorus of those demanding she be allowed to come home. Several players wore black T-shirts with We Are BG on the front in orange letters for their practice session at the NBA Finals on Saturday. Game 2 of the title series between the Celtics and Golden State Warriors is Sunday.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
"The T stands for transgender, a teacher explains in a video on a Maine Department of Education website launched during the coronavirus pandemic.

A transgender person is someone who the doctors made a mistake about when they were born, the teacher says in the lesson plan targeted at kindergartners. But some people, when they get a little bit older, realize what the doctors said was not right.

Republicans later produced an ad accusing Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who is running for reelection against GOP former Gov. Paul LePage, of using state money to create radical school lessons. Within hours, the lesson disappeared from the website, and Mills spokesperson said the governor was on board with its removal.

While most Democrats support the rights, safety and visibility of LGBTQ adults and children, they're struggling to counter a barrage of GOP attacks on LGBTQ people, particularly transgender people. With measured responses and occasional capitulation, Democrats like Mills are aiming to avoid getting sucked further into culture wars that serve mostly to galvanize the Republican base.

But as Democrats largely avoid direct confrontations, some LGBTQ people say they feel abandoned.

Our lives and our existence are being used as political fodder to ramp up the GOP base, and theyre not coming to our defense, said Deja Alvarez, a transgender woman who finished third in the Democratic primary in a heavily LGBTQ state legislative district in Philadelphia. Theyre not rallying the troops and saying, Hey, we cant stand for this.

Democrats are hardly silent on LGBTQ issues.

As Pride month began this week, President Joe Biden tweeted his support for LGBTQ rights. He recently named Karine Jean-Pierre as the first openly gay White House press secretary and was critical of Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis this year after he signed legislation to ban the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.

Even after she distanced herself from the Department of Education video, Mills released a statement this week ticking through LGBTQ-friendly legislation she has signed. She insisted that if she is reelected, Maine "will remain a safe and welcoming place to live for LGBTQ people.

And in Wisconsin, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers warned that if he loses in November, Republicans will take steps to ban books, especially those with LGBTQ themes.

Evers' approach is one activists say more Democrats should embrace this election year. They want to see candidates go beyond prepared statements celebrating Pride month and instead place LGBTQ issues more at the center of the campaign while warning of the specific consequences of Republican victories.

These are the kinds of actions we need people to take," Alvarez said, but not just because it's Pride month.

The problem may be that even allies are not prepared to speak on the issues, which allowed the framing of LGBTQ people as a threat to catch on, said Fran Hutchins, executive director of the advocacy group Equality Federation.

The root of why this is happening is a real lack of familiarity with and lack of understanding for trans folks and what its like to be transgender, Hutchins said.

One notable exception has been Mallory McMorrow, a Democratic state senator from Michigan who gave an impassioned speech in response to an invocation from a Republican lawmaker who claimed McMorrow, who is running for reelection, wanted to groom and sexualize kindergarteners.

The video of McMorrows reaction speech and a related Twitter thread were widely celebrated, but there remains a sense  even by McMorrow  that she fell on a sword other Democrats are dodging.

There is a difference between politics and outright hate, she said in April, pondering the reaction to her speech. I think people are frustrated that elected officials havent done enough to call that out, that maybe Democrats are afraid of talking about religion and faith openly and honestly and calling hate what it is."

Labeling education about sexual orientation and gender identity as grooming connotes the methods sex offenders use to molest children, and is part of a push by conservatives to speak to parents' fears by equating such education with pornography and pedophilia.

The teacher in the Maine video, Kailina Mills  no relation to the governor  said in a Facebook post that she has taught transgender and nonbinary preschoolers and that they deserve to be represented in the curriculum, the Portland Press Herald reported.

Public schools are for everyone and should, therefore, include everyone, the teacher said.

When the narrative that such issues are inappropriate or dangerous becomes embedded in the minds of voters, pushing back can indeed be politically problematic. But activists said there are larger issues to consider.

It goes well for candidates when they stand up and say what their real values are and say what they believe about whats really going on with legislation, said Liz Seaton, policy director for the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund. When they speak the truth from values, they will be speaking from their heart, and their constituents will respond.

Annise Parker, a former Houston mayor who is now CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund and Institute, a nonpartisan organization that works on behalf of LGBTQ candidates, agreed that LGBTQ allies running for office have a responsibility to stand up and speak out when any of those marginalized communities are attacked.

Political observers and activists noted parallels in todays rhetoric with that around same-sex marriage in the 1990s and 2000s.

It was only 10 years ago that former President Barack Obama  on the heels of Biden, his vice president  endorsed same-sex marriage. That was 16 years after another Democratic president, Bill Clinton, signed the law that blocked it.

Both presidents were running for reelection and may have been hostages to public opinion, which by Obamas time had swung the other way. Same-sex marriage soon became legal throughout the United States, and the public now sees the sky didnt fall as predicted, advocates said.

But now conservative forces are using the tactics of othering us very effectively again ... and they are making trans activists look radical when all theyre looking for is the right to exist, said Jonathan Lovitz, a gay man who ran against Alvarez and other candidates in last months Democratic primary in Philadelphia and placed second.

A poll released in April by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that overall, Americans lean slightly toward expanding discussions of sexuality in K-12 classrooms. And some observers say its only a matter of time before todays anti-LGBTQ rhetoric stops working in Republicans favor.

Lovitz encouraged Democrats to set aside political concerns as LGBTQ people feel increasingly targeted.

Be a vocal and visible ally even if it costs you endorsements and donations. Stand up for what you believe in; otherwise youre not an elected official, youre just a weather vane, he said. We dont need fair-weather friends right now.

Follow Jeff McMillan at http://twitter.com/jeffmcmillanpa.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
A gunman suspected of fatally shooting a retired county judge at a Wisconsin home had a list that included Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, Whitmer's office and a law enforcement source said Saturday.

Douglas K. Uhde, 56, who has not been charged, is suspected of killing retired Juneau County Judge John Roemer at Roemer's house in New Lisbon on Friday, the Wisconsin Department of Justice said in a news release Saturday.

Uhde was found in the basement of the home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, following attempts by police to negotiate with him. Uhde is hospitalized in critical condition, DOJ officials said.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul on Friday said the shooting appeared to be a targeted act and that the gunman had selected people who were part of the judicial system.

But investigators believe the gunman also may have planned to target other government officials and found a list in his vehicle that contained the names of several other prominent elected leaders, a law enforcement official said. The other targets on the list, which mentioned Roemer, included Evers, McConnell and Whitmer, the official said.

Roemer was found zip-tied to a chair in his home and had been fatally shot, the official said. The official could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Uhde has an extensive criminal and prison record dating back at least two decades, including a case when he was sentenced by Roemer to six years in prison on weapons charges. He was released from his last prison stint in April 2020.

Zach Pohl, Whitmer's deputy chief of staff, said her office was notified that her name appeared on the Wisconsin gunman's list.

Governor Whitmer has demonstrated repeatedly that she is tough, and she will not be bullied or intimidated from doing her job and working across the aisle to get things done for the people of Michigan," Pohl said.

Whitmer became the object of protests and criticism after she blamed former President Donald Trump for stoking anger over COVID-19 restrictions and refusing to condemn right-wing extremists.

A trial held earlier this year in which four men accused in an alleged kidnapping plot of the Michigan Democrat resulted in the acquittal of two of the men. The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict for the other two.

Roemer, 68, was a very loving, very encouraging man with a wonderful sense of humor who will be dearly missed by the community, said Chip Wilke, pastor at St. Pauls Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mauston, where Roemer was president of the congregation and evangelism chairman. He was in my office several mornings a week.

Wilke said after he was notified of Roemers death Friday the pastors thought was Im glad we have Jesus and we know where hes at.

Roemer retired from the bench in 2017. He was first elected in 2004 and was reelected in 2010 and 2016. He previously had served as an assistant district attorney for Juneau County and an assistant state public defender. He also worked in private practice and served as a lieutenant colonel for the U.S. Army Reserves.

Investigators said there is no immediate danger to the public.

The information thats been gathered indicated that it was a targeted act and that the targeting was based on some sort of court case or court cases, Kaul said.

The Juneau County Sheriffs Office received a call that two shots were fired at a home in New Lisbon at 6:30 a.m. Friday, according to the Division of Criminal Investigation. The caller had fled the home and made the call from another nearby house.

Donna Voss, a neighbor, told The Associated Press she heard law enforcement on a loudspeaker telling the man to surrender and leave the home.

For Voss, the shooting came as a shock in a usually quiet neighborhood where houses sit alongside farmland and wooded lots, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of Madison.

Its unbelievable and really freaky, she said.

New Lisbon, which has a population of about 2,500 people, is in Juneau County in central Wisconsin.

Kolpack reported from Fargo, North Dakota. Balsamo reported from Washington, D.C.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Show of hands: Which of the two major political parties loves America more?

Its the kind of politically pugnacious question that, in years past, conservatives would ask in order to troll liberals. It was a common criticism that Democrats looked down on their fellow Americans. Which makes a key Republican talking point about gun violence today all the more ironic.

It isnt that America has too many guns, they say, or that access to them is too easy. No, no, no. The real problem is mental illness. And societal breakdown. And lack of family values. And pornography and drugs and violent movies and video games.

Americans, apparently, are such a bunch of ill-bred, drug-addicted, porn-addled, value-less lunatics that we simply cant stop killing each other. That, and not our ocean of guns, explains why we have this problem with mass shootings (and, more broadly, with shootings in general) that our peer countries dont have.

Its a sickness in this country  a growing disrespect and disregard for human life, says Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill.

Its out-of-wedlock childbirth, divorce, single-parent households, and amoral values, says Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Alabama.

Its the culture of fatherlessness and drug addiction in our country, says U.S. Senate nominee J.D. Vance of Ohio.

Its pornography  available on the shelf when you walk in the grocery store, says Rep. Diane Black, R-Tennessee. Oh, and the deterioration of the family.

I can almost see the Republican campaign bumper stickers now: Americans: Were just bad people!

How the party of patriotism came to declare that American society is degenerate, evil and crazy is part of a broader trend in the GOP today: On this and other issues, theyre willing to immediately scrap longstanding party principles the second they become inconvenient to the all-encompassing imperative of coddling the extremists in the base.

It was Republicans, for example, who got the Supreme Court to declare that corporations are persons, with the same rights as individual Americans (including, conveniently enough, the right to donate heavily to Republicans). But now that some corporations are using that right to oppose Republican culture-war demagoguery, GOP figures from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley are suddenly as anti-corporate as your average Marxist.

To those of us old enough to remember when country-club Republicanism reigned, hearing Hawley berate woke corporations is nothing less than surreal. But the base wants the party to pick on trans kids, so if a longtime Republican-affiliated corporate icon like Disney gets in the way of that mission  well, Mickey Mouse must be exterminated.

Similarly, the base doesnt want to be confronted with the wacky notion that Americas unparalleled stockpile of weapons of war in the hands of civilians has anything whatsoever to do with Americas unparalleled level of gun violence. There has to be some other explanation, because that one leads to policy suggestions the base doesnt like.

The cause of all this killing cant be the fact that America has more guns than people.

So it must be  Americans! As a people, we must be more mentally unstable and naturally violent than people of other countries.

Never mind that this conclusion is unsupported by any psychological data  not to mention being anathema to traditional Republican thinking about American exceptionalism. If saying that Americans are more warped than citizens of other countries is what it takes to assure the base that their precious guns arent the cause of this crisis, then these Republican politicians are willing to diss American culture like some radical 60s malcontent.

I never thought that, as a liberal, I would have to make this case to conservatives, but I dont believe Americans are inherently worse than citizens of other countries. Every country has disturbed young men, violent media, drugs. Were not unusual on that front. Just in how many guns we have, and how many people they kill.

Even the part of our society that many would argue genuinely is a disturbing outlier in the advanced world  our deeply entrenched gun culture  isnt as unreasonable as our policies would indicate. Polls have long shown strong, across-the-board support, even among gun owners, for reasonable restrictions like universal background checks, red-flag laws, mandatory permits for carrying and other reforms.

That we cant get those reforms isnt a failure of our culture, but of our political system. The quirks of that system (including extra-constitutional developments like gerrymandering and the filibuster) allow a radical minority to prevent the majority from enacting the policies it wants. The gun caucuses in Congress and in the legislatures exploit those quirks to prevent rational, widely supported gun-safety restrictions. They pause after the worst of the shootings to read from the script about mental illness, drugs, etc.  because, hey, they have to say something  but then its back to the shooting range.

If these folks were serious about what they claim are the root causes of the carnage, youd see them follow up with significant funding infusions for mental health treatment, drug addiction services, family-support policies and the rest.

Who thinks thats going to happen?

Hands? Anyone?

Kevin McDermott is a Post-Dispatch columnist and Editorial Board member. On Twitter: @kevinmcdermottt Email: kmcdermott@postdispatch.com

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For over fifty years China has been working towards designing and building its own commercial airliners. Finally, COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China), a state-owned firm did it with the C919 narrow-body twin-engine airliner. The C919 competes with the latest Boeing 737 model, the 737 Max. The Max ran into serious quality problems after introduction, which was later traced back to a change in management selection as Boeing sought to reduce costs and increase its ability to compete with its major rival AirBus by no longer requiring senior managers to have an engineering, as well as a business background. Fixing that problem will take the rest of the decade to complete.

Commercial aircraft design and manufacturing was developed in the United States a century ago when automobile production pioneer Henry Ford turned his attention to rapidly advancing aircraft technology which grew enormously during World War I and continued in the 1920s for military aircraft. Ford showed the world that commercial transport and passenger aircraft were possible and profitable. This set off the creation of many new commercial aircraft manufacturers in the United States and other industrialized countries. Because European nations were still recovering from World War I and in the 1930s preparing for World War II, the Americans maintained their lead in commercial aviation through World War II and after. There was lots of competition in the United States and eventually significant commercial aircraft manufacturers emerged such as Boeing, which was founded in 1916 to design and build components for military aircraft. In the 1920s Boeing was one of the many American aviation companies that noted the success of the aircraft division of Ford Motors and began doing the same. Ford Aviation was a victim of the 1930s Great Depression. Ford converted car production to manufacture bombers during World War II but never returned to commercial aviation. Boeing also switched to military aircraft production during World War II and designed and built bombers that were converted to commercial transports after World War II and later models added jet engines.

Boeing continued to grow because its engineering and business innovation led to the most reliable and competitive designs plus an ability to absorb or merge with major competitors, with the name of the enlarged firm remaining Boeing. By the 1990s Boeing was able to merge with its largest rival, Douglas, to become the largest commercial airline producer in the world. Europe had lots of innovative and smaller aircraft companies and European countries agreed to form a Boeing Rival, AirBus. Many smaller European aircraft manufacturers were merged into the new AirBus firm which proved to be an effective and profitable rival to Boeing. The 737Max debacle slowed Boeing down and gave AirBus opportunities to gain market share.

The Soviet Union never developed a competitive commercial aviation industry because the kind of innovation and economic freedom that made Western companies so successful was not allowed in a communist state with a state-planned economy. China was in the same situation until the 1980s when Chinese leaders realized that you had to cut loose entrepreneurs and innovative Chinese engineers and managers to do what the West had achieved. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 proved the Chinese to be right and after that China aimed for world domination in as many manufacturing industries as possible. China was still hobbled by a lack of domestic engineering skills that enabled the development and production of high-tech items like aircraft engines and many other components of world class military and commercial aircraft. As China became a major market for Western airliners China gained enough clout to persuade Boeing and Airbus to establish assembly plants in China that would produce Boeing 737s and the similar AirBus 320s, the commercial aircraft most popular in China. AirBus and Boeing still had to provide many components, like engines, that China could not yet produce. The Chinese government founded COMAC in 2008 by merging several smaller aircraft and component companies. COMACs first product was the ARJ21, a 90-passenger regional airliner powered by two General Electric jets. The ARJ21 ran into a lot of development problems which delayed introduction of the ARJ21 by eight years. Technically, the first ARJ21 entered commercial service in 2016 with one aircraft in one airline. This was part of the development process and mass deliveries did not begin until 2020. The delay enabled COMAC to quickly develop the larger (105 passenger) ARJ21-900 as well as freighter and 20 passenger business jet versions.

The experience with the ARJ21 led COMAC to begin production and further development of the C919, which made its first flight in 2017. Seen as a cheaper competitor for the 737 and AirBus 320, it encountered even more problems that the ARJ21. As of mid-2022 only seven development aircraft have been built. This included accusations of stealing technology and manufacturing techniques so that China could produce key components in China as Chinese developed. The Chinese espionage effort was discovered in 2015 and arrests made. This sort of thing is nothing new but in the case of commercial aircraft it limited export sales. It also made several smaller Western aircraft manufacturers rethink deals with China for co-production. This espionage was one reason why America implemented sanctions and trade-restriction against China in 2018.

The C919 also lost another competitive edge, price. Originally designed to sell for about half what 737s and A32os cost, fixing all the problems encountered have increased the cost of the C919 to the point where it is nearly the same as 737 and A320. COMAC already has orders for over a thousand C919s from Chinese airlines but greater profits only come via export sales. Artificially lowering the price to gain sales is illegal according to the international trade agreements China agreed to in order to gain access to major export markets. The Chinese industrial espionage efforts will further limit export sales. Undeterred, COMAC plans to eventually dominate the world-market for narrow-body airliners like the 737 and A320. COMAC is planning on developing larger wide-body airliners as well and by the middle of the century be a major competitor for Boeing and AirBus.
FREMONT, Calif. and BAYAMON, Puerto Rico, June 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EnerVenue, the first company to bring metal-hydrogen batteries to the clean energy revolution, today announced an MOU agreement with Sonnell Power Solutions, a division of Grupo Sonnell. Under the terms of the deal, Sonnell Power Solutions will procure and deploy 40 MWh of EnerVenues EnerStation battery systems in 2023, with volume increasing to 420 MWh in 2024 and 2025.

Puerto Rico-based Grupo Sonnell, the leader in transportation and logistics services in Puerto Rico, is aggressively expanding into the energy sector through its new subsidiary Sonnell Power Solutions. Puerto Rico faces rising demand for alternative energy and grid-resilient solutions, particularly following the destruction caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017 and the continuing power grid deficiencies left in the storms aftermath. Puerto Ricos industrial sector has remained particularly ready for widespread energy transformation, with businesses actively seeking transitions into renewable energy solutions.

The industrial sector in Puerto Rico faces a crucial and time-sensitive need for more sustainable, affordable, and reliable energy, said Jose Rodriguez Varela, President, Sonnell Power Solutions. EnerVenue fits into our mission to provide the off-grid alternative energy path forward that industrial businesses are so eager to adopt  one that is safe and built to last. Were also a company where environmental concerns cut across every aspect of our business. EnerVenues storage solutions enable us to reduce the critical midday demand on the grid  and significantly lower energy costs  for industrial customers. We anticipate that EnerVenue will become a cornerstone technology for us, where we are able to fulfill the markets energy transformation needs now and going forward.

EnerVenues energy storage technology does not have any fire or thermal runway risk and delivers differentiated tolerance of extreme temperature and environmental conditions. These capabilities make EnerVenues systems a superior fit for industrial use cases, driving Sonnell Power Solutions decision to partner with the company. Looking forward, Sonnell Power Solutions plans to leverage its EnerVenue-based capacity to expand into serving large commercial and government energy customers, and to power its facilities and electric fleet as Grupo Sonnell pursues its aggressive environmental impact goals.

Grupo Sonnell continues to be a proven leader delivering business value to industrial enterprises, always doing so with a clear-eyed focus on their own environmental impact, said Randy Selesky, Chief Revenue Officer, EnerVenue. Our battery systems excel in meeting Sonnell Power Solutions goals, and were proud to enter into this agreement to expand EnerVenues technology into Puerto Rico for the first time.

About EnerVenue

EnerVenue builds simple, safe, and cost-efficient energy storage solutions for the clean energy revolution. Based on technology proven over decades under the most extreme conditions, EnerVenue batteries are refined and scaled for large renewable energy integration applications. The company is headquartered in Fremont, California.

Contact Kyle Peterson [email protected]

Source: EnerVenue
SAN DIEGO, June 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The first lawsuit was filed today in the Superior Court of California in San Diego County, against FreshKampo, a foreign corporation: Meridian Fine Foods, LLC, on behalf of David Arthur and Michelle Brown, and their daughter. The Arthur-Brown family became ill with hepatitis A after consuming FreshKampo branded strawberries. The plaintiffs are represented by Marler Clark, a Seattle based food safety law firm, and local counsel, Frederic L. Gordon. Confirmation #26754167.

"Strawberries grown outside the United States have been a source of hepatitis A illness in the past," said Bill Marler.

The Arthur-Brown family purchased and later consumed FreshKampo strawberries on April 16, 2022, and April 25, 2022. Michelle Brown began to experience symptoms of a hepatitis A infection on or about May 5, 2022, and her daughter followed soon after on May 8, 2022. They both suffered from diarrhea, loss of appetite, fatigue, and digestion issues.

David Arthur began to experience symptoms related to his infection on or about May 8, 2022. His initial symptoms included clammy skin, stomach upset, and body aches and progressed to lethargy, pain, extreme fatigue, loss of appetite, dark urine, and jaundice. While Michelle and their daughter recovered, on May 19, 2022, David's symptoms worsened, and his medical condition progressed to acute liver failure. David was hospitalized, and fortunately, with significant medical testing and intervention, he was discharged from the hospital on May 20, 2022.

"Strawberries grown outside the United States have been a source of hepatitis A infections in the past," said William Marler, managing partner at the food safety law firm Marler Clark. "The FDA and retailers need to do a far better job of inspecting so we can avoid human fecal contamination," added Marler.

On May 27, 2022, the FDA, CDC, Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced that they are investigating 27 outbreak-associated cases of hepatitis A in Canada and the United States. The agencies will consider these hepatitis A illnesses linked to organic strawberries, branded as FreshKampo and HEB, and purchased between March 5, 2022, and April 25, 2022.

Victims of hepatitis A outbreak in the United States and Canada

Total United States Illnesses: 17  Canada 10United States Hospitalizations: 12  Canada 4Illness onset dates range from March 28  April 30, 2022.States with Cases: California (15), Minnesota (1), North Dakota (1)  Provinces with Cases: Alberta (4) and Saskatchewan (6)

Hepatitis A is a food borne virus that can be passed by infected food handlers to consumers. The virus attacks the liver, and symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, dark urine, fever, chills, fatigue, body aches, loss of appetite, and jaundice. In extreme cases, liver failure can result. The virus has a long incubation period, and symptoms may not appear for fifteen to fifty days. More information on Hepatitis A can be found at www.about-hepatitis.com.

Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation's leading law firm representing victims of Hepatitis A outbreaks. The Hepatitis A lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Hepatitis A and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $700 million for clients. Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation. The law firm has brought Hepatitis A lawsuits against such companies as Costco, Subway, McDonald's, Red Robin, Chipotle, Quiznos and Carl's Jr.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/marler-clark-files-first-lawsuit-against-freshkampo-in-the-strawberry-hepatitis-a-outbreak-301561326.html

SOURCE Marler Clark, The Nation's Food Safety Law Firm
(Tribune News Service)  The largest floating solar farm in the Southeast is just one of several steps Fort Bragg has planned to increase the sprawling army facilitys use of renewable energy, an Army official said Wednesday.

Audrey Oxendine, the chief of Fort Braggs energy and utilities branch, said the base plans to hold a ribbon cutting next week for the 1.1-megawatt solar farm that is floating on top of Camp Mackalls Big Muddy Lake. Camp Mackall is a Special Forces training site.

Usually you dont mix electricity and water, Oxendine said, but the two-acre floating solar farm provides electricity while also not sacrificing valuable training grounds.

Speaking at an event hosted in downtown Raleigh by environmental business organization E2, Oxendine said Fort Braggs next steps include a microgrid at Camp Mackall, 67 electric vehicles, and exploring placing solar panels on top of parking lots across the roughly 250-square-mile base.

Bob Keefe, E2s executive director, said the military is likely the largest market-maker in the nations economy, a massive purchaser whose needs can spur research and development that has ramifications for everyone.

Keefe asked the audience to think about what would happen if the biggest user of energy and fuel in the world, aka the U.S. military, were to shift to cleaner sources.

Thats exactly what the U.S. Department of Defense is trying to accomplish, targeting 100% carbon-free electricity by 2030.

The DoD is trying to curb the effects of climate change  2018s Hurricane Florence caused $3.6 billion in damage at the Marine Corps Camp Lejuene. But the military also believes that adding renewable energy is important to maintaining mission readiness and reducing costs.

Fort Braggs electricity bill alone is about $40 million a year.

Were constantly looking to try to reduce that and to be able to have renewable energy, Oxendine said.

Fort Braggs peak demand is about 132 megawatts, and while the floating array is promising, Oxendine said, We dont have enough lakes on Fort Bragg to get there.

The solar canopies that Bragg is considering would allow the base to add panels on top of land that has already been cleared, meaning Army officials wouldnt have to worry about sacrificing additional training ground or threaten the red-cockaded woodpeckers that are found around the base.

Duke Energy won the contract to build the solar panel project, with Ameresco acting as a primary contractor. Ameresco officials estimated it would save Fort Bragg about $2 million annually, cutting electricity use by 7% and water use by 20%.

Duke is challenging a New York-based developers proposal to build solar panels to provide energy at Fort Braggs on-base housing, arguing that the land is within Dukes service area. The developer, Sunstone Energy Development, says Fort Bragg is a federal enclave and not subject to North Carolinas regulated utility service areas.

In addition to the solar array, the Camp Mackall project includes two megawatts of battery storage that can be used when there are local power outages, as well as energy efficiency upgrades.

Having the on-site electricity generation is important, Oxendine said, because there is one electricity feeder line that runs to Camp Mackall. If something were to go wrong with that line, Oxendine warned, it could impact the training of Green Berets.

These classes are scheduled years in advance, Oxendine said, and if we cancel them, then that opportunity for that soldier is gone.

Greg Gebhardt, a Duke Energy strategic account manager, stressed that interest in renewables is not limited to the military. Gebhardt, a u.S. Army veteran who served on Fort Bragg, is a former Republican candidate for lieutenant governor.

In his role at Duke, Gebhardt works with Fortune 50 companies, many of whom, he said, have a growing interest in renewable energy. Recently, he added, a company approached him to ask about a microgrid that could provide power in the event of an outage.

Down time is lost money, Gebhardt said, and in todays day and age where everyones looking to cut costs to save money, its very important to them.

This story was produced with financial support from 1Earth Fund, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work.

2022 The Charlotte Observer.

Visit charlotteobserver.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
SAN DIEGO (Tribune News Service)  One Navy sailor was killed and four others were injured when their van crashed Friday morning off Interstate 8 near Jacumba Hot Springs, authorities said.

All five sailors  a woman and four men  were assigned to West Coast-based Naval Special Warfare units, the Navy said in a statement. The crash occurred as they were returning to San Diego from training at Camp Billy Machen, a desert training facility operated by Naval Special Warfare near Niland, southeast of the Salton Sea in Imperial County.

Though it was not immediately clear if those involved were SEALs, the Navy describes SEAL teams as "the heart of the NSW force."

The crash happened shortly before 10 a.m. as their Chevrolet Express van was headed west toward San Diego when it veered north off the freeway near Carrizo Gorge Road, California Highway Patrol spokesperson Officer Travis Garrow said.

The van went down a dirt embankment and slammed into a large boulder, Garrow said. A man seated in the middle rear of the van died at the scene.

Navy officials said in a statement that the sailor's name would be released 24 hours after his family was notified.

Three of the van's occupants sustained critical injuries. They were taken to a nearby U.S. Border Patrol helipad, then flown to hospitals in San Diego, Cal Fire San Diego Capt. Neil Czapinski said. A fourth patient sustained moderate injuries and was driven by ambulance to a hospital.

Two of the sailors remained in critical condition and two were in stable condition Friday night, according to the Navy.

Garrow said he did not know the names, ages nor cities of residence of the victims. The CHP often provides ages and residence information in similar situations.

He said CHP investigators are trying to figure out where people were sitting when the van crashed, and whether they were wearing seat belts. In an email, Garrow wrote that "at this point in the investigation alcohol (and/or) drugs are not suspected to be a factor."



2022 The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Visit sandiegouniontribune.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(Tribune News Service)  An animal-welfare organization in Hawaii reportedly worries troops stationed at the Schofield Army Barracks in Hawaii could be linked to cats who have been found shot with blow darts, and in a couple of cases, mutilated.

It is our understanding that a group of soldiers from the 1st battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, purchased blow dart guns while on a recent training mission to Indonesia and brought them home to Hawaii, KAT Charities founder Dr. Karen Tyson told Honolulu station KHON.

Aloha Affordable Veterinary Services confirmed to KHON they had recently treated a cat named Katness for a dart wound to her neck. Tyson said shes seen other felines with similar wounds and claimed a pair of cats were found disemboweled near a fast-food restaurant near the Army base. She said it was apparent those animals had been purposefully mutilated and not injured in an accident.

A garrison spokesperson told The New York Daily News the Army had heard of cats being abused Thursday and that an investigation was underway.

"This type of behavior is not tolerated on the installation and is not in keeping with our Army values, that statement said.

According to Tyson, who worries the torturing of cats will continue, military police had been made aware of the issue.

Soldiers convicted of animal cruelty can be dishonorably discharged as well as facing fines and incarceration. The Wahiawa, Hawaii-based unit at the center of the controversy calls itself The Wolfhounds.

The Korea Harold reported in late May that at least 10 feral cats had been killed near the Osan Air Base in South Korea by U.S. service members. A TV station there reportedly broadcast what appears to be military personnel firing an air gun at a caged cat in the Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.

Air Force personnel reportedly said animals that were roaming onto the base, which includes aerial runways, are handled according to the rules.

2022 New York Daily News. Visit at nydailynews.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
TOKYO - The government has proposed drastic improvements to the nations defense capabilities within five years in the latest draft of its Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform.

The Cabinet is expected to authorize the proposal on Tuesday after securing approval from the ruling parties.

How drastic the improvements will be and the range of increase in defense spending were not specified in the draft, which was presented at the respective policy research council plenary sessions of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito on Friday.

An initial draft stated that defense capabilities would be drastically strengthened due to the increasingly severe security environment amid Russias invasion of Ukraine and unilateral changes to the status quo by force in the Indo-Pacific region. The latest draft states that defense capabilities would be drastically strengthened within five years.

The initial draft also included a footnote stating that NATO members are aiming for defense spending of 2% or more of GDP. That information is included in the body of the text in the latest draft.

In April, the LDP called for a drastic strengthening of defense capabilities within five years, in light of the defense spending targets of NATO member countries.

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the basic policy should reflect the LDP proposal at a meeting of his faction on Thursday.

At a plenary meeting of the LDPs Policy Research Council on the same day, the policy draft was not signed off on, with some members suggesting that the scope of the increase in defense spending should also be clearly stated.

Meanwhile, Komeito has left the matter in the hands of its policy chief Yuzuru Takeuchi.
TAIWAN 1245 words  1 photo Tiananmen vigils gain prominence in Taiwan as Chinese threat looms Special To The Washington Post  Vic Chiang  WORLD, ASIA-PACIFIC  Jun 04, 2022 - 10:09 AM TAIPEI, Taiwan - At an exhibit hall in central Taipei, artists set up sculptures, churches held live-streamed prayer sessions, and activists read poems at a vigil near the presidents office, while participants dressed in black held small electric candles and observed 64 seconds of silence.

On the 33rd anniversary of the crushing of pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijings Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, Taiwan has emerged as one of the last places in the Chinese-speaking world remembering the deaths of thousands at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party, after authorities banned such demonstrations in Hong Kong.

Taiwan has become very important. It has become the only place in the Chinese-speaking world where June 4th can be openly remembered, said Wu Renhua, a former protester in Tiananmen, speaking from a stage in Taipeis Liberty Square. Preserving history is also a form of resistance, he said.

For more than three decades, activists held an annual candlelight vigil in Hong Kongs Victoria Park to remember the incident also known simply as June 4th. Under a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing, the vigil - now a broader symbol of political expression in the city - has been banned. Hong Kong authorities, barring any assembly to express certain views in or near the park, warned citizens last week not to test the boundaries.

In Taipei, this years events are centered on Hong Kong, which has become a cautionary tale for Taiwan as Beijing ramps up threats to take over the self-governed democratic island it claims as its own.

The exhibit, titled Rather than die in silence, live in resistance, includes art inspired by objects from the Hong Kong protests, such as molotov cocktails and gas masks, photos of street protests in 2019 and films about the movement. The exhibit includes a restored version of the Pillar of Shame, a 26-foot sculpture depicting victims of the massacre. It was removed by Hong Kong authorities in December after being displayed at Hong Kong University for almost 25 years.

In Taipei and Tainan in the south of Taiwan, groups are hosting screenings of a play about an elderly couple in Beijing whose son was killed in the protests. The play ends with a rendition of the protest song, Glory to Hong Kong. A church in Tamsui, north of Taipei, whose congregants are mostly from Hong Kong live-streamed a prayer session in commemoration of those who died.

Its a responsibility we cannot relinquish, said Tseng Chien-yuan, president of New School for Democracy, which organized this years vigil in Taipei. This is a war on memory. Our duty is to make people remember this incident.

For Tseng, it is important that Taiwan picks up the baton to commemorate June 4, because remembering Tiananmen is a way to support democracy and protect human rights in the region. The art exhibit includes references to Taiwans authoritarian past during martial law and Myanmars military takeover.

Over the past 33 years, the meaning of June 4 is expanding, he said. This means the regime that cracked down on its people is getting stronger, and we face more difficulties defending democracy.

In Taiwan - where student protests broke out a year after the Tiananmen crackdown and marked a key turning point in Taiwans democratization - June 4 has traditionally not aroused as much public sympathy as in Hong Kong. Small-scale events have been held for years, garnering little attention compared to the vigil in Hong Kong.

But as more Hong Kong activists and dissidents retreat to Taiwan amid arrests and expanding repression in the city, the anniversary has taken on new significance.

Taiwan and Hong Kong share a similar fate that connects us because were facing the same enemy, said Kacey Wong, a dissident artist from Hong Kong who is participating in the June 4 art exhibit in Taipei. Its like a reserve base.

Wong created a cardboard sculpture based on a Japanese manga series about monster-like giants who feed on humans. Im using it as a metaphor that mainland China is coming into Hong Kong and eating people. Of course, now its coming for Taiwan after it ate up Hong Kong, said Wong, who moved to Taiwan in July 2021.

Former student protesters say that whether Taiwan truly takes up the mantle for remembering Tiananmen depends on Taiwanese residents, many of whom see themselves as disconnected from China or Hong Kong and their struggles for democracy.

In March, when Tsengs organization launched a fundraising campaign to restore the Pillar of Shame and display it permanently in Taipei, online backlash was swift. Critics said the events of Tiananmen have nothing to do with Taiwan, emphasizing that Taiwan is not part of China despite Beijings repeated claims.

Some people say that Chinese matters have nothing to do with the Taiwanese, Tseng said.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said in a statement Saturday on Facebook: We believe such brute force cannot erase peoples memories. When democracy is under threat . . . it is more necessary to uphold democratic values.

In Hong Kong, police patrolled Victoria Park, where the annual vigil was held, having blocked off parts of it since late Friday. Still residents found ways to remember, by walking past the park in black T-shirts or displaying a picture of a candle on their phones.

Some students appeared to have gathered 3D-printed miniature figurines of the Goddess of Democracy - a symbol of the 1989 Beijing protests that was removed in December - and planted them around the Chinese University of Hong Kongs campus.

On Saturday evening, a man dressed in black sat on a bench alone outside the park. Disclosing only his surname out of security concerns, Tseng said he has joined the June 4 vigil since 1989.

I cannot forget, he said. I am just sitting on a bench with nothing in my hands. If Hong Kong doesnt have freedom like this, there will be nothing left.

Chiu Yan-loy, a former member of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance, which once organized the June 4 vigil, said the key is to continue to remember it in different ways. Although we cannot remember publicly, no one can stop us from privately remembering victims who sacrificed for democracy, he said.

On Saturday, about 2,000 demonstrators gathered in the heat of an early summer evening in Taipeis Liberty Square. Activists, dressed in black and wearing gas masks and hard hats - the unofficial uniform of the Hong Kong protests - erected a miniature version of the Pillar of Shame sculpture. From the crowd, participants yelled, Glory to Hong Kong.

Liao Yiwu - a prominent Chinese dissident writer who was jailed for four years after publishing his poem Massacre in 1990 - attended the vigil. What happened in Hong Kong was miserable, said Liao, who was in Taiwan for a writing project. At the vigil in Taipei, he recited a new poem, The Second Massacre, dedicated to the Hong Kong protesters.

Jonni, 19, a Hong Konger who moved to Taiwan last year and who gave only his first name out of security concerns, said he hoped Taiwan would pay more attention to Chinas threat to its democracy.

June 4th is a warning, he said, watching the events from the back of the crowd. Do not be too complacent. The threat Taiwan faces is even bigger.

- - -

The Washington Posts Lily Kuo in Taipei and Theodora Yu in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
TOKYO - Many of the Ukrainians who fled to Japan following Russias invasion of their country are voicing concern about their long-term prospects here.

Thursday marked three months since the government started accepting Ukrainian refugees, and more than 1,000 such individuals have embarked upon a new life in Japan with support from the private sector.

Olena Patrikei, who lived in Kyiv, started work Wednesday at welfare company Anispi Holdings Inc. in Tokyo. Id like to make character goods to promote the company, she said with a smile. Patrikei had worked as a designer in her home country.

In March, Anispi announced on its website that it would provide housing and job assistance to displaced Ukrainians. Patrikei, 29, learned of the offer from an acquaintance and arrived in Japan on May 6. She now lives and works at the companys facility in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture.

Kyiv was exposed to heavy bombing and Patrikei could only evacuate with a single small backpack. The 100,000 yen she received from the Funabashi municipal government for clothing and daily necessities did not last long.

Though she has managed to secure a job, Patrikei still worries about her husband and parents who remain in Kyiv. When asked to move out of her apartment in the capital, she donated all her household goods to local residents who had lost their homes.

But Patrikei is worried about how long her present lifestyle will continue.

According to the Immigration Service Agency of Japan, as of May 31, 1,154 displaced Ukrainians had entered Japan. About 70, who have no relatives here, live in temporary accommodation provided by the government and receive a maximum of 1,000 yen per person per day.

The agency has been interviewing the refugees to help with housing, employment, schools, and introductions to local governments that have offered support. So far 20 people from 10 families have been accepted by local governments. After they move into permanent accommodations in places such as Tokyo, Kanagawa, Aichi, Osaka and other prefectures, their daily cash handout will increase to 2,400 yen.

The government does not dispense living expenses if a displaced person has relatives or acquaintances in Japan who can act as guarantors, on the grounds that a certain level of support is already available.

However, there have been cases in which refugees with relatives in Japan have been unable to find jobs and have subsequently fallen into poverty.

A 44-year-old Ukrainian woman who came to Japan in March with her three children had an acquaintance here who acted as her guarantor, but the person could not be relied upon financially. The womans savings quickly ran out due to travel and food expenses. The woman, who speaks no Japanese, began working part-time in April at a transportation company, where she receives a modest income by putting flyers into envelopes. In Ukraine, she had worked as a psychotherapist.

I smile in front of my children, but sometimes when Im alone, I cant hold back my tears, she said.

The Tokyo Labor Bureau reports that Hello Work job placement offices in Tokyo had received about 10 inquiries for employment from displaced Ukrainians as of the end of May. However, none secured a job, as they spoke no Japanese.

Some refugees have started attending Japanese language classes, but classes are often held during the day on weekdays, making it difficult to balance work and lessons.

Some guarantors cant financially support people in their homes, said Yuria Yokoyama of the Japan YMCA, a group supporting Ukrainians in Japan who fled their country. We have to think about long-lasting support for each individual, with cooperation from the public and private sectors.
In a litany of woes Bank of Italy Governor Ignazio Visco listed this week, the sheer number of his fellow citizens who dont bother seeking work was especially bleak.

The proportion of people active in the labor market is among the lowest in Europe, he complained to the countrys economic elite gathered in the gold-painted Shareholders Hall of Palazzo Koch, his institutions home in Rome. Worst affected is the poorer south of Italy, where the governor hails from.

The labor market was only one of many weaknesses Visco highlighted in his annual speech on Tuesday. It may prove among the trickiest for the European Union to fix as it deploys skills-focused programs in its bid to reinvigorate Italy with 200 billion euros ($214 billion) of Recovery Fund cash.

Unlocking the jobs potential trapped in the inertia of the euro zones third-biggest economy is one of the few options available to fight the consequences of a demographic decline so stark that the worlds richest man, Elon Musk, has warned the country risks having no people left.

Overcoming the factors that hinder productivity growth has become even more necessary given the population outlook, Visco said. It can only partly be countered by an improvement in the migration balance and by an increase in the labor-market participation.

The numbers are stark: 2.62 million people are available for employment but not seeking it, more than the actual tally of jobseekers. On top of that are 872,000 part-time workers who would like more hours, and 90,000 people who want a job but arent immediately available, according to Bloomberg calculations based on Eurostat data.

It makes me really sad to see these numbers, said Andrea Prencipe, professor of innovation management and rector of Luiss University in Rome. This points to a problem that goes beyond the usual issues of matching supply and demand, and skills. Its a problem of mindset.

As with many of Italys economic problems, the south suffers the most. Last year, when a measure of national unemployment averaged 9.5%, it was almost 24% in the area of Naples, where the 72-year-old Visco was born. The countrys third-biggest city, it is often seen as a proxy for the malaise and organized crime associated with that half of the peninsula.

Further east in Isernia, a landlocked province where the governors family comes from in the mountainous region of Molise, joblessness exceeded 12%.

Visco also highlighted how the country stands out for the low proportion of women in the workforce, exacerbated by the difficulty of regaining employment after having children.

But at the root of the problem is schooling. Low labor participation is closely connected with educational attainment, the governor said. Its a commonly shared view.

We have a low-skilled labor force, Italy Finance Ministry Deputy Secretary Maria Cecilia Guerra lamented on Rainews24 on Wednesday. This has a big impact on our growth prospects.

That isnt easy to fix. Prencipe, the Luiss professor, says that simply throwing money at the problem wont address it, even though the EU Recovery Fund does have initiatives devoted to skills and education.

He says young people find it hard to enter the workforce after studying in Italy and need better-honed training that makes them nimbler at a time of faster-evolving employment requirements and lengthening lifespans.

Adapting to the shifting labor market is a challenge for Beatrice Tarantino. She has struggled to find a job since losing hers at an insurance company in Rome during redundancies in 2018. Currently helping a friend with childcare, she plans to return to the fray of seeking work later this year.

After the pandemic struck, it got harder to look for a job, the 49-year-old said. Now Im starting to feel too old to find one.

Encouraging people to enter or return to the labor market is fundamental. The alternative, as Visco suggested, is that the countrys best and brightest emigrate, as almost 1 million already have done, while others do nothing. Such a challenge puts the onus on Italy to ensure that its vast injection of EU money isnt only spent, but spent well.

Its not a matter of how much funding -- which is considerable overall -- but of how were going to use it, said Prencipe. We need it to really tackle the problems related to labor and to learning.
BRUSSELS  NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has met with Finland's prime minister and spoken to Turkey's president as he seeks to overcome Turkish resistance to Finland and Sweden joining the alliance.

Stoltenberg, who visited Washington this week, tweeted late Friday that he met with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin while there and discussed "the need to address Turkey's concerns and move forward" with the Finnish and Swedish membership applications.

Russia's war in Ukraine pushed the Nordic countries to apply to join NATO, but Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses Sweden and Finland of supporting Kurdish militants deemed by Turkey to be terrorists.

Stoltenberg said he had a "constructive phone call" with Erdogan, calling Turkey a "valued ally" and praising Turkish efforts to broker a deal to ensure the safe transportation of grain supplies from Ukraine amid global food shortages caused by Russia's invasion. Stoltenberg tweeted that he and Erdogan would continue their dialogue, without elaborating.

Erdogan's office released a statement in which it said the president had emphasized that Sweden and Finland should "make it clear that they have stopped supporting terrorism," have lifted defense export restrictions on Turkey and are "ready to show alliance solidarity."

The Nordic states, among other countries, imposed limitations on arms sales in the wake of Turkey's 2019 military incursion into northern Syria.

The NATO chief's diplomatic efforts came before a gathering of senior officials from Sweden, Finland and Turkey next week in Brussels, where NATO is based, to discuss Turkey's opposition to the applications.
WASHINGTON  As global attention focused on Russia's invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, the Saudi-led coalition carried out more than 150 airstrikes on civilian targets in Yemen, including homes, hospitals and communication towers, according to the Yemen Data Project. It was the latest uptick in bombing during a grinding, and often overlooked, civil war that has upended the lives of Yemeni civilians for the better part of a decade and spawned one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises.

Hundreds of thousands have died from the fighting or its indirect consequences, such as hunger, the United Nations says. The devastating air campaign alone  carried out by a Saudi-led coalition  has killed nearly 15,000 people, according to conservative estimates by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), which monitors war zones around the world.

While Russia's bombings of a maternity hospital and other civilian targets in Ukraine have drawn widespread public indignation as war crimes, thousands of similar strikes have taken place against Yemeni civilians. The indiscriminate bombings have become a hallmark of the Yemen war, drawing international scrutiny of the countries participating in the air campaign, and those arming them, including the United States. U.S. support for the Saudi war effort, which has been criticized by human rights groups and some in Congress, began during the Obama administration and has continued in fits and starts for seven years.

New analysis by The Washington Post and Security Force Monitor at Columbia Law School's Human Rights Institute (SFM) provides the most complete picture yet of the depth and breadth of U.S. support for the Saudi-led air campaign, revealing that a substantial portion of the air raids were carried out by jets developed, maintained and sold by U.S. companies, and by pilots who were trained by the U.S. military.

The Biden administration in 2021 announced an end to U.S. military support for "offensive operations" carried out by the Saudi-led coalition against Yemen's Houthi rebels and suspended some munition sales. But maintenance contracts fulfilled by both the U.S. military and U.S. companies to coalition squadrons carrying out offensive missions have continued, The Post's analysis shows.

The Post and SFM reviewed more than 3,000 publicly available images, news releases, media reports and videos identifying for the first time 19 fighter jet squadrons that took part in the Saudi-led air campaign in Yemen. More than half of the squadrons that participated in the air war came from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates  the two countries that carried out the majority of the air raids and receive substantial U.S. assistance.

An analysis of public contract announcements shows that the United States provided arms, training or maintenance support to the majority of the fighter jet squadrons in the campaign. The Post found that as many as 94 U.S. contracts were awarded to individual Saudi and UAE squadrons since the war began.

Despite Pentagon statements that it is difficult to pinpoint which units in foreign militaries receive U.S. assistance, The Post-SFM analysis identified specific airstrike squadrons that received U.S. support, proving the universe of squadrons carrying out airstrikes is a narrow and knowable one.

"For most coalition countries, there is no way for [America] to support their planes without supporting squadrons that may be linked to airstrikes that human rights groups say are apparent war crimes," said Tony Wilson, the director of Security Force Monitor.

The analysis revealed that 39 squadrons from Saudi-led coalition member states flew aircraft with airstrike capabilities. The majority of these units flew fighter jets that were developed and sold by American companies.

The Post and the Security Force Monitor used visual evidence from state media, news reports and government releases to identify 19 fighter squadrons that definitely took part in the air campaign in Yemen since 2015.

A review of more than 900 publicly available sales announcements revealed that the four squadrons from Saudi Arabia that fly F-15S/SA planes benefited  and the remaining 15 squadrons probably benefited  from U.S. weapons and equipment contracts signed after the start of the war.

At least one squadron each from Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE benefited from U.S. contracts because of support going to a type of plane, but lack of specificity in information published by the Department of Defense makes it impossible to know the exact squadron.

The Post additionally reviewed more than 1,500 videos, photos and public statements by the Department of Defense and coalition members since the war began and found the United States participated in joint exercises with at least 80 percent of squadrons that flew airstrike missions in Yemen. At least four times, these exercises took place on U.S. soil.

In some instances, The Post and SFM could only determine that certain squadrons were likely to have benefited from U.S. contracts. Sales announcements never name specific squadrons that will benefit, only a type of plane or piece of equipment being sold. Thus for certain squadrons, The Post and SFM could only determine probability because every coalition country has at least two airstrike squadrons flying the same type of plane.

The Saudi-led coalition and every member state except Qatar did not respond to The Post's request for comment on the report's findings. A Qatar official familiar with the country's role in Yemen told The Post that Qatar left the coalition in June 2017, but they did not answer questions about the country's involvement in the air raids over Yemen.

When presented with the findings, the Defense and State departments pointed to the steps the Biden administration had taken to end the war in Yemen, the U.S. decision to end aerial refueling for coalition aircrafts in 2018 and the ongoing trainings to reduce civilian casualties.

"America's alliances and partnerships are our greatest asset, and so we are committed to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our key partners in the Middle East," said Army Maj. Rob Lodewick, a Pentagon spokesman. But, he acknowledged that "considerable work remains to be done" with the Royal Saudi Armed Forces's targeting procedures and investigative capacity.

"Both [Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates] face significant threat to their territories," State Department spokesman Ned Price told The Post, noting that the Houthis had launched hundreds of cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia in just the last year. "We are committed to continuing to strengthen those countries' defenses," Price said.

The contracts reviewed for the analysis are only a small fraction of total U.S. arms sales to coalition countries. The specifics of certain sales are never released to the public. One such case is a direct commercial sale where American companies sell directly to governments, as opposed to foreign military sales where the U.S. government is the seller. Others  including arms deals that are valued at less than $14 million  do not require congressional review and so are not generally publicly announced.

Evidence of previous human rights violations is rarely enough to halt sales, former State Department officials told The Post, in part because the sheer volume of the contracts overwhelm human rights concerns in the vetting process.

"The staffing constraints meant that, over the course of a year, the State Department was expected to complete an analysis on human rights risks associated with a weapons export license every 5 minutes," House Democrats wrote in an April 27 letter to a House Appropriations subcommittee.

___

Seven years and three American administrations into the war, each of the airstrike-capable squadrons from Saudi Arabia and the UAE received or is likely to have received U.S. weapons and support. U.S. forces conducted joint exercises with almost every squadron from Saudi Arabia and the three F-16E/F squadrons from the United Arab Emirates confirmed to have flown missions in Yemen.

In videos broadcast by the Emirates News Agency, two UAE squadrons  the 1st and 2nd Shaheen  were frequently shown taking off loaded with air-to-surface missiles for airstrike missions against the Houthis in Yemen. The UAE has also taken part in a separate campaign with the United States against al-Qaida in the country. News reports and visual evidence show the same F-16E/F squadrons and an additional F-16E/F squadron  the 3rd Shaheen  participating in joint exercises with U.S. forces at Red Flag exercises hosted at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada in 2016 and 2019 as well as in the UAE as recently as last year. The U.S. Air Force holds these Red Flag exercises with allies simulating aerial combat several times a year.

Broadcasters reporting from Saudi air bases claimed to show the F-15SA, an American fighter jet sold to the Saudis in 2010 as part of a $29 billion deal, taking off to conduct airstrikes in Yemen as early as 2018. The F-15S and F-15SA fighter jets  flown by Saudi's 6th, 29th, 55th and 92nd squadrons  were regularly promoted by Saudi state media as key to the coalition's air campaign.

The last F-15SA was delivered to Saudi Arabia in 2020, and dozens of contracts supporting the new fleet and the upgrade of the other F-15s were awarded after 2015. A review of annual State Department reports by the Security Assistance Monitor show the Defense and State departments planned sales of approximately $2 million in F-15 trainings for Saudi aviators, including fighter jet trainings, through foreign military sales between fiscal years 2015 to 2020. The reports do not include any trainings that may have been purchased through direct commercial sales.

An analysis of news releases, videos and photos reveals for the first time at least three of these four Saudi squadrons not only received new equipment but participated in at least 13 trainings and joint exercises  including at least one on U.S. soil. A new training unit of F-15 SA fighter jets participated in a Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in Nebraska with U.S. pilots as recently as March 2022.

Since 2015, human rights groups investigating the airstrikes have identified more than 300 that violated or appeared to violate international law, according to The Post and SFM's survey of publicly available reports and documents. Although individual squadrons have never publicly been implicated in specific airstrikes, which are always described as being carried out by the coalition, the then-head of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Joseph Votel, confirmed in 2019 testimony that the United States had access to a detailed database of the coalition's airstrikes in Yemen.

"We do have a database that does have that information and we have the ability to see that," he said in response to a question from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., asking if U.S. military personnel based at the Saudi-coalition headquarters readily had access to "a database that detailed every airstrike: warplane, target, munitions used and a brief description of the attack."

The database's existence suggests some American officials had more knowledge of which weapons were used and which squadrons participated in airstrikes leading to civilian harm than the public and members of Congress had been told they had. The U.S. Air Force declined a Freedom of Information Act request by The Post to access the database, claiming it did not have the records.

The United States is prohibited from providing security assistance to units of foreign security forces credibly implicated in the commission of a gross violation of human rights, according to two statutes known as "Leahy Laws" after their main sponsor, Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt. However, since the Clinton era, subsequent administrations have interpreted that the vetting of units under these laws only occurs when the security assistance  be it training, equipment or other assistance  is financed by the State Department or Defense Department, said Sarah Harrison, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group and former associate general counsel at the Defense Department.

Wealthy countries, like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are not subject to such vetting because they typically pay for all assistance through foreign military sales or direct commercial sales. Leahy "has long insisted that as a matter of policy, it makes no sense to have one such standard for weapons that we given to a foreign security force, and another for weapons that we sell to that same security force," said Tim Rieser, the senior foreign policy aid to the senator.

The Defense Department did not respond to requests from The Post to clarify if and how these units might have been vetted or if Leahy's provisions did not apply ahead of joint exercises or additional weapons deliveries.

___

As early as March 2015, U.S. officials worried that coalition airstrikes may have violated the rules of war. Internal State Department documents, written between mid-May 2015 and February 2016 and released as part of a Freedom of Information Act request by Reuters, revealed concern at the State Department about the Saudi-led coalition's airstrikes and the legal implications for U.S. officials.

Aiding and abetting war crimes under international law has been applied differently in courts, including domestic ones. Under one standard, individuals or a state may be found guilty of aiding and abetting if they continued to provide assistance to a problematic actor with knowledge that their support would contribute to future crimes and despite assurances.

"As long as the international humanitarian law violations by the Saudis and U.S. sales to support those operations are both ongoing, there are serious concerns about U.S. complicity in the Saudi war crimes that result," said Oona Hathaway, a professor of law and political science at Yale Law School.

The United States implemented multiple measures aimed at curbing civilian harm beginning in 2016, including sending advisers, adding "civilian casualty avoidance, the law of armed conflict, human rights command and control" training for the Royal Saudi Air Force and by 2019, four years into the war, adopting a policy requiring that precision-guided missiles be sold with appropriate targeting infrastructure.

Human rights observers in Yemen said they did not see any meaningful change in the air campaign as a result of these measures. Airstrikes are still responsible for the vast majority of civilian deaths.

A 2020 review of an emergency transfer of arms to the Saudi-led coalition by the Office of Inspector General at the State Department found in the case of that specific transfer of precision-guided munitions "that the Department did not fully assess risks and implement mitigation measures to reduce civilian casualties and legal concerns."

"The U.S. defense [against aiding and abetting] may be that they are trying to mitigate by working with the most problematic actors," said Hathaway. "But if they attempt mitigation and violations continue, and they still continue support, then that undermines the defense [against liability]."

___

Since taking office, the Biden administration has repeatedly made clear ending the war in Yemen is a priority and banned "offensive support" for the coalition. But it has approved sales of "defensive weapons," including a $650 million sale of air-to-air missiles to Saudi Arabia and a $65 million sale to bolster the UAE's missile defense system.

The ongoing maintenance contracts have not been impacted by Biden's policy shift and have drawn sharp criticism from some members of Congress. House Democrats introduced legislation in February to ban U.S. maintenance of planes carrying out airstrikes in Yemen. On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of representatives proposed a war powers resolution to further curtail American involvement in the war.

"If we don't sell the particular ammunition, they can still fly," Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., who served as assistant secretary of state for human rights during the Obama administration, told The Post. "They have got a lot of munitions stockpiled. They might be able to find replacements today, but there's no replacement for the maintenance contract and no ability to fly without it."

Yemen is in its longest period of no airstrikes under a cease-fire that began during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and was renewed Thursday. Biden welcomed the continued truce, noting the United States will remain engaged with the diplomatic process over the coming weeks and months.

The months preceding the truce saw the longest sustained period of airstrikes since 2018, according to Iona Craig, the director of the Yemen Data Project, a nonprofit organization that tracks air raids. Strike data showed the escalation began in October 2021, the same month that the United Nations Human Rights Council voted to end its independent investigatory group on Yemen.

Transparency into the world of arms sales  particularly as it pertains to U.S. allies in the Saudi-led coalition  has long been muddied by complex laws, an alphabet soup of government agencies and deep U.S. interests abroad.

Still, "to have the U.S., over successive administrations, sell billions of dollars worth of weapons to governments that have carried out, over years, airstrikes on hospitals, markets, food production facilities and prisons: [Those] attacks have killed thousands of civilians," said Priyanka Motaparthy, director of the Counterterrorism, Armed Conflict and Human Rights Project at Columbia University Law School's Human Rights Institute. "It does not serve them well in the court of public opinion, or in the annals of history."

___

The Washington Post's Missy Ryan, Kareem Fahim and Alex Horton contributed to this report.

Database of squadrons compiled by Security Force Monitor at Columbia University. Database of U.S. assistance contracts and joint training exercises compiled and analyzed by The Washington Post and the Security Force Monitor.

Airstrike counts and fatality totals reported by ACLED and Yemen Data Project.

Database of Foreign Military Training and Defense Department training compiled by Security Assistance Monitor.

Discovery and analysis of information in Arabic on the coalition air campaign by Security Force Monitor, Mwatana for Human Rights and The Washington Post.

Data on squadron and plane tail numbers provided by Scramble.
BRUNSWICK, Ga.  A man from Canada and a man from the United Kingdom have been indicted in Georgia on charges that they sent fentanyl to two U.S. Navy petty officers who died from overdoses in October 2017.

Thomas Michael Federuik, 59, of Vancouver, British Columbia, and Paul Anthony Nicholls, 44, of Surrey, England, are charged with conspiracy to import and distribute drugs and money laundering conspiracy.

Because prosecutors allege deaths resulted from the charges, the men could face a minimum of 20 years in prison if convicted of the drug charges. They could also face fines up to $10 million.

Federuik and Nichols were indicted under seal in 2019. The case became public last week.

"The prevalence of this drug is, in large part, fueled by an illicit pipeline of illegally imported drugs," David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, said in a statement. "This investigation sought to trace that pipeline to its source to cut off its flow to our country in an effort to protect our citizens from harm."

The two overdose victims lived in Kingsland, near Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in the far southeast corner of Georgia.

Officials say Federuik and Nichols sold drugs using a website designed to be hidden from the public on the "dark web," sometimes accepting cryptocurrency in payment. The drugs would arrive from Canada in packages labeled "East Van Eco Tours." Canadian investigators, including those in Calgary, targeted a vendor dubbed Canada1, who prosecutors say is Federuik.

The indictment alleges Federuik and Nicholls acquired the drugs from places including China and Hungary. The two men are in custody and and are awaiting extradition proceedings to bring them to Georgia. No attorneys for the men are listed in American court records.
TRONA, Calif.  A Navy fighter jet crashed Friday in the Southern California desert, killing the pilot, authorities said.

An F/A-18E Super Hornet based at Naval Air Station Lemoore went down at about 2:30 p.m. in the area of Trona, an unincorporated Mojave Desert community in San Bernardino County, the Navy announced in a statement.

Nobody on the ground was hurt.

The identity of the pilot and details of the crash weren't immediately released.

Trona is about 236 miles southeast of the air station, which is in the Central Valley.

Lemoore is home to Commander Strike Fighter Wing Pacific and Commander Joint Strike Fighter Wing and hosts 16 operational Strike Fighter squadrons, according to its website.

In 2019, a Navy Super Hornet crashed in Death Valley National Park during a routine training mission, killing the pilot and slightly injuring seven park visitors who were struck by debris. They had gathered at a scenic overlook where aviation enthusiasts watch military pilots speeding low through a chasm dubbed Star Wars Canyon, officials said.

Last October, a Navy Super Hornet from Naval Air Station China Lake also crashed, and in 2020 another from Lemoore went down, both during training missions. The pilots safely ejected, one in a remote southern area of Death Valley National Park near the Nevada border and the other in the Mojave Desert.
(Tribune News Service) A retired NYPD officer was arrested Friday at the U.S. Capitol with a fake badge, a BB gun, body armor, high capacity magazines and other ammunition, authorities said.

The early morning arrest happened after a U.S. Capitol Police officer started talking to a man who had parked his 2017 Dodge Charger near Peace Circle, on the West side of the Capitol, officials said.

Jerome Felipe, who retired from the NYPD in 2018, flashed a fake badge that said Department of the INTERPOL and made a false statement that he was a criminal investigator with the agency, according to the Capitol Police.

Authorities said Felipe, 53, now lives in Flint, Michigan.

Felipe gave officers permission to search his vehicle. The officers discovered a BB gun, two ballistic vests, several high-capacity magazines, and other ammunition in the car. No real guns were found, officials said.

Investigators are still working to determine the reason Felipe was parked near the U.S. Capitol.

He is facing charges of unlawful possession of high-capacity magazines and unregistered ammunition.

We are fully cooperating with the U.S. Capitol Police investigation, the spokesman said.

According to department records, Felipe was a member of the departments housing unit and had one civilian complaint against him, which was determined to be unfounded.



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WASHINGTON  The question was posed in a private briefing to U.S. intelligence officials weeks before Russia launched its invasion in late February: Was Ukraine's leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, made in the mold of Britain's Winston Churchill or Afghanistan's Ashraf Ghani?

In other words, would Zelenskyy lead a historic resistance or flee while his government collapsed?

Ultimately, U.S. intelligence agencies underestimated Zelenskyy and Ukraine while overestimating Russia and its president, even as they accurately predicted Vladimir Putin would order an invasion.

But Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, did not fall in a few days, as the the United States had expected. And while American spy agencies have been credited with supporting Ukraine's resistance, they now face bipartisan pressure to review what they got wrong beforehand  especially after their mistakes in judging Afghanistan last year.

Intelligence officials have begun a review of how their agencies judge the will and ability of foreign governments to fight. The review is taking place while U.S. intelligence continues to have a critical role in Ukraine and as the White House ramps up weapons deliveries and support to Ukraine, trying to predict what Putin might see as escalatory and seeking to avoid a direct war with Russia.

President Joe Biden's administration announced it would give Ukraine a small number of high-tech, medium-range rocket systems, a weapon that Ukraine has long wanted. Since the war began on Feb. 24, the White House has approved shipping drones, anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems, and millions of rounds of ammunition. The U.S. has lifted early restrictions on intelligence-sharing to provide information that Ukraine has used to strike critical targets, including the flagship of the Russian navy.

Lawmakers from both parties question whether the U.S. could have done more before Putin invaded and whether the White House held back some support due to pessimistic assessments of Ukraine. Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, told officials at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last month that "had we had a better handle on the prediction, we could have done more to assist the Ukrainians earlier."

Ohio Rep. Mike Turner, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said in an interview that he thought the White House and top administration officials had projected "their own bias on the situation in a way that lends itself to inaction."

The Senate Intelligence Committee sent a classified letter last month to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence asking about how intelligence agencies assessed both Ukraine and Afghanistan. CNN first reported the letter.

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told lawmakers in May that the National Intelligence Council would review how the agencies assess both "will to fight" and "capacity to fight." Both issues are "quite challenging to provide effective analysis on and we're looking at different methodologies for doing so," Haines said.

While there is no announced timetable on the review, which began before the committee's letter, officials have identified some errors. Several people familiar with prewar assessments spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence.

Despite its vast advantages, Russia failed to establish air superiority over Ukraine and failed at basic tasks such as securing its battlefield communications. It has lost thousands of soldiers and at least eight to 10 generals, according to U.S. estimates. Russian and Ukrainian forces are now fighting in fierce, close quarters combat in eastern Ukraine, far from the swift Russian victory forecast by the U.S. and the West.

While Russia has entered recent proxy wars, it had not directly fought a major land war since the 1980s. That meant many of Russia's projected and claimed capabilities had not been put to the test, posing a challenge for analysts to assess how Russia it would perform in a major invasion, some of the people said. Russia's active weapons export industry led some people to believe Moscow would have many more missile systems and planes ready to deploy.

Russia has not used chemical or biological weapons, as the U.S. publicly warned it might. One official noted that the U.S. had "very strong concerns" about a chemical attack, but that Russia may have decided that would cause too much global opposition. Fears that Russia would use a wave of cyberattacks against Ukraine and allies have not materialized so far.

Other Russian problems were well-known, including low troop morale, a prevalence of drug and alcohol abuse among troops, and the lack of a noncommissioned officer corps to oversee forces and deliver instructions from commanders.

"We knew all of those things existed," said retired Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, the former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. "But it just became a cascading effect of how overwhelming all of that became when they tried to do even the most simple of operations."

Sue Gordon, the former principal deputy director of national intelligence, said analysts may have relied too much on counting Russia's inventory of military and cyber tools.

"We're going to learn a little bit about how we think about capability and use as not one and the same when you assess outcome," she said at a recent event sponsored by The Cipher Brief, an intelligence publication.

Zelenskyy has received worldwide acclaim for refusing to flee as Russia sent teams to try to capture or kill him. Britain's Churchill, throughout the yearlong blitz of London by German fighter aircraft during World War II, often watched the bombing raids from rooftops and he made special effort to walk the streets in places where thousands were killed.

In contrast, Afghanistan's Ghani slipped out of his country on Sunday last August, lonely and isolated, a few months after America's top diplomat had urged him to forge a united stand as the American military pullout neared. Ghani did not even tell other political leaders who had been negotiating a peaceful transition of power with the Taliban that he was heading for the exit. His sudden and secret departure left Kabul, the capital, rudderless as U.S. and NATO forces were in the final stages of their chaotic withdrawal from the country after 20 years.

For Zelenskyy, before the war there were tensions, too, with Washington about the likelihood of a Russian invasion and whether Ukraine was prepared. One flashpoint, according to people familiar with the dispute, was that the U.S. wanted Ukraine to move forces from its west to bolster defenses around Kyiv.

Until shortly before the war, Zelenskyy and top Ukrainian officials discounted warnings of an invasion, in part to tamp down public panic and protect the economy. One U.S. official said there was a belief that Zelenskyy had never been tested in a crisis of the level his country was facing.

Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, the current director of the DIA, testified in March that "my view was that, based on a variety of factors, that the Ukrainians were not as ready as I thought they should be. Therefore, I 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."

In May, Berrier distanced his own view from that of the entire intelligence community, which he said never had an assessment "that said the Ukrainians lacked the will to fight."

There was ample evidence of Ukraine's determination before the war. Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and the eight-year conflict in the Donbas region had hardened public attitudes against Moscow. Ukrainian forces had received years of training and weapons shipments from the U.S. across several administrations along with help bolstering its cyber defenses.

U.S. intelligence had reviewed private polling suggested strong support in Ukraine for any resistance. In Kharkiv, a mostly Russian-speaking city near the border, citizens were learning to fire guns and training for guerrilla warfare.

Rep. Brad Wenstrup, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, saw that determination firsthand during a December trip. Wenstrup, R-Ohio, witnessed a military ceremony where participants would read the names of every Ukrainian soldier who had died the previous day on the front lines in the Donbas, the region in eastern Ukraine where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian government forces since 2014.

"It showed to me that they had a will to fight," he said. "This has been brewing for a long time."

___

Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON - Then-senator Joe Biden's signature crime bill had ground its way through Congress after months of tedious effort. But after an unexpected flare-up over guns raised the threat of a filibuster, the lawmaker from Delaware took the Senate floor for an impassioned plea.

"We can vote to keep these deadly military-style assault weapons on the streets, where we know they have one purpose and one purpose only - killing other human beings," Biden said that evening in November 1993. "Or we can vote to take these deadly military-style assault weapons off our streets. The choice is that simple. The choice is that stark."

Later that night, after a vote showed a majority of senators wanted to add an assault weapons ban to the bill, he looked at his Republican colleagues and offered a modest taunt: "Why not lose gracefully?"

The assault weapons ban eventually passed, ushering in a dramatic change in the nation's firearms laws and punctuating a years-long effort from Biden to enact gun control legislation. It would prove to be a seminal moment in his long legislative career, and would help cement his views of how the halting machinery of Congress can address the toughest problems of American society.

But nearly three decades later, as Biden attempts to resurrect that approach and puts an assault weapon ban at the center of his rallying cry on guns, the landscape is radically different. The ban he helped pass expired after 10 years and has never been renewed. As president, Biden is confronting the realities of a Congress that operates much differently and a political dynamic that makes the goal almost impossible to achieve.

Even Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who with Biden led the effort to include the ban in the sweeping 1994 crime bill, is not focusing on a restoration. Instead, she has advocated for a new bill raising the minimum age for the purchase of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines from 18 to 21.

"You know how I feel about this," Feinstein said after news broke of a shooting in Texas that killed 19 children and two adults. "Every [mass shooting] is sort of like a knife in me because I want people to be safe, and I want people to use these weapons appropriately, and they don't." But as for an assault weapons ban, she added, "Whether we have enough support to do something about it, I don't know."

But Biden, as he has in the past, has quickly embraced the assault weapons ban as a necessary solution. "It makes no sense to be able to purchase something that can fire up to 300 rounds," he said on Monday. "The idea of these high-caliber weapons - there's simply no rational basis for it in terms of self-protection, hunting."

During his prime-time address on mass killings Thursday night, the president mentioned it first in a string of urgent proposals. "Why in God's name should an ordinary citizen be able to purchase an assault weapon that holds 30-round magazines that let mass shooters fire hundreds of bullets in a matter of minutes?" he said.

Biden's focus on the improbable ban is in part a way to rally Democrats on a powerful issue for the upcoming midterms, while depicting Republicans as so unreasonable they refuse to ban killing machines. And in his Thursday speech, he emphasized that if Congress would not ban the weapons altogether, it should at a minimum take more modest steps.

Adam Eisgrau, a former Feinstein aide closely involved in the ban's adoption, said it was "critical and entirely appropriate" for Biden to discuss his legislative aspirations. "It's not puffery, it's not superfluous," he said. "That's what it means to lead. It means to have a vision and to articulate it, even when you don't see a path to achieving it."

But Biden's push for the ban also reflects how he sometimes reaches into the past, to a very time when the parties were far more willing to compromise, as he struggles to confront the crises that rock American during his presidency.

It was back in 1989 that a disturbed drifter wielding an AK-47 variant killed five children and wounded 30 more people outside a Stockton, Calif., elementary school. That prompted two Democratic senators, Dennis DeConcini of Arizona and Howard Metzenbaum of Ohio, to draft the first bills singling out military-style rifles for regulation.

Their bills never passed, but a more opportune moment came four years later, when another horrific shooting handed a platform to a rookie senator. On July 1, 1993, a failed entrepreneur walked into a downtown San Francisco office building armed with a variant of the TEC-9 semiautomatic pistol. He took the elevator and entered the offices of a law firm, where he proceeded to kill eight and wound six more before killing himself.

"This happened in our own front yard," Feinstein told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2003. "It really moved me that we had to do something."

Biden, then chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was helping newly-elected President Bill Clinton push a sweeping crime bill at the time, and Feinstein fought to make an assault weapons ban a part of it. That meant making concessions to skeptics, including an agreement to "sunset" the ban after 10 years so researchers could judge whether it had made a difference.

Debate was heated, but ultimately cordial in a way that reflects how much politics have changed.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who co-wrote the crime bill with Biden, warned that inserting the assault weapons ban could prompt opponents to torpedo the entire bipartisan package. "We could stop, it seems to me, the most important crime bill in history," he said.

Biden, though, called his bluff, predicting Republicans were not "going to bring down a $21 billion bill because the NRA does not like it."

A climatic moment came as Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, one of the Senate's staunchest gun-rights proponents, said Feinstein "needs to become a little more familiar with firearms and their deadly characteristics" as he argued against the ban. Feinstein interjected to remind Craig of the 1978 assassination of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, when Feinstein was the first to find Milk's body and found herself announcing the killings to a horrified public. "I know something about what firearms can do," she said.

Biden turned out to be correct: Republicans chose not to filibuster the sprawling crime bill over the gun ban, and Feinstein's amendment was incorporated into the crime bill on a 56-43 vote.

In the House, Judiciary Chairman Jack Brooks, a Texas Democrat, firmly opposed the ban, but a key House Republican, Rep. Henry Hyde of Illinois, helped push it through. When Clinton signed the crime bill into law on Sept. 13, 1994, Biden was among those standing behind him, and it seemed a triumphant moment.

But two months later, rebellious Republicans led by Rep. Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., seized control of the House for the first time in nearly four decades - in part by mocking the crime bill as too soft - and American politics changed for good.

Today in the Senate, the filibuster is deployed much more routinely, and the freewheeling amendment process that allowed the assault weapons ban to pass is now unheard of. Amendment votes, if they happen at all, are meticulously negotiated between party leaders due to filibuster threats.

"We are not in an age of relationship politics. We are in an age of macro-messaging and polarization politics, and that's a big difference," Eisgrau said.

That shift was evident by the time the ban expired: A 2004 amendment to reauthorize the ban won 52 votes in the Senate, including 10 Republicans, but its adoption prompted the NRA to change its position on underlying bill, causing it to fail on 90-8 vote.

As gun rights increasingly become a cultural touchstone on the right, support for the ban has continued to erode. After a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, a proposed ban garnered just 40 votes in the Senate, with 15 Democrats being among the "no" votes.

Of those 15, five remain in office and eight others have been replaced by Republicans who embrace gun rights. That has kept an assault weapons ban almost completely out of the legislative conversations since last month's mass killing in Uvalde, Texas.

At the same time, advocates and opponents are engaged in a fierce debate about whether an assault weapon ban would accomplish much. The 1994 law banned the sale not only of assault weapons, but also large-capacity magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. Because it had a number of loopholes and was in place for only 10 years, its full impact was initially difficult to measure.

A 2004 study for the Justice Department, for example, found that assault weapons were "rarely used" in gun crimes, but concluded that the law might have had a bigger impact had it remained in place for longer.

Christopher S. Koper, author of that study and an associate professor of criminology at George Mason University, has done research since then suggesting that mass killings increased after the assault weapons ban expired. He wrote in a 2020 study that the restrictions on large-capacity magazines were critical in reducing mass shooting deaths.

The Washington Post Fact Checker, analyzing a Biden comment last year that the assault weapons ban reduced such deaths, found that research increasingly suggests that to be true.

Biden has called the ban on assault weapons ban the toughest deal that has worked on successfully, and as president, he has brought up the notion of reenacting it nearly every month.

"We can ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines in this country once again," he said in March 2021 after a shooting in Boulder, Colo. "I got that done when I was a senator. It passed. It was law for the longest time, and it brought down these mass killings. We should do it again."

He mentioned it again in his first address to Congress. "Talk to most responsible gun owners and hunters," he said. "They'll tell you there's no possible justification for having a hundred rounds in a weapon."

And he has returned to it again following the tragedy in Uvalde. "What in God's name do you need an assault weapon for except to kill someone?" he said after the shooting, turning to a line he's used since the early 1990s: "Deer aren't running through the forest with Kevlar vests on, for God's sake. It's just sick."

Biden's advisers note that the first assault weapons ban came only after years of debate. The president knows it may not be resurrected in the latest round of negotiations, they suggest, but believes that by emphasizing it he can nonetheless help pave the way.

Republicans, meanwhile, show little unease in defending the right of Americans to purchase military-type rifles. Many have seized upon the weaknesses of the 1994 ban, which struggled to precisely define what constituted an assault rifle. Standard hunting rifles, for instance, share the key attributes of assault rifles - semiautomatic fire of rounds from a detachable magazine - leaving lawmakers and regulators to focus on largely cosmetic traits to distinguish between the two.

"These [bans] all sound very good until you actually get into the practical side of it," said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D. "It's not that we are trying to defend individuals that have evil intent. What we're trying to say is there are millions and millions of individuals that purchase these systems without evil intent."

Two Republican aides familiar with the talks underway in the Senate, speaking on the condition of anonymity to frankly describe their parameters, said any discussion of an assault weapons ban would be a nonstarter. More probable are provisions focused on keeping guns away from those who might harm themselves or others, they said.

The lead Democratic negotiator, Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, has acknowledged as much.

"We probably can't get a universal background check bill. We probably can't get the votes for a ban on assault weapons," Murphy said last week on the PBS News Hour. "But maybe we can do some smaller things to at least show parents and kids in this country that we take seriously the fear, the anxiousness that they labor under every single day in their classrooms and at home."

Even some White House officials concede that an assault weapons ban is less likely than other measures such as red flag laws and enhanced background checks. But the issue could prove to be a powerful rallying cry ahead of the midterm elections.

"For a while if they didn't think they had the votes, they wouldn't talk about something, and that didn't really serve them well," said Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster who worked on Biden's 2020 presidential campaign. "They are now visibly showing they want to take action - and who is responsible for not taking action? It's members of Congress, and particularly Republican member of Congress."

In hindsight, Lake and others said, the coalition that Biden helped build in 1994 proved crucial to offsetting the powerful opposition. The assault weapons ban was supported by not just gun control advocates, but also by hunters and sportsmen, as well as police officers who were increasingly concerned about being outgunned in the drug wars.

That alliance is gone, at least for now. "Senator Biden built and maintained a coalition that broke through the usual gun control impasse in '94," said Chris Putala, a longtime Biden staffer who worked on the legislation. "We've now got the public attention and anger. The question is whether you can stitch together the kind of coalition that moves people past the obstinate 'do-nothing' minority."
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden were briefly evacuated from their Delaware beach home after a small private plane entered restricted airspace over the area, according to the U.S. Secret Service.

The plane flew into the airspace by mistake shortly before 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, said Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. The aircraft was "immediately escorted out of restricted airspace," Gugliemi said. There was no threat to the Bidens, who returned to their Rehoboth Beach home shortly after they were removed, White House officials said.

Precautionary measures were taken in response to the airspace breach, Gugliemi said, without specifying what they were. The roar of jet engines could be heard in the area and the main street in Rehoboth Beach was temporarily closed after 1 p.m.

Gugliemi said the pilot was not on the proper radio channel, was not following a Notice to Airmen that had been filed and was not following published flight guidance, citing a preliminary investigation. The Secret Service will be interviewing the pilot, according to Gugliemi.

The president and first lady arrived at the beach on Thursday night ahead of Jill Biden's birthday on Friday and are expected to depart on Sunday.

___

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(Tribune News Service)  A controversial titanium mine planned on the doorstep of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Southeast Georgia was dealt a major blow Friday when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers moved to restore federal oversight of the project.

The move by the Corps, now under President Joe Biden, is a major reversal from policy enacted under former President Donald Trump and reflects a stronger environmental and regulatory posture in Washington.

Assistant Secretary of the Army Michael L. Connor said in a memorandum that the Corps was invalidating a previous ruling issued in October 2020 which had cleared the project from needing federal approval. That 2020 decision was made under the Trump administration, which had lifted federal protections for many wetlands and streams, including some on the proposed mine site.

The 2020 ruling had placed the fate of the mine solely in the hands of Georgias Environmental Protection Division (EPD).

Now, Fridays reversal means the mining company will need to reapply and seek new permits from the Corps, subjecting the project to a comprehensive review that could take years to complete.

In its new determination, the Corps said that the Muscogee Creek Nation had not been properly consulted when the decision to remove federal oversight was made. The Okefenokee Swamp holds great cultural and historical significance to the tribe.

The Corps ruling is an enormous setback for Twin Pines Minerals, LLC, the Alabama-based firm that has been seeking permits from Georgia EPD.

Steve Ingle, president of Twin Pines, said the company will reapply and said it can mine safely and without harming the Okefenokee or cultural resources in any way.

We intend to move forward with our application and fulfill all requirements, he said. Considering the recent news that China controls 90% of the worlds rare earth minerals essential for high technology products and the militarys communications, satellite, weapons and defense systems, it is more important than ever to secure those minerals from domestic sources and our project in Charlton County can do just that.

The company had planned to mine on a 740-acre segment of Trail Ridge, an ancient sand dune complex that runs along the eastern edge of the swamp.

The proposed mining operation in rural Charlton County was pitched by Twin Pines as an economic win for a county with a median income of about $43,000, roughly 30% below the statewide median.

But environmental experts had long warned that mining near the swamp could lower water levels and risk permanent damage to its fragile ecosystem. The refuge is home to thousands of species, including 40 species of mammals, more than 200 species of birds, 50 species of reptiles, and more than 600 plant species, including many that are federally protected, according to the Okefenokee Protection Alliance.

Environmentalists who have fought the mine for years praised the Corps reversal.

Formally rescinding the unlawful decisions made by the prior administration restores protections for wetlands that are vital to the swamps unique ecosystems and makes it possible for the many Georgians, visitors from across the country, and people worldwide who love to visit, paddle, and explore this iconic place to continue to do so, Kelly Moser, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, said in a news release.

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D- Ga., who had pushed the Corps and other federal agencies to review the mines potential impact on the swamp, also cheered Fridays decision.

For the last year Ive fought relentlessly to protect the Okefenokee Swamp from destruction, he said in a separate release. The Okefenokee is a natural wonder and one of Georgias most precious lands. I will continue fighting to protect it for future generations.

___

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Police can now release the name of the woman who died following a single-vehicle crash on State Highway 5, Tapapa on Friday morning.

"She was 30-year-old Shannon Alexandra Rastrick of Tokoroa," Taupo Area Commander Inspector Phil Edwards.

Shannon was a Constable stationed in Tokoroa and had been working in the Taupo area since graduating in 2018.

Police were notified of the crash at about 3.10am on Friday. Shannon died at the scene.

Phil says she was off-duty at the time of the crash.

"She was a loved and valued colleague who will be dearly missed," says Phil.

"We continue to provide support to her family and colleagues."

Her family have requested privacy at this difficult time.

A post to the Richmond Netball Club Taupo Facebook page describes Shannon as " amazing lady, netball player and friend"

"Our dear dear Shannon. We are devastated beyond words and it seems like our grief is overwhelming right now. We love you like one of our children. We will miss the random visits just because you felt like it. Will miss you popping by in time for dinner and/or dessert. You are forever etched in our hearts and will never be forgotten. Sending you all our love," writes one.

An investigation into circumstances of the crash is ongoing.
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President of the United States, Joe Biden, wished Elon Musk and SpaceX "lots of luck" on the upcoming Moon mission of the private space company NASA awarded to the contractors. SpaceX is known for being the first company to get consideration for building the Artemis' moon lander that will bring humans to the lunar surface from the long trip.

POTUS Biden Wants SpaceX, Elon Musk's Moon Mission a Success

(Photo : ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

According to a tweet from Forbes via a White House press address, President Joe Biden wishes SpaceX and Elon Musk "lots of luck" for its next mission with NASA, particularly the Artemis Moon mission. It is in response to a different issue with Musk, particularly with Tesla's plans to cut ten percent of the workforce in their company.

POTUS Biden addressed the issue and then wished the top executive of Tesla "lots of luck" on the upcoming moon mission that SpaceX has with NASA. Musk's space company plays a massive role in the Artemis mission that will be an essential venture of bringing humans to the surface.

Elon Musk responded to the tweet by expressing his thanks for the President and inserting a link to the old NASA news regarding their contract.

Read Also: Elon Musk: 2029 is a 'Pivotal Year'-AGI, People on Mars, SpaceX Mission, and MORE

NASA Artemis Moon Mission: SpaceX Lander

In April, NASA decided to push through with SpaceX and its designs for the Moon lander to come with the upcoming Artemis mission. This previous venture saw Blue Origin also push for its involvement. There were many disputes regarding this, and before, Jeff Bezos pushed a lawsuit against NASA regarding this decision.

NASA and SpaceX

NASA and SpaceX work together on many space agency projects, and both have a mutual relationship that shares a lot of the advancements in space ventures to both entities. SpaceX and NASA's missions were a success in the past, and it aims to keep it that way by choosing the private space company to land humans on the Moon on Artemis' mission.

However, NASA got advice from the Senate that it should choose another space company that would build a second lander apart from SpaceX.

Now, NASA is searching for the next company that will bring humans from the Moon's orbit, where the vehicle would stay, down to the lunar surface, where the return will occur. SpaceX's design and upcoming moon lander would be the primary vehicle that NASA and the Artemis Moon mission will use in the upcoming flight by 2030.

Most of the needed support for NASA's Artemis mission that it will soon have with SpaceX got all the help it needed, especially with President Biden's recent statement and wishes. Musk thanks the President and shows that both are on good terms for the upcoming venture of the company, despite the past events.

Related Article: NASA, SpaceX: Astronaut Missions to the ISS Expands Five More Times

This article is owned by TechTimes

Written by Isaiah Richard

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
OpenAI's text-to-image Artificial Intelligence (AI) system, the DALL-E2 might have just generated a hidden language discovered by a computer science Ph.D. student at the University of Texas, Gianna Daras.

(Photo : Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)

An artificial intelligence, developed by computer science researchers, can now detect sarcasm posted in social media platforms.

DALL-E2 made noise when it was introduced early this year with its ability to turn simple text descriptions into photorealistic images. It may sound so simple, but it's difficult for a machine-learning algorithm to pick up on cues of natural language and even produce crisp images.

Now, it seems like it can do more. On a Twitter thread, Daras wrote asking the algorithm to generate an image of "farmers talking about vegetables" and generate text with the unknown word "vicootes." However, if you put the word "vicootes" into the algorithm, it generates photos of vegetables.

DALLE-2 has a secret language.

"Apoploe vesrreaitais" means birds.

"Contarra ccetnxniams luryca tanniounons" means bugs or pests.



The prompt: "Apoploe vesrreaitais eating Contarra ccetnxniams luryca tanniounons" gives images of birds eating bugs.



A thread (1/n) pic.twitter.com/VzWfsCFnZo  Giannis Daras (@giannis_daras) May 31, 2022

Daras added that the image of the farmers contained the apparent nonsense text "poploe vesrreaitars," and when you feed that into the system, you get a lot of bird image. "It seems that the farmers are talking about birds, messing with their vegetables," Daras wrote. With this discovery, Daras makes the case in a paper with a colleague, that is yet to be reviewed. The paper is about how the DALL-E2 has generated a hidden vocabulary underlying or working in parallel with its primary function. "Daras added, "DALLE-2 has a secret language. And the discovery of the DALLE-2 language creates many interesting security and interpretability challenges."

Also Read: How Artificial Intelligence Is Going To Be Regulated By The US Government: A Closer Look

How Consistent Is It?

Dara's conclusions are still not 100 percent sure because, as he notes on the paper, it's not 100 percent consistent. There are times that a promot would generate different pictures. Furthermore, not everybody is convinced by this theory as well. A research analyst said, Benjamin Hilton, said it could just be "random chance." Hilton added, "To me this is all starting to look a lot more like stochastic, random noise, than a secret DALL-E2 language."

If I try a cartoon, or a 3D render, DALL-E generates lots of bugs (some of which can fly) and no birds.



My best guess? Its random chance. Or just maybe (if you really press me) Apoploe vesrreaitais looks like a binomial name for some birds or bugs.



(6/15) pic.twitter.com/hC3g2B9HRS  Benjamin Hilton (@benjamin_hilton) May 31, 2022

However, if Daras is correct, he thinks that it would have security implications for the text-to-image generator.

In his paper, he said, "The first security issue relates to using these gibberish prompts as backdoor adversarial attacks or ways to circumvent the filter. Currently, Natural Language Processing systems filter text prompts that violate the policy rules and gibberish prompts may be used to bypass these filters."

DALLE-E2 truly has a powerful algorithm, and it involves a lot of raw data. According to OpenAI's website, DALLE-E2 has learned the relationship between images and the text used to describe them."

It is being rolled out to a select group of users via a waitlist.

Related Article: This Artificial Intelligence Can Detect Sarcasm on Social Media

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Written by April Fowell

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Many hidden asteroids got detected thanks to a study conducted by researchers that used old telescope data that saw these space rocks floating around the vast space. These asteroids would be potentially dangerous when coming across on future space missions, or as it has the potential of drawing themselves close to the planet and would come without any warning for all.

A flyby of a potentially hazardous asteroid the size of a "blue whale" is also coming by Monday, June 6.

Hidden Asteroids Detected: Researchers Use Old Telescope Data

(Photo : Getty Images)

The B612 Foundation brought a new algorithm for detecting space objects using old telescope data. The researchers saw many hidden asteroids that were previously undetected by the watchdogs of the skies. The new algorithm is known as "Tracklet-less Heliocentric Orbit Recovery (THOR)," and it brings a clearer view of space for all needs.

According to the foundation's statement, there are more than 100 space rocks that the new algorithm detected in space, and it is something that was hidden before. Potentially, it may bring dangers to all humans as it could go by undetected, even in space flights that venture towards deep space with different rockets and spacecraft.

Read Also: NASA 'Eyes on Asteroid' Is an Online Tool to See the Many Space Rocks in Earth's Vicinity, Updating in Real-Time

Asteroid 2021 GT2 Flyby Coming this Monday

In related reports, News.com AU reported a massive asteroid that will be flying by the Earth this Monday, June 6, and it is as huge as a "blue whale," with its size ranging from 36 to 82 meters wide. Asteroid 2021 GT2 is coming close to the planet, considered a potentially hazardous asteroid that comes at a broad but close gap of 3.5 million kilometers.

Potentially Hazardous Asteroids

Potentially hazardous asteroids are not rare in the massive celestial heavens now, as many objects are floating around in space from different locations and origins, with varying sizes and danger levels. One of the focuses of NASA now is to keep its telescopes fixed on a particular object like asteroids, one that it is testing with the James Webb.

There was once a mission that NASA and SpaceX made to change the trajectory and impact level of an asteroid heading towards the planet for a potentially devastating hit to the earth. The venture is known to be the Kinetic Impactor mission, which fires a rocket that would hit the asteroid, change its trajectory, and take it off course.

Other ventures of NASA focus on doing many things against the potentially hazardous asteroids, and ensuring that the planet is safe from these types of harm.

Potentially hazardous and hidden asteroids will never go out of the equation regarding the planet's inclusion in the Solar System and the galaxy, as there are many things out there that we cannot control. However, the main focus that the planet has to do now is to detect and prepare for it, with different actions in place by the concerned entities.

Related Article: Why Amateur Asteroid Hunters are Important in Planetary Defense; Here's How They Help NASA, Other Space Agencies

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Written by Isaiah Richard

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The simple act of turning on a cellphone on the battlefields of Ukraine may cause some threats. Artillery radar and remote controls for unmanned aircraft could result in a fiery shrapnel hail.

This is electronic warfare, an important but usually unnoticed part of Russia's war against Ukraine. According to AP's report, military leaders avoid talking about it for fear of compromising operations.

What is Electronic Warfare?

Electronic warfare technology is employed to identify, blind, and deceive the opponent and deliver devastating blows through targeting communication, navigation, and other crucial systems.

It is used by military forces to defend themselves by countering artillery, fighter jets, cruise missiles, drones, and other threats.

Russia was regarded to have a clear advantage in this field going into the war. Despite this, its much-touted electronic warfare prowess was barely visible in the early phases of the battle in its failure to conquer Kyiv, Ukraine's capital.

However, this tech is becoming a significant factor in the violent conflict in eastern Ukraine, where shorter and easier-to-defend-supply lines enable Russia to use electronic warfare equipment closer to the battleground.

In a statement with AP, an Aerorozvidka officer who requested anonymity said that Russia's warfare is jamming Ukraine's systems and that it is hindering them greatly.

When it comes to undermining reconnaissance attempts and commanders' interactions with troops, Ukrainian intelligence told the AP that Russia's threats are "pretty severe." He claimed that the effects of Russia's jamming of GPS receivers on Ukrainian drones, which were employed to locate their enemy and direct artillery fire, are particularly acute on the line of contact.

However, Ukraine has made some progress against Russia's electronic warfare tactics. It has taken vital hardware and destroyed at least two multi-vehicle mobile electronic warfare units, a big intelligence coup.

Read also: US and Germany Will Supply Ukraine With Advanced Rockets and Anti-Aircraft Missiles

Ukraine's Electronic Warfare

The capabilities of Ukraine's own electronic warfare are difficult to gauge, although analysts believe that it's come a long way since Russia took Crimea and sparked a separatist revolt in eastern Ukraine in 2014.

There are, however, setbacks. Russia claimed last week that it had destroyed a Ukrainian electronic intelligence center in Dniprovske, in the country's southeast. The assertion could not be independently verified, and a request for comment from Ukrainian officials was not answered.

Ukraine has also made good use of technology and intelligence provided by the US and other NATO countries. Ukraine used this intelligence to sink the battleship Moskva. Allied satellites and surveillance aircraft, as well as entrepreneur Elon Musk's Starlink satellite communications network, have all provided for Ukraine.

According to the AP, electronic warfare consists of three essential elements: probe, attack, and protect.

The probe entails gathering intelligence to locate adversary electronic signals. During an attack, "white noise" jamming disrupts and degrades enemy equipment such as radio and cellphone communications, air defense, and artillery radars. Spoofing, on the other hand, confuses and deceives, resulting in munitions missing their targets when it works successfully.

In 2014 and 2015, Ukraine learned a harsh lesson about electronic warfare when Russia used it to overwhelm its forces. The Russians shot down drones and sabotaged warheads, broke through cellular networks for psychological operations, and targeted Ukrainian armor.

Related Article: Phone Shipments Will Dip by 3% in 2022, Researchers Predict, as Ukraine vs. Russia War Continues and Other Factors

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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
China is sending three astronauts on Sunday, June 5, for its Shenzhou 14 mission. The exploration will last for six months, and it will be the third out of four crewed missions this year.

The space agency will aim to finish the core module of the under-construction Tiangong space station this time.

China Shenzhou 14 Crewed Mission to Kick Off Soon

(Photo : STR/AFP via Getty Images)

China will send a trio of second-gen astronauts to the Tiangong Space Station as part of the Shenzhou-14 space mission.

As per NDTV's report, the Shenzhou-14 spacecraft will be delivered by the Long March-2F rocket. The mission will start at around 10:44 AM local time in the northwestern region of Gansu, particularly from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

The three-man mission will consist of the second-generation astronauts who have been air force pilots -- Cai Xuzhe, Chen Dong, and Liu Yang.

As of writing, China's own space station is still under construction. Once its space labs and the core module are finished, the country will create a history by building the largest space station in low orbit.

Speaking of the members, the 43-year-old Chen will be the leader of the upcoming space mission. He was a key part of the 2016 Shenzhou 11 launch when he went to the Tiangong-2 space lab.

On the other hand, Liu, also 43, will be the lone woman in the mission. Previously, she joined the Shenzhou 9 exploration when she ventured the Tiangong-1.

The last astronaut will be Cai, 46, preparing for his first-ever space trip. One of their missions is to dock a couple of space labs, namely Mengtian and Wentian, later in 2022.

Upon touching down at the space station, another batch of the trio will arrive as part of the Shenzhou 15 mission. According to the South China Morning Post, this is the first time that China will simultaneously house six persons at Tiangong.

Related Article: Wenchang Spaceport Gears Up to Send China's Second Space Station Module Into Orbit

Venturing Inside the Tiangong Space Station

As part of the mission, the modules will be relocated to pave the way for the new ships.

From the Wentian lab, Lin said that the crew will execute two to three spacewalks. Apart from that, the modules will undergo two reconfigurations.

The astronauts are also responsible for overseeing the three undockings and five undockings.

"Tasks come one after another. There will be nine configurations of the space station in the course of this mission," Lin said.

In other news, Tech Times reported that there was a new algorithm that detected over 100 hidden asteroids in space. One of them was seen to be so enormous that it could be compared to the size of a "blue whale."

According to the astronomers, this dangerous asteroid posed a lot of hazards to the people on the earth. The Asteroid 2021 GT2 seems to be approaching the planet at the time.

Read Also: China to Propose Space Mission Focused on Hunting Exoplanets Capable of Hosting Life

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Written by Joseph Henry

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Several advocacy groups have launched a new campaign on Friday to stop Tesla CEO Elon Musk from buying Twitter for $44 billion, arguing that he will weaken crucial safeguards on the social network if he is allowed to take control.

"Stop the Deal"

The Stop the Deal campaign includes plans to exert pressure on regulatory agencies to investigate the transaction, urge Tesla stockholders to oppose the deal, and ask advertisers to withhold spending from the social platform.

It echoes concerns expressed by many progressives about Musk's acquisition and plans for a more open platform, leading to increased abuse and harassment on the network claimed by the groups.

Accountable Tech, GLAAD, the Center for Countering Digital Hate, and MediaJustice are among the participating charities.

On their website, the Stop the Deal campaign warns that Musk "would steamroll basic content moderation safeguards" and enable a platform for "extremists who traffic in white nationalism, hate, disinformation, and harassment. "

The groups fear that it could further endanger marginalized groups without these safeguards. The campaign site further states that Musk would reinstate banned public figures on the platform after inciting violence and disinformation.

Among those public figures is former President Donald Trump, who was suspended from Twitter in the wake of the insurrection at the Capitol last Jan. 6. Musk even argued that Trump should be back on Twitter.

Musk has stated that his motive for purchasing Twitter stems from his appreciation for the site and his opinion that it should be used as a more open discussion for a diverse range of ideologies.

According to Musk, permanent bans, such as the one now in place on Trump, should be avoided in favor of temporary ones.

Read also: Elon Musk's Tesla Will Lay Off 10% of Staff, Pauses Hiring Worldwide - Why?

"More Extreme Voices"

Rahna Epting, executive director of MoveOn, argued in a statement that Elon Musk's acquisition deal "will not lead to more 'free speech on the platform."

She believes that it will only lead to "more extreme voices" abusing Twitter to promote "hate, violence, and harassment."

The campaign's organizers encouraged users to tweet their disapproval to Musk, Twitter advertising, and Tesla shareholders.

The groups claim that the government could use multiple legal and regulatory actions to thwart the deal. They said that one of the options could be the Securities and Exchange Commission revoking Musk's ability to serve as a director or officer of a public corporation, citing, among other things, how he did not disclose his initial investment in the bird app.

According to the alliance, the US Committee on Foreign Investment could also change the conditions of the agreement if it finds that foreign investments pose a threat to national security. They cited a disclosure saying that the acquisition would be partially funded by Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud and Qatar's sovereign wealth fund.

The group also claimed that if the deal is found to be anti-competitive, the Federal Trade Commission could sue to stop it. However, given Twitter's modest share of the social media business compared to peers like Meta's Facebook, this path would most certainly be complicated.

Related Article: Elon Musk Loses $10 Billion In A Day After Alleged Sexual Misconduct Surfaces

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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A press conference on the Shenzhou-14 crewed space mission is held at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, June 4, 2022. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)

JIUQUAN, June 4 (Xinhua) -- The Shenzhou-14 crewed spaceship will be launched at around 10:44 a.m. Sunday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, announced the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Saturday.

After entering orbit, the spaceship will adopt fast automated rendezvous and docking with the radial port of the space station core module Tianhe, forming a complex with Tianhe as well as the cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-3 and Tianzhou-4, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA, at a press conference held at the launch center.

At present, the complex of Tianhe, Tianzhou-3 and Tianzhou-4 works in normal condition and is ready for rendezvous, docking and the astronauts' entry, Lin said.

The quality of both the Shenzhou-14 spaceship and the Long March-2F carrier rocket has been well checked. The crew is in good condition, and the ground system facilities are in stable operation, Lin said.

All preparations for the launch have been basically completed, Lin said.

Journalists attend the press conference on the Shenzhou-14 crewed space mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, June 4, 2022. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)
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The state Senate approved Friday removing from Louisianas list of holidays Robert E. Lee Day, and Confederate Memorial Day.

A little confusion over Presidents Day  some senators thought House Bill 248 was dissing George Washington  required a Senate amendment to clear up the confusion. The voted 29-4 to change the holidays.

HB248 must return to the House for concurrence with the new wording. The next stop would be the governor for his signature into law or veto.

Legislators have been plowing through a mound of bills as they approached a 6 p.m. Friday deadline. After 6 p.m., it takes approval of two-thirds of both chambers to make a vote on any bill. From here on, legislators will be voting whether to concur with amendments to the bills.

House votes to remove Confederate holidays from state list, also removes Huey Long's birthday With no debate, the Louisiana House voted 62-20 Monday to eliminate Huey Longs birthday from Louisianas list of legal holidays, along with R

This is an important step in the right direction, said state Sen. Jay Luneau, D-Alexandria, who managed the legislation on the Senate floor for sponsor New Orleans Democratic Rep. Matthew Willard.

While not a cure for centuries of racism, Luneau said removing the holidays from the official list would show the state and the nation that were ready to do the right thing.

This is a wonderful opportunity to realign, if you will, of what we call a holiday, said Sen. Joe Bouie, D-New Orleans. For African Americans, when asked to remember Robert E. Lee and Confederate soldiers, We think of a time in our history that was one of the darkest, he added.

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Louisiana celebrated Confederate General Robert E. Lee and with Confederate Memorial Day remembered the estimated 258,000 Confederate soldiers who died while fighting the United States in the Civil War. The holidays have been in Louisiana lawbooks at least since 1925, though could have been part of the scene as early as the 1870s when a number of Southern states adopted the holiday to mirror the Memorial Day for Union soldiers.

Louisiana lawmakers move forward with effort to remove Confederate holidays from state list It took all of five minutes Wednesday for the House Judiciary Committee to strike Robert E. Lee Day and Confederate Memorial Day from Louisian

Actually, both holidays haven't been celebrated in years. Under the law, the governor had to proclaim the celebration of the holiday and the chief executive was limited to the number of days off that could be granted. The three holidays havent made the commemorations list in decades.

In effort to tidy up the holidays law, Rep. Willard changed the name of one from Washingtons Birthday to Presidents Day, celebrated on the third Monday in February, so that the wording of the state law would match the federal law.

State Sen. Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton, was appalled.

Washington is why we have America, Mizell said. You cant bunch all the presidents together and overlook the one we named our Capitol after.

Republican Sen. Patrick Connick, of Marrero, submitted a change in the wording. This amendment will allay some of the fears some of you guys had, he said.

Each clerk of a district court, parish court, and city court shall close their offices on the following days: New Year's Day; Washington's Birthday, President's Day, the third Monday in February; Good Friday; Memorial Day, the last Monday in May; the Fourth of July; Labor Day, the first Monday in September; All Saints' Day, Nov. 1; Veterans' Day, Nov. 11; Thanksgiving Day, the fourth Thursday in November, and the next day, Friday; Christmas Eve; Christmas Day; and New Year's Eve.
A controversial plan to revamp the boundaries of the Central school system, including charges of racism, died Friday in the Louisiana House without a vote.

The measure failed to meet the deadline that requires Senate-passed bills to get a debate in the House by Friday at 6 p.m., three days before adjournment.

Since that did not happen it would require the approval of two-thirds of both chambers to debate the proposal, which would all but certainly fail in the House.

More importantly, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Bodi White, R-Central, sponsor of the bill, said House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, R-Gonzales, told him Friday he opposed the measure, which derailed what was expected to be a lengthy and rancorous debate.

The speaker's stance also reflect growing anger toward White among some House members, including Rep. Paula Davis, R-Baton Rouge and chair of the House Commerce Committee.

The bill would remove a planned subdivision, Belle Arbor, from the boundaries of the school district, which would affect up to 400 children, many of them part of Black families.

+2 Over claims of racism, bill to redraw boundaries of Central school district clears House panel Despite renewed charges of racism, a revamped bill to adjust the boundaries of the Central school district cleared a House committee Tuesday 5

White said his bill is needed to prevent overcrowding in the district, which he helped create.

Opponents called the legislation  Senate Bill 189  a blatant attempt to keep Black children out of the mostly-White school system.

However, White has also rankled some House members in recent days, including a Wednesday night meeting of his committee where bills by Davis, Reps. Barbara Freiberg, R-Baton Rouge and Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, were killed.

Earlier in the day White, who was in the House chamber during debate, had an extended, animated conversation with Davis that sparked attention from lawmakers, and eventually led to a House leader politely intervening.

Davis said later the conversation focused on how her health insurance bill died in White's committee, and more generally the treatment House members have gotten in Senate Finance.

"There must be a level of respect and decorum within the entire body," Davis said in a statement.

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"We can have vigorous debate, but when we engage in disrespect and are condescending the entire process breaks down," she said.

"This is not about me or any one member but I am standing up for all of the House members who were disrespected," Davis added.

White said he held five meetings of his committee in recent days to accommodate House members.

He said there was a flood of House-passed bills that arrived in Senate Finance in recent days, including some that carried huge costs which could saddle the Legislature with financial problems next year.

White's bill breezed through the Senate but was nearly killed weeks ago in the House Education Committee after residents of the affected areas called it racist.

He then narrowed the focus of the legislation and the measure later cleared the same panel 5-4, setting up Friday's showdown.

Plan to redraw Central school district boundaries is shelved by bill's sponsor amid criticism The controversial push to redraw the boundaries of the Central school system suffered a major blow Wednesday when the sponsor of the proposal 

White has repeatedly denied claims of racism and also said the subdivision is almost assured of flooding.

Earlier in the day he visited with members in the House chamber  White is a former House member  and at one point had a brief conversation with Schexnayder on the podium.

The Senate leader said his proposal is a local bill and residents of Central will remember what happened if, as expected, Schexnayder makes a bid for lieutenant governor next year.

Rep. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge, House handler of the bill, also made the rounds of the House earlier Friday in a bid to gauge sentiment for the legislation.

Asked why he did not bring the bill up for debate Edmonds said, "I was just following the speaker's lead about bills that go through the system the way he wanted it to be handled," Edmonds said. "It was between Bodi and the speaker, what they were working on, what they negotiated."
Helloworld head office did not respond to numerous requests for comment about whether the parent company had any legal or moral responsibility to help customers caught out by its franchisee going out of business. Adam Glezer from Consumer Champion, who has contacted Helloworld on Bouronikos behalf, said: Im of the strong belief that if a customer books through a Helloworld franchise that goes bust, Helloworld head office should be taking some responsibility for it, but they just direct customers to the administrator. For Hamish Bowman from Sydney, it was a similar story, with months of emails assuring him that refunds from Qantas were in progress. He had booked a family trip to France with his elderly father and other family members; his father is now 86 and less mobile, so the opportunity has passed. Hamish Bowman booked through Member Benefits Australia but the booking was actually held with a Helloworld franchise. Credit:Steven Siewert He said Qantas later told him that not only did they never receive the money, but the travel agency made tweaks to the booking every month until the point the flight was cancelled, which had the effect of delaying the payment falling due.

But for Bowman, the situation is more complicated because he booked through a different entity, Member Benefits Australia, which he believed at the time was providing a good deal because of his connection with the University of Sydney. Bowman said it was not disclosed at any time that the booking would actually be held by Helloworld, let alone a Helloworld franchise in suburban Melbourne, and he would not have booked if he had known that to be the case. The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age have copies of email correspondence between Bowman and his travel agency representatives who were using a Member Benefits Australia email address. In one case the email was from travel@mbabenefits.com.au but company records reveal the name in the sign-off was that of a Helloworld Plenty Valley company director. As late as January 2021, these emails were saying they were still struggling to get the funds physically returned by the suppliers. By the time Bowman realised there was a major problem with the refund and tried to cancel the credit card payment with the bank, it was too late. His travel insurance only covered the insolvency of a travel provider such as an airline, not a travel agent.

Glezer approached Member Benefits Australia several times on Bowmans behalf with no result. Once The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age sent questions about the role and responsibility of Member Benefits Australia, a lawyer contacted Bowman. The letter to the Bowman family states that the company does not accept liability but would provide a full refund on the condition that they sign an agreement not to disparage or criticise the company, including there being no mention of MBA in a proposed article in the Sydney Morning Herald. Bowman said he wanted the story to run despite the offer. I think there are [too] many organisations that dont respect consumers and only respond when they see risk for themselves, he said. Glezer said he would take the matter to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal if it could not be resolved beforehand. It is disappointing that MBA only offered to return Hamishs funds in return for their name being removed from this article and not because they wanted to do the right thing by their customer, Glezer said.

The official statement from Member Benefits Australia provided to this masthead says: MBA is considering its legal position and is unable to make further comment. Jodi Bird, a travel expert at consumer advocacy organisation Choice, encouraged Bowman to complain to NSW Fair Trading and said the industry needed a complete overhaul of regulation to improve transparency. This story is similar to many we have seen during the pandemic, where Australians have paid a business for travel arrangements involving a range of other suppliers and it has been unclear where their money has gone, Bird said. Loading Many people would also be unaware that when booking with a national travel agent brand, they are often booking with a local franchisee rather than the national business.
Kate Stern describes them as little necklaces, tiny pieces of thawed ovarian tissue on fragments of suture material threaded together so that, once inside the body, they can restore fertility to women who have lost it to cancer treatment.

For nine women in Victoria and New South Wales, these tiny chains of hope have produced healthy babies  results that Associate Professor Stern says make the procedure known as ovarian grafting amazing on many levels.

Sarah, with her baby Etta, is among nine women who have had babies via ovarian grafting following cancer treatment. Credit:Simon Schluter

Pieces of tissue measuring just 1 millimetre by 3 millimetres by 10 millimetres are placed in the pelvic area and have returned the hormones of women in early menopause to more fertile levels, and made viable eggs.

The process  a result of research Sterns team at Melbournes Royal Womens Hospital, commenced in the mid-1990s, and other global efforts  has worked often enough to have recently been declared no longer experimental.
Meanwhile, former treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who lost his seat of Kooyong to teal independent Monique Ryan, is setting up a consultancy business, taking an office in the high-end Como Centre in South Yarra. The outgoing member for Kooyong, Josh Frydenberg. Credit:AAP Gladys Liu, who lost the eastern suburbs seat of Chisholm to Labors Carina Garland, is contemplating a tilt at state politics, possibly in the Upper House. The Sunday Age and The Sun-Herald spoke to a number of former MPs who faced similar circumstances, losing their seat in a climate where their political opponents form government. Gladys Liu is considering a tilt at state politics. Credit:Simon Schluter

In the days that follow, you are really in a political version of the ICU, said one former MP who lost his seat and declined to be named. There is not a lot you can do to ease the pain of what happened. Clem Newton-Brown, who lost his state seat of Prahran in 2014 to the Greens in the election that swept Daniel Andrews Labor government to power, now has a completely different career. You have to believe you can win to campaign effectively, so you do hit a brick wall and fall off a cliff when you actually lose your seat. There is definitely life after politics, but you need to quickly move on from the all-consuming work in parliament and develop a plan B, he said. Former Victorian MP Clem Newton-Brown has started his own business called Skyportz to enable flying taxis. Credit:Wayne Taylor For Newton-Brown, plan B was using his skills in planning, community engagement and public policy to launch a whole new industry  his Skyportz electric air taxi business. It requires a new regulatory system and infrastructure.

I have found my niche working with regulators, government bureaucrats, air regulators, aviation consultants and the property industry. Newly unemployed, former MPs who entered parliament after the 2004 cut-off to qualify for a parliamentary pension, receive a resettlement allowance often, 12 weeks of their basic parliamentary salary. If they have served more than one term they qualify for a further three months. They must first decide if they want to attempt to seek re-election, which is best served by working for themselves, or walk away from politics altogether. You do hit a brick wall and fall off a cliff when you actually lose your seat. Clem Newton-Brown, former Victorian MP Wilson, who before parliament was a policy director at the free-market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs, and a human rights commissioner, plans to go hiking in Yosemite National Park with his husband Ryan. He also plans to set up his own climate and energy advisory business, utilising his experience as a junior minister for industry, energy and emissions reduction.

Im very open about the journey that Ive gone through, from foetal position crying on Sunday morning through to seeing a psychologist yesterday, Wilson told an energy efficiency conference in the week after his electoral defeat. Former assistant energy and emissions reduction minister Tim Wilson. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Allen is already fielding inquiries about board positions and, along with a PhD student, has just had a research paper on infant peanut allergy accepted by The Journal of the American Medical Association. Frydenberg could well look for inspiration in John Pesutto, who lost his seat of Hawthorn live on ABC television on the night of the Victorian election in 2018. Former MP John Pesutto, who lost the seat of Hawthorn in 2018. Credit:Joe Armao

The former state Liberal shadow attorney-general took up an honorary post in the school of government at the University of Melbourne and kept up a presence in the media, with columns for The Age and slots on ABC Radio and Joy FM, which he did gratis. To pay the bills, Pesutto, a former commercial lawyer, established his own consultancy firm called Hugo Benice Advisory, offering legal work, and media, government and competition advice. It was months before he got his first client. The flexibility has allowed Pesutto, who declined to be interviewed for this article, to get back in the political game. He is recontesting the seat of Hawthorn in Victorias upcoming election in November. On the other side, David Bradbury was a federal Labor MP who lost his western Sydney seat of Lindsay after two terms in 2013, when Tony Abbott led the Coalition to power. Bradbury eventually found work overseas at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris. He now heads the organisations tax policy and statistics division. Running for election is like going for a job interview, but you do it in full view of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people, he said.

Former federal Labor MP David Bradbury. Credit:Glenn Hunt Its very difficult for someone who was a minister in the former government to take on a government or a bureaucratic role after the election, he said. Bradbury decided after leaving politics that to gain employment and use his skills as a tax lawyer and assistant treasurer, it would be necessary to disconnect from public political commentary. He advised newly unemployed MPs to take time out before deciding their next steps. Theres a really strong sense of uncertainty, particularly if this is something that people have been working towards for a large part of their life but all of a sudden, it is brought to an end.
Police are offering a $250,000 reward for information into the 2017 death of an 81-year-old man in a deliberately lit car park fire.

John Flamish, who had been staying in a friends Parramatta unit, suffered smoke inhalation and collapsed. He was rushed to Westmead Hospital but died a short time later.

John Flamish died in a deliberately lit fire in a Parramatta unit block garage.

He is believed to have been attempting to extinguish the fire which roared through the Early Street unit block garage about 5am on June 5, 2017. No arrests have ever been made over the blaze or Flamishs death.

Homicide squad commander Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty announced the reward on the five-year anniversary of his death, saying police were now re-examining all available evidence to find those responsible.
With the tropical midday sun bearing down, the procession moves on to its final grave site, that of Sam Passi. His contribution is noted by elders before dancers in Dhari headdress and traditional costume perform an intimidating exhibition of cultural dance. As the sun dropped towards the quicksilver sea of the Torres Strait, aromas from the kitchens wafted across the village. Kids raced about, long-time friends and family conversed and laughed, while expectation grew for the nights feasting and dancing. The meats that had been cooking for eight hours were lifted from the kap maori (earth oven). Great tables are laid in a parade of foods. Loading Then, as the light fades, the dancing begins, the famous drums of Mer beat out their hypnotic drone, and the assembled choir breaks into the songs of old. The whole village is captivated in a celebration of their unique culture and way of life that goes well into the night, until at last the dancers and revellers are spent and drift off to their homes amid the coconut trees. Mer islanders were in a state of industrious flux all week in preparation for the anniversary, readying the ceremony area, known for the occasion as Mabo Village. Members of each of the eight clans of mer  known as the Meriam people  decorate their akurmeta (clan shelter) with coconut palm leaves and woven adornments of the totems that represent each group.

The celebrations began last Sunday with the Christian community coming together in a combined church service, the theme taken from the Bible: Thou shalt not take nor remove thy neighbours landmark, which thy predecessors have set in thy possession, which the Lord thy God will give thee in the land that thou shalt receive to possess. Daily hunting trips deliver bounties of fish, turtle and dugong that are cleaned and made ready for the cooking pots and earth ovens. Traditional songs greet the procession as it makes its way into the village, with schoolchildren in full choral voice. Family members pay their respects at Eddie Mabos grave. Credit:Justin McManus During the week I accompany Mabo clan members collecting clams and spider shells on their reef at Las beach. Roving out through the ancestral sia (fish traps), following in the traditions of hundreds of generations past, elders impart knowledge of place, culture and hunting technique to the family. Elder Annie Zaro walks stealthily across the reef with a casting net. Spotting a school of mullet trapped in the sia, she launches the cast net into a small lagoon and snares a dozen or more small fish in one cast. The grandchildren are ecstatic, and gather around to help release them from the net and into a bucket.

In my time on the island, one of the first points family members make to me is the mispronunciation of the Mabo name. The whole country has been pronouncing the name wrong for 30 years, Celuia Mabo, Eddies youngest daughter, informs me. She says it should be pronounced Maabor (drag out the A, with the O more of an Or sound). The other thing I am constantly made aware of is whose country we are currently on, or crossing into. The Meriam people lived in small villages within clan territories distinctly marked around Mer and the two neighbouring islands, Dauar and Waier. Each territory begins inland and extends out and beyond the reefs that surround the islands. Hunting turtle for the Mabo celebrations. Credit:Justin McManus The legend that gave rise to in Meriam law is that of Malo. Malo was one of four brothers who sailed their canoes from New Guinea but became separated by a storm before a big wave sank his canoe off Mer. Malo, a man of special powers who could transform himself into different sea creatures, finally became an octopus. The Meriam acclaimed Malo our God, our protector. The men of the Las clan decreed: There should be no more fighting between us. Let Malo remain here to be Agud [God] for all.

Malo set strict rules of behaviour and of land tenure, and was summed up by plaintiff and senior landowner James Rice in 1989 when he said: If everyone kept to his place, there was no trouble. The High Court decision recognised the common law doctrine of native title: that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people may continue to hold rights to their land and waters, which come from their traditional laws and customs. This resulted in the Native Title Act of 1993, which recognises and protects native title. Emerging from a series of yarning circles on Monday afternoon to discuss a way forward from the 1992 ruling, a passage from the High Court ruling is recalled many times: The lands of this continent were not terra nullius or land belonging to no-one when European settlement occurred  the Meriam people were entitled as against the whole world to possession, occupation, use and enjoyment of most of the lands of the Murray Islands. Boy in traditional Dhari headdress at the celebrations. Credit:Justin McManus Many islanders and members of the Mabo family find the word possession contentious, saying its inappropriate, and does not imply ownership of land. Malcolm Mabo, Eddies son, and Kaleb Mabo, his grandson, view the concept as condescending, and say it invokes a paternal mentality. The ruling still treats us as schoolchildren and suggests that, OK, be happy, heres your piece of land, go and play nicely on it, says Malcolm.

Kaleb asserts that issues arising from the High Court decision remain unresolved: The ruling  doesnt mention ownership, it talks about possession, that against the world we hold possession and rights to the land but that possession came with strings attached. Its still attached to Commonwealth government, and from what Ive read from my grandfathers writings  his end goal was to see the Torres Strait be independent of the rest of Australia, and I think that is where the fight is moving forwards. Reflecting on the 1992 decision, and the feeling within the community since, Mer resident Ellen Tapo says: There was excitement because people had legal rights to their land that ancestors had left for them. It gave them identity, their land is their identity and that was what Murray Islanders back then when native title was handed down were happy about. They had native title and according to the High Court it was legislated that a prescribed body be established such as PBC [Prescribed Body Corporate] to deliver the legislation of native title in the interest of traditional owners, she said. But that has never happened, so I think the people of Murray Islands are disappointed that no real change or benefits have occurred in the 30 years since the decision. John Tabo, deputy chair of the PBC, says 30 years on from the ruling, the community is still waiting for change: We havent moved on, were still marching. The community is still waiting for a new health centre and facilities for the elderly. We dont have an economy here. Weve got government business here, [but] the money all goes out from here.
The online auction of almost 60 items of Nazi war memorabilia by a Melbourne business this weekend  including swastika flags, a gas canister and a Third Reich cake fork  has angered many in Melbournes Jewish community.

The Victorian government recently introduced landmark legislation to ban public displays of the Nazi swastika that come into force next year, but the trade in collectible Nazi memorabilia remains legal, and continues to thrive.

A cake fork, bowl and book are among the items of Nazi memorabilia up for auction by a Melbourne-based business.

Don Mahoney, 73, is auctioning dozens of items previously owned or used by members of the Third Reich online, via his Mount Evelyn-based business.

He founded his memorabilia business in 1973 and has been repeatedly criticised for selling Nazi memorabilia in the past. He insists he only sells war memorabilia to genuine collectors but concedes there is no way of vetting the background of every buyer.
Students in Victorian secondary schools will be taught to spot the early warning signs of endometriosis, a painful chronic condition that affects more than 10 per cent of girls and women, and how to seek help for it.

From term three, reproductive health and wellbeing experts will visit 56 secondary schools as part of a nationwide education campaign on pelvic pain, period pain and endometriosis.

Students in state secondary schools will be taught to spot the early warning signs of endometriosis. Credit:Shutterstock

Endometriosis is a chronic condition, that can affect fertility, in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus.

Each case takes an average of 6 years to be formally diagnosed, which can only be done through surgical intervention.
1 Tribal Officer Killed, 1 Wounded in Arizona Shootings

WHITERIVER, Ariz.A tribal police officer was fatally shot during a traffic stop on a reservation in Arizona and the suspect was killed in a subsequent shootout that left another officer wounded, officials said Friday.

Adrian Lopez Sr., 35, was identified as the White Mountain Apache Police officer shot and killed Thursday night in the town of Whiteriver on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. He had only been with the department since January, according to the Navajo County Sheriffs Office. Prior to that he served as a federal Bureau of Indian Affairs police officer from March 2021 through December.

Theres no possible way to try to outline the chaotic event that this was, Chief Deputy Brian Swanty said at a news conference.

An altercation broke out after Lopez stopped a car driven by Kevin Dwight Nashio, 25, near the downtown area, authorities said. Nashio, a resident of Whiteriver known to local police, shot Lopez, Swanty said.

Nashio took off in Lopezs marked police vehicle. Several officers pursued him through rugged areas for at least 40 miles (64 kilometers) and a rolling gun battle took place, according to authorities.

Nashio crashed the car into a tree near a lake that is a popular tourist draw. A second gun battle erupted that resulted in Sgt. Lonnie Thompson, 29, getting wounded and Nashio being killed.

The sergeant was airlifted to a Phoenix hospital. Swanty on Friday said his injuries were not considered to be life-threatening but could certainly be debilitating.

The FBI is leading the investigation into the shootings. The agency is gathering information to present to the U.S. Attorneys Office but cannot share any details, FBI Special Agent Sam Davenport said.

Swanty would not elaborate on how Nashio was already known to police. He also said it has not yet been determined why Lopez pulled him over.

Gov. Doug Ducey ordered flags at all state buildings lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Monday.

There is no greater act of selflessness than for one to lay down his life for another, Ducey said in a statement. Officer Lopez will be remembered as a selfless and brave protector.

Meanwhile, tribal Chairman Kasey Velasquez said all flags on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation will be flown at half-staff until further notice. He called Lopez, who leaves a behind a wife and child, a beacon of light, a bulwark against the darkness.

Last night the unimaginable happened. Our hearts are once again broken by the loss of one of our best and bravest White Mountain Apache police officers, Velasquez said.

The eastern Arizona tribe is still mourning the death a young officer from two years ago. White Mountain Apache police Officer David Kellywood, 26, was killed in February 2020 while responding to a report of shots fired outside a casino. He struggled with a suspect who then shot him. A second officer fatally shot the suspect.

Kellywood had only been with the department for nine months.
2020 Election: Arizona Woman Pleads Guilty to Sophisticated Ballot Harvesting Scheme

An Arizona woman has pleaded guilty to using her position in the Democratic Party to illegally harvest ballots in a ballot abuse scheme.

Guillermina Fuentes, the 66-year-old former mayor of San Luis, Arizona, pleaded guilty on June 2 to one count of ballot abuse for her role in an August 2020 primary election ballot harvesting scheme, according to the Arizona Attorney Generals office. Arizona attorney generals office investigators said the operation was sophisticated, reported The Associated Press.

The scheme involved early ballots from other voters that were collected and deposited into a ballot box on primary election day, the office said.

Fuentess plea came as a result of an ongoing election fraud investigation conducted by the Arizona Attorney General offices Election Integrity Unit. She was indicted in December 2020.

Fuentes, of Yuma County, is the owner of a local construction business, former mayor of San Luis, Arizona, and a Democratic precinct committee person.

She admitted to knowingly collecting early ballots from four persons who is not her family member, household member, or caretaker, or on or about Aug. 4, 2020, the day of the primary election, according to her plea agreement.

Fuentes further admitted that the early ballots were later provided to Alma Juarez, who pleaded guilty in January to one count of ballot abuse, a misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of six months with probation available, according to Juarezs plea agreement.

The former mayor will be sentenced on June 30.

Fuentes told The Epoch Times on Friday that the charge was a result of political witchcraft and that her political opponents hated her.

In a response to a press inquiry from The Epoch Times, Fuentes attorney called Arizonas ballot abuse law a race-based ongoing anti-democratic, state-wide, and national voter suppression efforts.

Parallel Investigations

Tania Pavlak, a spokesperson from the Yuma County Sheriffs Office, told The Epoch Times that the Sheriffs office has not been involved in prosecuting Fuentes, as the Arizona Attorney Generals office and the county sheriffs office are conducting separate and parallel investigations on voting fraud allegations in the state.

Pavlak said the sheriffs office is conducting its own voter fraud investigation and currently has 16 open cases related to either the 2020 election or the 2022 primaries. She declined to comment on how many cases are related to either election.

The pattern of fraudulent voter registration forms, according to a May 11 statement made by the sheriffs office, include impersonation fraud, false registrations, duplicate voting, and fraudulent use of absentee ballots.

Press Releasehttps://t.co/2E3CbCZweD

May 11, 2022

YCSO & the Yuma County Recorders Office are working together to examine cases of voting fraud from the 2020 General Election & now a recent pattern of fraudulent voter registration forms leading up to the 2022 Primary Election. pic.twitter.com/m3iioHq3Xh  Yuma Sheriffs Office  AZ (@YumaSheriff) May 11, 2022

The spokesperson said the Yuma County Recorders Office detected a pattern of fraudulent voter registration, in which a number of people sent in duplicate forms or documents with false information on them, and referred the cases to the countys sheriff.

We already had been investigating these cases for the past few months and so the sheriff wanted to make sure we sent out that information with election season now hot and up and running. That way, people were aware of what was happening and also could stay vigilant, Pavlak said.

What theyre seeing is that there are registration forms that are being either falsified or people that are double registering with information that doesnt match their current registration, she added.

Ballot Harvesting Hearing

Fuentess guilty plea came two days after a hearing at the Arizona legislature where the states Senate and House lawmakers heard evidence and allegations pertaining to a state-wide ballot harvesting campaign during the 2020 presidential election.

Election integrity organization True the Vote at the hearing presented evidence of cell phone tracking data showing that more than 200 devices had visited ballot drop boxes in two of the states largest counties no less than 5,700 times during the 2020 election.

When we started the project, we didnt know [what we would find], said Catherine Engelbrecht, the Texas groups founder and president, at the May 31 hearing.

We began to think through what is a realistic expectation or threshold for when going to a drop box is too many times. We wanted to focus on a clear, narrow data set [to demonstrate] extreme outlier behavior.

True the Vote founder and president Catherine Engelbrecht makes a point during a presentation on ballot trafficking at the Arizona statehouse on May 31, 2022. Seated next to her is True the Vote data investigator Gregg Phillips. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

The groups investigators settled on 10 visits as outlier behaviorbut in Arizona, they found that each alleged ballot harvestor went an average of 21 times each, Engelbrecht said.

In Yuma County, the study found 1,435 unique drop box visits by 41 target devices based on cell phone signals, or pings.

Lawmakersall Republicanvowed to move forward with bill HB-2289 that would make ballot drop boxes illegal in Arizona.

The only thing I would like to see come out of this meeting is people going to jail, said State Rep. Quang Nguyen (R). I would just like to see people cuffed.

Engelbrecht told The Epoch Times on June 3 that the state attorney generals investigation, which led to the indictments of Fuentes and Juarez, shows that this issue is getting a broader look.

Based on our research, the Arizona model is one that is followed across the country, and it involves national organizations, she said, referring to alleged widespread ballot harvesting.

So we, the American people, need to continue the pressure on to continue investigations moving forward to get to the bottom of whats happening, not just in Yuma County, Arizona, but in many counties across this country.

Zachary Stieber and Allan Stein contributed to this report.
A Chinese man stands alone to block a line of tanks heading east on Beijings Avenue of Eternal Peace during the Tiananmen Square massacre on June 5, 1989. (Jeff Widener/AP Photo)

33 Years Later, Tiananmen Square Massacre Still Matters to World, Chinese Activists Say

The Chinese Communist Party is exporting its tyranny all over the world after the United States let it get away with murder 33 years ago during the Tiananmen Square massacre, three Chinese activists say.

June 3, 1989, was a bloody night for pro-democracy student protestors. Tanks rolled in toward Tiananmen Square, the heart of Chinas capital, crushing people and objects in their way. Tear gas and live ammunition inundated the square.

Panicked protesters propped limp bodies onto bikes, buses, and ambulances to ferry them away. Thousands of unarmed protesters are estimated to have died.

The mass murder shocked the world. In response, U.S. President George H.W. Bush condemned the massacre, suspended arms shipments to China, and imposed some sanctions.

But they moved on quickly, said Li Hengqing, a former 1989 student leader who now lives in Washington. Li pointed out that most sanctions were soon lifted and the economic engagement resumed.

I happen to believe that the commercial contacts have led, in essence, to this quest for more freedom, Bush said at the press conference held a day after the Tiananmen massacre. I think as people have commercial incentive, whether its in China or in other totalitarian systems, the move to democracy becomes more inexorable.

Describing that theory as extremely ridiculous, Yuan Hongbing, a Chinese scholar who was later suspended from duty for participating in the Tiananmen protests, said Washingtons policy of engagement with China benefited the CCP and helped the communist regime accumulate economic power throughout the following three decades.

Hundreds of thousands of Chinese gather in Tiananmen Square around a 10-meter replica of the Statue of Liberty (C), called the Goddess of Democracy, on June 2, 1989. (Catherine Henriette/AFP via Getty Images)

The Wests [response] emboldened the CCP, said Chen Weijian, a Chinese commentator who left China for New Zealand two years after the Tiananmen clampdown.

After 33 years, economic development hasnt led to a free China, said Chen, who was the founder of a Chinese pro-democracy magazine and was investigated for supporting the 1989 demonstrations. Instead, the CCP is seeking to use economic power to change the rule of the international community and export its suppressive model of control to the entire world.

Chen cited a conversation between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden.

During a recent speech to the Naval Academys graduating class, Biden said that Xi told him that democracy would fall and autocracies will run the world.

When he called me to congratulate me on election night, he said to me what he said many times before, Biden said on May 27, referring to Xi. He said, Democracies cannot be sustained in the 21st century. Autocracies will run the world. Why? Things are changing so rapidly. Democracies require a consensus, and it takes time, and you dont have the time.

Hes wrong, Biden said.

Censored in China

Hong Kong, the last place to commemorate the victims of the 1989 massacre on CCP-controlled soil, banned the mass vigils three years ago, citing the pandemic, amid a wider clampdown of freedoms in the city at the hands of the communist regime.

The leaders of the group behind the annual vigil are currently in custody after being charged with subversion under the CCP-imposed national security law. They are among more than 150 people who have been charged or convicted under the draconian law that has been used to wipe out dissent in the once-thriving democratic hub.

On this years anniversary, dozens of police patrolled Victoria Park, where the annual candlelight vigil was previously held.

Police officers stop and search a man holding a flower at Hong Kongs Victoria Park on June 4, 2022. (Kin Cheung/AP Photo)

In mainland China, the Tiananmen Square protests, a youth-led movement advocating for democratic reforms, are still a taboo subject. To this day, the Chinese communist regime wont disclose the number or names of those killed in the violent clampdown.

The regime has tried to erase all memories of the bloody massacre by scrubbing every mention of the event from the countrys internet, and frequently harassing relatives of the victims to ensure they stay silent. As a result, younger generations of Chinese are unaware of what happened that night.

Though the regime continues to suppress memories of the day, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States would continue to speak out and promote accountability for the Chinese regimes atrocities and human rights abuse by it, including those in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet.

To the people of China and to those who continue to stand against injustice and seek freedom, we will not forget June 4, he said in a June 3 statement.

Pandemic

This year, Tiananmen Square was locked down weeks ahead of June 4, as part of the pandemic prevention measures under the regimes zero-COVID policy. The draconian approach, purported to be aimed at eliminating every infection within communities by imposing lockdowns and mandatory quarantines, has caused food shortages and delayed medical care for millions under lockdown across the country.

Security officers wearing face masks stand at a checkpoint near Tiananmen Square in Beijing, on June 4, 2022. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo)

The [CCP] wants to control the virus through an approach that has no respect for basic human rights, which is the same as the way it did on June 4, Chen said.

For Chen, the case of Li Wenliang, a doctor who was among the first to raise the alarm about the initial COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, was a reminder to the world about how the CCPs suppression could affect them. The doctor was reprimanded by police in January 2020 as the authorities tried to downplay the severity of the outbreak. Li later died of the virus.

Chen said the current pandemic would be different if the regime hadnt censored the whistleblower and others who tried to sound the alarm.

Finally the world is starting to understand the CCP now.

Luo Ya and Eva Fu contributed to this report.
41-Year Sentence for Ex-Air Force Sergeant Who Killed Guard

OAKLAND, Calif.A former U.S. Air Force staff sergeant and alleged member of the boogaloo extremist movement was sentenced to 41 years in prison Friday for the fatal shooting of a federal security officer in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Steven Carrillo, 33, had pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal murder charge in the killing of David Patrick Underwood and to the attempted murder of Underwoods colleague after federal prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty.

The men were shot on May 29, 2020, while they stood in front of a federal building in Oakland as hundreds marched on the streets.

In February, Carrillo admitted to posting messages on Facebook a day before the shooting asking anyone if they were down to boog and saying he was ready to act and not just talk. He also admitted firing 19 rounds from a homemade rifle from the back of a white van being driven by a man he connected with online.

I aligned myself with the anti-government movement and wanted to carry out violent acts against federal law enforcement officers in particular, Carrillo said then.

Prosecutors on Jan. 31 said they would not seek the death penalty, but U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said at a February hearing she was not convinced that a 41-year-sentence agreed to by prosecutors and defense lawyers was sufficient for Carrillos crimes.

Gonzalez Rogers had warned that she could reject the plea agreement if she didnt feel prosecutors and defense lawyers did enough to justify the sentence.

On Friday, Gonzalez Rogers sentenced Carrillo to the 41-year term, a lifetime of supervised release and an amount of restitution to be determined at a later date, a court official said. She spoke directly to Underwoods family, explaining why she had accepted the agreement.

I believe there is evil in this world.  But from what I read and studied as I tried to make and find logic in the illogical, as I have looked for answers, as you are frustrated and angry that such a tragedy could happen, what I can tell you is that I do not see evil in Mr. Carrillo, the judge was quoted as saying by the Mercury News.

I know (the plea agreement) wont make you happy but I need you to trust me. I would not accept it if I saw no measure of redemption, she said. He will spend virtually the rest of his life in prison in a cell that is typically no bigger than 10 by 6not even bigger than that jury box.

Prosecutors have said Carrillo, of Santa Cruz, had ties to the boogaloo movementa concept embraced by a loose network of militia-style extremists.

Authorities accused Carrillo of fatally shooting Underwood after spraying a guard shack he was in with bullets.

Prosecutors said Robert Alvin Justus Jr., of Millbrae, drove the van. He faces federal charges of murder and attempted murder in the case.

The pair is accused of driving to Oakland and taking advantage of the distraction afforded by people marching through the citys downtown to protest George Floyds killing by a police officer in Minneapolis.

Carrillo was arrested a week after the shooting in Oakland after he allegedly ambushed sheriffs deputies in Santa Cruz County who were responding to a report of a van containing firearms and bomb-making materials. Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, 38, was killed and several other law enforcement officials were wounded, according to authorities and court records.

Prosecutors in Santa Cruz charged Carrillo with a slew of felonies, including murder and attempted murder in connection to that killing.

Carrillo has pleaded not guilty to Gutzwillers killing.
ADA Shakedown Lawsuits Are on the Rise

Before Roozbeh Farahanipour became chair of the West Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, his restaurant was sued because the bathroom was non-compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

It lacked guard rails and the bag hook was too high on the bathroom door, he said.

Farahanipour settled with the law firm that filed the complaint for $11,000.

That was really hard on me because we did not have that money and I had to borrow the money, he said. I did not know the legal system or how to even answer the lawsuit when it was served.

Farahanipour, whose country of origin is Iran, was sued again by the same law firm at a second restaurant he opened in 2021. He paid $17,000 to settle the claim

Immigrants are the best target because they are more scared, Farahanipour told The Epoch Times. They dont know the law. They are not comfortable with the language and many other issues.

Farahanipour is not alone in having been sued twice for allegedly violating the ADA.

Thousands of small business owners in California have been targeted, according to Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon and San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin who together sued the law firm, Potter Handy, alleging it was shaking down small businesses using serial ADA filings in violation of procedural reforms under the Unruh Civil Rights Act.

Each year, Potter Handy files thousands of boilerplate ADA/Unruh lawsuits on behalf of a few repeat plaintiffs against California small businesses with little regard to whether those businesses actually violate the ADA, the complaint states. These lawsuits are financially onerous, in large part because the Unruh Act (but not its federal counterpart) allows Potter Handy to demand damages of at least $4,000 per alleged violation.

The Potter Handy law firm did not respond to requests for comment and Greg Risling, assistant chief of media relations in the Los Angeles District Attorneys office declined to comment.

The complaint was filed last month in San Francisco County Superior Court.

California is not the only state grappling with serial litigants filing ADA lawsuits against small businesses.

Were seeing these all across the country, said Karen Harned, an attorney and executive director of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB)s Small Business Legal Center in Washington, D.C. A woman who owned a hotel in Minnesota was sued in February for not having a disability-accessible pool. Whos going swimming outdoors in Minnesota in February?

In New York, the Greenwich Village Chelsea Chamber of Commerce reports some twenty small businesses have been sued in lower Manhattan in just the last two years.

We want to make sure the fees the lawyers are charging the businesses are not being shared with the plaintiff, said Maria Diaz, executive director of the Greenwich Village Chelsea Chamber of Commerce. My understanding is that its unethical because you can only sue for damages. Business owners can pay for the damages but its the fees for the lawyers that are exorbitant.

Diaz sent a letter to Attorney General Letitia James and New Yorks Chief Disability Officer Kimberly Hill in April asking the state to investigate.

Many of my member businesses have been victims of predatory ADA lawsuits, some more than once, and have received demand letters from attorneys looking for quick settlements to avoid court proceedings, Diaz wrote. The latter practice signals to me a clear sign that these lawyers are abusing the law to increase their bottom lines rather than expand access for all.

But, so far, neither James nor Hill has responded to the letter or to requests for comment from The Epoch Times. The New York State Bar Association and the California Bar Association declined to comment.

Diaz noted in her letter that attorney Stuart Finkelstein filed more than 300 fraudulent ADA lawsuits in New York City, including some in Chelsea and Greenwich Village, on behalf of two plaintiffs who had no idea he was filing claims with their names.

This may seem like an extreme case, but other attorneys file dozens of cases each year on behalf of individual plaintiffs, she stated in writing. In response, I strongly urge your collective offices to investigate and scrutinize attorneys that serially file similar cut-and-paste lawsuits.

In 2019, the Department of Justice charged Finkelstein with mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, false declarations to a court, and obstruction of justice for stealing the identities of two individuals in order to file hundreds of unauthorized fraudulent lawsuits pursuant to the ADA, according to charging documents.

In response to the widening cottage industry, Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) introduced H.R.77, also known as the ADA Compliance for Customer Entry to Stores and Services (ACCESS) Act, to help businesses nationwide comply. The proposed legislation is pending in the House Judiciarys Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

Small business owners face tremendous challenges to keep the doors open and should be protected from serial litigants trying to exploit laws, like the ADA, for personal gain, said Rep. Calvert in a statement online.

If H.R. 77 is approved, a business owner would have 120 days to address the infraction.

Weve been arguing for over a decade now in Congress for a right to cure provision, which would allow business owners a chance to fix the actual problem before going and suing small businesses in court, Harned added. If they dont correct, thats on them but dont pressure them to pay tens of thousands of dollars to corrupt attorneys plus correct.
A file image of the then deputy leader of the opposition Richard Marles at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on Dec. 7, 2020. Marles is now the countrys deputy prime minister and the defence minister. (Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

Australian Ministers to Meet to Tackle Energy Crisis

Australian ministers at both state and federal levels will meet to address the energy crisis sweeping through the country.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said the federal government would consider employing all possible measures to improve gas supplies across the east coast.

Well be meeting with the regulator (and) with our state counterparts in a ministerial meeting next week to look at every available option here, Marles told the Nine Network.

The regulators already said that in initiating gas supply mechanism, theyre already seeing more gas supply into the southeast corner of the country, and that should have a short-term impact.

On June 1, the Australian Energy Market Operator implemented the Gas Supply Guarantee Mechanism for the first time since its introduction in 2017. The mechanism was expected to make gas available for power generators and prevent a gas shortage in southern states.

Gas and electricity prices have shot up across Australia due to increased winter demand for energy, unscheduled outages at coal-fired power stations, and gas shortages caused by the Russia-Ukraine war.

The Yallourn coal-fired power station in the Latrobe Valley of Victoria, Australia, on April 28, 2022. (Caden Pearson, The Epoch Times)

Meanwhile, Energy Minister Chris Bowen is expected to organize the meeting in the week commencing June 6.

At the same time, Marles said that the government would seek to boost renewable energy production in the medium to long term. Still, the deputy prime minister noted that it would take time to make changes to the energy grid.

What we have got now is really the product of nine years of failure on the part of the former government in terms of having consistent energy policy, he said.

Investment in renewables is down, which is why we dont have a grid that can accept them.

However, opposition leader Peter Dutton described Marles criticism as a complete rewrite of history.

This government went to the election saying they had the answers, and clearly they dont, Dutton said.

This is nothing to do with renewables. I think the government has to take responsibility for what is a serious issue.

In addition, Dutton said that despite international factors adversely affecting the Australian energy market, there were mechanisms in place to navigate evolving situations.

Obviously, international impacts out of Europe  at the moment mean the government has to respond, he said.

It seems to me that the inexperience of both Anthony Albanese and Chris Bowen is shining through. They have got the ability and the legislation there to deal with this, and they dont know what they should do.

Meanwhile, the federal government has faced calls to trigger the Australian Domestic Gas Reservation Mechanism to redirect exports and support domestic supply.

Nevertheless, the energy minister said the mechanism would not lead to a change in gas prices in the short term.

Thats a misunderstanding of how the mechanism works  it cannot come into force until January 1 next year, Bowen told reporters.
A teacher supervising students in the Yang Dezhi "Red Army" elementary school in Wenshui, Xishui County, in Guizhou Province, China, on Nov. 7, 2016. (Fred Dufour/AFP via Getty Images)

Beijing Stirs Public Outrage Over Old Textbooks to Flame Anti-West Sentiment

Over the past week, Chinese elementary school math textbooks suddenly became a hot topic on Chinas internet. Chinese netizens have been criticizing the illustrations in the textbooks as inappropriate, disturbing, repulsive, ugly, anti-China, etc. However, the textbooks were approved by Chinas Ministry of Education almost 10 years ago and have been in use since 2014.

Current affairs commentator Wei Yu, host of the Youtube channel Wei Yu Sees the World, says that Beijing is manipulating public opinion to once again cast blame on so-called infiltration from the West, particularly the United States.

The Controversial Illustrations

Pictures of the controversial illustrations have been circulating on Weibo, Chinas Twitter-like platform.

One picture of a playground scene shows a boy pulling a girls skirt, and another boy grabbing a girl with his hands on her chest. Another picture shows a girls underwear while she is jumping rope. Multiple pictures show bulges protruding from boys pants.

There are pictures of children wearing clothes with stars and stripes resembling patterns of the American flag. Other pictures show dialogues among children praising someones blue eyes and blond hair. Some Chinese netizens say that they are pro-America.

Furthermore, almost all children in the illustrations have small, drooping, and wide-set eyes, which are considered condescending to the Chinese people. Some pictures have the children sticking their tongues out, making them very ugly.

Investigation Announced

The public outrage was so overwhelming that the state-run publisher, Peoples Education Press, apologized on a May 28 Weibo post, and vowed to replace the illustrations and review the other publications.

On the same day, the Ministry of Education ordered a review of all middle school and elementary school textbooks. Two days later, on May 30, the Ministry announced a sweeping investigation of all textbooks from elementary school to college. The Ministry of Education also promised to identify and hold the people involved responsible.

The notice from the Chinese Ministry of Education announcing a sweeping investigation on the textbooks from elementary school to college on May 30, 2022. (Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

The Textbooks Were Approved Almost a Decade Ago

However, these textbooks are not new. They were approved in 2013 by the Ministry of Education and have been in use since 2014, according to Chinese reports.

The cover of a math textbook for 4th grade students. The circle on the top left says approved by the Ministry of Education in 2013. (Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

In fact, back in 2014 there were already complaints about the illustrations, but no government agencies paid attention to the complaints.

Why now?

Current affairs commentator Wei Yu said that the illustrations becoming a hot topic is not simply because everyone happens to talk about it, especially in the closely monitored and controlled online space in China. The internet traffic flow is controlled from the backend, if [the CCP wants] the public to pay attention to something, there is always a way for them to achieve that, she said.

Textbooks have always been tightly controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), who uses the textbooks as a tool to indoctrinate young children. The fact that the textbooks have been in use for almost a decade indicates that the CCP needs to use them to stir up public outrage now, according to Wei Yus analysis; the public opinions [in China] are manipulated by a small number of people.

Blaming It on Western Infiltration

The Weibo account #ThoughtTorch posted this comment on May 28: [We] must look at the issue from its core. This is the result of the Wests long-term ideological infiltration, and attempts to peacefully change [China]. It is inevitable because our cultural and educational domains have long been westernized and acting like a slave [to the West]. It is a reflection of failed ideological work!

#ThoughtTorch is the official Weibo account of the Research Center for National Cultural Security and Ideological Formation, which is part of the Academy of Marxism at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Wei Yu said #ThoughtTorch reflects the will of the CCP.

The Party state needs to manipulate and steer public opinions. This time, its goal is to flame the anti-America sentiment by blaming the issues on the infiltration from the West.

Beijings zero-COVID policy and harsh lockdowns have created a lot of humanitarian disasters, even Shanghai couldnt escape. Many people have realized the problems with the CCP and more people want to leave China.

But the CCP does not allow that many people to leave. It needs to make the people stay by limiting their access to the West and inciting hatred against the West. The idea that America has infiltrated Chinas educational system and is poisoning Chinas younger generation fits the bill.

Indoctrination

Wei Yu pointed out that the traditions in China, as well as in America, are being destroyed. Communist ideology has infiltrated both Chinese society and the West. America is also experiencing the decline of morality and diminishing traditions. The illustrations are a reflection of communist infiltration of traditional values.

The CCP, in recent years, has been removing Western influences on young people. The CCP started a boycott Christmas movement, not allowing Christmas to be celebrated in China.

University students wearing traditional Chinese outfits hold banners reading Resist Christmas, Chinese people should not celebrate foreign festivals in Changsha, central Chinas Hunan Province, during an anti-Christmas street protest on Dec. 24, 2014. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

The Bitter Winter magazine reported cases of textbooks being altered to remove content related to Christianity. For example, in Hans Christian Andersens The Little Match Girl, the original text reads When a star falls, a soul goes to God. It has been changed to When a star falls, a person leaves in Chinese textbooks.

In Chinese textbooks, content about the Bible and prayer book were removed from Daniel Defoes novel Robinson Crusoe.

In addition, the CCP has been adding more pro-Communist Party content in the textbooks.

An elementary school class reads the standardized textbooks for learning Chinese in Sichuan Province, China, on April 8, 2005. (China Photos/Getty Images)

First-generation CCP head Mao Zedongs speech from 1944 has been included in elementary school Chinese textbooks for years. The students are required to memorize the speech.

During World War II, Chinas then-ruling Kuomintang led the war against the Japanese invasion for eight years. However, the CCP-created textbooks say it was the CCP who fought and defeated the Japanese.

The official publication for the high school curriculum called New Curriculum Review published an article on April 15, 2022. The author tells a story of his grandfather, who was a member of the CCP. Before the CCP took power in 1949, the grandfather worked on raising funds for the CCP army. But one day, the authors grandmother wanted to take the money. As she was running away, the grandfather shot and killed her. After that, the grandfather never remarried.

The editor commented on the story, I cant help but [feel] moved by his lofty character and love for the country.

One netizen commented, I felt chills through my bones.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden board Marine One at Gordons Pond in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on March 20, 2022. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden Evacuated After Security Breach Near Delaware Beach House

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden were briefly evacuated from their beach house in Delaware to a secure location on June 4 when a small private plane entered the restricted air space above the property, the White House and the Secret Service said.

The Bidens stayed in the secure place, a local fire station, for just over 30 minutes before returning to the Rehoboth Beach home.

There was no threat to the president or his family, a White House official stated.

Shortly before 1 p.m. today, a privately owned aircraft entered the restricted airspace over Rehoboth Delaware after mistakenly entering a secured area, the Secret Service said in a statement. The aircraft was immediately escorted out of the restricted airspace. Preliminary investigation reveals the pilot was not on the proper radio channel, was not following the NOTAMS (Notice to Airmen) that had been filed, and was not following published flight guidance. The United States Secret Service will be interviewing the pilot.

CBS reporter Bo Erickson shared more details in a string of Twitter posts.

According to Erickson, the private plane was flying over the area around the Bidens beach house at 12:45 p.m. local time. The Secret Service then contacted Rehoboth Beach Fire Chief Chuck Snyder and requested to bring the Bidens to the fire station.

The Biden motorcade arrived at the fire station at 12:52 p.m. and left at 1:29 p.m.

At 12:52 p.m, I saw @POTUS motorcade race into the Rehoboth Fire Station. I saw President Biden through the window of an SUV. Right before the motorcade, I saw 2 military jets flying low over the beach town. The press pool is not with the motorcade, he wrote. Motorcade just left the fire station at 1:29 p.m.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on May 31, 2022. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Biden Says No Direct Plans for Saudi Arabia Visit But Leaves Door Open for Future Trip

President Joe Biden said Friday he has no direct plans to head to Saudi Arabia though he left open the door for a future trip, as rumors swirl around a possible visit to discuss global oil supply and mend strained WashingtonRiyadh relations.

Biden made the remarks during a June 3 press conference in Delaware, where he was asked if hes going to go to Saudi Arabia.

Im not sure whether Im going, Biden replied. I have no direct plans at the moment. Were looking at it.

He said that there is a possibility that I would be going to meet with both the Israelis and some Arab countries, adding that he expects Saudi Arabia would be included in that if I did go.

Biden was then asked by a reporter whether he still considers Saudi Arabia to be a pariah, which is how he described the Kingdom while on the presidential campaign trail, in context of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

Look, Im not going to change my view on human rights, Biden replied. But as president of the United States, my job is to bring peace if I can  and thats what Im going to try to do.

In 2018, the CIA concluded that Saudi Arabias de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, had personally ordered Khashoggis killing, claims the crown prince has denied.

A picture of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Kashoggi is displayed during a ceremony near the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2019. (Lefteris Pitarakis/AP)

During the press conference in Delaware, a reporter asked Biden whether hed be open to meeting with the crown prince if he did end up going to Saudi Arabia.

Look, were getting way ahead of ourselves here. What I want to do is see to it that we diminish the likelihood that theres a continuation of this  some of the senseless wars between Israel and the Arab nations. And thats what Im focused on, Biden replied.

The prospect of a Biden visit to Saudi Arabia has been rumored for some time, with Axios reporting in March that some of the presidents advisers were privately discussing a possible trip in the spring to help repair ties between Washington and Riyadh, and to persuade the Kingdom to pump more oil.

At the time, a White House spokesperson downplayed the rumors, telling Axios that a lot of this is premature speculation.

More speculation about a Biden trip to Riyadh was fueled after the OPEC+ alliance of oil-producing countriesan organization chaired by Saudi Arabiarecently agreed to boost oil production after months of prodding by the White House to pump more oil in a bid to quell soaring gasoline prices.

Citing sources familiar with the process, Reuters reported that Biden was planning a trip to Saudi Arabia in late June, with the visit to coincide with a trip to Europe and Israel.

Later, citing anonymous senior officials in the Biden administration, NBC reported that the White House had postponed plans for a June trip and that Bidens visit to Saudi Arabia would likely take place in July.

Those same officials, however, told NBC that the plans were in flux and subject to change.

While the U.S. State Department describes U.S.-Saudi relations as strong and close, the Wall Street Journal reported that ties between the two countries were at breaking point, citing Bidens pariah remarks, Riyadhs unwillingness to bow to Washington requests to pump more oil, and the overhang of Khashoggis killing.

The outlet described a supposedly tense exchange between the crown prince and Bidens national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, in which Sullivan allegedly asked bin Salman about the journalists slaying. The crown prince reportedly responded by shouting at Sullivan, demanding no more talk of Khashoggi and telling the adviser to forget any oil production boosts.

Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sept. 18, 2019. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

After that article was published, a Saudi official rejected the Wall Street Journals characterization of that meeting, telling the outlet that the discussion between Sullivan and the crown prince was respectful and cordial, while denying that relations between their respective nations were strained.

Over the course of the last 77 years of Saudi-U.S. relations, there have been many disagreements and differing points of view over many issues, but that has never stopped the two countries from finding a way to work together, the official told the Wall Street Journal.

The two countries have strong economic and security ties, with the United States being Saudi Arabias second-largest trading partner.

The State Department says that the Kingdom plays an important role in working toward a peaceful and prosperous future for the region and is a strong partner in security and counterterrorism efforts and in military, diplomatic, and financial cooperation.
This undated file illustration shows the capsule that the Blue Origin company aims to take tourists into space. (Blue Origin via AP)

Blue Origin Launches 6 People on 5th Space Flight

Blue Origin successfully completed its fifth human spaceflight that sent six people to suborbital space on Saturday, including Katya Echazarreta, the first Mexican-born woman to fly into space.

The New Shepard program mission called NS-21, launched from the companys West Texas site at 9:25 a.m. EDT (1325 GMT), when its rocket vehicle lifted off from Launch Site One, the companys facility about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the town of Van Horn.

Echazarreta, A 26-year-old electrical and hardware engineer joined the international crew for the less than 10-minute flight launched by Jeff Bezos Blue Origin.

She is the first passenger sponsored by the nonprofit Space for Humanity and is one of the youngest women to fly to space.

Another crew member on the flight is civil production engineer Victor Correa Hespanha.

He was the second Brazilian to fly to space.

The New Shepard capsule and its six passengers touched down under parachutes into a cloud of dust in the Texas desert after the short flight that reached a peak of 347,538 feet (106 kilometers) above ground level.

The flight comes as Blue Origin competes with Elon Musks SpaceX and Richard Bransons Virgin Galactic for space tourism dollars.
Logo of global biopharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb on its building in Le Passage, near Agen, France, on March 29, 2018. (Regis Duvignau/Reuters)

Bristol Myers Boosts Cancer Drug Portfolio With $4.1 Billion Turning Point Deal

Bristol Myers Squibb Co. said on Friday it will acquire drug developer Turning Point Therapeutics Inc. for $4.1 billion in cash to help bolster its arsenal of cancer drugs.

Turning Points lead drug, repotrectinib, targets mutations in certain proteins in the body that lead to unchecked cell growth.

Bristol Myers will pay $76 per Turning Point share, a 122.5 percent premium to its last closing price.

The deal comes at a time when a dearth of large acquisitions, clinical failures, and investor exits following a gradual easing of the pandemic have hammered biotech stocks.

Wall Street analysts said the deal could help lift sector sentiment.

The deal will surprise many investors who over the past year have begun to believe late-to-market targeted oncology drugs are likely to be commercial failures, Stifel analyst Bradley Canino said.

Repotrectinib belongs to a class of treatments known as tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and is being tested to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and other advanced solid tumors.

However, the drug, if approved, will compete in a crowded market for lung cancer treatments and contend for market share with Bristol Myers own drug Opdivo, and other cancer drugs made by Roche, Merck & Co Inc. and AstraZeneca.

Bristol Myers said it expects repotrectinib to become a standard-of-care therapy for certain patients with NSCLC, a lucrative market for drug developers, when it is approved.

Sales of Bristol Myers Opdivo have fallen below those of rival Mercks blockbuster treatment, Keytruda.

Bristol Myers expects U.S. approval for repotrectinib in the second half of 2023.

By Manas Mishra and Amruta Khandekar
People look at a destroyed houses near the village of Barisha after an operation by the U.S. military which targeted Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the shadowy leader of ISIS, in Idlib province, Syria, on Oct. 27, 2019. (Ghaith Alsayed/AP Photo)

Brooklyn Resident Sentenced for Funding ISIS Foreign Fighter: DOJ Report

A citizen of Uzbekistan residing in Brooklyn was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Friday for conspiring and providing material support to the terrorist organization ISIS.

Dilkhayot Kasimov, 34, was convicted following a one-week trial in September 2019 after assisting Abdurasul Juraboev and Akhror Saidakhmetov, both of whom planned to travel to Syria to fight for ISIS back in 2015. Kasimov collected cash for the trip from co-conspirators, Abror Habibov and others, adding his contribution, and transferred $1,600 to Saidakhmetov at the John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Kasimov is an ISIS supporter who collected and gave money to another individual to fund his travel to join the terrorist group. With this sentence, Kasimov is being held accountable for his crimes, said Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen in the Justice Departments June 3 news release.

U.S. attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York said, Todays sentence demonstrates the significant consequences for those who help terrorist groups, including by facilitating travel of others to join ISIS.

He added that Kasimov was part of a larger group that sought to go to Syria and join ISIS or fund others who were interested. The Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners will continue working relentlessly to protect our country from terrorists and those who would provide support to them.

Providing financial assistance to ISIS-inspired potential fighters comes with a stiff penalty, said Assistant Director in Charge Michael J. Driscoll of the FBI New York Field Office in the DOJ report.

As Kasimov learned today, his actions will cost him 15 years behind bars. The FBI continues to make every effort to protect Americans at home and abroad and to bring other like-minded criminals to justice, said Driscoll.

Along with Kasimov, Juraboev and Saidakahmetov were sentenced to 15 years while Azizjon Rakhmatov was sentenced to 12.5 years imprisonment. Other defendants, Habibov and Akmal Zakirov, are awaiting their sentencing, and a seventh co-conspirator, Dilshod Khusanov, is scheduled to be sentenced on July 5.

At its peak in 2015, ISIS recruited around 30,000 fighters from at least 85 countries around the world with a network of affiliates in at least eight countries other than Syria and Iraq, which were their strongholds.

Although a majority of fighters joined in from the Middle East, there were many from the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. ISIS recruitment was a global phenomenon that gave the terrorist organization human capital to operate outside the Middle East.

In 2019, the group was finally dismantled during the administration of President Donald Trump. There was a mass surrender of ISIS fighters during the year, which culminated with the death of the leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi in a U.S. raid in northern Syria.
Bruce Pardy: On Speech and Conduct, Repressive Tolerance Is a Feature, Not a Bug

Commentary

Its OK to insult conservatives, truckers, and vaccine skeptics, but its not OK to insult Jagmeet Singh, the leader of the federal NDP. Thats the lesson to be taken from acting Peterborough police chief Tim Farquharson. After protesters at a May 10 provincial election rally in Peterborough called Singh a traitor, Farquharson called their actions morally unacceptable and their belief systems reprehensible, unconscionable, and in some cases, criminal.

Double standards on speech and conduct are baked into our current political order. Burning churches and blocking railways are blows in support of social justice, but peacefully protesting vaccine mandates constitutes a public order emergency. Defying lockdown rules is a threat to public safety when parishioners gather for church services in parking lots, but not when thousands gather for Black Lives Matter marches. Law-abiding gun owners are vilified while minimum sentences for gun crimes are eliminated. The hypocrisy of our authorities is no accident. Their choices are deliberate and calculated.

We live in a crazy world today that seems to have gone off the rails, says James Lindsay, the leading American intellectual critic of the illiberal politics of the progressive left. [I]t is being driven by a broken logic, and, for all the flaws on the right, that broken logic is centred in the no-longer-tolerant left.

That logic, according to Lindsay, is rooted in a single 1965 essay by neo-Marxist philosopher Herbert Marcuse called Repressive Tolerance, whose theme Lindsay encapsulates in one sentence: Movements from the left must be extended tolerance, even when they are violent, while movements from the right must not be tolerated, including suppressing them by violence.

This is the world we now inhabit. If you are not on board with the prevailing program, your speech and behaviour must be crushed. Intolerance should extend to actions as well as to expression, Marcuse wrote, true pacification requires the withdrawal of tolerance  at the stage of communication in word, print, and picture. Such extreme suspension of the right of free speech and free assembly is indeed justified.  Different opinions and philosophies can no longer compete peacefully for adherence and persuasion on rational grounds.

Once upon a time, when they were cultural mavericks, liberals championed free speech. Establishment conservatives were the censors, urging limits on obscenity, blasphemy, and communist propaganda. In a free society, went the liberal argument, all must be able to express ideas and opinions no matter who has the reins of power. Freedom of expression protected the dissenter, the rebel, and the heretic from the orthodoxy of the prevailing view.

Now the shoe is on the other foot. Free speech is no longer needed to protect the left, whose sensibilities now prevail. Liberalism has morphed into the dominant ideology of woke progressivism, which rules government, mainstream media, universities, big corporations, public schools, public health authorities, and, increasingly, courts. It turns out that progressives were less interested in the principle of free speech than in promoting their own values.

You cant miss it unless you avert your eyes. The Trudeau government, for instance, has repeatedly promised to pass legislation to monitor social media for misinformation and hate speech. A new orthodoxy is being established: Speech consistent with progressive norms is legitimate, while contrary opinions are racist, alt-right, or violent; whether speech is objectionable depends in part upon the identity of the speaker and the subject; attacking European culture, whiteness, Western values, or Christianity is proper speech, but defending them is beyond the pale.

In this era of repressive tolerance, the most exhausting, ineffectual political figure is the earnest conservative. Rather than condemning the illiberal liberal, who openly expresses an aggressively intolerant agenda, the conservative instead honourably refuses to believe it.

We should stop political bickering, says Scott Aitchison, a candidate for the leadership of the federal Conservative Party, and instead respect one another.

Conservatives reform institutions, says Jean Charest, a leadership rival who wants to preserve the CBC. We dont tear them down.

But the ideas championed by Marcuse and his intellectual comrades have already irredeemably overtaken most Canadian public institutions.

Our naivety is among the most useful, effective, and dangerous weapons in the arsenal of the woke. Chamberlains of our day cannot accept that Canada is now dominated by a leftist elite bent on the cultural transformation that they transparently promote. Those who bemoan polarization of the electorate have become blind to what is happening right in front of their eyes. The country is polarized because one side rejects the legitimacy, indeed the existence, of the other.

These are not your grandparents liberals. They mean what they say. Listen, and then ignore at your peril.

This column is a contribution to Inside Policy of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Police on scene at a Tops Friendly Market after a mass shooting at the store in Buffalo, N.Y., on May 14, 2022. (John Normile/Getty Images)

Buffalo 911 Dispatcher Fired After Hanging up on Tops Employee During Shooting

A 911 operator has been fired after being accused of hanging up on a woman calling from inside the Tops supermarket during the mass shooting that killed 10 people and injured three more in Buffalo on May 14.

During the shooting, the stores assistant office manager, Latisha Rogers, called 911 and was allegedly chided by the operator for whispering while hiding from the gunman, she told local media.

She was yelling at me, saying, Why are you whispering? You dont have to whisper,' Rogers told Buffalo News.

And I was telling her, Maam, hes still in the store. Hes shooting. Im scared for my life. I dont want him to hear me. Can you please send help? She got mad at me, hung up in my face.

Feeling like the operator left me to die, Rogers scrambled to phone her boyfriend to ask him to contact the police, she told the outlet days after the incident.

When Rogers claims first came to light, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz told a press conference on May 18 that it was their intention to fire the operator who he said acted totally inappropriately, not following protocol.

We teach our 911 call takers that if somebodys whispering, it probably means they are in trouble, he said.

After putting the 911 operator on administrative leave, the Erie County Department of Personnel fired her on Thursday after a disciplinary hearing, spokesperson Peter Anderson said in a statement obtained by NBC.

The individual, who was the subject of a disciplinary hearing yesterday, is no longer employed as a police complaint writer for Erie County, Anderson said.

Caught at Scene

The 18-year-old gunman Payton Gendron has since pleaded not guilty to hate-motivated domestic terrorism and other charges for allegedly targeting black people when he opened fire in the store. Authorities have said he was an avowed white supremacist.

Payton Gendron arrives for a hearing at the Erie County Courthouse in Buffalo, N.Y., on May 19, 2022. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Gendron surrendered to police at the scene after putting his rifle to his neck. He has been incriminated as the gunman according to witnesses, police, and his own writings. He also livestreamed the shooting, the Associated Press reported.

There is overwhelming proof of the defendants guilt, Assistant District Attorney John Fereleto said. The defendant was caught at the scene of the crime with the weapon in his hands.

Gendron has been held without bail since the shooting and is due back in court July 7.
Burger King Caught in Complex Legal Web, Preventing Russia Exit

NEW YORKFor at least a decade, Burger Kings formula for European expansion has relied on a joint venture partnership, including a master franchisee, to open and operate new locations.

But now the fast-food chain has a whopper of a problem in Russia. It hasnt been able to exit its partnership or close its roughly 800 franchised locations following Russias February invasion of Ukraine.

Burger King halted corporate support for its Russia locations in March. Parent company Restaurant Brands International Inc. (RBI), which was formed in 2014 when Burger King merged with Tim Hortons, said on March 17 that it was trying to sell its stake in the joint venture.

However, the restaurants remain open and thriving in locations such as central Moscow where queues have become the norm. Demand has been helped by rival McDonalds currently being closed ahead of a reopening under new branding later this month.

I usually go to Burger King, I dont care about McDonalds, said university teacher Elena Aleksandrova, 37, as she picked up a Whopper and soda on Friday at a Burger King in an underground shopping mall just outside the Kremlin.

McDonalds struck a deal last month to sell its Russian business to one of its local franchisees, retaining an option to buy the business back within 15 years. Burger Kings exit is proving far more problematic.

Reuters could not determine the status of any negotiations.

Part of the problem, lawyers said this week, is the complexity of its joint-venture-style master franchise agreement, which allows Burger King to profit from sales of Whopper burgers without the risk of using its own capital.

Unlike rival McDonalds Corp., which owned the vast majority of its Russia locations, Burger Kings Toronto-based parent doesnt own any of its own restaurants in Russia.

Theres just a really complex contractual and legal atmosphere right now thats giving franchisees and franchisors in Russia no good option, said Liz Dillon, partner at Lathrop GPM in Minneapolis.

According to a March 17 open letter to employees from RBI International President David Shear, RBI holds a 15 percent stake in Burger King Russia Ltd., its Russia joint venture.

Additional partners are Russias state-owned bank VTB, which has been sanctioned by the United States and European Union, and Kyiv-based private equity and asset management firm Investment Capital Ukraine (ICU), Shears letter said.

And Alexander Kolobov, Burger Kings master franchisee in Russia, owns 30 percent of the joint venture, Kolobov told Reuters in an email in March.

RBI blamed Kolobov for refusing to shut restaurants, according to Shears letter. But Kolobov told Reuters at the time that he had never had full operational control and lacked the authority to close restaurants without agreement from all the joint venture partners.

A spokesperson for Kolobov said via email that he declined to comment on whether he was in talks to buy RBIs stake of the joint venture. RBI referred Reuters back to Shears letter. VTB could not be reached for comment.

A franchisor cant physically or legally stop a franchisee from operating if they wish to do so in the current situation, said Lee Plave, a franchise attorney at Plave Koch PLC in Virginia. The legal remedies that are available take time, and even when you pursue them, youd still end up in a Russian courtroom to enforce an order, which is an unlikely prospect at this time.

To be sure, some lawyers told Reuters that forcing franchisees to close their locations is unfair to regular Russian people who had nothing to do with the governments decision to invade Ukraine. The franchisees in Russia are not the ones waging war on Ukraine. The customers who go into those stores are not the ones waging war, said Beata Krakus, a franchise lawyer at Greensfelder in Chicago.

Leaving Russia also potentially exposes companies to a new law advancing there that would allow the government to seize local assets of western companies that exitadding pressure on companies to remain.

Burger Kings parent and other U.S.-based companies will soon be subject to a new rule from the Biden Administrationtaking effect June 7that limits their ability to provide management consulting services to anyone in Russia.

Some lawyers believe the rule could be read to cover services that brands normally provide to franchisees, including sourcing products, management techniques, inventory controls, site selection, operations manuals, and even just taking a call seeking advice.

It puts a lot of pressure on these companies, said Erik Wulff, a partner at DLA Piper in Washington, who specializes in franchise law for global consumer product, clothing, and footwear companies.

What will likely happen in a number of these situations is that the U.S. partner will be bought out, Wulff said. At that point, its a distressed sale.

By Hilary Russ
Capitol Police Officer Exercised Questionable Judgment After Entering Congressmans Office: Watchdog

The U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officer who entered a congressmans office and took a picture of a whiteboard exercised questionable judgment and didnt follow the agencys policies in his handling of the incident, a watchdog has found.

The USCPs inspector general reviewed the actions of officer Kevin Dias, who claims he saw the door to the office of Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) wide open on Nov. 20, 2021.

Dias said he went inside the office and spotted a whiteboard that contained writings about China and body armor, which he found suspicious. Dias took a picture, which he was said to have sent to a supervisor. The USCP later sent three intelligence agents to the office, where they questioned a staffer who answered the door.

Nehls, a former sheriff, asked for an investigation into the incident, asserting what happened was illegal.

According to the inspector generals report, which was first reported by Just the News and obtained by The Epoch Times, Dias exercised questionable judgment in concluding it was his duty or mission to read and photograph the written product of a congressman or the congressmans staff contained on a whiteboard in a private congressional office.

The watchdog, though, claimed the officers actions were mitigated by that fact that in its review, the inspector general found no evidence of where this type of scenario was discussed or relevant guidance was provided by the Department in officer training or its written procedures.

Nehls told The Epoch Times that he was disappointed with the work of the watchdog, which chose to conduct a review instead of an audit.

The watchdog said that it reviewed USCP policies and procedures and interviewed officials, officers, and staff members of Nehls in addition to inspecting the door Dias claimed to find open. We did not conduct an audit, the objective of which would be the expression of an opinion on Department programs. Accordingly, we do not express such an opinion, the office said in the report.

Nehls noted that the watchdog never seized the phone Dias used to snap the picture or obtain other hard evidence, such as emails sent between USCP officers, instead relying on testimony from Dias and others.

I believe theres a cover up here, Nehls said.

A USCP spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email: In February, a U.S. Representative claimed that we illegally investigated and spied on him and his staff. The allegations were made after one of our vigilant officers noticed the door to the Congressmans office suite had been left open during the Thanksgiving weekend. The U.S. Representative was never under criminal investigation. His staff was never under criminal investigation. The Inspector Generals report supports these conclusions.

Spreading unfounded conspiracy theories in the press undermines the work our brave men and women do every day to protect the Members of Congress, the Capitol Complex, and the legislative process, the spokesperson added.

Ronald Gregory, the acting USCP inspector general, told The Epoch Times in an email that the office does not release reports related to internal investigations to the general public/media.

Dias told the watchdog that he was suspicious about words on the board including Body Armor, remove BM, and Felony to fake NIH cert., and that a rough map had been drawn of the Rayburn and Longworth Buildings with an x marking one spot. He said he took a picture based on his officer training. He also cited his training in explaining why he filled out a form called a PD-76, which is meant to detail contact with individuals.

According to the inspector general, because Dias came into contact with no individuals when entering the office, he should have filled out a form called CP-50. Additionally, a form filled out by a supervisory sergeant, called a CP-170, summarizing the days events omitted information provided by Dias.

Dias also said he had never before taken a photograph inside the office of a member of Congress, though it was the first time he had seen writing he deemed suspicious.

USCP officer Thomas Andriko recounted being asked by the USCP Command Center to contact Dias after Dias left Nehls office, with Dias relaying what had happened and asking what form he should fill out. Andriko wrongly instructed him to fill out the PD-76.

Andriko said Dias sent him the completed form along with the photograph of the whiteboard and that he forwarded the material to his on-call supervisor, Sgt. Timothy Pezzuti. Andriko reviewed the material the following day, decided it looks like an intel thing, and sent it to an intelligence supervisor after discussing with his supervisor, Sgt. David Millard.

Sgt. Kim Seifert, in the USCPs intelligence division, received the report and the photograph on Nov. 22. She sent it to Private First Class Kevin Currie, part of the division, who went to the office later that daya Saturdaywith two other officers.

The House was in recess a the time and Nehls believes the officers wanted to enter his office, thinking it would be empty. The officers were dressed in civilian clothing, which Nehls has described as making them appear like construction workers. According to the report, at least one of the officers was wearing Carhartt-branded pants, which are often used in blue-collar industries.

A U.S. Capitol Police badge in a file photograph. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The officers encountered Jay Campbell, an aide to Nehls. They explained what had happened. Campbell said that Nehls was working on legislation related to body armor and that a map of the Rayburn Office Building was on the whiteboard to direct an intern to an ice machine. Currie said that the explanation made sense and the officers left.

Campbell said he was surprised by the officers being there and thought it was weird that they did not ask to come into the office, but would not have let them in had they asked.

Currie advised superiors that he found nothing suspicious and did not believe any further investigation was needed.

Seifert said it was the first time shed ever heard of an officer photographing a whiteboard in the office of a member of Congress, but that officers were trained to report anything they thought was suspicious.

Sgt. Salvatore Guigliano, another intelligence official, said that he reviewed the materials produced by Dias and concluded the officers concerns were all over the place and not pertinent. He said he determined they could wait to be addressed until after the weekend.

But Guigliano found out that Seifert had already assigned the matter to Currie, who had already gone to the office. He told Currie he agreed with the recommendation that no further action was needed.

The actual form Dias filled out was entered by officer Kenneth Williams on Nov. 23, 2021, a delay he attributed to the weekend and a payroll day.

Williams said he didnt recall seeing a photograph but that he cannot enter pictures in the system.

The report was never updated by Sgt. Chris Dang, who is charged with updating them, according to Guigliano. He said Dang had medical issues. Guigliano himself updated the PD-76 to include no follow-up necessary on Jan. 6, over one month after Dias entered Nehls office.

Guigliano said it was the first time he heard of an officer photographing a whiteboard in the office of a member of Congress and that officers had not been issued cell phones until after the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the Capitol. He said USCP should offer guidance on when officers should take pictures, and of what.

Campbell said that USCP inspector Michael Spochart initially told him that the agency suspected Nehls had been targeted but later said that Dias had thought there may have been an intruder who had made a veiled threat against the congressman. Campbell said the door to the office, said to have been left open, closes on its own unless its propped open by a piece of furniture or other item. While the door does not lock automatically, staff members make sure each evening to lock it. Campbell said the door may have been left unlocked by mistake but that he doubted that happened.

Inspector general employees went to the door and confirmed that it automatically closed unless propped open. They interviewed Nehls legislative director, Evan Bender, who said that none of the doors into the office were under maintenance when Dias entered.

No video surveillance of Dias entering the office was available because the surveillance footage is only stored for 30 days, the watchdog found.

The watchdog made six recommendations, including that the USCP update its procedures to carefully define the term criminal activity to avoid letting officers believe they are authorized to conduct surveillance or gather intelligence on members of Congress or their staff members. The watchdog also recommended the USCP develop and implement guidance addressing privacy concerns within legislative officers, train its officers on the CP-50 and PD-76 forms, and instruct officers on how to properly use government-issued cell phones.

The USCP did not respond to a request for comment.

Nehls said he was singled out because of his criticism of the USCP, including charging that the force was ill-prepared for Jan. 6, and of House Democrat leaders.

I believe I was targeted, he said. I am one of maybe two or three members of Congress that has been a very vocal critic of the leadership team of the Capitol Police.
People queue up for COVID-19 nucleic acid tests during a new round of nucleic acid testing amid the COVID-19 resurgence in Beijing, China, on May 11, 2022. (VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

Chinas Normalization of COVID-19 Testing Draws Wide Criticism

Rights lawyers say its illegal

Megacities in China have been setting up COVID-19 nucleic acid sampling circles (testing sites) within 15 minutes walking distance from anywhere in the city since the communist regime put out the requirement to normalize the testing nationwide on May 9. It has attracted wide criticism. Rights lawyers point out that its illegal.

In Shenzhen, Xian, Beijing, and other large cities, the nucleic acid certificate valid for 48 hours has become a must for citizens to travel, enter schools and office buildings, take buses and subways, and go to restaurants and supermarkets.

June 1 was the first day of the normalized nucleic acid testing in Zhengzhou, the capital of Chinas central province Henan. Nucleic acid tests for all residents are required to be conducted every 48 hours according to the new regulation. Citizens have been complaining on Chinese social media that there are not enough testing sites in the city for the 10.35 million people, the waiting lines are too long, testing every 48 hours is too frequent, and people are unable to obtain the test results on time to go to work and study, and its disrupting peoples normal life.

Residents queue to receive COVID-19 coronavirus tests as part of a mass testing program in Zhengzhou, in Chinas central Henan Province, on Jan. 5, 2022. (STR/CNS/AFP via Getty Images)

Three provinces and 28 cities across China have announced that they would implement the normalization of nucleic acid testing. They accounted for 41 percent of Chinas GDP in 2021, involving a population of 420 million29 percent of Chinas population.

The normalization policy faces many challenges, according to media and experts.

Mainland Chinese securities firms recent research shows that the estimated cost of normalized nucleic acid testing in large cities would exceed Chinas military spending in 2021, and Chinas national medical insurance funds would be drained by it within three and a half years. So far, the huge COVID-19 testing cost has been mainly covered by the medical insurance, while local government finance has only covered about 20 percent.

However, on May 26, the National Medical Insurance Administration issued a notice stating that medical insurance funds shall not be used to pay for nucleic acid testing of large populations. Local governments wouldnt be able to cover it, and the cost eventually would be put on individual citizens by charging them for each test, raising taxes, or issusing special bonds for it, according to experts.

Besides the cost, citizens have questioned other aspects of the normalization of COVID-19 testing, such as accuracy of the tests, insufficiently qualified testing personnel, and hidden costs put on individual citizens such as the long waiting time and the risk of cross-infection when waiting in line to be tested.

Beijing is one of the cities that has started the normalized every-48-hour nucleic acid testing as the regime continues to implement strict pandemic control measures in the nations capital, which has triggered public anger. A resident questioned in a post on social media: How many people can get off work before 5 pm when the testing sites close? However, the Beijing authorities require negative nucleic acid test results within 48 hours for people to go to work and return to their residential communities. Policies are getting stricter and stricter. I have fully cooperated and supported the pandemic prevention since the beginning, but now Im so disappointed.

A resident of Beijings Xicheng District surnamed Zhang told The Epoch Times that no matter what regime or government, it must win the hearts of the people and cannot use its power to interfere with peoples living environment and freedom.

A health worker takes a swab sample from a woman to be tested for the COVID-19 coronavirus at a swab collection site in Beijing on May 23, 2022. (Noel Belis/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinese lawyers also pointed out that the Chinese communist regimes COVID-19 control policies and measures are illegal.

Rights lawyer Wu Shaoping and others have issued a Statement of the Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Group on the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that the various measures the regime has implemented infringe on citizens basic human rights, including limiting their freedom of movement by requesting testing results.

Another statement has been circulating on major Chinese websites, allegedly from a famous lawyer, stating that the freedom of movement of the public cannot be limited by the requirement of any kind of certificate. The epidemic control measures are temporary. If they are normalized, it will not only increase the burden on the common people, but more importantly its unconstitutional.

Gao Miao and Hong Ning contributed to the report.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping (R) arrives with Premier Li Keqiang (L) and members of the Politburo Standing Committee for a reception at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Sept. 30, 2021. (Greg Baker/AFP)

Chinese Officials at a Loss Under Contradicting Directives from Top Leaders

The disagreement between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang has become more obvious than ever. With the Chinese economy currently in turmoil and at huge risk, Xi insists on pushing his zero-COVID policy at all costs, while Li calls for stabilizing the economy at all costs.

On May 25, Li convened a national televised and telephone conference on the economy, which was attended by 100,000 local Chinese communist officials from across the country, with the theme of stabilizing the economy at a macroscopic level and stabilizing employment, according to Chinese media.

Li admitted at the conference that the current economic situation is worse than in 2020 when the pandemic broke out: In March and April, indicators such as employment, industrial production, electricity consumption, freight transport, and others have fallen significantly. In some aspects, the difficulties [we face] now, to a certain extent, are even greater than when the economy was hurt by the severe epidemic in 2020.

Li also stated that Chinas economy was off track, and the focus of the conference was to push the economy back to the normal track. However, he did not mention a bit of Xis zero-COVID policy in his speech.

Experts Provide Different Views

The above-mentioned implicitly critical remarks are regarded by many overseas China experts as an open criticism and challenge to Xi, which would indicate that Xi has lost his real power and may be replaced by Li.

Chen Pokong, an expert on Chinas politics and economics, said on his channel on May 26 that Lis hosting a national economic conference of 100,000 people showed that he had begun to dominate this work, and Xi had become a transitional figure who had lost power.

Also present at the conference were Han Zheng, vice premier of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of China; and Vice Premiers Sun Chunlan, Hu Chunhua, and Liu He, whose rankings come after Han. But most notably, Minister of Defense Wei Fenghe and Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi also attended the conference. These two figures attracted attention from outside analysts as they each represented the military and the public security system, the CCPsbarrel of guns and the power of pens.

In Chen Pokongs analysis, this means that the Chinese military and the public security system have chosen to side with Li Keqiang.

However, Zhang Tianliang, an expert on Chinas current affairs, told The Epoch Times that to the contrary, the nationwide teleconference attended by 100,000 local officials simply revealed that Lis position was fragile. Li had to communicate with local officials directly precisely because he could not effectively make his instructions come across, Zhang believed.

In a May 26 report by Bloomberg, eight senior local officials who spoke to the outlet on the condition of anonymity said that the contradicting instructions from Xi and Li are leading to paralysis within a nation normally hailed for speedy implementation of diktats from above.

Chinas Economy Faces Great Uncertainty

Chinas draconian pandemic control measures have plunged the countrys economy into a big chaos.

In the first four months of this year, the profits of industries and enterprises above a designated size fell by 8.5 percent year-on-year, of which the profits of the manufacturing sector fell by 22.4 percent, and the urban unemployment rate in China rose to 6.1 percent, according to the CCPs National Bureau of Statistics. Given the lack of credibility of the CCPs official figures, the actual unemployment rate could be much higher.

The overall performance of Chinas top 100 real estate companies fell by more than 50 percent, and the total retail sales of consumer goods decreased by 11.1 percent from the same period last year.

Latest data also shows that Chinas exports have shown a shrinking trend, and foreign capital has flown out in large numbers.

The total value of Chinas exports in April was $273.62 billion, down 0.9 percent month-on-month, according to Chinese customs data.

The Institute of International Finance (IIF) recently reported that, including bonds and stocks, foreign capital outflows from China reached a record high of $17.5 billion in March this year.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
This handout image supplied by the European Space Agency (ESA), shows a view of The Palms, Dubai as the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft psses below, in an image taken by ESA astronaut Tim Peake from the International Space Station on April 10, 2016. (Tim Peake / ESA/NASA via Getty Images)

Chinese Researchers Reportedly View Elon Musks Starlink as a Military Threat

Military expert suggests that Chinese military has no capability to defeat Starlink

Chinese military researchers reportedly view the SpaceX-operated Starlink satellite internet system as a national security threat while suggesting Beijing needs to have the ability to destroy it.

An expert suggests that the PLA has no capability to defeat Starlink.

A Beijing-affiliated military TV program, Crazy Warfare Show, recently published an article analyzing the progress of U.S. space exploration technologies with a focus on SpaceXs Starlink satellite constellation. The report pointed out the military value of Starlink and its critical role in the RussiaUkraine war while analyzing whether Chinas anti-satellite weapons could defeat it.

Crazy Warfare Show is an online military TV program developed by Beijing Junwu Technology Co, a Chinese state-affiliated media company that produces video programs about weaponry, military, and other related themes.

The article said that Starlink provided substantial technical support to Ukrainians in the war with Russia, with tens of thousands of user terminals. And that the support allowed Ukrainian military communications to surpass the Russian army in situational awareness and strike command efficiency on the battlefield.

[Elon Musk, SpaceXs CEO] has been cooperating with high-level U.S. military in space technology, and indirectly caused the Russian military to suffer a major loss, the article said. [Starlink] is what China will have to face in the futurein a critical battle far more challenging than the Russia-Ukraine war. Therefore, the threat of Starlink cannot be ignored.

Starlink uses thousands of small satellites in orbit about 340 miles above the Earths surface to beam down high-speed internet, especially to remote areas, including ones hit by natural calamities or ravaged by war. SpaceX has over 2,000 Starlink satellites orbiting the Earth currently. The company hopes to have 4,425 Starlink satellites in orbit by 2024.

This video image provided by SpaceX, a SpaceX Falcon 9 mission to launch 53 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E), takes off from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., on May 13, 2022. (SpaceX via AP)

Days after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, Musk announced that the satellite broadband service would begin providing internet to Ukrainians.

While Starlink delivered an information lifeline to darkened swaths of the war-torn country, including to hundreds of hospitals and clinics, it also served as a link to enable Ukrainian military drones to target Russian tanks and positions more effectively.

On top of internet communications, Starlink broadband satellites can pinpoint locations on Earth to within 8 meters of accuracy, according to an Ohio State University article citing a peer-reviewed journal, similar to that provided by global positioning satellites (GPS).

The constellation of the broadband satellites offers a significant upgrade potential. It can be compatible with various U.S. military technologies, such as obtaining high-precision reconnaissance and navigation capabilities.

A string of SpaceX StarLink satellites passes over an old stone house near Florence, Kan., on May 6, 2021. (Reed Hoffmann/AP Photo)

In the era of information warfare, Starlink has the potential to interfere with enemy communications or be equipped with unmanned combat weapons, the report said, adding that it could provide the United States with an advantage in space warfare.

However, the article also claimed that Starlink has vulnerabilities and that the system could potentially be paralyzed by electronic warfare or electromagnetic interference, adding that Beijing had made significant progress in related anti-satellite technologies in recent years.

The report urged the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to prepare for the coordinated development of various anti-satellite weapons and promptly reduce its reliance on traditional GPS in order to prevent losses in critical battles in the future when going up against Starlink.

[The Chinese in-house] BeiDou Navigation Satellite System must improve its accuracy and [needs an upgrade], the article said. If China can enhance its hacking methods, the odds of winning [the space race] will undoubtedly increase.

A Long March 3B rocket carrying the Beidou-3GEO3 satellite lifts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Xichang, southwestern Chinas Sichuan Province on June 23, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Expert: Beijing Has No Chance to Defeat Starlink

Military affairs commentator and expert on China, Sia Luoshan, told The Epoch Times on May 28 that China currently has only a few dozen Beidou Navigation satellites, whereas SpaceX alone has deployed over 2,000 Starlink satellites into orbit. And the sheer disparity in the number of satellites in orbit put China at a significant disadvantage in this race.

Beijing may lose its global navigation satellites first before taking down Starlink. Losing its positioning capabilities will result in a large number of Chinese military equipment and civilian facilities being paralyzed, Sia said. Simply put, Beijing has no chance to defeat Starlink.

Sia said attacking satellites through computer networks is the standard method that countries attempt before deciding to shoot down a satellite. He added that Beijings kinetic-energy series missiles might have the ability to reach satellites at certain orbital altitudes.

However, Sia explained that China would have to consider several issues before attempting to take down another countrys satellites.

First, how would Beijing ensure the survival of its own satellites if it destroys anothers? It may end up paying a much higher price as other nations would also have the ability to take down Chinese satellites, Sia said. Second, if Beijing, in fact, shoots down a satellite with its [kinetic energy missiles], the space junk that follows will also hurt Chinese satellites and other spacecraft as the debris remains in orbit. Meanwhile, it will spark international outrage, [resulting in severe sanctions against China].

Sia suggested there are technologies that use advanced spacecraft to capture or disable a satellite, but China is still catching up to the United States in those areas.

China, Russia Seek Weapons to Target Critical US Satellites

A recent report by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) found that China and Russia are developing weapons capable of attacking U.S. satellites. The report also found a massive increase in Chinese and Russian space assets over the past several years.

Space is being increasingly militarized, the report (pdf) states. Some nations have developed, tested, and deployed various satellites and some counterspace weapons.

The report, titled 2022 Challenges to Security in Space, found that China and Russias combined in-orbit space fleets grew by more than 70 percent in the period from 2019 to 2021. That growth, it said, was primarily driven by a desire by the two regimes to exploit U.S. technological reliance on space-based infrastructure.

The Long March-2F rocket carrying Chinas manned Shenzhou-10 spacecraft blasts off from its launch pad at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, Gansu Province of China, on June 11, 2013. Manned space flights have been the public face of Chinas push into space, which has also included secret efforts to build anti-satellite weapons. (ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images)

As more nations and more services depend on space-based capabilities, especially in critical social and economic sectors, such as medical, disaster response, weather forecasting, and financial transactions, the loss or degradation of those capabilities will increasingly disrupt daily life, the report says.

Space asset disruption will probably lead to degradation of critical military and intelligence capabilities.

Command of space is considered vital to winning a modern war between major powers, the report says, because innumerable systems, from GPS to missile warning technologies, rely upon satellites to operate effectively.

For that reason, U.S. space infrastructure has long become the target of Chinese and Russian military and intelligence operations.

Space Force Gen. David Thompson said in November that China and Russia have been conducting reversible cyber and electronic attacks on U.S. space infrastructure every single day.

Likewise, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines testified in March that the cooperation between China and Russia against the United States would only grow in the coming years.

The loss of space-based communication and navigation services could have a devastating impact on warfighters during a conflict, DIA Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier said in a statement marking the reports release.

Thats one of the most serious scenarios anticipated. A secure, stable, and accessible space domain is crucial as China and Russias space-based capabilities and electronic-warfare activities continue to grow.

As such, the report said, efforts by the regimes to undermine or attack U.S. space-based infrastructure were an immediate and long-term threat that would need to be contended with.

Beijings goal is to become a broad-based, fully capable space power, the report states.

American efforts to ensure that the space domain remains secure, stable, and accessible are under threat.

US to Ban Anti-Satellite Missile Tests

Vice President Kamala Harris in April vowed that the United States would not conduct anti-satellite (ASAT) missile tests, citing safety concerns.

It makes the United States the first nation to impose such a ban. Anti-satellite missile testing has been conducted by the United States, China, India, and Russia. It is a military demonstration in which an orbital object is destroyed using a missile system.

Simply put, these tests are dangerous, and we will not conduct them, Harris said in her first major policy announcement since overseeing the National Space Council in 2021.

As of today, the United States commits not to conduct destructive, direct-ascent, anti-satellite missile testing, Harris said during a visit to Californias Vandenberg Space Force Base. We are the first nation to make such a commitment. I call on all nations to join us.

Harris cited the potential danger to astronauts and satellites, referring to a test conducted by China more than a decade ago that created thousands of pieces of debris that are still orbiting the Earth.

These tests, to be sure, are reckless, as they are irresponsible. These tests could also endanger so much of what we do in space, she said.

Russia, on Nov. 15, test-launched an anti-satellite missile that struck a defunct Soviet-era spy satellite in low-Earth orbit, creating at least 1,632 pieces of space debris, according to a U.S. Space Force database of orbital objects.

On the other hand, China produced the largest fragmentation group of space debris in a 2007 missile test launch, resulting in about 2,800 fragments orbiting Earth, putting many satellites at risk. In the case of a collision, vital services such as GPS and weather warnings could go down.

Space debris comparison between 1950 and 2018 in an image taken from a simulation program created by Kyushu University. (Courtesy of Astroscale)

The White House said the debris created by these tests now threatens satellites and other space objects vital to all nations security, economic, and scientific interests, and increases the risk to astronauts in space.

Andrew Thornebrooke and Isabel van Brugen contributed to this report.
Communist China a Common Component of Many Threats to International Stability: Taiwans Foreign Affairs Minister

Communist China is a common component of many of the challenges facing the international community, Taiwans minister of foreign affairs said during a panel discussion in Ottawa coinciding with the 33rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Minister Wu Jaushieh made the opening remarks at the webinar, titled The Challenge of China and hosted by the University of Ottawas Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC) on June 2 and 3.

Wu spoke of the growing despotism of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), noting that human rights is anathema to authoritarianism while free and open democracy is what nurtures humanitarianism.

The authoritarian regime that wrote the bloody history of the Tiananmen massacre 33 years ago is no better today than it was back then, he said via telecommunication.

In fact, it is now stronger, smarter, more ruthless, and better equipped with economic power and high tech capabilities.

The panel consisted of legal experts and social scientists from Taiwan, Canada, France, the United States, and the University of Ottawa. Among the topics covered were what the international community can learn from Taiwan about how to deal with the human rights challenges posed by the communist regime beyond Chinas borders, as well as what is at stake for Canada and its partners in the Indo-Pacific region.

Beijing is using its increased influence to undermine democracies around the world, Wu said.

It exerts diplomatic, military, trade, and technological coercion. It exploits freedom of speech in democracies to flood us with propaganda and fake news and weaponizes economic power to target our free market systems.

Wu said in recent years, Chinas communist regime has accelerated its authoritarian agenda both at home and abroad, pointing to its human rights abuses of both ethnic and religious minorities, its crackdown on Hong Kongs democracy, and its radical zero-COVID lockdown policy that caused starvation in some parts of the country.

We can all agree that we are in a time of rapid change, he said. Many of the emerging changes create challenges to stability, to the rules-based international order, and to our shared values of freedom, democracy, and human rights. And most of the new challenges that we face today have one common componentthat is, China.

The regime is also becoming increasingly hostile toward the self-ruled democracy of Taiwan, Wu noted.

The people of Taiwan understand all too well what its like to be bullied by an authoritarian aggressor, he said.

CCPs History of Rights Abuses

According to the Black Book of Communism, the CCP is accountable for an estimated 65 million artificial deaths, through executions, man-made famine, war, deportations, and forced labour.

The regime also suppresses many human rights lawyers, including Gao Zhisheng, who spoke out against the CCPs repression of Falun Gong.

Pitman Potter, emeritus law professor at the University of British Columbia, said Beijing is responsible for many misdeeds, deaths, and destruction, while noting that Chinas legal system is far from implementing the rule of law.

In terms of the rule of law, I really, frankly, get very tired of discussions of the Chinese legal system as if it bears any resemblance at all to the rule of law, because nothing could be farther from the truth, he said.

The Chinese legal system is an instrumentalist system that uses legal texts to rule the country. It is not a system that subjects the government to legal standards external to the government, and until that happens, in my opinion, its not a rule of law system.

Andrew Chen Follow Andrew Chen is an Epoch Times reporter based in Toronto.
Court Rejects Los Angeles District Attorney Gascons Directives

LOS ANGELESA California appellate court has ruled that Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon cant reject charging three-strike allegations and sentencing enhancements.

A three-judge panel of the California Second District Court of Appeal on June 2 upheld in a 71-page injunction that voters and the Legislature created a duty, enforceable in mandamus, that requires prosecutors to plead prior serious or violent felony convictions to ensure the alternative sentencing scheme created by the three strikes law applies to repeat offenders.

Gascon argued that he has the authority to order prosecutors not to pursue prior-strike or sentencing enhancements. But the appellate court said he overstates his authority and is an elected official who must comply with the law, not a sovereign with absolute, unreviewable discretion.

The suit, brought by the Association of Deputy District Attorneys (ADDA), took issue with Gascons criminal justice reforms following his election in December 2020.

Gascon, who was elected by Angelenos on a promise to change the criminal justice system, introduced several bold steps for reform, such as holding accountable law enforcement officers who violate the law, no longer charging minors as adults, eliminating many sentencing enhancements including firearms, ending the death penalty, and removing cash bail for misdemeanors or nonviolent felony crimes.

Last year, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant sided with the district attorneys association, arguing that Gascon cant order blanket rulings for prosecutors to ignore laws the union argues are for public safety, including the three-strike cases and sentencing enhancements.

Californias Three Strike Law, established in 1994 after voters largely approved Proposition 184, required defendants convicted of a new felony to serve their sentences twice as long as a normal prison term. After two or more felony strikes, the law required at least 25 years in prison to life. Opponents of the law say this has led to mass incarceration of minorities.

Today, the judiciary affirmed the rule of law, ADDA Vice President Eric Siddal said on Twitter. Gascons authority is not absolute. He must follow the rules. While we are heartened by the courts ruling, we continue to be disappointed that L.A.s chief prosecutor forced us to take him to court to stop him from breaking the law.

Former District Attorney Steve Cooley told The Epoch Times that Gascons policies have endangered public safety.

Now the courts are telling him that some are downright illegal, Cooley said. His combination of ineptness as a lawyer and dangerousness as a prosecutor have come together.

Now, Gascon faces a recall campaign that has just a month left to gather the needed signatures, or 10 percent of all registered Los Angeles County voters, to trigger a recall election on Nov. 8. The recall is supported by the ADDA along with several other high-profile law enforcement personnel, such as Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva and the Los Angeles Police Protective League.

Gascons office didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.
Splash Mountain, a Disney ride will be 'completely reimagined' into a The Princess and the Frog theme. (Courtesy of Disney)

Disney to Confirm Reopening Timeline of Splash Mountain in July

ANAHEIM, Calif.Shortly after Anika Noni Rose accidentally revealed on June 2 the 2024 reopening of the re-themed Splash Mountain rides at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, Disney immediately made the reopening timeline foggy again, saying more details will be released in July.

Best known for voicing the main character Tiana in Disneys 2009 movie The Princess and the Frog, the Tony Award-winning actress had an interview on the Live with Kelly and Ryan show, where she shared her involvement in the new designbased on Tianas storyof the Splash Mountain rides at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland.

When the hosts of the Disney-owned ABC daytime talk show prodded for more secrets, the actress said if she shared anymore, she would be sucked into the ground and [they would] never see [her] again.

After Roses interview aired, Disney quickly released a statement, clarifying that the timing for the rides reopening has not been determined and reassuring that further details would be shared at the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans in July.

Despite two years passing since the announcement of their new theme, the Splash Mountain rides havent been shut down for refurbishment yet, and a statement about their coming closure hasnt been made either.

The character Brer Rabbit, from the movie, Song of the South, is depicted near the entrance to the Splash Mountain ride in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on March 21, 2007. (John Raoux/AP Photo)

The Splash Mountain ride opened in Disneyland in 1989 themed after the 1946 film Song of the South. It features singing animatronics as the log-dweller riders follow Brer Rabbit on an adventure with Brer Bear and Brer Fox in pursuit.

In 2020, some Disney fans said the original theme is stereotypical or even racist in its portrayal of African Americans, as one petition on Change.org stated.

Disney announced in June 2020 that the ride would be revamped based on the popular 2009 movie about Tiana, an African American princess from New Orleans.

It is really exciting to know that Princess Tianas presence in both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom will finally be fully realized! Rose said in the announcement. As passionate as I am about what we created, I know the fans are going to be over the moon.

Prince Harry, front row left, and family friend Harry Soames, right, ride of Splash Mountain at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida on Thursday, August 26, 1993. Riding at back right is Princess Diana. Diana, Harry and Prince William are spending a few private days at the Magic Kingdom. (AP Photo/Peter Cosgrove)

Disney stated the change was rooted in a tradition set by Walt Disney to encourage new innovations, new ideas, new scenes and current storytelling for the enjoyment of all guests from around the world.

Walt Disney himself opened New Orleans Square in the park in 1966, which is why the theme would fit well into their park, according to Disney.

The new ride will supposedly extend the original Princess and the Frog story to explore what happens after the kiss and give riders a new musical adventure featuring songs from the movies soundtrack.
A police car blocks a road at the scene of a shooting in Wisconsin on Feb. 26, 2020. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)

Former Judge Killed in Targeted Attack Against Judicial System, Officials Say

A retired judge was shot and killed at his home in Wisconsin on Friday in what has been described by officials as a targeted attack against the judicial system.

John Roemer, a former circuit judge in Juneau County, is believed to be the victim of the murder that happened in New Lisbon at around 6:30 a.m. on June 3, according to reports. The 68-year-old man was found in a residence that a neighbor and public records said belonged to a retired county judge.

A second person, identified as a 56-year-old male and the alleged suspect, was discovered in the basement of the home with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said during a news conference on Friday, also noting that a firearm was recovered from the scene.

Upon recovering the man, law enforcement started life-saving measures and the individual has been transported to a medical facility in critical condition.

Kaul, who refused to name the victim or the suspect, said the shooter had selected targets who were part of the judicial system and had other planned victims. The attorney general did not identify them.

This incident appears to be a targeted act  and the suspect appears to have had other targets as well. It appears to be related to the judicial system, Kaul said.

At this point, we are not aware of any evidence indicating that there is any active danger to other individuals. Those who may have been other targets have been notified, he said, adding that if the investigation finds additional threats against other individuals, authorities will notify those people.

Kaul stressed that officials are currently limited in what information we can provide, citing the ongoing investigation.

The judges death was also confirmed in a statement by State Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green), who represents Juneau County, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

The Juneau County Sheriffs Office received a call that two shots were fired at a home in New Lisbon at approximately 6:30 a.m. on Friday, according to the Division of Criminal Investigation. The caller had fled the home where the gunman had entered and made the call from another nearby home.

Donna Voss, a neighbor, told The Associated Press that local police instructed her to stay in her home Friday morning. She said she heard law enforcement on a loudspeaker telling the man to surrender and leave the home.

Kaul said during Fridays press briefing that law enforcement officers stationed outside the home tried to negotiate with the gunman, but after they failed to make contact, a special tactic and response team entered the residence and found the homeowner dead and another man in the basement.

For Voss, the shooting came as a shock in a usually quiet neighborhood where houses sit alongside farmland and wooded lots, about 80 miles northwest of Madison.

Its unbelievable and really freaky, she told The Associated Press.

From NTD News
German Finance Minister Christian Lindner speaks during a session of Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, in Berlin, Germany, on June 3, 2022. (Lisi Niesner/Reuters)

German Lawmakers Approve 100 Billion Euro Military Revamp

BERLINGermanys Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, on Friday approved creation of the 100 billion euro ($107.2 billion) special defence fund that Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The money is destined to top up the regular defence budget of around 50 billion euros over several years to help re-build Germanys military, which has suffered years of neglect following the end of the Cold war.

The government decided to amend the constitution to create the fund in order to exempt it from Germanys so-called debt brake that enforces fiscal restraint. It needed backing from the opposition conservatives as well as the ruling coalition in order to reach the two-thirds parliamentary majority needed for a constitutional change.

The fund should enable Germany to meet the NATO target of spending 2 percent of its economic output on defence each year, making it the worlds third-biggest military spender behind the United States and China. The Kremlin earlier on Friday accused Germany of remilitarization as it moved to boost military spending and said it increased security risks.

The Bundestag also passed a budget foreseeing 139 billion euros of new debt this yearGermanys second-highest-ever levelto cushion Europes biggest economy against fallout from the Ukraine conflict.

The budget required parliament to allow an exemption from Germanys debt brake for a third year in a row, with the new debt to go towards funding aid for households and companies struggling with high energy prices as well as support for Ukrainian refugees and Kyiv.

Separately on Friday, the Bundestag approved raising Germanys minimum wage to 12 euros per hour from 9.82 euros currentlyone of the key election promises of Scholz and his Social Democrats.

($1 = 0.9329 euros)

By Holger Hansen
Goldman Sachs-Funded Socialist Forum Profits Off the Same System They Hate: Cubans Who Fled Communism

A socialist group that got at least $12 million of funding from the investment banking company Goldman Sachs has come under sharp criticism for operating in NYC and calling for a socialist revolution in the United States, from people who fled communism and are warning Americans about the dangers of the radical doctrine.

The executive director of The Peoples Forum said in an Instagram video that I think this country, the U.S. needs a socialist revolution  when theres a socialist revolution in the U.S., there will be an immigration system that actually welcomes everyone, that has an open border system that actually allows people to live freely and actually account [sic] for all the crimes of U.S. imperialism over the last 200 years.

The Peoples Forum promotes Marxism, radicalism, feminism, and socialist books.

Cisco and Candi, two Cubans who fled communism and run an Instagram page called SOS Cuba, believe that the above mentioned is to be taken seriously because whoever controls the media controls the minds of society.

We think it is very hypocritical to criticize capitalism but at the same time benefit from being able to open a bookstore and profit off the same system they hate. As Cubans who fled communism we are concerned that communism is infecting the American youth, and The Peoples Forum is one of the biggest communist propaganda pushers in NYC if not the U.S. as a whole, they told The Epoch Times.

We are warning Americans of the dangers of communism and to not wait to protest against it, do not wait for a sign. Communism needs to be prevented not treated after the infection.

We are Cuban-born immigrants that know the horrors of communism and each day we see the signs. This is serious and The Peoples Forum is a self-declared enemy of the United States and are threatening a communist revolution very soon. This is the last place for freedomif USA falls, where will we go?

The Peoples Forum runs a Cafe in Manhattan, where some members of the NY Freedom Rally, a group that has been protesting against vaccine mandates, were kicked out on May 21 from one of their events for not having a vaccine passport.

One of them is Paul M., who has been active with NY Freedom Rally against the mandates and promoting individual liberty.

Its a bit concerning that some establishments are still requiring an unconstitutional mandate to get served even after it was dropped, Paul told The Epoch Times.

What is more [disturbing] is that I myself, born in a refugee camp after my parents fled one of the most brutal communist regimes in Eastern Europe, is that I had seen so many young people, barely in their teens, being indoctrinated into one of the most horrific ideologies that resulted in over 100 million deaths.

Maybe the saddest part of that day was the kids looked miserable. 

The Peoples Forum did not respond to a request for comment by The Epoch Times by press time.
People with firearms at the Washington state capitol during the 'March for Our Rights' pro-gun rally in Olympia, Washington, on April 21, 2018. (Jason Redmond/AFP/Getty Images)

Gun Rights Groups Sue Over Washington States High-Capacity Magazine Ban

Several gun rights groups have filed a lawsuit challenging Washington states new ban on sales of so-called high-capacity ammunition magazines for rifles and handguns, which the law prohibiting their distribution defines as ones that hold more than 10 rounds.

The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and others filed their complaint on June 3 (pdf), claiming the ban is unconstitutional and naming a number of Washington state officials as defendants, including Bob Ferguson, the states Attorney General.

The State of Washington has criminalized one of the most common and important means by which its citizens can exercise their fundamental right of self-defense, the groups wrote in the complaint.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Fergusons media representative with a request for comment on the suit.

A magazine is loaded into a Sig Sauer P320 compact semi-auto pistol at a gun shop in Richmond, Va., on Jan. 13, 2020. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee signed the prohibition into law earlier this year, with SB 5078 set to enter into force on July 1.

The law bans manufacturing, importing, distributing, selling, or offering for sale magazines that can hold more than ten rounds of ammunition.

The gun-rights groups want the law overturned.

Were asking the court to declare Washingtons ban on original capacity magazines to be unconstitutional under the Second and Fourteenth amendments, said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb.

We want an injunction against the state because this ban criminalizes something that is common in a majority of states, and also leaves law-abiding Washington citizens more vulnerable to attack by ruthless criminals, he added.

Gottlieb disputes the definition of a high-capacity magazine as one that holds more than ten rounds of ammo.

Many of the most popular handguns and modern semiautomatic rifles come standard with magazines that hold more than ten rounds, Gottlieb said, adding that there is no reliable proof that restrictions on new manufacturing or sales of such magazines will reduce violent crime.

An attendee holds a Glock Ges.m.b.H. pistol during the National Rifle Association (NRA) Annual Meeting at the George R. Brown Convention Center, in Houston, Texas on May 28, 2022. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

He added that he believes SB 5078 unfairly and arbitrarily penalizes honest citizens for crimes they didnt commit, in the hopes of preventing crimes they wouldnt dream of committing.

It comes as President Joe Biden and Democrats are positioning gun control as a key issue ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.

In a June 3 tweet, Biden called for a range of gun control measures, including strengthening background checks, enacting red flag laws, repealing gunmakers liability protections, and banning high-capacity magazines.

Inslee, who signed Washington states high-capacity magazine ban into law on March 23, shared Bidens tweet on June 3, adding his own pro-gun control comment.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. These are commonsense measures that will save lives. At long last, do the right thing, Congress, Inslee wrote.
Harvey Weinstein arrives at a Manhattan courthouse as jury deliberations continue in his rape trial, in New York, on Feb. 24, 2020. (John Minchillo/AP Photo)

Harvey Weinsteins Rape Conviction Upheld by New York Appeals Court

A New York appeals court on Thursday upheld Harvey Weinsteins rape and sexual assault conviction, rejecting the disgraced movie producers arguments that the trial judge made several errors that tainted the trial.

Weinstein was appealing his February 2020 conviction and 23-year prison sentence for assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi and raping former aspiring actress Jessica Mann.

We reject (the) defendants arguments, and affirm the conviction in all respects, a unanimous five-judge panel of the Appellate Division in Manhattan said, finding no errors that would warrant overturning Weinsteins conviction or sentence.

Juda Engelmayer, a spokesman for Weinstein, said Weinstein will appeal the decision to New York states highest court, the Court of Appeals. We are disappointed and sad for Mr. Weinstein, Engelmayer said.

Weinstein, 70, has denied any non-consensual sexual encounters.

He made seven arguments for overturning his conviction, including that rape charges were based on insufficient evidence.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose predecessor Cyrus Vance first criminally charged Weinstein, welcomed Thursdays decision, and said he was grateful to the brave survivors in this case for their remarkable courage and candor.

Weinstein is jailed in California, where he was extradited last year and awaits trial on 11 charges of alleged misconduct toward five women in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles between 2004 and 2013.

Weinstein had pleaded not guilty to rape and sexual assault charges in Los Angeles. His lawyers there have argued that some of the charges should be thrown out because the statute of limitations had expired.
A homeless teenager living under a bridge who surrendered his puppy to an animal shelter has been reunited with his beloved dog since receiving help from the community.

Kris Robinson, interim director at Senatobia-Tate County Animal Shelter in Mississippi, was present when the teen gave up his dog on April 5, 2022. Seeing him approach the shelter with his dog, who wasnt on a leash but just followed him, she braced herself, knowing the shelter was full.

It was a sunny day; we were cleaning kennels and taking care of the many dogs we have, Robinson told The Epoch Times. We dont often have people walk to the shelter, as its outside the city just a bit and out of the way.

The teen, whom Robinson did not name, told his dog, Jada, to stay outside. Jada sat down while he entered the office and told Robinson that he was unable to take care of her anymore.

I said, Buddy, we are so full, we dont have any open kennels, tell me whats going on,' Robinson recalled. He said, Well, Im homeless and I am worried about her being safe. I leave the bridge Im staying at to look for work, and I hope shell be there when I get back.'

The teen didnt seem to want to talk about his situation, said Robinson, but explained that he had owned the roughly 5-month-old pup since she was small. On learning this, Robinson just couldnt turn him down. He then filled out a form with some of his details and left Jada behind.

I was struck by this young mans character, said Robinson. He left a plastic bag in the office of her food. I later looked at it, and saw that there were more, smaller plastic bags in there. Each bag had the same amount of food in it and each bag was tied.

This thoughtful action of the teen brought tears to Robinsons eyes; hed parceled out Jadas food to see how many meals she was left with before he had to get her more.

Robinson commented that the teen had a beautiful heart.

Before leaving the animal shelter, the teen asked if he could visit Jada, and perhaps say goodbye if she was adopted. In the meantime, he told Robinson that he wanted to save for a car and return for Jada if he could.

After this encounter, Robinson shared the teen and Jadas story on Facebook, and the post blew up with offers to adopt the puppy and help the teen get back on his feet. The shelter had decided to keep Jada until they could reconnect her with the teen and till he got some help.

Fortunately, the kindhearted teen was taken in by a local family and they also agreed to host Jada.

On April 8, the teen came to pick up Jada at the shelter.

It was pretty cute, said Robinson. She ran to him and jumped up and kissed his face all over; he was all smiles. They took her that day to where he was staying. We paid for her to be spayed, with donations that some kindhearted people sent in.

The teen was also identified by his mother, who recognized him from footage of his reunion with Jada. Allegedly, the teen had run away from home and had been missing for a year.

The woman told WREG: I started crying. I wish he would come home  he didnt think he should have to be grounded for something he had done. He thought he was grown and he could do it on his own.

The Senatobia Police Department announced that they had safely located the 17-year-old with the help of community members, as reported by WREG. Robinson, who never spoke to the teens mother, said hed left home of his own volition and was fearful of going home.

He was able to make his own decisions, and did not want to return. The authorities were okay with that, she told The Epoch Times, adding, I know that he is on track, and getting help to finish high school and begin college courses. He is working, and he is welcome to stay with the family he is with for as long as he likes.

Robinson commended the teen for putting his puppys safety first, when so many adults in the area think nothing of dumping a dog.

Its a sad reality of the south where so many people dont take care of animals, or spay and neuter; its too expensive for many people, she said. But this young man made sure [Jada] was taken care of.

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
The logo of Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd. (HKEX) is seen at the financial Central district in Hong Kong, China, on Sept. 14, 2020. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Hong Kong, US to End Mutual Accounting Recognition Agreement, Signaling Further US-China Decoupling

Foreign investment in Hong Kong hits new low amid grim market outlook

The Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA) failed to renew an 11-year mutual recognition agreement (MRA) with the U.S. International Qualifications Appraisal Board (IQAB) over failure to waive the requirement for one-year of local experience.

Announcement of the MRA non-renewal happened amid deteriorating China-U.S. relations, particularly after the recent U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit . The outcome of the summit in May was a pledge to establish an ASEAN-U.S. Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, a U.S. effort to upgrade ASEAN relations and curtail Chinese influence.

The MRA between HKICPA and IQAB allows certified accountants in Hong Kong and the United States to practice in each others markets. IQAB represents the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). The MRA was first signed on Oct. 24, 2011, with a renewal in 2020 and expiry on Dec. 31, 2022.

HKICPA indicated it has engaged in negotiations with the IQAB for the past three years about adding a one-year Hong Kong experience rule as an application requirement for U.S. Certified Public Accountants (CPA), which is a precondition for renewal of the MRA.

[HKICPA] is unable to accept audit experience obtained in the U.S. as meeting the one-year recent local experience requirement stipulated by the Professional Accountants Ordinance[the corporate practice rules that HKICPA is based upon], the statement reads.

As such, the MRA will not be renewed after Dec. 31, 2022.

Accountants with U.S. certificates will now have to pass complete qualification tests set by HKICPA before practicing in Hong Kongexemption of membership admission requirements will no longer be available.

Accountants play a critical role in the capital markets as they sign audit reports, which are the most basic information referred to by investors and analysts in the stock and debt markets, Katherine Jiang, a Hong Kong-based financial analyst, told The Epoch Times on May 28.

In terms of engaging certificated accountants, the MRAs between countries [or regions] facilitate the cross-boundary practice, which, on a deeper level, may bring more opportunities to the local market. Audit reports signed by accountants certified in countries with MRAs are acceptable for foreign investors interested in or already invested in the local market, thus enhancing the integration with the global market. On the other hand, the local market is almost certainly to become increasingly isolated by ending an existing MRA.

According to a statement from HKICPA, the accounting body strengthens Hong Kongs role as an international connector between the Mainland (China) and global markets. With over 46,000 members, HKICPA is the only body authorized in Hong Kong to register and grant practicing certificates to certified public accountants.

A recent report from Deloitte showed Hong Kongs deteriorating market outlook for foreign investors. In 2021, Hong Kong had only four overseas initial public offerings (IPOs), raising about $200 million, a sharp drop from the 14 IPOs in 2020, which raised approximately $400 million. (Page 39 of 76)

Amid the markets grim outlook, the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) would establish two international offices, in the United States and Europe, in an effort to reach out to more investors outside the country, Nicolas Aguzin, HKEXs Chief Executive Officer, told South China Morning Post when he attended the 2022 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting held in Davos in May.
The logo for Google LLC is seen at the Google Store Chelsea in Manhattan on Nov. 17, 2021. (Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

Is Google Selling Your Private Data to China?

Commentary

To quote the legendary author Paulo Coelho, Everything in life has its price. Yes, everything, including our private data. If in doubt, let me point you in the direction of Google, a problematic multinational company.

A new report published by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) demonstrates the dangers of Google. Specifically, it illustrates how Google wields the sword of real-time bidding (RTB) with devastating effects.

First off, whats RTB? According to Googles website, it involves the buying and selling of digital advertising inventory.

Now, ask yourself, whats meant by the term inventory? A comprehensive list. To be clear, this list, as the ICCL report states, outlines in great detail the markings left by our digital footprints.

This $117+ billion industry, as the authors noted, operates behind the scenes on websites and apps. It tracks everythingabsolutely everything you doincluding what you look at, no matter how private or sensitive.

Moreover, this digital ledger records where and when you go. If you think this is badand it very much isI have even more bad news for you: Things only get worse from here.

Every single day, 365 days per year, Google broadcasts all of this data to almost 5,000 different companies worldwide. This enables the recipients, all 5,000 of them, to extensively profile you.

Have you ever wondered why you get targeted with very specific, very personal ads?

Well, now you know. In the words of the ICCL researchers, RTB is the biggest data breach ever recorded. Besides tracking and sharing what you view online, Googles RTB shares your real-world location many times per day. How many? 178 Trillion times every year in the U.S. & Europe.

If you happen to be an American reading this and you happen to use Google on a daily basis, then you can expect to have your online activity and location exposed 747 times every day. If you live in Ohio, that number rises to 812. Why Ohio? Dont ask me; Im just the messenger.

Fair-goers use laptops at U.S. search engine giant Googles stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany on Oct. 8, 2006. Human rights groups at the worlds biggest book fair accused internet giants such as Yahoo and Google of selling their Chinese users down the river to gain a toehold in a boundless market. (Torsten Silz/AFP/Getty Images)

Across the United States, internet users online behavior and locations are tracked, cataloged, and shared more than 100 trillion times per year.

In Europe, things arent much better; RTB exposes peoples data 376 times every 24 hours. Online behavior and locations are tracked 71 trillion times.

For some reason, Google really seems to have it in for the Germans. According to the report, Google sends 19.6 million broadcasts about German Internet users online behaviour every minute that they are online.

Whether you happen to live in Berlin or Boston, Munich or Miami, the following point should scare you: Private data is sent to firms across the globe, including to Russia and China, without any means of controlling what is then done with the data.

To fully understand the pure evil of RTB, researchers at European Digital Rights (EDRi), an international advocacy group based in Brussels, ask us to imagine auctions, stock exchange, traders, big screens, noise, graphs, percentages. Now imagine all of this going to the highest bidding advertiser. One of those bidders, as the report highlights, was the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The acquired data was used to track the phones of millions of U.S. citizens. This was done without a warrant. In other words, the DHS, the supposed defenders of truth and justice, behaved unlawfully. RTB allowed them to do so.

Addressing the Elephant in the Room

Is Google evil? Considering that the company quite literally removed the dont be evil clause from its code of conduct back in 2018, Ill let you answer that question in your own time.

The facade of a Google office is seen in New York on Feb. 10, 2022. (Paresh Dave/Reuters)

Whether or not Google is evil is up for debate. However, what isnt up for debate is the fact that Google is far too powerful. This power has allowed the multinational tech giant to act with a great degree of impunity, selling our data to thousands of bidders with unimaginably deep pockets.

So one wonders, what, if anything, can be done?

On May 19, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced legislation that seeks to break up Googles digital advertising business. As The Hills Chris Mills Rodrigo noted, if the senators collective push ends in triumph, Google would be left with a Sophies choice of sorts, having to choose between operating an ad exchange or a supply- or demand-side platform.

The measure, according to The Wall Street Journal, would specifically target companies that make more than $20 billion each year from ad-related transactions. This includes the likes of Facebook, Microsoft, and of course, Google. Alphabet, Googles parent company, generates $54 billion per quarter in revenue from advertisements alone.

No doubt, Google will fight hard to maintain its RTB revenue stream. Lets hope, for the sake of us everyone, the senators attempt to rein in Google proves to be a roaring success. Unwanted location-tracking and data-sharing need to stopand it needs to stop now.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
JS Izumo (far right) with other naval vessels including those from the United Kingdom, Canada and the Netherlands in the Pacific Ocean, Sept. 2021. (UK Ministry of Defence via AP)

Japan to Deploy Converted Aircraft Carrier in Indo-Pacific

Japan will soon begin its biennial Indo-Pacific Deployment (IPD), a four-month-long naval exercise with regional partners that will include its recently converted aircraft carrier JS Izumo.

The IPD, which will run from June 13 to Oct. 28, will also involve the destroyers JS Takanami and JS Kirisame, a submarine, a P-1 maritime patrol aircraft, UP-3D electronic intelligence training aircraft, and US-2 amphibian aircraft.

According to the Defense Ministrys statement, the deployment objectives were to improve the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces tactical capabilities and deepen cooperation with partner navies in the Indo-Pacific region.

The JMSDF will conduct Indo-Pacific Deployment 2022(#IPD22) from JUN 13 to OCT 28.

IPD units are scheduled to visit Pacific island countries following last year.

Through #IPD22, we'll strengthen cooperation with each countries for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. pic.twitter.com/4c3RmlunDv  Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (@jmsdf_pao_eng) May 31, 2022

It stated that the IPD units would make port calls to Australia, Fiji, French New Caledonia, India, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Tonga, United States, Vanuatu, and Vietnam.

The JS Izumo, recently converted into a light aircraft carrier, is Japans largest warship, measuring 248 meters in length and 38 meters in beam.

The 19,500-ton multi-purpose operation destroyer is equipped with Cell SeaRAM missiles that are capable of destroying supersonic and subsonic threats. The ship can carry up to 28 aircraft and accommodate 970 sailors, the Naval Recognition reported.

The JS Izumo conducted takeoff and landing trials with the U.S. Marine Corps F-35B aircraft in October last year, marking the first time since 1945 that a fixed-wing aircraft took off from a Japanese vessel. This marked the first phase of its modifications to allow it to operate the F-35B.

A Japanese Navy officer stands near the Japanese navys then helicopter carrier JS Izumo in Yokosuka, Japan on Aug. 31, 2017. The carrier has recently been converted to take fixed-wing aircraft. (Carl Court/Getty Images)

The second phase of the modification is reported to include renovating the front of the ships flight deck and internal spaces to further allow F-35B operations. Its unclear if this has been completed or when it is expected to be completed.

According to Japans Defense Ministry, the IPD units will take part in six exercises, including the U.S.-led Rim of the Pacific 2022 (RIMPAC), which is set to take place from June 29 to Aug. 4 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California.

The U.S. Navy said in a statement that 26 nations would participate in the biennial RIMPAC, including 38 surface ships, four submarines, nine national land forces, and more than 170 aircraft. This will be the first time that an Izumo class multi-purpose destroyer participated in the RIMPAC.

The IPD units will also participate in the Pacific Partnership 2022, the Pacific Vanguard 22, and the Japan-India joint training exercise (JIMEX). Other training includes the Australian Kakadu exercise and the U.S.-Philippines Sama Sama exercise.
John Lee, former No. 2 official in Hong Kong, and the only candidate for the city's top job, announces his manifesto during the 2022 chief executive electoral campaign in Hong Kong, Friday, April 29, 2022. (Kin Cheung/AP Photo)

John Lee, Former Head of Police, Appointed Hong Kongs New Chief Executive

Hong Kongs Chief Executive-designate John Lee Ka-chiu traveled to Beijing last week to receive his appointment from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Lee, the sole candidate in the election, garnered 99.16 percent of the delegates votes and was declared the sixth Chief Executive of Hong Kong.

On May 30, Lee was awarded a certificate of appointment by Li Keqiang the premier of the Chinese regime.

In the afternoon, the head of the CCP Xi Jinping met with Lee, praising him as a patriot and a lover of Hong Kong, who is firm in his stance, courageous in his role, and active in his work, while contributing to the protection of national security, and is fully recognized and trusted by the Central regime.

Xi is expected to attend Lees inauguration ceremony on July 1, which also marks the 25th anniversary of Hong Kongs transfer of sovereignty from the UK.

Lee is Hong Kongs first police-turned-chief executive. During his tenure as Secretary for Security, police actions and enforcement methods became extreme and controversial, especially during the large-scale 2019 protests against the amendment of the extradition law that would allow authorities to extradite Hong Kong protesters to mainland China.

The protests were dubbed the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill (ELAB) Movement. A number of pro-democracy MPs questioned the administrations excessive use of police force and indiscriminate arrests at the time.

Responding to a Legislative Council question earlier, Chris Tang Ping-keung, the incumbent Secretary of Security, said that up to February, a total of 10,277 people had been arrested by the police in relation with the Anti-ELAB protests, of which 2,804 were prosecuted and 1,172 convicted.

Puppet Regime

Lord Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, and now Chancellor of Oxford University, also offered some words regarding Lees election and Hong Kongs situation.

In an opinion article on Project Syndicate on May 25, Patten said that in a farcical selection process dressed up as democracy, the Communist Party of China recently installed a former policeman, John Lee, as the new Chief Executive of its puppet regime.

Lee is not just any old cop, Patten said. He got the job because he supervised the brutal 2019 crackdown on demonstrations in Hong Kong after two million residents protested against the city governments plan to allow the extradition of criminal suspects to mainland China.

Lees crackdown substituted tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets, and tasers for dialogue, Patten said.

Patten also remarked on the May 11 arrest of former Hong Kong Bishop Joseph Zen, calling him one of Asias most celebrated and admired clerics, and three others, just three days after Lee was elected. All four were trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which provided legal and financial assistance to over 2,200 people that were arrested for participating in the 2019 demonstrations.

Although the fund had already been wound up under police pressure, the 90-year-old cardinal and his colleagues were arrested for allegedly colluding with foreign forces in breach of Chinas draconian national security law, Patten said.

In closing, Patten said, Even as they focus on Ukraine, liberal democracies must continue to speak out against Chinas assault on Hong Kongs freedom and rule of law.

Xi Jinpings Planned Hong Kong Trip

Li Xianzhi, a columnist for Hong Kongs Ming Pao newspaper, said in a May 24 article that, although the Hong Kong administration is still uncertain about whether Xi will come, they are already making preparations for his trip, citing several key members of the Hong Kong establishment with close ties to Beijing.

Hong Kong authorities are considering requiring guests who will have access to Xi to undergo a seven-day isolation period before attending the event, including an option of isolation in Shenzhen. However, this option would make these pro-Beijing people fear being stranded in mainland China for a long time due to the CCPs tough zero-COVID policy.

Since the beginning of this year, COVID-19 outbreaks in Hong Kong have led to varying degrees of restrictions following orders from the CCPs Central Committee.

If Xi does make the trip, it will be the first time he has left China since the pandemic.

Since the British handover of Hong Kong on July 1, 1997, CCP leaders have attended the inauguration of a new Hong Kong Chief Executive every five years on that date. Xi attended the inauguration of the fifth Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, on July 1, 2017.
A prostitute waits for clients behind a window in the red light district of Amsterdam on July 1, 2020. (Photo by Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images)

Legalising Prostitution Commodifies Womens Bodies, Academic Says

Legalising prostitution risks normalising the idea that womens bodies are mere commodities, which contradicts national efforts to promote respectful relationships, according to an Australian academic.

The comment comes after the Queensland government committed to decriminalising all aspects of the sex industry, making it on track to become the third jurisdiction in Australia after New South Wales and the Northern Territory to consider prostitution as legitimate work, not as a crime.

Currently, in Queensland, prostitution in a licensed brothel and in private is legal, while other forms of prostitution, including street-based prostitution, prostitution in an unlicensed brothel, and outcalls from a licensed brothel are unlawful.

If the law is passed, it would allow prostitution to be operated more transparently and regulated through standard business codes. It would also remove police as regulators of the sex industry, repeal criminal acts related to the sex industry, and not single out sex workers for specific legislation.

Caroline Norma, a lecturer at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technologys School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, told The Epoch Times that legalising prostitution could reduce sexual activities to a form of consumer activity and promote the concept of consent as a transaction based on money.

Norma, who is also a member of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women Australia, said that such laws would send a major signal to Australian citizens that the country believes men purchasing women for sex acts is an appropriate behaviour in a society that purports to be against rape and sexual harassment of women.

Australia pursues a respectful relationships policy overall, and prostitution is fundamentally in opposition to this policy.

The academic argued that going to the hairdresser to have a haircut is not the same as having your life as a person and your sexuality destroyed by strangers, who use your body for their purposes.

It goes right to the heart of their very being, Norma added.

She argued that rather than workers, these women should be deemed victims of crime, and described the deregulation of the sex industry as a government-supported policy of female commodification and exploitation.

Men cannot enter into respectful relationships with women while there are some women for sale.

The Queensland Law Reform Commission, in a release from April, describes prostitution as a commercial arrangement under which a person engages, or offers to engage, in providing sexual activities to another person.

The consultation paper said regulating the sex industry would support human rights, protect the health, safety and economic interests of sex workers, and deter illegal activity and exploitation.

It also pushed for the use of the term sex work over prostitution, which it criticised as outdated language carrying stigma and prejudice.

This argument, Norma says, is based on the assumption that being used for sex acts or being prostituted is not already a huge human rights violation. The RMIT lecturer further noted that decriminalising prostitution would fuel exploitative and harmful activities of the commercial sex industry.

It means that police, the courts, and the government abandons vulnerable women to the mercy of pimps and sex buyers, she added.

There is no possible way to ensure the safety of women in prostitution beyond reducing (or eliminating) the rate at which they must be used for sex acts.

Norma believes that the industry is driven by men who want to take what they watch from pornography into real life while women under financial duress are paid to endure the pain and humiliation.

Women should have the right to choose not to enter the sex industry, and have sex integrity and dignity in Australian society.

However, the Scarlett Alliance, also called the Australian Sex Workers Association, argued that the size of prostitution has not expanded in the jurisdictions that have a legalised sex industry and that decriminalisation of the sex industry reduces police corruption.

The group also said that to many, sex work offers greater flexibility of hours and the ability to earn larger amounts of money in a shorter amount of time.

As sex workers are not a homogenous group, our motivations for entering the industry are diverse and uniquely individual, the group said.

But Norma disagrees, saying that even if there are people entering the industry out of their own will, we wouldnt want to shape public policy on the basis of their existence.

We want a society that caters to a different vision for human relations, including between men and women, and on that vision, we create public policy, but in this case, its the complete opposite, she said.

Its really a devastating kind of depressing, awful, horrific vision of what human relations should be.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Queensland Law Reform Commission for comment on the review but the Chair of the Commission said they are not giving interviews about the review.

The consultation process closes on June 3, while the final report is due on Nov. 27, 2022.
A police vehicle removes a car following a security incident near Trafalgar Square, as Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations continue, in London on June 4, 2022. (Phil Noble/Reuters)

London Police Briefly Clear Trafalgar Square Ahead of Jubilee Concert Over Suspicious Car

Londons Trafalgar Square was briefly evacuated by police on Saturday following a report of a suspicious car.

It comes as London enters the third day of events to celebrate Queen Elizabeth IIs Platinum Jubilee.

Shortly after the evacuation, Police removed the car and said the incident was not terrorism-related.

In two strings of updates on Twitter, City of Westminster Police said they received a report from a member of the public at 9:22 a.m. of a suspicious vehicle in Trafalgar Square.

The iconic central London square is less than a mile from Buckingham Palace, where the queen resides and where a concert is to be staged on Saturday evening.

The force said at 11:06 a.m. that officers had evacuated the scene and asked people not to travel to the area.

Ten minutes later, it said the incident had been concluded and the square was to reopen in due course.

A police car transporter was seen at the scene carrying a car.

Police said officers have no further concern after investigating the incident, which it said was not terrorism related.

We encourage everyone to share with police any concerns they might have whilst out and about. Please remain vigilant, the police added.

A police spokesman said earlier that the force was carrying out many checks in the area.

At 7:40 p.m. on Saturday, the BBCs Platinum Party at the Palace concert is due to take place at Buckingham Palace as part of the celebrations to mark the queens record-breaking 70-year reign.

The queens son and grandson, potential future kings Prince Charles and Prince William are expected to pay tribute to the queen during the star-studded open-air concert.

The four-day jubilee festival started on Thursday, which was also the 69th anniversary of the coronation of Elizabeth, who became queen on the death of her father George VI in February 1952 and is head of state of 14 other countries including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

She has now been on the throne for longer than any of her predecessors in 1,000 years and is the third-longest reigning monarch ever of a sovereign state. Opinion polls show she remains hugely popular and respected among British people.

Reuters contributed to this report.
A woman looks at an abortion pill (RU-486) displayed on a computer in Arlington, Va., on May 8, 2020. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

Louisiana Legislature Passes Bill to Outlaw Mailing of Abortion-Inducing Drugs

A measure to outlaw the mailing of abortion-inducing drugs has passed the Louisiana legislature, heading to Gov. John Bel Edwards for consideration.

Edwards is a Democrat who has previously signed pro-life bills into law. If signed, the bill would become law on Aug. 1.

The bill S.B. 388 (pdf) by state Sen. Sharon Hewitt underwent amendments in the House before being approved 311 by the states Senate on Friday.

The measure makes it a crime for someone to knowingly cause an abortion by delivering, dispensing, distributing, or providing a pregnant woman with an abortion-inducing drug if the person is not a doctor licensed under state law to administer the drug to the woman.

It doesnt penalize the women who seek abortions.

The bill defines an abortion-inducing drug as any drug or chemical, or any combination of drugs or chemicals, or any other substance when used with the intent to cause an abortion, including but not limited to RU-486, the Mifeprex regimen, misoprostol (Cytotec), or methotrexate.

It also states that the term shall not mean a contraceptive, an emergency contraceptive, or the use of methotrexate to treat an ectopic pregnancy.

According to the text of the bill, If a person is found guilty they shall be imprisoned at hard labor from one to five years, and/or be fined from $1,000 to $50,000. Higher penalties apply if the drug causes the death or serious bodily injury of the pregnant woman, and even higher if the woman is under the age of 18.

Louisiana is one of the 13 states in the country with trigger laws that would be enacted if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

State lawmakers are currently considering a measure, S.B. 342 (pdf), to increase the criminal penalties for abortion providers under the trigger law.
(Left) Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick greets supporters at the Indigo Hotel during a primary election night event in Pittsburgh on May 17, 2022. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images); (Right) Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz greets supporters after the primary race resulted in an automatic recount due to close results, in Newtown, Pa., on May 17, 2022. (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

McCormick Concedes to Oz in Pennsylvania GOP US Senate Primary

Surrounded by friends and supporters at the Hotel Indigo in Pittsburgh, former hedge fund CEO David McCormick said on June 3 that hes conceding the Pennsylvania Republican U.S. Senate race to celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz.

We came so close, by the slimmest of margins on election night with thousands of votes outstanding, McCormick said at the event. We spent the last 17 days making sure that every Republican vote was counted in a way that resulted in the will of Pennsylvania voters being fulfilled. That is what this process is about.

I called Mehmet Oz to congratulate him on his victory, McCormick said. It is important that we beat John Fetterman and take back the majority in the Senate. He has my full support.

For weeks, polls showed that the race was too close to call.

While he slipped to third in some recent polls and saw former President Donald Trump endorse Oz in April, McCormick carried a slim lead for most of primary night on May 17.

Republican Senatorial candidate David McCormick and his wife Dina Powell McCormick head to vote at his polling location on the campus of Chatham University in Pittsburgh, on May 17, 2022. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

In the early hours of May 18, Oz pulled ahead.

With 95 percent of the precincts reporting, Oz received 31.2 percent of the vote (397,347) while McCormick tallied 31.1 percent (396,724) and Kathy Barnette accumulated 24.7 percent (314,828), according to Decision Desk HQ.

Under Pennsylvania law, an automatic recount is triggered when the two leading candidates have a separation within half of 1 percent. McCormick had the option to forgo a recount, but he chose to move forward with the procedure.

On May 23, McCormicks campaign filed suit against Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth Leigh M. Chapman and county boards of elections. The campaign claimed that the boards werent counting absentee and mail-in ballots in the primary election that were received on time and stamped by the county boards but didnt include a date on the exterior mailing envelope.

The campaign asked the court to rule that absentee and mail-in ballots received by the deadline may not be rejected due solely to the lack of a date in the declaration on the exterior envelope.

The undated mail ballots at issue in the case were indisputably submitted on timethey were date-stamped upon receiptand no fraud or irregularity has been alleged, McCormicks attorneys argued in the lawsuit.

Late on June 2, a Pennsylvania state court ruled in favor of McCormick, ordering that contested ballots be included in the count.

On June 3, Oz held a slight edge in unofficial results with 31.2 percent (419,661 votes), followed by McCormick at 31.1 percent (418,688 votes), a difference of 973 votes.

Pennsylvania state law requires that ballots be rejected if they are received on time but are not accompanied by a handwritten date on the envelope.

A former hedge fund executive and U.S. Treasury Department official in former President George W. Bushs administration, McCormick is a West Point graduate, a former 82nd Airborne Division paratrooper, and a Gulf War combat veteran.

His campaign hoped that McCormicks service background when military ballots were tabulated, but the overall difference proved too much to overcome.

On May 27the same day Pennsylvania counties could start recounting ballots in the primaryOz released a video declaring himself the presumptive Republican nominee.

I am blessed to have earned the presumptive Republican nomination for the United States Senate, Oz said in the video. This was a tough campaign, I traveled everywhere. You guys were pretty honest sharing with me thoughts, worries you had; you dont feel like youre being heard.

To accompany the video, Oz wrote on Twitter, Its time to unite. I want to hear your ideas and make this countrys future as bright as it has ever been. With more freedom, less big government, and by empowering our people, Americas light will shine brighter than ever.

Trump endorsed Oz in mid-April. A day after the May 17 primary, the former president posted on his platform, Truth Social, urging Oz to declare victory.

It makes it much harder for them to cheat with the ballots that they just happened to find, Trump said.

Oz will face Fetterman, the states lieutenant governor, in the general election. Fetterman suffered a stroke a few days before the primary and cast his vote from a hospital on Election Day before undergoing a successful procedure to implant a pacemaker with a defibrillator. He is still recovering.

The winner in November will replace retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey. Since the Senate is currently composed of 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats or nominal independents, every seat is crucial in November. Vice President Kamala Harris currently casts tiebreaking votes as president of the chamber.

Out of 34 Senate seats up for election, 14 are held by Democrats and 20 by Republicans.
Medical Schools Violating Federal Law With Scholarships Offered to Select Races: Complaints

Five medical schools are violating federal law by offering scholarships to certain races while excluding others, according to new complaints lodged with the U.S. Department of Education (DOE).

The University of Florida College of Medicine, for instance, has a scholarship that is only available to students who belong to groups that are recognized as historically underrepresented in medicine, including students who are black or Hispanic. Students have to list their race when applying for a scholarship, and applicants are asked to provide a photograph.

The schools put out scholarships  and they restricted it to people of certain racial categories, which is not legal, Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, board chair of Do No Harm, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting patients and doctors from radical policies in the health care industry, told The Epoch Times.

The idea that theyre going to separate people out on the basis of their race we found to be disturbing and discriminatory, Goldfarb added.

The group recently sent complaints to the DOEs Office of Civil Rights (OCR), asserting that of the more than 140 medical schools and institutions nationwide offering questionable scholarships, the five schools in question are particularly noteworthy for their discriminatory programs.

The programs violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which states that no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance, the complaints state. They also allegedly violate the U.S. Constitutions Equal Protection Clause.

The University of OklahomaTulsa School of Community Medicine, one of the five, provides a stipend to students for a 4-week elective, but applicants have to be of a certain race, such as black or native Hawaiian.

The University of Utah School of Medicines Division of Otolaryngology, meanwhile, has a scholarship that it will only award to students who identify as URiM, or American Indian or Alaska Native, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.

The University of Minnesota Medical School and the Medical College of Wisconsin were also named as offenders in the complaints for offering similar requirements for grants or scholarships.

The schools did not respond to requests for comment.

OCR is unable to confirm the receipt of any particular complaint, the DOE told The Epoch Times in an email. OCR evaluates every complaint that it receives to determine whether it is appropriate to open an investigation.
* While most of the world is working to help achieve a peaceful settlement, Washington is erecting a slew of roadblocks in the way of Russia-Ukraine negotiations, including providing massive military aid for Ukraine and coercing other countries into sanctioning Russia.

* "The West's military aid seeks to exhaust and drain Russia's capabilities, and the Russians understand this," said Tariq Fahmy, a political science professor at the Cairo University in Egypt.

* Despite Washington's pressure to take sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, many Asian, African, and Latin American countries have chosen to remain neutral and advocate peaceful solutions.

by Xinhua writer Lu Jiafei

BEIJING, June 3 (Xinhua) -- With the Russia-Ukraine conflict entering its 100th day and still dragging on, the call for a peaceful resolution is growing stronger.

However, while most of the world is working to help achieve a peaceful settlement, Washington is erecting a slew of roadblocks in the way of Russia-Ukraine negotiations, including providing massive military aid for Ukraine and coercing other countries into sanctioning Russia.

The bleak reality on the ground begs the question of how the world can prevent such a conflict from recurring. Experts believe that the Ukraine crisis has highlighted the dangers Cold War-era security concepts, such as bloc confrontation, pose to global peace and stability.

Photo taken on March 7, 2022 shows a view of the third round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations at the Belovezhskaya Pushcha. (Belta News Agency/Handout via Xinhua)

BLOC CONFRONTATION IN NATURE

Following a visit to Ukraine's capital city of Kiev in late April, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was asked by reporters to define "America's goals for success" in Ukraine.

After repeating Washington's talking points that Ukraine would remain "a sovereign country, a democratic country, able to protect its sovereign territory," Austin revealed that the United States hopes Russia will be "weakened" by the conflict.

"It (Russia) has already lost a lot of military capability and a lot of its troops, quite frankly, and we want to see them not have the capability to very quickly reproduce that capability," he said.

Austin's admission that Washington wishes to "weaken" Russia made many wonder what America's true goal for the Russia-Ukraine conflict is.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (4th R) and visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (4th L) and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (3rd L) meet in Kiev, Ukraine, April 24, 2022.(Ukrainian Presidential Office/Handout via Xinhua)

"The West's military aid seeks to exhaust and drain Russia's capabilities, and the Russians understand this," said Tariq Fahmy, a political science professor at the Cairo University in Egypt.

"Instead of pacifying or resolving this crisis through diplomacy, the United States has begun to play around with it a little more," according to Umit Alperen, an analyst with Turkey's Ankara Policy Center.

"The United States most likely wants the conflict to continue, and that is its intention from the beginning," said Alperen.

While the Western media has overwhelmingly painted Russia's special military operation in Ukraine as entirely unprovoked, many scholars, including Robert Kagan, Stephen and Barbara Friedman Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, argued that such an association is misleading.

"Just as Pearl Harbor was the consequence of U.S. efforts to blunt Japanese expansion on the Asian mainland, and just as the 9/11 attacks were partly a response to the United States' dominant presence in the Middle East after the first Gulf War, so Russian decisions have been a response to the expanding post-Cold War hegemony of the United States and its allies in Europe," Kagan wrote.

What Kagan was referring to was U.S.-led NATO's relentless expansion at the expense of Russia's security concerns. Since 1999, NATO has expanded eastward five times, advancing more than 1,000 km all the way to the Russian border, gradually pushing Russia into a corner.

As the Russia-Ukraine conflict grinds on, the United States has increased its support for Ukraine with a 40-billion-U.S.-dollar aid package, including 20 billion dollars in military assistance. Washington has also attempted to corral its allies as a bloc to economically sanction Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meet to discuss the security situation around Ukraine in Kiev, Ukraine, Jan. 19, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Office/Handout via Xinhua)

According to John Pang, a senior fellow at New York-based Bard College, the sanctions smack of the Cold War as they "attempt to impose a binary opposition, to divide the world into 'with-us and against-us-countries'."

The sanctions were part of this attempt to globalize the conflict and to polarize the world against Russia, Pang said, adding that the aim is to defend the unipolar world order that has been in place since the fall of the Soviet Union.

ANACHRONISM OF U.S. HEGEMONY

Despite Washington's pressure to take sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, many Asian, African, and Latin American countries have chosen to remain neutral and advocate peaceful solutions.

After 17 African nations abstained and another eight African nations did not vote in a UN vote condemning Russia in early March, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield "practically demanded that they (African countries) take a stance that follows the American position," as commented by Murtaza Hussain, a reporter with The Intercept.

Thomas-Greenfield reportedly said then that she believed that "we have to do additional work to help these countries to understand the impact" of the Ukraine crisis.

In their interviews with Xinhua, African scholars argued that because developing countries are on the receiving end of Western sanctions against Russia, they understand better than U.S. politicians the impact of an unstable world on their countries.

"The arms industry in America is one of the biggest beneficiaries. And then, of course, by putting sanctions on Russia, they want to make sure that Russia's economy is battered," said Stephen Ndegwa, an international relations lecturer at the Nairobi-based United States International University-Africa in Kenya.

"With high oil prices and supply chain disruptions, Africa and other developing countries are experiencing one of the most significant increases in essential commodities," Ndegwa said.

Thomas-Greenfield's choice of words "not only smacks of hubris, it paints a picture of African countries as moral adolescents who require Western supervision in order to understand and do what is right," wrote Ebenezer Obadare, Douglas Dillon Senior Fellow for Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, adding that there is a longstanding perception that powerful Western countries, and the United States in particular, do not always live up to their own moral rhetoric.

Most countries have refrained from supporting America and its Atlantic Alliance, according to Adnan Bourji, director of the Lebanese National Center for Studies, "because they (the West) have provided the world with nothing but wars, devastation, and destruction for many decades."

A staff member hangs a U.S. national flag before U.S. President Joe Biden arrives for the European Council meeting in Brussels, Belgium, March 24, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

People in most parts of the world will never forget that "Western progress was built on the resources of the poor countries that they have colonized for centuries, and that the American administration is responsible for the majority of modern-era wars," said Bourji.

For the New York-based scholar Pang, "it is a very interesting moment in world history in which the West have never been more separate from the rest of the world."

"They have never seemed so disconnected in their views from attitudes in other parts of the world," said Pang.

Some people in the West have also pondered the mere anachronism of U.S. hegemony in an increasingly multipolar world.

"Over the longer term, Americans must realize that in an increasingly multipolar world, reckoning with the limits of their power is critical for achieving a more peaceful and just world," Zeeshan Aleem, an opinion columnist with MSNBC, wrote in March.

"The U.S. may want to be the only great power in the world, free to expand its hegemony with impunity, but it is not. Refusing to see this is dangerous for us all," the article concluded.

Across the Atlantic, former French Ambassador to the United States Gerard Araud lamented that Western countries "underestimate the resentment of the rest of the world against us."

"I am convinced that even if they don't particularly like Russia, a lot of non-westerners are supporting it only because it is confronting us," he tweeted.
Silhouettes of laptop and mobile device users next to a screen projection of Microsoft logo on March 28, 2018. (Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters)

Microsoft Says Will Not Resist Unionization Efforts by Employees

Microsoft Corp. will not resist unionization efforts from its employees, its President Brad Smith said on Thursday.

Microsoft recognizes employees legal right to choose to form or join a union, although they will never need to organize to have a dialogue with leaders, Smith said in a blog post on Thursday.

The comment comes against the backdrop of recent unionization efforts by employees at several technology companies.

Last month, a small group of workers in a division of Call of Duty videogame maker Activision Blizzard, which is being taken over by Microsoft, voted in favor of unionizing.

In response, Activision said it believes 19 employees should not be able to make a decision impacting a larger group of its employees.

Amazon.com Inc. has been long opposed to unionization efforts by its warehouse employees and was last month accused of threatening staff over a union vote.

Recent unionization campaigns across the countryincluding in the tech sectorhave led us to conclude that inevitably these issues will touch on more businesses, potentially including our own, Smith said.

Microsoft does not believe that employees or other stakeholders will benefit by resisting lawful efforts to participate in activities like unionization, he added.
An image of Tara Grinstead is displayed on a billboard, a popular high school teacher who vanished in Ocilla, Ga., in 2005. (Elliott Minor/AP Photo)

More Charges for Man Acquitted of Murdering Georgia Teacher

FITZGERALD, Ga.Two weeks after a jury acquitted a south Georgia man of murdering a teacher in 2005but convicted him of a lesser chargethe man was indicted on new charges in a neighboring county.

A grand jury on Friday indicted Ryan Duke on six counts including concealing a death, hindering apprehension of a criminal, concealing facts, and evidence tampering in the death of Tara Grinstead of Ocilla.

Grinstead vanished in 2005 and her disappearance from Irwin County remained a mystery for more than a decade until Dukes 2017 confession.

But during a trial last month, Duke testified that his confession was false. Defense attorney John Merchant told jurors a friend, Bo Dukes, instead killed Grinstead. Dukes was convicted in 2019 of helping move and burn Grinsteads body but was never charged with murder.

Duke said Dukes woke him up at the mobile home where they lived together in 2005 and said he had killed Grinstead and showed Duke the teachers purse and wallet. Duke testified that he lied to investigators because Dukes had already killed one person and he was afraid.

appears during motion hearings before Chief Judge of the Tifton Circuit Bill Reinhardt at Irwin County Courthouse in Ocilla, Ga., on Nov. 26, 2018. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Duke was acquitted of murder but found guilty of concealing a death in the Irwin County trial and sentenced to a total of 10 years in prison. Having already served five years in jail, Duke could serve five more years.

The new charges could add much more time onto Dukes sentence. Building off his testimony at trial, hes accused of concealing Grinsteads body, moving her body, burning the body in the pecan orchard to keep officials from arresting Dukes, and not telling officials where the remains were.

Dukes was found guilty by jurors in 2019 of lying to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, hindering the arrest of Duke, and concealing Grinsteads death. He told ultimately told investigators that Duke confessed to him that Duke had strangled Grinstead and had used Dukes pickup truck to move the body. Dukes said Duke took him to a pecan orchard, showed him Grinsteads body lying in tall grass, and the two burned the body for two days until it looked like it was all ash.

Dukes is serving a 25-year-prison sentence. He has not been charged with murder.

Bo Dukes, Ga., on March 3, 2017. (Ben Hill County Sheriffs Office/WMAZ via AP)

While Duke was previously charged in Irwin County, Fridays indictments were issued in Ben Hill County, which neighbors Irwin County to the north.

Dukes also faces additional concealment charges issued earlier in Ben Hill County. His previous trial was in Wilcox County, where he was interviewed by GBI agents.

Grinstead was last seen leaving an evening cookout in rural south Georgia. A history teacher and former beauty queen, Grinstead was 30 when she disappeared.

Duke led investigators to the pecan grove owned by Dukes uncle in Ben Hill County where he said the two burned Grinsteads body. Investigators recovered bone fragments, which prosecution witnesses at trial said was consistent with one adult. However, DNA analysis was inconclusive.

A latex glove found in the front yard of Grinsteads home contained her DNA, that of Duke, and a third person who could not be conclusively identified.

Mercer University Law Professor David Oedel told WMAZ-TV earlier this week, before Duke was indicted again, that Dukes may be able to argue that hes facing double jeopardyillegally being charged twice for the same crime.

Its a question of how much you view the different indictments, the different charges as overlapping, Oedel said.
Visitors browse through books on display at the International Book Fair in Hong Kong on July 20, 2017. (Isaac Lawrence/AFP via Getty Images)

Multiple Publishers Denied Participation in Hong Kong Book Fair Amid Increased Political Scrutiny

Hong Kong is stepping into 'authoritarianism:' EU report

Held in July, the Hong Kong Book Fair, the largest book exhibition in Asia, will be held for the second time since the implementation of the National Security Law. Several local publishers have been notified that they cannot participate due to their opinions allegedly being detrimental to the ever-tightening political environment.

In an interview with Commercial Radio Hong Kong on May 27, Daniel Wong, who runs the Kind of Culture free press, said they applied to participate early in the year but received notice this month that their application was denied without any indication of why the ruling was made.

Its surprising doing so [without any reason]. Wong said that he tried many times to communicate with the organizer, Hong Kong Trade and Development Council (HKTDC), when it didnt give a reason for the denial.

At last years book fair, two books on sale at the Kind of Culture booth had previously been accused of alleged violations of the National Security Law in a notice from the HKTDC, said Wong, adding that they subsequently did not receive any warnings or orders to stop selling the books.

Wong believes that Kind of Culture being denied participation in the book fair may be linked to the current political situation.

Hillway Culture press is a similar case.

On May 16, the HKTDC informed the Hillway Culture bookstore and publisher that its application to sell books at the Hong Kong book fair in 2022 was denied, and also didnt state any reason.

Speaking to Radio Free Radio on May 20, Raymond Yeung, co-founder of Hillway Culture said he saw the incident as a kind of political clampdown.

Considering there is still room for people to speak out even if the official platform stifles the freedom, Hillway Culture is determined to convene an independent book fair for local residents, and an online international one for Hongkongers worldwide, Yeung said.

The local book fair will be called Hong Kong Peoples Book Fair, which is different from HKTDCs Hong Kong Book Fair, and is expected to occur at the same time, Yeung said.

Copies of a publication about protests in Hong Kong from 2005 to 2015 are displayed at a booth at the annual Hong Kong Book Fair in Hong Kong on July 17, 2021. (Bertha Wang/AFP via Getty Images)

Yeung was a former teacher of Liberal Studies at Diocesan Girls School. In 2016, he cofounded Hillway Culture and regularly publishes and sells books on democratic movements and social politics, including A Journey Through the Brick Wall and Yuen Long Dark Night.

Yeungs right eye was damaged by police tear gas during an Extradition Law protest on June 12, 2019.

Another company rejected from the exhibition is Humming Publishing, which was established in late 2018.

In addition, Jimmy Pang, president of Subculture, a publishing house that was at the book fair each year, said it wont participate in the book fair due to social environment changes and the lack of authors wanting to publish books in recent years.

For past decades, the Hong Kong Book Fair was a vehicle for freedom of publication and freedom of speech. But now, HKTDC has to take the initiative and explain the criteria behind the book fair choices for those in the industry, Pang said.

The Hong Kong Book Fair, started in 1990, is one of the most influential book fairs in Asia, and is also a gauge of Hong Kong enjoying freedom of publication.

Thanks to Hong Kongs unique British-governed background, the fair attracts many publishers from both sides of the Taiwan Strait every year, and some banned books are often displayed at book fairs.

However, with the National Security Law in force in Hong Kong, freedom of speech has been strongly suppressed, and fewer and fewer dissident political books focusing on current issues can be published.

People hold up copies of the Apple Daily as they protest for press freedom inside a mall in Hong Kong on August 11, 2020. (Isaac Lawrence/AFP via Getty Images)

Hong Kong Has Stepped into Authoritarianism: EU report

On May 20, the European Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy released a joint annual report on Hong Kong.

In the 20-page report, the EU indicates that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) broke its pledge, made in the Sino-British Joint Declaration, to safeguard Hong Kongs high degree of autonomy and human rights and freedoms until 2047, and has become increasingly authoritarian instead.

The report notes that most democrats are put into prison or in exile, more than 50 civil society organizations have disbanded, and some international organizations have closed their Hong Kong offices. The impact of the implementation of the National Security Law is stronger than expected, covering a wide range of crimes, and the law has imposed a chilling effect on human rights and freedoms, with increasing self-censorship in the media, academia, and civil society.

The Hong Kong government only allows non-governmental organizations that do not challenge the government to continue to operate, which is the same as in mainland China, the report said.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gestures as he addresses media representatives at a press conference following a meeting of NATO foreign ministers at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on April 7, 2022. (Francois Walschaerts/AFP via Getty Images)

NATO Chief Speaks With Erdogan About Finland, Sweden Joining

BRUSSELSNATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has met with Finlands prime minister and spoken to Turkeys president as he seeks to overcome Turkish resistance to Finland and Sweden joining the alliance.

Stoltenberg, who visited Washington this week, said on Twitter late Friday that he met with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin while there and discussed the need to address Turkeys concerns and move forward with the Finnish and Swedish membership applications.

Russias war in Ukraine pushed the Nordic countries to apply to join NATO, but Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses Sweden and Finland of supporting Kurdish militants deemed by Turkey to be terrorists.

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a news conference, in Ankara, Turkey, on May 14, 2022. ( Burhan Ozbilici/AP Photo)

Stoltenberg said he had a constructive phone call with Erdogan, calling Turkey a valued ally and praising Turkish efforts to broker a deal to ensure the safe transportation of grain supplies from Ukraine amid global food shortages. Stoltenberg said on Twitter that he and Erdogan would continue their dialogue, without elaborating.

Erdogans office released a statement in which it said the president had emphasized that Sweden and Finland should make it clear that they have stopped supporting terrorism, have lifted defense export restrictions on Turkey, and are ready to show alliance solidarity.

The Nordic states, among other countries, imposed limitations on arms sales in the wake of Turkeys 2019 military incursion into northern Syria.

The NATO chiefs diplomatic efforts came before a gathering of senior officials from Sweden, Finland, and Turkey next week in Brussels, where NATO is based, to discuss Turkeys opposition to the applications.
New York Rep. Chris Jacobs Wont Seek Reelection After Splitting from Republicans on Gun Control

A New York Republican representative who once promised to protect the Second Amendment rights of his constituents has announced that he will not seek reelection after changing his stance on gun control following a spate of mass shootings.

In announcing his decision, Rep. Chris Jacobs, whose 27th New York congressional district is near the recent mass shooting in Buffalo, said his split from the Republican Party on gun control made any reelection bid difficult.

The last thing we need is an incredibly negative, half-truth-filled media attack, funded by millions of dollars in special interest money coming into our community around this issue of guns and gun violence and gun control, he said.

Conservatives and Republicans were taken off guard by Jacobss new stance, criticizing the move as they fight against the Democrats new push for gun control laws in the wake of mass shootings.

New York State Conservative Party chair Gerard Kassar said Friday that its in the best interests of voters, the Republican Party, and the Conservative Party that Jacobs returns to civilian life.

The New York State Conservative Party thanks Congressman Chris Jacobs for his long service to the people of New York State, Kassar said in a statement. We were perplexed, however, by his recent stance on Second Amendment rights, a position well outside the mainstream of the Republican Party, the Conservative Party, and the voters of NY 23.

Jacobs, who was the only candidate for his district to be endorsed by the National Rifle Association (NRA) during his congressional campaign in 2020, flagged his change of heart in late May.

In an interview with Buffalo News, he described the recent mass shootings at the Buffalo supermarket and Uvalde elementary school as being profoundly impactful on him.

I hope Ive been compassionate when I read and heard about previous incidents like this that have happened over the years, but I guess theres just something markedly different when it happens in your city, to people you know, Jacobs told Buffalo News on May 27.

His remarks came after 18-year-old self-described white supremacist Payton Gendron allegedly gunned down black Americans at a Tops Friendly supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killing 10 and injuring three more on May 14. Authorities described it as a racist attack.

It also came after another 18-year-old suspect, Salvador Ramos, slaughtered 19 fourth-grade students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24.

Being a father and having young children and visualizing what those parents are going through and, I guess, being able to feel it more personally certainly has had an impact as well, Jacobs said in his interview.

In late May, Jacobs told a news conference that if an assault weapons ban bill came to the floor that would ban something like an AR-15, I would vote for it.

He also said he would support raising the minimum purchasing age for some guns to 21, and would support banning the sale of body armor to civilians, because I just cant think for the life of me why a civilian whos not in the law enforcement sector or security should have the right to obtain that kind of body armor.

His new position stands in contrast to his campaign promise in 2020 to uphold the rights of Americans in New Yorks west district, when he won the backing of the NRA and then-President Donald Trump.

It is truly an honor to be the only candidate to receive the endorsement of the NRA for NY-27. This is a testament to my conservative record and experience of fighting for the Second Amendment rights of my constituents as County Clerk and New York State Senator, Jacobs said in a June 2, 2020 release on his Jacobs for Congress website.

He added: I have always stood with law-abiding gun owners. I promise to uphold this commitment to protecting our rights, and Western New York gun owners can rest assured they have an ally and a fighter for them in Congress with me.
Hal Harrell, superintendent of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, speaks during the first public meeting since the May 24 mass shooting at an elementary school, in Uvalde, Texas, on June 3, 2022. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

No Action Taken Against Uvalde Schools Police Chief at 1st Meeting Since Mass Shooting

Students will never return to Robb Elementary after massacre, superintendent says

UVALDE, TexasThe school police chief who made the decision not to immediately breach the classroom where a man with a gun was fatally shooting students was not punished on June 3 during the first meeting of the Uvalde, Texas, school districts board of trustees since the May 24 shooting.

The board decided not to act against Pete Arredondo, the districts police chief, during a closed-door part of the session while consulting with attorneys.

Arredondo could have been suspended or terminated, according to the meeting agenda. The board was meeting in public for the first time since the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, which left 19 children, two teachers, and the shooter dead.

Amid growing public criticism and scrutiny directed at law enforcement and Arredondo, district Superintendent Hal Harrell told the crowd of about 30 attendees that he had no answers about why Arredondo ordered officers to hold in the hallway outside the classroom where a man identified as Salvador Ramos was firing at students and teachers. Investigations are continuing.

I know that people ask about the investigation. I know that investigations ongoing. I know the DOJ is reviewing that investigation, Harrell said at the meeting.

I want answers just like everybody, but I dont have answers. Theyve not given me answers. So I dont have anything to provide you in that realm. I dont. I wish I did have answers.

Pete Arredondo, chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (L), speaks at a press conference while Superintendent Hal Harrell looks on, following a mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Arredondo was the onsite commander when officers responded to the shooting. He ordered officers to hold and wait for backup, reportedly due to the belief that the active shooter situation had evolved into a barricaded subject scenario.

A Texas Department of Public Safety official said on May 27 that it was the wrong decision to delay, and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has said the decision may have cost lives.

During the open forum portion of the June 3 meeting, Dawn Poitevent told the trustees about her 7-year-old sons newfound fear of attending school. Her son, Hayes, was slated to attend Robb Elementary as he moved to second grade, but the school is now permanently closed, and other schools will need to absorb its students.

Hes already told me doesnt want to go to school, Poitevent said.

She begged the trustees to keep Hayess cohort of 7-year-olds together at the soon-to-be expanded Dalton Elementary, which they already attend, when they start 2nd grade.

Poitevent, who lost twin daughters several years ago, said after the meeting that the tragic shooting has taken a toll on her family.

The one thing I can say is that I have empathy in my heart for these moms. I know what its like to not take your babies home at the end of the day, she said.

This is not something I would wish upon my worst enemy. This is not whats supposed to happen to our babies.

Summer school is set to start on June 7, and some parents are concerned about safety measures.

Joe Ortega attended the meeting with his wife, hoping to ask the board about summer school security, although he was unaware of a requirement to sign up to speak beforehand and left without his questions being answered.

Ortega has three children at two different campuses, with his 16-year-old son preparing to start summer school next week.

Im going to have to speak to the teacher that hes supposed to report to and find out directly from her what type of security they plan on having for summer school, if any, he told The Epoch Times.

They need to put four dedicated officers at each campusand ones that dont leave that campus. Four officers on every single campus, that stay at that campus and learn that campus like the back of their hand. The guy never would have gotten into school; he would have met an officer at least at the door.

Ortega said he plans to sign up to speak at the next meeting on June 20.

Carper Capt, who also spoke during the open forum, said he was a member of the board for three terms.

I just made a few comments about how those of us who are members of this community, we understand what a special place it is and we understand this tragedy that were going to have to deal with for a long time going forward. But with the grace of God, and with the support that we always have shown for one another, well make it through, Capt told The Epoch Times after the meeting.

Because evil is at work, the devil is at work in this world, and hell go to work on this. Hell try to use this to his advantage and tear us apart. Thats the way the devil succeeds, is by ripping people apart. And this is what has happened. We cant let that prevail. We have to fight as a group. We have to stick together and show support for one another, and we can get through this.

Charlotte Cuthbertson Senior Reporter Follow Charlotte Cuthbertson is a senior reporter with The Epoch Times who primarily covers border security and the opioid crisis.
A group of people thought to be illegal immigrants walk up the beach after being brought in to Dungeness, Kent, onboard the RNLI Dungeness Lifeboat, on May 17, 2022. (Gareth Fuller/PA Media)

Number of Illegal Entries Into UK This Year Nears 10,000

Almost 10,000 people have entered the UK illegally by crossing the English Channel in small boats this year, official figures show.

By Friday, a total of 9,988 illegal immigrants arrived in small boats in 2022, according to the analysis of government data by the PA news agency.

Some 4,035 of these people arrived after April 14, when Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the governments plan to put illegal immigrants on one-way flights to Rwanda in order to deter people smuggling by small boats.

Former Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib questioned the resettlement plan on Friday, telling Talk TV its not actually working in deterring channel crossings.

In its daily update on Saturday, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed that 40 people were brought ashore on Friday in a single boat. It followed the arrival of 139 illegal immigrants in six boats on Thursday and 198 in four boats on Wednesday, bringing this weeks total to 658.

A total of 28,526 people made the crossing in 2021, compared with 8,466 in 2020, 1,843 in 2019, and 299 in 2018, according to Home Office figures.

Between January and March this year, 4,540 people were found arriving by small boats, more than triple the number during the same three months in 2021 (1,363).

November 2021 saw the highest monthly number of channel crossings in the last four years, with 6,971 people successfully making the journey.

The MoD defines a small boat as one of a number of vessels used by individuals who cross the English Channel with the aim of gaining entry to the UK without a visa or permission to entereither directly by landing in the UK or having been intercepted at sea by the authorities and brought ashore.

The most common small vessels detected making these types of crossings are rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs), dinghies, and kayaks.

The UKs official figure doesnt include those who failed to reach the UK after being intercepted by French authorities.

Meanwhile, Home Secretary Priti Patel announced on Wednesday that the first flight carrying illegal immigrants to Rwanda is expected to take off on June 14.

If they are successfully removed from the UK, the dozens of immigrants will be provided with a support package, including up to five years of training, accommodation, and health care on arrival, according to the Home Office.

The Home Office previously 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.

But the tactic has attracted wide criticisms from opposition parties, charities, Conservative backbenchers, and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Ontarios 2022 Election Records Lowest Ever Voter Turnout

A large majority of Ontarians did not vote in the 2022 provincial election, leading to the lowest turnout the province has ever seen.

Unofficial results from Elections Ontario show about 43 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in this election, down from 57 percent in 2018.

This means of the over 10.7 million registered voters, just over 4.6 million placed their votes to choose the party they want to lead the province.

Official tabulation has not been completed, but Elections Ontario confirmed Friday that turnout was the lowest on record.

The last time the province saw a turnout below 50 percent was in 2011, when just 48 percent of Ontarians 18 years and older placed a vote, seeing Dalton McGuintys Liberal Party win a minority government at the time.

While Doug Fords Progressive Conservatives (PCs) secured a second majority government on June 2, preliminary results showed his party won just over 1.9 million votes.

However, the PCs grew their number of seats to 83, an increase of seven seats compared to the 2018 election, while the NDP got 31 seats, losing nine seats compared to 2018. The Liberals gained one seat compared to four years ago, winning a total of eight seats, while the Greens held on to their single seat.

Fords victory led to the resignations of both Andrea Horwath as leader of the New Democrats and Steven Del Duca as leader of the Liberals.

A few factors about this particular campaign likely contributed to the low turnout, including a perceived lack of a competitive race, said Cameron Anderson, an associate political science professor at Western University.

It was sort of a clear conservative lead all the way through, he said. And the closer we got, the more that held, the less there was a sense of this is a competitive election, this is something that I need to get out and vote to have my voice heard.

Speaking at a press conference on June 3, Ford was asked to explain the low turnout, and to answer whether the lowest voter turnout in history gave him the mandate to govern Ontario.

I think its pretty clear the people gave us a mandate with 83 seats and were going to focus on our mandate, he said. We travelled across this province for the last four to five weeks, setting a clear direction where were going with this province.

Ford was also asked if the province will consider changing the voting system to one that is more representative such that those percentages actually translate to seats in the Ontario legislature.

I think this system [has] worked for over a hundred and some odd years. It is going to continue to work that way, he said.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
A member of the U.S. military receives the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at Camp Foster in Ginowan, Japan, on April 28, 2021. (Carl Court/Getty Images)

Pentagons Vaccine Mandate Challenged in Class-Action Lawsuit

About 20 years ago, attorney and former Marine Corps Capt. Dale Saran defended service members involved in a fight against the Pentagons mandatory anthrax vaccination program. While Saran lost the case in military court, the case eventually made its way to a federal court, which issued a permanent injunction in 2004, bringing the mandatory anthrax vaccination program to an end.

Now hes come to the legal defense of troops in their fight against the U.S. militarys COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

On May 23, Saran filed a lawsuit in the Eastern District of Texas, alleging that the Pentagons vaccine mandate issued by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Aug. 24, 2021, is unconstitutional and therefore unlawful.

He told The Epoch Times the lawsuit was filed more pointedly against the Federal Drug Administrations [FDA] choice to illegally ignore the Public Health Service Act, specifically 42 U.S.C.  262 governing the regulation of biologicswhich includes viruses or vaccines applicable to the prevention, treatment, or cure of a disease or condition of human beings.

The heart of the claim is that these are not vaccines, Saran told The Epoch Times. They dont have any live virus in them; the only thing that makes them even remotely related to a vaccine is the route of administrationa shot through a needle.

Without the presence of a live virus, the COVID-19 vaccines are nothing more than gene therapieswhether they are licensed or not, Saran said. And a therapy, even a life-saving therapy, cannot be mandated under U.S. constitutional law, at least as it stands right now.

Sarans filing argues that because the COVID-19 shots arent vaccines, the right to refuse treatment is constitutionally protected as a fundamental right. Therefore, the strict scrutiny test applies, meaning the mandate is narrowly tailored to meet a compelling interestbut neither exists, because the mandate doesnt narrowly consider each service members factors of risk, and the vaccine is no longer effective against the newer variants, the filing contends.

These are experimental treatments, [but] people have been hypnotized and propagandized into believing they are vaccines, he said.

He said a legitimate vaccine requires exposing the body to the virus, or a relative of the virus, that youre trying to inoculate against, to develop immunity to it.

The filing noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention intentionally changed its own definitions of vaccine and vaccinations overnight on Sept. 1, 2021, to eliminate the word immunitythe entire point of a vaccination as a public health measure.

Saran added that COVID-19 vaccines dont stop the transmission of the virus, thus the entire logic of a mandate falls apart. Furthermore, if it doesnt provide sterilized immunity or prevent it from being transmitted to others, he said that theres no possible justification for treating the unvaccinatedincluding those with natural immunityany differently than the vaccinated.

Seeking an exemption from the mandate has also resulted in constitutional equal protection arguments for some members of the service, he said. Theyre treating unvaccinated members of the military horribly, like theyre unclean, like theyre lepers.

Currently, there are approximately 550 plaintiffs, which Saran expects to increase. The initial filing was drafted and submitted because people needed immediate relief and somebody needed to try to stop the train, [since] the military has started to get rid of people.

If a temporary restraining order is put in place by the judge, Saran said there will be other plaintiffs added who also deserve a fair chance to get their day in court to have their side of the argument heard. He explained that an amendment [to the current filing] will allow all the folks to get in the boat that didnt get in on the first go.

The next few weeks will include a flurry of filings and responses from the government, Saran said.

[The] endgame is to shut down the whole program and get the judge to recommend a U.S. Attorney to investigate the criminality of the FDA and some of the people involvedbecause they know this is illegal.

Its time for people to stop soft-pedaling and giving credence to a therapy thats not actually a vaccine.

An experimental product has been wrongfully mandated [on the U.S. military], Saran said, adding that its the crime of the century, and Im going to keep screaming about it until they tell me to shut up and sit down.

Pentagon officials didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
A German Gepard anti-aircraft tank fires during a military exercise in the northern German town of Bergen some 80 km south of Hamburg, Germany, on Nov. 26, 2003. (Christian Charisius/Reuters)

Russia Says Germany Is Risking European Security by Remilitarizing

Russia on Friday accused Germany of throwing European security into imbalance by remilitarizing, as Berlin moves to boost its military spending in response to Moscows invasion of Ukraine.

In comments published in German newspapers this week, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Berlin would soon have the largest conventional army of NATOs European members.

We perceive the statement of the German Chancellor as yet another confirmation that Berlin has set a course for an accelerated remilitarization of the country. How could this end? Alas, this is well known from history, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Scholz pledged in February to sharply increase defence spending and inject 100 billion euros ($107.39 billion) into Germanys armed forces, marking a major policy shift for the military after decades of attrition following the end of the Cold War.

Germanys Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, on Friday approved creation of the 100 billion euro ($107.2 billion) special defence fund that Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The money is to be used over several years to increase Germanys regular defence budget of around 50 billion euros and enable the country to meet the NATO target of spending 2 percent of its economic output on defence each year.

Russia has sharply criticised the move, which Berlin announced shortly after Moscow invaded Ukraine.

At a time when it is necessary to look for opportunities to reduce common threats, Germany, on the contrary, takes the path of escalating the military-political situation on the European continent, directing tens of billions of euros to increase the critical mass of weapons, Zakharova said.

($1 = 0.9312 euros)
A general view of the headquarters of the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow, Russia, on April 29, 2022. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

Russia Summons Heads of US Media Outlets, Warns of Stringent Measures

Russias Foreign Ministry said it was summoning the heads of U.S. media outlets in Moscow to a meeting next Monday to notify them of tough measures in response to U.S. restrictions against Russian media.

If the work of the Russian mediaoperators and journalistsis not normalized in the United States, the most stringent measures will inevitably follow, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.

To this end, on Monday, June 6, the heads of the Moscow offices of all American media will be invited to the press centre of the Russian Foreign Ministry to explain to them the consequences of their governments hostile line in the media sphere, she added. We look forward to it.

Russia has accused Western countries of imposing unfair restrictions on its media abroad, including bans on some state-backed news outlets. Lawmakers passed a bill last month giving prosecutors powers to shut foreign media bureaus in Moscow if a Western country has been unfriendly to Russian media.

Washington has imposed sanctions against some state-run Russian TV stations, which it says have spread disinformation to bolster Russias war in Ukraine.

Asked about the summoning of U.S. media outlets in Moscow, a spokesperson for the State Department said the United States supports access to media and the internet for Russians, who are being subjected to censorship by their own government.
A 3D-printed Telegram logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken on Jan. 21, 2021. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

Telegram Hands Over Personal User Data to German Authorities

Operators of the messenger app Telegram transferred personal information of its users to the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), deviating from the companys earlier claims of shielding such data from governments.

The personal data is related to users who were suspects of terrorism and child abuse crimes, according to Der Spiegel. In the case of other crimes, it is still difficult for German authorities to get data from Telegram.

The move appears to signal a softening of the companys stance on data privacy. German investigators, for a long time, have never received any positive responses from Telegram whenever they requested the company to reveal the identities of people behind online criminal content.

The data handover runs counter to a claim on the companys official website that states, to this day, we have disclosed 0 bytes of user data to third parties, including governments.

According to the company, cloud chat data is stored in multiple data centers around the world that are controlled by several legal entities across various jurisdictions.

Moreover, decryption keys are split into multiple parts and never stored in the same place as the data they are supposed to protect. As a result, only if several court orders from different jurisdictions appear will Telegram be forced to give up data.

Thanks to this structure, we can ensure that no single government or block of like-minded countries can intrude on peoples privacy and freedom of expression, the company claims.

However, its recent German handover dents this narrative, raising the possibility that Telegram can be forced by other governments as well to submit private data.

Back in 2018, Telegram founder Pavel Durov announced a new policy according to which a court order can compel the company to release IP addresses and phone numbers of its users. In its latest transparency report updated every six months, no data transfers to authorities were mentioned.

In January, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser suggested that Berlin could shut down Telegram and that it was in talks with EU partners on how best to regulate the messaging service. German authorities had engaged in talks with the top management of Telegram in February.

We have made contact with the top management of #Telegram. In an initial constructive discussion on further cooperation, we agreed to continue and intensify the exchange. This step is a good achievement that we will build on, Faeser said in a Feb. 4 tweet.

Later that month, Telegram blocked 64 of its channels in Germany after the Federal Criminal Police Office sent shutdown requests to the firm.

Telegram has become very popular with protestors and activists in Germany after social media platforms like Facebook turned more compliant to government requests for cracking down on what they allege to be misinformation.
The Struggle Against Tyranny Is Endless

Commentary

President Joe Bidens ambitions to strip Americans of their constitutional right to bear arms should be seen as part of a wider campaign. Over the past several years, Americas oligarchy, comprising political and corporate elites and the national security establishment, has dismantled the constitutional order designed to bind Americans together as one nation under one law.

The ruins of that order are plain to seefrom open borders to vaccine mandates, and open election fraud to the prosecution of political opponents. These are evidence not of a coming conflict but the reality that war is already upon us. What replaces that order will be decided by the victors, whose prerogative it is to forcibly disarm the losing side.

And this is the crucial point: Without a comprehensive victory, the oligarchy dares not try taking Americans guns without risking a catastrophic loss. And so at present, Americas warring sides are at a stalemate. Its clear the authors of the Constitution foresaw this likelihood.

Gun opponents say that the historical circumstances in which the Second Amendment was written is long past. They fix on the first clauseA well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free Stateand argue that citizen militias are no longer relevant in an age when the United States is defended by a professional military.

But thats a weak reading. The main clausethe right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringedhas to be understood in its proper context: Tyranny. The Second Amendment articulates Americans right not only to defend their lives but also preserve their liberty.

The Second Amendment was drafted shortly after the Founding Fathers had waged war for eight years against a tyrant. The Constitution they wrote, limiting the powers of government, and the Bill of Rights they added enumerating citizens rights, are evidence they believed the struggle against tyranny is endless. The war against the British crown was over, but it wouldnt be the last time the new country would have to face down despotic rule. Any generation might be called upon to face it down, at home or abroad.

Tyranny is a constant throughout history because its in the nature of man, and also therefore the political institutions that men make, to seek more power. As author of the Second Amendment James Madison put it, The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted.

To ensure that no man or institution became too powerful, the Founders created a system of checks and balancesfor instance, dividing federal power into three branches of government, executive, judiciary, and legislative. The Second Amendment is best understood as part of that righteous design deterring the rise of tyrants. Should Americans govern each other unjustly, citizens God-given right to defend their liberty is enshrined in the supreme law of the land.

In the past six years, Americans have learned that the Founders concerns werent theoretical, or ideological souvenirs of a time long past. Tyranny is real. The assault on our rights has caused real casualties. The oligarchy has bled Americans while laying siege to the Bill of Rights.

The First Amendment enshrines the right to free speech, including religion, and freedom of assembly. And yet Jan. 6, 2021, defendants were charged with trespassing even when law enforcement invited them into the Capitol building.

Jan. 6 defendants have been forced to renounce their political views. Biden prosecutors have used political speech (Trump banners, anti-Biden memes, and so on) as evidence to obtain convictions of Jan. 6 defendants. Courts have conditioned the release of some Jan. 6 defendants on whether they accept Biden as president.

Social media platforms, in partnership with U.S. intelligence agencies, censored media reporting on Hunter Bidens laptop. The same platforms and government agencies censored and deplatformed accounts promoting viewpoints on COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines not sanctioned by the oligarchy. Anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine protests were criminalized under the pretext of COVID-19 guidelines, which were also used to shut down houses of worship.

In violation of the Second Amendment, the firearms of Jan. 6 defendants charged with nonviolent offenses have been confiscated.

Although the Fourth Amendment expresses the right of citizens to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, the FBI spied on the 2016 Donald Trump presidential campaign and then the Trump White House. Biden tasked the FBI to spy on parents objecting to public schools campaigns to groom and radicalize their children. And the National Security Agency allegedly spied on opposition journalist Tucker Carlson.

While the Sixth Amendment guarantees that in all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, Bidens Justice Department has repeatedly delayed the trials of Jan. 6 defendants to gather more evidence while still holding the accused in prison.

The Eighth Amendment provides that excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted, but Biden prosecutors have denied bail to Jan. 6 defendants charged with nonviolent offenses. Further, Jan. 6 defendants have allegedly been beaten by prison guards and denied medical care.

From Russiagate through COVID-19 lockdowns to Jan. 6 prosecutions, the oligarchy has used its serial operations against Americans and their chosen leaders as experiments to acclimate a free people to bitter subservience. And thats why the Second Amendment is Americans most essential right: Without it, every other right belonging to a free people is vulnerable to the intolerable whim of tyranny.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Ambassador Andrew Bremberg, president and chief executive officer of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, at a candlelight vigil mourning the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square in Washington D.C., on June 3, 2022. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times)

Tiananmen Square Massacre Vigil in Washington Celebrates Chinese Spirit of Freedom

WASHINGTONThe spirit of the Chinese student democracy movement lives on, said attendees of a candlelight vigil held in the nations capital commemorating the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Thirty-three years ago, on June 3, 1989, CCP leaders ordered the military to remove the student-led demonstrators who had occupied Tiananmen Square for weeks demanding democracy in China. By the early morning of June 4, tanks and troops had cleared the area. Hundreds of students, if not more, were killed.

The tank man, an unidentified Chinese man who stood in front of a formation of tanks on June 5, 1989, became one of the movements most iconic images.

We gather here today to carry on the memory of the brutal Tiananmen Square massacre that the CCP desperately wants the world to forget. But we will never forget, said Ambassador Andrew Bremberg, president of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC), a Washington-based advocacy group.

He announced that the new Victims of Communism Museum in Washington would open on June 13 with a Tiananmen 1989 exhibit.

The candlelight vigil hosted by VOC took place at the Victims of Communism Memorial statue near the U.S. Capitol. The figure is a replica of the Goddess of Democracy sculpture Chinese students erected in Tiananmen Square in May 1989. It was later destroyed during the violent clampdown in June.

Lee Edwards, Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation co-founder and chairman emeritus, at a candlelight vigil mourning the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square in Washington D.C., on June 3, 2022. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times)

Lee Edwards, VOC co-founder and chairman emeritus, called for participants to take inspiration from victims and stand resolute until that day when China will be free China.

Dictators always look strongest just before they fall, Edwards said, adding that Erich Honecker, the East German head of state, said in early 1989 that the Berlin Wall would last for 100 years. And it fell just months later.

In refuting the idea that the CCP would be everlasting, Edwards added, A lot of people are beginning to realize that it is possible that the Chinese Communist Party will undergo severe pressures and tensions because of the faltering economy in China.

Participants at a candlelight vigil mourning victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square in Washington D.C., on June 3, 2022. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times)

The Chinese Spirit

Yang Jianli, president of the advocacy group Citizen Power Initiatives for China, quoted former U.S. President Reagans comment about the Tiananmen Square massacre, You cant massacre an idea. Reagan said those words in London days after the incident while speaking at a lecture in memory of British wartime leader Winston Churchill.

Yang said that the current times were difficult because the space for civil society has been squeezed almost to zero in China. Yet, the democratic yearnings of the Chinese people havent died; it will only take the right moment for people to speak out, according to Yang.

I still have a very high hope for the people in China, Yang told The Epoch Times. Of course, we have to keep our movement alive overseas and sow seeds wherever we go. Then, someday we will harvest.

Yang Jianli, president of Citizen Power Initiatives for China, at a candlelight vigil dedicated to the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square in Washington D.C., on June 3, 2022. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times)

To Joey Siu, a Hong Kong activist who left the territory at the end of 2020 as the CCP tightened its grip on the city, said the spirit of the 1989 student movement is the dedication and the devotion to defending freedom and democracy and the values that we believe in.

Siu was born in 1989 and learned about the Tiananmen Square massacre through newspapers and schooling in Hong Kong. Locals often refer to the movement as June 4, the day of the killings in 1989. HongKongers had held June 4 candlelight vigils at Victoria Park every year until 2020, when the city refused the event to go ahead citing the pandemic. The vigils banning came amid a wider clampdown by Beijing on freedoms in the financial hub, which intensified after largescale pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2019.

The activist said that the spirit of June 4 lived on in many HongKongers, citing the mass protests of 2019.

Many young Hong Kong protesters quit school, sacrificing their future, and giving up well-paid jobs. Now were still seeing many activists doing the same, and I feel that is where we see the hopes of June 4th.

Wuerkaixi, a student leader during the 1989 democracy movement, at a candlelight vigil mourning the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square in Washington D.C., on June 3, 2022. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times)

No Gray Area

Wuerkaixi, a student leader during the 1989 democracy movement and current general secretary of a human rights organization under Taiwans Legislative Yuan, said that the annual June 4th commemoration events served as a reminder of the CCPs true nature to the world.

The enemy of freedom and democracy in China in 1989 is still the enemy of freedom and democracy 33 years later, he told The Epoch Times. This enemy is not just an enemy of the Chinese college students in 1989. It is also the enemy of the values of freedom and democracy.

Between the tanks and the tank man, one can only pick one side, he added. There is no gray area.
Smoke and dirt rise from the city of Sievierodonetsk, during shelling in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbass, on May 26, 2022. (Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images)

Two Reuters Journalists Injured, Driver Killed in East Ukraine

Two Reuters journalists were injured and a driver killed on Friday after the vehicle they were in came under fire while heading to the eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk, the latest battle line in Russias assault on Ukraine.

Photographer Alexander Ermochenko and cameraman Pavel Klimov were traveling in a car provided by Russia-backed forces on the Russian-held part of the road between Sievierodonetsk and the town of Rubizhne, 10 km (6 miles) to the north.

Reuters could not immediately establish the identity of the driver, who had been assigned to Reuters by the separatists for the reporting trip. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry did not respond to a telephone call seeking comment on the incident.

Ermochenko and Klimov were taken to a hospital in Rubizhne where they received initial treatment, Ermochenko for a small shrapnel wound and Klimov for an arm fracture.

Reuters extends its deepest sympathies to the family of the driver for their loss, a Reuters spokesperson said in a statement.

In recent weeks, Russia has poured its forces into the battle for Sievierodonetsk, a small factory city in the east, which Russia must capture to achieve its stated aim of holding all of Luhansk Province.

Both sides have been taking punishing losses there in a street-by-street battle that could set the trajectory for a long war of attrition. Moscow describes its presence as a special military operation to disarm and denazify Ukraine.

By Mark John
Nurses and doctors against gun violence stand together wearing orange at UCI Medical Center in Orange, Calif., on June 3, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

UCI Medical Workers Commemorate National Gun Violence Awareness Day

ORANGE, Calif.Days after a shooter took the lives of two physicians at a hospital in Oklahoma, doctors and hospital staff wearing orange T-shirts gathered outside the University of CaliforniaIrvine (UCI) Medical Center on June 3 to commemorate National Gun Violence Awareness Day.

Today, we want to remember those that have been hurt or killed by gun violence, Dr. Theresa Chin, a trauma surgeon from the medical center, told reporters. But more importantly, we want to make moves to prevent further injury and deaths from gun violence.

Standing together in solidarity, Chin and approximately 50 others wore orange shirts with END GUN VIOLENCE NOW in bold white print.

We wear orange because thats what hunters wear when theyre in the woods to protect themselves and others, she said.

Orange became the color of choice in observing the nationally recognized day in 2013 after friends of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendletonwho was shot and killed on a playground in Chicagobegan wearing the color to commemorate her life.

Doctors and staff at UCI Medical Centerwhich houses the only Level I trauma center in Orange Countytold reporters theyre teaching the community about gun safety and mental health, and offering Stop the Bleed classes to train people on how to help injured patients in times of emergency.

UCI Medical Center in Irvine, Calif., on April 13, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

We as trauma surgeons and medical care clinicians see patients at their worst, Chin said. And when its something that is easily preventable, its something that we as a community [and] country can do.

During the commemoration, two clinicians demonstrated how to stop the bleeding from a gunshot wound.

First, call 911.

Then the demonstratorsusing a mock appendagesaid to push down on the wound while holding pressure to reduce blood loss. Next, they packed the wound with gauze, slid a tourniquet underneath the limb, and tied the band tightly around it.

The tourniquetor any other item that can tie around a limb to restrict blood flowshould be placed a few inches above the gunshot wound, doctors said.

You want to make sure that [the band] is above the area that was shot, Chin said. If you have a gunshot wound on your lower leg, you want to put it up on your thigh. If its on your thigh, youll want to put it even higher than thatcloser to your belly.

Because body parts still need blood flow and oxygen, notating when the wound was treated also helps trauma surgeons decide when to release the tourniquet.

A nurse wraps a bandage after demonstrating the treatment of a mock gun wound at UCI Medical Center in Orange, Calif., on June 3, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

According to the UCI Medical Center, approximately 145 patients injured by gunfire were treated at the center in 2021.

In a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, UCIs medical staff said the leading cause of death for children 19 and under is firearm injuriessurpassing motor vehicle collisions.

Nationwide, firearms have killed almost 18,500 people, and 236 mass shootings have occurred since the beginning of 2022equating to more than one incident per dayaccording to the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive.

More importantly, though, we need to work together, focus on each other, check in with each other, and show kindness and grace, she said. Those are the things we can do on the community level.
A local resident walks along an empty street with residential buildings damaged by a military strike, in Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk region, Ukraine, on April 16, 2022. (Serhii Nuzhnenko/Reuters)

Ukraine Says Russian Troops Are Trying to Cut Access to Sievierodonetsk

KYIVKyiv said on Saturday Moscow had reinforced its troops around Sievierodonetsk and attempted to cut off Ukraines access to the industrial city, the focus of a Russian offensive to take the eastern Donbass region.

Serhiy Gaidai, governor of Luhansk Province, said Russian forces were blowing up bridges across the Siverskyi Donets river to prevent Ukraine bringing in military reinforcements in Sievierodonetsk.

The Russian army, as we understand, is throwing all its efforts, all its reserves in that (Sievierodonetsk) direction, Gaidai said in a live TV broadcast on Saturday.

Russians are blowing up bridges, so we could not bring in reinforcements to our boys in Sievierodonetsk, he said.

For both sides, the fighting in the east in recent weeks has been one of the deadliest phases of the war, with Ukraine saying it is losing 60 to 100 soldiers every day.

Ukraines military said on Saturday Russia had used artillery to conduct assault operations in Sievierodonetsk, but Russian forces retreated and Ukrainian troops are holding positions inside the city, around 145 kilometres (90 miles) from the Russian border.

Russian soldiers also attempted to advance towards Lysychansk, across the Siverskyi Donets river from Sievierodonetsk, but were stopped, Ukraines military general staff said.

Reuters reached Sievierodonetsk on Thursday and was able to verify that Ukrainians still held part of the city.

In neighbouring Donetsk Province, Russian troops were just 15 km (9 miles) outside the city of Sloviansk, regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko told Reuters on Friday.

Britains defence ministry said on Saturday that Russian air activity remains high over Donbass, with Russian aircraft carrying out strikes using both guided and unguided munitions.

In Ukraines southern Odesa region on Saturday morning, a missile hit an agricultural storage unit, wounding two people, the regional administrations spokesman wrote on Telegram.

Ukrainian officials are counting on advanced missile systems recently pledged by the United States and Britain to swing the war in their favour, and Ukrainian troops have already begun training on them.

Moscow has said the Western weapons will pour fuel on the fire, but will not change the course of what it calls a special military operation to disarm Ukraine and rid it of dangerous nationalists.

By Max Hunder
Soldiers stand next to military vehicles as people gather to protest against the military coup, in Yangon, Burma, on Feb. 15, 2021. (Stringer/Reuters)

UN Deeply Troubled by Burmese Militarys Decision to Execute Democracy Activists

The Burmese military stated on June 3 that it would proceed with the execution of two pro-democracy activists convicted of treason and terrorism, drawing outcry from human rights groups.

Veteran democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu and Phyo Zeyar Thaw, a former lawmaker from the National League for Democracy (NLD) Party led by deposed Aung San Suu Kyi, were sentenced to death by a military tribunal in January.

The military junta ousted the elected NLD Party in February 2021, sparking widespread anti-coup protests in Burma, also known as Myanmar.

A spokesperson for the military junta said Kyaw and Phyo had filed appeals against their death sentences, but they were dismissed. The military made no mention of execution dates, Reuters reported.

Its also unclear whether the two activists denied the charges brought against them and how they pleaded.

United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters on June 3 that the militarys decision to execute the two activists constituted a blatant violation to the right to life, liberty, and security of person.

We are deeply troubled by the Myanmar militarys decision to proceed with the execution of two pro-democracy activists after they received death sentences, Dujarric said.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the military to drop all charges against those arrested on charges related to the exercise of their fundamental freedoms and rights and for the immediate release of all political prisoners in Myanmar.

The secretary-general considers that the death penalty cannot be reconciled with full respect for the right to life. Abolition is necessary and desirable for the enhancement of human dignity and the progressive development of human rights, Dujarric said.

The military juntas move to execute two prominent political leaders will be like pouring gasoline on the fire of popular anti-military resistance in the country. said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

If Myanmar goes ahead with executing two high profile political activists, it will also lead to global condemnation and cement the juntas reputation as among the worst of the worst human rights abusers in Asia, he wrote on Twitter.

According to the U.N., at least 1,600 people have been killed and more than 12,500 people have been detained since the military seized power.

The military released more than 1,600 prisoners on April 17, including 42 detained foreigners, in an amnesty to commemorate the countrys Buddhist New Year. But political prisoners werent among those released.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a nonprofit human rights organization based in Thailand, the 1,619 released prisoners only represent a fraction of the juntas total detention of 10,238 people, including Suu Kyi.

Of the total, AAPP stated that 59 detainees, including two children, have been sentenced to death. About 1,976 people are evading arrest warrants, while 120 others were sentenced in absentia, with 41 of them being sentenced to death.

The exact identities and total figure remains to be verified, but we will continue to confirm the recently released, the rights group stated.
A perimeter fence is constructed around what is officially known as a vocational skills education center in Dabancheng in Xinjiang, China, on Sept. 4, 2018. (Thomas Peter/Reuters)

US and Others Seek ILO China Mission to Probe Alleged Xinjiang Abuses

GENEVAThe United States, Britain, and other countries on Thursday called for the International Labor Organization (ILO) to set up a mission to probe alleged labor abuses in Chinas Xinjiang and urged Beijing to allow unfettered access.

A committee at the U.N. agency is addressing the Chinese regimes compliance with global labor standards after describing its practices in the western region of Xinjiang as discriminatory in February, ILO documents showed.

Thursdays meeting comes just days after the end of a trip by U.N. High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet to Xinjiang that has been widely criticized by both civil society and U.N. member states including the United States.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in March that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against mostly Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

A so-called tripartite mission, if accepted by the ILO committee, could shine a light on allegations that Uyghurs have been unlawfully detained, mistreated, and forced to work.

The U.S. ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva Sheba Crocker called for the CCP to accept the mission to investigate what she described as systemic violations of labor and human rights.

Britains envoy asked for the trip to be conducted before the next major ILO conference in 2023. Australia, Canada, and the European Union also voiced support.

Through a series of virtual interventions, the Chinese regime argued that its laws, regulations, and practices are fully in line with the principles of a Convention on Discrimination it has ratified.

The CCP in April approved the ratification of two conventions on forced labor but they have not yet submitted the full documentation needed to take effect. This can frequently take weeks or months, an ILO official told Reuters.

Instead, the prospective ILO mission would evaluate the CCPs practices on the basis of conventions that the regime has ratified.

Thursdays committee, made up of government, employer, and workers delegates, is set to make a decision next week on whether to accept the mission request.

Sending a tripartite mission to China could be a first step towards further action.

As well as a tripartite mission, ILO members also have the option to seek a Commission of Inquiry (COI) to go to China, which would have even more investigative powers.

This requires a formal complaint. Some 35 such complaints have been filed in the ILOs more than 100-year history, of which less than half have led to COI missions, the ILO official said. In only one case were sanctions applied, against Burma (also known as Myanmar) in 1998.

China has been a member of the Geneva-based ILO since 1919 and has ratified many of its legally binding conventions.
Sung Kim, U.S. Special Envoy for North Korea, speaks during trilateral meeting between Japan, the United States, and South Korea, to discuss North Korea, in Tokyo, Japan, on Sept. 14, 2021. (David Mareuil/Pool via Reuters/File Photo)

US Ready to Adjust Military Posture Against North Koreas Nuclear Threat: Envoy

The United States is prepared to adjust its military posture to deter North Koreas provocations, the U.S. special envoy for North Korea said on Friday, amid signs of an imminent nuclear test by Pyongyang.

We are preparing for all contingencies in close coordination with our Japanese and [South Korean] allies, special envoy Sung Kim said at a trilateral meeting with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts in Seoul, Reuters reported.

Washington has assessed that North Korea is preparing for what would be its seventh nuclear test at its Punggye-ri testing site, Kim said, adding that the assessment is consistent with Pyongyangs recent public statements.

We are prepared to make both short and longer-term adjustments to our military posture as appropriate and responding to any [North Korea] provocation and as necessary to strengthen both defense and deterrence to protect our allies in the region, he said.

We want to make clear to the DPRK that its unlawful and destabilizing activities have consequences and that the international community will not accept these actions as normal, Kim added, using North Koreas official acronym.

Kim Gunn, South Koreas new special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs (C), his U.S. counterpart Sung Kim (R), and Japanese counterpart Takehiro Funakoshi pose for photographs before their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, on June 3, 2022. (Kim Hong-Ji/Pool/Reuter

The Kim regime demolished the Punggye-ri nuclear testing site in May 2018 as a sign of its commitment to end nuclear testing. But South Korean and American intelligence recently reported spotting construction work at the site.

South Koreas nuclear envoy, Kim Gunn, said at the meeting that North Koreas relentless pursuit of nuclear weapons will only end up strengthening our deterrence and that it will ultimately run counter to Pyongyangs own interest.

Funakoshi Takehiro, Japans director-general for Asian and Oceanian Affairs, emphasized the need to strengthen regional deterrence, including trilateral security cooperation.

North Korea had launched a series of missile tests this year, the most recent being on May 25, when it launched three ballistic missiles just hours after President Joe Biden ended his trip to Asia.

Kim reaffirmed that Washington remains open to dialogue with North Korea and is willing to discuss sanctions relief. But Pyongyang has shown no interest to resume denuclearization talks due to what it says are the U.S. and its allies hostile policies.

When [North Korean leader Kim Jong Un] sees that we are coordinating very closely with partners and allies, I hope this persuades him that the only viable path is diplomacy with us, he said.

China and Russia vetoed the U.S. draft resolution on North Korean sanctions last week. Russia called the resolution a path to a dead-end, while China said it may lead to negative effects and escalation of confrontation.

Meanwhile, the three officials also raised concerns over the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in North Korea and urged the hermit nation to accept humanitarian aid to combat the outbreak.

Our DPRK policy has been very clear in viewing the humanitarian developments as a separate issue from making progress on achieving the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, Kim said.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is assessing the international community's efforts for the purchase of fertilizers to find a solution," the government official remarked as he left the Government Palace.

According to Salas, the Ministry of Agrarian Development and the Ministry of Economy and Finance are working to find a solution in August, when the crop season begins.

Additionally, Minister Salas emphasized that the Ministerial Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Anibal Torres, is strong and has been working to meet the country's demands.





"Prime Minister Anibal Torres is working very hard to provide solutions to the country's problems; he runs a Cabinet that he leads and that remains strong," he stated.
Flags of Taiwan and the United States are placed for a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan, on March 27, 2018. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

US-Taiwan Trade Talks Could Outpace Indo-Pacific Effort: USTR Official

WASHINGTONNew U.S. trade negotiations with Taiwan could move more quickly than broader talks with 12 Indo-Pacific countries given strong interest in Taipei and Washington in deepening economic ties, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Sarah Bianchi said on Thursday.

There are parallels between the newly launched Indo-Pacific Economic Framework talks and the Taiwan talks, Bianchi told Reuters in an interview, but the latter initiative is aimed at increasing links with Taiwan on specific economic issues.

I think we are eager to get going with Taiwan and to scope out our negotiating mandate there and  a range of issues from small-medium enterprises to digital trade to labor and we look forward to getting going as quickly as possible, Bianchi said.

Asked if the Taiwan initiative could bear fruit sooner than the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) talks, she said: Potentially yes, it could.

The self-ruled island was excluded from the 14-country IPEF initiative launched last week by President Joe Biden. However, USTR announced separate, bilateral trade talks with Taiwan on Wednesday.

IPEF, which seeks to return an economic pillar to U.S. engagement in the region, will include Japan, India, South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Australia, and other countries in the region, but not China.

Bianchi said IPEF would also get started right away, with plans for discussions, including ministerial-level meetings in coming months to organize the topics for the talks and to begin proposing texts for an agreement by the end of the summer.

Choosing Pillars

The IPEF talks will allow member countries to choose among the key pillars in which they will participate, including digital trade rules, supply chain resiliency and trade facilitation, infrastructure development and strong labor rights and environmental standards.

But participation in all pillars is not required, and initial meetings will focus on defining which ones countries will choose, Bianchi said. Countries that choose only one or two can still have meaningful engagement with the United States and other IPEF members, she said.

Neither the IPEF nor the Taiwan talks will include the tariff reductions and enhanced market access offered by traditional free trade agreements.

Bianchi said IPEF is meant to be a 21st century agreement to really address 21st century problems, including barriers to digital trade such as data localization requirements or onerous regulations that make it difficult for companies to operate in some countries. Fixing these problems will also enhance market access, she said.

By David Lawder
Veterans Affairs Denies Life-Saving Lung Transplant to Unvaccinated Veteran

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs denied a life-saving lung transplant to U.S. Army veteran because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19.

James Jooyandehs requests for both a referral for the transplant and a religious exemption from the vaccine were recently denied by the Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital in Wisconsin where Jooyandeh has been treated for the past several years.

Jooyandeh, a former tank commander for the U.S. military, suffers from advanced stages of pulmonary fibrosis.

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer lung transplant as a treatment option for you due to your unwillingness to receive recommended routine health maintenance, including your vaccinations, which is an absolute contraindication to lung transplantation at our center, wrote Jooyandehs primary care physician Dr. Samir Sultan, a transplant pulmonologist with the VA hospital in Wisconsin, and Dr. James Maloney, chief of surgical services at the Veterans Hospital.

In an exclusive interview with The EpochTimes, Jooyandeh and wife Deborah told The Epoch Times they are both against the COVID-19 vaccine because fetal cell lines were used in the development and testing of the vaccine and because of the vaccines potential health risks.

One of the side effects that was just released was interstitial lung disease and thats what we have, Deborah Jooyandeh told The Epoch Times, so why would he take a vaccine that causes whats killing him.

Jooyandeh said he is also feeling slighted by the very administration he for so long served. Following a 13-year tour in the U.S. Army, Jooyaneh served eight years in the National Guard and five years in the Army Reserve.

Now 52, as a civilian he worked as a merchandiser for Nestle and does not have the means to afford a lung transplant out of pocket. His only choice is to use his VA benefits.

In order to do that, a VA doctor must write a referral to a facility since VA hospitals do not perform transplants themselves. The VA mostly refers veterans in need of transplants to Vanderbilt University Hospital in Tennessee.

Vanderbilt does not require the COVID-19 vaccine for transplant patients, but Sultan, as records show, still refused to make the referral.

Both he and Maloney acknowledged in their letter that Jooyandeh is significantly impaired due to his lung condition, but refused to reconsider their decision.

They also refused to consider Jooyandehs request for a religious exemption.

What remains unclear is what VA policy Sultan and Maloney are following in refusing to give Jooyandeh a referral for his much needed lung transplant.

In a letter preceding their denial of Jooyandehs request for a referral, John Rohrer, director of the Transplant and Surgical Service Department of Veterans Affairs in Wisconsin stated in a letter that he had confirmed from the hospitals coordinator that the COVID-19 vaccine is required per current Lung Transplant program guidelines.

However a spokesman for the VA was unable to provide The Epoch Times with the VAs policy on referring veterans who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 for a transplant.

Rohrer also did not respond to inquiries by The Epoch Times asking him to clarify what guidelines he was referring to.

Sultan and Maloney, who adid not respond to inquiries from The Epoch Times, cited the recommendations of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) as a basis for their decision.

In March, The Epoch Times reported that Pfizer is one of UNOS corporate sponsors. Private hospitals who have denied unvaccinated patients transplants have too cited UNOS policies for their position. In response, UNOS issued a statement to The Epoch Times emphasizing their recommendations are not mandates and hospitals are free to make their own decisions regarding transplants for unvaccinated patients.

Last month, the Liberty Counsel sent the VA a formal request for an emergency referral on behalf of Jooyandeh, but according to Deborah Catalano, senior counsel for the civil rights organization, the VA has yet to respond to her April 15 request.

We are talking about a man who served his country and probably saved lives and now the very administration he served under is willing to let him die, she told The Epoch Times.

Jooyandehs lung condition may stem from his military service. While he admitted he smoked, Jooyandeh also was part of an Army unit tasked with burning spent ammo and other munitions in an open pit.

Jooyandeh, who has no other comorbidities, told The Epoch Times he believes Sultan is operating on his own personal beliefs and has blacklisted him to a point where no one else will override him.

He even wrote a negative report about Jooyandeh refusing to take medication, even though his medical records show he had an adverse reaction to it.

Hes continuously standing in our way, said Jooyandeh, its like hes bruising my records to make me look uncooperative.

Catalano said she questions why the VA would even care if Jooyandeh is vaccinated since none of their hospitals would be performing the transplant.

The VA is denying their access to health care, nobody is asking the VA to perform it, she said it should grant the religious exemption or just let them go to Vanderbilt and pay for it.

Catalano pointed to a recent study that shows the VA is in the minority when it comes to refusing to make referrals for unvaccinated patients in need of a major organ transplant.

According to the study, which was conducted by the American Journal of Transplantation, out of 141 U.S. transplants centers surveyed, 60.7 percent reported that the COVID vaccination was not required in order to receive a transplant.
Washington Post Admits Claims in Article About YouTubers Were Inaccurate

The Washington Post has admitted that it did not reach out to the subject of an article before publication, despite initially claiming that it did.

Columnist Taylor Lorenz wrote that she asked a YouTube personality with the moniker ThatUmbrellaGuy for comment before the publication of her piece, which claimed that the person and similar accounts had hauled in large amounts of money by taking advantage of the lack of coverage in many outlets of the trial involving Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.

But Lorenzs statement was false, the Post acknowledged in an editors note.

Further, the Post admitted it stealthily edited the story to remove the false claim without initially noting to readers what had happened.

The first published version of this story stated incorrectly that Internet influencers Alyte Mazeika and ThatUmbrellaGuy had been contacted for comment before publication. In fact, only Mazeika was asked, via Instagram, the paper said in an editors note appended to the article.

After the story was published, The Post continued to seek comment from Mazeika via social media and queried ThatUmbrellaGuy for the first time. During that process, The Post removed the incorrect statement from the story but did not note its removal, a violation of our corrections policy. The story has been updated to note that Mazeika declined to comment for this story and ThatUmbrellaGuy could not be reached for comment, it added.

A Post spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

The note also said that a previous version of the story inaccurately attributed a quote to Adam Waldman, a lawyer for Johnny Depp, and that the quote had been removed.

ThatUmbrellaGuy said in a statement that besides lying about contacting him or her, Lorenz mischaracterized the accounts coverage of the trial. Lorenz had written that YouTubers pivoted to covering the trial after seeing an opportunity to make money.

Taylor Lorenz wrote an obvious smear piece conflating Depp support with financial gain. She flagrantly ignored the fact Ive covered this case for year while mischaractering [sic] what Adam Waldman said during the Depp trial. She got the factual items about their relationship wrong as well. Crazier, she lied about contacting me in The Washington Post and tried covering this up AFTER I called it out publicly, the YouTuber said.

Lorenz sent an email over an hour after ThatUmbrellaGuy posted online that she had not reached out for comment.

Journalists typically are required by employers to ask subjects of articles for comment, particularly subjects that are being reported on in a negative way.

The Post article portrayed YouTubers as amateurs, quoting an NBC reporter who said that they arent beholden to any editorial standards or journalistic norms.

Mazeika said that Lorenz did not reach out to her on Instagram before the publication of the article, making the editors note untrue.

Please stop lying and take the [loss], she wrote on Twitter.

Lorenz has not alerted her 323,000-plus Twitter followers about the corrections. Journalism experts say any corrections should be noted by reporters on social media if they have shared the article in question, which Lorenz did. Instead, Lorenz shared a number of posts from reporters and others, including the Society of Professional Journalists, who had posted the article.

I hope my piece illuminated why people are turning to content creators for news and why people trust influencers over traditional media, she also wrote.

Lorenz did not return a request for comment.

The columnist, who previously wrote for the New York Times, has had to walk back a number of claims in recent months.

After alleging Marc Andreessen, a businessman, used the r-slur, or the word retarded, during an online chat, Lorenz acknowledged he did not. She also said that a claim that a Drudge Report worker was stalking her was a joke after Matt Drudge said the claim was not true.

Lorenz also penned the recent piece that revealed the Biden administrations Disinformation Governance Board was being paused, and the head of the effort, Nina Jankowicz, was resigning. The article claimed that there were coordinated online attacks against Jankowicz, but didnt provide evidence of the claim. Her article on the woman who allegedly runs the Libs of TikTok account, which highlights teachers and others with radical views, meanwhile, was updated after originally including a link to an address that the womans defenders said was a personal address. The Post said it was not.

Correction: A previous version of this article wrongly described the word referred to as the r-slur. It is retarded. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
When American History Boosts Self Esteem

SANTA CLARA, Calif.Since the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, many parents have been more involved in their childrens education. Some say they dont like what theyre seeing and are turning to other sources of education, such as homeschooling.

One homeschool program is American Education Defenders, a nonprofit that aims to boost self-esteem by using a more creative and appealing approach to teaching U.S. history.

Paul Lloyd Hemphill is an author, public speaker, and veteran. He started American Education Defenders in 2020 as a direct response to the negative classroom influences on the self-esteem of our nations children.

What I do is that I tell stories, Hemphill told NTD Television. Inside the word history is the word story. And stories are made up of people who make good and bad decisions. So the way we want to help our kids grow up and become better individuals and better citizens is to show them how people made bad decisions and good decisions from our countrys past.

Users of the program subscribe to Americas 52 Stories and watch a full-length video every Wednesday for 52 weeks. It helps students relate to the subject matter better so they feel connected, Hemphill said.

Example lessons include keeping a sense of humor, balancing enthusiasm with responsibility, focusing on resultsnot excusestreating failure as a valuable teacher, emphasizing quality, and speaking up to get respect.

Although hes based in Massachusetts, Hemphill said 73 percent of his subscribers are from California.

Californians are just getting plummeted by all the negative stuff thats coming out of schools. And the parents need something to offset that. And thats what my program does, he said.

Hemphill believes that his program can help students more than critical race theoryan ideology that divides society into oppressors and oppressed based on race.

Ive had people say to me, Paul, your program is the only program out there that counters critical race theory, Hemphill said. Everything coming from critical race theory makes you want to hate yourself, hate your country, whereas everything from your program makes the student want to really like themselves, appreciate themselves, and appreciate the country in which all these freedoms and opportunities are available.

The company is inspired by a best-selling book he wrote in 2018, called Inspiration for Teens. It consists of 200 life lessons from 88 true stories with moral values from U.S. history.

The stories are available on video and audio for homeschooling and personal growth.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administrations vaccine advisory committee will vote June 28 on something called the Future Framework, a scheme that would allow Pfizer and Moderna to reformulate COVID-19 mRNA vaccines in perpetuity, without conducting clinical trials on the new vaccines.

Pfizer and Modernas Dilemma

Pfizer and Moderna have a problem  their COVID-19 shots do NOT work. Everyone knows this. The shots do not stop infection, transmission, hospitalization, or death.

Over half a billion doses of this product have been injected into Americans in the past 17 months and these shots have made NO discernible impact on the course of the pandemic. Far more Americans have died of coronavirus since the introduction of the shots than before they were introduced.

Pfizer and Moderna are making $50 billion a year on these shots and they want that to continue. So they need to reformulate the shots. Maybe target a new variant, maybe change some of the ingredients  who knows, these shots dont work so its not clear what it will take to get them to work.

This is a problem because reformulated shots mean new clinical trials and new regulatory reviews by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). There is a decent chance that any reformulated shot might fail a new clinical trial and the public is deeply skeptical of these shots so the scrutiny would be intense.

So Pfizer and Moderna have figured out a way to use regulatory capture to get their reformulated COVID-19 shots approved WITHOUT further clinical trials. Their scheme is called the Future Framework and it will be voted on by the FDAs Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) on June 28.

Doubling Down on a Failed Strategy

Viruses vary by region. At any given time, the influenza strain circulating in England is different than it is in South Africa which is different than in southeast Asia. However, pharmaceutical companies prefer to create one-size-fits-all vaccines in order to decrease manufacturing costs and thereby increase profits.

So the World Health Organization and public health agencies around the world (including FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC) have created a vast influenza surveillance network that identifies the different influenza strains in circulation.

Then they engage in an elaborate theatrical performance called the flu strain selection process where they select four influenza strains that will go into the one-size-fits-all flu vaccine used throughout the world that year.

This carefully choreographed process is a complete and total failure. This is not a surprise  using a one-vaccine-fits-all approach to prevent a rapidly evolving virus that varies by region is never going to work.

Lisa Grohskopf from the CDCs Influenza Division reports that last year the flu shot was somewhere between 8% and 14% effective (based on data from seven sites that participate in the U.S. Flu Vaccine Effectiveness Network).

But a case study of a flu outbreak at the University of Michigan between Oct. and Nov. 2021 found that the effectiveness of the flu vaccine was literally zero  Preliminary VE: 0% (CI: -25% to 20%).

Over the last thirty years, the federal government has paid out more compensation for adverse events in connection with the flu shot than any other vaccine  so we know that the shot comes with a high rate of harm. Given that the flu shot does not stop the flu, the harms thus outweigh the benefits.

In a sane world, the World Health Organization, FDA and CDC would admit that they made a strategic mistake and then change course to find better ways to support the human immune system. But we dont live in a sane world.

Instead, the FDA proposes taking the failed flu strain selection process and applying it to future COVID-19 shots.

The FDA Knew That COVID-19 Shots Would Fail but They Proceeded Anyway

There are a quadrillion x quadrillion viruses in the world (literally more viruses on earth than stars in the known universe). Only a couple hundred of those seem to have the potential to impact human health.

But some viruses make better candidates for a vaccine than others. Viruses that have been around a long time, that are very stable and evolve slowly are the best candidates for a vaccine.

Viruses that evolve rapidly are bad candidates for a vaccine. There is no vaccine for the common cold or HIV because these viruses evolve too quickly.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is a bad candidate for a vaccine which is why all previous attempts to develop a vaccine against coronaviruses have failed (they never made it out of animal trials because all of the animals died during challenge trials or were injured by the vaccine).

What are some of the bad things that can happen when you vaccinate against a rapidly evolving virus? Original antigenic sin, antibody-dependent enhancement and the possibility of accelerating the evolution of the virus in ways that make it more virulent (and even more resistant to vaccination).

Trevor Bedford has his own lab at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center where he researches the evolution of COVID-19. He gave a fascinating presentation at the April 6 meeting of the FDAs VRBPAC where he explained that SARS-CoV-2 is evolving rapidly.

He explained that SARS-CoV-2 evolves twice to ten times as fast as the flu virus and these mutations substantially reduce vaccine effectiveness. Following the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines, the evolution of the virus has accelerated.

Dr. Bedfords presentation rattled some of the smarter members of the VRBPAC because his data scream  SARS-CoV-2 is a bad candidate for a vaccine! But FDA officials just mumbled some platitudes and then continued with the meeting.

The only way out of the pandemic is to withdraw these vaccines from the market and pivot to therapeutics. Instead, the FDA is proposing to just hide the data from the American people.

The Future Framework = No More Clinical Trials for COVID-19 Shots Ever Again

The purpose of the Future Framework is to rig the COVID-19 vaccine regulatory process in perpetuity in favor of the pharmaceutical industry.

If this Future Framework is approved all future COVID-19 shots, regardless of the formulation, will automatically be deemed safe and effective without additional clinical trials because they are considered biologically similar to existing shots.

This is literally the worst idea in the history of public health.

If you change a single molecule of mRNA in these shots it will change health outcomes in ways that no one can anticipate. That necessarily requires new clinical trials  which is what the FDA is proposing to skip.

The FDAs expert advisory committee (VRBPAC) met on April 6 to discuss the Future Framework for the first time. All of the committee members agreed that COVID-19 shots are not working, that boosting multiple times a year was not feasible and that the shots need to be reformulated.

They also unanimously agreed that there are no correlates of protection that one can use to predict what antibody levels would be sufficient to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection.

On June 28 the VRBPAC will meet once again to discuss the Future Framework and it will be presented as a done deal because manufacturers want a decision on vaccine strain selection by June to deliver shots for autumn vaccination appointments.

So if the FDA authorizes COVID-19 shots for kids on June 14 and 15 and then approves the Future Framework on June 28, the shots that will be given to kids in the fall will be the reformulated shots that skipped clinical trials.

Monovalent COVID-19 Shots Failed, so Maybe Throwing Two, Three, or Four Variants Into a Single Shot Will Make It Better?

When it comes to the flu shot, the FDA tries to hedge its bets by putting four strains of the virus into a single shot (so-called quadrivalent vaccines). As I explained above, this strategy does not work. But these people are not very clever so thats exactly what they are planning to do with future COVID-19 shots.

Moderna is already signaling that they intend to manufacture a COVID-19 shot with the Alpha variant and then, to make it new and improved (TM), they will add genetically modified mRNA targeting the Beta variant.

Heres the best part  Moderna claims that this formulation (Alpha + Beta) will somehow protect against Omicron variants  even though by the time these reformulated shots get to market, none of these variants will likely still be in widespread circulation.

There are reasons to believe that this approach will make future COVID-19 shots even less effective and more dangerous than the current failed COVID-19 shots.

Think about it. The more mRNA you put into a shot, the higher the adverse event rate (as the genetically modified mRNA hijacks the cell and starts cranking out spike proteins). So if Pfizer and Moderna put more mRNA into these shots (in order to cover multiple variants) adverse event rates will skyrocket.

But if Pfizer and Moderna put less mRNA per variant into a shot (to keep the total amount of mRNA at 100 mcg for Moderna and 30 mcg for Pfizer) then the effectiveness against any one particular variant will be reduced.

The Future Framework is 100% guaranteed to fail.

If the Future Framework is approved, the effectiveness of these shots will decrease, adverse events will increase, these shots will fuel the evolution of variants that evade the vaccines and there will be no clinical trial data before these reformulated COVID-19 shots are unleashed on the unsuspecting public.

Summary

The FDAs VRBPAC will meet on June 28 to vote on a Future Framework for evaluating so-called next-generation COVID-19 shots. The Future Framework is a plan to rig the COVID-19 vaccine regulatory process in perpetuity.

The Future Framework would take the flu strain selection process that fails every year and apply it to future (reformulated) COVID-19 shots. Federal bureaucrats, many of whom have financial conflicts of interests, would choose which SARS-CoV-2 variants to include in a yearly (or twice yearly) COVID-19 shot.

In the process, all future COVID-19 shots will be deemed automatically safe and effective without further clinical trials because they are considered biologically similar to existing COVID-19 shots.

The Future Framework is the most reckless idea in the history of public health. It shows that the FDA has completely abandoned science and its statutory duty to protect the public. If the Republic is to survive, we must stop the Future Framework before June 28.

Call to Action

We have very little time and an enormous challenge in knocking this proposal down before the VRBPAC meets on June 28. So I am asking you to contact your elected officials to tell them to reject this dangerous proposal.

Below are talking points that you can paste into an email, a script that you can use on the phone and a tool for looking up your elected officials.

I am only asking you to contact 8 officials  the president and vice president; your two senators and U.S. representative; and your governor, state house/assembly member and state senator. Please be respectful but make it clear that this plan must be stopped.

Talking Points (to paste into an email, letter, or fax)

Subject line: NO flu framework for future COVID-19 shots

The FDA and CDC are developing a Future Framework to authorize future COVID-19 shots without requiring additional clinical trials. This would be a public health disaster.

I am asking you to contact the FDA to tell them to stop all work on this Future Framework immediately. If the FDA proceeds with this Future Framework I am asking you to eliminate all funding for the FDA in this years budget.

Phone script

Hi, my name is ____________. I live at __________________[address]. Im calling because the FDA is proposing a Future Framework to authorize future COVID-19 shots without requiring additional clinical trials. This would be a public health disaster.

I am asking you to contact the FDA to tell them to stop all work on this Future Framework. If the FDA proceeds with this Future Framework,, I am asking you to eliminate all funding for the FDA in this years budget.

Who to contact:

President Joseph R. Biden

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW

Washington, D.C. 20500

(202) 456-1111 (comment line is open 11 a.m.-3 p.m. EST Tues.-Thurs.)

https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

https://twitter.com/POTUS

Vice President Kamala Harris

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW

Washington, D.C. 20500

(202) 456-1111 (11 a.m.-3 p.m. EST Tues.-Thurs.)

https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

https://twitter.com/VP

You can look up contact info for your two U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative here.

The message for State elected officials is slightly different:

Hi, my name is ____________. I live at __________________[address]. Im calling because the FDA is proposing a Future Framework to authorize future COVID-19 shots without requiring additional clinical trials. This would be a public health disaster.

If the FDA proceeds with this Future Framework I am asking you to nullify the actions of the FDA and reject any COVID-19 shots that have not gone through proper clinical trials.

This is a great tool to look up contact info for your Governor, State Senator and State House/Assembly Member.

We want to let them know that we are watching, understand what they are up to and that this wretched plan must be stopped.

Extra credit:

Here are the email addresses for all of the public health political appointees, FDA staff and VRBPAC members who have a say in connection with the Future Framework:

sean.mccluskie@hhs.gov, commissioner@fda.hhs.gov, ashish.jha@whitehouse.gov, Aux7@cdc.gov, Peter.Marks@fda.hhs.gov, Hong.Yang@fda.hhs.gov, Richard.Forshee@fda.hhs.gov, Huilee.Wong@fda.hhs.gov, Leslie.Ball@fda.hhs.gov, Doran.Fink@fda.hhs.gov, hanae@bcm.edu, paula.annunziato@merck.com, adam.berger@nih.gov, hbernstein@northwell.edu, acohn@cdc.gov, anc0@cdc.gov, hjanes@fredhutch.org, hgans@stanford.edu, david.kim@hhs.gov, asmonto@umich.edu, offit@chop.edu, spergam@fredhutch.org, Jportnoy@cmh.edu, erubin@hsph.harvard.edu, erubin@nejm.org, ashane@emory.edu, swamy002@mc.duke.edu, fullerao@umich.edu, RandyHawkins@cdrewu.edu, officeofthepresident@mmc.edu, JYLee@uams.edu, ofer.levy@childrens.harvard.edu, wayne_marasco@dfci.harvard.edu, cmeissner@tuftsmedicalcenter.org, mrn8d@virginia.edu, stanley-perlman@uiowa.edu, mhsawyer@ucsd.edu, mew2@cdc.gov

Lets contact them as well (proposed subject line and email text below).

Subject line: The Future Framework is the WORST idea in the history of public health. Please vote No.

1. The FDA must revoke the authorizations for Moderna, Pfizer and J&J COVID-19 shots and withdraw them from the market immediately. SARS-CoV-2 was never a good candidate for a vaccine. These shots do not stop infection, transmission, hospitalization or death. They appear to have negative efficacy and are driving the evolution of variants that evade vaccines. The pandemic will never stop as long as the FDA and CDC are promoting shots that lack sterilizing immunity.

2. The FDA and CDC must pivot to therapeutics. This was always the answer. About twenty off-the-shelf treatments are more effective than vaccines (if used for prophylaxis or early intervention). Get these safe and effective medicines to people who need them and let doctors be doctors again and treat patients based on their own best clinical judgment.

3. Any reformulated COVID-19 shots must go through proper clinical trials and FDA review. That means:

Large (50,000+ person) double-blind randomized controlled trials with inert saline placebos conducted by an independent third party;

Safety and efficacy studies for two years before any application; the treatment and control groups must be followed for 20 years to monitor adverse events and all-cause mortality (no more wiping out the control group after 6 months to hide bad outcomes);

Greater than 90% efficacy with less than 1% Grade 3 Adverse Events; and

Proper monitoring for carcinogenesis, mutagenesis and impairment of fertility.

Originally published by the authors Substack page, uTobian.

06/01/22 Childrens Health Defense, Inc. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of Childrens Health Defense, Inc. Want to learn more from Childrens Health Defense? Sign up for free news and updates from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the Childrens Health Defense. Your donation will help to support us in our efforts.
Kansas City, Mo., police crime scene investigators gather evidence at the scene of a shooting in Kansas City, Mo., on Jan. 20, 2020. (Luke Nozicka/The Kansas City Star via AP)

Woman Shot by Kansas City Police Was Armed, Body Camera Reveals Amid Activists Outrage

A woman who was shot and wounded last week by police in Kansas City after she was spotted inside a vehicle that matched the description of one involved in an armed carjacking was holding a gun in her right hand, authorities confirmed.

Leonna Hale, a 26-year-old African-American woman, was seen in body camera footage holding a handgun, while also allegedly pointing the weapon toward officers who tried to arrest her in connection with the reported carjacking, court records state.

In a June 1 press release, the Jackson County Prosecutors Office said Hale has been charged with exhibiting a weapon in her May 27 encounter with police.

Additionally, she is also facing other counts that include unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon, and a misdemeanor for resisting arrest, Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said.

Baker said two Missouri State Highway Patrol officers found Hale and an unidentified male in a Family Dollar parking lot after tracking down a vehicle that matched the description of the one carjacked in the city. The pair attempted to flee upon realizing they were seen by police.

According to the body camera footage, the two officers are heard commanding Hale drop a handgun she is holding. After she refuses to comply and, as stated by police, points her handgun toward the officers, both officers open fire and strike her three times.

A male driver exited and ran from the scene, the prosecutors office said, citing court records. [Hale] exited the passenger side and went to the rear of the vehicle. Officers attempted to give her commands. They determined she was armed and stated that she pointed a firearm at them and they discharged their firearms at her.

A still image from police body camera footage shows Leonna Hale, 26. (Courtesy of Jackson County Prosecutors Office)

Hale was taken to an area hospital for treatment. The driver was not identified, but was also apprehended by police and hospitalized for an unrelated medical issue, according to multiple reports.

The officer-involved shooting quickly sparked outrage among activists, who said that Hale was a victim of excessive police force after an eyewitness claimed she was unarmed.

Baker debunked these claims on Thursday, saying false narratives have been reported by various sources and some media outlets about the case.

Our job, as prosecutors, is to remain neutral and review all evidence, Baker said. Our review of body cam videos provided the actual accounting of events that night.

The prosecutor added that the investigation revealed that Hale continually displayed a weapon during her encounter with police officers, and prior to the release of the body camera footage, she had denied having a weapon.

The two officers stated that she was armed with what they believed to be a handgun, Baker said. Body camera footage confirms the officers statements that Hale was holding a handgun. Still photos, taken from body cam footage, of this encounter also demonstrate a weapon was present and in the hands of the defendant.

Quinton Lucas, the mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, expressed his gratitude on Twitter for the prosecutors statement and release of body camera footage.

Body cameras have been a positive addition to reaching the truth in public safety investigations, Lucas wrote. We will continue to work hard to get the whole truth out on issues as fast as we can.

From NTD News
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BAKHMUT, Ukraine (AP)  As the fighting in eastern Ukraine inches forward, Russian attacks are knocking out power, water and gas to entire towns and cities  and the utility crews sent to repair the smashed transmission lines and pipes are finding themselves in the middle of the shelling.

Crews sometimes arrive at a location only to be forced to retreat because of the fighting, officials say. Some villages are impossible to reach.

It is dangerous, because we can hear the shells whistling above us, said Sergii Marokhin, a water systems engineer in the town of Bakhmut, which has come under increased shelling recently as Russian forces press their offensive in the Donetsk region of the Donbas, Ukraines eastern industrial heartland.

Shelling the day before had damaged water pipes in a nearby village and in Bakhmut itself that he and his crew had been repairing that morning. There was a sewage pipe to fix, and damage to water lines in other nearby villages.

Even on quiet days, there is still regular maintenance work to be done.

People still go to work during the war, he said with a shrug.

In some hard-hit places, people have been forced to rely on makeshift outdoor ovens and stoves built out of bricks and stones.

As of today, half of the city is without water. The other half of the city takes water from boreholes, Oleksandr Marchenko, deputy head of the Bakhmut military administration, said Wednesday. A dam to the north had been blown up, drying up the canal that runs past Bakhmut, he said.

The city has a backup water supply, but downed power lines disrupted the pumping of the water. Engineers hoped to repair the damage if it was safe to do so.

Unfortunately, the city gets bombed every day, Marchenko said. As if to prove his point, mortar shells whistled over his head, sending him diving onto a grassy riverbank for cover.

The mortar fire landed with a thump in the northern part of the city, sending up puffs of black smoke.

There is no gas, no electricity, no water! thundered Viktor Paramonov as he and a few others on the edge of Bakhmut prepared to cook on a makeshift open-air stove consisting of a wood fire and a metal plate balanced on bricks. "There is nothing.

A nearby construction materials factory had been destroyed in bombing a few days earlier. In mid-May, the apartment building next to his was struck, collapsing part of it.

Farther north in Sloviansk, a generator whirred in city hall after power was knocked out because of high-voltage lines downed by fighting just to the east. The water supply was also cut.

The repair crews have to go to the areas of combat operations, which is dangerous," said Vadym Lyakh, head of Sloviansks military administration.

City authorities delivered water from reservoirs to the Sloviansk's inhabitants, who number around 30,000, down from a prewar 100,000, he said. Others used communal water pumps.

Behind a series of apartment buildings pockmarked by shrapnel from a recent rocket strike, residents filled buckets and plastic bottles from an old yellow pump in the street.

The pump takes too much strength to operate, grumbled an older man. Some women have to wait for a man to come by and work the lever, he said, as he put together a small metal stove to cook lunch outdoors.

___

Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
TRONA, Calif. (AP)  A Navy fighter jet crashed Friday in the Southern California desert, killing the pilot, authorities said.

An F/A-18E Super Hornet based at Naval Air Station Lemoore went down at about 2:30 p.m. in the area of Trona, an unincorporated Mojave Desert community in San Bernardino County, the Navy announced in a statement.

Nobody on the ground was hurt.

The identity of the pilot and details of the crash weren't immediately released.

Trona is about 236 miles (380 kilometers) southeast of the air station, which is in the Central Valley.

Lemoore is home to Commander Strike Fighter Wing Pacific and Commander Joint Strike Fighter Wing and hosts 16 operational Strike Fighter squadrons, according to its website.

In 2019, a Navy Super Hornet crashed in Death Valley National Park during a routine training mission, killing the pilot and slightly injuring seven park visitors who were struck by debris. They had gathered at a scenic overlook where aviation enthusiasts watch military pilots speeding low through a chasm dubbed Star Wars Canyon, officials said.

Last October, a Navy Super Hornet from Naval Air Station China Lake also crashed, and in 2020 another from Lemoore went down, both during training missions. The pilots safely ejected, one in a remote southern area of Death Valley National Park near the Nevada border and the other in the Mojave Desert.
El canciller Cesar Landa sostuvo hoy una positiva reunion de trabajo con la embajadora de los Estados Unidos, Lisa Kenna, en la cual coordinaron detalles de la participacion del Peru en la proxima Cumbre de las Americas. pic.twitter.com/fE2XHYuvCC
A Federal High Court sitting in Kano has ruled that statutory delegates are constitutionally qualified to participate in all meetings, congresses and conventions of any registered political party in Nigeria.

The National Assembly had last month amended Section 84(8) of the Electoral Act to permit automatic or statutory delegates to vote in primaries.

Statutory delegates include, ward, local government, state and national executives of the party, including past executives, as the guidelines of the party deem fit.

Others include, the President, Vice President, former Presidents, former vice Presidents who are members of the party; Governors, deputy Governors, former Governors, former deputy Governors, Council Chairmen, serving Councilors and past Council chairman who are members of the party, as may be decided by party guidelines.

President Muhammadu Buhari however, didnt assented to the bill.

An ex-lawmaker, Senator MasUd Doguwa; and two others, Habibu Sani and Biliyaminu Shinkafi, had in a suit marked FHC/KN/CS/13712022, asked the court to determine if Section 84(8) of the Act actually bars statutory delegates from voting.

Delivering judgment on the suit, the presiding judge, Justice A.M Liman, held that, Section 84(8) cannot be interpreted to have excluded statutory delegates from voting at the convention, congress or meeting, by virtue of Section 223 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Article 20(iv)(c) of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Constitution, which allow Statutory Delegation to vote at convention, congress or meeting.
Ebonyi state chapter of All Progressive Congress (APC) has commended the process and method adopted by the party in the conduct of the recent violence free primary election which has shown that APC is a party to beat come 2023 general elections.

The Chairman, All Progressive Congress (APC), Ebonyi state, Chief Stanley Okoro Emegha made the commendation In a statement he signed and made available to newsmen in Abakaliki after the party's primary elections in the States.

Okoro Emegha described as uncommon the wisdom of the party in providing a level playing field for all the aspirants to test their popularity, adding that the measure alone has placed the party above her contemporaries .

He pointed out that APC was able to stand on the path of justice, fairness and equity which enabled her to conduct a free and fair primaries even when other political parties were enmeshed in litigations and their primaries characterized by crisis.

The Chairman congratulated various stakeholders of the party ranging from the President Buhari, Governor Umahi, National working Committee and even the candidates who emerged in various positions among others who contributed in one way or the other to make the exercise a success.

"Ebonyi State chapter, writes to profoundly felicitate with our indefatigable leader cum President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR for his fatherly role that midwifed a violence free exercise all over the country.

"Unlike the catastrophe that usually characterised party primaries in the past, your Excellency, you have truly instilled discipline and brotherliness among Nigerians because even other political parties organised theirs with minimal turbulence.

"The Ebonyi State chapter of the APC wishes also to eulogize the incorruptibility and intelligence displayed by the National Working Committee of our party by drafting incredible men and women who were members of the various committees that conducted the primaries in the state without an iota of confusion. Your comportment and the outcome of the exercise have shown that APC is a political party to beat come 2023 general elections.

"To our amiable state Governor and reliable son of Mr President, His Excellency, Engr. Chief David Nweze Umahi FNSE FNATE for standing on the path of equity, Justice and fairness in the best interest of Ebonyi people during the primaries, the party is indebted to you.

"As a consummate leader endowed with unassuming wisdom, your Excellency, you provided a level playing field for all the aspirants to test their popularity. This stand of yours has further strengthened the party's unity and progress.

"Same measure of gratitude goes to other stakeholders such as other party leaders, delegates, security agencies, INEC officials and the media for your diverse roles before, during and after the primaries in the state", the Chairman stated.
President Muhammadu Buhari, will on Saturday leave Abuja for Accra, in Ghana to participate in an Extraordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government on the political situation in Mali and other parts of the sub-region.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, Femi Adesina, in early hours of Saturday.

According to Adesina, the Summit which will hold at the Presidential Palace, Accra, also known as the Jubilee House, aimed at to review progress made by Malis military junta on the return of the country to democratic rule.

He added that the Heads of State will also review the situation in the Republic of Burkina Faso and Guinea.

President Buhari who is expected to return to Abuja today at the end of the Summit, will be accompanied to Ghana by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, National Security Adviser, Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno (rtd) and Director-General, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Amb. Ahmed Rufai Abubakar.

Recall that President Buhari on Friday afternoon (yesterday) returned from Spain after a three-day official visit.
President Adama Barrow of The Gambia has continued in his drive to get the best hands available to serve in his second term in office as he settles down. The recent appointment of the Former Speaker of the Gambia National Assembly, Dr. Mrs. Fatoumata Jahumpa Ceesay as Gambias New Ambassador to South Africa is putting a square peg on a square hole. Part of her official responsibilities will be to oversee the neighbouring Southern African nations thereby enlarging her portfolio.

The ambassador designate will bring to bear, her exceptional work ethics, bountiful experience and patriotism in service to her country both in government and out of government.

In an exclusive chat with The Voice publication in Banjul on her arrival from Mauritania, she promptly cleared the air on the rumours making the rounds that she has rejected her appointment as Ambassador to South Africa. Far from it my Editor, I am very honoured and privileged among many qualified Gambians to have been chosen by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of The Gambia, President Adama Barrow to represent him and the government of the Gambia as well as the good people of the Gambia in Southern sphere of Africa. I would do my assignment with all the energy left in me not to disappoint my President and the government of the Gambia for the trust placed in me

According to her, she was out of the country on her personal activities when her appointment was announced, "I made a quick return to the country and gladly accepted my appointment", she said . Am not associated with any runour of rejecting a National assignment.

The Ambassador designate, says her priority is her wholesome commitment to the service of the President as his representative and her country in general. "I want to leave a legacy behind there after my tenure", she stated.

South Africa is a strategic partner of The Republic of The Gambia in terms of business and investment. Dr. Mrs. Fatoumata Jahumpa Ceesay has pledged to intensify drive in that direction as soon as she resumes office in South Africa.
President Muhammadu Buhari, while meeting with all the presidential aspirants on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) on Saturday night, has urged them to work in cooperation and decide on a formidable consensus candidate before the Party's primary election slated between June 6 - 8, 2022.

The President who converged all the Party's presidential aspirants at the State House, Abuja, noted the meeting was a continuation of the on-going consultative process aimed at ensuring a smooth and strategic emergence of a standard bearer, who will lead the APC to a resounding victory in the upcoming presidential polls.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina released in the late hours of Saturday.

He quoted the President saying, Looking at this assemblage of personalities and considering your rich pedigree of accomplishments in life, I have come to the conclusion that our party, the APC, is rich in human resources and also that our nation is blessed with capable people that can successfully steer the ship of state into the future.

Buhari stated that with his first-hand knowledge of the demands of the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the expectations of the citizens, I must salute your courage and your selfless spirit, in volunteering to serve in the highest office of the land.

The statement partly read: Our party, the APC, has won two successive presidential elections in 2015, first when we were in the opposition and in 2019 when I sought re-election. Both processes were achieved through unity of purpose, strategic alignment, consultation, fairness, determination and effective leadership. In both instances, national and party interests were overriding factors in our deliberations and decision-making.

The 2023 General Elections are fast approaching in a global, regional and national environment that is constantly changing and challenging. This demands that our party should become more aware of the changing environment, be responsive to the yearnings of our citizens, re-evaluate our strategy and strengthen our internal mechanism so that we would sustain the electoral successes.

I am pleased to note that the party, recognizing the significance of all these demands, has over time developed several democratically acceptable processes and policies, that promote consultation, internal cohesion and leadership to facilitate victories at the polls.

The President recalled the consultation he had held with stakeholders that would help the electoral fortunes of our party, beginning with the State Governors. This is the second in the series and I still look forward to meeting with party stakeholders. These steps are being taken to ensure that the unity and cohesion of the party are sustained and to provide direction.

Amongst others things, I reminded the APC Governors of the need for the party to proceed to the 2023 Presidential elections with strength, unity of purpose and to present a flag bearer who will give Nigerians a sense of hope and confidence, while ensuring victory for our party. I extend a similar reminder to all of you distinguished aspirants.

Adesina added that the President affirmed that APC will on Monday June 6, 2022 commence its national convention during which one candidate will be picked by delegates to fly the flag of the party for the 2023 Presidential Election.

President Buhari also said he was aware that there is anxiety among party members about the outcome of the process.

Given these circumstances, I charge you to recognize the importance of the stability and unity of the party, which cannot be overemphasized.

Similarly, I wish to remind you that our choice of flag bearer must be formidable, appealing to the electorate across the board and should command such ability to unify the country and capacity to address our critical challenges.

Ahead of the Convention, the party machinery has screened and found all aspirants eminently qualified. Recognizing this fact, the Screening Committee has, amongst others, recommended that consensus building through consultation, be intensified.

Without prejudice to your qualifications, I urge all of you to hold consultations amongst yourselves and with the party, with a view to building a consensus in a manner that would help the party reduce the number of aspirants, bring up a formidable candidate and scale down the anxiety of party members.
Elsa Pataky holds her own in Interceptor

As COVID saw production units around the world shut down, some filmmakers decided to sit at home and hit social media to vent their frustration. But others saw it as an opportunity to be creative with their filmmaking. Suddenly, some of the more creative filmmakers across the globe realised that the best way to make movies while COVID restrictions were in place was to come up with films that could be filmed using an absolute minimum of both cast and crew.



By David Griffiths

Saturday 4 June 2022, 11:00AM

Elsa Pataky in Interceptor (2022). Image: IMDb

One such film is brand-new Australian film Interceptor, which has just been released on Netflix. Based on an idea from international best-selling author Matthew Reilly, Interceptor was brought to life by a screenplay written by Reilly himself and screenwriter Stuart Beattie (Collateral). The film is also the directional debut of Reilly and he does so under the watchful eye of actor Chris Hemsworth (Thor) who not only produces the film but gives himself a cameo in the film as well.

Plot wise the film centres around a once decorated Army Captain JJ Collins (Elsa Pataky  Fast & Furious 5), whose career fell apart when she accused a senior officer of sexual misconduct. After much investigation her name has been formally cleared of any wrongdoing and she has been sent to be Commanding Officer at a remote, floating missile interceptor station.

However, on the day she takes over, terrorists attack the other interceptor station in Alaska, meaning that her station is now the only thing protecting the US if any country decides to attack it with missile. Soon she and colleague Marshall (Rhys Muldoon  Valentines Day) realise that this is a co-ordinated attack and that they are likely to be the next target.

Their worst fears soon come true and soon JJ, Marshall, he nervous and unsure Shah (Mayen Mehta  Shortland Street) and the unreliable Beaver (Aaron Glenane  Snowpiercer) find themselves under attack by a group of terrorists led by Alexander (Luke Bracey  G.I. Joe: Retaliation). They are now the only thing stopping the terrorists from destroying the US with the 16 nuclear missiles that they have stolen from Russia.

If you are expecting Interceptor to be full of expensive special effects and massive explosions then stop reading now. Due to the constraints around filming this film Reilly goes back to the action films of the 80s and 90s in a bid to get this production off the floor. That is not to say that there arent some spectacular moments there are  but most are made up of fights featuring hand-to-hand combat with only a few happening outside the base itself.

And while the film may not have explosions galore, Reilly and his fellow screenwriter Stuart Beattie do the same as what made films like The Hunt for Red October and Under Siege work so well  they load up on suspense.

The tension levels throughout this film go through the roof and both Reilly and Beattie are smart enough to know how to bring that about using a number of different measures. Whether it is having tense moments where JJ and Alexander face off with just a piece of glass to separate them or making the hapless Shah such a likely character that you dont want anything to happen to him, everything that Reilly and Beattie tries produces suspense by the bucket loads.

Then there is also the fact that JJ is never really sure who she can trust. She knows that one of the crew members on board is helping the terrorists but the screenplay holds those cards to its chest brilliantly well only exposing it when it really needs to.

Perhaps the biggest winner out of Interceptor though is Elsa Pataky. Throughout her career Pataky has been in some of the biggest action films to hit our cinemas  from the Fast & Furious franchise through to 12 Strong and Snakes on a Plane, she has been there and done that  but this is the first time that she has had to carry a film and she manages to pull that off well. Not only does she have the physicality to pull off the action and fight sequences she also has the acting ability to excel in even the most dramatic scenes.

Interceptor may not be the best action film to surface this year but it does show just how creative filmmakers can be when the world works against them. It also shows that Reilly is not only a talented writer but also has the skills to be a good director as well. This is one film to catch online if you have a spare moment.

Interceptor is currently screening on Netflix.

3/5 Stars

David Griffiths has been working as a film and music reviewer for over 20 years. That time has seen him work in radio, television and in print. You can follow him at www.facebook.com/subcultureentertainmentaus
Government denies oversupply of vaccine

BANGKOK: The Public Health Ministry has denied accusations by the Rural Doctor Society (RDS) that it has flooded remote hospitals with COVID-19 vaccines, saying such quantities were justified to expand immunisation coverage.

CoronavirusCOVID-19healthVaccine

By Bangkok Post

Saturday 4 June 2022, 08:07AM

Photo: Bangkok Post.

Dr Suthep Phetmak, the ministrys chief inspector, insisted it was crucial for people across the country to have access to the vaccine close to their homes.

It is precisely the reason the vaccine was distributed to the HPH [health promotion hospitals] in the tambons in the outlying areas of the country, he said.

People in rural locations need the vaccines to be made easily and conveniently available to them and HPHs are the closest medical facilities for many local residents, he noted.

Distribution of the vaccines to the HPHs was approved a month ago by the ministrys emergency operations centre (EOC) after a low vaccination rate was found among the rural population, reports the Bangkok Post.

Many members of the public have shown a reluctance to get jabbed because they are loath to travel far from their home to an inoculation site, or because they had no one to take them to the vaccination facilities.

Dr Sethep said the ministry has delivered the Sinovac, AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines to the HPHs.

So far, 138 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, of which 81% were first doses and 75% were second doses. Only 40% were booster shots, according to the chief health inspector.

Earlier, the RDS criticised the ministry for sending the vaccine without adequate refrigeration at the HPHs.

There are almost 10,000 such facilities in tambons nationwide. The RDS estimated that about 16 million doses bought using taxpayers money will expire soon.
Man electrocuted as thefts from closed Patong hotels rise

PHUKET: A Myanmar national working on the construction of a large sewage treatment pond for Patong Municipality was found dead behind a small closed hotel near the construction site early yesterday morning (June 3).

patongcrimeeconomicstourism

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Saturday 4 June 2022, 10:00AM

The man had been electrocuted while attempting to steal power cables, or even a transformer, at the back of the hotel, said police.

Patong Police were called to the scene, behind the Patong Dynasty hotel, on the corner of Soi Rath-U-Thit 200 Pi 2 and Phra Metta Rd, at about 2am.

Officers at rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation arrived to find the body of the man, later identified as 23-year-old Min Min Ao, tangled in power cables at the bottom of a power pole that was also supporting a small transformer.

Power had to be shut off before Mr Min Min Aos body could be recovered and taken to Patong Hospital.

The foreman of the construction camp where Mr Min Min Ao was staying said that the young man had not been seen at the camp since 7pm the night before.

Concerned for his whereabouts, two friends went searching for him. After initially failing to find him, the pair came across the body of their friend while returning to the workers camp, located near the construction site of the sewage treatment pond near the Rath-U-Thit 200 Pi 2 Bridge, which crosses the Pak Bang Canal.

Pongphat Patongsap, owner of the Patong Dynasty hotel on the corner of Soi Rath-U-Thit 200 Pi 2 and Phra Metta Rd, where Mr Min Min Aos body was found, said he did not hear the news until 9am yesterday.

This morning [June 3] I brought flowers, incense and candles to tell the deceased that I offer my forgiveness, and to tell him that he is dead so lets not not disturb each other. Lets go back to the home country to see relatives and find his wife and children at home, Mr Pongphat said.

RISING CRIME

Mr Pongphats Patong Dynasty hotel, a seven-story guesthouse, has been closed for about three years, and is not the only target of people stealing power cables and other items, he said.

The back of the hotel was sectioned off with the standard green cloth when the construction of the sewage treatment pond started some three years ago, Mr Pongphat said.

The cloth obscured the view from the street giving thieves ample opportunity to steal what they wanted, mostly the hotels electrical equipment, he said.

The thieves break in at night and have stolen the property five times already, worth hundreds of thousands of baht, Mr Pongphat said.

Rungrak Warittrakul, who is the owner of the Raha Gold Residence, or Sharaya Style Patong, a few doors down the street to the north, and the owner of the Raha Grand Hotel on the south side of the bridge, said her hotels had been targeted by thieves as well.

While the hotel has been unable to open for three years, at least three burglaries have been carried out. Among the items stolen have been two elevators, Ms Rungrak said.

We have no income. The building does not have a transformer. The cooker has been stolen. There have been three reports of theft and about six people have been caught, she said.

The hotel is now closed and using solar power because the transformer has been stolen. And if you want a new transformer, you need to spend about B300,000.

We have had to endure this for years now. There is no entrance to the hotel because the road is closed. There is no definite date when it will be finished, because they keep pushing ti back. We have asked for a streetlight in front of the hotel and they will not even give it, she said.

I want the government to help alleviate our suffering. Give us some entrance to the hotel, and now the building is cracked because of the pile driving. I would like to ask the responsible agencies here to help us as well, said Ms Rungrak.
" " The tallest dog ever was the late great Dane Zeus (left), who stood 3 feet, 8 inches (1.1 meters) tall from the ground to the withers. The tallest dog living is Freddy (right) who is 3 feet, 4 inches (1.1 meters) from ground to withers. Guinness World Records

Have you ever noticed that people sort of look like their dogs? Well, maybe not exactly like them, but the outdoorsy fella tends to go with the chocolate lab while the petite woman who sits quietly working crossword puzzles often has a fluffy lapdog curled up next to her on the sofa.

People often choose breeds that reflect their own style and personality, and that got us thinking: What's the biggest dog in the world? And we learned that all depends on what you're talking about: height, length or weight.

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The Tallest Dogs Ever

Going strictly by height, according to Guinness World Records (GWR) that would be the great Dane. This sleek, long-legged breed has held the height record for tallest dog for more than two decades.

The tallest dog ever in GWR history was a great Dane called Zeus who stood 3 feet, 8 inches (1.1 meters) tall from the ground to the withers (the ridge between the shoulders of his front legs). Zeus lived in the U.S. and died in 2014.

The current recordholder for tallest living dog is another great Dane named Freddy who lives in Essex, England. When he was measured for GWR in 2016, Freddy stood 3 feet, 4 inches (1.1 meters) from ground to withers, but when he stands on his hind legs (not an official GWR measurement), he's more than 7 feet (2.3 meters) tall!

Freddy is a great example of not judging a book by its cover. His owner, Claire Stoneman, told The Telegraph he was the "runt of the litter" when he was a puppy. (That's Freddy pictured on the right in Stoneman's tweet below.)

Speaking of official measurements, GWR measurements are all performed by a professional veterinarian. To be eligible for a GWR, dogs must be at least 1 year old and possess a vet-certified "clean bill of health." But the famed records-keeper no longer accepts claims for heaviest or lightest pets.

In an email, Amanda Marcus, public relations manager with Guinness World Records North America, Inc., explained why. "We appreciate that the welfare of the pet would be, in the majority of cases, at the forefront of the owner's mind," she says. "We had, however, become increasingly concerned that owners would potentially be encouraged to over or underfeed their pets in the quest for recognition. Therefore, to avoid any undue suffering to any animal, we have ended our interest in such records."

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The Longest Dogs

While they may not be the prettiest dogs, when it comes to length, Irish wolfhounds are tough to beat. Three different Irish wolfhounds have held the title of longest dog at GWR since 2006. The most recent was a hound named Farrell who was 7 feet, 9 inches (2.4 meters) from nose tip to tail tip.

Interestingly, the longest dog ever recorded for GWR was an English mastiff measuring an incredible 8 feet, 4 inches (2.5 meters) from nose tip to tail tip. Considering how heavy mastiffs are, that hound must have been massive because when it comes to weighty canines, the American Kennel Club (AKC) says the mastiff (which actually has a number of different breeds) holds that title.

" " Irish wolfhounds are known to be one of the longest and leanest dog breeds. Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images

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The Biggest Dogs Overall

A 2014 AKC press release listing the 15 largest dog breeds included the mastiff, the Neapolitan mastiff and bull mastiff on their list. A typical male mastiff stands at least 30 inches (76 centimeters) from the ground and can weigh between 160 and 230 pounds (72 and 104 kilograms). These are not lapdogs. They are heavy and strong  literally bred for battle and can be an intimidating presence to say the least. But those who know and breed them swear by their sweet, steadfast and protective temperament.

Mastiffs aren't the only heavy hitters in the dog world. The Saint Bernard and Newfoundland, both working breeds, are large powerful dogs. Saint Bernard males can weigh anywhere from 140 to 180 pounds (63 to 81 kilograms) and stand up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) high. Newfoundlands, also called "Newfies," are typically 130 to 150 pounds (58 to 68 kilograms), and can stand up to 28 inches (71 centimeters) high. Both the Saint Bernard and Newfie are gentle giants  strong, dependable family dogs. Owing to their strength and their heavy coats, both breeds were traditionally used in rescue operations: Saint Bernards in the treacherous snows of the Swiss Alps and Newfoundlands in the frigid water of the North Atlantic.

" " Saint Bernards definitely come to mind when you think of the biggest dog breeds in the world. Robert Kirk/Getty Images

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Caring for Big Dogs

While large dogs can make wonderful pets, they are not for every household and come with special challenges regarding their care, training and even feeding.

Most dog breeds were bred for a purpose, and large breeds were typically working dogs. They require a lot of exercise and need activity. Prepare to take large dogs like these for walks and remember, when they "do their business" you'll have to clean it up. The dog is bigger and so is their poo.

These big dogs also need more basic living space. A 130-pound (58-kilogram) mastiff can easily climb onto a sofa or put his paws on your lovely granite countertops. Expect to pay for training in order to help your large canine companion become a hospitable housemate.

And the cost of feeding such a big dog isn't anything to sniff at. Remember Freddy, the world's tallest dog? According to his owner, who actually owns two great Danes, it costs about 10,000 British pounds ($12,000 US), annually, to buy their food.

Now That's Interesting Because of their large, lumbering charm, great Danes have been immortalized in the Sunday comics  Marmaduke; in children's books  the character Pinkerton by author Steven Kellogg; and, of course, in cartoon characters  Astro from The Jetson's and doggy detective, Scooby Doo. "Nana" the beloved watchdog of the Darling children in the children's novel Peter Pan was a Newfoundland and on the other end of the spectrum the terrifying Hound of the Baskervilles from the short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a crossbred bloodhound and mastiff.

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Originally Published: Apr 2, 2020
National Police join case of Russian who fell to death in Patong

PHUKET: Senior officials from the national Royal Thai Police have joined the ongoing investigation into the case of a Russian woman who fell to her death at a condo in Patong earlier this week.

deathcrimepatongpolicedrugs

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Saturday 4 June 2022, 12:33PM

Evgeniia Smirnova, 35, fell eight stories at The Emerald Terrace condo off Phra Barami Rd in Patong in the early hours of Tuesday morning (May 31). Police and emergency workers were called to the scene around 4:30am where they found the body of Ms Smirnova, who it was confirmed died of fatal head trauma owing to her fall.

Three other people who were in the company of Ms Smirnova at the condo prior to the incident were arrested the following day on drug charges after 1.10 grammes of finely chopped dried marijuana was found in a transparent plastic bag in the room where Ms Smirnova was staying, confirmed Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Sermphan Sirikong.

Russian national Natalia Kosenkova, 35, US citizen Jamaal Antwaun Smith, 38, and Jordanian national Ahmad Radi Mustafa Alatoom, 28, were arrested on Tuesday (May 31) and taken to Patong Police Station where they were charged with possession of Category 5 drug. Mr Alatoom was apprehended earlier that day at Phuket International Airport as he was waiting to board a flight.

The three were also questioned further about the incident of Ms Smirnovas death but all have thus far been unwilling to cooperate.

Yesterday (June 3) it was confirmed that National Police Commissioner Pol Gen Suwat Jangyodsuk has instructed a team to conduct a thorough investigation into the case using reliable witness accounts and forensic evidence to draw a fast and accurate conclusion.

Royal Thai Police deputy spokesman Col Krissana Pattanacharoen yesterday confirmed that Ms Smirnova had entered Phuket on May 25. Nothing is being ruled out at this point as to whether Ms Smirnova fell accidentally or whether foul play was involved, he said.

Col Krissana explained that officers have inspected the crime scene and studied CCTV footage from the condo as part of the investigation and that further potential witnesses near or around the scene at the time of the incident have been questioned.

He also confirmed that the three foreigners arrested on the drug charge who were present drinking and partying with Ms Smirnova on the evening of her death are also still being questioned.

Col Krissana confirmed that Ms Smirnovas body had been sent to Vachira Hospital and they were still awaiting the results of the forensic autopsy which could also possibly help provide insight into how the death occurred. These results would also be shared with the Foreign Affairs Division of the Royal Thai Police, Immigration Police and the Russian Embassy.

National police chief Gen Suwat explained that while the investigation is ongoing people should only trust official sources for updates on the case and not trust external sources that could cause confusion by sharing misinformation. He added that it is important that confidence is installed in local residents and tourists and that cooperation is therefore needed at this time.

Police stated that if anyone does have any information on the case then they can report it to the Royal Thai Police call centre on phone numbers 191 or 1599, both of which are available 24 hours a day.
Phuket pays respects on Her Majesty the Queens birthday

PHUKET: Phuket paid respects to honour the 44th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana at a ceremony held at the Auditorium of the new Provincial Hall yesterday evening (June 3).

culture

By The Phuket News

Saturday 4 June 2022, 02:48PM

The ceremony, which began at 5:30pm, was presided over by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew who laid fresh Krathong flowers and lit candles to offer blessings on the auspicious occasion.

Governor Narong was joined at the ceremony by high-ranking executives, civil servants, soldiers, police, judicial officials, students and a number of Phuket residents.

Government officers wore their full white uniforms for the ceremony and hats. Members of government agencies, organisations and students wore their uniforms, while members of the public wore purple coloured garments to signify respect for Her Majesty.

All participants also wore a white mask or a white cloth mask throughout the ceremony.

Earlier yesterday a merit-making and blessing ceremony was similarly held to honour Queen Suthidas birthday.

Also held at the new Phuket Provincial Hall and beginning at 7am, Phra Kru Metta Pirom, Abbot of Wat Mongkol Nimit in Phuket Town, led 45 monks from various temples across Phuket to receive alms from Governor Narong, Vice Governors, heads of local government offices, students and members of the public.
Vietjet resumes direct flights to Phuket from Ho Chi Minh

PHUKET The first Vietjet Air flight from Ho Chi Minh City after the pandemic landed in Phuket yesterday (June 3), marking the comeback of the service of four flights per week, serving reviving travel demand between Thailand and Vietnam.

tourismtransport

By The Phuket News

Saturday 4 June 2022, 10:00AM

The inaugural flight from Ho Chi Minh City with 174 travelers on board landed in Phuket at 11.10am welcomed in person by Phuket International Airport General Manager Monchai Tanode, Chief of Commercial and Financial Planning Department Wichitra Prateep Na Thalang and other relevant officials.

Vietjet was represented by Sutatta Thamchinda, Head of Corporate PR and Special Events at Thai Vietjet Air, the airport said in a notice on Facebook.

The Ho Chi Minh City to Phuket route will operate a return flight every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday with a flight duration of approximately two hours per leg.

Ho Chi Minh City flights VJ809 will depart at 9am and land at 10.55am, Phuket flights VJ808 will depart at noon and land at 1.50pm. So far these are the only flights operated by Vietjet to and from Phuket.

The resumed direct international service uses Airbus A320 aircrafts with 180 seats, no business-class availabe. Tickets start from B480 without taxes and fees and B2,000 with taxes and fees included.

According to Phuket Airport Immigration Daily Reports, the island welcomed just 118 Vietnamese travelers during May 1-31.
YEREVAN, JUNE 4, ARMENPRESS. Vice Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Hakob Arshakyan was hosted on June 2 at the Embassy of Italy in Armenia on the occasion of the national day of that country.

With Ambassador Alfonso Di Riso we mutually highlighted the friendly warm relations between the Armenian and Italian nations over the history of millennia, talked about the rich cultural and spiritual traditions, the Vice Speaker said. The San Lazzaro island in Venice is one of the most important centers of the Armenian cultural revival, where one of the key centers of Armenian studies  the Mekhitarist Congregation is operating for around three decades. It had an invaluable contribution to the enrichment of not only the Armenian but also the global scientific-cultural heritage. Its worth noting that Italy hosts most of the centers of Armenian studies, he added.

He expressed confidence that the Armenian-Italian warm relations will continue strengthening and developing with joint efforts.
Some advocates and experts fear that the verdict in the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard case will have a chilling effect on women coming forward with abuse claims
Russia may be in Ukraine to stay after 100 days of war

When Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in late February, the Russian president vowed his forces would not occupy the neighboring country
Congratulations to the students of the Red Creek Central School District senior class on their upcoming graduation on Friday, June 24. RCCS, my alma mater, is composed of children from the towns of Butler and Wolcott in Wayne County and the towns of Conquest, Sterling and Victory in northern Cayuga County.

I usually check the Red Creek school website a few times a year to keep up to date with the activities and events. At first, I was saddened to think that these children and staff have been masked for nearly two years, have had to learn at home remotely by looking at a teacher on their computer, and worst of all were isolated from friends and even extended family. The smallest learners in kindergarten and first grade have known no other way, nor have most seen their teachers faces to learn vocabulary and reading. Most people cant imagine. I did have a granddaughter in that very situation, ending kindergarten in 2020 and in first and second grade during 2021 and 2022 at a different district.

When I looked at all the activities and special events at RCCS this school year, I have found that the staff and children have had an amazing, successful year in spite of coming off the COVID-19 pandemic for two years. I am so very proud of the encouragement and strength, perseverance and work ethic of everyone there. The many facets of the school, and probably many schools, is the depth of programs and support offered to the students in ways I had not heard of. A lot of us have been out of school and out of touch for many, many years and have not heard of most of these new ideas unless weve had grandchildren in school. I have five grandchildren who attend school in other districts; three have graduated and two others are in high school and elementary school.

There were many special events at RCCS, including a math-athon where children received pledges from area businesses by solving math problems. The event raised $10,000 for St. Judes Children Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, and also supported a classmate who had been treated there.

A program called Girls on the Run supported students in activities and life skills. The science Olympiad team garnered fourth place in the Midstate Regional Tournament in January and participated at the state finals at Le Moyne College in Syracuse in March, placing in the top 30 of many categories alongside much larger schools. One of the categories was building a bridge to hold about 30 pounds of sand.

In the Feats of Clay competition at Onondaga Community College, RCCS students are encouraged to make items for ceramic arts, making the most cylinders on a wheel or making a large piece in a certain amount of time with no hands, using other body parts.

Five students won awards at the state Scholastic Art competition in Syracuse in February. A district concert was held in person in March along with an art show with student drawings, pictures and sculptures. In May came performances by the elementary and middle school bands and choruses, the high school select choir, stage band, jazz band and concert band. This music was also livestreamed on YouTube.

A Work-Based Learning Program saw seven students involved with local business in job shadowing, hands-on or in research projects. These involved working on a lift in the bus garage, restoring a backhoe and helping a church with painting. Some middle school students sent their stories to Ripples magazine, a regional literary and visual arts magazine. A special 2022 Earth Day T-shirt was made to celebrate the April anniversary.

A special tutoring program, Paper, was launched and completely paid for through COVID-19 relief funding. It is free for students to get help from tutors on the site at any time. Eleven RCCS students took part in the Wayne-Finger Lakes Special Olympics competition at Sodus Central School. This included field events running, long jump and softball throw.

The district resource officer is Deputy Brian Larkin from the Wayne County Sheriffs Office. He was recently appointed and is visiting classrooms and meeting students, and hopes to build strong relationships with the school district and community.

There are many other programs at RCCS. I wish the students and staff a most wonderful summer and, again, I am so proud of them all for mustering through the most difficult two years with courage and strength for the future!

Beverly Coleman Sayles is the Victory town historian and a New York state registered historian, and can be reached at (315) 730-3183 or beverlycs65@gmail.com.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  A climber has died after collapsing while attempting to summit Alaska's Denali mountain, the National Park Service said Saturday.

The climber, 48-year-old Fernando Birman of Stockton, New Jersey, collapsed Friday evening at an elevation of 19,700 feet (6,004 meters) while on an attempt to reach the top of the 20,310-foot (6,190-meter) peak, the park service said.
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CHICAGO  Illinois currently has no pending sexual assault forensic assignments older than six months.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker made the announcement Friday, noting the figure is down from a backlog of 1,815 sexual assault forensic assignments pending longer than 180 days in March 2019.

"We made historic investments in the Division of Forensic Services to hire additional personnel, acquire state-of-the-art robotics to speed up turnaround time, and implement new software to make our laboratories as efficient as possible," Pritzker said. "When we began this undertaking, nearly 2,000 sexual assault cases were older than state law requires. Today, I am proud to announce that number is zero.

The Illinois Sexual Assault Evidence Submission Act, which went into effect Sept. 1, 2010, required the analysis of sexual assault evidence after receipt of all necessary evidence and standards to be completed within 180 days if the Illinois State Police had sufficient resources.

This week's announcement marks the first time since the act passed that the state was able to completely comply with this statute.

It is part of our mission to bring justice to those who have survived sexual assault as quickly as possible, said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. Thanks to improved efficiencies in our workflow, the use of new technology, continued hiring of forensic scientists, and the great work and dedication of ISP Division of Forensic Services staff, we have dramatically improved our efforts to bring justice to those survivors.

Over the past two years, ISP has reduced its total forensic backlog by about 72%. ISP ended 2021 with the lowest biology/DNA backlog since 2010 and the lowest toxicology backlog in 15 years. From February 2019 to the end of 2021, the ISP backlog in drug chemistry evidence decreased by almost 90%.

The ISP Division of Forensic Services (DFS) has six laboratories and nearly 500 forensic services personnel. It completed more than 70,000 forensic assignments in 2021.

The Illinois State Police Forensic Science Institute will be housed at the Belleville Educational Campus.

"With the addition of this new forensics lab, Illinois is continuing its path to becoming a nationwide leader in forensic law enforcement. In years to come, improvements in our forensics infrastructure are sure to play a significant role in bolstering Illinois' criminal justice," said Assistant Majority Leader LaToya Greenwood, D-East St. Louis.

State Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, said examining evidence and pursuing justice on behalf of the victims of sexual assault is a crucial aspect of supporting survivors of the crime.

"Eliminating the longstanding backlog of untested evidence kits is a major achievement," she said. "The recent improvements in ISPs efficiency and turnaround time are commendable.

State Sen. Rachelle Crowe, D-Glen Carbon, also praised the achievement.

The sexual assault DNA backlog has plagued the state of Illinois for years," she said. "But by making critical investments to hire more forensic scientists and utilize better technology, our state has made monumental progress to reduce turnaround time and pending cases."
MADISON  More cameras are coming to interstates in Madison, St. Clair and 20 other counties because of legislation signed Friday by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

There is nothing more important than keeping Illinoisans safe  in our schools, in our parks, and on our expressways, said Pritzker.

The tragic incidences of gun violence on our highways requires aggressive and intentional action," he said. "By signing this bill, law enforcement agencies will have the tools to respond to criminal activity in a timely and efficient manner  ensuring the safety and security of our residents, while holding perpetrators accountable.

Illinois State Police Brendan F. Kelly said automated license plate reader cameras are playing "a growing, critical role" in investigations and arrests.

"ISP now routinely uses this technology to track down expressway shootings and carjacking suspects," he said. "So the expansion of this technology across Illinois expands our ability to protect our interstates and bring violent criminals to justice.

Illinois' FY23 budget includes $20 million to expand the technology. House Bill 4481 is effective immediately.

The millions of Illinoisans who regularly use state highways and expressways deserve safety during their commutes, said state Rep. LaToya Greenwood, D-East St. Louis. These cameras give police officers the tools they need to crack down on anyone misguided enough to break the law on our highways again.

Pritzker also signed House Bill 260 which allows the use of expressway cameras along Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. It also became effective immediately.

In 2021, there were 264 reported expressway shootings in Illinois. In 2020, there were 128 such shootings.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Former Trump White House official Peter Navarro has been indicted on charges that he refused to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, but the Justice Department spared two other advisers, including the ex-president's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, from criminal prosecution.

The departments decision to not prosecute Meadows and Dan Scavino, another adviser to former President Donald Trump, was revealed in a letter sent Friday by a federal prosecutor to a lawyer for the House of Representatives. The move was reported hours after the indictment of Navarro and a subsequent, fiery court appearance in which he vowed to contest the contempt of Congress charges.

The flurry of activity comes just days before the House committee leading the investigation into the riot at the Capitol holds a primetime hearing aimed at presenting the American public with evidence it has collected about how the assault unfolded. The split decisions show how the Justice Department has opted to evaluate on a case-by-case basis contempt referrals it has received from Congress rather than automatically pursue charges against each and every Trump aide who has resisted congressional subpoenas.

The committee's leaders called the decision to not prosecute Meadows and Scavino puzzling. In a statement late Friday, Reps. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said: "We hope the Department provides greater clarity on this matter. ... No one is above the law.

Though the Justice Department has referred multiple Trump aides for potential prosecution for refusal to cooperate, Navarro is only the second to face criminal charges, following the indictment last fall of former White House adviser Steve Bannon.

Navarro, 72, was charged with one contempt count for failing to appear for a deposition before the House committee and a second charge for failing to produce documents the committee requested.

During an initial court appearance, he alleged that the Justice Department had committed prosecutorial misconduct and said he was told he could not contact anyone after being approached by an FBI agent at the airport Friday and put in handcuffs. He said he was arrested while trying to board a flight to Nashville, Tennessee for a television appearance.

Who are these people? This is not America, Navarro said. I was a distinguished public servant for four years!

Each charge carries a minimum sentence of a month in jail and a maximum of a year behind bars.

The Justice Department and Attorney General Merrick Garland had been facing pressure to move more quickly to decide whether to prosecute other Trump aides who have similarly defied subpoenas from the House panel.

The New York Times first reported on the decision to not charge Meadows and Scavino. A person familiar with the decision who was not authorized to discuss it publicly confirmed it to The Associated Press on Friday. The U.S. Attorney's office in Washington, which made the decisions regarding each of the Trump aides, declined to comment Friday.

Meadows, a close Trump adviser seen by House investigators as a vital witness to key events, initially cooperated with the committee, turning over more than 2,000 text messages sent and received in the days leading up to and of the attack. But in December, Meadows informed the committee that he would not sit for a deposition. Scavino was held in contempt in April after declining to cooperate with Congress.

A lawyer for Meadows did not immediately return messages Friday night. Stan Brand, an attorney representing Scavino, said he had not yet received the letter from the U.S. attorneys office, but he'd heard the news through a third party. Im grateful that the Justice Department exercised their discretion to decline prosecution, Brand said.

The indictment against Navarro alleges that when summoned to appear before the committee for a deposition earlier this year, he refused to do so and instead told the panel that because Trump had invoked executive privilege, my hands are tied.

After committee staff told him they believed there were topics he could discuss without raising any executive privilege concerns, Navarro again refused, directing the committee to negotiate directly with lawyers for Trump, according to the indictment. The committee went ahead with its scheduled deposition on March 2, but Navarro did not attend.

The indictment, dated Thursday, came days after Navarro revealed in a court filing that he also had been subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury this week as part of the Justice Departments sprawling probe into the insurrection. The subpoena to Navarro, a trade adviser to Trump, was the first known instance of prosecutors seeking testimony from someone who worked in the Trump White House as they investigate the attack.

This was a preemptive strike by the prosecution against that lawsuit, Navarro told Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui during his court appearance. It simply flies in the face of good faith and due process.

Navarro made the case in his lawsuit Tuesday that the House select committee investigating the attack is unlawful and therefore a subpoena it issued to him in February is unenforceable under law. He sued members of the committee, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and the U.S. attorney in Washington, Matthew M. Graves, whose office is now handling the criminal case against him.

In an interview with The Associated Press this week, Navarro said the goal of his lawsuit is much broader than the subpoenas themselves, part of an effort to have the Supreme Court address a number of issues that have come with the weaponization of Congress investigatory powers since Trump entered office.

Members of the select committee sought testimony from Navarro about his efforts to help Trump overturn the 2020 presidential election, including a call trying to persuade state legislators to join their efforts.

The former economics professor was one of the White House staffers who promoted Trumps baseless claims of mass voter fraud. Trump, in turn, promoted a lengthy report Navarro released in December 2020, which Navarro falsely claimed contained evidence of the alleged misconduct and election fraud "more than sufficient" to swing victory to his former boss.

Despite the opposition from several Trump allies, the Jan. 6 panel, comprised of seven Democrats and two Republicans, has managed to interview more than 1,000 witnesses about the insurrection in the past 11 months and is now preparing for a series of public hearings to begin next week. Lawmakers on the panel hope the half-dozen hearings will be a high-profile airing of the causes and consequences of the domestic attack on the U.S. government.
The number of Catholic churches where Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi can receive Holy Communion has shrunken.

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, which lies in Pelosis congressional district, announced last month that it had barred her from receiving Communion because of her support for abortion rights.

While publicly announcing this ban, Cordileone stated he had made numerous attempts to speak with her to help her understand the grave evil she is perpetrating, the scandal she is causing, and the danger to her own soul she is risking. The ban will remain in place until she publicly repudiate her support for abortion rights and confess and receive absolution.

Cordileones decision to deny Communion to Pelosi triggered a chain reaction. Bishop Robert Vasa, whose diocese is just north of San Francisco, announced that he will also bar Pelosi from receiving this sacrament. Bishop Michael Burbridge of Arlington, Virginia, and Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas have jumped on the No-Communion-For-Pelosi bandwagon.

Closer to home, Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield tweeted, I fully support and earnestly commend Archbishop Cordileones action in regard to Speaker Pelosi. All politicians who promote abortion should not receive holy Communion until they have repented, repaired scandal, and been reconciled to Christ and the Church.

Non-churchgoers  indeed, all non-Catholics  really cant grasp how big a deal this is.

I was raised Catholic and well remember the importance of Communion for members of that denomination.

In my day, Catholic schoolchildren made their first Holy Communion in second grade. Our teacher, who was a nun called Sister Wilma Marie, taught us that a miracle occurs every time a priest celebrates Mass. The bread and wine undergo a profound transformation through a process called transubstantiation and, while their appearance and taste remain unchanged, they become the literal body and blood of Christ.

A First Communion is a major life event for a Catholic child. Relatives, whether close or distant, pack the church to witness it. Little girls in my day were dressed in white like miniature brides. We boys, on the other hand, simply wore our everyday St. Marys School uniforms of that era: navy-blue pants, light blue shirts and dark-blue ties that fastened with a snap to make an inverted V.

Communion in my day meant receiving just the host. The wine, which had become the literal blood of Christ, was consumed only by the priest who was celebrating Mass. I recall the consecrated host as being sacred to Catholics. As a schoolchild I participated in Forty Hours Devotion during which the faithful, working in shifts, prayed before an exposed host for forty continuous hours. The host was displayed in a gold object called a monstrance.

The Catholic Church takes the sacrament of Communion so seriously that non-Catholics are barred from receiving it. As Father Charles Grondin of Catholic Answers explains on line, there are two reasons for this. A non-Catholic who does not believe in the Real Presence would not be properly prepared to receive the Eucharist, he observes. The second reason is Because Catholics believe that the celebration of the Eucharist is a sign of the reality of the oneness of faith, life, and worship, members of faith communities with whom we are not yet fully united are not admitted to Holy Communion.

When my father and mother died in 1993 and 2005, respectively, this fallen-away Catholic could not take Communion at their funeral Masses.

Pelosi has taken her Communion ban graciously. However, I was delighted to learn that on the May 24 broadcast of Morning Joe, she pointed out a glaring inconsistency in the bishops reasoning. I wonder about the death penalty, which Im opposed to, Pelosi said. So is the church, but they take no action against people who may not share their view.

Id like to point out yet another inconsistency. The Catholic Church for decades was infested with priests who sexually preyed on children. Although well aware of their criminal activity, the church never denied them Communion. In fact, it continued to allow them to offer Communion to the faithful.

If such men can receive Communion, then this sacrament should be open to just about anyone.
Westminster Presbyterian Church in Auburn will host a screening of the film "Trigger: The Ripple Effect of Gun Violence," as well as a discussion, on Monday, June 6.

The event will take place at 6 p.m. at Auburn Public Theater, 8 Exchange St., Auburn.

The 51-minute documentary looks at how shootings impact individuals, families and communities, moving the conversation around gun violence away from polarizing extremes and elevating the voices and experiences of those who seek a way forward. The film and event are part of a Presbytery-wide movement to use the Pentecost weekend to engage in conversations about gun violence.

"Many of us are hurting, in the wake of so much gun violence," said Westminster's the Rev. Patrick Heery in a news release. "This is an opportunity for us to talk, ask questions, share ideas, process our grief and fear, and be a community together."

Admission to the event is free and open to the public.

For more information, visit westminsterauburn.org or find the event on Facebook.

'Biggest smile in the world': Auburn victim of Buffalo shooting remembered by brother "He was always joking, always funny, always had a smile on his face. ... That big, cheesy smile. I remember that most about him."

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Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Rain showers this morning with some sunshine during the afternoon hours. High 74F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 62F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
I've just been riding shotgun as a passenger on UK roads in a near production-ready prototype version of the new Smart #1 crossover.

And impressive it is, too. Swift, airy, comfortable, with an upmarket interior, and it feels bigger on the inside than I expected.

Stylish: The new Smart #1 crossover - Swift, airy, comfortable, with an upmarket interior,

It's perfectly suited to zipping around town, cruising on the motorway or navigating twisting country lanes.

On sale from the end of the year from about 32,000, it will rival the Hyundai Kona EV and Volkswagen's ID.3, but there are still some teething issues on wind noise around the windscreen seals to fettle.

It's a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and China's Geely, powered by a 200 kW (272 PS) motor with a top speed of 112 mph. Weighing just 1,820kg, the low-slung battery helps maintain stability.

The claimed range is up to 273 miles, and it promises AC charging up to 80 per cent in three hours, and less than 30 minutes with a DC super-fast charger.

LEVC battery-powered cabs in Platinum Pageant

Electric taxi maker LEVC has created three battery-powered platinum TX London cabs to take part in the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Pageant tomorrow.

The taxis will chauffeur VIPs to their seats ahead of the start of the show.

Platinum power: The taxis will chauffeur VIPs to their seats ahead of the start of the show

The London Electric Vehicle Company, which makes electric taxis and vans in Coventry, said: 'LEVC is proud to be part of the Pageant as the makers of the iconic black cab.'

The firm recently celebrated 7,000 global sales of the electric TX taxis since its launch in 2018.

They now make up more than a third of London black cabs.

There is a fitting link to the Royal Family  the late Duke of Edinburgh used a black cab to drive incognito through London.

The firm is owned by Chinese motor giant Geely which since 2014 has invested 500million into its UK plant.
The first port of call in seeking to better understand the Queen's finances over this Jubilee pageant weekend is the audited accounts of the Sovereign Grant and other Crown entities.

The annual report is the best starting place in the quest to understand public institutions, listed and private firms.

There is no better source for spotting irregularities and nuances in financial results. These include inter-company transactions, dealings between executives and the company, finer points of remuneration as well as cash flow and debt levels.

Forward thinking: Restoration of confidence in audit will never happen while it remains the poor relation of a more alluring consulting practice

If the auditors have failed to understand an issue they are technically obliged to say so in a 'note' and, in extremis, to 'qualify' the accounts. The work of audit is the antiseptic of capitalism and vital to the trust placed in the published accounts of stock market-quoted companies.

That is why the Government's plans for audit reform are critical. Yet somewhere in government, proposals for fundamental reform have been watered down.

The view of the professionals, in a review conducted by the Competition & Markets Authority, came down firmly on the side of splitting the audit and consulting arms of the Big Four firms, on the grounds of conflict of interest. A further review by former London Stock Exchange boss Donald Brydon was sympathetic to this view, as is Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng.

EY jumped the gun by announcing separation. However, when the draft legislation appeared this fundamental reform requirement was quietly expunged.

Among the unfortunate aspects of accounting and consulting functions being combined in the Big Four professional firms  PwC, Deloitte, EY and KPMG  is the way in which it has devalued audit.

In the case of many public companies, audit fees, regarded as routine, are dwarfed by consulting income.

Conflicts are clear. Consultants from accounting firms should not be involved, for instance, in setting director pay because of the risk of capture by greedy executives.

It places in jeopardy the independence of auditors who become regarded as second-class citizens.

A son of a friend is a graduate trainee at Deloitte. As part of the programme, he has been assigned to audit. But, as he told me, this is just a necessary step before he can transfer into the sexier consulting arm of the enterprise. The pull of consulting is much more glamorous.

The loss of the best and brightest could partly explain why audit firms have found themselves snarled up in failure, from Carillion to Patisserie Valerie. But the answer to reinvigorating audit is not just better regulation but re-establishing its centrality to the hygiene of business.

The fact that audit fees are dwarfed by consulting income suggests serious mispricing, with accounting firms overcharging for fancier work because they have been unable to push up plain audit fees fast enough.

Separation in the manner of EY would help to restore the pride which has led to so many accounting failures.

That reform has finally made its way off the drawing board onto the legislative agenda must be a good thing. However, the Government has allowed its instincts to get the better of it. Big audit firms, the directors of public companies and private unquoted firms have been let off the hook.
Shareholders will be checking for any update on British American Tobacco's Russian exit as it reports on its progress so far this year.

The business is set to update shareholders on Tuesday, months after the Kremlin launched its war on Ukraine.

Having lingered for a while after the conflict started, BAT announced in March that it would withdraw from Russia.

BAT makes Pall Mall cigarettes and had a market share of around 25 per cent in Russia.

It is looking for someone to sell its Russian business to, so any update will be of interest to shareholders.

Investors will also be looking for any impacts that the company sees from the cost-of-living crisis. It is lucky in a way because of its defensive nature.

It is one of many firms in London which performs well even if the economy is in a rut. Just like medicines and food, people keep on buying cigarettes even during a downturn.

But while sales might not face much of a hit, the company will still be wary about what it is paying to make its products.

Raw material and labour costs have spiked in recent months. It could pass these extra costs on to consumers.

When they pick up the trading update on Tuesday many investors will also search for information on the New Categories business.

They include a line of vapes, Vuse, which by one measure is the largest in the world, under-lip nicotine pouches called Velo, and heated tobacco products Glo.

Last year these products generated more than 2billion in revenue, and this is meant to have more than doubled in a couple of years, according to BAT's targets.
Hilton Food Group is also involved in providing sustenance to consumers, but in a rather different way from Loungers. Originally known as a meat packer for Tesco, the group still derives most of its sales from preparing red meat for big supermarket chains  from juicy steaks to low-cost mince.

In recent years, however, Hilton has branched out, moving into new parts of the world, such as Australia, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, and into new food, including fish and vegan products.

Today, more than three-quarters of Hilton's sales come from overseas and a growing proportion of turnover comes from produce other than meat.

On a plate: In recent years, Hilton Food Group has branched out, moving into new food, including fish and vegan products

Earlier this year, for instance, chief executive Philip Heffer bought Foppen, a Dutch smoked salmon specialist founded more than a century ago. Other recent deals include the acquisition of Dutch vegan group Dalco and Fairfax Meadow, the biggest supplier of meat to the catering trade.

Whether Hilton is selling burgers to Tesco, haddock fillets to Waitrose, vegan patties to sandwich chain Subway or smoked salmon to discount retailer CostCo, the group focuses on building strong relationships with large, established businesses, from supermarket groups to fast-food chains and pubs.

The approach has stood Hilton in good stead over the years and should do so even more in future. Longstanding arrangements with customers allow Heffer to pass on most extra costs as they arise, sophisticated supply chain tools insulate Hilton from raw material shortages and state-of-the-art technology makes the group one of the most efficient and lowest-cost operators in its field.

Offering a wide range of products in a variety of countries is helpful too. If consumers want to tighten their belts, they can buy cheap cuts rather than prime fillets.

And, even if some parts of the world are really feeling the pinch, others are more sanguine. Above all, everyone still needs to eat. In a trading update last month, Heffer acknowledged that the outlook may be challenging, but remained confident about Hilton's growth prospects.

Brokers share his confidence, forecasting a 9 per cent increase in sales to 3.6 billion for the calendar year 2022, a 12 per cent rise in profits to 76.5million and a 9 per cent increase in the dividend to 32.5p.

Midas verdict: Midas first recommended Hilton in 2008, just after the business was floated on the stock market, when the shares were at 1.70. By 2013, the stock had risen to 3.05 and we suggested there were still gains to be had. The shares have more than tripled since then to 10.62, having been as high as 13 just a few weeks ago. The recent decline is overdone. Existing investors should hold on to their shares. New investors could also find value at current levels.

Traded on: Main market Ticker: HFG Contact: hiltonfoodgroupplc.com or 01480 383333
Tesla shares slid after the electric car maker's boss Elon Musk sounded the alarm over the economy.

He said he had a 'super-bad feeling' about global growth prospects, and warned he must cut 10 per cent of jobs.

Shares in Tesla fell almost 10 per cent to around $700 after the world's richest man told executives on Thursday about the measures in an email titled 'pause all hiring worldwide'.

Concern: Elon Musk said he had a 'super-bad feeling' about global growth prospects

Prior to his warning, Tesla posted around 5,000 job adverts on LinkedIn for roles in Tokyo and Berlin.

It and its subsidiaries employed almost 100,000 people at the end of 2021, regulatory filings showed.

This week the Tesla boss, 50, called on his staff to return to the workplace or leave, saying: 'If you don't show up, we will assume you have resigned.'

Musk has previously hinted the US could find itself in a recession.

Tesla has faced its own share of problems after production stalled last month at its factory in Shanghai amid a wave of Covid restrictions and a shortage of parts.

The electric car maker was not helped by the fact that sales in China  the world's largest car market  fell 98 per cent in April from March.
Lawyers have filed a claim against a business embroiled in the Neil Woodford investment scandal.

Harcus Parker filed its case yesterday against Link Fund Solutions, which was supposed to supervise Woodford on behalf of savers.

Woodford's Equity Income fund was suspended in 2019, as investors rushed to get their money back following poor performance.

Scandal: Neil Woodford's Equity Income fund was suspended in 2019, as investors rushed to get their money back following poor performance

Claims emerged that Woodford sailed close to the wind, investing in smaller, riskier firms not listed on the stock market and, in an attempt to dodge City rules to protect savers, dictating how many of these stocks he could hold, he listed their shares on the Guernsey stock exchange.

Daniel Kerrigan, at Harcus Parker, said Link 'let the fund go off the rails'. Eventually Link shut it.

But several sales, to return the cash to savers, were at knock-down prices, causing around 1billion of losses to investors.

More than 100million of savers' money is still locked inside.
With cases of avian flu diminishing, officials have rescinded the ban on live poultry shows in New York state.

Prohibitions on live poultry shows, exhibitions, auctions, sales, meets and swaps had been put in place in March and April after highly pathogenic avian influenza spread across the United States and led to detections in New York state.

State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball on Friday announced that the bans were being lifted as fair season begins because of a decrease in cases nationwide, including in New York state, which has not had a detection of avian flu in nearly two months. Additionally, as the state enters agricultural fair season, officials said that studies have shown that the majority of flocks affected in the current outbreak were infected by introductions from wild birds, rather than by farm-to-farm transmission, "lending additional confidence to the decision to allow comingling of poultry again."

The state said that a total of eight flocks have tested positive in New York, with the last in a Fulton County flock on April 6. The Department of Agriculture said it is continuing to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on a response and is also collaborating with partners at the Department of Health and Department of Environmental Conservation. Additionally, officials are conducting extensive outreach to poultry and egg farms across the state to ensure best practices are being implemented.

Commercial and hobby poultry farmers are encouraged to continue practicing good biosecurity measures to help prevent the spread of the disease, including transporting birds in crates that have been cleaned and disinfected, not sharing equipment or supplies with other exhibitors, and cleaning and disinfecting equipment between uses and especially upon return from a fair, swap or show.

Birds taken to a fair or exhibition should be kept separated from the rest of a flock for at least 21 days upon return and observed for signs of illness, and sick or dying poultry should be reported at (518) 457-3502 or dai@agriculture.ny.gov.

New York has taken an aggressive approach to slowing the spread of avian influenza and it has paid off," Ball said in a news release. "With cases decreasing in our state and throughout the country, as well as new data showing very low rates of farm-to-farm transmission of HPAI during the current outbreak, I am confident that it is time to lift the bans on live poultry shows and sales."

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Mover: Debbie Crosbie is taking the helm of Britain's largest building society

Nationwide's new chief executive is expected to reassure members of Britain's largest building society its branch network is safe in her hands.

Debbie Crosbie, who takes over this week as the first female chief executive in the mutual's 175-year history, closed hundreds of bank branches in her job running TSB.

But The Mail on Sunday understands she plans to confirm a landmark pledge by Nationwide to maintain its 625 branches into next year at least  and may extend the commitment.

Nationwide bosses believe customers need branches more than ever  saying they use the premises not just for access to cash but also, increasingly, for face-to-face financial counselling and advice as they grapple with the unprecedented squeeze on household budgets.

A renewal of the vow by Crosbie is likely to soothe worries among Nationwide's 16.3million members and its staff over the future of branches. The mutual made its 'branch promise' in 2019. The pledge has since been extended from May 2021 to January 2023.

The current commitment is to leave no town or city currently served by Nationwide without a branch. The society admits there are occasional circumstances making it impossible to keep a branch open. However, it has shut branches at a much lower rate than the Big Four banks.

Crosbie's predecessor, Joe Garner, told The Mail on Sunday last week that Nationwide's mutual status meant it was well placed to help members deal with the cost-of-living crisis.

'The key difference is that many of our competitors are trying to find ways to close branches, while we are trying to find ways of keeping them open,' he said.

Banks are expected to shut around another 500 branches this year.

TSB, which is owned by Spanish bank Sabadell, closed 244 branches during the pandemic when Crosbie was in charge. Another 70 will go this year, meaning more than 300 will have shut in three years. Like its rivals, TSB blames 'declining branch use' and the growing trend to bank online.

Crosbie also has other issues to face  not least customer complaints. Consumer group Fairer Finance says the number of cases about Nationwide upheld by the Financial Ombudsman has crept up to a 'massive' 49 per cent, well above the industry average.

'Nationwide was always much better than that, so I'm not sure what's going on there,' says Fairer Finance's managing director James Daley.

John Cronin, banking analyst at stockbroker Goodbody, thinks Crosbie will bring 'deep experience' of managing change to Nationwide. 'She orchestrated a remarkable turnaround in financial performance at TSB,' he said.

Earlier this year, The Mail on Sunday revealed that Nationwide had held talks to buy TSB but initial discussions stalled. 'One wonders whether Crosbie will seek to reignite the conversation,' Cronin added.
Lost allure: Matt Moulding with his wife Jodie. Inset, THG's share slump

Hut Group boss Matt Moulding faces a shareholder revolt at the online retailer's annual meeting on Friday over conflict of interest accusations involving one of its directors.

It will be the first chance for shareholders to quiz the firm's founder and chief executive in person since THG's controversial stock market flotation in 2020.

The company, whose shares have fallen by 76 per cent in the past year, is a takeover target for bidders including property tycoon Nick Candy. Investment firms Belerion and King Street Capital tabled a 2billion joint proposal last month.

Investors are uneasy that Belerion's founder, Iain McDonald, is also a non-executive director at THG. Shareholder advisory firm ISS is recommending that investors vote against his re-election.

ISS questioned his independence given his longstanding relationship with Moulding and finance boss John Gallemore, having served alongside the pair for 12 years. Another advisory service, Glass Lewis, also urged shareholders to oppose his re-election, saying McDonald was an 'affiliate or insider' on the pay committee.

THG said it would 'not be in the best interest' of the business for him to leave the pay committee.

It has also brushed off the takeover approaches. McDonald has already faced criticism for his role as both a potential bidder and THG board member.

After his bid emerged Clive Black, a retail analyst at Shore Capital, said: 'How on earth can you be a non-executive director and party to a potential bid? It just brings smoke and mirrors to mind.'

It is the latest in a series of governance grievances to rock the business. These include Moulding's golden share, which allows him to block takeover bids.

He has agreed to surrender it and has also stepped down as chairman following investor objections. THG is now chaired by City heavyweight and ex-ITV boss Charles Allen.

Founded by Moulding in 2004, THG sells skincare, make-up and supplements, and its brands include Lookfantastic and Myprotein.
Dividends paid by cheque to shareholders are being axed by fund manager Abrdn  in the latest move towards a cashless society.

Instead, any dividends will be paid directly into shareholders' bank accounts. About a million will get hit by this change at the Edinburgh-based investment giant. Many obtained their shares after Standard Life demutualised 16 years ago. Five years ago, Standard Life and funds group Aberdeen merged before being renamed Abrdn.

Derek French, a former executive of bank NatWest and founder of the Campaign for Community Banking Services, is among those to have received the letter from Abrdn explaining the move.

The future: Abrdn will pay dividends directly into shareholders' bank accounts

He says: 'This is just another blow for those who want to use cash and bank cheques in a high street branch.

'Banks and other financial institutions, such as Abrdn, tell us we all want to bank online  but this is patently untrue. It is vital that people are given choice.'

The MoS has long fought for the right of customers to have choice over how they receive and make payments. Five million people in Britain currently rely on cash for their budgeting.

Lord Lee of Trafford, the country's first Isa millionaire and patron of retail investor campaign group ShareSoc, says: 'It is not just older people, but also youngsters who need to appreciate the value of money and might like to have a cheque arriving in the post when a dividend payment is due.

'There is no doubt dividends paid by bank transfer are more convenient for many people, but it should not be mandatory. Investors must be given the choice.' Dropping the option of dividends payment by cheque will save Abrdn money when the change is implemented next May, reducing administrative costs.

Abrdn says: 'More shareholders prefer the convenience of payments direct to their bank account and it takes away the worry of misplacing  or forgetting to bank  cheques.'

It adds: 'There is also the cost and environmental impact of posting thousands of dividend cheques that we have to consider.'

Most investment trusts and UK companies already automatically pay dividends via electronic transfer to those shareholders who hold their stakes on an investment platform such as Hargreaves Lansdown.

But Annabel Brodie-Smith, communications director at trade organisation the Association of Investment Companies says a minority of investment trusts still pay dividends to shareholders by cheque if requested  but only if the shares are held with them directly (not through a platform). They include (surprisingly) trusts managed by Abrdn such as North American Income, Murray International and Shires Income.

Brodie-Smith says: 'Choice is good and it is commendable that some trusts still allow investors to receive dividends by cheque if this is what they want.'

It is not just dividend cheques that are being phased out, but also physical share certificates.

There was a time when if you purchased shares in a company, you would automatically be issued with paper proof of the investment. These are now increasingly rare.

Hargreaves Lansdown has blamed the coronavirus for ditching the option for investors to trade paper shares through its platform from next month. It states: 'Certificated share dealing was suspended in March 2020 in response to the pandemic due to the administration required to operate the service.

'We have reviewed the situation and found that certificated share ownership is becoming less common. We now want to focus more on providing our clients with a better electronic share dealing platform.'
For the first time in three months, Cayuga County's COVID-19 case rate is below 100 per 100,000 people.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the county's case rate is 77.05 per 100,000 people. It's the lowest since the case rate was 96.64 per 100,000 people on March 10, but the rate returned to triple digits shortly after and remained above 100 until this week.

The case rate is one of the metrics used to calculate the county's COVID community level. The CDC began using the community level, which also factors in new hospital admissions and the percentage of beds used by COVID-positive patients, to determine whether virus transmission is low, medium or high in a given area.

For several weeks, Cayuga had a high community level because case rates were high and hospitalizations increased. This was at a time when the state Department of Health believed the emergence of omicron subvariants were the likely cause of a spike in cases in Cayuga County and central New York.

But case rates have since decreased five weeks in a row. Last week, Cayuga County was among a small number of counties that had a low community level. Now, about half of the state's 62 counties are at a low level.

Hospitalizations are also on the decline. The Cayuga County Health Department reported on Friday that five residents are hospitalized with COVID.

The main focus of the health department is getting more residents vaccinated. The county's vaccination rate is 59.5%, which has been unchanged since May 21. The rate among eligible residents ages 5 and up is 62.7%.

A majority of vaccinated individuals (57.5%) have received at least one booster shot, according to the CDC.

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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Kingsport, TN (37660)

Today

Variable clouds with scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly during the afternoon hours. Potential for severe thunderstorms. High near 80F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms. Low 66F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
A pair of unions representing public-sector employees have reached contract agreements with the state, one of which has already been ratified by members.

The New York State Law Enforcement Officers Union, Council 82, agreed to a seven-year contract that includes an annual 2% raise, other compensation increases and changes to health insurance benefits.

Council 82 represents more than 3,000 members, including lieutenants in state correctional facilities. The union ratified the contract with nearly 95% of its members supporting the new agreement.

Ronald Walsh, president of Council 82, called it a "fair and responsible agreement."

"It brings an overdue contract to completion, and it demonstrates the strong support and commitment of Governor Hochul to the state's corrections and public safety employees and their mission," Walsh said.

On Friday, Hochul announced an agreement on a five-year contract with the Civil Service Employee Association, a union representing more than 52,000 state employees. It is one of the largest public employee unions in New York.

CSEA members must ratify the contract before it takes effect.

Hochul said the agreement is a "win-win" for CSEA's membership and the state.

"I applaud the leadership of CSEA for their efforts to bring this deal to fruition, and I am grateful to the hardworking men and women of CSEA who throughout the pandemic continued to deliver essential services to New Yorkers," she said. "This agreement recognizes the importance and value of this work for the people of our great state."

CSEA President Mary Sullivan added, "This tentative agreement recognizes the dedicated CSEA members who kept this state running during the entire COVID pandemic and continue to do so every day. I'd especially like to recognize and thank the CSEA negotiating team. They worked tirelessly to ensure that our members got a deal that recognizes their value."

According to Hochul's office, the Council 82 contract runs through March 2023. If the CSEA contract is approved, it will be in place until April 2026.

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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Senegals President Macky Sall said Russias Vladimir Putin had told him on Friday he was ready to enable the export of Ukrainian grain to ease a global food crisis that is hitting Africa especially hard.

President #Putin has expressed to us his willingness to facilitate the export of Ukrainian cereals, Sall wrote on Twitter after meeting Putin in his role as chairman of the African Union.

Russia was also ready to ensure the export of its own wheat and fertiliser, Sall said after the talks in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi on day 100 of Putins invasion of Ukraine.

Sall did not say if Putin had attached any conditions to his offer. Russia has previously said it is ready to allow vessels carrying food to leave Ukraine in return for the lifting of some Western sanctions against it, a proposal that Ukraine has described as blackmail.

Africa is heavily dependent on grain supplies from Russia and Ukraine that have been badly disrupted by the war.

I have come to see you, to ask you to be aware that our countries, even far from the theatre (of war), are the victims of this economic crisis, Sall told Putin earlier.

Russias army has seized much of Ukraines southern coastline and its warships control access to the countrys Black Sea ports. Yet it continues to blame Ukraine and the West for the resulting halt in Ukrainian grain exports.

Putin told Russian state TV in an interview broadcast on Friday evening that Ukraine could export grain from ports including Odesa if it cleared them of mines.

Let them remove the mines, we guarantee them free passage to international waters, he said.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Odesa and the surrounding region have repeatedly been struck by Russian missiles and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last month its port was paralysed for probably the first time since World War Two.

Putin said the easiest way to ship out Ukrainian grain would be via neighbouring Belarus, but that would require the West to lift sanctions on Belarus.

Moscow says sanctions are also hitting its own grain and fertiliser exports, aggravating the shortages. Ukraine and Western governments accuse Russia of weaponising the food crisis.

We are now seeing attempts to shift the responsibility for what is happening on the world food market, the emerging problems in this market, onto Russia. This is an attempt, as our people say, to shift these problems from a sick head to a healthy one, Putin said.

African countries are acutely affected by the growing crisis, which has sent prices of grains, cooking oils, fuel and fertilizer soaring.

Russia and Ukraine account for nearly a third of global wheat supplies, while Russia is also a key global fertilizer exporter and Ukraine is a major exporter of corn and sunflower oil.

SOURCE: REUTERS
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ALBANY - The state Senate has passed a bill that would provide the administration of Gov. Kathy Hochul with hundreds of millions of dollars in state tax incentives to entice computer chip manufacturers to build new factories in upstate New York.

The legislation, known informally as the Green CHIPS bill, was in committee at the Assembly as of Friday afternoon.

The bill would essentially create a new subset of tax incentives the state can offer to chipmakers through its Excelsior business tax credit program, which provides tax incentives for job creation, capital investments, research and development and even employee child care.

The total would be capped at $500 million annually over 20 years, although it would be highly unlikely that the state would attract enough chip fabs over that period to use up all those credits.

Competition for chip fabs, which can cost between $1 billion to as much as $10 billion to build and equip, is extremely fierce as the industry is looking to expand its domestic footprint perhaps more than any other time in its history amid chip shortages and China's growing influence.

Congress is working on a $52 billion funding bill that would provide billions in grants to chipmakers from around the world to build new factories, also known as "fabs."

That legislation requires states to provide a portion of the incentives, and so the Hochul administration put together the Green CHIPS bill as a way to signal how serious the state is in trying to land one or more new chip fabs.

GlobalFoundries has already promised to build a second factory at its Saratoga County campus, where it employs 3,000 people, and the state is actively trying to entice companies to build at sites located in western New York, outside Syracuse and outside Utica, where Wolfspeed just opened its new $1 billion fab that makes power electronics chips used by the auto industry.

New York gave Wolfspeed a $500 million grant and offered about $1 million in state tax credits.

Syracuse-area Assemblyman Al Stirpe was the sponsor of the bill in the Assembly. Stirpe's district includes the White Pine Commerce Park that Intel and others reportedly looked at, although Intel has since decided to build in Ohio.

The Investigative Post in Buffalo obtained documents that show that Hochul's economic development agency, Empire State Development, put together a stunning, $1.89 billion incentive package that was offered to Samsung to build a massive fab in Genesee County. The offer included $400 million in Excelsior state tax credits.

Samsung chose a site in Texas instead. GlobalFoundries was given about $1.5 billion about 10 years ago to build its Saratoga County fab, which the company has spent $15 billion on so far.

The Green CHIPS bill would provide tax credit packages to chipmakers that are planning to spend at least $3 billion on a new factory that would employ at least 500 workers initially. That's a nice-sized fab.

To be eligible for the Green CHIPS tax credits, companies would have to be either making chips using a "green" process that cuts down on carbon emissions during the manufacturing process or chips that are used in products like electric cars that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is unclear if all chip fab projects would qualify or if New York state is trying to create a niche for itself.

Criticism from good government groups and fiscal conservatives was heavy on Friday as the Legislature wrapped up its work, with either or both groups lambasting the credits speedy path to passage and what they described as its excessive generosity to the tech manufacturers.

Samsung is a major player in green chip technology, although one of the driving forces in developing next-generation chips is to reduce power consumption by several factors as the dimensions of transistors on chips continue to shrink.

New York state is also looking to become a leader in climate change mitigation and technologies, so the Green CHIPS concept is aligned with that. And because greenhouse gas emissions targets are going to be so much more strict in New York than in other states, New York likely has to offer companies more incentives than states such as Texas that have fewer environmental regulations.

The state's Excelsior tax credit program offers a higher rate of tax credits for "green" projects already, and the Green CHIPS program would ensure that massive tax credit packages could be assembled for chip companies in the coming decades.
ALBANY  New York lawmakers just passed a law that raises to 21 the required minimum age to buy a semiautomatic weapon, including the popular but infamous AR-15. President Joe Biden is proposing to do the same nationally.

That idea isn't new. Other states, including libertarian-leaning Florida, have enacted similar measures, and while courts have at times declared such laws unconstitutional, they nevertheless seem like a measured response to our plague of mass shootings, including the massacres in Buffalo and Uvalde.

In both New York, with its supposedly strict gun laws, and Texas, where restrictions are notably lax, the killers legally purchased AR-15s at the tender age of 18. Maybe, just maybe, making the teenagers wait would have saved lives. We'll never know.

Of course, you have to be 21 to drink alcohol in this country, and in more and more locations, including New York, you must be 21 to purchase cigarettes. Constitutional concerns aside, if you're considered too young to buy smokes, it's only logical that you're also too young to have your own AR-15.

But it's worth acknowledging that we're very confused about when adulthood arrives. I mean, we let 18-year-olds make all sorts of life-changing decisions in this country. They can burden their future with student loans, for example, take out a mortgage, or get a really hideous tattoo.

An 18-year-old can also sign up for the military and be sent off to fight in a war.

That last one seems particularly relevant to the New York law since soldiers, of course, are tasked with carrying weapons and are ordered to use them. But if we've decided an 18-year-old can't be trusted with a semiautomatic weapon or even a beer in our neighborhoods, why should that same 18-year-old be tasked with carrying one in amid the chaos of a war zone?

Biden addressed the question in his speech Thursday evening, dismissing the apparent contradiction by noting that members of the military are taught and supervised by "the best-trained experts in the world."

That's beside the point. I don't hear many people arguing that 18-year-olds shouldn't own so-called assault weapons because they aren't taught properly. Better training would only have made the Uvalde killer, who bought himself a pair of assault rifles for his 18th birthday, more effective at slaughtering children and teachers.

No, we increasingly believe that 18-year-olds shouldn't own assault weapons because we increasingly believe, with good reason and scientific evidence, that 18-year-olds don't have the maturity and the development to properly control their emotions and to fully understand the consequences of their actions. Their brains, in other words, are different than those of adults.

But if an 18-year-old can't fully comprehend the consequences of what it means to kill, he or she shouldn't be asked or required to fight in a war. And if an 18-year-old doesn't have the emotional control of an adult, he or she shouldn't be waging battle under the most stressful conditions imaginable.

*****

I wrote about gun control, the Second Amendment and the wisdom of limiting large-capacity magazines (as Biden has also proposed) in my most recent newsletter, prompting the following response from Larry, a reader in Colonie.

"An AR-15 is a military weapon, yet we are allowed to purchase one  They should be outlawed. Many of our senators receive money from the NRA and herein lies the problem."

With all due respect, Larry, I think that you're wrong about why Republican senators (and a few Democrats) vote against gun control. It isn't the National Rifle Association and its relatively paltry campaign contributions that are the reason. It's public opinion.

Most of those senators represent states where voters are against banning assault weapons. Even in national polling, support for broad gun control isn't as strong as many Democrats want to believe.

In Gallup polling from the fall, for example, just 52 percent of respondents said gun laws should be made more strict and only 19 percent approved of bans on the possession of handguns, which, of course, are used in the vast majority of shootings.

While support for gun control will likely rise after Uvalde, at least temporarily, those poll numbers help to explain why all the finger-pointing that happens after mass shootings is so pointless. Very little of the rhetoric from the politicians and pundits in favor of gun control is about finding common ground and convincing skeptics that new laws would work.

Instead, much of what's said is about scoring points and casting blame. That's no way to win an argument.

As John from Troy wrote in an email, the language also puts "legal gun owners on the defensive, making it very hard to enact what might otherwise be seen as a reasonable compromise."

Around and around we go, getting nowhere.
ALBANY - On Tuesday, Sister Betsy Van Deusen, CSJ, coordinated her 244th Catholic Charities drive-through food pantry  and her last one before she becomes Catholic Charities CEO in July.

Once again, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany will partner with the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, Capital District Physicians' Health Plan (CDPHP) and the Capital District Area Labor Federation for a mass food distribution at 230 Green St. in Albany.

Sister Betsy, who for the last nine years has served as Catholic Charities director of community partnerships, in July will succeed Vincent W. Colonno, who is retiring after 11 years as chief executive officer. Barb Willis, who previously served as payroll and human resources manager at Catholic Charities, will oversee future food distributions as manager of CC MOVE, a mobile outreach initiative.

In response to the pandemic, Sister Betsy spearheaded the expansion of CC MOVE throughout the region, including the exponential growth of food distributions throughout the 14-county Albany diocese  all done in partnership with such organizations as Centro Civico in Amsterdam, Metropolitan Baptist Church and Macedonia Baptist Church in Albany, CDPHP, Lansingburgh Boys and Girls Club, and Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church in Fort Plain.

Prior to the pandemic, the organizations coordinated one distribution a month, serving around 300 households at each. As COVID-19 disrupted daily life, more and more people came out for food. One event a month became four, then five, then eight. Before long Catholic Charities, with food provided by the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, was regularly distributing food to more than 600 families at each event. All told, more than 4.4 million pounds of food have been distributed to more than 425,000 people throughout the diocese.

Even with the discontinuance of pandemic-related shutdowns, need has remained unrelenting.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

These distributions are a part of CC MOVE, and provide supplemental and emergency food in areas with limited access to services.

CC MOVEs outreach program is also a catalyst for case management as it helps connect people to additional programs and services. CC MOVE guests can even speak with on-site case managers to receive further support as needed.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the already persistent problem of food insecurity in our region. Under Sister Betsys leadership, CC MOVE has become a lifeline for people across our Diocese, Colonno said. Today, our neighbors continue to struggle to put food on the table and at Catholic Charities, we remain steadfast in our commitment to help. The efforts of our volunteers, partners and Sister Betsy have been tremendous and it is thanks to them that we're able to get folks the support they need.



CC MOVE affords us the privilege of meeting people where theyre at and walking with them to conquer challenges and find successes. Through CC MOVE, were not only handing out food. Were able to connect our neighbors to resources such as pantry services or case management, Sister Betsy said.



A native of Cobleskill and a graduate of the College of Saint Rose, Sister Betsy entered the religious community of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Carondelet in 1988. She began her human services career in 1985 at Unity House in Troy, then a program of Catholic Charities, where she administered a 24-hour emergency shelter for domestic violence victims and focused on crisis intervention and management. Since 2013, Sister Betsy has served as Catholic Charities Director of Community Partnerships.



Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany is one of the largest, private social services organizations in the region. It serves 14 counties around the Capital Region across some 10,000 square miles. Last year, about 100,000 people turned to the regional Catholic Charities for assistance.
HERNANDO, Miss. (AP)  A flyer on behalf of the Ku Klux Klan was reportedly left on the steps of a mostly Black church in rural Mississippi.

According to a community member's Facebook post, the flyer is in support of The Old Glory Knights of the Ku Klux Klan" and states that the group is alive and growing in 14 states, including Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama and South Carolina. It was found May 29 on the steps of Union Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Hernando in DeSoto County, the post said.

The Old Glory Knights are a Klan chapter that appeared sometime last year, Lydia Bates, a senior research analyst with the Southern Poverty Law Center told The Commercial Appeal. They have distributed flyers in the past, but flyer campaigns, Bates said, do not always mean the group is active.

Flyering is such a low cost, low stakes way to get their messaging out there to intimidate people, to attempt to recruit people, Bates said. Them saying that they are growing in 14 states is pretty unbelievable. The Klan has been declining a lot in the last five to ten years. They are really losing a lot of members, not attracting new recruits. That is really just self aggrandizing.

Flyering efforts by the KKK have dropped recently, going from more than 40 incidents in 2020 to fewer than 30 in 2021.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

Still, Bates said, the flyers can be scary for communities. A big goal of the flyers is to intimidate and make people think the Klan is bigger and stronger than it is in reality, she said.

A hate group built on a 150-plus year history of violence, you cant dismiss it as just them trying to seem bigger than they are, because there is violence in their words inherently," she said.

Bates recommends that communities who have experienced flyering incidents focus on the community and report to groups like hers or the NAACP.

In terms of community response, I recommend not necessarily directly challenging the group or the rhetoric in the flyer, but instead refocusing around the strengths of the community, around the diversity of the community, Bates said. And encouraging people to donate to local, grassroot organizations who are doing work to challenge and confront and build resilience against racism in their communities.
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LOS ANGELES (AP)  Police on Saturday identified the man who allegedly stabbed a doctor and two nurses inside a Southern California hospital emergency ward and remained inside a room for hours before police arrested him.

Ashkan Amirsoleymani, 35, has been booked on three counts of attempted murder related to Friday's attack, the Los Angeles Police Department said on Twitter.

He is being held on $3 million bail. It was not immediately clear on Saturday whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf and the district attorney's office did not respond to an email asking whether charges have been filed.

Police have not yet disclosed Amirsoleymani's motive and Los Angeles Police Officer Rosario Cervantes said no other information was available Saturday.

Amirsoleymani walked into Encino Hospital Medical Center in the San Fernando Valley shortly before 4 p.m. Friday, police said.

He had parked his car in the middle of a street and went to the emergency room, where he asked for treatment for anxiety before stabbing the doctor and nurses, authorities said.

Fire officials said three victims were taken to a trauma center in critical condition. Police later said one was in critical condition and underwent surgery.

KNBC-TV reports that Dignity Health Northridge Hospital Medical Center said two of the victims have been treated and released. The third victim remains hospitalized in fair but stable condition, the TV station reported.

The hospital did not immediately respond to requests for comment Saturday.

The first floor of the Encino hospital and some nearby offices were evacuated during the attack, police said.

There was no evidence that the man  later identified as Amirsoleymani  knew the victims, LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said at a news conference Friday.

He remained inside a room in the hospital for about four hours as SWAT team members tried to unsuccessfully to negotiate with him before he was finally arrested, police said.

No one else in the hospital was injured and other patients were able to be treated, according to Elizabeth Nikels, a spokesperson for Prime Healthcare, which runs the Encino hospital.

Amirsoleymani was later taken to another hospital for treatment of self-inflicted injuries to his arms, authorities said.

Hamilton said he had a lengthy criminal record, including two arrests last year for battery of a police officer and resisting arrest.

Parham Saadat, a dental hygienist who works nearby, told the Los Angeles Times that he and his coworker ran across the street to help the victims.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

There was blood all over the floor, blood in the rooms, blood on the gurney the doctor was laying on, Saadat told the newspaper. It was a bloodbath.

Saadat said he later closed a storage rooms door behind the suspect to keep him contained inside and only became afraid when they made eye contact.

He just very calmly turned his face and looked at me through the window, then turned his head back around. No reaction, he said. Thats where it kind of got me.

Benjamin Roman, an ultrasound technician, told KNBC-TV that before the stabbing, he saw the suspect, who had a dog with him and who might have been high on drugs because he looked anxious and was drenched in sweat.

After the hospital issued an internal triage code, Roman said he saw a doctor and a nurse who had been stabbed.

The doctor looked (like) she was in pain, he said. There was a lot of blood and it looked like ... he might have got her abdomen.

Nickels, in an email, said the hospital's staff faced the harrowing situation with "incredible courage, calmness, and dedication."

Their focus throughout remained on the safety of staff and patients, she wrote.

The attack came only two days after a gunman killed four people and then himself at a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The assailant got inside a building on the Saint Francis Hospital campus with little trouble, just hours after buying an AR-style rifle, authorities said.

The man killed his surgeon and three other people at a medical office. He blamed the doctor for his continuing pain after a recent back operation.
GREENWOOD, Miss. (AP)  William Bud McGee, a Mississippi civil rights activist who worked to register Black voters in the 1960s, has died. He was 81.

McGee died of heart failure May 24 at his home in the Delta city of Greenwood, the Greenwood Commonwealth reported. A funeral was scheduled for Saturday.

In the small town of Itta Bena, three historical markers mention McGees efforts as a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which organized young people to use nonviolent protests against segregation.

McGee and SNCC would hold voter registration drives and other civil rights meetings at Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church, led by the Rev. G.W. Hollins.

It was the only church that would allow people to meet, said Shannon Bowden, an instructor of speech and mass communications at Mississippi Valley State University. A lot of people were scared at that time and wouldnt allow people who were fighting for civil rights to meet due to the fear.

She said meetings at Hopewell included voter registration, reading lessons and teaching people about methods others might use to prevent them from voting.

On June 18, 1963, days after the assassination of Mississippi civil rights leader Medgar Evers in Jackson, an attacker used tear gas against the church where Magee and others were holding a SNCC meeting. The attendees walked through Itta Bena to seek help, and Sheriff John Ed Cothran arrested dozens of people, including McGee. Forty-five people were imprisoned for two months on trumped-up charges of disturbance and breach of peace.

According to one of the historical markers, in 1964, McGee and two Freedom Summer volunteers, John Paul and Roy Torkington, were canvassing in Itta Bena. A group of white men confronted them and forced them to leave the area. Undeterred, McGee and the other activists continued their work.

Over the years, McGee held various jobs, including as a DJ at WNLA-AM in Indianola and as a tax preparer in Greenwood.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

I think I love Greenwood more than I love staying in Chicago. You speak to somebody in Chicago, they look at you like youre crazy," he told The Washington Post in 1999 as he and others shared memories of the civil rights era after Mississippi opened files from the Sovereignty Commission, a former state agency that spied on people to try to preserve segregation.

His son, Lou Jones, recalled his fathers efforts as a tax preparer and remembered him helping one person with a legal case and an issue with her disability payments.

He had a calm, soft-spoken demeanor, Jones told the Greenwood Commonwealth after his father died. Ive very rarely seen him express anything other than that."
COLONIE  A Woodlands Apartments resident manipulating a legally owned AR-15 rifle unintentionally fired it Thursday morning, with a bullet traveling through a neighbor's apartment, Colonie police said.

Police said they responded to a call from the apartment complex at 5:30 a.m., the tenant complaining of damage after a bullet passed through the apartment and exited the building. The caller was not injured, and was only aware of the incident because of damage to the apartment walls, police said.

Police said they determined the bullet had been fired from the Windham AR-15 at about 1 a.m. by a neighbor who did not intentionally fire it, and did not notify the police or neighbors it had occurred. While investigating, police said they discovered the neighbor also had an ArmaLite AR-10 rifle, which had characteristics making it illegal to possess in New York.

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 51-year-old Latham man was charged with felony criminal weapon possession and misdemeanor reckless endangerment, arraigned and released to the supervision of Albany County Probation.

Police said their investigation is active and ask if anyone has information relevant to the investigation to call them at 518-783-2754. Anonymous tips can be called in to Capital Region Crimestoppers at 1-833-ALB-TIPS, or go to capitalregioncrimestoppers.com.
ALBANY  New York lawmakers have passed a milestone environmental measure designed to tap the brakes on the spread of cryptocurrency mining operations that burn fossil fuels.

Both supporters and opponents say that the closely watched bill, approved early Friday by the state Senate, is the first of its kind in the U.S.

If it becomes law, it would establish a two-year moratorium on new and renewed air permits for fossil fuel power plants used for energy-intensive "proof-of-work" cryptocurrency mining  a term for the computational process that records and secures transactions in bitcoin and similar forms of digital money. Proof-of-work is the blockchain-based algorithm used by bitcoin and some other cryptocurrencies.

Environmentalists are urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the legislation. They say the state is undermining its long-term climate goals by letting cryptomining operations run their own natural gas-burning power plants.

"We cannot be re-powering fossil fuel power plants for the purposes of private gain in New York, especially as we're looking to move away from fossil fuels entirely," said Liz Moran of Earthjustice.

Dozens of fossil fuel plants in New York could potentially be converted into mining operations, she said.

Cryptocurrency advocates complained that the measure singled out the industry without addressing other fossil fuel use. They argue that the legislation would crimp economic development in New York while other states court the burgeoning field.

"The message from the bill and the embrace of that kind of policy is not a good one for an industry that really can go anywhere," said John Olsen of The Blockchain Association, an industry group.

"We're very hopeful that the governor realizes that the long-term benefits of embracing this industry and this technology far outweigh a potential pause on prospective future emissions," he added.

Hochul, a Democrat, has said she want to make sure any legislation balances economic and environmental concerns

Cryptocurrency mining requires specialized computers that consume huge amounts of energy. One study calculated that as of November 2018, bitcoin's annual electricity consumption was comparable to Hong Kong's in 2019, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Some miners are looking for ways to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels to produce the necessary electricity.

A coalition of environmental groups has separately been urging the Hochul administration to deny the air permit renewal for Greenidge Generation in the Finger Lakes, which also produces power for the state's electricity grid. A decision could come at the end of the month.

The moratorium measure, if signed into law, would not affect pending applications, such as the one from Greenidge.

The measure also would require the state Department of Environmental Conservation to perform an environmental impact assessment on how cryptomining affects the state's ability to meet its climate goals.

The bill passed the Assembly, the Legislature's lower chamber, in April.

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

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COLONIE  The New Jersey man accused of driving drunk and speeding in a collision that killed a University at Albany student on the Northway last week now faces manslaughter and aggravated vehicular homicide charges, State Police said Friday.

Vasu Laroiya, who had two prior drunken driving convictions, was arraigned Friday in Colonie Town Court on those new offenses before being sent back to the Albany County jail without bail, according to State Police. Laroiya was earlier charged with felony driving while intoxicated, aggravated vehicular assault, and second-degree assault.

Meantime, mourners gathered Friday in Ballston Spa to bid farewell Friday to the crash victim, Katryn Fisher.

The 22-year-old, who recently moved to Watervliet, will be laid to rest Saturday morning, according to her obituary.

Family members and her girlfriend told the Times Union earlier this week that Fisher was a kind-hearted, adventurous, fun-loving soul, with an infectious laugh. She was unapologetically herself. Her blossoming relationship with her girlfriend, Rachel Batizfalvi, further brought her special personality to life, family said.

She said Fisher was in school at UAlbany to be a teacher and the two planned on getting married someday.

Relatives say she adored her pet cat, Cocoa, that the family had owned since Katryn was 2 years old. The feline died a few months ago.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

Shawn Fisher told the Times Union earlier this week that even though his daughter was a cautious driver he still warned her to be mindful and keep an eye out about drunk drivers.

Laroiya's prior convictions were in his home state from 2019 for driving while intoxicated, State Police said. His breath test from Saturday night's crash returned a blood alcohol level of 0.12 percent, according to a State Police spokeswoman. In New York, it is illegal to operate a vehicle with a BAC over 0.08.

Police said the impact from collision between Laroiya's Tesla and Fishers Honda Civic sent her car careening into a guide rail where it caught fire. She died hours later at Albany Medical Center Hospital Sunday.
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UVALDE, Texas (AP)  The state agency investigating the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde has determined that the commander facing criticism for the slow police response was not carrying a radio as the massacre unfolded, a Texas state senator said Friday.

Sen. Roland Gutierrez told The Associated Press in a brief telephone interview that a Texas Department of Public Safety official told him school district police Chief Pete Arredondo was without a radio during the May 24 attack by a lone gunman at Robb Elementary School that left 19 students and two teachers dead. Seventeen more people were injured.

Authorities have not said how Arredondo was communicating with other law enforcement officials at the scene, including the more than a dozen officers who were at one point waiting outside the classroom where the gunman was holed up. Arredondo heads the districts small department and was in charge of the multi-agency response to the shooting.

He has not responded to multiple interview requests from AP since the attack, including a telephone message left with district police Friday.

The apparently missing radio is the latest detail to underscore concerns about how police handled the shooting and why they didn't confront the gunman faster, even as anguished parents outside the school urged officers to go inside. The Justice Department has said it will review the law enforcement response.

Focus has turned to the chief in recent days after Steven McCraw, the head of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said Arredondo believed the active shooting had turned into a hostage situation, and that he made the wrong decision to not order officers to breach the classroom more quickly to confront the gunman.

Gutierrez, who represents Uvalde, complained Thursday that Arredondo was not informed of panicked 911 calls coming from students trapped inside a classroom where the gunman had holed up. The Democrat called it a system failure.

Police radios are a crucial source of real-time communication during an emergency and, according to experts, often how information from 911 calls is relayed to officers on the ground. Its unclear who at the scene was aware of the calls. Uvalde police did not respond to questions about the calls Thursday.

The news emerged amid tensions between state and local authorities over how police handled the shooting and communicated what happened to the public.

The gunman in Uvalde, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, spent roughly 80 minutes inside the school, and more than an hour passed from when the first officers followed him into the building and when he was killed by law enforcement, according to an official timeline.

Ramos slipped through an unlocked door into adjoining fourth-grade classrooms at 11:33, authorities said. He rapidly fired off more than 100 rounds.

Officers entered minutes later, exchanging fire with Ramos, and by 12:03 there were as many as 19 officers in the hallway outside the classroom, McCraw said. Authorities have not said where Arredondo was during this period.

Officers from other agencies urged the school police chief to let them move in because children were in danger, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they had not been authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.

A U.S. Border Patrol tactical team used a school employees key to unlock the classroom door and kill the gunman around 12:50 p.m., McCraw said.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

Law enforcement and state officials have struggled to present an accurate timeline and details of the shooting and how police responded, sometimes providing conflicting information or withdrawing statements hours later. State police have said some accounts were preliminary and may change as more witnesses are interviewed.

Gutierrez said Friday that a Texas Department of Public Safety official told him that the Uvalde-area district attorney, Christina Mitchell Busbee, a Republican, had directed the agency to not release more information about the shooting investigation to the senator or the public.

The Department of Public Safety on Friday referred all questions about the shooting investigation to Busbee, who has not returned telephone and text messages seeking comment.

Gutierrez said Thursday that many people should shoulder some blame in the Uvalde shooting, including the Texas governor.

There was error at every level, including the legislative level. Greg Abbott has plenty of blame in all of this, he said.

___

More on the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas: https://apnews.com/hub/uvalde-school-shooting

___

Coronado reported from Austin, Texas. Associated Press writers Jake Bleiberg in Dallas; Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas; and Mike Balsamo in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  Teacher Jessica Salfia was putting up graduation balloons last month at her West Virginia high school when two of them popped, setting off panic in a crowded hallway between classes.

One student dropped to the floor. Two others lunged into open classrooms. Salfia quickly shouted, Its balloons! Balloons! and apologized as the teenagers realized the noise didnt come from gunshots.

The moment of terror at Spring Mills High School in Martinsburg, about 80 miles (124 kilometers) northwest of Washington happened May 23, the day before a gunman fatally shot 19 children and two teachers in a classroom in Uvalde, Texas. The reaction reflects the fear that pervades the nation's schools and taxes its teachers  even those who have never experienced such violence  and it comes on top of the strain imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Salfia has a more direct connection to gun threats than most. Her mother, also a West Virginia teacher, found herself staring down a student with a gun in her classroom seven years ago. After talking to him for some two hours, she was hailed for her role in helping bring the incident to a peaceful end.

For any teacher standing in front of a classroom in 21st century America, the job seems to ask the impossible. Already expected to be guidance counselors, social workers, surrogate parents and more to their students, teachers are sometimes called on to be protectors, too.

___

The U.S. public school landscape has changed markedly since the Columbine school shooting in Colorado in 1999, and Salfia said teachers think about the risks every day.

What would happen if we go into a lockdown? What would happen if I hear gunshots? she said. "What would happen if one of my students came to school armed that day? This is a constant thread of thought.

George Theoharis was a teacher and principal for a decade and has spent the past 18 years training teachers and school administrators at Syracuse University. He said teachers are stretched more now than ever  even more than last year, "when the pandemic was newer.

Were sort of left in this moment where we do expect teachers and schools to solve all our problems and do it quickly, he said.

Schools nationwide have been dealing with widespread episodes of misbehavior since the return to in-person learning, which has been accompanied by soaring student mental health needs. In growing numbers, teens have been turning to gun violence to resolve spur-of-the-moment conflicts, researchers say.

In Nashville, Tennessee, three Inglewood Elementary School staffers sprang into action last month to restrain a man who had hopped a fence. After children on the playground were directed inside, the man followed them, but he was tackled by kindergarten teacher Rachel Davis.

At one point, secretary Katrina Nikki Thomas held him in a headlock. They and school bookkeeper Shay Patton cornered the man, who didnt have a gun, inside the school until authorities arrived. All three employees were hurt.

For me, it was just like, these kids are innocent," Patton said. I just knew that they couldnt protect themselves, so it was on us to do it. And I didnt think twice.

The three employees watched in horror less than two weeks later as news of the Uvalde shooting unfolded.

In my head, immediately I thought, That could have been me and my kids,' Davis said. That could have been us out there on that playground with this ... guy if he had had a gun on him."

Adding to frustration for some educators was the scapegoating of a teacher initially blamed for propping open the door a gunman used to enter the Uvalde, Texas elementary school. Days later, officials said the teacher had closed the door, but it didn't lock.

Kindergarten teacher Ana Hernandez said Texas educators are anxious after a rough patch that has lasted years and shows no sign of ending. She and a group of colleagues from Dilley drove an hour to Uvalde to do all they could, delivering donated stuffed animals and cases of water. She said more is needed.

Changes have to be done for us to feel secure in a classroom as a teacher (and) for students also to feel secure and safe in a classroom, she said.

___

Tish Jennings, a University of Virginia education professor specializing in teacher stress and social-emotional learning, said teacher stress becomes contagious.

It interferes with their ability to function, and it also interferes with students ability to learn, Jennings said. So when things like this happen, the school shootings, it shuts everybody down. Its very hard to learn when youre afraid for your life.

Salfia says the load teachers carry is daunting.

"Youre a first responder. Youre a first reporter. If theres an issue in the home, you are sometimes the only chance a kid has at love, at getting food that day, at maybe getting a warm and safe place to be that day. The scope of the job is huge right now.

The pandemic added the challenge of remote learning, classroom sanitizing and finding enough substitute teachers to keep schools running.

There's also a sense that tragedies continue to happen, and politicians rarely do anything about it.

It is so hard to know that, at any moment, that reality could also be your reality, or the reality of your children," said Salfia, a mother of three students. My youngest is the same age as the kids who were killed in Texas. It sharpens everything, I think, especially when you're in a classroom.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

In August 2015, the new school year had barely started for Salfia's mother, teacher Twila Smith, when a freshman entered Smith's world studies class at Philip Barbour High School and drew a gun he had taken from his home.

For about 45 minutes, Smith said, no one outside the room knew the class was being held hostage. She diverted his attention from other students and tried to keep him talking while she walked around the room with him.

Eventually, police persuaded the boy to let everyone go. After at least another hour and a half, his pastor helped convince the boy to surrender. A few months later, he was sentenced to a juvenile facility until he turns 21.

Smith, who has a background in dealing with students with behavior problems, was among those hailed as heroes, a label she deflected.

I think my training just came into play, Smith said. And then I had 29 freshmen sitting there looking at me, and I would have to say that they were the heroes. Because they did everything I told them to do, and they did everything he told them to do. And they stayed fairly calm."

Smith saw those freshmen through to graduation in 2019. Then she retired.

Back at Spring Mills High, one of Salfias former students now works in her department as a first-year English teacher. When asked what she tells others hoping to go into her field, Salfia repeated the ex-pupils description of what todays teachers go through: None of us are built for this." But their commitment to the profession is such that they are only built for it, and could scarcely consider any other career.

This is the only job I can imagine doing, Salfia said. But it is also the hardest job I can imagine doing.

After the balloons popped, kids were visibly rattled, she recalled. Some people were a little bit angry at me, I think, in reaction to that fear that everyone had experienced momentarily."

She knows that's the world she and her students live in now.

We are all, at any moment, prepared to run from that sound."

___

Associated Press writer Jonathan Mattise in Nashville, Tennessee, and Jay Reeves in Uvalde, Texas, contributed to this report.

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The Associated Press education team receives support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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More on the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas: https://apnews.com/hub/uvalde-school-shooting
WFO MIDLAND/ODESSA Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, June 3, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Midland has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Southeastern Eddy County in southeastern New Mexico...

Northeastern Culberson County in southwestern Texas...

* Until 815 PM CDT/715 PM MDT/.

* At 726 PM CDT/626 PM MDT/, a severe thunderstorm was located 10

miles south of Whites City, or 26 miles south of Carlsbad, moving

east at 10 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Loving, Malaga, Whites City, Carlsbad Caverns National Park and

Cavern City Air Terminal.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

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 800 PM CDT

FOR WESTERN GOLIAD AND NORTH CENTRAL BEE COUNTIES...

At 727 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located just north of

Berclair, or 16 miles northeast of Beeville, 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.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

Locations impacted include...

Pettus, Charco and Berclair.

This includes the following highways...

US Highway 181 near mile marker 576.

US Highway 183 between mile markers 644 and 648.

US Highway 59 between mile markers 668 and 686.

Southwestern Reeves County in southwestern Texas...

North central Jeff Davis County in southwestern Texas...

East central Culberson County in southwestern Texas...

* Until 815 PM CDT.

* At 729 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 15 miles southwest

of Toyah, moving southeast at 20 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

Balmorhea and Saragosa.

Interstate 10 between mile markers 179 and 210.

Interstate 20 between mile markers 0 and 18.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
Mike Durant, the Black Hawk Down pilot who finished third in Alabamas Republican Senate primary, said he will not make an endorsement in the upcoming runoff
 

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New York's Democratic-controlled Legislature closed its session by passing bills that tighten the state's gun laws, strengthen its abortion protections and bolster its voting rights to expand access to the polls.

It was all part of a flurry of activity to close a six-month legislative session that also saw a first-of-its-kind moratorium on new cryptocurrency mining at fossil fuel plants sent to Gov. Kathy Hochul for her consideration.

And that wasn't the only win for environmentalists. The Legislature also advanced a bill that would facilitate improved energy and water efficiency standards for appliances and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with buildings.

Longtime Albany observers pointed out that the end-of-session rush was less intense than a typical year. Bill Hammond, senior fellow for health policy at the Empire Center for Public Policy, noted that of the 860 bills passed so far this year, 35% received final approval over the last week. That figure was 52% last year, by comparison, he added.

NY raises age to buy AR-15s to 21, limits sales of body armor, requires microstamping Legislation passed and expected to be signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul by the end of this week will raise the age to buy a semi-automatic rifle in New York to 21 and require a firearms license to do so.

For instance, a bill that designates John R. Oishei Children's Hospital as a safety net provider, which helps protect the Buffalo facility from Medicaid cuts and opens the door to additional funding opportunities, flew under the radar and was passed weeks ago by the Legislature.

Still, some measures appear to have been left out, including legislation that would have made it harder for landlords to evict tenants.

Here's a round up of how this legislative session wrapped up:

Abortion rights

With a Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade looming, the Legislature passed a package that strengthens the state's abortion protections.

That includes legislation that would protect abortion service providers from professional misconduct charges solely for performing, recommending or providing reproductive health services to patients residing in states where such services are illegal.

Another bill that passed would provide judicial protections to abortion providers, such as prohibiting law enforcement from cooperating with or providing information to any out-of-state agency related to legal abortions in New York. Courts and county clerks also would be prohibited from issuing subpoenas for such out-of-state proceedings.

Intense local reaction to looming Supreme Court abortion decision News that the Supreme Court is poised to overturn its landmark 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion in this country is sparking a strong response locally and nationally.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Democrat, said in a statement that the legislation will protect providers in New York from other states "looking to impose their policies on New Yorkers and punish providers beyond their borders."

Some states with Republican-controlled legislatures have restricted abortion recently. For example, Oklahoma's Republican governor in late May signed what is considered the nation's strictest abortion ban.

Hochul, who less than a month ago announced a $35 million investment to support New York abortion providers, said she intends to sign the bills into law.

"Make no mistake: For as long as I am governor, New York will be a safe harbor for all those who need abortion care," Hochul said in a statement.

Major voting rights act

The Legislature also passed a bill meant to bolster access to the polls, just months after the U.S. Senate failed to pass voting rights legislation.

The state legislation would create a pre-clearance program that would mandate localities with a demonstrated history of discrimination against voters to "preclear" all voting and election law changes through the Attorney General's Civil Rights Bureau or a state Supreme Court.

The legislation, officially the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York, also would prohibit any laws, policies or practices that would result in voter suppression or vote dilution of members of a particular race, color or language-minority group.

"While states across the country have worked overtime to restrict voting rights, the New York VRA will strengthen protections for all voters, especially those who have historically been disenfranchised," Sen. Zellnor Myrie, the bill's sponsor and chair of the Senate Elections Committee, said in a statement.

The Legal Defense Fund, a longtime national civil rights law organization, called for Hochul to sign the bill into law, noting that the governor expressed support for strengthening voting rights in her State of the State address in January.

Climate change

The Legislature passed a bill that would establish stricter efficiency standards for appliances. It also calls for incorporating greenhouse gas emission reduction standards into building codes to combat climate change.

The Advanced Building Codes, Appliance and Equipment Efficiency Standards Act covers products including TVs, printers and computers. The legislation calls for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to update energy and efficiency standards for seven products already regulated by the state, and to set new standards for 30 other products, including air purifiers and electric vehicle chargers, the Appliance Standards Awareness Project said.

The new standards "will deliver a projected $15 billion of total utility bill savings by 2035 for New York consumers, including an estimated $6 billion in total utility bill savings for low-to moderate-income households," according to a summary of the legislation.

The bill also would allow regulators to set energy codes for new homes and commercial buildings that would exceed national model codes, the group said.

"Better appliances and building codes mean better-performing buildings, which is essential to making them more affordable and better for the environment," said Samantha Wilt, senior policy analyst for the Climate and Clean Energy Program at Natural Resources Defense Council.

Cryptocurrency mining



In recent years, cryptocurrency mining companies have flocked to upstate New York, capitalizing on the states cheap energy for its power-guzzling computers and, in some cases, restarting mothballed industrial plants that burn fossil fuels.

A bill that has now passed the state Legislature is primed to slow that boom, a move cheered by environmentalists, but opposed by cryptocurrency supporters who believe the legislation will stall economic development and the states position in an emerging industry.

Cryptocurrency firms search for WNY sites amid concerns of their economic development worth Cryptocurrency companies already have a footprint in Western New York  which some would like to enlarge.

The bill targets energy-intensive proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining that uses fossil fuel power plants, placing a two-year moratorium on new and renewed air permits for those specific kinds of operations.

It also requires the state Department of Environmental Conservation to complete a comprehensive environmental study that evaluates the impacts of cryptocurrency mining operations that use proof-of-work authentication methods.

With this bills passage, the Legislature has rightly said fossil fuel power plants cant get a second life in New York just for private industry gain, which would fly on the face of the states climate mandates, Liz Moran, New York policy advocate for Earthjustice, said in a statement.

The state is aiming to reduce New Yorks greenhouse gas emissions by 85% by 2050.

Tenants rights

The story was more about inaction on landlord-tenant matters.

Lawmakers did not act on legislation championed by progressives, known as the Good Cause Eviction bill. That would have capped annual rent hikes at 3%, and made it more difficult for landlords to evict market-rate tenants for not paying rent if it increased by more than that, unless they could prove good cause for doing so in court, such as for violating other terms of the lease agreement.

The bill had been strenuously opposed by landlords and developers, who complained that it would allow tenants to get away with not paying rent for months during any legal proceedings, and would prevent wholesale redevelopment of buildings.

The State Legislature also failed to extend a popular tax break in New York City known as 421-a, which provided benefits to developers for building new housing in the city with a proportion of units that qualify as affordable. Both Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams are supporters of the provision, and are expected to try again next year.

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A quick question to so many activists who actively misled the public and offered negligent advocacy based on a false narrative . . .



IS THE LADY SHOT BY POLICE A HERO OR SOMEONE WHO THREATENS THE COMMUNITY?!?

After a brief conversation with a KC insider yesterday, there was a bit of brilliance in this quick OTR quote regarding some of the protesters this week who gathered to cheer and show support for the lady suspect . . .

"What about the person who was carjacked? What about their rights? Does anybody care about charges related to sticking a gun in an innocent person's face? Where is the activism against the criminal part of this story??? Why doesn't anyone write a column, tweet or blog post about that???"



Excellent question.

For now, we'll take a look at the shifting mainstream narrative starting with the latest on the fate of the carjacker lady suspect . . .



"She was booked into jail after being released from the hospital. She is facing three charges, including unlawful use of a weapon."

I guess that's a weekend warning . . . This lady is out on local streets but probably a bit sore after getting blasted by the po-po.

Meanwhile . . .

Again, what we regret about this story is that the lie spread around the world with lightning speed but now stories reporting a more complete version of the facts of the situation aren't meeting with the same irrationally exuberant reactions. In fact, most of the "hot takes" are just right-wing-nuts gloating and very little of it speaks to the critical issue of media literacy, misinformation on both sides of the aisle and the need for improvement in law enforcement fact checks against the social media rumor mill.

And so today we share a bevy of news links attempting offering perspectives on this shameful moment for Kansas City . . . When facts were denied in favor of craven culture war politics by some of the very same people who denounce their political opponents for denying election returns or controversial classroom theories.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Woman shot by Kansas City police bonds out of jail A woman shot by Kansas City, Missouri police last Friday has now bonded out of jail. Leonna Hale, 26, was booked into jail after being released from the hospital. She is facing three charges, including unlawful use of a weapon.Hale was shot by Kansas City police officers on May 27 outside a Family Dollar store near Sixth Street and Prospect Avenue.

Footage dispels idea that Kansas City woman shot by cops was unarmed Dramatic bodycam footage caught the moment a suspected armed carjacker - who was falsely believed to be pregnant and unarmed - wielded a handgun moments before she was shot by Missouri cops. A screenshot released in arrest documents shows Leonna Hale, 26, pointing a handgun as she looks behind her while trying to flee arrest in Kansas City late last Friday, prosecutors said.

Woman Shot by Kansas City Police Was Armed, Body Camera Reveals Amid Activists' Outrage A woman who was shot and wounded last week by police in Kansas City after she was spotted inside a vehicle that matched the description of one involved in an armed carjacking was holding a gun in her right hand, authorities confirmed.

Woman shot by KC officers after allegedly pointing weapon appears in court KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A 26-year-old woman who was shot by Kansas City, Missouri officers a week ago and is facing charges for pointing a firearm at police is now out of the hospital and made her first court appearance. Jackson County prosecutors on Wednesday charged Leonna M.

You decide . .
This firebrand former newsman is still creating quite a stir online . . . But his opponents also raise questions about his residency.



First here's his recent statement on the border hot mess that has worsened no matter which party holds the majority because big biz runs this country, not politicos . . .



"Im sure youve seen some of the images coming from the border - but take my word when I tell you its worse than you think. The Biden Administration has been sitting around doing NOTHING while our Southern Border has been wide open. Last year the White House promised change, but in reality, they did NOTHING."

Meanwhile . . .

Mr. Alford isn't the only politico confronting residency questions in Missouri & Kansas amid shifting maps.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
Canadas Wonderland is thanking Toronto health-care workers for their ongoing efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic with 3,450 tickets to its park with 17 rollercoasters  the third-most coasters in any amusement park in the world.
WardWizard Innovations and Mobility has announced that it has managed to clock a growth of 329% in May'22. The company sold 2,055 units of electric two-wheelers last month when compared to just 479 units sold in the corresponding month a year ago. The company has recently announced several new offerings in the country in the high-speed category. The EV-maker launched new high-speed electric scooters such as Wolf+, Gen Next Nanu+ and fleet management electric scooter Del Go.

The says that it aims to cater to all kinds of electric mobility requirements in India. As the demand for electric mobility witnesses substantial growth across the country, we at WardWizard are also expanding our operations. With our entry into the high-speed scooter segment, we are focusing on this category too," says Yatin Gupte, Chairman & Managing Director, Wardwizard Innovations & Mobility Ltd.

(Also Read: WardWizard lines up 650 cr investment to set up Li-ion plant, related infra)

In May, the company signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Sunkonnect, a Singapore-based renewable energy management consulting firm. With the new partnership, it aims to set up a Li-ion advance cells manufacturing unit at its electric vehicle ancillary cluster in Vadodara. We have streamlined and strategized our production and beginning with the deliveries of our new high-speed scooter models in a phased manner from June22. The production of these models has already begun at our Vadodara factory. With the uptick in demand for our models across all our touch points, the intent is to reduce the waiting period. With positive market sentiment and trust for our electric two-wheelers, we continue to add new customers to our family," added Gupte.

Meanwhile, the company has also recently participated in and showcased the entire range of electric two-wheelers at the Electric Vehicle Exposition 2022 in Bangalore and India Auto Show 3.0 in Mumbai.

First Published Date:
The Agriculture Minister says one reason why some people do not want Local Government reform
A White Mountain Apache Police officer and unnamed suspect were fatally shot Thursday evening.

Adrian Lopez Sr., 35, was identified as the White Mountain Apache Police officer shot and killed Thursday night in the town of Whiteriver on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. He had only been with the department since January, according to the Navajo County Sheriff's Office. Prior to that he served as a federal Bureau of Indian Affairs police officer from March 2021 through December.

Theres no possible way to try to outline the chaotic event that this was, Chief Deputy Brian Swanty said at a news conference.

An altercation broke out after Lopez stopped a car driven by Kevin Dwight Nashio, 25, on East Fork Road near the downtown area, authorities said. Nashio, a resident of Whiteriver known to local police, shot Lopez, Swanty said.

Nashio then took the officers police vehicle and fled with White Mountain Apache Police officers in pursuit. Officers chased the suspect through rugged and remote areas of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation to the Hawley Lake area, over 40 miles away from Whiteriver. There, the officers and suspect engaged in a gun battle. Another officer was shot and wounded and the suspect was killed in the battle. The wounded officer was transported via helicopter to a hospital in the Phoenix area.

Personnel from multiple agencies assisted in the incident, including law enforcement officers from the White Mountain Apache Police Department, White Mountain Apache Game Rangers, San Carlos Apache Game Rangers, Pinetop-Lakeside Police Department, Navajo County Sheriffs Office, Apache County Sheriffs Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

The investigation will be led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Any further information relating to the investigation should be routed to the FBI Public Information Officer in Phoenix at (623) 466-1999, or phoenix-media@fbi.gov.

In a media release, the White Mountain Apache Tribe issued the following statement:

The Tribe is indebted to our Police Department and EMS for their prompt and courageous response, and grateful for the assistance rendered by our neighboring jurisdictions. Our prayers, tonight, are with the families of those officers involved, and with all of our first responders.

Sean Golightly can be reached at sgolightly@azdailysun.com . The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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The invasion forces tried to seize control of the area on the left bank of the Siverskyi Donetsk River and create conditions for their main forces to cross it.

Thats according to the latest war update by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.

The enemy led the offensive in the directions of the settlements of Bakhmut, Soledar and Lysychansk. They are seeing no success, having retreated to previously held positions. They tried to take control of the left bank of the Siverskyi Donets River and create conditions for its crossing by the main forces of the group, the report reads.

No signs of any offensive groups forming were spotted in the Volyn and Polissya directions. Belarus forces started an exercise at the Vyzhlovichi training ground in Brest region. The threat of missile strikes from Belarus remains in place.

In the Siverskyy direction, the enemy took no significant action and no signs of strike groups being formed were seen. In order to locate the positions of Ukrainian troops, enemy UAVs conducted reconnaissance missions in certain areas in Sumy and Chernihiv regions. They also fired a rocket at the settlement of Krasnopillya in Sumy region and mortared Mykhalchyna Sloboda in Chernihiv region.

In the Slobozhansky direction, the enemy is focusing its main efforts on restraining the advance of Ukrainian troops toward the border with Russia. The Russians fired with aircraft, artillery, multiple rocket launchers, mortars, and tanks. They are trying to find weak spots in Ukraines defenses and determine further areas of action. The efforts to maintain logistical support and strengthen the grouping continue.

In the Kharkiv direction, the Russians are in defensive action, while also destroying civilian targets in the city of Kharkiv. Their Mi-8 helicopters launched an air strike at the positions of Ukraines troops near Slatyne and Dementiyivka.

In the Slovyansk direction, the enemy is preparing to resume the offensive, having amassed a grouping of up to 20 battalion tactical groups. In order to improve the tactical situation, they tried to launch an offensive in the directions of Barvinkove and Sviatohirsk, but with no success.

In the Donetsk direction, the enemy focused its main efforts in the area of Siverodonetsk. Under atillery cover, they stormed residential areas in the eastern part of the city with partial success. Active hostilities continue.

In the Lyman direction, the occupiers used jet and barrel artillery in the areas of Shchurove and Brusivka.

The enemy waged no active hostilities in the Avdiyivka, Kurakhiv, Novopavliv, and Zaporizhia areas. Mortar, barrel,and jet artillery shelling was recorded in the areas of Pisky, Mykolaivka, Poltavka, and Pokrovske settlements.

In the South Buh direction, the enemy is defending, in some areas trying to regain lost ground. Their artillery was active, as well as air reconnaissance.

The situation in the Bessarabian direction has not changed significantly.

The main efforts of enemy naval groups in the Black Sea and Azov Maritime Zones focused on isolating hostility zones and blocking civilian shipping in the northwestern part of the Black Sea.

Forcible mobilization of civilians continues in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region. Threatening criminal charges, the command of the occupying forces is trying to enroll as many conscripts as possible to make up for the losses their units have suffered on the battlefield.

According to available information, Russian commanders are working to intensify reconnaissance and sabotage efforts in Ukraine. To this end, they recruit and train mercenaries set to form sabotage and reconnaissance groups. Preferable candidates for the job are former and present residents of Donetsk and Luhansk regions who are fluent in Ukrainian.
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has caused food, energy, and finance global crises.

The conflict has already taken thousands of lives, caused untold destruction, displaced millions of people, resulted in unacceptable violations of human rights and is inflaming a three-dimensional global crisis  food, energy and finance  that is pummeling the most vulnerable people, countries and economies, reads the statement by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the 100th day of the war in Ukraine.

According to Guterres, the United Nations has been providing support to the people of Ukraine in dealing with the humanitarian impact of the conflict from the first days of the war.

The UN Secretary-General renewed his call for an immediate halt to violence, for unfettered humanitarian access to all those in need, for safe evacuation of civilians trapped in areas of fighting and for urgent protection of civilians and respect for human rights in accordance with international norms.

Resolving this conflict, he noted, will require negotiations and dialogue. The sooner the parties engage in good-faith diplomatic efforts to end this war, the better for the sake of Ukraine, Russia and the world. The United Nations stands ready to support all such efforts, Guterres stressed.

On February 24, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced the beginning of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops shell and destroy key infrastructure facilities, massively fire on residential areas of Ukrainian cities, towns, and villages using artillery, MLRS, and ballistic missiles.

The invaders unleashed mass terror in the temporarily occupied territories.

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The Ukrainian military was preparing for the worst-case scenario but hoped that Russia would launch an offensive only from the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

We thought and hoped that the enemy would start its active hostilities from the occupied territory of Luhansk and Donetsk regions, disguised as units of illegal armed formations of DPR/LPR, mostly by the forces of seconded, volunteers, mercenaries and partially regular troops, perhaps with the support of long-range multiple rocket launchers and aircraft, Commander of Operational and Tactical Group "North", Brigadier General, Hero of Ukraine Dmytro Krasylnykov said, Ukrinform reports with reference to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

According to him, the military believed that the enemy would not resort to large-scale aggression on all fronts.

"We hoped for the best, but we were preparing for the worst," he said.

Krasylnykov also noted that the transition to active hostilities was not unexpected for the Operational and Tactical Group "North"; the military was ready, the units were in combat positions, the artillery was in the waiting areas. He noted that the Ukrainian defenders managed to inflict serious losses on the enemy during the fighting.

On February 24, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced the beginning of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops shell and destroy key infrastructure facilities, massively fire on residential areas of Ukrainian cities, towns, and villages using artillery, MLRS, and ballistic missiles.

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Russian aircraft aviation has struck the border localities of Sumy region, northern Ukraine, for the third time today.

"This afternoon, an enemy aircraft launched six missiles on the Ukrainian border area from the side of the Russian village of Mykolayivka. The missiles exploded on the outskirts of a locality in Shostka district of Sumy region," the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reports.

As noted, this is the third strike with the use of aircraft today.

"Three hours earlier, a Russian drone dropped two explosive devices on Velyka Pysarivka district of Sumy region. And at about 04:00, enemy aircraft launched six missiles which exploded on the outskirts of the border localities of Sumy region," the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine informs.

Moreover, the Ukrainian border was shelled by mortars from Russias side three times today. In one case, the invaders launched eight shells on the territory of Shostka district of Sumy region. In two more cases, the enemy launched 19 shells on the territory of the Novhorod-Siversky district of Chernihiv region.

Photo credit: State Border Guard Service of Ukraine

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is convinced that every church burnt down by the Russian military, every school blown up and every monument destroyed prove that Russia has no place in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram after Russias artillery strike on the Holy Mountains Lavra of the Holy Dormition (Sviatohirsk Lavra) in Donetsk Region, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

We expect a logical and fair response from the UN and UNESCO. It is the United Nations, and its Charter does not provide for association with terrorists. Russias isolation must be complete, and it must be held accountable for its crimes, Zelensky wrote.

Earlier this week, Russian troops already attacked Sviatohirsk Lavra. On June 1, 2022, Russian projectiles hit the cells of monks. Four people were killed and four seriously injured. The town of Sviatohirsk has been under enemy fire since May 2022.

The occupiers know exactly what object they are shelling. They know that there are no military targets within the territory of Sviatohirsk Lavra. They know that about 300 civilians, namely 60 children, are hiding from hostilities there. But, nevertheless, the Russian army is shelling Sviatohirsk Lavra, same as the entire Donbas. Same as any other area or any other object of Ukraine, which are reachable to them. They do not care what to turn into ruins, the President of Ukraine stressed.

According to Zelensky, on May 31, 2022, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine appealed to UNESCO to deprive Russia of membership in the organization. Ukrainian diplomats are consistently working on this.

No country, except Russia, has destroyed so many monuments, cultural and social objects in Europe since World War II. Every church burnt down in Ukraine, every school blown up, every monument destroyed prove that Russia has no place in UNESCO. What can we talk about with a barbarian state, a terrorist state? About what artillery shells are better to destroy the historical heritage? Zelensky noted.

A reminder that, on June 4, 2022, the Russian military again launched an artillery strike on Sviatohirsk Lavra in Donetsk Region. The All Saints Monastery of Sviatohirsk Lavra was destroyed in fire.

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

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In Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk Region, fighting continues to establish full control over the city.

The relevant statement was made by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Russian invaders continue to launch missile and air strikes on military and civil infrastructure facilities within the territory of Ukraine, the report states.

In the Siverskyi direction, Russian troops did not take active action. No signs of creating strike groups were revealed. The enemy launched artillery strikes near Sumy Regions Starikove and Katerynivka and Chernihiv Regions Kamianska Sloboda.

In the Slobozhanskyi direction, Russian invaders are concentrating reserves to attempt further offensive operations in the direction of Izium, Barvinkove and Sloviansk.

In the Kharkiv direction, Russian troops are trying to maintain the captured frontiers and prevent Ukrainian forces from advancing. The enemy consistently opens fire on Ukrainian positions.

In the Donetsk direction, Russian occupiers are trying to restrain Ukrainian defenders, disrupting the logistics support system. Fighting continues to establish full control over the city of Sievierodonetsk.

The enemy launched four Tochka-U missile strikes on such settlements as Bakhmut, Kramatorsk, Kostiantynivka and Lysychansk. In addition, Russian invaders launched air strikes on Sloviansk and Soledar.

In the Lyman direction, Russian troops used artillery systems near Sviatohorsk, Starodubivka and Mykolaivka.

In the Sievierodonetsk direction, the enemy fired at Sievierodonetsk, Lysychansk, Ustynivka and Toshkivka with artillery and multiple launch rocket systems. The Russian military launched air strikes with Ka-52 helicopters near Hirske, Yakovlivka and Myrna Dolyna, as well as with Su-25 aircrafts near Ustynivka.

In the Bakhmut direction, Russian invaders used mortars, artillery and multiple launch rocket systems near Toretsk, New York, Vrubivka and Pokrovske. The enemy launched air strikes with Ka-52 helicopters near Berestove and Klynove.

Near the city of Donetsk, Russian troops fired at such settlements as Mykilske, Krasnohorivka, Vesele and Novoselivka. The enemy launched strikes with Su-25 aircrafts on Novomykhailivka and Marinka. Russian invaders also shelled Kurakhove with multiple launch rocket systems.

In the Novopavlivka and Zaporizhzhia directions, Russian troops used multiple launch rocket systems near Huliaipole, Orikhiv and Zelenyi Hai. The enemy launched an air strike on Kamianske with Su-25 aircrafts.

In the Southern Bug, Volyn and Polissia directions, the situation remained unchanged.

In the northwestern Black Sea, the enemy continues to block civil shipping.

According to the General Staff, Russian troops are suffering losses across all areas of active hostilities.

In order to justify the destruction of civilian objects within the territory of Ukraine, Russian occupiers continue to spread disinformation about the deployment of military units at schools, hospitals and churches. We urge you to trust information from verified sources only and not to spread Russian fake news and disinformation, the General Staff stressed.

A reminder that, between February 24, 2022 and June 4, 2022, Russias total combat losses in Ukraine reached about 31,050 troops.

Photo: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

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Pope Francis has expressed his desire to go to Ukraine but wants to be sure his visit will not do more harm than good.

The relevant statement was made by Pope Francis during his meeting with about 160 school children from across Italy as part of the Childrens Train initiative, an Ukrinform correspondent reports, referring to Vatican News.

A Ukrainian child, who came to Italy as a refugee, asked Pope Francis if he can come to Ukraine and save all the children suffering there now.

I would like to go to Ukraine. But, I have to wait for the right time to do it, because it is not easy to make a decision that could do more harm to the whole world than good, Pope Francis replied.

In his words, the representatives of the Ukrainian government will meet him this week to discuss a possible visit to Ukraine.

Photo: Vatican News

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Newly-appointed U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget A. Brink and Ukraines Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova visited Borodyanka, one of the settlements outside Kyiv that have witnessed heinous atrocities by Russian occupation forces.

The ambassador posted a tweet about the visit, seen by Ukrinform.

Borodyanka has suffered horribly. Bearing witness to atrocities committed in Russias brutal war, including families killed in their own homes, only strengthens my resolve to do everything we can to hold the perpetrators of these awful crimes to account, Ambassador Brink tweeted.

As noted by the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, in addition to direct support to the Prosecutor Generals Office, the United States supports international investigations to ensure accountability for atrocities committed in Ukraine.

Those responsible for war crimes - including direct perpetrators and those who ordered them - must face justice, the embassy stressed.

As reported earlier, referring to a statement by top prosecutor Iryna Venediktova of April 4, the worst situation of civilian victims since Russian invasion was confirmed precisely in Borodianka.
Speaking at a panel of the GLOBSEC-2022 International Security Forum in Bratislava, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that the HIMARS and M270 multiple rocket launchers would help deter Russian aggression.

Thats according to the Ministry of Defense, Ukrinform reports.

Reznikov added that Ukrainian gunners had already started their training for HIMARS and M270 in Europe.

The Minister welcomed the decision made by the United States administration to provide Ukraine with HIMARS MLR systems, noting that the British Defense Secretary, Ben Wallace, announced the supply of M270 systems.

"Recall the words of American astronaut Neil Armstrong, who landed on the moon, that 'this is a small step for man, but a giant leap for all mankind.' So, the decision of the White House on HIMARS and London  on M270 is the first step for Ukraine and a huge leap in the issue of repulsing Russian aggression," said the Minister of Defense.

The minister also praised the implementation of the idea of U.S. and UK defense chiefs on holding a conference on assistance to Ukraine, which took place in London, and later transformed into the Ramstein format.

"The next meeting is expected in June. Such a coordination system will help us ensure continued supplies in the future. For example, new aircraft, missile systems, or cybernetic systems. The demining program in Ukraine is urgent because we have a lot of unexploded ordnance in our land," Reznikov added.

As Ukrinform reported, the M109A3 self-propelled howitzers provided as part of Norway's international technical assistance are already at the forefront, hitting targets with high precision and destroying the enemy.
Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov of Ukraine believes that it is impossible to predict when the war with Russia will end, but his optimistic forecasts suggest this could happen by the end of 2022.

The Minister made the comment, speaking at the GLOBSEC International Security Forum in Bratislava, Ukrinform reports citing the defense ministrys press service.

"Russia continues to make efforts to occupy our entire country. It is currently impossible to predict when the war will end, but my optimistic predictions suggest its realistic that this will happen this year," Reznikov said, recalling that the Kremlin's dream is to "regain their land."

The defense minister warned that "Poland, the Baltic states, Slovakia, and others will be next, so we must stop Russia and deter them in the future."

He also said that the Russian military is not a regular civilized army, but murderers, looters, and rapists.

As Ukrinform reported, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov called Slovakias contract with Ukraine for the supply of Zuzana 2 howitzers a serious investment in the Slovak economy.
Susan Johnson has always been a little spooky.

The Flagstaff transplant says she used to keep her curiosity for the darker side of life safely locked into the last two months of October before tucking it away for the rest of the year.

Then, the ghostly lore dominated her life. She was especially taken with her adopted hometown's haunted history. Flagstaff garnered its dark past as an Old West hub with grim stories of lovers scorned, deadly rails, creepy characters and a fair share of family annihilation. Johnson was fascinated with it all and delved into historical records and newspaper archives in search of the truth within the small mountain towns sordid history.

"Everybody loves a good ghost story," Johnson quipped.

Alongside even more questions, the answers she found eventually made up the haunted walking tour of downtown Flagstaff given by her son, Nick Jones, and local renaissance man, Dapper Dre.

But Johnson herself admits she was never a showwoman. Instead, her passion is in the research  the search for answers to questions only known by those long dead. But, according to Johnson, that's the fun.

The historian of the macabre has now assembled some of the most well-known tales of Flagstaffs grisly past into the book, Haunted Flagstaff. The collection, which is set to publish Monday, recounts numerous well-known haunts, such as The Weatherford Hotel, the Orpheum Theatre, Hotel Monte Vista, the Flagstaff Public Library and the Leroux home where a Marie Green Walkup brutally murdered her children seemingly without explanation in the 1930s.

Johnson doesn't necessarily think she's attracted to the macabre and was quick to point out that not every haunting is automatically negative, referencing the woman in white who allegedly haunts the Orpheum and the friendly ghost, Mabel Milligan, who lingers in the offices of the Flagstaff Convention and Visitors Bureau, flipping lights on and interfering with staff's computers.

Johnson's newest book extends far past the confines of the walking tour. She also explores the Railroad Depot  home to countless deaths of both the accidental and intentional since its constriction  as well as The Museum Club, McMillan building and the downtown building that once housed the home and residence of Dr. R.O. Raymond.

Each retelling is packed not only with the original lore but Johnson also delves into the history of each place and any evidence documenting the original event.

"I always try to put the history in there too because that makes it so much more," she said. "The fact that there are ghosts too is just the icing on the cake."

Northern Arizona University's own resident spooky scholar, Dr. Karen Renner, also takes a turn at debunking some of the more familiar myths in a fascinating afterword. Stories from across the country share similarities to Flagstaff's tales, while others find their own historical grounding.

But it doesn't make the collection any less fun.

"But as a hopeful skeptic, I wait to be happily proven wrong," Renner writes.

Haunted Flagstaff will be available locally wherever books are sold and on arcadiapublishing.com starting June 6.

Bree Burkitt is a contributor to the Arizona Daily Sun. Reach her at breeburkitt@gmail.com.

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The initiative of the President of Ukraine, United24 fundraising platform, has been officially presented to American political and business circles, foreign diplomats and public figures in Washington, the United States.

The presentation took place in Ukraine House on June 3, 2022, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The United States is the first country we are officially presenting the United24 platform in, Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States Oksana Markarova said in a commentary to Ukrinform.

According to Markarova, dozens of the top managers of leading companies, partner organizations, foreign ambassadors and American politicians came to Ukraine House. They listened to the speeches delivered by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who actually initiated the United24 platform, Ukrainian Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and other Ukrainian government officials, who explained the new concept.

The United24 initiative is a fundraising platform intended to become the main window for collecting donations in support of Ukraine. These funds are credited to the accounts of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) and transferred to relevant ministries to meet the essential needs in three areas: defense and demining; medical aid; Ukraines reconstruction.

The United24 platform protects you from delays, intermediaries and fraud, and the funds raised will be immediately spent on what is necessary, the United24 initiators say.

The United24 website offers reports on expenditures, which are now updated on a weekly basis. In this regard, Markarova noted that the new platform does not compete with the existing initiatives and is aimed at involving the general public in providing support to Ukraine.

One can make a donation through different means, including credit cards, bank transfers, PayPal or cryptocurrency.

As of June 4, 2022, more than $51.3 million was raised via the United24 platform.

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French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna has stated that her country intends to increase and continue in the long term its aid to Ukraine.

It has been 100 days since Russia launched its aggression against Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. For 100 days, Russia has been continually and indiscriminately bombarding Ukrainian military forces and civilians. France stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people in their suffering. It has done so not only since February 24, but since 2014, which saw the illegal annexation of Crimea and the eruption of the conflict in the Donbas. There can be no impunity whatsoever for the atrocities committed by Russian soldiers in Ukraine  in Bucha and other cities, reads the statement by Catherine Colonna, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, on the 100th day of the war in Ukraine.

The minister noted that she had conveyed a message of friendship and admiration to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people during her recent visit to Ukraine.

I reaffirmed Frances unwavering support for Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity, evidenced by the humanitarian, economic, financial, diplomatic and military aid France provides to that country, which we intend to increase and continue in the long term. The aid announced by President Macron now totals $2 billion, making France one of Ukraines leading international supporters, the minister noted.

Ukraine is fighting for its sovereignty and its territorial integrity, the official stressed. We must continue to make the cost of continuing this aggression unsustainable for Russia. France continues to urge Russia to abide by its international commitments, to end its aggression, and to withdraw its armed forces, Colonna added.

As reported, during the High-Level International Donor's Conference for Ukraine in Warsaw on May 5, Emmanuel Macron said that France would increase the total amount of its support for Ukraine to two billion dollars.

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In July of 1964, a newly minted PhD geologist from Harvard University packed his belongings in his 55 Chevy and left Boston for a new job. His destination was the mountain town of Flagstaff  2,500 miles away  but the trip would ultimately lead to a more distant locality. One hundred times more distant, that is  to a rocky valley on the Moon.

His name was Harrison Jack Schmitt, and his work at the recently established Astrogeology Branch of the United States Geological Survey would put him in a position to be selected as a member of NASAs fourth class of astronauts. During the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, he became the 12th  and last  person to walk on the moon. Fifty-eight Julys after that first one that brought him to Flagstaff, and 50 years since his historic flight, Schmitt is returning to northern Arizona to serve as the grand marshal for Flagstaffs annual Fourth of July parade.

Like many other geologists in the 1960s, Harrison Schmitt came to Flagstaff to work with Gene Shoemaker, who established the Branch of Astrogeology. The job prospects for a new PhD geologist were limited at the time, but Schmitt heard about the new Branch and decided to write Shoemaker  who he had met years earlier  a letter, asking if he was hiring. Coincidentally, at the same time, Shoemaker wrote Schmitt to ask if hed like to join the Branch staff. The two letters in fact crossed in the mail.

After accepting the job at the Branch, Schmitt soon took a lead in developing lunar field geological methods  collecting rock samples, taking pictures, making observations  that astronauts would eventually use to explore the moon. He also played a key role in the lunar mapping program that Shoemaker has started.

Several months into his work at the Branch, Schmitt heard that NASA was planning to expand the astronaut corps, bringing in scientists for the first time. Schmitt said in a recent interview that he was immediately intrigued by the idea of applying but had already agreed to work with Shoemaker for a year. So the first thing I did, he explained, was to have a private meeting with Gene and say Look, Id like to do this but I have a commitment to you. And he said, Youd be crazy not to do it.

Shoemaker, in fact, had long dreamed of going to the moon, but a medical condition precluded him from applying. The next best thing for him, then, would be to have one of his fellow geologists go.

With Shoemakers blessing, Schmitt joined 1,400 others in applying for the astronaut program. The group was winnowed down based on physical exams and transcripts. The final selection was based on an essay in which candidates had to answer what they would do if they went to the moon. Well, thats what I was working on, Schmitt explained, describing his efforts in developing the geological methods for moon exploration. In the end, NASA selected six candidates to join the astronaut corps: three physicists, two physicians and one geologist  Schmitt.

As an astronaut, Schmitt returned to northern Arizona for mission training and post-mission briefings. He became the only geologist  as well as the only astronaut without a background in military aviation  to walk on the lunar surface and is one of only four moonwalkers (out of 12) still alive.

After leaving the astronaut corps, Schmitt served as a United States Senator from New Mexico, an adjunct professor in the Department of Engineering Physics at the University of Wisconsin, and a private consultant on topics ranging from geology and space to business and public policy.

Schmitt said he looks forward to returning to Flagstaff and serving as grand marshal of the parade. It will be wonderful to be there and to see old friends, he said, and to think about those who are no longer with us, who contributed so much not only to our country, but also to the history and the dynamics of Flagstaff.

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The Shenzhou XIV mission - China's ninth manned spaceflight  is scheduled for launch on Sunday morning from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern Gobi Desert, according to a senior mission official.

Lin Xiqiang, deputy head of the China Manned Space Agency, said at a news conference inside the Jiuquan center Saturday morning the three crew members  Senior Colonel Chen Dong, Senior Colonel Liu Yang and Senior Colonel Cai Xuzhe -- will be sent to the Tiangong space station and stay there for half a year to continue the assembly of the colossal station.

The Long March 2F carrier rocket lifting the Shenzhou XIV spacecraft will blast off at 10:44 am, he said.

Chen will be mission commander. All crew members are from the second generation of the country's astronauts.

Before them the Shenzhou XII and XIII three-member crews lived inside the Tiangong, which is traveling in low-Earth orbit about 400 kilometers high. The Shenzhou XIII crew returned in mid-April.

In early May, the Tianzhou 4 cargo spacecraft was launched by a Long March 7 rocket from Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province, transporting nearly 6 metric tons of propellants and materials to Tiangong.

Tiangong consists of the Tianhe core module, the Tianzhou 3 and the Tianzhou 4.

In July, the station's first lab component -- Wentian, or Quest for the Heavens  will be launched, while the second lab named Mengtian, or Dreaming of the Heavens, will be sent to dock with the station in October. After they are connected with the Tiangong, the station will form a T-shaped structure.

After the space labs, the Tianzhou 5 cargo craft and the Shenzhou XV crew are scheduled to arrive at the massive orbiting outpost around the end of the year, according to mission officials.

The Tiangong is expected to operate for up to 15 years and will serve as a scientific platform, space officials have said, noting it will also be open to foreign astronauts.
UCROSS, WYO.  Ucross has announced the public launch of a $5 million capital campaign timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of their famed artist residency program, which first welcomed artists in 1983.

For nearly 40 years, Ucross has provided artists with the rare and remarkable gift of time and space in an unparalleled landscape, said William Belcher, President of Ucross. This campaign will prepare us for the next 40. It will help us preserve the Ucross experience, which is rooted in our location on a working ranch here in northern Wyoming. The funds we raise during this period will strengthen our ability to serve as a vital and relevant resource for artists, and it will deepen our role as a cultural resource for our community.

According to Belcher, the quiet phase of the 40th Anniversary Campaign began at the start of 2021. To date, Ucross has raised $2.8 million in gifts and pledges, led by a $1.175 million gift by Deborah and Edward Koehler of the Raymond Plank Philanthropy Fund.

Ucross has attained 100 percent participation from its Board of Trustees. To raise the remaining $2.2 million, the nonprofit organization will ask individuals and grant-makers to contribute to the campaign over the next 18 to 20 months. All gifts to Ucross made between now and the end of 2023 will count toward the goal.

We are all invested in Ucrosss future and its continued success, said Jim Nelson, Chair of the Board of Trustees. For many years, our financial underpinning was supported by our founder, so this is the first official capital campaign without his presence. Im heartened by the generosity of the trustees and lead donors, but we have a lot of work to do. I hope others will join us by supporting the campaign and celebrating Ucrosss past, present, and future.

Ucross has embarked upon two major construction projects that are at the center of the campaign: a renovation of the Ucross Art Gallery and the construction of a dance studio and multi-purpose performance space. Ucross is working with Arete Design Group, a Sheridan-based architecture firm, and ODell Construction as contractor for both construction projects.

Ucross Art Gallery

The Ucross Art Gallery, which is housed in the Big Red Barn in the center of Ucrosss campus, is dedicated to enhancing, supporting, and amplifying the creative work of Ucrosss visual and collaborative artists.

Once complete, the renovated interior will feature a two-story central room to allow for large-scale works of art, such as sculpture and installations. The reconfigured space will also include a digital media room; a program office; a kitchen for event support; art receiving and storage space; and a collaborative meeting room for artists, staff, and trustees.

An important public extension of the organizations mission, the Ucross Art Gallery will present two to three exhibitions each year, focused on alumni, including the recipients of the Ucross Fellowship for Native American Visual Artists. Each exhibition offers new opportunities for educational programming, artist talks, public workshops, and exhibition brochures. Entry will be free and open to the public.

Dance studio and performance space

To enhance its offerings for dancers, choreographers, and performers, Ucross is constructing a state-of-the-art dance studio and multi-purpose performance space. This building will connect to the Ucross Art Gallery through a glass vestibule.

The exterior of the new building is designed to reflect the iconic profile of the Big Red Barn, but it will offer several unique features. In addition to the vestibule, a set of large accordion-style glass doors will open onto a concrete patio, allowing artists to cross between the studio and the open air. The patio, which provides a stunning view of the Bighorn Mountains to the west, will also double as an outdoor viewing area for public performances.

We envision the space as a state-of-the-art studio for dancers and performers, Belcher noted. But it is also a flexible performance space that connects the indoor and outdoor, which provides a whole new set of opportunities for our artists-in-residence, as well as the public.

Ucross is known for its writing studios, its visual arts studios, and its composer studios. The addition of a stunning new dance studio will further set Ucross apart and attract more world-class dancers, choreographers, and groups to Ucross, Wyoming.

Support for artists, residency program

In addition to the gallery and dance studio, campaign funds will directly support artists through investments in the residency program and artist stipends.

Each year, the 100 artists who are selected for a residency at Ucross are provided with a private studio, accommodations, meals by a professional chef, and staff support, as well as the cross-cultural, cross-disciplinary discussion that occurs with their peers. In 2021, Ucross began a pilot program to present each artist with a stipend to offset a portion of their travel and lost income during their two-, four-, or six-week residency. Funds raised during the 40th Anniversary Campaign will allow Ucross to sustain the artist stipends while simultaneously investing in much-needed program enhancements, such as updated studio equipment and furnishings in resident rooms.

Community engagement

Ucrosss role as a cultural resource for the community is a prominent component of the campaign. Belcher noted that the renovated Ucross Art Gallery will provide new opportunities for exhibitions, artist talks, and events. In addition, a refurnished Raymond Plank Center will serve as a resource for groups looking to meet at Ucross, as well as the site for a future archive.

With this campaign, Ucross aims to expand its art programming for the community with events such as the Ucross Arts Festival, which will feature alumni Jalan Crossland and Brandon Hobson in August. The organization will also continue the tradition of hosting the Ucross Community Christmas Celebration, which includes caroling by a local childrens choir, art activities, and a special reading by bestselling author and Ucross neighbor Craig Johnson.

During the Founders Day speech, Belcher announced that Ucross is bringing United States Poet Laureate Joy Harjo to Sheridan in February 2023 for a series of events, including a craft discussion at Sheridan College and an evening of poetry and music at the WYO Performing Arts and Education Center. Harjo, a Ucross alumna, is serving an unprecedented third term as the nations Poet Laureate, and she is the first Native American to serve in this role.

The weekend with Joy Harjo will kick off a series of celebratory events connected to our 40th anniversary, said Belcher. Like Founders Day, it is also an example of what Ucross can do to better connect what happens here at Ucross with our community in Sheridan and Johnson Counties, in Wyoming, and throughout the Mountain West.

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Washington, June 4 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Jun, 2022 ) :S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday it was aware of more than 700 global cases of monkeypox, including 21 in the United States, with investigations now suggesting it is spreading inside the country.

Sixteen of the first 17 cases were among people who identify as men who have sex with men, according to a new CDC report, and 14 were thought to be travel associated.

All patients are in recovery or have recovered, and no cases have been fatal.

"There have also been some cases in the United States that we know are linked to known cases," Jennifer McQuiston, deputy director of the CDC's Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, told reporters on a call.

"We also have at least one case in the United States that does not have a travel link or know how they acquired their infection." Monkeypox is a rare disease that is related to but less severe than smallpox, causing a rash that spreads, fever, chills, and aches, among other symptoms.

Generally confined to western and central Africa, cases have been reported in Europe since May and the number of countries affected has grown since.

Canada also released new figures Friday, counting 77 confirmed cases -- almost all of them detected in Quebec province, where vaccines have been delivered.

Though its new spread may be linked to particular gay festivals in Europe, monkeypox is not thought to be a sexually transmitted disease, with the main risk factor being close skin-to-skin contact with someone who has monkey pox sores.

A person is contagious until all the sores have scabbed and new skin is formed.

- 'More than enough vaccine' - Raj Panjabi, senior director for the White House's global health security and biodefense division, added that 1,200 vaccines and 100 treatment courses had been delivered to US states, where they were offered to close contacts of those infected.

There are currently two authorized vaccines: ACAM2000 and JYNNEOS, which were originally developed against smallpox.

Though smallpox has been eliminated, the United States retains the vaccines in a strategic national reserve in case it is deployed as a biological weapon.

JYNNEOS is the more modern of the two vaccines, with fewer side effects.

"We continue to have more than enough vaccine available," Dawn O'Connell, assistant secretary for preparedness and response in the Department of Health and Human Services, told reporters.

In late May, the CDC said it had 100 million doses of ACAM200 and 1,000 doses of JYNNEOS available, but O'Connell said Friday the figures had shifted, though she could not divulge precise numbers for strategic reasons.

The CDC has also authorized two antivirals used to treat smallpox, TPOXX and Cidofovir, to be repurposed to treat monkeypox.

"Anyone can get monkeypox and we are carefully monitoring for monkeypox that may be spreading in any population, including those who are not identifying as men who have sex with men," said McQuiston.

That being said, the CDC is undertaking special outreach in the LGBT community, she added.

A suspected case "should be anyone with a new characteristic rash," or anyone who meets the criteria for high suspicion such as relevant travel, close contact, or being a man who has sex with men.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th June, 2022) With national elections scheduled to take place in Papua New Guinea (PNG) in July, a veteran local activist shared with Sputnik how the vote results could affect the lingering social issues in the country.

Growing up in Daru in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea, Martyn Namorong witnessed the environmental impact of a copper mine operated by Australian mining giant BHP in the 1990s. Soon he realized the problems associated with the copper mine were only the tip of an iceberg.

"We live in this situation where many countries like Papua New Guinea get exploited by huge global multinationals. PNG is rich in minerals, oil and gas. ... We've had BHP Billiton create a huge environmental disaster in my home province in Western Province. We had a Fly River environmental disaster related to BHP's copper mining. And up in the central highlands, we have another big global coal miner Barrick. And it has been associated with human rights issues. And there was pollution of the river associated with gold mining up in Porgera. So PNG has had a lot of human rights issues associated with logging, mining and fishing. The issues were associated with the exploitation of indigenous communities by global multinationals," Namorong told Sputnik.

Determined to take on the multinationals that have been exploiting his home country, Namorong, 36, became a full-time activist advocating for the local communities.

"I've been doing this for 10 years now. In 10 years, I worked across the country in different areas, in logging and mining, trying to assist communities and do advocacy work," he said.

With the general election of Papua New Guinea scheduled to take place in July this year, the vote results could have a direct impact on how the country deals with exploitation by global multinationals, the activist pointed out.

"The elections this year are critical because we have the two main players: the Pangu party, which is currently the party leading the government, and the main opposition PNC, the People's National Congress. They have very different views about the exploitation of PNG's resources. Pangu has some more nationalist stance on how much PNG should take from its natural resources, while PNC's position seems to be more business friendly in encouraging foreign direct investment and all that. So they have very different policy views on natural resource exploitation," he said.

Namorong suggested that Papua New Guinea should legally define the obligations of those global multinationals and establish a human rights commission to handle grievances from different local communities.

VIOLENCE ARISING FROM LOCAL FEUDS

After gaining its independence in 1975, Papua New Guinea has experienced various periods of political instability. Violence and attacks on political candidates have become a common scene when national elections were held every five years.

Similar attacks took place when the nomination of local political candidates was announced earlier this year. But Namorong argued that the violence would not have an impact on the election results at the national level, because the attacks were mostly triggered by feuds between different local tribes.

"There has been, earlier on during the nomination process, some violence up in the highlands with supporters of different parties vandalizing campaign materials, as well as burning of vehicles. And this is typical of elections in PNG, but it seems like for this year, the violence seems to be much more increased than previous elections. But mostly it's because the supporting of candidates along tribal lines. And the competition creates tensions and brings in all the other previous issues as well. So people tend to support leaders along tribal lines, and that creates this sort of disharmony in the community," he said.

Namorong explained that the conflicts were mostly revolving around local issues and grievances.

"These are local communities that are still very isolated from the rest of the world or even the rest of the country.

And a lot of the election issues are mainly local issues, such as basic stuff about roads and schools and health facilities. Those are the things that people are more concerned with as opposed to national policy agendas. So people generally hope that their own candidate from the tribe would be able to get in and then be able to facilitate the delivery of these local government services and infrastructure. That's what creates the tensions and the violence, because people feel that they have a lot at stake and have a lot to lose if they don't win the elections," he said.

However, at the national level, the activist believes the current government has a good chance of winning and forming a new ruling coalition.

"Based on our recent election history and the current campaigning, the current government, the Pangu led government, looks set to win at least a significant number of seats and will be invited by our Head of State to form the next government. But politics in PNG can also be very unpredictable. There are new players who have entered the scene and we'll see how they perform. But things at the moment the current government looks set to form the next government, if they can get the most number of candidates to win their seats and have the support of various smaller parties to form a government. PNG historically never had one party forming the government. We've always had a coalition government," he said.

Being an island nation in Oceania, Papua New Guinea has become the center of geopolitical contest in recent years amid the growing competition between China and the US-led Western Bloc in Asia Pacific.

As more and more Chinese investments poured into Papua New Guinea, Western countries began to match China's offerings with other big projects, Namorong noted.

"We had huge Chinese investments in a nickel cobalt mine. And that was an eye-opener for the West. In 2008, in response to the major Chinese investment in mining, we had Hillary Clinton and everybody come in here to support ExxonMobil with a big gas project," he said.

When the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit was held in the country in 2018, rivalry between China and the United States was in full swing and resulted in the summit failing to agree to a joint statement.

Former US vice president Mike Pence had to change his schedule during the APEC summit because of the competition with China, the activist pointed out.

"PNG hosted APEC in 2018. We had big competitions between China and West. In fact, in the lead up to APEC, we had a lot of Chinese investment in infrastructure in Papua New Guinea. And it was quite interesting for APEC proper when it was being hosted (in PNG). Initially, Mike Pence was supposed to just come, give his speech and fly out of PNG. But because (Chinese president) Xi Jinping was actually staying in Papua New Guinea during the APEC, Pence was forced to stay as well," he said.

Nevertheless, Namorong believes the geopolitical rivalry would not have an impact on the national elections in Papua New Guinea this year, because all the political parties in the country are rather very pragmatic in dealing with foreign investments.

"I've seen people accusing each other (of representing one side over the other). But in my honest opinion, I think both sides of PNG politics are pragmatists. They work with whoever supports and promotes the PNG agenda. They do not necessarily take sides. I think this is the thing sometimes misunderstood by the Western media, because when they see a project funded by China, they put all the geopolitical implications to it. But it's probably just people taking the money. It has nothing to do with geopolitics," he said.

The activist gave an example that the former prime minister of PNG benefited a lot from the Chinese investments building infrastructure in the country. But today, the same politician accused the Chinese foreign minister of visiting the country during "election hour."

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Papua New Guinea for an official visit on Thursday.
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Germany and the European Commission are discussing a special regulation to recognize driving licenses of Ukrainians and their certificates of competence for goods transportation in the European Union, the dpa news agency reported on Saturday, citing the German government's response to a relevant request from the lawmakers

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th June, 2022) Germany and the European Commission are discussing a special regulation to recognize driving licenses of Ukrainians and their certificates of competence for goods transportation in the European Union, the dpa news agency reported on Saturday, citing the German government's response to a relevant request from the lawmakers.

The regulation is reportedly designed to help Ukrainian refugees and transport companies in the EU. The discussions with the European Commission involve the German government and its Federal states, according to the news agency.

In late May, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that almost 800,000 Ukrainian refugees had been registered in the country.

Foreigners arriving from third countries to Germany are allowed to use their national driving licenses for no longer than six months, after which they are required to obtain German certificates.

On February 24, Russia began a military operation in Ukraine, responding to calls for help from the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. The Russian Defense Ministry said the operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger.

According to the UN refugee agency, over 6.9 million people have left Ukraine for neighboring countries since the start of hostilities. Kiev said that some 60% of those have already returned home.
Former Polish President Lech Walesa said on Saturday that the European Union should dissolve and reestablish a new equivalent institution without Hungary and Poland, instead of compromising on key initiatives

PRAGUE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th June, 2022) Former Polish President Lech Walesa said on Saturday that the European Union should dissolve and reestablish a new equivalent institution without Hungary and Poland, instead of compromising on key initiatives.

"If the European Commission greenlights Poland's post-COVID National Recovery Plan (KPO), that will be its defeat. The EU, instead of compromising with Poland, should dissolve and create a new community the next moment involving Germany and France, but excluding Poland and Hungary," Walesa told the Polish media outlet Interia.

On Wednesday, the European Commission approved the post-COVID recovery plan for Poland, allocating over 35 billion Euros ($37.5 billion) for this purpose. The decision was possibly influenced by Warsaw's assistance to Ukraine despite previous concerns voiced by Brussels over Poland's compliance with the rule of law principle, according to media reports.

In December 2020, EU member states agreed on a long-term financial plan and a fund for the recovery of the European economy that suffered significantly from the COVID-19 pandemic. In July 2020, EU leaders agreed on an 800 billion euro emergency aid package to finance the recovery. The package provided an opportunity for issuing concessional loans and subsidies to the countries of the union.

The decision to link the allocation of funds with the issue of the rule of law was made despite objections from Poland and Hungary, which are often criticized by western European countries for non-compliance with its principles.
ROME (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th June, 2022) Activists in the center of Rome have started collecting signatures to urge the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to launch an investigation into crimes committed in the breakaway Donbas republics since 2014, Amedeo Avondet, the organizer of the demonstration and the head of the United Italy political organization, told Sputnik.

According to Avondet, about 1,000 people took part in a rally in a square of the Italian capital on Saturday. Protesters demanded that Rome withdraw from NATO and that Western countries stop supplying Ukraine with weapons. The demonstration was held with the remote participation of representatives of the United Russia party from Moscow.

"Given that it was above 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit), I did not expect that there would be so many people.

We declared the need for Italy to get out of the madness of the economic war with the sanctions being lifted. Moreover, weapons supplies are only fueling the conflict," Avondet said.

The organizer of the demonstration expressed the strong belief that the conflict in Donbas could be resolved with the involvement of the United Nations, provided "Russia is again included in international politics."

Avondet intends to hold the next rally in southern Italy, in the city of Naples or Reggio Calabria.

On February 24, Russia began a military operation in Ukraine, responding to calls for help from the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. The Russian Defense Ministry said the operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger.
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Turkey plans to develop a mechanism for addressing the grain issue during a forthcoming visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Ankara, though it will take from three to five weeks to launch the process, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Saturday

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th June, 2022) Turkey plans to develop a mechanism for addressing the grain issue during a forthcoming visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Ankara, though it will take from three to five weeks to launch the process, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Saturday.

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told the Rossiya 24 broadcaster that there are no obstacles to the export of grain from Ukraine. Ships carrying wheat will be able to leave the Black Sea without any problems, if Kiev clears ports of mines, Putin said.

"During the visit of Mr. Lavrov, we look forward to quickly deal with various aspects of the (grain) issue, make a decision and start the process as soon as possible within the framework of a certain protocol and a memorandum of understanding. It will probably take another three or five weeks to launch the process, even if we agree on the main issues," Kalin said, as quoted by Turkish newspaper Star.

Lavrov will arrive in Ankara on June 8. The Russian foreign minister is expected to discuss the recent developments in Ukraine and other pressing issues with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu.

World leaders and international organizations have been raising concerns over an imminent and large-scale food crisis since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, citing disruptions in supply chains and derailed crops production in one of the largest gain producers in the world and calling for unblocking Ukraine's sea ports and releasing the grain stuck in warehouses. Russia has denied blocking sea ports and has drawn attention to the mines deployed by Ukraine in the Black Sea.
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Multiple Ukrainian units have lost up to 90% of their military personnel in the battles for Severodonetsk and are now retreating toward Lysychansk, the head of the Russian National Defense Control Center, Mikhail Mizintsev, said on Saturday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th June, 2022) Multiple Ukrainian units have lost up to 90% of their military personnel in the battles for Severodonetsk and are now retreating toward Lysychansk, the head of the Russian National Defense Control Center, Mikhail Mizintsev, said on Saturday.

"Units of the Ukrainian armed forces, having suffered critical losses (in multiple units up to 90%) during the battles for Severodonetsk, are retreating in the direction of Lysychansk," Mizintsev said.

Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24 in response to calls by the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics for protection from Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defense Ministry said the goal of the operation, which targets Ukrainian military infrastructure, is to "demilitarize and denazify" Ukraine, and to completely liberate Donbas.
A Republican candidate in a state House district south of Helena has been charged with a felony after allegedly altering his signature on a ballot envelope in May, in order to test the system.

Timothy D. McKenrick, of Boulder, was charged May 26 in Jefferson County District Court with one count of deceptive election practices. The allegations were first reported by The Boulder Monitor.

McKenrick admitted to election officials that he intentionally altered the signature on his ballot envelope, according to charging documents filed by Jefferson County Attorney Steven Haddon.

The charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines. McKenricks initial appearance is set for June 29. He did not respond to a request for comment left at the phone number listed on his campaign filing.

McKenrick dropped off his ballot for the Jefferson County High School Board of Trustees election on May 3 at the high school, according to the affidavit.

Speaking to an election official, he allegedly brought up the language on the affirmation envelope stating that failure to complete the signature information may invalidate my ballot. He said that it should use the word shall instead of may, the affidavit states, which drew the officials attention to his signature.

A subsequent comparison of the signature with those already on file for McKenrick indicated that it didnt match the earlier samples.

On May 5, McKenrick returned to the high school at the request of election officials, and told one of them that he had intentionally altered his signature to appear more closely to that he used when he was younger  to make sure the election workers were checking signatures, the charges state.

He said he would rather his vote not be counted than miss the opportunity to test the system, the affidavit states.

McKenrick also allegedly admitted to intentionally altering his signature during a conversation with Jefferson County Election Administrator Ginger Kunz.

In doing so, he made or presented a record or document knowing it to be false with the purpose that it be taken as a genuine part of a record or document received or kept by the government, the charges state.

Despite a steady campaign over the past year by some lawmakers and activists to sow doubt about Montana's election security, incidents of fraud remain relatively rare. And those alleging hacking or other coordinated election fraud have failed to substantiate their allegations with evidence.

McKenrick is the only candidate who has filed to challenge incumbent Rep. Marta Bertoglio, R-Clancy, meaning the winner of the primary will go on to represent HD 75 as no Democrat is running in the district. The primary is June 7.

McKenrick previously pled guilty, in 2008, to 10 separate hunting violations charged in Jefferson County Justice Court. At the time, he was a part-time jailer and dispatcher for the county.

He was accused of incidents in 2006 and 2007 that included hunting without a license, using other peoples tags to kill a deer and three elk and killing multiple mule deer in a single season. He pleaded guilty in January 2008 and paid $4,000 in restitution in addition to fines, according to the justice court.

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Pope Francis meets with members of the Casa Hogar Deutschland, who provide assistance and education for children in the western Colombian region of Choco.

By Vatican News staff reporter

Pope Francis met on Saturday with volunteers and pastoral workers who offer assistance and education for girls and women in the conflict-ridden region of Choco, in western Colombia, by supporting more than 38 humanitarian projects in the area.

In September 2017, the Pope visited Choco, and urged called for the Church to care for those who are excluded.

"I encourage you to set your gaze on all those who today are excluded and marginalized by society, those who count for nothing in the eyes of others and who are excluded, he said on that occasion. Everyone needs to help form a better society.

Human rights crisis

At the meeting on Saturday, 4 June, the three Catholic Bishops of the Choco region spoke to the Pope about the humanitarian and human rights crisis which 64 percent of the local population endures.

"Dear Pope Francis, the Choco area greatly needs dignified living conditions, and cries out for your apostolic intervention, so that two fundamental objectives may be achieved: an agreement on humanitarian grounds, and a negotiated solution to the armed conflict. Otherwise, human suffering will increase and claim many more lives," read the message delivered by the Bishops of Quido, Istmina-Tado, and Apartado.

The "Casa Hogar Deutschland" is an initiative born in Germany and supported by the charitable help of donors, which focuses on the education of women.
Myanmar's junta will execute a former member of Aung San Suu Kyi's party and a prominent democracy activist, both of whom were convicted of terrorism, in the country's first judicial executions since 1990, a spokesman told AFP on Friday.



Four people, including former MP Phyo Zeya Thaw and democracy activist Ko Jimmy, "who were sentenced to death will be hanged according to prison procedures", Zaw Min Tun told AFP.



The junta has sentenced dozens of anti-coup activists to death as part of its crackdown on dissent after seizing power last year, but Myanmar has not carried out an execution for decades.



Phyo Zeya Thaw, a former member of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy who was arrested in November, was sentenced to death in January for offences under anti-terrorism laws.



Prominent democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu -- better known as "Jimmy" -- received the same sentence from the military tribunal.



"They continued the legal process of appealing and sending a request letter for the amendment of the sentence," said junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun.

"But the court rejected their appeal and request. There is no other step after that," he added.



Two other men, who were convicted and sentenced to death for killing a woman they alleged was an informer for the junta in Yangon, will also be executed, the spokesman said.



No date has been set for the executions, he added.



'Fuel to the fire'



The junta's decision to "move towards executing two prominent political leaders will be like pouring gasoline on the fire of popular anti-military resistance in the country", said Phil Robertson, a deputy director at Human Rights Watch.



"Such a move will also lead to global condemnation and cement the junta's reputation as among the worst of the worst human rights abusers in Asia."



Phyo Zeya Thaw had been accused of orchestrating several attacks on regime forces, including a gun attack on a commuter train in Yangon in August that killed five policemen.



A hip-hop pioneer whose subversive rhymes irked the previous junta, he was jailed in 2008 for membership of an illegal organisation and possession of foreign currency.



He was elected to parliament representing Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD in the 2015 elections, which ushered in a transition to civilian rule.



Kyaw Min Yu, who rose to prominence during Myanmar's 1988 student uprising against the country's previous military regime, was arrested in an overnight raid in October.



The junta issued an arrest warrant for him last year, alleging he had incited unrest with his social media posts.
Some 9 million Cambodians are registered to cast their ballot for one of 17 parties in the Commune and Sangkat Elections on Sunday June 05. The vote is largely viewed as a showdown between the long-ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) and the revived opposition Candlelight Party.

The elections will reveal whats left of Cambodias democratic space after the CPP government banned the main opposition party in 2017 and only recently allowed political opposition to return amid authoritarian restrictions.

Interest in the polls appeared subdued in recent weeks, as many voters said the Candlelight Party had struggled to reach them in a repressive and CPP-dominated environment, which also put pressure on the electorate.



It is quiet, not crowded as before

Ear Seang, a Tuk Tuk driver near Phnom Penhs Old Market, told VOA Khmer, There seems to be no hope [for change], [parties] just stand for election, [voters] just vote for the ballot. The leader is still the same leader.

Chan Tha, a 61-year-old Pass App driver in Phnom Penh, told VOA Khmer: In the previous [local elections] mandate, people were thrilled. I want to say that everyone was happy. In this [election] mandate, things seem normal I say it is quiet, not crowded as before.

During the 2017 local elections, the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) took a surprise 44 percent of the vote but the CPP government initiated a court case that banned the CNRP. Its leader Kem Sokha was arrested amid a broad crackdown on democratic freedoms.

If the Candlelight Party won, the government could dissolve it again

Some voters feared that Prime Minister Hun Sens CPP would meddle with the polls and not tolerate any significant opposition success.

Im afraid its not a fully free and fair election because the NEC [National Election Commission] is not independent, said Nuth Sovann, a foreman at a construction site along National Road 1 in Banteay Dek Commune, a few kilometers south of Phnom Penh in Kandal Province.

People started to get a sense that the comeback of the CP [Candlelight Pary] can compete with the CPP in the last few months. But they still think that if the CP won, [the government] could dissolve the CP again.

He also told VOA Khmer, Some people wont show support to the opposition openly because they are afraid of being warned by authorities and being discriminated against when requesting administrative paperwork.

Banteay Dek Commune had been an opposition stronghold for years before the crackdown, with most voters backing the CNRP and earlier, the Sam Rainsy Party.

I think Candlelight Party may be able to get some seats, but not as many as before like the CNRP, said the construction worker, Nuth Sovan.

The CNRP was a merger between the parties of Kem Sokha and longtime opposition figure Sam Rainsy. In late 2021, the latters party was rebranded the Candlelight Party, in allusion to its familiar logo, which allowed it to compete while keeping distance from the exiled and convicted Sam Rainsy.

The Candlelight Party built on its established grassroots network and recognizability. It mobilized 23,679 candidates to compete in almost all 1,652 communes and sangkats (municipal areas)greatly outnumbering other opposition parties, such as the Beehive Social Democratic Party, Cambodia Reform Party and Khmer Will Party.

The National Election Commission later cancelled the Candlelight Partys candidate lists in 26 communes.

Voter intimidation and vote buying

The Asian Network for Free Elections said pressure on independent media and civil society was hindering voter access to information and election observing.

Candlelight Party candidates reported local harassment from CPP supporters and state officials, who have hindered their public presence and campaign. Reports of voter intimidation also abound.

Hul Bunheng, a 58-year-old widow living with his only son in Banteay Dek Commune, said he relied on $25 in monthly government benefits through the ID-Poor Card system to supplement his income from farming and construction work.

He said opposition members had been absent from his neighborhood, while CPP had called meetings and information was shared among residents and online that those who dont vote CPP would lose their ID Poor Card.

Another local named Khoeun Chhoeun said each of her family members received the equivalent of $5 and household items from the supporters of the CPP in the weeks before the polls.

I will vote for CPP for sure because they support our livelihood. Look, they gave us money and [their government] raised us, she said, adding, Everyone here believes in them.

In a village away from the highway in Banteay Dek Commune, farmer Nin Pilot, 38, told reporters he not seen a single Candlelight Party campaigner or sign, even though the polls were just days away, while the CPP was omnipresent.

Im following the news closely, but I am still not certain of what party to rely on, Nin Pilot said, Its less vibrant than the previous [commune] election at this same period. People express less opinions. Before, we had opposition, but now there is only one [party]; no other could compete with the CPP.
The father of a 10-year-old girl killed in the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting and a school employee have taken initial steps that could lead to lawsuits against Daniel Defense, the maker of the semiautomatic rifle used in the attack that killed 21 people.

Lawyers for Alfred Garza, father of Robb Elementary School student Amerie Jo Garza, requested in a letter on Friday that Daniel Defense provide information about its marketing to teens and children.

"We ask you to begin providing information to us now, rather than force Mr. Garza to file a lawsuit to obtain it," said the letter.

No lawsuits have yet been announced against Daniel Defense stemming from the shooting.

Daniel Defense of Black Creek, Georgia, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Uvalde gunman, Salvador Ramos, 18, stormed the school on May 24 and killed 19 students and two teachers before he was killed by law enforcement, according to authorities.

He legally purchased his first gun on his 18th birthday on May 17.

Sandy Hook case

Josh Koskoff, Garza's attorney, led the case over the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012, that resulted in a $73 million settlement by gunmaker Remington in February. It marked the first significant settlement in a mass shooting against a gunmaker; such companies are protected by a federal law from lawsuits.

"Sandy Hook in Connecticut is not binding on the Texas court but that doesnt mean it lacks persuasive power," Koskoff said.

Koskoff told Reuters he was applying what he learned from the Sandy Hook case to his current investigation, focusing on marketing to children and teens and product placements in first-person shooter video games.

"The shooter, essentially the day he turned 18, he knew exactly what weapons he was getting," Koskoff said.

In a separate legal action, school employee Emilia Marin filed papers in Texas state court seeking an order to depose Daniel Defense and force the company to turn over documents, also related to its marketing. Marin is listed as a speech pathologist clerk on the school's website.

Marin's filing late on Thursday is a petition that allows a party to begin investigating potential claims.

Gun manufacturers are generally shielded from lawsuits over criminal use of their firearms by a federal law called the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, or PLCAA.

However, the Connecticut Supreme Court in 2019 ruled that gun company Remington Arms could be sued by families of Sandy Hook victims under a PLCAA exception because Remington allegedly violated state marketing laws.
The death toll from a German train derailment near a Bavarian Alpine resort climbed to five on Saturday as another body was recovered from the wreckage, police said.

Investigators were combing the overturned carriages for victims and clues as to the cause of Friday's accident near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a region gearing up to host the G-7 summit in late June.

"At the moment we do not believe there were further victims, but I cannot yet say for sure," regional deputy police chief Frank Hellwig told reporters.

He said four of the dead were women, with another 44 people injured, some of them children.

The accident occurred just after midday on Friday as school holidays were starting in the two southern German regions Baden-Wuerttemberg and Bavaria.

Police said the regional train was "very crowded" with about 140 people on board as a new 9 euro ($10) monthly public transport ticket valid across Germany also boosted demand.

Federal transport minister Volker Wissing visited the site of the accident Saturday, saying he was "very moved" to see the "dramatic" extent of the damage.

"We will continue to investigate and get to the bottom of what happened," he told reporters.

The head of the German rail company Deutsche Bahn, Richard Lutz, also at the scene of the crash, said he was "saddened" by the deaths and pledged a thorough probe.

The train had just left the popular mountain resort Garmisch-Partenkirchen for the Bavarian state capital Munich when the accident took place in the Burgrain district.

The region has begun preparations to host the G-7 summit of world leaders later this month.

From June 26-28, the heads of state and government, including U.S. President Joe Biden, are scheduled to meet at Schloss Elmau -- 11 kilometers from Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Hong Kong authorities on Saturday detained several people as they pounced on any attempt at public commemoration of the 33rd anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown, while around the world tributes were paid to the victims of the bloody event.

As night fell, candles appeared in the windows of several foreign countries' missions to Hong Kong  in defiance of a warning not to do so  and on various street corners around the city.

Discussion of the events of 1989, when China set troops and tanks on peaceful protestors, is all but forbidden on the mainland.

Semi-autonomous Hong Kong had been the one place in China where large-scale remembrance was still tolerated, until two years ago when Beijing imposed a national security law to snuff out dissent after widespread pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Authorities had warned the public that "participating in an unauthorized assembly" Saturday risked a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment.

They also closed large parts of Victoria Park, once the site of packed annual candlelight vigils that were attended by tens of thousands on the anniversary.

The park and nearby Causeway Bay shopping district, one of the city's busiest neighborhoods, were heavily policed all day Saturday.

People were stopped and searched for carrying flowers, wearing black and, in one case, carrying a toy tank box.

Five men and one woman, ages 19-80, were arrested in the course of the day, Hong Kong police said.

Three of them were detained for obstructing officers in the execution of their duties, one for inciting others to join an unauthorized assembly, and the remaining person was apprehended for possession of offensive weapons, according to the police.

Activist Yu Wai-pan from the League of Social Democrats (LSD) party was also briefly detained but later released without charge, according to his party.

"For 33 years it has always been peaceful, but today it's like (police) are facing a big enemy," Chan Po-ying, head of the LSD, said.

Security was heightened in the Chinese capital Beijing on Saturday, with officer numbers bulked up, and ID checks and facial recognition devices set up on roads leading to Tiananmen Square.

China has gone to exhaustive lengths to erase the crackdown from collective memory, omitting it from history textbooks and scrubbing references to it from the Chinese internet and social media platforms.

A similar approach is now beginning to be applied to Hong Kong, as authorities remold the city in the mainland's image.

Since last September, the Victoria Park vigil's organizers have been arrested and charged with subversion, their June 4 museum has been closed, statues have been removed and memorial church services canceled.

Commemoration events in Macau were also canceled this year.

On Saturday, multiple Western consulates general in Hong Kong posted Tiananmen tributes on social media, despite local media reports that they had been warned by the city's Chinese foreign ministry office to refrain from doing so.

The European Union's office confirmed to AFP that they had received a call.

At dusk, both the U.S. Consulate General and the EU office's windows were illuminated by the flickering light of candles.

"The European Union always stands in solidarity with human rights defenders across the globe," the latter wrote on Twitter, posting a picture of dozens of candles on a windowsill.

Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken released a statement pledging to continue to "honor and remember those who stood up for human rights and fundamental freedoms."

"While many are no longer able to speak up themselves, we and many around the world continue to stand up on their behalf," he said, specifically mentioning the situation in Hong Kong.

A spokesperson for the city's Chinese foreign ministry office said it "firmly rejected and strongly condemned" Blinken and other U.S. officials' statements.

"Their political show interfered in China's internal affairs under the guise of human rights and freedom, and smeared Hong Kong's human rights and rule of law, in an attempt to incite hostility and confrontation and tarnish China's image," read a statement.

Vigils are being held globally on Saturday, with rights group Amnesty International coordinating candlelit events in 20 cities "to demand justice and show solidarity for Hong Kong".

"We want this spirit to carry on forever," said Frank Ruan, a former Tiananmen Square protestor who said he was lucky to have survived, in Melbourne.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei acknowledged Saturday that Iran took the oil from two Greek tankers last month in helicopter-launched raids in the Persian Gulf.

The confiscations were retaliation for Greece's role in the U.S. seizure of crude oil from an Iranian-flagged tanker that same week in the Mediterranean Sea over violating Washington's harsh sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

"They steal Iranian oil off the Greek coast, then our brave men who don't fear death respond and seized the enemy's oil tanker," Khamenei said during an 80-minute speech on the anniversary of the death of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. "But they use their media empire and extensive propaganda to accuse Iran of piracy."

"Who is the pirate? You stole our oil, we took it back from you. Taking back a stolen property is not called stealing," he added.

Mideast tensions

The seizures ratcheted up tensions between Iran and the West already simmering over Iran's tattered 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Tehran has been enriching more uranium, closer to weapons-grade levels than ever before, causing concern that negotiators won't find a way back to the accord and raising the risk of a wider war.

Iran's seizure of the tankers was the latest in a string of hijackings and explosions to roil a region that includes the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all traded oil passes. The incidents began after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the nuclear deal, which saw Tehran drastically limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

The U.S. Navy blamed Iran for a series of limpet mine attacks on vessels that damaged tankers in 2019, as well as for a fatal drone attack on an Israeli-linked oil tanker that killed two European crew members in 2021.

Iranian hijackers also stormed and briefly captured a Panama-flagged asphalt tanker off the United Arab Emirates last year and briefly seized and held a Vietnamese tanker in November. 

Tanker attacks

Tehran denies carrying out the attacks, but a wider shadow war between Iran and the West has played out in the region's volatile waters. Tanker seizures have been a part of it since 2019, when Iran seized the British-flagged Stena Impero after the United Kingdom detained an Iranian oil tanker off Gibraltar. Iran released the tanker months later as London released the Iranian vessel.

Last year, Iran seized and held a South Korean-flagged tanker for months amid a dispute over billions of dollars of frozen assets Seoul holds.

Satellite images analyzed by the AP on Wednesday confirmed that one of the two Greek tankers remained off the coast of the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas. The Planet Labs PBC images from Tuesday showed the Prudent Warrior between Bandar Abbas and Iran's Qeshm Island near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

It remained unclear where the second ship, the Delta Poseidon, was.

Nuclear deal

Talks in Vienna on the nuclear deal have been stalled since April. Since the deal's collapse, Iran has run advanced centrifuges and has a rapidly growing stockpile of enriched uranium. Nonproliferation experts warn Iran has enriched enough up to 60% purity  a short technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%  to make one nuclear weapon if it chooses.

Iran insists its program is for peaceful purposes, though United Nations experts and Western intelligence agencies say Iran had an organized military nuclear program through 2003.

Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, in his speech Saturday also accused the U.S. of supporting recent protests in Iran sparked by price hikes and the slashing of subsidies by the government. Teachers for weeks also demonstrated in favor of better pay and working conditions.

The value of the Iranian currency, the rial, has been weakening for years but recently tumbled to new lows, reflecting growing anxiety over Iran's economy,

Khamenei criticized what he called the decades-long U.S. opposition to the nation and said Washington pins its hopes to such protests. Khamenei, 82, said Iran's enemies try to pit Iranian citizens "against the Islamic system" through psychological warfare, the internet and financial support.
Pakistan says its exports to Afghanistan have dropped and imports sharply increased in the current financial year, leading to a bilateral trade balance for the first time in favor of the war-torn neighbor.



Pakistan has stepped up bilateral cooperation and announced trade-related concessions for the landlocked country to help it overcome deteriorating humanitarian and economic crises after the Taliban returned to power last August.



In the 11 months of the current financial year, Pakistani exports to Afghanistan have dropped to around $700 million from more than $900 million last year, a spokesperson for the commerce ministry in Islamabad told VOA.



The change is attributed mainly to increased purchases of Afghan coal and an extremely good quality cotton by Pakistan in recent months.



The spokesperson noted that imports from Afghanistan, meanwhile, have increased to more than $700 million from $550 million last year.



The decline in Pakistani exports is attributed to U.S. sanctions on the interim Taliban government, the absence of banking channels and non-availability of dollars in Afghanistan, as well as a drop in demand for certain Pakistani goods.



The commerce ministry spokesperson, however, told VOA that Pakistani exports to Central Asian countries through Afghanistan have risen by 70 percent to $202 million in the last 11 months from $118 million in the same period last year.



There are five fully operational border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Pakistan has in recent years fenced off its nearly 2,600 kilometer traditionally porous Afghan border and tightened immigration controls to deter terrorist infiltration in either direction.



Afghans say the massive fencing project has undermined livelihood opportunities for divided tribes, straddling the largely mountainous frontier.



A senior Pakistani foreign ministry official said despite tightened measures about 30,000 people, including Afghan refugees, move across the border every day.



We have allowed Afghan importers to buy our products in Pakistani currency and have given them freedom to export any items to Pakistan to facilitate bilateral trade, said the official, who deals directly with bilateral Afghan matters.



He noted that the Pakistani government has identified 44 places on the border where it plans to establish new crossings to further facilitate commercial activities as well as visitor movement.



We intend to open several of the proposed gates every two or three months. We have discussed it with Afghan (Taliban) leaders and told them to arrange for manning these posts, so they know who is moving in and out, the Pakistani official said.



The Taliban has acknowledged they are also stepping up coal exports to Pakistan and have raised duties on sales with a goal to generate more revenue from the Afghan mining sector in the absence of direct foreign funding.



Financial funding for Afghanistan has dried up because no country has yet recognized the Islamist group as the legitimate rulers of the country.



The Taliban are now relying on the countrys natural resources, including largely untapped mineral and fossil fuel deposits, to meet economic challenges facing their new government.



On Saturday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that the ministry of mines and petroleum earned nearly $5 million, including about $1.9 million from crude oil sales, within the past week (May 26-June1).



Last week, the Afghan ministry said it had collected $44 million in customs revenue through coal exports in the last six months.



Cash-strapped Pakistan has increased coal imports from Afghanistan in the wake of rising global prices in a bid to reduce Islamabads dependence on expensive supplies from South Africa.



The coal price hike is linked to an unexpected ban by top exporter Indonesia earlier this year, followed by Russias military invasion of Ukraine.



South Africa currently provides almost three-quarters of Pakistan's coal needs for the country's cement and textile industries, as well as some power plants.



Afghan and Pakistani business representatives are scheduled to gather in Islamabad next week to deliberate on developing barter trade mechanism recommendations for both governments in a bid to boost bilateral trade.
A commission of senior security and state officials from the troubled Central African Republic and Cameroon has agreed to jointly fight armed C.A.R. rebels they say are fleeing intensive fighting and infiltrating refugee camps in Cameroon. After concluding a meeting in the border town of Ngaoundere, the delegations said they will jointly deploy their militaries to battle the proliferation of weapons, abductions for ransom, attacks for supplies and the illegal exploitation of minerals by rebels along their border.

Senior government and military officials from Cameroon and the Central African Republic (C.A.R) say rebels and armed groups are infiltrating border towns and villages.

The officials ended a security commission meeting Friday in Ngaoundere, a city in Cameroon on the border with the C.A.R. They say scores of civilians abducted for ransom are still being held by C.A.R. rebels and armed groups. They also note that C.A.R. rebels and armed groups are attacking border towns and villages for supplies.

Kildadi Taguieke Boukar is the governor of Cameroon's Adamawa region, where Ngaoundere is located.

Boukar says Presidents Paul Biya of Cameroon and Faustin-Archange Touadera of the C.A.R say they are deeply concerned their plans to ease the circulation of people and goods across the border are being shattered by C.A.R. armed groups and rebels. Boukar spoke through the messaging app WhatsApp from Ngaoundere.

He says the two presidents want to immediately stop cattle theft, abductions for ransom, the proliferation of weapons and many other forms of transborder insecurity caused by C.A.R. rebels and armed groups. Boukar says Cameroon and the C.A.R want total peace to return to border localities so that civilians and goods can move freely across the border. Boukar says rebel attacks and theft slow economic development and growth in border towns and villages.

General Freddy Johnson Sakama, C.A.R.s defense chief in charge of military operations, led his country's delegation to the Cameroon - C.A.R security commission meeting.

Sakama says the rebels and armed groups are escaping heavy fighting with forces of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic, or MINUSCA.

Sakama says the proliferation of armed groups in the C.A.R. is posing serious security threats to both the C.A.R. and its neighbors  Cameroon, Chad, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Congo Brazzaville. He says the C.A.R. military is commending efforts made by MINUSCA to bring peace to the C.A.R., but that his country is worried because rebels and armed groups fleeing MINUSCA forces are escaping to neighboring countries.

Speaking on Cameroon state broadcaster CRTV, Sakama said the C.A.R. has agreed to collaborate with militaries of all neighboring states to put an end to mounting transborder insecurity caused by C.A.R. rebels and armed groups.

In March, the U.N. peacekeeping mission to the C.A.R., MINUSCA, said rebels left several towns where they were hiding on the border with Cameroon. MINUSCA said the C.A.R. rebels were fighting to control border towns, and villages and crossing the border to escape fighting with the C.A.Rs military.

Cameroon says some of the rebels are disguised as refugees. Paul Atanga Nji, Cameroon's minister of territorial administration, visited Gado Baadzere, a refugee camp on the border with the C.A.R. this week.

Nji says many C.A.R. rebels and armed group members infiltrate refugee camps in Cameroon with weapons and carry out illegal activities like selling ammunition and hard drugs to armed groups in Cameroon. Nji says refugees should not be surprised if joint troops from Cameroon and the C.A.R. visit their camps to search and arrest C.A.R. rebels or former rebels hiding in refugee camps and committing crimes.

Violence was pervasive in the C.A.R. in 2013 when then President Francois Bozize was ousted by the Seleka, a coalition from the Muslim minority groups that accused him of breaking peace deals.

The C.A.R. says there are 14 rebel groups fighting against the government of the Central African Republic. It says several armed gangs also operate in the country, making peace efforts difficult.

Cameroon and the C.A.R. say they are committed to their militaries working together in border towns and villages to dismantle rebels and armed groups responsible for increasing insecurity.

The ongoing fighting in the C.A.R. has forced close to a million Central Africans to flee neighboring countries, including Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nigeria, according to the U.N.
RTHK: Ukrainians 'withdrawing from Severodonetsk'

Russia's army said Saturday that some Ukrainian military units were withdrawing from the key city of Severodonetsk in eastern Ukraine.

"Some units of the Ukrainian army, having suffered critical losses during fighting for Severodonetsk, are pulling out towards Lysychansk," Severodonetsk's twin city, which sits just across a river, the defence ministry said in a statement.

It added however that some Ukrainian fighters remained in the city.

"The Ukrainian authorities, having realised that it was impossible to resist further and to hold on to the industrial zone of Severodonetsk, ordered a mixed tactical unit to mine the tanks containing nitrate and nitric acid in the Azot factory," it said.

Russia's army said this group still in the city included "survivors" of the 79th Air Assault Brigade and members of the Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces.

It claimed the Ukrainian army sought to contaminate the area and "delay" the Russian military operation. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2022-06-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Republican candidates in contested Bismarck-area legislative primary races differ on priorities for office and how they view civility in the Legislature.

Voters in the June 14 election will settle several intraparty challenges for who will move on to the November general election. One Senate nominee and two House nominees will advance in Districts 7, 35 and 47, where some races have more candidates than slots for November. There are no contested Democratic races in those districts.

More than two dozen legislative races statewide have Republican contests. Some House races have four or five GOP candidates.

Republicans control the House of Representatives 80-14 and the Senate 40-7. Three of four legislative leaders and a top budget writer aren't running for reelection, meaning new hands will guide the Legislature next year.

Ninety-eight seats in the Legislature are on the ballot this year, more than is usual due to redistricting.

North Dakota lawmakers are paid $526 monthly and $189 per day when meeting. The Legislature meets every odd-numbered year.

District 35 Senate

Voters in District 35 will elect a new senator this year.

Former Sen. Erin Oban, D-Bismarck, announced last fall she would not run for a third term, citing divisive politics. She resigned in March after President Joe Biden appointed her as state director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development agency. Democrats appointed candidate and former senator Tracy Potter to the seat.

Republican voters will determine whether Sean Cleary or Ryan Eckroth advances to face Potter in November. The party endorsed Eckroth in February.

Cleary is a former staffer for Gov. Doug Burgum and U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and now works in project management and grant writing for the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation.

He said his priorities would be ensuring "North Dakota is always an affordable and a safe place to live, a place with opportunity for good jobs, so for me that means having a strong education system, low taxes so people can keep more of their own money, and a government that is responsive to the needs of citizens."

Oban in deciding not to run cited "the extreme rhetoric and divisiveness of the national scene" seeping into North Dakota.

Cleary said culture war issues seem more prevalent on the national level, that civility locally appears more prevalent.

Bills such as those to ban state-issued mask mandates, restrict transgender K-12 athletes and prohibit vaccination requirements "reflect valid concerns that folks have. The method to address them, I think there's certainly room for argument," he said.

Eckroth did not respond to two phone messages or three emails seeking an interview.

He was the station manager for Delta and United Airlines at the Bismarck Airport for 10 years until he left last year to complete his bachelor's degree in business management from Colorado Technical University. He is completing his master's in business management from CTU.

In 2012, Eckroth signed a consent order by the state insurance commissioner revoking his individual insurance producer license. There was no administrative fine or other civil penalty, according to the order. It described allegations that Eckroth created applications for insurance policies that clients and business owners didn't want, and that he accepted advance commissions from an insurance company for the policies.

The insurance commissioner also fined him for submitting an application for a hospital indemnity policy for himself and his family that had inaccurate information about a family member's preexisting health condition, according to the order.

Eckroth previously declined to comment on the order, and referred the Tribune to previous comments he had made.

He told Forum News Service columnist Rob Port that no criminal or civil actions were taken against him as a result of the fraud allegations, claiming "the investigation was proven untrue." He told Port he signed the order "because my name was destroyed through all the news."

Eckroth also has numerous money judgments and a foreclosure against him in state district court, which he addressed in a video statement last month.

He said he wasn't able to work as a son underwent surgeries and treatment for burns. Another son required open-heart surgery. Eckroth also went through a divorce, "then again went through financial, emotional stress that many can relate to is not an easy thing to do. We've all been there," he said.

In the last decade, Eckroth has had five state and federal tax liens filed against him, one of which remains active with an unpaid balance of $11,794. Another federal lien that's no longer active has an unpaid balance of $22,700, according to public records from the secretary of state.

Eckroth said in the video that he is at the end of a yearslong payment plan with the Internal Revenue Service "and my tax will be paid in full here shortly as the payment plan will be completed."

The Tribune conducted legal background checks on all of the candidates.

District 7 House

District 7 Republican voters will settle a three-way House race for two slots on the November ballot. Incumbent Rick Becker, R-Bismarck, is not running.

The party in February endorsed incumbent Rep. Jason Dockter and Matt Heilman, who recently graduated from Bismarck State College. BSC Director of Admissions Retha Mattern also is running.

Dockter is a small business owner first elected in 2012. He chairs the House Political Subdivisions Committee and sits on the House Finance and Taxation Committee. He's running to continue his work in the Legislature, with an eye toward the state's future.

His priorities for another term are to lessen regulations for small businesses and to reduce taxes, as well as use earnings of the $8.4 billion Legacy Fund oil tax savings for tax reform or infrastructure needs or other uses to benefit taxpayers or the state's future.

Heilman plans to major in accounting at North Dakota State University. His priorities are boosting medical freedom, including opposing vaccination mandates, and advancing patriotic education, or "teaching our great history, our traditions and our love of country." He said he didn't see those elements displayed in his recent education.

Mattern is running to be representative of working parents, a perspective she said she doesn't see in the Legislature.

If elected she would focus on "making life better for my neighbors," including economic opportunities for people and businesses to ensure their communities grow and stay attractive.

Departing Sen. Nicole Poolman, R-Bismarck, noted, "I do feel civility and respect slipping even here in North Dakota, some days even in the Legislature," when she announced last fall she would not run for reelection so she could spend more time with her family and students.

Dockter said the Legislature has been "very divisive" in recent years, and lawmakers need to find a common goal and resolve differences, being at "a tipping point." Divisive politics have kept good people from running for office, he said.

Heilman acknowledged a divisiveness in the Legislature, and said he intends to work with fellow lawmakers if elected. Culture war issues aren't interfering with lawmakers' work but have a role within the Legislature, he said.

Mattern said she's seen "a decline overall in our communications and in our interactions within the political area," such as district parties' reorganization conventions. She said she remembers to assume others have good intentions, to treat others with respect, and to control her actions and reactions.

District 47 House

District 47 Republican voters have a four-way House race for two nominations for November.

Rep. George Keiser, R-Bismarck, died Dec. 22 at 75 after a battle with Lou Gehrig's disease. The party in January appointed Robb Eckert to serve out the remaining months of his term. Eckert is not running.

The party endorsed incumbent Rep. Lawrence Klemin and North Dakota Gaming Alliance Executive Director Mike Motschenbacher. Banker Kevin Strege and retired salesman Dean Summers also are running.

Klemin is an attorney who was first elected in 1998 and is seeking another term to continue his work. He cites his expertise in leadership positions and legislating, including his sponsorship of more than 350 bills, and his skills analyzing and drafting legislation.

Major issues Klemin said he's supported and will continue to back are public safety, including juvenile justice and criminal justice reforms; avoiding "unnecessarily strict regulatory requirements" on the energy industry; and examining how the Legislature could help to lower local property taxes.

Motschenbacher, who worked 25 of 29 years at Expressway Inn and Suites as general manager, said he'd seek to bring new ideas to the Legislature and unify Republicans. He cites his business and lobbying experience for his candidacy.

His focuses would be to permanently reduce property taxes and explore what opportunity there is to eliminate income tax, as well as support the coal and oil industries, given the jobs and significant state revenue each provides, respectively.

Strege, who has 30 years in banking and has served on many nonprofit and community boards, said he thinks his business and financial perspective would benefit the Legislature.

His focus would be "bringing rational thought" to a seat in the House. He cited "a high level of frustration among the voters over the way the process has worked, and we need more people willing to focus on the substance."

Summers said his experience working in sales and marketing for 30-some years, including the pharmaceutical industry and the oil field, makes him "well rounded" for the Legislature.

His priority for office is "fiscal responsibility, spending no more money than absolutely necessary on projects." He said he's seen "sometimes superfluous use" of taxpayer money.

Klemin said the Legislature has "some level of incivility, if you will, but I think that's naturally going to happen when you have a lot of people who are of different minds about certain things." He noted there are legislative rules for debate, which he as speaker had to remind representatives of in 2019.

Motschenbacher said he's seen "behavior which I don't agree with" in the Legislature, and he intends to be respectful but prepared to have a thick skin if elected. He said he plans to back up his votes with facts rather than ideology, and would like to hold monthly meetings with constituents.

Strege said divisiveness within the dominant Republican Party has distracted from the business of the state, though he is "enthused by the quality of first-time candidates across the state, which I'm hopeful can turn the tide."

Summers said he doesn't view civility as a problem in the Legislature, saying his interactions with lawmakers have been courteous, and that people have a right to their opinions, which others should listen to respectfully.

Reach Jack Dura at 701-250-8225 or jack.dura@bismarcktribune.com.

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Four allied countries are working on a new high-tech method of cracking down on illegal fishing, one of the Asia-Pacific region's biggest issues at sea. The initiative would hold violators accountable and draw countries together for the cause.

The satellite-based surveillance proposed by leaders of the Quad countries  Australia, India, Japan and the United States  would focus on China, the region's biggest fishing nation, and Beijing is already upset.

On May 24, the Quad  formally the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue  launched its Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness to monitor unregulated fishing in the territorial waters of multiple coastal states.

Its initiative will use satellite technology to connect existing maritime surveillance centers and create a tracking system for illegal fishing. It would watch waters around Southeast Asia and into the South Pacific, both places where Chinese fishing fleets commonly trawl. The White House says the initiative will look for vessels whose transponder systems are switched off to avoid detection.

"I'm almost certain that (China will) be pointing to these kinds of plans as again more indications of the U.S. taking on an anti-China kind of stance," said Herman Kraft, a political science professor at University of the Philippines at Diliman.

China has already voiced its opposition.

"The Quad hypes up and incites a so-called 'China threat' and sows discord between regional countries and China," said Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in Washington. "This is deliberately provoking confrontation and undermining international solidarity and cooperation. China firmly opposes this."

The Quad will need help from other countries in setting up the surveillance system, Kraft said. Taiwan has expressed interest in joining, and Southeast Asian states may follow, some analysts say.

Fishing half a world from home

China's deep-water fishing fleet, which is the world's largest and still growing, comprises about 17,000 boats, the think tank ODI said in 2020. At least 183 vessels are suspected of illegal or unregulated activity, according to ODI.

Chinese fishing vessels working in the South China Sea have formed an armed fishing militia, observers say, able to help defend disputed island claims in the 3.5 million-square-kilometer waterway.

Illegal overfishing in the Pacific as far east as Hawaii has hurt the economies of island nations, Radio Free Asia reported in April 2021.

Chinese officials resent the Quad's surveillance because it will spotlight illegal acts and let others "call them out," said Malcolm Davis, senior analyst in defense strategy and capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Canberra.

Success in spotting an illegal fishing vessel by satellite would allow countries that discover illegal fishing to track a vessel back to port rather than using coast guard resources to chase it, said Gregory Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Singapore or the Philippines, for example, could track units of the South China Sea fishing militia effectively and at relatively low cost, Poling said.

Once a boat is tracked from illegal fishing grounds to a port, governments can identify the vessel's owner.

China has mounted its own satellite-based sea surveillance system over the past few years, Poling said, and it can do little to counter the Quad's surveillance of its fishing fleets.

"It can complain about this, but what's it going complain about? That it has the right to illegally fish wherever it wants?" Poling said. "That's a bad play."

China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs this year announced its own fishing moratoriums in parts of the high seas, including the international waters of the north Indian Ocean, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported May 25.

Officials in Beijing will respond foremost to the Quad's initiative by increasing verbal pressure on Quad countries, Davis predicted.

"There's not much they (China) can do, but they can say a lot, so they'll put a lot of coercive pressure on the Quad members," he said. "But really, the Quad members aren't going to be coerced."
It is the new gold rush, and China is leading the hunt as prices surge. Only it's not gold everyone's looking for, it's lithium. Many say the future of electric vehicle production and, more broadly, combatting climate change, depend on the rare metal.

Prices for the "green metal" have seen an almost 500% increase in the past year, according to Bloomberg.

Sung Choi, a metals analyst at BloombergNEF, told VOA, "The cost of lithium has risen because virtually all automakers have jumped onto producing electric vehicles."

Electric car tsar and Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted that the "insane" costs meant "Tesla might actually have to get into the mining & refining directly at scale."

That is exactly what China has been doing, and its companies are looking to make sure they don't run out of the metal needed to make lithium-ion batteries  which China, which has the largest EV market in the world, produces 80% of globally.

While more than half of global lithium resources are in South America and Australia, China is scouring the world for new sources of the metal, including in the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau and elsewhere, but increasingly in Africa.

"Africa has recently been in the spotlight with its ample resources in metals," Choi said.

Shenzen-headquartered Chinese conglomerate BYD is in talks to buy six new lithium mines in unspecified African countries, Reuters reported, citing Shanghai government supported publication The Paper. Repeated emails to the company from VOA requesting details of the deals went unanswered.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chinese mining giant Zijin is in a legal battle with Australia's AVZ minerals over control of the Manono mine  possibly the world's biggest lithium deposit  in the resource-rich country's east.

In Zimbabwe, too, home to large untapped deposits of the resource, China is buying up mines. In a major deal, Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt is investing $300 million in its recently purchased Arcadia Lithium mine outside Harare, according to Reuters. The money will be used to construct a plant with a processing capacity of 400,000 metric tons of lithium concentrate a year.

Shenzhen Chengxin Lithium Group and Sinomine Resource Group are just two of the other companies that have invested in lithium in Zimbabwe in the past year.

The Zimbabwean government has welcomed the investment. Spokeswoman Monica Mutsvangwa told VOA via WhatsApp that the economically unstable country, which is under Western sanctions, plans to rebrand itself as a major player in "the blooming lithium sector."

"We aim to fill the vacuum being created by the displacement of fossil fuel engines by electric batteries," she said.

In an apparent reference to the West, she added in an email to VOA, "The battery storage industry of the ushering New Electric Vehicle Era has shunted you by the wayside  Triple digit figures in the mergers and acquisition of Arcadia Lithium, Buhera Lithium deposits and Bikita Minerals have shunted you aside."

Joe Lowry, founder of advisory firm Global Lithium, told VOA that Western lithium producers had been taken by surprise regarding the growth of the EV industry and therefore the rush for lithium.

"Lithium has been a tiny niche market for 7 decades. The global market for lithium chemicals didn't reach a billion dollars until 2015. The industry was not prepared for electrification of transportation," he said by email.

"You can build a huge battery factory like Tesla does in a couple years. It takes up to ten years to bring a fully integrated lithium chemicals project online," he said.

Meanwhile, "Chinese producers invested ahead of the curve in resources outside China  (and) are looking at Africa," Lowry said.

The U.S., too, knows the importance of Africa. General Stephen Townsend, AFRICOM commander, told the House Appropriations Committee in April, "Africa possesses vast untapped energy deposits  (needed to) transition to clean energy, including mobile phones, jet engines, electric hybrid vehicles and missile guidance systems."

"The winners and losers of the 21st century global economy may be determined by whether these resources are available in an open and transparent marketplace or are inaccessible due to predatory practices of competitors," he added.

And while some of the key components for EVs come from Africa, the market for the finished product  made overseas  is still minuscule on the continent. The mines provide jobs, but critics say locals don't see enough trickle-down from the multimillion-dollar projects.

Last year, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi said that people living in areas with mines were "still languishing in misery," while foreign multinationals prospered. He has launched a review of his predecessor's "minerals-for-infrastructure" contracts with Chinese mining companies.
Fighting raged in two key eastern Ukrainian cities on the 100th day of Russia's war, with both Moscow and Kiev claiming progress on the battlefront.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Russian troops have succeeded in their main stated task of "protecting civilians" in the separatist-controlled areas in eastern Ukraine.

He added that Russian forces have "liberated" parts of Ukraine and that "this work will continue until all the goals of the special military operation are achieved."

Russian forces have been trying to encircle the cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk in Ukraine's eastern Luhansk province.

The Ukrainian head of the Luhansk region, Serhiy Gaidai, told national television Friday that Ukraine had recaptured a large piece of territory in Sievierodonetsk. He said Ukrainian troops had retaken about 20% of the ground they had previously lost to the Russians.

Gaidai said that Russian troops are making advances only with heavy artillery, and that once Ukraine has enough Western long-range weapons, it will be able to force the Russians to retreat.

The United States and Britain pledged this week to send Ukraine advanced missile systems. Ukraine's Defense Ministry said Friday that soldiers had already begun training in Europe to operate the weapons.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address Friday, "We have defended Ukraine for 100 days already," adding, "Victory will be ours."

In a statement Friday about the 100th day of the invasion, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, The conflict has already taken thousands of lives, caused untold destruction, displaced millions of people, resulted in unacceptable violations of human rights and is inflaming a three-dimensional global crisis  food, energy and finance  that is pummeling the most vulnerable people, countries and economies.

Guterres said, The sooner the parties engage in good-faith diplomatic efforts to end this war, the better for the sake of Ukraine, Russia and the world. The United Nations stands ready to support all such efforts.

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
A wildfire whipped by gale-force winds blazed through vegetation in a southern suburb of Athens on Saturday, fire authorities said, forcing residents to evacuate and damaging about 20 properties.

The Greek Civil Protection agency issued an emergency appeal for people to leave Ano Voula as the flames reached homes.

Officials reported no casualties, but four more neighborhoods were evacuated as the wind changed direction and drove the fire toward the town of Vari, Grigoris Konstantelos, the mayor of Voula, told Skai TV.

Kostantelos said about 20 houses were damaged.

Six water-bombing airplanes, three helicopters and municipal water tankers supported dozens of firefighters with 20 fire engines.

"The situation is very difficult, and the wind does not help," said Giannis Konstantatos, mayor of Ellinikon-Argiroupoli, a neighboring municipality.

"The atmosphere is suffocating, we have difficulty breathing," he told Athens News Agency.

Later in the day, the Fire Brigade told AFP that the wind has dropped a bit and they are hopeful the fire will slow its pace.

Giorgos Papanikolaou, the mayor of Glyfada, where the fire first broke out, said it began at a high voltage electricity power station, according to the agency.

Later in the afternoon, a second fire broke out near Athens, in the village of Kouvaras, but residential areas were not under threat.

Last summer, Greece's most severe heat wave in decades saw fires destroy more than 100,000 hectares of forest and farmland, the country's worst wildfire damage since 2007.

More than 200 firefighters and technical equipment provided by European Union countries will be soon deployed to Greece to help boost the battle against large wildfires.

Bulgaria, Finland, France, Germany, Romania and Norway will take part in the deployment, coordinated by the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sent a message of congratulations to Queen Elizabeth, the reclusive state's foreign ministry said, as Britain celebrates her Platinum Jubilee.

Friday marked the second of four days of pomp, parties and parades to celebrate the 96-year-old monarch's record-breaking 70 years on the throne.

"I extend my congratulations to you and your people on the occasion of the National Day of your country, the official birthday of Your Majesty," Kim said in a message dated June 2.

Britain and North Korea established diplomatic relations in 2000.

North Korea is one of the few countries that the queen, who is also head of state of 14 other nations including Australia, Canada and New Zealand, has never visited during her long reign.

She has however paid a state visit to South Korea.
For some Afghans who were evacuated as their country fell to the Taliban last summer, the journey to the United States has stalled, and perhaps ended, at a sun-baked cluster of tents and temporary housing on an American base in the Balkans.

While more than 78,000 Afghans have arrived in the U.S. for resettlement since August, the future for those who have been flagged for additional security vetting and diverted to Camp Bondsteel, in the small nation of Kosovo, remains up in the air. The U.S. won't force the dozens there to return to Afghanistan, where they could face reprisals.

Their frustration is growing. Some Afghans at the base, which has been shrouded in secrecy, took the unusual step this week of staging a protest, holding up signs with messages such as "we want justice," according to photos sent to The Associated Press.

"They just keep repeating the same things, that it takes time and we must be patient," one of the Afghans, Muhammad Arif Sarwari, said in a text message from the base.

Their complaints open a window into an aspect of the evacuation and resettlement of Afghans that has gotten little attention because U.S. authorities, and the government of Kosovo, have been reluctant to say much about the people sent to Bondsteel.

The base houses a mix of adults and children, because some of the people who have so far failed to get a visa to the U.S. are traveling with family. Sarwari, a former senior intelligence official with the Afghan government, said there are about 45 people there, representing about 20 or so individual visa cases, after a flight to the U.S. left with 27 of the refugees on Wednesday.

The Biden administration won't provide details, but acknowledges that some of the evacuees did not make it through what it calls a "a multi-layered, rigorous screening and vetting process" and won't be permitted to enter the U.S.

"While the vast majority of Afghan evacuees have been cleared through this process, the small number of individuals who have been denied are examples of the system working exactly as it should," said Sean Savett, a spokesman for the National Security Council.

In all, about 600 Afghans have passed through Bondsteel, according to the government of Kosovo, which initially authorized use of the base for evacuees for a year but recently agreed to extend that until August 2023.

Kosovo, which gained independence from Serbia in 2008 with U.S. support, has also provided little information about the Afghans at Bondsteel, citing the privacy of the refugees. Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a statement that the government is proud of its role providing temporary shelter to them.

Afghans are housed in a section of Bondsteel called Camp Liya, named for an Afghan child handed to the U.S. Marines over a fence at the Hamid Karzai International Airport during the evacuation, according to a U.S. military publication.

It was the chaotic nature of that evacuation that led to the need for an overseas facility in the first place. As the Afghan government collapsed, thousands of people made it onto military transport planes with minimal screening before they arrived at one of several overseas transit points.

The people sent to Bondsteel were stopped and diverted for a host of reasons, including missing or flawed documents or security concerns that emerged during overseas vetting by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, officials have said.

At the same time, some in Congress have criticized the administration for what they say has been inadequate vetting of Afghan refugees.

Sarwari made it to Kuwait from Afghanistan in early September with his wife and two of his daughters and says he doesn't know why he's been held up. He was a prominent figure in Afghanistan, serving as the former director of intelligence after the U.S. invasion in 2001. Before that, he was a top official with the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance.

Both positions would make him a target of the Taliban if he were to return.

"The vetting team keeps telling us sorry, Washington is just deciding some political issues," he said.

Sarwari has applied for a special immigrant visa, which is issued to people who worked for the U.S. government or its allies during the war. He has not received a response, according to his lawyer, Julie Sirrs.

"In theory, he is free to leave but it's not clear where he could go," Sirrs said. "He obviously cannot return to Afghanistan. He's clearly in danger if he returns."

He and others live a circumscribed existence on Bondsteel. Although technically not detained, they cannot leave the arid, rocky base and have spent months in tents, which were adorned with handwritten signs during this week's protest. One said "unfair decision," while another said "children are suffering."

The Biden administration says authorities have determined that some  it won't say how many  simply cannot be allowed to enter the U.S. It is working to find other countries that don't harbor the same security concerns and are willing to accept them for resettlement. No one will be forcibly returned to Afghanistan, the NSC spokesperson said.
Taiwan marked the 33rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre in China with a candlelight vigil Saturday evening, where a three-meter-tall replica of the Pillar of Shame statue was unveiled to commemorate those in Beijing who died while fighting for Chinas democracy in 1989.

Hundreds of people attended the memorial held in Taipeis Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall  the only such event in the Chinese-speaking world after authorities in Hong Kong banned the citys once-annual vigil in its Victoria Park for three consecutive years and ordered the original statues demolition in December 2021.

The ban is seen as part of the Hong Kong governments move to snuff out political dissent and a sign that Hong Kong is losing its freedoms with Beijing tightening its grip over the semi-autonomous city.

Taiwanese keep the memory alive

The vigil in Taipei, themed The World Supports Freedom, not only showcases Taiwan as a free and democratic country, but also highlights a sense of urgency and relevancy for Taiwanese to speak up against Chinas expanding suppression, says Tseng Chien-yuan, chairman of New School for Democracy, one of 23 civic groups in Taipei that organized Saturdays vigil.

Taipei is the city where Chinas military jets keep hovering around  the very same regime that brutally cracked down on protesters on June 4th, 1989, and mass protests in Hong Kong. If those of us in Taipei wont exercise our rights in a sovereign state and democratic society to speak up against the massacre, how can we Taiwanese expect to keep our freedoms and democratic lives? Or how can we expect support from other countries should China one day invade Taiwan? Tseng told VOA at the sideline of the vigil.

He said that Beijings Tiananmen protests had inspired Taiwans student movements in 1990, which paved the way for the islands transition toward full democracy.

And today, China should look to Taiwan as a role model to give up its authoritarian one-party rule and usher in democratization, he added.

Saturdays vigil attracted many like-minded people, who call for efforts to keep the memory of the deadly crackdown alive and urge Beijing to redress its own wrongdoing in crushing the pro-democracy movement three decades ago.

Among them is Leslie Liao, a 28-year-old student from China, who is studying sociology in Taipei.

China bans commemoration

Liao said many of her peers in China are unaware of the historical event, which killed hundreds of students, if not thousands, in Beijing.

She added that she was overwhelmed to see a memorial in Taipei.

This is a piece of history, that belongs to a place [in China] where public commemoration is not allowed. That fact that such a memorial can only be held in another place [in Taipei] is just so absurd that it is beyond me, Liao told VOA from the Taipei memorial after she placed flowers and paid tribute to victims of the massacre.

She said that she hopes to see wrongs associated with the massacre be righted one day.

For years, the Communist Party has tried to repress memories of the brutal massacre, what is thought to be one of the bloodiest political crackdowns in modern history. Beijing has buried news about the protests across China and even gone to lengths to put those trying to commemorate the event behind bars, said Chinese historian and participant in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, Wu Renhua.

A Wuhan, China-based political dissident, who survived the massacre in 1989, told VOA on the condition of anonymity for fear of personal safety that he is happy to see Taipei pick up the torch, carrying on the legacy of the June 4 movement.

I hope the candlelight from Victoria Park [in Hong Kong] can keep shining in Taipeis Liberty Square until the authoritarian regime collapse[s]. Weve seen such signs. Freedoms and democracy will happen to the Chinese people, he said.

Redress wrongs on massacre

Fang Zheng, a student protester whose legs were both amputated after being run over by a tank during the crackdown, agreed.

Now that the torch in Hong Kong is out, it becomes all the more important for Taipei to help keep the memory alive. Taiwans democracy sets a very good example for China, Fang, who now lives in the U.S., told VOA over the phone.

Kacey Wong, an artist from Hong Kong, who is now in self-imposed exile in Taiwan, said its important that people in Taiwan care and identify with the ideals that student protesters in 1989 fought for  a form of what he calls civic nationalism.

They were there because they believed in freedom and democracy. They were there because they were standing up for it and they're there because of the duty. So, Taiwan right now is free. And we have a duty to care for people of Xinjian, to care for people of Tibet and to care for people of Hong Kong, because if we don't, there's nobody left to care for us when the big red giant charges into our continent, Kacey Wong told VOA from his protest artwork, which is on display at the memorial site in Taipei.

International awareness

It is as much Taiwans duty as the worlds to urge China to pursue democracy, said B. K. Hsieh, a 36-year-old citizen of Taipei, who attended the vigil.

I think China will turn a blind eye to us. But the event can raise the awareness internationally, forming a force to pressure China. Democracy is important and a universal value, which no modern countries should resist against the times, Hsieh told VOA in the area of the vigil.

In additional to the memorial in Taipei, more than 50 former leaders of the student movement, including Wang Dan have put on an exhibition in New York, documenting the 1989 protests.

They also plan to rebuild the June 4 Museum in the U.S. after the one in Hong Kong was closed last year.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba chastised French President Emmanuel Macron, who earlier urged world powers not to humiliate" Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine in order to preserve chances for a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

Calls to avoid humiliation of Russia can only humiliate France and every other country that would call for it. Because it is Russia that humiliates itself, Kuleba tweeted Saturday. We all better focus on how to put Russia in its place. This will bring peace and save lives."

We must not humiliate Russia so that the day when the fighting stops, we can build an exit ramp through diplomatic means, Macron said in a Friday interview with regional media, adding that France would play a key mediating role.

I think, and I have told him, that he has made a historic and fundamental mistake for his people, for himself and for history, Macron said. I think he isolated himself. Taking refuge in isolation is one thing, but finding a way out is a difficult thing.

Macron has sought to maintain a dialogue with Russian President Putin since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February. His stance has been repeatedly criticized by some eastern and Baltic partners in Europe, as they see it as undermining efforts to pressure Putin to the negotiating table.

Macron has spoken with Putin regularly since the invasion as part of efforts to achieve a cease-fire and begin a credible negotiation between Kyiv and Moscow.



France has supported Ukraine militarily and financially, but until now, Macron has not been to Kyiv to offer symbolic political support like other EU leaders, something Ukraine has wanted him to do. Macron said he had not ruled out a visit.



In a television broadcast earlier Saturday, Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai said Russian forces were blowing up bridges across the Seversky Donets River to prevent Ukraine from bringing in military reinforcements and delivering aid to civilians in the town of Sievierodonetsk.



Haidai said the Ukrainian military was continuing to hold its positions inside Sievierodonetsk and was pushing back Russian forces in several locations.

They are moving forward step-by-step. They are simply destroying everything with artillery, aircraft, mortars, tanks, Londons Guardian newspaper quoted Haidai as saying. But as soon as we have enough Western long-range weapons, we will push their artillery away from our positions. And then, believe me, the Russian infantry, they will just run.



Ukraines military said Russia had reinforced its troops and was using artillery to conduct "assault operations in the city, which has been bombarded by Moscow's forces for weeks.



"The enemy is undertaking attacks on the city of Sievierodonetsk with artillery support, it has strengthened its troops with the mobile reserves of the Second Army Corps, the fighting in the city continues," the Ukrainian military said Saturday, as quoted by RFE/RL.



But it added that Russian forces had retreated after failed attempts to advance in the nearby town of Bakhmut, and after they had cut off access to Sievierodonetsk.



In its regular intelligence update Saturday, Britain's Defense Ministry said Russian air activity remains high over Ukraine's Donbas region, with Russian aircraft conducting strikes using both guided and unguided munitions.



Russias inability to suppress or destroy Ukrainian strategic air defense systems in the opening days of the conflict limited its ability to provide tactical air support to ground maneuver elements, contributing to the failure to advance on Kyiv, it said.



The ministry said that consequently, Russia has restricted its air activity to deep strikes using air and surface launched cruise missiles to disrupt Ukrainian troop and supply movement, but those have had no meaningful impact on the conflict, and Russian stocks of precision-guided missiles are likely significantly depleted.



"The increased use of unguided munitions has led to the widespread destruction of built-up areas in the Donbas and has almost certainly caused substantial collateral damage and civilian casualties," it added.



British intelligence estimates that Russia now controls more than 90% of the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine and is likely to gain complete control of the region in the next two weeks.

Some information from Reuters was used in this report.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday paid tribute to the pro-democracy student protesters crushed by Chinese forces in Tiananmen Square 33 years ago, saying that "these brave individuals will not be forgotten."

The statement by the top U.S. diplomat came after police in Hong Kong on Friday closed parts of the park where annual candlelit vigils were held to commemorate victims of the 1989 clampdown, when soldiers brutally quashed peaceful demonstrations in Beijing demanding political and economic reform.

"Today, the struggle for democracy and freedom continues to echo in Hong Kong, where the annual vigil to commemorate the massacre in Tiananmen Square was banned by the PRC and Hong Kong authorities in an attempt to suppress the memories of that day," Blinken said in a statement, using the acronym for the People's Republic of China.

"We will continue to speak out and promote accountability for PRC atrocities and human rights abuses, including those in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet," Blinken said.

"To the people of China and to those who continue to stand against injustice and seek freedom, we will not forget June 4."

Public commemorations of Tiananmen are all but forbidden in mainland China.

Semi-autonomous Hong Kong had been the one place in the country where large-scale remembrance was still tolerated -- until Beijing imposed a wide-reaching national security law two years ago, in reaction to citywide pro-democracy protests.

The imposition of the security law has swiftly driven Tiananmen commemoration underground.

Vigils will be held globally Saturday to commemorate the crackdown in which an unknown number of peaceful protesters were killed, with rights group Amnesty International coordinating candlelit ones in 20 cities "to demand justice and show solidarity for Hong Kong.
The owners of the Cherry Blossom Spa were arrested Friday on suspicion of promoting prostitution after a police raid on the north Bismarck business.

David Coble, 54, and his wife, Yanhong Liu Coble, 48, both of Bismarck, were arrested for allegedly promoting prostitution. Formal charges weren't immediately filed, and it wasn't clear if the couple had an attorney representing them.

Police detectives conducted a human trafficking investigation into the spa after receiving complaints that sexual acts were being offered during massages, according to department spokeswoman Officer Lynn Wanner. Officers executed a search warrant Friday morning and arrested the owners. The Cobles were jailed at the Burleigh Morton Detention Center.

Police said services were provided to two victims, and that the case remains under investigation.

The raid is the second at a Bismarck spa in recent years.

Authorities raided the Hong Kong Spa in south Bismarck in September 2020 after reports that massage therapists there were offering sexual acts to customers in exchange for tips.

Owner Craig Grorud, of Bismarck, was charged with felony facilitating prostitution and ultimately pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of misdemeanor promoting prostitution. Lance Jacobson, 65, and Jiang Jennings, 57, both of Hanover Park, Illinois, pleaded guilty to facilitating prostitution, and charges of human trafficking were dismissed. All three suspects got two years of probation.

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Global reported cases of COVID-19 cases and deaths are near their lowest levels since the beginning of the pandemic, the World Health Organization director-general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said Friday.

Speaking at the GLOBSEC Bratislava Forum, Tedros warned, however, that It is still far too early to say the pandemic is over. ... Increasing transmission, plus decreasing testing and sequencing, plus 1 billion people still unvaccinated, equals a dangerous situation.

There remains a real and present danger, the WHO chief said, of a new and more virulent variant emerging that evades our vaccines.

Meanwhile, Indias health ministry reported a slight dip in COVID-19 cases Saturday, with 3,962 new cases. On Friday, however, the daily count crossed 4,000 for the first time in about three months.

Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center has recorded more than 43 million COVID cases in India with over 500,000 deaths.

The global COVID infection toll is more than 531 million with 6.3 million deaths, according to Johns Hopkins. The center reported a total of 11.66 billion vaccines administered.
OSUN, NIGERIA 

As health authorities in Europe and elsewhere roll out vaccines and drugs to stamp out the biggest monkeypox outbreak beyond Africa, some doctors acknowledge an ugly reality: The resources to slow the disease's spread have long been available, just not to the Africans who have dealt with it for decades.

Countries including Britain, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, the United States, Israel and Australia have reported more than 500 monkeypox cases, many apparently tied to sexual activity at two recent raves in Europe. No deaths have been reported.

Authorities in numerous European countries and the U.S. are offering to immunize people and considering the use of antivirals. On Thursday, the World Health Organization will convene a special meeting to discuss monkeypox research priorities and related issues.

Meanwhile, the African continent has reported about three times as many cases this year.

There have been more than 1,400 monkeypox cases and 63 deaths in four countries where the disease is endemic  Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo and Nigeria  according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So far, sequencing has not yet shown any direct link to the outbreak outside Africa, health officials say.

Monkeypox is in the same family of viruses as smallpox, and smallpox vaccines are estimated to be about 85% effective against monkeypox, according to WHO.

Since identifying cases earlier this month, Britain has vaccinated more than 1,000 people at risk of contracting the virus and bought 20,000 more doses. European Union officials are in talks to buy more smallpox vaccine from Bavarian Nordic, the maker of the only such vaccine licensed in Europe.

U.S. government officials have released about 700 doses of vaccine to states where cases were reported.

Such measures aren't routinely employed in Africa.

Dr. Adesola Yinka-Ogunleye, who leads Nigeria's monkeypox working group, said there are currently no vaccines or antivirals being used against monkeypox in her country. People suspected of having monkeypox are isolated and treated conservatively, while their contacts are monitored, she said.

Generally, Africa has only had "small stockpiles" of smallpox vaccine to offer health workers when monkeypox outbreaks happen, said Ahmed Ogwell, acting director of the Africa CDC.

Limited vaccine supply and competing health priorities have meant that immunization against monkeypox hasn't been widely pursued in Africa, said Dr. Jimmy Whitworth, a professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

"It's a bit uncomfortable that we have a different attitude to the kinds of resources we deploy depending on where cases are," he said. "It exposes a moral failing when those interventions aren't available for the millions of people in Africa who need them."

WHO has 31 million doses of smallpox vaccines, mostly kept in donor countries and intended as a rapid response to any re-emergence of the disease, which was declared eradicated in 1980.

Doses from the U.N. health agency's stockpile have never been released for any monkeypox outbreaks in central or western Africa.

Dr. Mike Ryan, WHO's emergencies chief, said the agency was considering allowing rich countries to use the smallpox vaccines to try to limit the spread of monkeypox. WHO manages similar mechanisms to help poor countries get vaccines for diseases like yellow fever and meningitis, but such efforts have not been previously used for countries that can otherwise afford shots.

Oyewale Tomori, a Nigerian virologist who sits on several WHO advisory boards, said releasing smallpox vaccines from the agency's stockpile to stop monkeypox from becoming endemic in richer countries might be warranted, but he noted a discrepancy in WHO's strategy.

"A similar approach should have been adopted a long time ago to deal with the situation in Africa," he said. "This is another example of where some countries are more equal than others."

Some doctors pointed out that stalled efforts to understand monkeypox were now complicating efforts to treat patients. Most people experience symptoms including fever, chills and fatigue. But those with more serious disease often develop a rash on their face or hands that spreads elsewhere.

Dr. Hugh Adler and colleagues recently published a paper suggesting the antiviral drug tecovirimat could help fight monkeypox. The drug, approved in the U.S. to treat smallpox, was used in seven people infected with monkeypox in the U.K. from 2018 to 2021, but more details are needed for regulatory approval.

"If we had thought about getting this data before, we wouldn't be in this situation now where we have a potential treatment without enough evidence," said Adler, a research fellow at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

Many diseases only attracted significant money after infecting people from rich countries, he noted.

For example, it was only after the catastrophic Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014-2016  when several Americans were sickened by the disease among the more than 28,000 cases in Africa  that authorities finally sped up the research and protocols to license an Ebola vaccine, capping a decades-long effort.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, WHO's Ryan said the agency was worried about the continued spread of monkeypox in rich countries and was evaluating how it could help stem the disease's transmission there.

"I certainly didn't hear that same level of concern over the last five or 10 years," he said, referring to the repeated epidemics of monkeypox in Africa, when thousands of people in the continent's central and western parts were sickened by the disease.

Jay Chudi, a development expert who lives in the Nigerian state of Enugu, which has reported monkeypox cases since 2017, hopes the increased attention might finally help address the problem. But he nevertheless lamented that it took infections in rich countries for it to seem possible.

"You would think the new cases are deadlier and more dangerous than what we have in Africa," he said. "We are now seeing it can end once and for all, but because it is no longer just in Africa. It's now everybody is worried."
Average global smoking rates have fallen over the past 12 years with the proportion of people aged 15 or older who smoke declining from 22.6% in 2007 to 19.6% in 2019.

However, tobacco use still poses a significant health, economic and social burden worldwide. In fact, some countries  mostly in Africa  are experiencing increases in smoking prevalence. The latest Tobacco Atlas shows that, globally, 1.13 billion people were current smokers in 2019. And 8.67 million deaths were attributable to tobacco smoking.

The Tobacco Atlas  a partnership between Vital Strategies and Tobacconomics at the University of Illinois Chicago  is a free online resource that examines the nature and magnitude of the tobacco epidemic.

Tobacco use also presents a sizeable economic burden. This includes the cost of treating tobacco-related diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and ischaemic heart disease, as well as the productivity losses from premature illness and death. Globally, the total economic cost of smoking amounts to more than US$ 1.4 trillion a year  equal to about 1.8% of the worlds annual gross domestic product (GDP).

Africa currently has the lowest smoking prevalence rates in the world. But number of smokers in Africa is projected to increase  the region has been flagged as the future epicentre of the tobacco epidemic because of rapid population growth, and intensive marketing efforts by the tobacco industry.

Because of the delay between smoking and the onset of illness and death, this means that the number of African people who will die each year from tobacco-related diseases is likely to increase. The costs of treating smoking-related diseases will correspondingly become an increasingly significant economic burden in these countries.

It is, however, possible to avert this. Key steps include introducing strong prevention policies.

Tobacco kills half of its long-term users. Hence, the tobacco industrys survival depends on getting young people addicted to tobacco products. Traditional advertising and promotion of tobacco products has been banned in most African countries. But the tobacco industry has developed novel ways of keeping its products in the public eye.

In Zimbabwe, for example, China Tobacco set up the China Tobacco Ma Bo Hope Primary School in 2019. In this way, the industry is using corporate social responsibility to gain legitimacy, build public trust, and further its business interests. From building schools to funding scholarships, tobacco companies use these publicised acts of goodwill to gain influence with governments and try to mute life-saving tobacco control policies.

One way for governments to fight back is through the use of counter-advertising campaigns that educate young people about the tactics the industry uses to target them. This can be done through mass marketing campaigns on the harms of tobacco use and through the introduction of plain packaging and graphic health warnings on tobacco packs.

These tools are under-used in Africa. Between 2018 and 2020, only 15 African countries ran at least one mass media campaign about the harms of tobacco use. And not a single African country has laws that mandate plain packaging.

Taxation is another possible line of attack. Research shows that tobacco taxation is effective in reducing smoking, especially among young people.

This is particularly true for young people in low to middle income countries. Global-level studies show that young people in these countries are more responsive to cigarette price changes than their counterparts in high-income countries.

The policy implication for African countries is that excise taxes should be increased to reduce smoking among young people. This would go a long way to preventing the onset of the epidemic.

But, as, the Tobacco Atlas highlights, African countries have the weakest tobacco excise tax policies in the world.

Tobacco control policy can be used in two ways:

to discourage people from ever starting to smoke

to help smokers quit or reduce their tobacco consumption.

The recommended policies for both prevention and cessation strategies are similar (increasing tobacco taxes). But their cost-effectiveness is different.

The most important benefit of prevention is that costs of smoking are avoided altogether, and better health is good for economic performance immediately. The benefits of cessation are essentially the reduction in costs attached to current and future tobacco use.

African governments need to see this distinction. Policy makers in the region dont appear to appreciate the opportunity they have to save their populations and economies from the negative consequences of tobacco use. The time to act is now
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San Pedro La Laguna, Solola, Guatemala (131.9 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / 2-5 s : Seated in chair in living room. Heard rmbling, then the entire house shook for a few seconds; the ceiling vibrated from side to side.

Quetzaltenango (80.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s : Estaba en un restaurante almorzando feliz tarde que Dios nos libre de todo peligro desde Quetzaltenando,GuatemalaCA.

Antigua, guatamala (89 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Sitting on a bench of the second floor of Antigua Brewing Company in Antigua, Guatamala. Noticed light fixtures swaying slightly and felt back and forth movement before motion passed. Also heard sounds similar to a truck passing by.

San Pedro La Laguna, Solola (65.4 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Felt like building was being pushed one way then the other. If I'd been standing, I might have lost footing. Made me feel slightly dizzy, even during down.

Santa Maria, Municipio de Santa Maria de Jesus, Sacatepequez (87.1 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Guatemala (111.6 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Antigua (88.7 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I was sit and felt the vibrationd

Guatemala (113.8 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Guatemala (115.5 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : Movimiento leve

Guatemala (106.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Guatemala (106 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s : Se sintieron como ondas

San Marcos la Laguna, Solola, Guatemala / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 30-60 s

Jocotenango Guatemala / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s Mild side to side swaying motion (reported through (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Tzuzuna Lake Atitlan / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / very short : Light shaking

Villa Nueva, Guatemala / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 2-5 s

San Pedro la laguna / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Villa nueva / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Movimiento suave

Lake Atitlan, Solola / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Light shaking. I was ready to run outside as it felt strong, but then it stopped

Santa Lucia / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : medium-Light Shaking

Quetzaltenango / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

San Pedro Sacatepequez, San Marcos / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 10-15 s
Tonka and friend for the premiere of Buddy. Photo: SGranitz/WireImage

Update, June 6, 4:13 p.m.: Alan Cumming, who lent his celebrity to the search for Tonka, has given an official statement through PETA on the news of Tonkas rescue: I feel so emotional about this great news. When I met Tonka while filming the movie Buddy, I made a true friend, and I was honoured that he thought of me as a fellow chimp. Im dancing a jig that PETA has rescued Tonka from the woman who locked him away alone in a basement and lied about it. The thought of Tonka being able to wander free and happy at Save the Chimps lush, spacious sanctuary for the rest of his life has me singing a happy song.

Original story follows.

When all hope was lost, a chimp was found! 90s movie star Tonka the chimpanzee, of George of the Jungle and Buddy, has been found alive after his owner filed court documents claiming his death last year, reports Rolling Stone. The declaration claimed that Tonka had died and detailed how the animals body was cremated in May 2021. However, Tonka never died and was reportedly living it up like a college student whos returned home to their parents, complete with a 60-inch TV, an interactive iPad-like touch device, to keep himself busy when hes not entertaining guests at St. Patricks Day parties. However, his staycation came to a close when authorities searched the home of Tonia Haddix, Tonkas owner, as part of an emergency court order obtained by PETA.

Haddix claimed that she faked Tonkas death in order to keep him, as a judge ordered her to give up Tonka and six other chimps to the Center for Great Apes sanctuary in Florida. Haddix has been in an ongoing lawsuit with PETA, whose drama has been filmed for a Tiger Kinginspired documentary about her chimps and legal battle. When asked by Rolling Stone if shes concerned about lying under oath, Haddix reportedly laughed and said, Honey, Ive been held in contempt of court three times. I have paid $50 a day [in fines]. Ive been through the mill. Im sure that therell be some jail time in this. Do I care? No, I dont care. Its because its about that kid. As long as that kid is safe, I dont care about nothing out there.

Tonkas Buddy co-star, Alan Cumming, has been heavily involved in the search for Tonka. He had previously matched PETAs reward of $10,000 to find Tonka after PETA suspected he may still be alive. Vulture has reached out to Alan Cummings representatives for comment.
That water wouldnt just be spilling over the dam (if Hyperblock wasnt buying it), Commissioner Dave Strohmaier said at the time. There are buyers for the power, so its not as though this is renewable energy that is otherwise being wasted. Near as I can tell cryptocurrency is using exponentially more energy; its a grotesque amount of energy and weve got to take steps to address it.

Hyperblock ceased operations in Bonner in the spring of 2020.

One of the investors in the Bitzero, the company building the Polson data center, is Kevin O'Leary, a Canadian businessman who became famous on the television show "Shark Tank."
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Arent you happy your mother chose to give birth to you so you could be adopted? As a transracial adoptee growing up in Indiana, I was often asked this question by people who identified as pro-life. It seemed only to embolden them that I was born in China at the height of the one-child policy.

With the US Supreme Court poised to overturn Roe v. Wade  the landmark ruling that established a constitutional right to abortion  pro-lifers are portraying private adoption as a solution for unwanted pregnancies. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who adopted two of her seven children from Haiti, and others have suggested abortion is unnecessary because birth mothers can simply give up their babies.

But there is nothing simple about it.

For one thing, adoption is not an alternative to being pregnant and giving birth. Carrying a baby to term is a pretty big deal.

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Thats one reason that unwanted pregnancies carried to term rarely end in adoption. Of women who were denied an abortion due to gestational limits, 91% who carried their babies to term chose to parent, according to a 2017 study by Gretchen Sisson, a sociologist at the University of California, San Francisco. If abortion is criminalized in two dozen states, perhaps that will change, but currently only 0.5% of births in the US end in adoption. Birth mothers who give up their babies for adoption report extended feelings of grief, anxiety and depression. Some have suicidal thoughts. I have never gotten over it, wrote one woman who had relinquished her child 20 years earlier.

If relinquishing a child is so terrible, why do some choose to do it? The most common reason mothers is financial strain  not because adoption is their first choice, says Sisson.

To better understand the demographics of mothers in the US who relinquished their infants for adoption, Sisson examined data from private adoption agencies between 2001 and 2020. Most of the mothers were in their twenties, unemployed, on public health insurance and earning less than $5,000 per year. Many were already parents. About 34% of the mothers in the study were people of color. Most had a high school degree and were unmarried.

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According to a 2015 study by Sisson, most women who relinquished their babies would have preferred to parent. Adoption was a last resort. But unemployment, low-paying jobs, a lack of parental support and lack of health insurance all contributed to their feeling it was their only option.

These are some of the same reasons that women seek abortions. Many are already parents and choose to terminate their pregnancy because they want to devote their time and resources to the children they have. According to a 2004 survey, the main reasons women in the US sought abortions were that a pregnancy would interrupt education or the ability to work, and that they lacked support from their partners.

Pro-life and pro-choice activists should unite to push for investments in families to make parenting more viable. This would include living-wage jobs, paid parental leave, housing security and access to affordable childcare and health care. Many women in the US want more children than they end up having, according to a 2018 survey of 1,858 men and women ages 20 to 45 conducted by Morning Consult. About 64% of respondents cited expensive childcare as being the reason they had fewer children than they considered ideal.

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Women who do give up their babies for adoption should have the power to make reproductive choices free of financial pressure. Adoption will of course be an answer for some. But it wont  and cant  be the only option. Its never an easy one.

Everything about how I was brought up says that abortion is wrong, one of Sissons study participants said. But I would never, ever wish this experience on anyone, and I would never strategically use adoption as a way to mitigate or negotiate an abortion issue. I think that people who suggest that girls do adoptions instead of abortions just dont know how difficult and challenging adoption can be.

It can also be hard on the child. Regardless of how successful adoption is, parent-child separation affects brain development, which can influence a babys ability to establish a secure attachment style early in life. I am no stranger to the psychological trauma of being separated from my birth mother. It took years to process the profound role that loss and grief play in my life.

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When people ask if Im grateful for being adopted, the simple answer is yes. But there is no guarantee my birth mother had access to safe abortion or had the power to make a decision free of financial deprivation. Twenty-three years later, I want women to have more choices, not fewer.

More from Bloomberg Opinion:

 How Abortion Pills Changed the Political Debate in Ireland: Clara Ferreira Marques

 Whats Not Going to Happen After Roe Falls: Ramesh Ponnuru

 After the Supreme Court Breaks Roe, Who Picks Up the Pieces?: Therese Raphael

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

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At the Oslo Freedom Forum, an annual gathering of political activists and dissidents, attendees are confronted with the challenge of making the world care about long-running tyrannies. The passage of decades makes it that much harder to draw international attention to the plight of Cubans, say, or Zimbabweans  and harder still because newer causes, such as the tragedy of the Uyghurs, clamor for our collective concern.

The forum awards the Vaclav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent to those who bring invention and imagination to their activism to alert the world to their causes. Previous winners have included Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, Indonesian comedian Sakdiyah Maruf and Emmanuel Jal, a hip-hop artist from South Sudan.

If art, comedy and music have long been deployed in political causes, one of this years award-winning projects breaks new ground: It is a car.

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The PaykanArtCar project has turned an Iranian-made sedan that was once gifted by Shah Mehammed Reza Pahlavi to the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu into a vehicle for activism against Irans rulers. The idea is to use the car as a canvas on which Iranian artists can protest the depredations of the regime in Tehran.

The first artist to have at it is Alireza Shojaian, an Iran-born, Paris-based artist who has chosen to draw attention to the plight of Irans LGBTQ+ community. Against a yellow background, Shojaian has painted images depicting Ali Fazeli Monfared, a 20-year-old man from Ahvaz, in southwestern Iran, who was allegedly beheaded last year by his own relatives for being gay. The style is redolent of the 10th century Persian epic known as Shahnameh, and the artist says he was especially inspired by one of its stories, the tragedy of Rostam and Sohrab, in which a father kills his son.

International and Iranian rights groups say the LGBTQ+ community in Iran faces discrimination in society and criminalization in law. Same-gender sexual activity carries the maximum sentence of death. The mores and laws are defended by the liberal and conservative factions of the theocracy. Former President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad famously declared there were no homosexuals in Iran, and former foreign minister Javad Zarif justified the execution of gays by invoking Iranian societys moral principles.

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Hiva Feizi, executive director of PaykanArtCar, told me the project is now seeking a second artist to use the car as a mural for another cause. They can decide the specific issue  it could be about womens rights, environmental concerns or anything else  as long as it is related to Iran, she said.

A Florida-based nonprofit, PaykanArtCar is run by Mark Wallace, a United Nations diplomat under President George W. Bush. Wallace also heads United Against Nuclear Iran, which pursues more conventional means of advocacy  pressing policy makers in Washington not to make concessions to Tehran and pressuring companies to stop doing business with the country.

The PaykanArtCar project is in effect an acknowledgment that conventional efforts arent sufficient to keep the cause of freedom in Iran fresh in the public mind. It certainly speaks to the Iranian diaspora, for whom the Paykan, which means arrow in Persian, is a national icon. Based on the Hillman Hunter, a British car, it was the first car manufactured in Iran, starting in 1967.

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Although production of the sedan ceased in 2005 (a pickup version was made until 2015), the Paykan can still be seen on Iranian roads. Hardly the most comfortable or reliable of rides, the car nonetheless invokes pride, symbolizing the can-do spirit of Iranian drivers and mechanics. It also inspires thousands of jokes, and I heard most of them from Paykan taxi drivers during a trip to Tehran in 2015, just months before authorities tried to ban them to address the citys notorious air pollution. My favorite: How do you make a Paykan accelerate 0-60 mph in less than 15 seconds? Push it off a cliff.

The Shahs gift to his fellow tyrant was made in 1974, when developing countries took special pride in making cars. (My native India was then producing the Ambassador, based on another British car, the Morris Oxford.) It was still roadworthy when Ceausescu was toppled in 1989, and was twice put up for auction before it was acquired by the PaykanArtCar project.

Since being repurposed as a moving mural, it has been displayed in the US, Canada and in Europe. Feizi says that although Iranian diaspora groups were initially skeptical of its use to promote LGBTQ+ rights, theyve been coming to see it, and most of them agree that using it as a vehicle of protest is a novel idea, a good way to get attention for people in Iran.

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At the OFF, it did a much better job of that than the motley gathering of Oslo-based Iranian dissidents who assemble regularly in front of the Norwegian parliament to chant slogans calling for the downfall of the regime in Tehran. They hadnt got the memo about creative dissent.

More From Other Writers at Bloomberg Opinion:



How Australia May Finally Redress Centuries of Injustice: David Fickling



Biden Is Missing an Opportunity to Put Pressure on Iran: Bobby Ghosh



Is Breaking Up Russia the Only Way to End Its Imperialism?: Leonid Bershidsky

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Bobby Ghosh is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering foreign affairs. Previously, he was editor in chief at Hindustan Times, managing editor at Quartz and international editor at Time.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

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Daily papers are cutting corners and weekly newspapers are dying.

A couple more North Dakota weekly newspapers are now on the chopping block, suffering from the same changes facing the dailies. Higher costs, less advertising, fewer subscriptions.

While these factors are killing weeklies, the dailies are reducing their print editions and going electronic, causing wailing and gnashing of teeth among the readers. For dailies it may be a slow death, but for weeklies death is sudden.

Mr. Mayor, the crisis has moved from the print shop to your office because this is no longer a private enterprise issue. It is a school issue; it is a community issue. It is an issue over which you should be concerned because people rightfully expect the buck to stop in your office.

The issue is no longer live or die in the economic system. It is a public issue that requires a public response.

When your newspaper goes under, you -- and the community -- will feel a devastating impact on schools, sports, businesses, churches and local information. There will be a vacuum in your town.

If you let your newspaper shrink (dailies), or die (weeklies), it will be an admission that your town is slipping away. Community life is worth saving.

Whether dailies have been cutting back on coverage of grade school and high school activities, I do not have personal knowledge. Newspaper coverage may not be important to some in town, but it is the time of their lives for students and they are entitled to recognition for the many activities that constitute growing up in a supportive community.

When your newspaper folds, you will exclaim, If I had only known, something we tell ourselves to avoid guilt for not acting when action could have changed the outcome. Im telling you now, Mayor, so you wont have an alibi.

The first step would be an honest conversation with the newspaper over the areas of difficulty and then develop a work plan. The conversation must be based on what can be done for the public good and not a charity for a struggling business. In reality, the community needs the newspaper more than the editor. This is for community benefits received.

Daily and weekly newspapers have a common problem: staff. Because the economy has forced them to cut back on staff, many photos are not taken and many events are not reported.

Writing in The Conversation, Professor Lara Salahi of Georgia State recently proposed using college students as reporters. With our abundance of institutions in North Dakota, every major city newspaper would be in position to take advantage of such help.

Universities would have to make one or two curriculum changes and give students credit for learning to write.

You may think that is funny but it is not.

When I taught at the University of North Dakota, we were told to write across the curriculum. In other words, make the students write more. I didnt let students take their writing assignments home because I would never have known who really did the writing. So I made them write in class.

I was shocked. Half of the students from large and small schools alike couldnt write a complete sentence or spell properly. It was obvious; they need writing. So stories for the local paper would kill two birds with one stone.

For the towns without colleges, Professor Salahis suggestion could be applied to high schools, where competent students could sharpen their writing skills and get credit. I was a reporter at age 15.

Mr. Mayor, just getting universities or high schools to participate would be a significant accomplishment. You could sleep peacefully knowing that the paper would be out next week.

Lloyd Omdahl is a political scientist and former North Dakota Democratic lieutenant governor.

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The elites in society have the loudest megaphone when it comes to gun control, Ted Cruz declared on Twitter last month, summing up his talk at the National Rifle Associations Leadership Forum in Houston. They live in gated neighborhoods and have private security. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight As a US senator, graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School and husband of a Goldman Sachs managing director, Cruz knows his elites. But is he right that such people tend to live in gated communities? And are those behind gates really more likely to favor gun control?

These are questions to which it seemed like there might be data-driven answers, so I started looking. I didnt find a clear one to the second, although my guess would be that its no. But there are a lo of statistics available on how many people live in gated communities and what their demographics are, and some of them may surprise you.

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Communities with walls and gates have of course been around for millennia, and in the US the pioneering gated residential development of Tuxedo Park outside New York City (which gave the formal suit its name) dates to the late 1800s. But the phenomenon only really took off here much more recently. Gated communities...have been springing up around the country since the early 1980s, University of California, Berkeley, urban scholars Edward J. Blakely and Mary Gail Snyder wrote in Fortress America, the 1997 book that announced the arrival of a major new topic of research and political debate.

The residences we are discussing are not multi-unit, high-density apartment and condominium buildings with security systems or doormen in which gates or guards prevent public access to lobbies, hallways, and parking lots. Gated communities are different: their walls and fences preclude public access to streets, sidewalks, parks, beaches, rivers, trails, playgrounds  all resources that without gates or walls would be open and shared by all the citizens of a locality.

Blakely and Snyder estimated that there were three million American households  out of either 99 million or 101 million total, depending on which Census Bureau survey you went by  living in such communities at the time, with their number growing rapidly. These developments in part reflect the notion of community as an island, a social bulwark against the general degradation of the urban social order, they lamented. They also reflect the increasing attempt to substitute private controls for public organization, for the joint responsibilities of democratic citizenship all of us share.

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Many on the political left and center went on to echo these concerns, with some painting those behind gates as privileged reactionaries. The right-wing critique of gated-community dwellers as liberal hypocrites appears to be more recent, with then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions claiming in 2018 that critics of President Donald Trumps Mexican border wall and other immigration policies live in gated communities, many of them, and Fox News host Tucker Carlson opining in 2019 that if Trumps wall had to go, so did the gated communities of Brentwood.

Brentwood is an affluent neighborhood of Los Angeles that boasts a few high-end gated neighborhoods and a fair number of not-so-high-end-but-still-expensive apartment complexes with gates. The vast majority of its single-family houses are ungated, but many do have little signs out front alerting would-be intruders that if they set off the alarm system, armed security guards will respond. Brentwood is also quite liberal politically, with all precincts voting for Joe Biden over Trump in 2020 by margins of at least 2-to-1. So let us allow that there are at least a few grains of truth to the Cruz-Sessions-Carlson critique.

But the notion that gated communities have become so widespread in the US that they house large segments of the liberal elite or the conservative elite or whatever elite it is that you have a problem with seemed off to me, especially since in the three metropolitan regions other than Los Angeles that are most often identified as housing the nations agenda-setting elite  New York, Washington and the San Jose-San Francisco Bay Area  they are not a major visible presence, Tuxedo Park notwithstanding. And since 2001, theres been data on that.

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That year, the Census Bureau started asking about gated communities as part of the American Housing Survey it conducts every two years on behalf of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The specific question was, Is your community surrounded by walls or fences preventing access by persons other than residents? If yes, there was a follow-up question about whether there was a special entry system  presumably a gate. The questions were included in every AHS through 2009, then dropped in 2011 (survey funder HUD was facing some pretty sharp cuts to its discretionary budget). The first question was restored, minus follow-up, in 2015. Here are the results, expressed as a percentage of total occupied housing units:

The AHS numbers seemed to fit pretty well with what Blakely and Snyder had estimated and projected in 1997: They showed almost four million housing units in 2001 secured with walls and fences and protected by a special entry system, according to the AHS, and that number grew 53% over the rest of the decade.

But given that almost all of that growth occurred between 2005 and 2007, and much of it evaporated when AHS survey takers started asking the question again in 2015, I suspect some change in survey design might be behind the inconsistency. The number and percentage of housing units in communities surrounded by walls and fences has grown since 2001, but not as fast as it did in the 1980s and 1990s or appeared to be doing in the late-2000s data.

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A look at residents demographic characteristics and whether they own or rent changes the picture even more. The 2001 AHS data, three researchers reported in 2005, shows that low-income renters are actually more likely to live in walled or gated communities compared to affluent homeowners. That has continued to be true. More than two-thirds of the housing units reported in 2019 as being in communities secured by walls or fences were rentals. Meanwhile, the number of owner-occupied units that met this description rose just 14% (from a little under 3.1 million to a little over 3.5 million) from 2001 to 2019, and their share of total occupied housing units actually fell slightly.

The anomalousness of the 2007 and 2009 numbers is even more apparent in this chart, raising questions about the reliability of the data then, before and since. Also, breaking things down by owners and renters as Ive done here doesnt perfectly capture the divide between fancy gated communities and run-of-the-mill apartment complexes with fences around them  Floridas Fisher Island is possibly the fanciest limited-access community in the country, albeit one secured by water rather than walls or fences, and there are plenty of places to rent there if you can spare $20,000 a month. Still, equating owner-occupied homes behind community walls with the gated communities of popular discourse seems close enough to being right for our purposes, and the AHS statistics showing a fizzling or at least plateauing of the gated-community boom over the past two decades match up with some other things we know about the period.

Violent crime in the US fell sharply starting in the early 1990s, for example. Cities, where that crime had been concentrated, revived. In 1980 the prices of houses in the US rose with their distance from city centers; by 2010 this relationship had reversed. The signature US housing trend of the 2010s was blocky wood-framed apartment buildings in cities and suburban downtowns. Guarded gates came to be seen as a pointless hassle by many, with gated community ranking No. 5 (just behind only a shower stall in master bath) on the list of features most unwanted by homebuyers in a 2013 National Association of Homebuilders survey.

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The past two years have seen a mass adoption of remote work, a sharp increase in some violent crimes and a devaluation of real estate in big cities relative to suburbs and smaller cities. Its possible that were at the beginning of a major trend reversal, and that gated communities will enjoy a revival (data from the 2021 American Housing Survey will be released in the third quarter of this year, although its unlikely to show much of a shift yet). Also, gated communities still appear to be on the rise in the developing world, and may well house significant portions of some nations ruling elites.

But in the US, as the much-criticized recent protests outside the suburban Maryland and Virginia homes of several Supreme Court justices made clear, thats just not where things stand at the moment. Only 3% of Washington-area housing is in owner-occupied units in communities secured by walls or fences, according to the 2019 AHS, and if you subtract out (1) subdivisions that are surrounded by walls or fences but not gated and (2) retirement communities, its probably a lot less than that. Among major US metropolitan areas, those in the Sun Belt are most likely to have homeowners sheltered behind walls, with Miami on a different plane from the rest.

The Miami area is of course home to many retirees, and the modern gated-community boom got its start with the advent of master-planned developments for retirees in the 1960s. Nationwide, those 65 and older represented about 40% of householders in owner-occupied homes in walled or fenced communities in 2017 (the 2019 breakdown isnt available), versus about 25% of householders overall. While people in that age group do wield an awful lot of power these days  they hold the US presidency and the top positions in the House and Senate, as well as spots three through six on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index of the worlds wealthiest people  retirees living in gated communities for the most part dont fit the description of the elites in our society.

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Most residents of walled communities dont fit that description, in fact. In 2019, 57% of the owner-residents in walled or fenced communities had household incomes of less than $100,000 a year and two-thirds made less than $120,000. That of course does leave a third  about 1.2 million households  making $120,000 or more, which is where the AHS income breakdown tops out. There definitely are some rich people living in gated communities! But any ranking of the richest communities in the country, or Charles Murrays list of Super Zips characterized by high incomes and high percentages of college graduates, is dominated by ungated suburbs and urban neighborhoods.

One might argue that Im being too literal here. As a housing advocate said in an article about Atherton, a town between San Francisco and the tech campuses of Silicon Valley that comes in first or second in most national income rankings, They arent literally a gated city, but they are metaphorically a gated one and they have done that by zoning. In his actual talk to the NRA, as opposed to his Twitter summary, Cruz similarly extended the metaphor by saying that pro-gun-control elites make their accusations  from gated communities equipped with private security or, at the very least, from expensive neighborhoods protected by high home prices and low crime rates.

So yes, the very, very rich live different lives from the rest of us, lives often protected by private security. Even low-grade elites such as, cough, opinion columnists at major news organizations tend to cluster in relatively safe neighborhoods, send our kids to safe schools and spend most of our time hanging out with people whose views and lives are similar to ours.

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Thats all worthy of examination and criticism, and it gets tons. But its not the same as the nations elites retreating behind actual gates. The rise of walled or fenced communities for homeowners in the US seems to have stalled out quite a while ago at about 4% of the nations housing stock, with those behind actual gates amounting to something less than that. Most of the residents of these communities arent rich.

Are they gun control supporters? I wasnt able to track down much research on the political attitudes of gated-community dwellers, but the 2005 California study and 2010 Canadian one that I did find both came to the conclusion that those in gated communities are to the right politically of those living in nearby ungated neighborhoods  which in the US can be translated into meaning theyre less likely to support gun control.

Then again, Donald Trumps gift for alienating affluent suburbanites may have had an impact in gated communities too. A perusal of the New York Times Extremely Detailed Map of the 2020 Election reveals that Tuxedo Park residents voted to the left of surrounding communities in New Yorks Orange County, while those in the San Francisco Bay Area gated neighborhoods of Rossmoor (a retirement community) and Blackhawk (a high-end development favored by pro athletes and corporate executives) voted similarly to their mostly Democratic neighbors.

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In Los Angeles the gated neighborhoods in Brentwood and nearby areas are generally too small to distinguish on the map. The gated city of Hidden Hills in the San Fernando Valley is distinguishable, and voted to the right of most of its neighbors, although it was still plus-18% for Joe Biden. The gated communities in the South that I could identify on the map, such as Hot Springs Village in Arkansas, were overwhelming pro-Trump, but so were most areas around them. All in all, not enough information from which to draw strong conclusions.

So basically, as you probably guessed at the beginning, Ted Cruz was just making stuff up. But I am most grateful to him for the learning experience.

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Red-Flag Laws Can Cut the Toll of Mass Shootings: Editorial



Solving Americas Gun Culture Problem: Sarah Green Carmichael



Why Wall Street Cant Escape the Culture Wars: Paul J. Davies

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Justin Fox is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering business. A former editorial director of Harvard Business Review, he has written for Time, Fortune and American Banker. He is author of The Myth of the Rational Market.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

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D.C. Circuit Judge Rogers goes senior Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Judge Judith W. Rogers of the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will take senior status in September, giving President Biden the opportunity to nominate a fourth judge to the influential court. Rogers was nominated to the bench by President Bill Clinton in 1993. She has made significant marks throughout her career. She was intimately involved in the development of D.C.s semiautonomous home rule after nearly 200 years of federal control, including legislation shaping the local court system.

In the past three years, three judicial assistants left her chambers, saying they were belittled and chastised by the judge, according to a Washington Post report last month. She did not respond to requests for comment on that story; former law clerks defended her as demanding but fair.

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The influential circuit court is often a steppingstone to the U.S. Supreme Court.

 Rachel Weiner

GOP member quits race over call on guns

Rep. Chris Jacobs (R-N.Y.) announced he would suspend his reelection campaign Friday after facing pressure by his party to step aside for coming out in support of gun control as a solution to stem the tide of mass shootings in the country in recent weeks.

Jacobs was born and raised in Buffalo, a city that became the site of a racially motivated shooting last month that left 10 dead at a grocery store.

In an unprecedented step for a Republican endorsed by the National Rifle Association, Jacobs last week announced he would vote with Democrats to ban assault weapons, limit high-capacity magazines, raise the age to purchase a gun to 21 and ban civilians from acquiring military-style armor.

Just seven days later, he said it would be best to suspend his reelection campaign in a district that had become more reliably GOP after redistricting.

The first-term congressman was elected in a special election in June 2020 from New Yorks 23rd Congressional District.

 Marianna Sotomayor

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PERMET, Albania  Albanias parliament on Saturday elected a top military official as the countrys new president after no candidates were nominated in three rounds of voting. Gen.-Maj. Bajram Begaj won the post after the 140-seat Parliament voted 78 in favor, four against and one abstained. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia's war in Ukraine. ArrowRight The governing left-wing Socialist Party nominated and voted for Begaj, 55, after failing to reach a compromise with the opposition on a candidate to replace President Ilir Meta, and no independent candidate was nominated.

Most of the opposition boycotted the voting.

Begaj is post-communist Albanias eighth president and the third from the military ranks. The five-year presidency has a largely ceremonial role and the chosen candidate is expected to stand above partisan divisions. The president holds some authority over the judiciary and the armed forces and is limited to two terms.

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Begaj was elected among six candidates, according to Socialists leader and Prime Minister Edi Rama, adding that no candidates of the governing majority were taken into consideration.

We gave Albania a normal president, an indisputable personality in his integrity, humanity and commitment for the country and its people, Rama said.

Begaj was released from his army post in a decree from the president, who was on a visit Saturday to Turkey. Meta, who clashed regularly with the government, congratulated the new president. A handover ceremony is planned for July 24.

Begaj has been the armys chief-of-staff since July 2020. Before that, he held several army posts, including ones in public and military hospitals, and trained in the U.S. on strategic medical leadership and defense management.

The European Union, the United States and other Western countries congratulated Begaj in his new post.

We look forward to working together for a prosperous, secure and solid EU-#Albania relationship, as members of one European family, tweeted EUs foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

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Follow Llazar Semini at https://twitter.com/lsemini

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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani flashes a victory sign as he arrives for a campaign rally in Tehran on May 9. (Abedin Taherkenareh/European Pressphoto Agency)

Irans moderate president, Hassan Rouhani, has delivered rare rebukes in recent days to the countrys powerful Shiite clergy and allied security forces, lashing out at rivals and their hard-line backers ahead of his reelection bid next week.

At rallies across Iran, Rouhani has blasted his opponents as extremists and criticized authorities for the detention of reformist leaders. On Monday, he attacked rival Ebrahim Raisi, a conservative cleric and former judicial official, for a record of execution and imprisonment.

Rouhani also questioned the tax-exempt status of a charitable foundation linked to Irans supreme leader and suggested in a televised debate Friday that Irans most influential security institution, the Revolutionary Guard Corps, tried to sabotage the 2015 nuclear deal he struck with world powers.

The comments came as the three-week-long presidential campaign entered its final stretch, with voting scheduled for May 19.

The remarks are certainly a bold move that indicate a decision to forgo the calm tone of his campaign, said Reza H. Akbari, program manager at the Institute for War and Peace Reporting in Washington, where he researches Iranian politics.

Supporters of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani hold up pictures of him during a campaign rally in Tehran on May 9. (Abedin Taherkenareh/European Pressphoto Agency)

It is clear that Rouhani is in full offensive mode and will adopt a no-holds-barred approach prior to the final debate scheduled for Friday, Akbari said.

Rouhani is facing five challengers, including Raisi and another leading conservative, Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Irans 12-member Guardian Council approves all candidates, narrowing the field to those acceptable to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Most of Irans presidents have easily won second terms, but a sluggish economy has left Rouhani vulnerable to attacks from populist contenders  as well as from Khamenei himself. Rouhanis critics say the sanctions lifted under the nuclear deal have done little to improve the lives of ordinary Iranians.

Over the weekend, Rouhani visited a coal mine where an explosion killed 42 workers. Damaging news footage showed miners kicking and beating the presidents car.

The visit may have been a shocking revelation for Rouhani, who might be losing popularity within the working class, Akbari said.

Rouhanis fresh focus on political and social freedoms suggests an attempt to deflect the criticism while burnishing his pro-reform credentials to an increasingly youthful electorate.

Our youth have chosen the path of freedom. You cannot prevent the progress and freedom of our youth, Rouhani said at a rally Monday in the city of Hamadan, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency.

Iranian presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi gestures in this undated photo. (Tasnim News Agency/via Reuters)

He was elected in 2013 after promising he would end the house arrest of reformist leaders Mehdi Karroubi, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard, Mousavis wife. The three were top leaders of the Green Movement protests in 2009, following the disputed reelection of the hard-line president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

But Rouhani has failed to secure their release, and he has also struggled to ease political restrictions. A number of journalists, dissidents and activists remain behind bars.

You ran this country for eight years, and the people saw what you did, Rouhani said, referring to Ahmadinejads two terms from 2005 to 2013, in which Iran was isolated internationally and rights abuses worsened. The comments were carried by the quasi-independent Iranian Students News Agency.

The era of violence and extremism is over, Rouhani said.

Also Monday, the president questioned whether the charitable foundation managed by Raisi, which also maintains vast business and real estate holdings, had ever paid taxes to the state. The Astan Quds Razavi charity, which administers the holy Imam Reza Shrine in the northeastern city of Mashhad, is one of the largest and most influential in Iran.

Its manager is appointed directly by Khamenei, who analysts say favors Raisi for the presidency. The countrys Shiite clerical establishment wields enormous power, and attacks against holy religious entities are typically considered off-limits, Akbari said.

Also generally prohibited is public criticism of the Revolutionary Guard. In a televised debate Friday, Rouhani accused the elite force of trying to undermine the nuclear deal by writing Hebrew-language messages on ballistic missiles used for testing.

The deal curbs Irans nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. An accompanying U.N. resolution calls on Iran to refrain from testing ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear payloads, but the tests are not expressly prohibited, and Iran denies that the missiles are designed for nuclear warheads.

The United States has maintained many of its own sanctions on Iran, limiting the benefits of the deal on the Iranian economy.

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Former high school English teacher Jackson Best attributes the negative response to Wintons work at least partially to cultural cringe. A lot of Tim Wintons literary reputation is founded on his ability to elevate Australian ordinariness to stylised and poetic heights, Best says. Ironically, though, this doesnt sit well with the cultural cringe felt by many domestic readers. Anyone who feels Australias cultural staples  the beach, the larrikin, the bush  are already a bit hokey and contrived isnt going to love Wintons serious and sometimes romantic treatment of those same topics. Whether the distinct sense of kinship with Country that Winton establishes is genuine can be polarising for readers, too.

Its often quasi-Aboriginal, the way [the kinship] is expressed, Hughes-dAeth says. It can either come off as authentic or appropriative  [adapting the style] without acknowledgement. McCredden says Wintons values are yet another source of division. Tim Wintons novel Dirt Music was adapted into a film and shot in Western Australia in 2019. Credit: As a Christian, [Winton] really divides people, she says. A lot of people say to me, Oh, hes too preachy. For the record, McCredden absolutely disagree[s] with that assertion. Instead, she sees Wintons work as simply aligning with Christian values such as compassion for the marginalised. Theres a real sense of defence of those who havent got a voice themselves, she says.

Hughes-dAeth agrees theres an unashamedly metaphysical focus in Wintons writing that doesnt sit well with some readers, where religion is used to explore and tease out philosophical questions about our existence. But Hughes-dAeth, like McCredden, doesnt see it as Bible-bashing. Theres also the claim that Wintons work is sexist, with Hughes-dAeth pointing out some readers, especially women, may find Wintons writing too blokey and his interest in masculinity off-putting. Theres a real sense of defence of those who havent got a voice themselves. Professor Lyn McCredden, Deakin University Novels such as Dirt Music are especially controversial, with some critics saying Winton refuses to give women a proper role in his stories, although McCredden questions that view. I actually think there are a lot of women in his fiction, and that they can be very strong, she says. He has a dialogue about gender relations and what men and women lose in terms of their relations.

Caitlin, 22, who works at a bookshop in Melbourne, says her relationship with Wintons work has shifted through the years  and the focus on masculinity has become too much. Caitlin says she loved Wintons novels during her high school years but isnt a fan anymore. Kelly Macdonald and David Wenham star in the film adaptation of Tim Wintons novel Dirt Music. Credit:Universal [Winton] captured the Western Australian lifestyle in a way that I hadnt seen before, Caitlin says. The setting was so alive and a character of its own. It wasnt beautiful, but it was real enough that I lived in it. But reading his work now, Caitlin says Wintons preoccupation with hypermasculine perspectives feels a little overbearing. Or, she muses, she has a lot less patience for it than I did as a teenager.

Winton declined to be interviewed for this story, but has previously spoken about his focus on masculinity, seemingly aware of the criticism but unapologetic about it. Nobody needs to hear me mansplaining on the subject of the patriarchy, he said in a speech about his most recent book The Shepherds Hut in 2018. In an interview with The Guardian the same year, in response to accusations that his work is sexist, Winton said, A lot of the time, I wonder if Im just being convicted of insufficient valorisation of the women characters. [Wintons] preoccupation with hypermasculine perspectives feels a little overbearing. Cat Foley, Mary Martin Bookshop [Women writers] dont have quotas in their fiction about making sure they get enough men characters. Winton emphasised that to provide better modelling for their behaviour, boys need to be attended to, including in literature. Yes, boys need their unexamined privilege curtailed, he said. But the first step is to notice them. To find them worthy of our interest.

And as someone who is often at the beach, Winton said he has come to know a bit about boys, determined to put his observations on paper as a starting point to shutting down harmful elements of masculinity. Separately, McCredden says consuming Wintons writing, as with most literary works, requires patience. Loading While some readers find Wintons books uplifting or cathartic, McCredden says others simply find his writing unpleasant to read. Theres a range of readers who find his work depressing, violent or unhappy, she says. And they dont want to read that sort of literature. Those people, especially if they work in emotionally demanding fields, might be looking for an escape from their daily lives when reading. Some of my friends who are medicos say they dont want to read stuff thats really depressing because they have so much of that in their work, McCredden says.
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Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size The latest fest of super-heroics hits our screens next month, as Chris Hemsworth once again defrosts his Thor. But is a thundering god with an oversized hammer really what we need right now? We asked six local writers and one cartoonist: if you could invent a superhero for our times, what would she look like? Genevieve Novak Having determinedly avoided all Marvel films, never read a single comic book or participated in nerd culture in any way in my entire life, I am uniquely unqualified for any commentary on the requirements of Frankensteining a superhero  modern, Australian or otherwise  but being uninformed has never stopped me from having an opinion before. Here is a broad-sweeping statement sure to furrow the brow or roll the eyes of everyone except my specific audience: the modern Australian superhero is a single 26-to-34-year-old woman. What, exactly, is the difference between Spider-Mans little jumpsuit and the impossibly small, depressingly beige full-body shapewear currently lying limp in every other womans underwear drawer? They both offer smooth lines, structural support, and unrestricted range of motion (necessary in case tonights Bumble disaster requires our heroine to karate chop away a presumptuous hand. Again).

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Avert your eyes, please, as she wrangles herself into it, hoping that shes dehydrated enough to render the crotch gusset unnecessary. Her golden lasso is a skinny belt she cant remember buying. Her boots give her blisters, but theyre so cute. Her armour is the cheapest sauv blanc on the wine list. She needs superhuman strength to keep from zoning out when her nemesis  Justin from Thornbury, and every other boring narcissist with a dating app profile  kicks off about Elon Musk, or Christopher Nolan films, or his thoughts on the #MeToo movement. Could a Hemsworth employ the frankly Herculean restraint to keep from shouting WHO CARES? when he starts explaining NFTs unprompted? No. Whats the difference between Spider-Mans jumpsuit (shown in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) and full-body shapewear? And could Chris Hemsworths Thor employ Herculean restraint? Credit:Sony Pictures Animation, Jay Maidment/Marvel The citizens shes sworn to protect are other young single women. The two hours he nurses a single pour of Japanese whiskey for are two hours hes off the streets, too distracted by the sound of his own voice to send an unsolicited explicit Snapchat to a woman he met once eight months ago. She does this  these awkward, optimism-dissolving first dates every other week  as a public service. Its thankless work. Build a statue in her honour and wrap it in a Reformation dress. And what of her endurance, and her unwavering belief in goodness, and  whisper it  love? Shes not trying to save the world. Shes just looking for someone cool to hang out with for a while. When she finds them, shell pack away her cape (a dry-clean-only dress or teddy coat) and make room for the next wave of impeccably contoured and Flowerbombed twenty-somethings waiting in the wings. Leave the rest of it to one of the Chrises. Genevieve Novaks debut novel, No Hard Feelings, published by HarperCollins, is out now.

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Ellena Savage When my husband first told me about the sin-eaters of the early modern period  freelancers hired to take on the sins of the newly deceased  the picture I imagined was one of a live body sitting atop a corpse; between them, a chocolate cake so wet and rich it looked like a split tongue, or a pulsing organ, or the inside of an overripe peach. The live body  that is, the sin-eater  was in my minds eye gorging on the cake, mouth-first (of course). This Rabelaisian scene could not be further from the austere image of the Welsh sin-eaters I later read about. (Here, the light of my imagination changes from Caravaggian resplendence to a pale, austere sun; work-worn bodies; colour-drained frocks). This iteration of the sin-eater had only to enter the home where the deceased body lay, quickly eat a piece of bread and drink a cup of ale, collect their paltry fee, and be gone, taking with them the sins of the dead. This sin-eater was no demon, but a marked person, a shunned person, a person who really needed that bread. Kirabella from Chadwick models; styling by Ramzy Nawzar; make-up by Sara Morrison. Credit:Simon Schluter There is another sin-eater in the history books I find myself drawn to. Her name is Tlazolteotl. Terms I have seen referring to this Aztec goddess include, she who eats filth, the goddess of filth and the goddess of lechery and unlawful love. Tlazolteotl served an essential function in the life cycle  she was the repository for a lifetimes confessions of every Aztec subject, who was required to unburden themself to pass into the afterlife. The sins she took on were indelibly sexual in nature; Tlazolteotl in turn inspired and forgave the lusts of her sinners. She is often represented with a dark ring around her lips, symbolising the excrement she consumed and purified. The sin-eater, like an earthworm, is the metabolism of the symbolic world. Without her or the Christian sin-eater, Jesus, or the secular sin-eater, the pariah, an object for the society to blame their common blunders on  there is only waste; debris piling up in the moral landscape.

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When I think of superheroes, any of them, really, I think about the function they serve in culture. The anxieties they relieve or manifest. How they embody narratives we like to tell about ourselves: triumphant, no matter what hell we wreak. Flawed, sure, but capable of fortitude, the fortitude of the lone wolf. Superheroes are never earthworms or sin-eaters, and so I humbly suggest that we change the script, and abolish the superhero. The gap left where the superhero once was could better be occupied by the figure of the artist. I dont mean the artist of celebrity, ego or commerce. I mean the artist of filth, the artist with the ring of dirt around her mouth, one who can face our collective detritus, our moral faeces; gorge on the corpse cake of shame, despair, guilt, arrogance and dishonesty, and draw from it new and vital life. Ellen Savages debut essay collection, Blueberries, is out now through Text. Mykaela Saunders My superhero would be a blackfella who has the ability to give the land and water back to its rightful owners so they can manage everything properly again, and to redistribute wealth, resources and political power to those who are disenfranchised by the Australian state. My superhero would understand our world through the fullness of all times. They would be a historian who understands that all problems today have their origins in the past, and they would also be a futurist who knows that all the issues we will come to meet are being seeded right now. This would guide their distributive decisions. Theyd be a cultural, connected, community-based blackfella  not because I think blackfellas are inherently better people than others, but because grassroots people often tend towards caring for country and for the collective rather than protecting the interests of mining magnates and other billionaires. Our people lived this way for millennia, without war, slavery or ecocide, ensuring the bounty of the lands and waters would be enjoyed by successive generations.

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This superhero would either be a collective of people, or a multi-perspectival entity that is an amalgamation of a few people because all people with power and influence need checks and balances. I dont trust lone wolves on heros journeys and I dont think any one person should have that much power. Executive decisions and actions should always be shared by a group of engaged, intelligent and relational people who want the best for everyone, rather than protecting the interests of a self-centred few. Batman (as shown in The Dark Knight) has plenty of fancy gadgets at his disposal. Credit:Warner Bros. My superhero would have grown up poor, not like Batman with all his fancy gadgets. People who know what its like to live in poverty usually have a better sense of the collective and know how to help others, even when they have nothing to share. They would have also worked in community services, because those people are saints; they know the solutions and they literally save lives. If it sounds like Im saying that I think our grassroots community people are superheroes, youd be right. Mykaela Saunders is the editor of This All Come Back Now: An anthology of First Nations speculative fiction, out now through UQP. Mandy Ord Credit: Credit:

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What are your commandments for good cooking? It just needs to taste delicious. In Asian cooking, as a rule, its all about balance. Like in Chinese cooking, you always have steamed greens. A lot of people go, Thats not exciting; it doesnt have the wow factor. But if you have a meal without the greens, its unbalanced. A lot of Asian cuisines build that in.

Sri Lanka is majority Buddhist, with significant Hindu, Muslim and Christian populations. Hindus dont eat beef. Muslims dont eat pork. Many Buddhists dont eat meat at all. How do these considerations manifest in Sri Lankan cuisine? It all comes down to tolerance, a big theme of religion. It can work, you can do it all, as long as youre tolerant of other peoples beliefs. And besides vegetables, you need to serve chicken. And seafood.

Each week, Benjamin Law asks public figures to discuss the subjects were told to keep private by getting them to roll a die. The numbers they land on are the topics theyre given. This week, he talks to O Tama Carey. The Sydney chef and restaurateur, 42, opened Lankan Filling Station in 2018 in Darlinghurst, focusing on the flavours of her Sri Lankan heritage. Her cookbook is Lanka Food: Serendipity & Spice.

Tell me about a meal youve had that came close to being a religious experience. In Tokyo, we went to this fancy, tiny tempura restaurant. We sat around a little U-shaped table; the tempura chef was in the middle. Everything was just so beautiful and delicious, it was a perfect night. We also went to a restaurant called Faviken in central Sweden, which isnt there any more. We drove for miles to get there. Not only was the food delicious but the manager was very specific about the timing between courses. Every time a little snack came out, hed come in, give a little clap, youd all stop and listen, and hed tell you what it was, then disappear. Everything was timed to perfection and seamless. A magical, beautiful thing.

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Youve said youve felt like a fraud when it comes to Sri Lankan food, and have even copped some criticism over the authenticity of your food. Expand on that. There are so many nuances to the notion of authenticity in food, which I find perpetually interesting. I worked at [Kylie Kwongs former restaurant] Billy Kwong for many years and cooked Chinese. Id always love it when I got into taxis and theyd be like, What do you do? And Id be like, I cook Chinese food. Chinese taxi drivers would just laugh at me!

But Kylie Kwong drew on authentic Chinese techniques and recipes while offering an Australian update. Which is why her food is so delicious. Back then, there was no question of whether I, a half-Sri Lankan white girl, should be cooking it. When I worked at Berta [in Sydneys CBD], it was all Italian. I did heaps of research, went to Italy, and no one ever said, Why do you think you can cook Italian food? It wasnt until I started cooking Sri Lankan. I dont know if it was my own insecurities or fears. But I also think because Sri Lankas so small, its cuisine not mainstream, people are protective of the food. But Ive never said Lankan Filling Station is super traditional. There are family recipes, and theres stuff Ive made up using traditional flavours, but approaching them with my background of cooking European and Chinese food and living in Australia, using Australian ingredients.

Can we talk about the double standards between perceptions of European and Asian cuisine? Dont even get me started on this 
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size I keep thinking about a pear, the lovely green one that I bought at my local fruit shop two weeks ago and put in the fridge with mandarins and some grapes. A week later, it was still there, so I moved it to the benchtop fruit bowl, hoping that visibility would equal edibility: one of the kids would see it, eat it and compost the core. Often that works, but this time it didnt. Day turned to night then to day and the pear stayed put. Tidy green turned to spotty yellow. The stalk listed. One pert pear bum-cheek subsided into the base of the fruit bowl, then split like a bedsore. Nicks appeared by the neck  an incident with a banana? I should cook that, put it in a cake, stew it to serve with muesli, I thought in passing. And then I didnt. As I write this, I have got as far as taking it out of the fruit bowl to sit on the bench, a solo sentinel of profligacy, bad planning, inept parenting, lazy housekeeping, society on the verge of climate collapse. Its there now, just a pear, but also part of a big problem. If food waste was a country, it would be the third-biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions after the US and China, according to the UNs Food Waste Index Report, released last year. When foods like my pear end up in landfill, they slowly rot, generating methane and carbon dioxide. One problem with calculating the scale of the problem is the lack of accurate data and agreed definitions on what counts as waste from the vast majority of the world. The UN estimates that 17 per cent of global food production was wasted pre-pandemic, tallying to almost one billion tonnes a year. Australia is an outsized contributor, producing 7.6 million tonnes of food waste per year, the equivalent of 312 kilograms per person, according to a waste strategy paper released by Food Innovation Australia. Approximately 70 per cent of this is edible  this at a time when one in six Australian adults struggled to access enough to eat in the past 12 months. Australias food waste would fill the MCG 10 times each year, or would fill semi-trailers stretching from Perth to Sydney, says Steven Lapidge, chief executive of the federally funded Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre. We spend billions building better roads, and we dont spend anything like that on trying to reduce food waste and the negative consequences of that wasted food.

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The impact is considerable: food waste accounts for 3 per cent of Australias greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to an average car driving around the world 2 million times. Its costly, too. The average Australian household fritters away up to $2500 a year buying food that isnt eaten, and national food waste costs us about $36.6 billion a year. Its more than what road congestion costs Australia in terms of lost productivity, says Lapidge. But we spend billions building better roads, and we dont spend anything like that on trying to reduce food waste and the negative consequences of that wasted food, which is the significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions it creates. Loading Australia classes such waste as food or drink intended for human consumption that either does not reach the consumer or is thrown away after it does. Discarded seeds, bones and peels are counted as waste to encourage a rethink: grape skins and seeds left over from wine-making can be used as an ingredient for nutraceuticals, for example. Human-grade food thats fed to livestock isnt waste; throwing the dog a bone is, though some argue it shouldnt be. Food rescued by charities is not waste, as long as the food ends up eaten. Compost is considered waste, though its further up the hierarchy than landfill because emissions are greatly reduced by the aerobic breaking-down of organic matter. The counting is complicated, but theres no doubt about whats worst: the most damaging action of all is putting food into the bin. In 2015, the UN laid out the challenge in its Sustainable Development Goals, a blueprint of 17 objectives to remake the world. Goal 12 is to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns, with target 12.3 specifically aimed at halving global food waste by 2030. Australia has pledged to work towards this goal under the auspices of a National Food Waste Strategy, a network of initiatives that prioritises industry-led action. But anyone can tackle food waste  its solvable pear by pear. Who are the champions showing us how its done, by being inspiring and innovative, and helping to save the world along the way? Matt Whiley creates cocktails from surplus produce at Sydney bar, Re. Were starting conversations, he says. Credit:Jennifer Soo Canny chefs and bartenders

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Matt Whileys inventory looks completely different from that of the average bar. Our ingredient list might include strawberry tops, lamington offcuts from a local bakery and rescued plums from a greengrocer nearby, says the bartender, standing by the coolroom in Sydneys high-concept Re. The idea behind the cocktail venue and kitchen in Eveleigh is to make a menu out of surplus food and by-products that would otherwise be binned, mostly by other commercial kitchens. The strawberry tops are infused into water thats added to a gin cocktail. Lamington scraps are distilled with spirit, then blended into a coconut cocktail. The plums are reduced to a syrup, then turned into an aromatic liquor. Its rewarding, a really good feeling, says Whiley. When you work in food and drink, you see so much waste. Its almost built around it. I couldnt deal with throwing stuff out any more, so I decided to change things up. Making waste reduction fundamental means Re runs differently to other bars. The team only brings in produce it believes can be turned over quickly. For our first six months, our fridges were always full, says Whiley. Now they are pretty much empty. Thats half the battle: humans over-consume and then things end up in the bin. At Re, every plate is analysed once a customer has finished eating. If a dish constantly comes back unfinished, you know your portion size is off, so you scale it down, order less, and charge a little less. It also has six bins  compost, glass, paper, waste, laundry and soft plastics  and there are notebooks next to the bins. Whenever someone puts anything in the general waste or the compost bin, they have to write down what it was, why its been wasted, and what could be done differently next time, he says. Youve got to hold yourself accountable. If a dish constantly comes back unfinished, you know your portion size is off, so you scale it down, order less, and charge a little less. Whiley is under no illusions about his impact. Were small, he says. If its sunny, our capacity is 86 guests, inside and out. If its raining, its 46. We are highlighting a problem and also showing how to solve it. To say that were making change would be a lie. But we are starting conversations. Were bringing venues together. How can what were doing in Sydney filter into Melbourne, Brisbane, all the towns and cities all over Australia? And then how does Australia take that to the world?

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In Melbourne, chef Dennis Yong was disillusioned by a kitchen culture which saw bins filled every day. If you chuck it away, you dont have to care about it,  he says. Thats the mentality. Cucumber peel or apple peel or leftover rice, you dont use it. Yong didnt grow up like that. In Malaysia, my grandma always put leftovers in the fridge, and she would wash, dry and reuse plastic bags, he says. Poor people dont throw things out. The whole idea of fried rice is that its from the day before: it dries a little and gives it that al dente texture the next day. Dennis Yongs menu at Melbournes Parcs is based on offcuts, seconds, rescued food, and fermentation. Credit:Peter Tarasiuk As a trainee chef, he saw potential dishes scraped into the bin all the time. Cuttings and scraps are full of promise, he says. Hes proving that now at Parcs (scrap backwards), a small city dining room where the menu is based on offcuts, seconds, rescued produce and  crucially  fermentation. Food waste and fermentation are a perfect marriage, he says. If you take scraps and ferment them, you can extend their life for years. He makes kimchi, pickles, kombuchas and preserves, as well as a treacle made from the likes of melon peel, herb stems, onion skin and garlic skin. Rather than making a mirepoix with fresh carrot, onion and celery as the base for a dish, I use whatever scraps I have at the end of the day to make my treacle sauce that does the same job. Yongs creations have also sprung from back-alley trawls and bin-foraging. I would see a whole binful of tomatoes at the Vic Market or a huge bin at Woolies  double my height, I climbed up  that was full of carrots and celery. It was crazy. If you peel the skin, you get a perfect carrot. It was depressing, but then I got inspired. Someone has to do something about this. Dining culture isnt always his friend. With chefs, theres often this idea that fresh produce makes your food better, he says. Does it matter, though? For me, as long as its edible, a carrot is a carrot. I dont think it makes that much difference to the flavour or the finished dish. We need to use the carrot that is going to go bad first and use the new one later on. We need to solve the problem right now rather than create a new problem. Yong makes a treacle from the likes of melon peel, herb stems, onion skin and garlic skin. Credit:Peter Tarasiuk

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Super-mindful suppliers Two years ago, Josh Brooks-Duncan and Josh Ball, mates and business students at Melbournes RMIT University, wandered through the monthly farmers market in seaside St Kilda. We noticed that a lot of the produce didnt look the same as the supermarket, says Brooks-Duncan. It was bent, misshapen, it looked  natural. We started researching and realised that there was a huge issue with food waste due to aesthetics. Up to 25 per cent of Australian produce never leaves farms, according to a 2017 federal government report, because its marked, or non-standard in size or shape, and therefore doesnt meet buyer specifications. That means one-quarter of the water used to grow our food is wasted, too. One that gets me every time is celery, he says. Supermarkets only buy a specific size that fits into standardised tubs, so farmers often rip sticks off the outside of the celery  up to 40 per cent of the plant is discarded. But the outer sticks are the best, crunchiest, biggest, tastiest. And they are ploughed back into the farm or thrown in the bin. The pair saw a chance to make a difference. We learnt that food waste is a huge driver of climate change, says Ball. Throw in a business degree and you have an eye on opportunity. Four months after that day, they launched Farmers Pick, a vegetable- and fruit-box service that puts imperfect produce on consumers doorsteps, initially in Melbourne and now also in Sydney. Josh Ball co-founded Farmers Pick with his friend Josh Brooks-Duncan. Credit:Peter Tarasiuk They work directly with farmers to collect those celery sticks, plus kinky carrots, oversized mushrooms, teeny pumpkins and anything else that doesnt fit the specs. Customers pay 30 per cent less than the same perfect produce would cost in standard retail outlets.

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New federal Education Minister Jason Clare says he is not interested in stoking culture wars over the national curriculum and has pledged to be a strong defender of teachers after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton vowed to reignite the values debate over what students are taught.

Clare, who was Prime Minister Anthony Albaneses surprise pick for the education ministry, took the reins this week after a turbulent period that saw the portfolio change hands twice during the COVID-19 pandemic under the Morrison government.

New federal Education Minister Jason Clare returned to his old stomping ground, Cabramatta Public School, on Friday and paid a visit to his former teacher Cathy Fry and her grade 2 class. Credit:Janie Barrett

Speaking on his third day in the job, Clare sought to draw a line under the curriculum battles that raged during the last parliament, which saw then-ministers Alan Tudge and Stuart Robert lead a successful push for the new syllabus to elevate the study of Australias Western and Christian heritage.

Im not interested in picking fights. Im interested in making sure that the education system gets stronger and that were making sure kids get the best education possible, Clare said in an interview with this masthead on Friday.
Wang first got Pacific Island nations offside by attempting to go around the Pacific Islands Forum in Suva. Instead of going through the historic and occasionally chaotic secretariat, China chaired its own meeting, pulling a dozen countries into its orbit rather than engaging with theirs. Then it attempted to ram through a 10-country proposal in a matter of days, misjudging the careful and patient diplomacy required to navigate an area that spans three million kilometres, 13 million people and hundreds of distinct cultures. It was too big a fruit, too quickly pursued, says Dr Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing. The international hurdles and the local domestic complications are more severe than they realised. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrives at Honiara in the Solomon Islands. Credit:SIBC Few countries send their foreign minister without a deal already sewed up, but for China, it unravelled further from there.

Samoas Prime Minister Fiame Mataafa was direct in her feedback to Beijing. You cannot have regional agreements if the region has not met to discuss it, she said. To be called into discussion and have an expectation that there will be an outcome was something we could not agree to. Loading Wang, who committed an unprecedented 10 days to the region as foreign minister, will leave for Beijing this weekend with a swag of previously negotiated bilateral deals and little else to show for it. Chinas Foreign Ministry miscalculated, according to one of its closest observers. This unsuccessful attempt will make the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan at least do more in that region to check China, says Shi. The strategic competition will be far from easy for both sides.

The Pacific now finds itself in the middle of this great power struggle. A vast, poorly understood and increasingly vital region, it sits in a strategic zone between China, the United States and Australia. This group of a dozen nations showed this week that despite their small economic heft, they carried enough diplomatic unity to navigate the ambitions of the worlds next great superpower and its rivals. Henry Puna, the former prime minister of the Cook Islands - a nation of 18,000 people - and current secretary-general of the Pacific Islands Forum, said on Monday the Pacific was well aware of the increasing intensity, of geopolitical manoeuvring in our region today. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong meets with Henry Puna, the secretary-general of the Pacific Island Forum, on Thursday. Credit:Getty Images The onus is on us, and our partners, to genuinely engage to better navigate these relationships in our best interest as sovereign countries, but more so, bearing in mind that as a collective, we are stronger and more effective, he said. Puna knows that a divided Pacific is a weak Pacific. China has Tonga up to its eyeballs in $180 million of debt. Kiribatis government is teetering on the edge of approving a Chinese-built runway halfway between Asia and the US west coast. And PNG faces the turmoil of an election in a months time, with thousands of police body armour sets and a $200 million offer for a Chinese fisheries park in Daru on the table.

Puna told Pacific Island countries that despite Chinas attempts to woo each of them individually, any regional deal had to be made through consensus. Loading We should not be distracted but rather, we should ensure that our forum leaders vision for our region, drives all our effort and our collaboration, he said. The unity appears to have paid off. In Beijings updated position paper - rushed out within hours of the trade and security deal failing to pass - there are commitments for China to appoint a special envoy for Pacific affairs, provide funding for climate change mitigation, send medical teams to the region and establish more than 5000 training places. All the economic and humanitarian pledges are met, but with none of the policing, cybersecurity and data-sharing attachments in Chinas Common Development Vision. Puna was very much exercising the essential spirit of Pacific regionalism, says Dr Tess Newton Cain, an associate professor at the Griffith Asia Institute who has lived in Vanuatu for 20 years.

Even if the forum may look shaky what it really comes down to is, we work together, we build consensus. Loading This is a process that takes time. People that want to work with us need to realise that this is the way we do things, and were not about to change the way we do things. Were not about to be railroaded into things that we dont know, that we dont feel comfortable with. I think its been a huge lesson for China. But I think it should also be a lesson for everybody that if you want to work with Pacific states and their leadership, this is the way things are done. Newton Cain says suggestions that the Pacific knocked back the deal thanks to lobbying by Australias foreign minister are misguided.

I just dont see that thats true, she says. I think whats important is that the new government has recognised the importance of being present in the region. The $500 million Pacific step-up was the Morrison governments signature foreign policy, but it failed to make substantial inroads because of the Coalitions aversion to climate change action - an existential threat to the Pacific. COVID-19 also forced much of its diplomatic engagement onto Zoom. Through circumstance and other priorities, Marise Payne only made a handful of visits to the Pacific in her four years as foreign minister. Wong has been to three Pacific countries in her first 10 days in office. What was noticed in Suva, Apia and Nukualofa was the change in tone delivered by Wong - and her ability to prosecute arguments that mattered to Pacific island nations without having to water them down when she returned home. She did not hesitate in Apia on Thursday when asked what policy area she was itching to change now she was in office after nine years in opposition: climate.

I spent a lot of years trying to change our countrys position, she said. I have two daughters. I would like us to be able to say to our children that we did something. I think that matters. Mataafa, the Samoan Prime Minister, was diplomatic. Were very pleased in Samoa and no doubt in the Pacific region that with the new Australian government, the policy shift brings them closer to alignment with Pacific advocacy, she said. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong (right) holds a joint press conference with Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa in Apia, Samoa. Allan Behm, Wongs former senior adviser, says Wong is a natural conciliator, particularly when dealing with disparate cultural and political agendas. Penny is naturally good at negotiating through that kind of cultural mix, he says.

Shes very natural, for example, as a person born in Sabah, Malaysia, in dealing with the cultural mixes of Southeast Asia, shes perfectly at home in that. So, shell bring that talent I think, into the way in which she conducts Australias relations in the Pacific. Shes extremely good at identifying what her particular policy interests might be. In listening to what her interlocutors my particular policy interests are, and then looking for bridges between them, looking for convergence, looking for where Australia and whoever it is might meet. But her thinking is always: how do we get the best mutual deal out of this, which has got some chance of sticking for the longest period of time? Behm, now with the Australia Institute, believes the government has its work cut out for it to mend ties after years of regional negligence.

Australia has a capacity for considerable condescension in the Pacific and the language we often use is regarded as being offensive, he says. Loading Newtown Cain agrees that even terms like the Pacific family harnessed by Payne and now Wong should be reconsidered. You never hear the same about Asian partners, she says. It can be used in a way that some of my Pacific colleagues feel is a bit patronising. Its like we have to have a different way of talking about the Pacific than we would about people from Europe or people from Asia or people from North America. Its got to be different because theyre somehow not on the same level. Part of the challenge is the chronic under emphasis on the Pacific Islands in Australian education systems. There is only one university in Australia that offers Pacific studies at the degree level, ANU. Pacific education in high school starts and ends at the Kokoda track.

Australians overall awareness and understanding of the Pacific and Pacific Island people is just starting to get past a few of those tropes around they all play rugby or they are all corrupt, says Newton Cain. We need to really engage with the diversity of the region. Loading China for its part is pursuing another type of engagement. When Wang landed in East Timor on Friday he could visit not only the Chinese built Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Presidential Palace but also by the largest shopping centres in Dili, many of them operated by Chinese businesses. The same model has spread throughout the Pacific, concentrating Chinese commercial power before diplomatic overtures are made. The state-backed model is one that Australia cannot compete with because few Australian businesses are willing to take on the commercial risks of operating in poorly regulated markets outside of mining and other high-risk, high-profit industries. East Timors President Jose Ramos Horta asked in May why anyone thought he would not take on investment from both sides. It would be a total mistake not to have a good relationship with China, he said.

Locals, worried that the Chinese business influx will take away their share of the market, are not so sure. Dili businessman Mateus da Costa says he feels this is a new invasion of the Chinese people through their economic activities. Credit:Raimundos Oki Businessman Mateus da Costa says he feels very threatened all this time because almost all corners of Dili and in various municipalities have been controlled by Chinese businessmen. I feel this is a new invasion of the Chinese people through their economic activities, but our government has remained silent so far. It has to be well regulated, our indigenous people can also do small businesses like this, he says. When they come here, they have to make a big investment in order to create new job opportunities, not to take away small business activities like this.
London: Animal lovers in Ukraine have carried out a daring mission to rescue a pride of nine lions from a private zoo in Odessa, funded predominantly by Australian animal welfare campaigners.

Lionel De Lange, the founder and director of Warriors of Wildlife, specialises in rescuing big animals from captivity and has been living in Ukraine for 11 years.

Dozed and wrapped in the colours of Ukraine, a lion is whisked out of a private zoo in Odessa last week. Credit:Nathan Laine

Since the war began in Ukraine in February he has staged three separate operations to rescue lions and a bear.

His latest mission was carried out in partnership with Animals Australia, an organisation which is campaigning to end live exports, and the UK organisation Breaking the Chains.
New York's Democratic-controlled Legislature closed its session by passing bills that tighten the state's gun laws, strengthen its abortion protections and bolster its voting rights to expand access to the polls.

It was all part of a flurry of activity to close a six-month legislative session that also saw a first-of-its-kind moratorium on new cryptocurrency mining at fossil fuel plants sent to Gov. Kathy Hochul for her consideration.

And that wasn't the only win for environmentalists. The Legislature also advanced a bill that would facilitate improved energy and water efficiency standards for appliances and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with buildings.

Longtime Albany observers pointed out that the end-of-session rush was less intense than a typical year. Bill Hammond, senior fellow for health policy at the Empire Center for Public Policy, noted that of the 860 bills passed so far this year, 35% received final approval over the last week. That figure was 52% last year, by comparison, he added.

NY raises age to buy AR-15s to 21, limits sales of body armor, requires microstamping Legislation passed and expected to be signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul by the end of this week will raise the age to buy a semi-automatic rifle in New York to 21 and require a firearms license to do so.

For instance, a bill that designates John R. Oishei Children's Hospital as a safety net provider, which helps protect the Buffalo facility from Medicaid cuts and opens the door to additional funding opportunities, flew under the radar and was passed weeks ago by the Legislature.

Still, some measures appear to have been left out, including legislation that would have made it harder for landlords to evict tenants.

Here's a round up of how this legislative session wrapped up:

Abortion rights

With a Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade looming, the Legislature passed a package that strengthens the state's abortion protections.

That includes legislation that would protect abortion service providers from professional misconduct charges solely for performing, recommending or providing reproductive health services to patients residing in states where such services are illegal.

Another bill that passed would provide judicial protections to abortion providers, such as prohibiting law enforcement from cooperating with or providing information to any out-of-state agency related to legal abortions in New York. Courts and county clerks also would be prohibited from issuing subpoenas for such out-of-state proceedings.

Intense local reaction to looming Supreme Court abortion decision News that the Supreme Court is poised to overturn its landmark 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion in this country is sparking a strong response locally and nationally.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Democrat, said in a statement that the legislation will protect providers in New York from other states "looking to impose their policies on New Yorkers and punish providers beyond their borders."

Some states with Republican-controlled legislatures have restricted abortion recently. For example, Oklahoma's Republican governor in late May signed what is considered the nation's strictest abortion ban.

Hochul, who less than a month ago announced a $35 million investment to support New York abortion providers, said she intends to sign the bills into law.

"Make no mistake: For as long as I am governor, New York will be a safe harbor for all those who need abortion care," Hochul said in a statement.

Major voting rights act

The Legislature also passed a bill meant to bolster access to the polls, just months after the U.S. Senate failed to pass voting rights legislation.

The state legislation would create a pre-clearance program that would mandate localities with a demonstrated history of discrimination against voters to "preclear" all voting and election law changes through the Attorney General's Civil Rights Bureau or a state Supreme Court.

The legislation, officially the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York, also would prohibit any laws, policies or practices that would result in voter suppression or vote dilution of members of a particular race, color or language-minority group.

"While states across the country have worked overtime to restrict voting rights, the New York VRA will strengthen protections for all voters, especially those who have historically been disenfranchised," Sen. Zellnor Myrie, the bill's sponsor and chair of the Senate Elections Committee, said in a statement.

The Legal Defense Fund, a longtime national civil rights law organization, called for Hochul to sign the bill into law, noting that the governor expressed support for strengthening voting rights in her State of the State address in January.

Climate change

The Legislature passed a bill that would establish stricter efficiency standards for appliances. It also calls for incorporating greenhouse gas emission reduction standards into building codes to combat climate change.

The Advanced Building Codes, Appliance and Equipment Efficiency Standards Act covers products including TVs, printers and computers. The legislation calls for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to update energy and efficiency standards for seven products already regulated by the state, and to set new standards for 30 other products, including air purifiers and electric vehicle chargers, the Appliance Standards Awareness Project said.

The new standards "will deliver a projected $15 billion of total utility bill savings by 2035 for New York consumers, including an estimated $6 billion in total utility bill savings for low-to moderate-income households," according to a summary of the legislation.

The bill also would allow regulators to set energy codes for new homes and commercial buildings that would exceed national model codes, the group said.

"Better appliances and building codes mean better-performing buildings, which is essential to making them more affordable and better for the environment," said Samantha Wilt, senior policy analyst for the Climate and Clean Energy Program at Natural Resources Defense Council.

Moratorium on cryptocurrency mining at fossil fuel plants

In recent years, cryptocurrency mining companies have flocked to upstate New York, capitalizing on the states cheap energy for its power-guzzling computers and, in some cases, restarting mothballed industrial plants that burn fossil fuels.

A bill that has now passed the state Legislature is primed to slow that boom, a move cheered by environmentalists, but opposed by cryptocurrency supporters who believe the legislation will stall economic development and the states position in an emerging industry.

Cryptocurrency firms search for WNY sites amid concerns of their economic development worth Cryptocurrency companies already have a footprint in Western New York  which some would like to enlarge.

The bill targets energy-intensive proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining that uses fossil fuel power plants, placing a two-year moratorium on new and renewed air permits for those specific kinds of operations.

It also requires the state Department of Environmental Conservation to complete a comprehensive environmental study that evaluates the impacts of cryptocurrency mining operations that use proof-of-work authentication methods.

With this bills passage, the Legislature has rightly said fossil fuel power plants cant get a second life in New York just for private industry gain, which would fly on the face of the states climate mandates, Liz Moran, New York policy advocate for Earthjustice, said in a statement.

The state is aiming to reduce New Yorks greenhouse gas emissions by 85% by 2050.

A win for Oishei

Oishei Children's Hospital is in line to become an enhanced safety net hospital, a designation the Buffalo facility has been chasing for a few years.

A bill that adds freestanding children's hospitals in the state within the safety net definition passed the state Legislature last month.

Getting the designation will offer a safeguard to Medicaid cuts, while also opening the door to additional funding for Oishei, which had a thin profit margin of 1% to 2% before the pandemic hit and turned those slight gains into losses.

Should Oishei be designated as a safety net hospital? Becoming a safety net hospital would offer a safeguard to Medicaid cuts while also opening the door to additional funding for a facility that, in a good year, has a razor-thin profit margin.

Getting its Medicaid reimbursement preserved is a big deal for Oishei, since more than 70% of its patients have Medicaid. That percentage jumps to more than 90% when looking at its primary care and womens health center visits.

"Achieving the safety net status will support our ability to sustain and enhance our services," Oishei President Allegra Jaros said in a statement. "The children of community deserve this level of support, and I am proud that we collectively have prioritized them."

Inaction on tenants rights

The story was more about inaction on landlord-tenant matters.

Lawmakers did not act on legislation championed by progressives, known as the Good Cause Eviction bill. That would have capped annual rent hikes at 3%, and made it more difficult for landlords to evict market-rate tenants for not paying rent if it increased by more than that, unless they could prove good cause for doing so in court, such as for violating other terms of the lease agreement.

The bill had been strenuously opposed by landlords and developers, who complained that it would allow tenants to get away with not paying rent for months during any legal proceedings, and would prevent wholesale redevelopment of buildings.

The State Legislature also failed to extend a popular tax break in New York City known as 421-a, which provided benefits to developers for building new housing in the city with a proportion of units that qualify as affordable. Both Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams are supporters of the provision, and are expected to try again next year.

Matt Glynn

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Jon Harris Reporter I'm a Genesee County native and Syracuse University grad who covered business at the (Binghamton) Press & Sun-Bulletin and at The Morning Call in Allentown, Pennsylvania. I joined The Buffalo News in September 2021, covering the business of health care. Follow Jon Harris 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

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A 29-year-old man is in critical condition in Erie County Medical Center after he was shot Friday afternoon by a Niagara Falls police officer after another officer was attacked with a knife, Ann Harenda, a spokesperson for Mayor Robert Restaino, reported Saturday.

According to the report, the suspect charged at officers, stabbed one of them in the back and was shot as he attacked another officer. The officer who was stabbed suffered minor back and arm injuries, the report said. No further details were provided.

The incident began shortly after 5 p.m. when police responded to a call about a suspicious person at a Rite Aid pharmacy at 80th Street and Niagara Falls Boulevard, Harenda reported.

The suspect refused to comply with commands, the report said, and attempted to flee. After police fired a Taser at him with no effect, the report noted, he allegedly took a knife from his pocket and attacked the officers. An investigation into the incident is continuing.

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.

Maki Becker Chief of the Breaking News/Criminal Justice Desk I've worked at The Buffalo News since 2005. I previously worked as a reporter at the New York Daily News and the Charlotte Observer and was a special correspondent for the Los Angeles Times. Follow Maki Becker 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
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The Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania is recovering from a stroke and now says he almost died from it after ignoring warning signs for years and a doctors advice to take blood thinners. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman spoke in a statement released by his campaign Friday. He has remained out of public view as he recovers ahead of the fall general election in what is expected to be one of the nations premier Senate contests. Fettermans cardiologist also disclosed that he has cardiomyopathy. Fetterman easily won the Democratic nomination in a four-way race while in the hospital four days after the stroke.
The then-city commissioner of permits and inspections who issued an emergency order to demolish the Great Northern grain elevator didn't understand the building's engineering, mistakenly concluding that a large hole on the north wall endangered the entire structure, a preservationist said in State Supreme Court.

Paul McDonnell, the chairman of the Campaign for Greater Buffalo, History & Architecture, which is trying to stop the demolition, said James Comerford based his condemnation order on Dec. 17 on several misunderstandings of how the building was constructed.

Common Council calls for alternatives to Great Northern demolition "It is important that all options must be considered before making a decision that can never be undone," the resolution said.

Comerford, before reaching his decision, failed to consult original architectural drawings of the Great Northern on file in his office, or review the grain elevator's local landmark application or a federal study from 1990 available online, McDonnell said.

The brick cladding that covers the steel bins inside "is basically a brick curtain wall," McDonnell said. "Everything else in the structure, including the cupola on top, which is hung so no steel touches the brick, is supported by the steel frame.

"This was a failure of the commissioner looking at the structural documents and seeing how it was actually built. I do not think he had enough information to make that conclusion, and some of the information he cites is erroneous."

Appellate court orders new hearing on Great Northern demolition request An appellate court ruled Friday that a State Supreme Court justice erred in refusing to consider a preservation group's evidence at a hearing to determine whether the City of Buffalo legally granted an emergency permit to demolish the Great Northern grain elevator.

The Campaign for Greater Buffalo was given the chance to present expert testimony after an appellate court on April 29 sided with the preservation organization and reversed Justice Emilio Colaiacovo's Jan. 5 decision allowing the demolition to proceed. At his hearing earlier this year, Colaiacovo did not allow expert testimony from the preservation organization.

McDonnell was the lone witness before Colaiacovo on Thursday, and he was cross-examined Friday. McDonnell said the commissioner lacked a rational determination for issuing the emergency demolition order  the legal issue at hand in whether the demolition can go forward.

Attorneys representing ADM repeatedly raised concerns in cross-examination about uncertainties associated with the building's condition, stressing that Comerford was responding to the information known at the time when he issued the order. The commissioner cited safety and public welfare concerns after considering drone imagery, an engineering report and consultations with city housing inspectors and the fire commissioner.

McDonnell, a former senior architect and director of facilities with Buffalo Public Schools, said he called Comerford two days after a Dec. 11 windstorm damaged the structure to offer his help, but never got a call back.

Gwen Howard, who succeeded McDonnell as chair of the city's Preservation Board, said Comerford informed her he had reviewed materials and wanted to give her a heads-up that he was leaning toward issuing the demolition order. She said he didn't seek her advice.

Receivership called a promising tool for saving derelict historic properties "The receivership is a great idea for a city like Buffalo, where our housing stock is so old and there is so much worth preserving," Housing Court Judge Patrick M. Carney said.

"I stressed that I felt that was not a prudent decision or necessary," said Howard, also a certified New York State building inspector.

McDonnell refuted other claims by Comerford, some cited in reports commissioned by Archer Daniels Midland that Comerford said he had read before reaching his decision.

There was no significant bowing, movement or cracking in the walls, McDonnell said.

McDonnell also pushed back against claims that the mortar had seriously eroded.

"We do not have any evidence, any testing or any reason to know that the walls have lost any type of mortar adhesion inside," he said.

Great Northern grain elevator damaged by Buffalo windstorm The City of Buffalo landmark was built in 1897 and operated for nearly a century. Saturday's windstorm tore a hole in the northern wall, but the grain elevator is not in danger of collapse.

McDonnell said the structure was not a fire hazard, noting the brick wall was fireproof and there haven't been active operations in decades.

William Renaldo, the city's fire commissioner and the lone witness for the city and ADM over the two days of the hearing, said he thought the building should be demolished because of "grave concerns" he had after meeting with Comerford and reviewing drone footage.

Renaldo said he was concerned that if the whole structure collapsed, it could threaten firefighting capacities on Ganson Street and endanger the Edward Cotter fireboat and other ships passing by. He also said he didn't know if there were combustibles or industrial waste inside that could pose a hazard to firefighters if they entered the structure.

McDonnell and Howard said Comerford was mistaken in saying the Great Northern was unsafe in part due to the lack of control joints. Both said control joints aren't appropriate for the building and weren't used when the Great Northern was built in 1897.

McDonnell also said reports commissioned by ADM that Comerford consulted lacked documentation, construction drawings and photography typically found in such documents, or evidence of any tests conducted during the the three decades the company has sought to demolish the Great Northern.

The Great Northern is the last brick-enclosed steel structure elevator left in North America. It is also the first grain elevator in the world, along with the Electric Elevator, to harness electricity from Niagara Falls.

Preservationists say demolishing the Great Northern would be among the most significant architectural losses in Buffalo in decades.

The hearing will resume June 9, with a decision by Colaiacovo expected to follow days or weeks later.

Mark Sommer covers preservation, development, the waterfront, culture and more. He's also a former arts editor at The News.

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The 76-year-old man accused of dumping hundreds of used McDonald's coffee cups on the front lawn of a former co-worker has written a letter of apology to the homeowners and has sent them a check for about $2,800 to cover their expenses in trying to catch whoever was doing this to them.
The capsaicin-rich envelope please.

Among the winners at the 2022 Scovie Awards, an annual competition that recognizes the top fiery foodstuffs in the world, was Tasty Heats Hot Sauces & Spicy Foods, a Winnipeg-based, small-batch hot-sauce biz owned and operated by Amila Rajakaruna and his wife Arshala Dona.

Talk about getting it right the first time: last summer, the couple expanded their line of seven flavourful hot sauces, which include selections dubbed Sunny, prepared with ghost peppers, habanero peppers and a hint of fruit, Tangy (ghost peppers, green peppers and lemon) and Woot (ghost peppers, cayenne peppers and berries), by adding an all-natural, preservative-free curry spice blend. A few months later, their introductory effort, called simply Tasty Heats Meat Curry Powder, placed third in the "meat required, unique" category at the 25th Scovie Awards, so-named for Wilbur Scoville, the scientist who developed the Scoville Organoleptic Test over a century ago, to determine the heat scale of chili peppers.

"I sent them a box of our curry mix, which was then judged in a blind taste test by 90 professional chefs," says Amila, seated next to his wife on the main level of The Forks Market, where they just finished dropping off a sales order to The Forks Trading Company, one of a dozen or so retail outlets in Winnipeg that carry Tasty Heats products.

"The awards are very famous among chili-heads, and I never expected to win a thing," he continues, scrolling through his phone to find a photo of the medal and certificate they received for placing third. "Mostly, I just wanted to get their reaction to my product, to know if it was good or not. I guess I got my answer."

Amila and Arshala were both born and raised in Sri Lanka. Hes originally from Karagala, a village in the central part of the South Asian nation, while she grew up in Colombo, Sri Lankas most populous city.

Arshala moved to Winnipeg, where one of her sisters was already living, in 2004, to complete a masters degree in food science at the University of Manitoba. She was introduced to Amila, an IT specialist, through an online dating service the following year. It wasnt until August 2008, however, by which time he was temporarily living in New York City for work, that they met in person for the first time.

"He originally had it in his head that the two of us would return to Sri Lanka after we were married, only I had already applied for permanent residency in Canada, so I told him that wasnt going to happen," she says, playfully poking him in the ribs. "Our wedding was in October (2008) and he joined me here for good about a month later."

There wasnt much the parents of two missed about Sri Lanka in the ensuing years aside from how balmy the temperatures there are, come December and January. If there was one thing they did occasionally long for, however, it was meals that tasted a bit more like home. Try as they might, they could never find spices here that quite matched the pungency of what theyd grown up with, Arshala says.

Rajakaruna warms a cauldron to start a batch of curry powder. (Ethan Cairns / Winnipeg Free Press)

Amila mentioned that to a co-worker one time who suggested adding hot sauce to whatever they were eating, to give it some zing. The interesting thing was, because Sri Lankan cuisine is generally spicy enough on its own, hot sauce wasnt a product he or Arshala were familiar with. And because he couldnt decide which of several dozen brands he spotted in the condiment aisle would suit them best, he decided to study up and make his own hot sauce from scratch.

Well, you can probably guess what happened next; not only was Arshala, a food scientist who has worked at a number of testing facilities including the Richardson Centre for Food Technology and Research, impressed with what her husband came up with, so too was her sister, when she and her husband came over for a barbecue the following weekend. The brother-in-law was so blown away by Amilas hot sauce, in fact, that he immediately requested a jar of his own, to bring to work for his lunches.

"The next thing we knew, my brother-in-laws co-workers were enjoying Amilas hot sauce, too, and were asking where they could buy some," Arshala says, pointing out what appealed to her most about Amilas sauce was that she could pick up on the various ingredients; it wasnt just "vinegar and hotness."

"Within a few months, so many people were telling us we should start our own business that we decided maybe they were right, and that we should give it a shot," she adds. (A true family affair, Tasty Heats, the name they ultimately settled on for their venture, was a collaborative effort between their then-three-year-old daughter Amarsha, who was forever asking for "something tasty" at dinner time, and their son, Akein, now 12.)

Describing himself as the furthest thing from a sales person, Amila shudders as he recalls his initial stab at getting a person who wasnt a friend or family member to try his fare. Cramptons Market was still situated on Waverley Street, not far from where they lived, in the summer of 2016, so he drove there with a mix of sauces he planned to leave with the owners to sample. Nervous as the dickens, he got in and out of his vehicle five times before finally working up the nerve to go inside and introduce himself.

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In addition to Tasty Heats award-winning curry mix, the company also produces a chili paste that pairs well with fish, poultry, meat and even ice cream. (Ethan Cairns / Winnipeg Free Press)

He neednt have fretted; 20 minutes after leaving, he got a text from Cramptons manager, letting him know staff had already tried the sauces on soda crackers and loved them. Also, when could he fill an order so they could begin selling Tasty Heats to their customers?

Six years later, Tasty Heats is now Amilas full-time job. Besides supplying grocery stores in four provinces along with local institutions such as De Lucas and Millers Meats, he and Arshala also ship internationally through their website, www.tastyheat.com. In addition to the aforementioned, award-winning curry mix, they have a chili paste that pairs well with fish, poultry, meat even ice cream, according to people whove reached out to let them know how they use it.

"Its been almost six years already but we still cant believe it, sometimes, how well-received our sauces have been," Amila says, noting during the buildup to Christmas 2021, they prepared and packaged in the neighbourhood of 10,000 bottles of sauce, in the commercial kitchen they rent at Riverview Community Centre. Arshala laughs, saying there have been multiple occasions when theyve been cooking a batch of this or that, when parents who were outside watching their kids sporting event have entered the facility, saying they picked up the scent of spices through the buildings exterior vents, and were wondering what smelled so yummy.

"The biggest thing Ive noticed through all this is how before, when he was doing his (IT) job, he was stressed out a lot of the time," she adds. "Now, every single time we receive an order, whether its a large one from a store or an individual requesting a single bottle, hes happy, and smiling from ear to ear. Thats been such a joy to see."

david.sanderson@freepress.mb.ca
Twenty-six years before US Airways Capt. Chesley (Sully) Sullenbergers successful water landing became known as the Miracle on the Hudson, Capt. Bob Pearson authored his own miracle in Gimli.

Twenty-six years before US Airways Capt. Chesley (Sully) Sullenbergers successful water landing became known as the Miracle on the Hudson, Capt. Bob Pearson authored his own miracle in Gimli.

On July 23, 1983, Air Canada flight 143 was en route to Edmonton from Montreal with 61 passengers aboard when it ran out of fuel at 41,000 feet  owing, in part, to a metric conversion error  somewhere over northwestern Ontario. The flight was diverted to Winnipeg, but quick calculations from first officer Maurice Quintal showed the plane wouldnt make it with both engines out.

Perry Van Veen has been working on a replica of the Gimli Glider cockpit in his garage. He hopes to have it completed by 2023. (Supplied)

Pearson decided to take a massive gamble: glide his Boeing 767 to a decommissioned Royal Canadian Air Force base in Gimli. As the plane approached the runway, however, it was coming in too high and too fast, so Pearson took another big risk: he executed a manoeuvre called a slip to increase drag and shed some altitude.

Neither pilot realized their runway at Gimli had been repurposed into a busy drag-racing strip  which, on a Saturday evening in late July, was filled with barbecuing families, unaware of the virtually silent 767 bearing down on them. Pearson would later recall the faces of two boys who had decided to ride their bikes down the length of the runway, close enough that he could see their terror from the cockpit.

Pearsons sharp thinking and experience as a glider pilot got the plane safely to the ground. That the front wheel never locked into place  and a guardrail had been installed down the middle of the converted runaway  got the plane to stop.

Seventeen minutes after both its engines died, the Gimli Glider, as it would come to be known, was safely on the ground. There were no causalities.

The Gimli Glider, an Air Canada Boeing 767, landed on and old, unused runway in Gimli on July 23, 1983. The runway was used as a drag strip and race car track. (Wayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Perry Van Veen had just graduated from high school in the summer of 83, and was working towards getting his pilots licence when the remarkable story of the Gimli Glider first captured his imagination.

"I remember watching the story on the six oclock news and being really fascinated by the fact he was able to make that landing  and he only had one chance to do it, too," Van Veen says over the phone from his home in Welland, Ont. "Since that time, Ive always been very interested in the story."

Van Veen is using parts from other Boeing 767s to construct a cockpit that looks identical to the one in the Gimli Glider. (Supplied)

Nearly 40 years later, the Gimli Glider continues to hold many peoples fascination  in no small part because its a rare aviation disaster story with a happy ending. But most peoples fascinations with the Gimli Glider do not involve an elaborate, years-long restoration project of a Boeing 767 cockpit they have in their garage.

Van Veen is not most people. For the past six years, hes been working on creating a replica of the Gimli Gliders cockpit, to look exactly as it did on that day in 1983.

The Gimli Glider  formally, C-GAUN fin no. 604  continued to fly after the 1983 incident before retiring to the Mojave desert in 2008 after 25 years of service. Van Veen had followed the plane over the intervening years, as one of his hobbies was buying and selling airplane parts. After an unsuccessful bid on the actual cockpit from the Gimli Glider, he got his hands on another cockpit from a retired Boeing 767.

Some of the work-in-progress on the cockpit's interior. (Supplied)

The failed bid was actually a blessing in disguise. "It would have been stripped  everything would have been missing," Van Veen says. "When they tear down an airplane, they sell all the usable parts. I mean, sure, its the Gimli Glider, but it would have nothing inside."

And so, Van Veen embarked on his replica project. He was able to secure some parts from the actual Gimli Glider  including the captains yoke, crew seats and other instruments  and has been painstakingly collecting other parts from other 767s of that era, including the throttles and side panels from the Gimli Gliders sister craft, Fins 601 and 603. Its time-consuming work, looking up part numbers, but part numbers hold the keys to accuracy.

"Its very similar to a puzzle, just trying to get all the pieces together," he says. "Id like to have things accurate, exactly as it was, so that if you were to go on the Gimli Glider back then, when it was in service, you would not be able to tell the difference."

'Its very similar to a puzzle, just trying to get all the pieces together,' says Van Veen. (Supplied)

Indeed, hes sparing no detail  right down to determining the colour code of paint so the exterior can bear a stripe in the the exact shade of red as the Air Canada livery circa 1983.

Van Veen says his commitment to accuracy is almost a curse. "You lie awake at night thinking, Where can I get that? Where can I find out? Its a lot of contacting people, too  pilots that used to fly with Air Canada and that particular airplane and asking them, What do you remember? You know, I get a chuckle because a lot of guys go, That was 20 years ago, I dont remember."

Van Veen hopes the replica will be done in time for the 40th anniversary next July. As to where it will go after that  a museum, perhaps  hes not sure, but recreating a tangible piece of Canadian aviation history has been a joy.

On July 23, 1983, an Air Canada Boeing 767 made an emergency landing on a decommissioned runway in Gimli that was being used as a drag-racing strip. (Wayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press files)

His wife, however, will probably not be sorry to see the cockpit depart their garage.

"If you were to ask her if shes cool with (having it in the garage), she would say no," he says with a laugh. "But I told her it would only take up half so shes still able to park her car in it. That was the deal."

Van Veen has a GoFundMe to support the project.

jen.zoratti@winnipegfreepress.com

Twitter: @JenZoratti

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WINNIPEG - Manitobas families minister has touted a significant drop in the number of newborns seized by social services since the province ended the controversial practice of birth alerts, but government data shows hundreds of babies are still being taken into care every year.

Rochelle Squires responds to a question during a news conference in Vancouver on Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. Manitobas families minister has touted a significant drop in the number of newborns apprehended by social services since the province ended the controversial practice of birth alerts, but government data shows hundreds of babies are still being taken into care every year. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

WINNIPEG - Manitobas families minister has touted a significant drop in the number of newborns seized by social services since the province ended the controversial practice of birth alerts, but government data shows hundreds of babies are still being taken into care every year.

"We have reduced  childbirth apprehensions by 75 per cent since that policy was implemented," Rochelle Squires said during question period on Tuesday.

Data obtained by The Canadian Press through freedom-of-information requests shows, on average, a baby is still seized in Manitoba nearly every day.

Birth alerts were used to notify hospitals and child-welfare agencies that a more thoroughassessment was needed before a newborn was discharged to a parent deemed high-risk.

The province stopped the practice in 2020 after a review found it discouraged pregnant women and their families from reaching out for prenatal support.

The province clarified the minister's numbers later in the week. It said there had been a decrease in newborn apprehensions, but it was not what the minister reported. There were 101 babies up to three days oldseized in 2020-21, a 46 per cent decrease from 186 newborns the year before.

The province said the minister had been including children up to a year old who had been taken into care.

The data obtained by the news agency shows there has been a gradual decrease of apprehensions involving babies under a year old, but it doesn't match what the minister said.

In 2019, 496 babies were apprehended. That dropped to 386 babies the following year when birth alerts ended. Last year, 339 were apprehended.

That's a decrease of 32 per cent from the year before and after birth alerts stopped.

The ministers office further clarified that newborn apprehensions decreased by 65 per cent since the Progressive Conservatives took office in 2016. And, it said in an email, a 75 per cent reduction is expected this year.

"Those are staggering numbers of babies being apprehended," said Cora Morgan, First Nations family advocate for the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.

Morgan said ending birth alerts was the right move.

The practice has long been criticized by Indigenous leaders who say birth alerts are stacked against families. The final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls said the alerts are "racist and discriminatory and are a gross violation of the rights of the child, the mother and the community."

There are about 10,000 children in care in Manitoba and about 90 per cent are Indigenous.

Morgan said it's clear ending birth alerts has not stopped babies from being seized. She said mothers are still telling her they are scared to get prenatal support and she hears of babies and children being apprehended regularly.

"I still believe that they are still flagging mothers."

The province needs to do more to support women who are pregnant or who have just given birth to keep families together, Morgan said.

Squires said in the legislature that "there has been a lot of damage done stemming back decades" around child welfare. She said all levels of government must move forward together.

Bernadette Smith, a legislature member for the Opposition NDP, said babies should not be seized unless theres a threat to the child.

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"We do more harm than good by apprehending kids," she said.

Smith agrees ending birth alerts was a good decision. But, she pointed out, it means the number of babies being taken into care should have been closer to zero.

A bill Smith introduced in 2018 amended the provinces apprehension laws so that no child could be seized solely because of poverty. Smith explained that when she was a teenager she was placed in care because her mom couldnt afford the supports needed to help her.

With more than 300 babies seized a year, it's clear there are other families who need help, she said.

"Moms should get the support before, during and after they have their children."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2022.
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP)  A federal agency has delivered a big setback to a company's controversial plan to mine near the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp and its vast wildlife refuge.

FILE - The sun sets over water lilies and cypress trees along the remote Red Trail wilderness water trail of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Wednesday, April 6, 2022, in Fargo, Ga. The refuge is one of the world's largest intact freshwater ecosystems and averages 300,000 visitors a year and 4,000 visitors permitted for overnight camping along trails such as this. According to a government memo, Friday, June 3, 2022, a federal agency has delivered a big setback to a company's controversial plan to mine at the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp's vast wildlife refuge. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, File)

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP)  A federal agency has delivered a big setback to a company's controversial plan to mine near the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp and its vast wildlife refuge.

A government memo said Friday that the Army Corps of Engineers is reasserting jurisdiction over Twin Pines Minerals' proposal to mine minerals just outside the Okefenokee, home to the largest U.S. wildlife refuge east of the Mississippi River.

Scientists have warned that mining close to the swamp's bowl-like rim could damage its ability to hold water. They urged the Army Corps of Engineers to deny the project a permit. But the agency declared in 2020 it no longer had that authority after regulatory rollbacks under then-President Donald Trump narrowed the types of waterways qualifying for protection under the Clean Water Act.

Trump's rollbacks were later scrapped by federal courts. President Joe Biden's administration has sought to restore federal oversight of development projects that under Trump had been allowed to sidestep regulations to prevent pollution of streams or draining of wetlands.

Michael Connor, the assistant Army secretary for civil works, said in the Friday memo that prior decisions waiving the Army Corps' jurisdiction over the Georgia mining plan and another proposed mine outside Tucson, Arizona, had been reversed.

Connor wrote that both projects would have to start over with new applications for federal permits. He said the prior decisions allowing them to bypass federal regulators are not valid because tribal governments with ancestral ties to the proposed mining sites had not been consulted.

The Twin Pines project in Georgia will require consultation with the Muscogee Creek Nation before it can move forward, the memo said.

We have said from the day we announced our plans that we would follow the regulations before us at any given time, Steve Ingle, president of Twin Pines, said in a statement. He added: We intend to move forward with our application and fulfill all requirements."

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Georgia Democrat who has fought the proposed mine outside the Okefenokee since he took office last year, called the decision a major victory.

I am pleased to announce the restoration of protection for this wildlife refuge and its surrounding wetlands, Ossoff said in a statement late Friday. "The Okefenokee is a natural wonder and one of Georgias most precious lands. I will continue fighting to protect it for future generations.

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Alabama-based Twin Pines had been awaiting a permitting decision by Georgia's Environmental Protection Division, the sole regulator with oversight over the project before the federal government's Friday decision, which restores the Army Corps regulatory authority over 556 acres (225 hectares) of wetlands in the proposed mining area.

The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge covers nearly 630 square miles (1,630 square kilometers) in southeast Georgia and is home to alligators, bald eagles and other protected species. The swamps wildlife, cypress forests and flooded prairies draw roughly 600,000 visitors each year, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the refuge.

Two decades ago, chemical giant DuPont retreated from plans to mine outside the Okefenokee after meeting fierce resistance. Twin Pines wants permits to mine a small fraction of the acreage DuPont pursued. Ingle has insisted his company can mine the site without harming the swamp.

Government scientists have been skeptical. In February 2019, the Fish and Wildlife Service wrote that the proposed mine could pose substantial risks to the swamp, including its ability to hold water. Some impacts, it said, may not be able to be reversed, repaired, or mitigated for.

Conservation groups cheered the federal government's decision.

Mining on the doorstep of a rare ecological treasure like Georgias Okefenokee Swamp defies common sense," Kelly Moser, an attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center who specializes in clean water issues, said in a statement. "And we are thrilled that this announcement removes the threat to hundreds of acres of critically important wetlands.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  The U.S. Forest Service violated environmental laws in approving exploratory drilling by a Canadian company hoping to build a gold mine in Idaho west of Yellowstone National Park, two environmental groups said.

BOISE, Idaho (AP)  The U.S. Forest Service violated environmental laws in approving exploratory drilling by a Canadian company hoping to build a gold mine in Idaho west of Yellowstone National Park, two environmental groups said.

The Idaho Conservation League and Greater Yellowstone Coalition filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court last week to stop Excellon Idaho Golds Kilgore Gold Exploration Project in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest in Clark County.

The groups site potential harm to grizzly bears, wolverines, lynx, bighorn sheep, whitebark pine trees, Columbia spotted frogs and Yellowstone cutthroat trout. Grizzly bears in the area are protected under the Endangered Species Act, and whitebark pine, a grizzly bear food source, has been proposed for listing by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Excellon Idaho Gold is a subsidiary of Toronto, Ontario-based Excellon Resources Inc. It acquired the project from British Columbia-based Otis Gold Corporation in 2020.

Otis Gold Corporation said the area contains at least 825,000 ounces of gold near the surface, and potentially more below. It said it was looking at possibly building an open-pit mine if exploration finds that the gold is mostly near the surface, or an underground mine if the gold is deeper. Those types of mines would require additional approval from the Forest Service.

Excellon Idaho Gold on its website says it's too early to determine how the project might develop, but it is committed to open and transparent communication.

The environmental groups filed a similar lawsuit in 2018 to stop exploratory drilling by Otis Gold Corporation and won. The Forest Service in November 2021 approved a new plan involving road building and 130 drill stations put forward by Excellon Idaho Gold. Those operations, according to the lawsuit, are scheduled to start on July 15.

Excellon Idaho Gold is not named as a defendant in the most recent lawsuit. In the previous lawsuit, Otis Gold Corporation intervened on the side of the Forest Service.

The environmental groups in the new lawsuit said the Forest Service opted to approve the project by applying the White House Council on Environmental Quality changes to the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, following an executive order by former President Donald Trump seeking to accelerate the environmental review process.

Although there are several pending cases challenging the 2020 regulations as inconsistent with the core tenets of NEPA, the Forest Service elected to apply the 2020 regulations and ignored the Kilgore Projects likely significant effects, the lawsuit states.

The groups also said the exploratory drilling violates the Forest Service Act of 1897 that includes protections for national forests. Additionally, the groups said the Forest Service should complete an environmental impact statement, a much longer review process than the one the agency used in approving the exploratory drilling.

The U.S. Department of Justice, which defends federal agencies in lawsuits, didn't immediately respond to an inquiry sent through its online portal.

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The Idaho Conservation League and Greater Yellowstone Coalition initially sought to reopen the first case and file a supplemental complaint, but that plan was rejected by the court. So the groups filed an entirely new lawsuit starting a new case.

The court in the previous lawsuit ruled that the Forest Service didnt violate environmental laws in determining the exploratory drilling wouldnt overly harm grizzly bears, whitebark pine or Columbia spotted frogs.

But those concerns are taken up again in the new lawsuit, with the groups citing changing conditions from when the initial lawsuit was filed.

The Kilgore Project site is also home to individuals and habitat for numerous special-status and at-risk terrestrial species of wildlife and plants, including grizzly bear, wolverine, lynx, elk, whitebark pine, and others found in the Centennial Mountains, the lawsuit states.

The groups also said grizzly bears travel through the area resulting in important genetic diversity for the population.

The Centennial Mountains are one of the key corridors for (Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem) grizzly to connect with grizzlies from other populations in the Northern Rockies, the lawsuit states.
CHICAGO (AP)  A Chicago man was charged in the shootings of a U.S. marshal and his police dog who were wounded during an exchange of gunfire while serving a warrant, police said Saturday.

Tarrion Johnson, 19, faces charges of attempted murder, attempted robbery with a firearm, aggravated cruelty to animals and injury to a police animal, the Chicago Police Department said.

Johnson was scheduled for bond court appearance Saturday, the department said. It was not immediately clear if he has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Police said Johnson was arrested Thursday shortly after he allegedly shot an officer with the U.S. Marshals Services fugitive apprehension team and his federal police dog. Authorities at the time said two gunmen were arrested, but Chicago police did not say anything about the second person in announcing the charges against Johnson on Saturday

Police said a Chicago officer returned fire during the shooting but did not strike anyone.

After Thursday's shooting, the federal marshal rushed the dog to a veterinary clinic, Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said.

The marshal then realized he had been shot in his hand and an ambulance was called but the officer declined to be taken to a hospital, Langford told the Chicago Sun-Times.

The U.S. Marshals Service said the police dog was in the intensive care unit of an emergency veterinary hospital on Friday, WLS-TV reported.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Old Gimli-based whisky barrels are ending up in homes across the globe.

Old Gimli-based whisky barrels are ending up in homes across the globe.

Not in full barrel form, but as rings and knife handles.

The wood is one of several materials repurposed to support Marc Lisss life work. Other ingredients include deer antlers shed near a Manitoban Hutterite colony and circular sawmill blades used in the 1850s through 1950s.

"Its really not what I expected to be doing with my life," Liss said of his business, Origin Handcrafted Goods.

He whittled sticks as a child. The hobby didnt lead him to envision shipping kitchen and pocket knives across the globe, nor wood and antler rings.

Instead, Liss got his teaching degree. Carving took a backseat until he and his wife, Kayla Penelton  whom hes known since Grade 1  went to Whitehorse in 2010, the summer after their university graduation.

The creative spark for Origin Handcrafted Goods came from Marc Liss and wife Kayla Peneltons 2010 trip to Whitehorse, when idle hours were filled with carving. (Ethan Cairns / Winnipeg Free Press)

The pair had planned a trip to New Zealand and Europe and needed to make money. So, Liss joined his uncles Yukon-based construction company for a couple months.

"I had a lot of spare time in the evening, so I picked up a piece of spare wood and started carving a face into it," Liss said.

He would work on the log for an hour nightly, and "fell in love with carving all over again," he said.

When he came back to Manitoba in September, he was hooked. But, beginning another 50-hour project seemed daunting, so Liss looked to a new woodworking hobby  ring-making.

"I tried to make one and it wasnt very good," he said. "It fell apart, but I loved it."

YouTube tutorials arent Lisss thing, he said. He spent a good portion of his early ring endeavours winging it and learning through trial and error.

Each piece of jewelry would take roughly two hours to make, spread out over days due to gluing and drying phases. Trial and error led to Lisss current formula of taking a lathe and sandpaper to wood to make a ring.

Marc Liss works with his forge and anvil at his workshop in Balmoral where he makes all of his products. (Ethan Cairns / Winnipeg Free Press)

Liss said he got an artistic friend on board in the early months. The two crafted together, and when Liss travelled overseas in January, he had a bucket of rings to give away.

His friend began an Etsy shop to sell their wares. When Liss returned to Manitoba six months later, he found the business had a couple sales a month, he said.

Customer sales shot up roughly 50 per cent year-over-year through to 2020, Liss said.

His friend moved, and he took the business on full-time.

"A lot of people were buying (the rings) on Etsy as wedding bands," Liss said. "To sell a plain wooden ring as a wedding band theres all these caveats. You have to say, Dont do this with it, dont wear it for this."

He saw someone on Etsy selling pure carbon fibre rings. Carbon fibre is a strong, lightweight material that can be woven or coated.

"I was thinking about nothing else other than, How can I make a carbon fibre ring?" he said.

Marc Liss has found sawmill blades all over Manitoba to use in his kitchen and pocket knives. (Ethan Cairns / Winnipeg Free Press)

He hadnt seen a mix of wood, antler and carbon fibre used in a ring before.

"Ive really had to figure out my own system. Theres no textbook out there," he said. "There was a lot of frustration and a lot of almost giving up."

He developed a system roughly four years into Origin Handcrafted Goods. He mixes carbon fibre with resin, wraps it around his rings and bakes it on so the wood and antler are sealed and protected from natural elements.

Someone buying a ring now might get whisky barrel in their purchase, or Manitoba maple. Antlers must have been naturally shed, Liss said. He started incorporating antlers early on in his business.

He began knife-making the same way he did ring-making  as a hobby.

The anvil is an essential piece of equipment for Marc Liss. (Ethan Cairns / Winnipeg Free Press)

"I thought, Oh, maybe I can make myself a whittling knife," Liss said.

He had most of the equipment, and his brother, a metal fabricator, let him use metal working tools.

Again, trial and error  and sometimes YouTube  became his best friends. He documented his progress on Instagram and attracted customers.

So knives joined Lisss ring collection on Etsy. He started a website and, when he and Penelton moved to Balmoral in 2020, a Kickstarter.

The platform has been the force behind two Origin Handcrafted Goods pocket knife collections. Over 200 people across the globe have bought knives through the initiatives.

Hes shipped to China, Japan, Australia. His wife helps with some back-end business work.

Sales from Etsy are struggling, Liss said. Hes seeing less American customers, and wonders if the shopping sites algorithm has changed.

Over 200 people across the globe have bought knives and rings from Marc Liss and Kayla Penelton. (Ethan Cairns / Winnipeg Free Press)

"Its a little bit of a black box," he said. "Etsy changes something, (and) you just have to go with it."

But, in-person events such as farmers markets are hit and miss for knife-makers, said Justin Lamoureux, president of the Manitoba Blacksmith Guild.

"Usually, the things that are being sold are like soap and candles and snacks," Lamoureux said. "Youre looking at like $5 and $20 items, and then you (see) a table where its like $500 a knife. Thats a stark contrast."

There are just a handful of knife-makers in the province, Lamoureux said  the guild had around 50 members pre-pandemic  and they tend to use online sites such as Etsy, Shopify and Instagram.

You should be a registered business to sell knives; however, you dont need a trade licence or schooling to create and sell, Lamoureux noted.

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Liss is turning to Kickstarter once again to launch a new set of kitchen knives. This time, hes sourcing old sawmill blades for his metal.

"Its nice to breathe new life into something old like that," Liss said. "Theres an inherent history and story there already."

He found about 30 blades in a Gunton antique store. Theyre all over Manitoba, but it takes time to find them, he said.

Hes using Kickstarter again to see if interest for kitchen knives is there, and because it can be a better customer-attractor than options such as Etsy, he said.

The Kickstarter campaign is running until the end of June. As of Friday afternoon, it had 23 backers and raised over $11,000 of its $20,000 goal. It began Wednesday.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com
Details of how the Progressive Conservative government plans to spend money in its budget are now being kept from the prying eyes of the public for months, thanks to changes to freedom of information law.

Details of how the Progressive Conservative government plans to spend money in its budget are now being kept from the prying eyes of the public for months, thanks to changes to freedom of information law.

The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Amendment Act passed one year ago says ministerial records are not to be released to the public until within 60 days after the budget (presented in spring) is passed by the legislative assembly (not until late fall).

Budget information that had been available to the public  and the Opposition responsible for holding the government to account  is now being withheld until late in the year.

Buried in the 2021 FIPPA bills regulations is a section that delays anyone from accessing information in a ministers spending estimates book. The book contains answers to questions about a departments programs the minister can expect to be asked when they appear before the committee of supply that scrutinizes spending.

Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen, who introduced the bill in 2020, was not available for comment Friday.

Getting just the table of contents for an estimates book can provide the Opposition with information about where to probe and what to ask, said NDP finance critic Mark Wasyliw.

"It would give us information for which we could then file more FIPPA requests that we targeted because we could see that theres an area that we need to investigate and to explore," he said Friday, pointing to two recent examples.

A freedom of information request in January of 2021, asking for the education departments comparison of school division expenses to provincial funding, was granted in March. It showed a 0.3 per cent decrease in funding in 2020-21.

In June 2021, a request for the table of contents to the infrastructure ministers estimates book revealed a $67-million cost increase for the Lake St. Martin and Lake Manitoba flood outlet channels project.

In May, a freedom of information request for the table of contents to the 2022 committee of supply was refused.

The province cited the section of the new FIPPA legislation that says government has 60 days from passage of the budget (expected in November) to provide any ministerial records.

"One of the main jobs of being the official Opposition is to hold the government to account," said Wasyliw. "We need to have the information in order to question the government and to challenge what theyre doing in a constructive way."

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Manitobas ombudsman, who has the authority to ensure theres compliance with freedom of information legislation by reviewing the decisions of public bodies and reviewing citizen complaints, raised other concerns about the FIPPA bill before it passed  some of which were addressed.

In a letter to Goertzen in April 2021, Jill Perron said the bill expands the grounds for disregarding or extending the timeline for a response to a request for access. It would allow a public agency to refuse a request deemed "unduly repetitive or systematic" or "excessively broad" or one it deems to be "trivial, frivolous or vexatious."

Perron complained waiting 10 years before holding a comprehensive public review of the legislation was too long; government responded, changing it to five years.

The legislation increases the time for responding to a request for information to 45 days from 30 days, and says a request may be considered abandoned if the person requesting it fails to provide the information requested of them needed to process the request.

It also streamlined the process for correcting personal information and required people are notified if there is a real risk they will be significantly harmed as a result of a privacy breach concerning personal information.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Unexpected cost overruns, significant schedule delays, poor project planning, bad management and haphazard record keeping.

Those were the findings of a series of audits into municipal capital projects in the years leading up to the Winnipeg Police Service headquarters controversy.

The WPS HQ project sparked an RCMP criminal investigation, allegations of kickbacks and corruption and ongoing civil litigation launched by the City of Winnipeg.

But in order to understand what went wrong  and why  on the controversial job, it must be placed into proper context, which requires a look back at the over-budget capital projects that preceded it.

A Free Press review of past city audits shows serious concerns and red flags were raised about staff practices on municipal capital projects long before construction began transforming the Graham Avenue Canada Post facility into the new WPS home.

The recommendations from those audits, however, were not properly implemented by the city, in part due to the policies and practices of its auditors office.

As a result, the same problems arose repeatedly  on multiple projects  costing taxpayers millions of dollars in the process.

A main concern raised in the report was the level of accuracy of capital project estimates. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press files)

In 2008, an external audit into city capital project management practices identified the need for "significant improvement in several areas."

A main concern raised in the report was the "level of accuracy of capital project estimates," as city practices repeatedly resulted in "large unexpected increases to authorized project budgets."

The auditors found a lack of policies for how cost estimates on major, multimillion-dollar capital projects should be handled, and that numerous projects had been greenlit and funded with less than 15 per cent of the design work finalized.

On projects reviewed by the auditors, there was little evidence risk analysis had been conducted prior to breaking ground, nor were proper quality-control and reporting practices followed during the course of construction.

This led to "surprise revelations of cost overruns, schedule delays, scope increases and/or quality defects." In addition, poor record keeping left the city unable to perform a "lessons learned" review in the aftermath of projects completed late and over budget.

The audit found the only document the city had to instruct employees on how to execute major capital projects was a 1992 draft manual on project administration practice, which had never been "formally adopted" by the administration.

The draft manual was still in "general use across departments" 16 years after it had been written, despite not being aligned with "current city directives, bid documents and contract templates," and not reflecting "contemporary practices in the construction industry."

The police department HQ project sparked an RCMP criminal investigation, allegations of kickbacks and corruption and ongoing civil litigation launched by the City of Winnipeg. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files)

In response to the 2008 audits findings, city management promised to implement numerous recommendations, including an update to the 1992 draft manual on capital project execution.

By 2013, the city had another external audit on its hands, this one an "operational review" of the public works department.

The audit found a lack of clear performance standards, problematic reporting and oversight practices and an inability to carry out effective "lessons learned" reviews due to poor record-keeping.

Once again, the citys 1992 draft manual on project administration practice was identified as the only document available to staff to guide the execution of major capital projects.

Five years after the 2008 external audit identified the 1992 draft manual as contributing to significant problems and cost overruns, the document still had not been updated and remained in use despite assurances from city management the matter would be addressed.

When the external audit into the WPS HQ construction project was finalized in 2014, the report noted the 1992 draft manual on capital project administration was still in place.

In the reports appendix, city management said an updated capital project manual would be finalized in the fall of 2014, and pointed to a "lack of resources" as being responsible for why it had not been done six years after they said they were on it.

One recommendation the city did implement was the creation of a new job: manager of capital projects. But they staffed the role with an accountant, rather than hiring someone with construction experience.

The lack of action and follow-through on key audit recommendations over many years can be explained, in part, by the policies and practices of the city auditors office.

According to the current occupant of that office, Bryan Mansky, progress reports on the implementation of audit recommendations prior to 2015 were based on "management representation" alone.

In other words, the city would spend significant funds on internal and external audits in order to identify problems within departments and generate recommendations for solutions. The city auditor would then sit down with the managers of the department that had been audited to ask them what progress had been made on implementing the recommendations. If the managers said the recommendations had been implemented, they were taken at their word and no efforts were made to independently verify that department practices had actually changed.

"The current process involves us obtaining any evidence we believe reasonable to confirm the implementation status," Mansky wrote in an email to the Free Press earlier this year.

Felicia Wiltshire, the citys director of corporate communications, said in a written statement that the new policy was implemented when Mansky took over as city auditor after the retirement of his predecessor.

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"At that time, (Mansky) implemented the process of requesting documentation from departments to support their reports on the status of audit recommendations, which was in line with requests made by council at the time," Wiltshire said.

"This meant the audit department was providing a higher level of assurance than it previously had when communicating updates on recommendations to council, and provided a greater level of transparency when reporting on action items."

Wiltshire noted that management responds to each audit recommendation when issued, and also provides an action plan for implementation.

She said the "subsequent implementation of the audit recommendation is the responsibility of the public service."

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @rk_thorpe
Spend too long in journalism, and your memories become a jumbled collection of other peoples pain. You never truly forget these stories, though they do get filed away. Some are loud: war, abuse, violence. Others are quiet: everyday sorts of traumas, mundane types of injustice. Each finds a corner of the mind in which to hide, or perhaps, more accurately, to wait.

Opinion

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES More than 180 pairs of shoes on the steps to the Manitoba Legislative Building  a visual reminder of the average number of Manitobans who die from overdoses each year.

Spend too long in journalism, and your memories become a jumbled collection of other peoples pain. You never truly forget these stories, though they do get filed away. Some are loud: war, abuse, violence. Others are quiet: everyday sorts of traumas, mundane types of injustice. Each finds a corner of the mind in which to hide, or perhaps, more accurately, to wait.

Over time, these memories connect into a more cohesive narrative. You learn the texture of the city from a thousand mouths. You have been shown, over and over again, where the community you love is hurting, and the fingers are always pointing the same direction. It does not make you an expert in anything, though it does orient you to what needs fixing.

I remember a man I met once, though I can no longer remember the reason. I remember his face, his close-buzzed hair, and the white t-shirt he wore to our meeting. I remember how he told me he was piecing his life back together from where it had been broken, or perhaps, as is so often the case in this city of deep traumas, never given a chance to be wholly made.

The first time hed received any sort of help for his addiction, he told me, is when he was in prison.

This is not an unusual story in Manitoba. Its common enough that it is, in fact, unremarkable as news, liable only to surface in longer and more exhaustively reported features. But it is, quietly, a tragedy on the scale of any other, as sad a witness as I have ever taken: if a persons first contact with healing is in the justice system, then something, somewhere, has failed.

John Woods / The Canadian Press For many who suffer from drug addiction, the justice system is often first stop in their journey to healing.

And this week, the memory of that man, and that conversation, reached out from the corner of my mind where it had been waiting. It reached out after British Columbia announced it would become the first province to decriminalize possession of small amounts of some drugs for personal use, including opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA.

The plan, which was approved by the federal government, has been described by some as an experiment: it will run for three years, starting in January 2023. It has some limits  you still cant have those drugs at K-12 schools or childcare facilities, or have them readily available while driving  but it still marks a significant shift in how we engage the issue of drugs.

At least, it does in B.C. The announcement sent little ripples through Canadas other provinces, but official responses were pointedly incurious. Manitoba justice minister Kelvin Goertzen was quick to back away from the concept: Our focus is on providing support for individuals who are addicted to drugs and then trying to stem the flow of drugs, he said.

In Alberta, Quebec, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, responses were more or less the same. Leaders there gave some version of the same line: it was too soon to comment, their provinces were focused on getting people access to treatment, and to sum it all up, now isnt the time to think about decriminalizing possession for personal use.

So when will it be? In B.C. the move was prompted by a spiralling overdose crisis: last year, 2,224 people died of overdose in B.C., a new Canadian record; thats a little under 50 deaths per every 100,000 people. The need for that province to find new ways of approaching drugs is obvious; it is a public health necessity to find something that works to save lives.

But while Manitobas rates havent skyrocketed quite as high as in B.C., they are not so far behind. The provinces 407 deaths to overdose last year make for a per capita rate of about 30 per 100,000, and more to the point, the conditions for unsafe use are generated by all of the same problems: poverty, generational traumas, lack of safe resources and a toxic drug supply.

That none of these problems are solved, or in any way improved, by criminalizing small amounts of drugs for personal use should be obvious; the fact that the threat of arrest only further marginalizes people who most need to be brought into our social safety nets should be too, even in places where enforcement is, in practice, haphazardly applied.

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In fact, it remains unclear to me what criminalizing such possession actually does, other than empower stigma, complicate options to build safe resources, compound suffering for folks who use drugs and ensure that public dialogue on how to support Manitobans remains inextricably tied to the stain of the illicit. Its not helping; and it doesnt bring justice.

So Manitoba could join B.C. in leading the effort in Canada, to take a new approach, one that recognizes first and foremost that addiction is a health issue, and not a crime. It could, but it wont. Goertzen made that clear when he told reporters the Tory government would stay focused on providing support, rather than changing how the law relates to drugs.

In a very narrow way, hes sort of right: decriminalization is not an end to what needs to be done, to address how drug use impacts our community, and to build a safety net strong enough to keep more lives from falling into the overdose crisis. In truth, its only a beginning, a necessary step to dealing with those things more openly, and more honestly.

But nobody, least of all those who have advocated for decriminalization, has suggested that it is anything other than one piece of a nuanced puzzle. We need more support, and more resources of all kinds. More treatment beds, more complete mental health supports. And we need safe consumption sites.

Above all, maybe we can orient ourselves with a simple vision: there shouldnt have to be anyone in Manitoba whose first contact with healing comes only after they get caught inside the justice and incarceration systems. Drug use is an issue of health, on every line: physical, mental, social, environmental. What an injustice, to insist on keeping it a crime.

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca
Demoralized and frustrated after five years without a contract, health support staff took to the streets to send a message to their employer: its time to respect us.

Demoralized and frustrated after five years without a contract, health support staff took to the streets to send a message to their employer: its time to respect us.

About 50 of them set up an information picket outside the St. Boniface Hospital Friday to demand the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority hammer out a new contract.

"Its frustrating, especially with the cost of living increasing," said one worker as drivers on Tache Avenue who passed by honked in support.

The members of CUPE 204 often do the work that keep hospitals and equipment running.

President Debbie Boissonneault said the provincial government, which funds health care, undervalues their work.

"People cant have ultrasounds if the equipment isnt running," she told the Free Press. "These are people who are very valuable in the buildings, and they need to be valued by the employer."

CUPE 204 has been at the bargaining table for a year and a half. Its been five years since support workers have had a raise.

"Its actually kind of scary, its scary that minimum wage is getting close to what we make. We went to school for this," said the worker.

The workers have voted 99 per cent in favour of strike action.

A common sentiment amongst protesters was the feeling of being cast aside as nurses achieved a collective agreement late last year. Support workers have been without a contract for longer than nurses were, she said, and havent received the same support despite working through the pandemic.

"Were tired of being the forgotten health-care heroes. Were just as important as nurses. Throughout this whole pandemic, its been thank-you to the nurses and doctors, but theres no recognition for us," she said.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS About 50 healthcare set up an information picket outside the St. Boniface Hospital Friday to demand the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority hammer out a new contract.

A clerical worker said shes been a health care support worker for 30 years.

"We want a fair deal now. No more waiting, were tired of waiting," she said.

CUPE leadership asked the Free Press to refrain from printing the workers names, saying staff could "actually be in trouble for talking to media."

Boissonneault said bargaining is held one day a week, and its not nearly enough. Theyre looking for parity with what nurses received in their collective agreement  9.6 per cent in annual wage increases.

"These are the support workers who work side by side with nurses and doctors and (technicians)," she said. "They deserve the same value at the table. They cant do their jobs without them."

However, a spokesperson for Shared Health said Friday both sides met multiple times the previous week, with further meeting dates already scheduled by the mediator.

"For both CUPE and MGEU members, we have every expectation that, like nurses under the MNU agreement, all support staff will secure fair compensation with significant retroactive pay," the spokesperson said in an email.

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NDP health critic Uzoma Asagwara has raised the concerns of CUPE 204 members in question period, while Tory ministers have responded by saying government wont interfere with collective bargaining.

However, Asagwara, who attended Fridays protest, said the government was quick to freeze wages and get involved in bargaining through the now defunct Public Services Sustainability Act.

"This government needs to openly, publicly express to these workers that they will do whatever is necessary within their power to ensure that they get COVID top-up, that they get a fair contract."

CUPE represents 19,000 health care support workers in Manitoba. The union said more informational pickets are planned.

 With files from Danielle Da Silva

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca
A 63-year-old woman with dementia who was abducted from a gas station near the west Perimeter Highway just before 2 a.m. Saturday has been found safe, but the suspect in the case is still at large.

A 63-year-old woman with dementia who was abducted from a gas station near the west Perimeter Highway just before 2 a.m. Saturday has been found safe, but the suspect in the case is still at large.

Sandra McLaughlin was sitting in the rear of a family members vehicle at the DOMO filling station at 3685 Portage Ave., when the family member stopped to get fuel.

In gas station surveillance video Winnipeg Police Service Const. Jay Murray described as unnerving, a man walks up to the front passenger side of the blue Jeep Patriot, gets in and then hops over the console to the drivers seat. McLaughlins family member is seen running after the vehicle as the suspect peels off from the gas pumps.

Our primary goal is her safe return, everything else is second to that, Murray said, addressing the suspect directly at a rare Saturday morning press conference.

Shortly after the press conference, the Winnipeg Police Service issued an emergency alert to request the publics help in the search for McLaughlin and the missing vehicle.

At 11:14 a.m., soon after the emergency alert, a 911 caller alerted police after they spotted what they believed to be the stolen Jeep in Charleswood.

Officers went to the area immediately and found it was a different vehicle, and continued patrolling nearby.

At 11:50 a.m., general patrol police spotted the stolen 2012 blue Jeep Patriot abandoned in Glendale, south of the gas station.

Inside the abandoned Jeep they found McLaughlin alone and unharmed physically.

However, police have not yet made any arrests.

The suspect approaches the 2012 Jeep Patriot. (Handout)

Police describe the suspect as 6-0 with dark hair. He was wearing a grey jacket, dark-coloured shorts, a hoodie with white writing, sandals and white gloves at the time. Investigators ask anyone with information on the abduction and wider case to call the major crimes unit at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477.

Murray said its unclear at this point why the vehicle was stolen and whether the suspect was aware the vulnerable woman was in the vehicle.

Its an ununusual incident, we have nothing to indicate these parties know each other, at this point it appears to be a completely random incident  a crime of opportunity, Murray said.

The spokesman said police were pulling surveillance tape from the surrounding area and traffic cameras as part of their investigation.

Asked where the suspect came from, Murray said: Thats going to form part of the investigation going forward, how this individual got there, where they had come from. We believe they approached the vehicle from the immediate area on foot, we cant conclude the possibility they were dropped off or arrived there in a vehicle.

At this point, its not confirmed whether the suspect would face abduction-related charges.

Theres a variety of charges this individual could face, I think it will be largely dependent on what we learn during the course of this investigation. If theres evidence to suggest he knew she was in the back of that vehicle, certainly charges could be upgraded. It also depends on the outcome of this investigation, Murray said.

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The vehicle was last spotted driving west on Portage Avenue toward the west Perimeter Highway.

Murray said police, who dedicated significant resources to the search including major crimes detectives and the missing persons unit, were asking everyone in southwestern Manitoba to be on alert for the vehicle and McLaughlin. Manitoba RCMP, who handle the majority of rural policing in the province, were also called in to assist.

McLaughlins medical condition made her abduction particularly concerning.

Its something that were very considerate of, while this investigation is proceeding, theres a strong likelihood that shes not aware of whats occurred, the seriousness of what has transpired, Murray said at the press conference.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @erik_pindera
A surge in homicides, pandemic-related staffing absences and the truckers protest have ramped up city police overtime and triggered longer waits for service.

A surge in homicides, pandemic-related staffing absences and the truckers protest have ramped up city police overtime and triggered longer waits for service.

The three factors have put "tremendous strain" on some police units, police Chief Danny Smyth told the police board Friday.

"The amount of crime were experiencing, it has a trickle-down (effect). Its not just the homicide unit its the forensics unit. Its our front-line unit thats often the first (response) there It has an impact on the queue and it starts to back up," Smyth told media after the meeting.

The Winnipeg Police Service has responded to 23 homicides so far this year. In all of 2021, there were 43 homicides. The number of slayings has surged in the last few years. It hovered closer to 25 per year before 2019, the year Winnipeg set a grim record with 44 slayings.

Police overtime increased 29 per cent in the first quarter of the year, compared to the same period of 2021. Police called in officers on their days off 433 times in the first quarter, up from 285 times in the same period last year. There were 441 "callouts" during that period in 2020, when the pandemic first hit.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The amount of crime were experiencing, it has a trickle-down (effect). Its not just the homicide unit its the forensics unit. Its our front-line unit thats often the first (response) there It has an impact on the queue and it starts to back up, said Winnipeg Police Chief, Danny Smyth.

Smyth said officers are called in for extra shifts to ensure the service can keep a "minimum strength" of 28 cruiser cars in service at any time.

He said sick time has been a key factor in the staffing challenge, although WPS did not provide details on how much sick leave has increased. He said response times have grown as a result.

"In the past month, weve seen our queue back up to as many as 300 calls waiting to be dispatched. Thats too high for my comfort zone," he said.

During the meeting, Smyth noted staffing issues have been especially tough on the communications centre and the forensics unit. He said sick leave, largely due to COVID-19 outbreaks, has hurt the comms unit most. Police have shifted between units to address additional shortages.

The head of the police union said the homicide rate has surged "through the roof." He said demands on staff are so high that many officers are turning down extra shifts.

"We know that our members are burnt out, which may account for (the fact) people are refusing callouts," said Moe Sabourin, president of the Winnipeg Police Association.

Sabourin said that means citizens wait much longer for service, often with 70 calls waiting in the queue for each of the four police districts. He said at least one break-and-enter report took 24 days to respond to.

"Thats unacceptable in my view," he said.

Winnipeg police callouts between January and April, for the years 2015 to 2022.

A criminology expert said the pandemic has likely influenced the crime rate, just as it has affected other aspects of daily life.

"Any time theres disruption in society, theres also disruption among criminal society, if I can call it that," said Frank Cormier, a criminologist at the University of Manitoba.

Cormier said homicides are labour-intensive investigations, while events such as the "freedom convoy" near the Manitoba Legislature this winter demanded a sizable response. He said it makes sense the service would be strained to meet those demands while coping with increased sick time due to COVID-19.

However, Cormier doesnt expect the trends should spark safety concerns among the public, since random attacks are rare and police priority systems should ensure quick responses to the most serious calls.

"The average citizen of Winnipeg probably wont have any greater need for the police If a Winnipegger has something more routine that they need help with, they might have to wait longer," said Cormier.

The average citizen of Winnipeg probably wont have any greater need for the police If a Winnipegger has something more routine that they need help with, they might have to wait longer.  Frank Cormier

On another matter, the police board was given an update on the police alternative response pilot project, through which a plainclothes officer pairs up with a mental health clinician to respond to some calls. The two-person teams can respond to well-being checks, after a pair of uniformed officers deems that a safe and needed option.

The one-year pilot project began in December and provided 82 responses during the first quarter of this year.

Police say the project includes proactive help for "chronic users of emergency services." For example, one person was involved in 62 events that required a police response in 2021 and was homeless and moving between shelters by the end of that year.

Police say members of the pilot project worked directly with that person to help connect them to support services in January, leading the individual to find more stable housing and reduce their number of calls to WPS.

"When we get people the right resources that they need, it lessens the calls for service we get from them," said Smyth.

Joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga

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The unprecedented May 2 leak of a draft opinion showing a majority of U.S. Supreme Court judges supports overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion in America, has catapulted the abortion debate to news headlines.

Opinion

The unprecedented May 2 leak of a draft opinion showing a majority of U.S. Supreme Court judges supports overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion in America, has catapulted the abortion debate to news headlines.

That debate is just one issue representative of current political polarization, but it has accentuated the irony of arguments made for sides taken on other supposedly unrelated issues.

Robin Stevensons 2019 book My Body, My Choice: The Fight for Abortion Rights detailed the myriad dimensions of the conflict over abortion around the world. Curiously, throughout the recent pandemic, many who oppose vaccine mandates have employed the same longstanding feminist slogan to invoke their right to self-determination.

Critics of both stances assess them as essentially self-centred choices that disregard the well-being of others.

The obvious irony is that positions taken on abortion and vaccines are negatively correlated. Proponents of bodily autonomy and freedom of personal choice regarding abortion tend to oppose those same ethical principles regarding vaccine mandates, while opponents of autonomy and choice regarding abortion tend to advance those same arguments regarding vaccine mandates.

One of the core issues in the abortion debate is what constitutes a human body and what constitutes human personhood capable of choice. Pro-choice advocates acknowledge that the single cell zygote resulting from a fertilized egg is a potentially self-sustaining human body, but argue that it is still far from the consciousness, volition, emotion, identity and other capacities that emerge developmentally into personhood.

Indeed, even the ensuing embryo and then early fetus cannot yet feel pain. As Vania Apkarian, director of the Centre for Translational Pain Research at the Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, reported, There is no rational basis for arguing a fetus can suffer pain before 24 weeks. The anatomy of the brain is not formed enough for that to be possible.

Even if personhood of the embryo and early fetus is granted, a subsequent question is whether someones body has the right to someone elses body. That may be contingent on whether the life of one body depends on accessing another body, such as the embryos life depending on the womans body.

But life is not at risk in other below-the-belt moral scenarios. For example, the principle of sexual consent is another application of my body, my choice. Accessing another persons body for sexual pleasure, interpersonal power or even expression of affection without their consent is sexual assault, including in marriage. Furthermore, the differing attractions of sexual orientation is itself a form of my body, my choice.

However, does the state have the right to someones body in terms of vaccine mandates? The lives of other bodies may not depend entirely on compliance  though not absolutely preventative, vaccines against the pandemic viruses reduce the probability of contraction and transmission, and the severity of symptoms  but the lives of others are nevertheless at stake.

Notably, many who oppose vaccine mandates are nonetheless themselves vaccinated, thereby embodying the my body, my choice argument, as do pro-choice women who give birth.

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And what about death and medical assistance in dying? Does my body, my choice apply equally? Or what about other forms of induced death, such as the death penalty based on retributive justice instead of restorative justice?

No doubt, each issue has differences that determine the (de)merits of my body, my choice, but use of the identical rallying cry across the political spectrum is intriguing, and even more so when one camp reverses its position.

For example, conservative Christians have not always opposed abortion. As recently as the early 1970s, prior to Roe v. Wade, Christianity Today, evangelicalisms flagship magazine, the Southern Baptist Convention, Protestantisms largest denomination in America, and the Christian Medical Society each wrote strong statements supporting abortion before it was politicized by the New Christian Right.

Most recently, former U.S. president Donald Trump (in)famously reversed his personal position on abortion to capture the white evangelical anti-abortion vote. The irony of that same American demographic, and Canadian trucker convoys, now marshalling my body, my choice resistance to vaccine mandates is striking. Will Pierre Poilievres wider libertarian cry for freedom  take back control of your life  prevail?

Evidently, bodily autonomy and freedom of personal choice are far from absolute ethical values that settle these moral disputes, nor are they distinctive political principles that characterize only certain factions.

Dennis Hiebert is a professor of sociology at Providence University College.
Dr. Brent Roussin used to read out loud a list of each COVID-19 death at the beginning of every news conference. The chief provincial public health officer did so, presumably, because he didnt want the deceased to be a mere statistic on a page. He also did it to emphasize the deadliness of the disease.

Dr. Brent Roussin used to read out loud a list of each COVID-19 death at the beginning of every news conference. The chief provincial public health officer did so, presumably, because he didnt want the deceased to be a mere statistic on a page. He also did it to emphasize the deadliness of the disease.

"Today I have the sad duty of announcing Manitobas first death related to COVID-19," Roussin said on March 27, 2020. "Our condolences go out to their friends and family."

It was the beginning of his unwavering commitment to read out the age range and gender of each person who had died of COVID-19, including what area of the province they came from. He did it for almost a year.

Wash your hands, stay home, cancel unnecessary trips, wear a mask, and later, get vaccinated, he urged. Why? Because people were dying. Not just old people, as if that should matter, but Manitobans of all ages, including many in their 20s, 30s and 40s, he reminded the public every chance he got.

Even when COVID-19 deaths began to pile up in record numbers during the two most deadly months of the pandemic  November and December 2020, when 617 Manitobans died  Roussin dutifully read out each death. On Dec. 5, 2020, the worst day of all, when 19 deaths were reported, a sombre Roussin read every single one of them.

DANIEL CRUMP / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Dr. Brent Roussin used to read out loud a list of each COVID-19 death at the beginning of every news conference. The deaths have become what Roussin didnt want them to be in early 2020: statistics on a web page.

Wash your hands, stay home, wear a mask, because people are dying, was his daily message.

"I think we all know we cant continue along these lines. We have to bring these numbers down," he said at the time. "We cant keep losing this many Manitobans."

The number of deaths fell dramatically in January of the following year, after strict public health measures were enacted two months earlier. The death toll would have been far worse without them. Only a few thousand people had been vaccinated by early January.

Fatalities continued to decline in 2021, as vaccines began doing their work. Roussin continued to read out the details of each deceased for a few more months, but then stopped. He still provided daily death counts and offered his condolences, but he no longer read out each individual case. The province continued to list each death in its news releases until March of this year. Then that stopped, too.

Today, the province releases no information about individual COVID-19 deaths. The only data it publishes are aggregate death numbers included in its weekly respiratory surveillance reports.

Today, the province releases no information about individual COVID19 deaths. The only data it publishes are aggregate death numbers included in its weekly respiratory surveillance reports.

The deaths have become what Roussin didnt want them to be in early 2020: statistics on a web page.

Its not that COVID-19 deaths have plummeted and no longer require public reporting. On the contrary: there are more COVID-19 deaths on average in 2022 than there were in 2020 or 2021. There was an average of 17.8 COVID deaths per week in 2020 (from March 27 to Dec. 31) and 12.5 per week in 2021. So far in 2022, there has been an average of 26 per week, more than double last years numbers. Worse, the death rate is rising. In May, 161 deaths were reported, thats an average of 40.3 per week.

Why was there so much concern about "losing this many Manitobans" to COVID-19 early in the pandemic but not now?

Its not that Roussin or anyone else in public health doesnt care. Of course they do; they have dedicated their careers to saving lives and keeping people healthy. While no one would expect Roussin to keep reading out every COVID-19 death as he once did, this is an infectious disease that continues to kill and cause severe illness. It calls for a far more robust communication strategy than weve seen from government in recent months.

While no one would expect (Dr. Brent) Roussin to keep reading out every COVID19 death as he once did, this is an infectious disease that continues to kill and cause severe illness.

Why are so many people still dying from COVID-19 (there were 52 new deaths reported Thursday compared with the previous week)? Who are they, and how many have not received at least their third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine?

Are we seeing an increase in deaths among those who only have two shots because of waning efficacy? Shouldnt we do more to promote first and second boosters, given the higher rates of COVID-19 deaths among those who have not received a booster shot?

Why dont public health officials hold regular news conferences to answer these and other pressing questions?

Maybe the real question is: when did we become so numb to COVID-19 deaths?

tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca

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The thundering majority win for Ontario premier-elect Doug Ford in Thursdays general election offers lessons about the critical need for opposition parties to provide voters with a viable alternative.

The thundering majority win for Ontario premier-elect Doug Ford in Thursdays general election offers lessons about the critical need for opposition parties to provide voters with a viable alternative.

The results of this vote speak loudly about the critical need for opposition parties to provide voters with a viable alternative. Neither the Ontario New Democrats nor the Ontario Liberals provided that alternative, and they were severely rebuked by voters for their shortcomings.

Even with Mr. Fords tendency to draw criticism and provoke conflict, the campaign lacked urgent or compelling issues, which convinced voters to maintain the status quo. Other external factors also played a role in the outcome.

Neither the Ontario New Democrats nor the Ontario Liberals provided an alternative to Doug Ford, and they were severely rebuked by voters for their shortcomings. (The Canadian Press)

Pollsters throughout the campaign suggested the electorate was essentially disengaged from two years of pandemic worry. They also found that, when all was said and done, none of the three party leaders was seen as compelling. "It has been the battle of the bleh," Angus Reid pollster Shachi Kurl told the Globe and Mail. "It has been an uninspiring, disengaged campaign from the perspective of the Ontario electorate. They looked at the choices they had, and they went bleh."

As a result, this election provides little hope or insight for conservative parties in other provinces, or at the federal level. Although the popularity of Mr. Ford and his Tory party did seesaw up and down during his four years in government, opinion polls show he generally remained atop or neck-and-neck with the principal opposition parties in terms of support. When he called the election at the very beginning of May, he held a solid seven-to-10-point lead in most polls.

That is a much different scenario than the one faced by the next leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, whoever he or she may be. And going into this election, Mr. Ford and his party had not cratered in popularity, as is the case for Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson and her Progressive Conservative government. Had Mr. Ford faced the prospect of climbing up out of the political abyss, as Ms. Stefanson surely does now, the result in Ontario may have been different.

In fact, a main factor here is really about the efficiency of the Ontario Tory vote.

CP When Ford called the election at the beginning of May, he held a seven-to-10-point lead in most polls. (Chris Young / The Canadian Press)

Resisting the temptation to lurch to the far right to capture the vote of extremists, Mr. Ford was able to win the same percentage of the overall popularity vote (40 per cent) as he did in 2018, but increased his seat total by 16. Ms. Howarth saw her support decline by 10 points, and her seat total fell by seven. Unable to find traction with voters after four tumultuous years when the NDP seemed to have a fighting chance of forming government, she resigned her seat.

For the Liberals and Mr. Del Duca, this election was an unmitigated disaster.

Some pre-election polls had the Liberals running second to the Tories, seemingly poised to  at the very least  regain official party status in the Ontario Legislature and perhaps even serve as the official opposition. In the end, the Liberals only won eight seats (one more than 2018) and Mr. Del Duca was unable to win his own seat. He, as well, resigned on election night.

The lesson of this election was that a well-funded, big-tent party is going to be very difficult to knock off in a province that has not been invaded by divisive, alt-right political forces.

Unfortunately for Tory leaders in Manitoba, and on the federal stage, its a lesson that they will not be able to apply when they next go to the polls.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Reinforced Russian troops backed by airstrikes pummeled a portion of eastern Ukraine on Saturday, blowing up bridges and shelling apartment buildings as they fought to capture two cities that would put a contested province under Moscow's control, Ukrainian officials said.

Russian and Ukrainian forces battled street-by-street in Sievierodonetsk and neighboring Lysychansk, regional governor Serhiy Haidai said. Russian strikes killed four people, including a mother and child, in the nearby village of Hirske, Haidai said.

The cities are the last major areas of Luhansk province still held by Ukraine. The Russian attacks are central to the Kremlin's reduced wartime goal of seizing the entire Donbas region, where Moscow-backed separatists have fought Ukrainian forces for eight years and established self-proclaimed republics.

Russia also escalated attacks in Donetsk, the other province that makes up the Donbas, the Ukrainian military said as the war reached its 101st day.

Reflecting the close combat, Russian and Ukrainian military officers blamed each other for a fire that destroyed a 1912 wooden church at the Sviatohirsk monastery, one of Ukraine's holiest Orthodox Christian sites. The sprawling, 16th-century monastery, which sits on the bank of the Siverskiy Donets River, has been hit several times previously during the war, most recently on Wednesday, when three monks were killed.

In his nightly video address Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of deliberately and systematically destroying Ukrainian culture and its historical heritage, along with social infrastructure like housing and everything needed for normal life.

Zelenskyy said 113 churches have been damaged or destroyed during the invasion, including some that survived the battles of World War II.

In recent days Russian forces have focused on capturing Sievierodonetsk, which had a prewar population of about 100,000. At one point they held 90% of the city, but Ukrainian soldiers clawed back some ground, Haidai reported Friday. Zelenskyy described the citys situation as extremely difficult on Saturday.

Western military analysts said Russia was devoting significant troop strength and firepower to what British officials called a creeping advance in the Donbas.

The combined use of air and artillery strikes has been a key factor in Russias recent tactical successes in the region, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said in a Saturday assessment. The ministry warned that after launching so many guided missiles, Russia was employing unguided missiles that have almost certainly caused substantial collateral damage and civilian casualties.

The Ukrainian military reported that it repulsed nine attacks in the Donbas over 24 hours. The claim could not be independently verified.

While Russian forces are concentrated on the Donbas, Ukraine has staged counterattacks to try to regain territory in the south.

After seizing most of the Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk regions, as well as the port city of Mariupol, Moscow has installed local administrators, offered residents Russian passports and taken other steps to consolidate its hold on occupied areas.

Russian shelling killed at least three civilians in the Black Sea port city of Mykolaiv, Mayor Oleksandr Senkevich said Saturday.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said Russian-installed officials and troops face growing resistance among the local population and an increase in partisan activity in southern Ukraine.

The institute cited accounts on Russian Telegram channels of threats against locals who received Russian passports.

The Ukrainian Center for National Resistance, which established a website to advise people on sabotage and other techniques, said Kherson residents were encouraged to burn down a Russian passport center.

The Ukrainian military noted with approval the trouble that occupation authorities were encountering, saying Russian-installed leaders in Kherson were wearing bulletproof vests and traveling in armored vehicles.

In other developments:

 Ukraines foreign minister denounced Frances president for saying the West shouldnt humiliate Russian President Vladimir Putin. French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with French newspapers Friday that Putin made a historic error in invading but world powers shouldnt "humiliate Russia, so that when the fighting stops, we can build a way out together via diplomatic paths. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted in response: Calls to avoid humiliation of Russia can only humiliate France and every other country that would call for it. ... We all better focus on how to put Russia in its place. This will bring peace and save lives.

 The bodies of more than 1,300 civilians have been exhumed so far in the region around Ukraine's capital following Russias military retreat from the area, Ukraines Interior Ministry reported Saturday. The bodies were sent to morgues for forensic examination, and some 200 of the victims have not been identified, ministry spokeswoman Alyona Matveyeva said. Since Russian forces left the region in early April, Ukrainian authorities have been collecting the dead, exhuming bodies from mass graves and collecting evidence for possible war crimes investigations and prosecutions.

 A Russian rocket hit an agricultural site Saturday in the Odesa region, wounding two people, according to a regional military chief. A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said a missile attack destroyed a base of foreign mercenaries. Odesa is home to Ukraine's largest seaport and therefore vital to the country's ability to ship grain and other commodities. The attack came hours after Kuleba, the foreign minister, tweeted: Ukraine is ready to create necessary conditions to resume exports from the port of Odesa. The question is how to make sure that Russia doesnt abuse the trade route to attack the city."

 Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said in an interview published Saturday that Russia is suffering significantly fewer military casualties compared with the first six weeks of the war. The lower figures might make Russian commanders think that they are fighting successfully, the website Meduza quoted Podolyak as saying. Speaking on Ukrainian television, he expressed optimism that new Western-supplied weaponry could change the mathematics of the war.

 Pope Francis said he needs to wait for the right moment to go to Ukraine. A Ukrainian refugee who was in a group of children visiting the Vatican asked the pontiff if he would go to his homeland. Francis told the boy he thinks a lot about the children in Ukraine and has a desire to go there. He said its not easy to take a decision that could do more harm to all the world than good. I must find the right moment to do it. The pope said he would discuss the issue next week when Ukrainian government representatives visit the Vatican.

Varenytsia and Rosa reported from Sloviansk, Ukraine.

Follow AP's coverage of the Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
UVALDE, Texas (AP)  The state agency investigating the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde has determined that the commander facing criticism for the slow police response was not carrying a radio as the massacre unfolded, a Texas state senator said Friday.

Uvalde School Police Chief Pete Arredondo, third from left, stands during a news conference outside of the Robb Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas Thursday, May 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)

UVALDE, Texas (AP)  The state agency investigating the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde has determined that the commander facing criticism for the slow police response was not carrying a radio as the massacre unfolded, a Texas state senator said Friday.

Sen. Roland Gutierrez told The Associated Press in a brief telephone interview that a Texas Department of Public Safety official told him school district police Chief Pete Arredondo was without a radio during the May 24 attack by a lone gunman at Robb Elementary School that left 19 students and two teachers dead. Seventeen more people were injured.

Authorities have not said how Arredondo was communicating with other law enforcement officials at the scene, including the more than a dozen officers who were at one point waiting outside the classroom where the gunman was holed up. Arredondo heads the districts small department and was in charge of the multi-agency response to the shooting.

He has not responded to multiple interview requests from AP since the attack, including a telephone message left with district police Friday.

The apparently missing radio is the latest detail to underscore concerns about how police handled the shooting and why they didn't confront the gunman faster, even as anguished parents outside the school urged officers to go inside. The Justice Department has said it will review the law enforcement response.

Focus has turned to the chief in recent days after Steven McCraw, the head of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said Arredondo believed the active shooting had turned into a hostage situation, and that he made the "wrong decision" to not order officers to breach the classroom more quickly to confront the gunman.

Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez speaks during a news conference at a town square in Uvalde, Texas, Thursday, June 2, 2022. Gutierrez said the commander at the scene of a shooting at Robb Elementary School was not informed of panicked 911 calls from inside the school building. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Gutierrez, who represents Uvalde, complained Thursday that Arredondo was not informed of panicked 911 calls coming from students trapped inside a classroom where the gunman had holed up. The Democrat called it a "system failure."

Police radios are a crucial source of real-time communication during an emergency and, according to experts, often how information from 911 calls is relayed to officers on the ground. Its unclear who at the scene was aware of the calls. Uvalde police did not respond to questions about the calls Thursday.

The news emerged amid tensions between state and local authorities over how police handled the shooting and communicated what happened to the public.

The gunman in Uvalde, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, spent roughly 80 minutes inside the school, and more than an hour passed from when the first officers followed him into the building and when he was killed by law enforcement, according to an official timeline.

Ramos slipped through an unlocked door into adjoining fourth-grade classrooms at 11:33, authorities said. He rapidly fired off more than 100 rounds.

Officers entered minutes later, exchanging fire with Ramos, and by 12:03 there were as many as 19 officers in the hallway outside the classroom, McCraw said. Authorities have not said where Arredondo was during this period.

Officers from other agencies urged the school police chief to let them move in because children were in danger, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they had not been authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.

A U.S. Border Patrol tactical team used a school employees key to unlock the classroom door and kill the gunman around 12:50 p.m., McCraw said.

Law enforcement and state officials have struggled to present an accurate timeline and details of the shooting and how police responded, sometimes providing conflicting information or withdrawing statements hours later. State police have said some accounts were preliminary and may change as more witnesses are interviewed.

Gutierrez said Friday that a Texas Department of Public Safety official told him that the Uvalde-area district attorney, Christina Mitchell Busbee, a Republican, had directed the agency to not release more information about the shooting investigation to the senator or the public.

The Department of Public Safety on Friday referred all questions about the shooting investigation to Busbee, who has not returned telephone and text messages seeking comment.

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Gutierrez said Thursday that many people should shoulder some blame in the Uvalde shooting, including the Texas governor.

"There was error at every level, including the legislative level. Greg Abbott has plenty of blame in all of this," he said.

___

More on the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas: https://apnews.com/hub/uvalde-school-shooting

___

Coronado reported from Austin, Texas. Associated Press writers Jake Bleiberg in Dallas; Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas; and Mike Balsamo in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
Minnesota State Park Passes

The Winona Public Library has Minnesota State Park Passes available for a one-week checkout. These passes may be used at any state park in the state but may not be used for overnight camping. To learn more about the passes, visit the Librarys Website at winona.lib.mn.us or call the Library at (507) 452-4582 to find out how you get one today.

Fishing skills seminar with Whitewater State Park

Whitewater State Park (DNR) and the Winona Public Library are hosting a fishing skills seminar for those 18 and older from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, June 16, at Hiawatha Valley Marine Shelter/Dacota Street Pier (527 West Lake Park Drive, Winona).

Participants will learn basic fish identification, knot tying, casting, catch and release, and tackle to have in your tackle box. Registration is required for this event. A fishing license is not necessary. To register, go to winona.lib.mn.us or call the Librarys Reference Desk at 507-452-4860.

Roaming Readers returns

Roaming Readers, the popular hiking group from the Winona Public Library, is back for the summer. This year the hiking group will meet every first and third Tuesday of the month at 9 a.m., and all trails are flat, easy walking paths. The full schedule is as follows:

June 7: West Lake Winona. Meet at the Dakota Street Entrance to the Lake

June 21: East Lake Winona. Meet at Lake Lodge (113 Lake Park Dr., Winona)

July 5: Michael LaCanne Memorial Park Trail (6280 Old Hwy 61, Goodview)

July 19: St. Marys University. Meet at the Visitors Parking Lot behind the Performing Arts Center (Use The Woods at St. Marys on Google)

August 2: Flyway Trail. Meet at Latsch Island Beach Parking Lot (Latsch Island Recreational Area on Google)

August: 16: East Boat Harbor (1250 E Fourth St., Winona)

Aug 30: Levee Park Across Interstate Bridge and Back. Meet at Levee Park Entrance (1 Main Street, Winona)

Roaming readers is canceled in the case of rain.

Book Bingo at Peters Biergarten

The Winona Public Librarys Book Bingo is back for the summer every second Wednesday of the Month at 2:30 p.m., and this time at an all-new location, Peters Biergarten (54 E. Third St., Winona).

Play multiple rounds of various bingo styles and win books! Book Bingo dates are June 8th, July 13th, and August 10th. In the event of rain, Book Bingo is canceled.

CareerForce outreach at the library

Need help writing a resume or cover letter, job hunting and more? CareerForce outreach coordinator Rick will be at the Winona Public Library every second and fourth Thursday of the Month from 2 to 3 p.m. and 4 to 5 p.m. to assist with those very questions. This months dates are June 9 and June 23.

Job Club

The Winona Public Library and CareerForce are partnering to bring the Winona Area Community a job club every second and fourth Thursday of the month from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Librarys Meeting Room. Job club will be held in a hybrid format  both in-person and virtually.

What is a job club? Learn about job hunting and career skills. Topics include:

June 9: Resume Writing

June 23: Adult Dislocated Worker Programs

July 14: Cover Letter Writing

July 28: Personal Branding

August 11: Internet Job Hunting & Company Research

If interested in attending the job club virtually, please go to winona.lib.mn.us to register for the meeting link.

This program is funded in part or in whole with a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education using federal funds, CFDA 45.310, Library Services and Technology Act  American Rescue Plan Act, LS-250219-OLS-21.

Classic Movie Monday is back

Classic Movie Monday is returning to the Winona Public Library every second Monday of the month at 2 p.m. in the Bell Art Room. The first classic movie of the year will be held on Monday, June 13.

The schedule is as follows:

June 13: The Seven Year Itch (1955)

July 11: Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)

Aug. 8: The Parent Trap (1961)

Individually wrapped snacks and bottled beverages will be provided during the movies, and all movies are no more than two hours long. For a full list of movies, visit winona.lib.mn.us or call the Librarys Reference Desk at 507-452-4860.

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Donna Voss opened her blinds Friday morning and saw a police car parked in front of her neighbor's house.

That's when the telephone calls started.

Voss' next door neighbor, retired Juneau County Judge John Roemer, had been shot and killed in his town of Lisbon home by a gunman at 6:30 a.m. Roemer was 68 years old.

Voss first heard from neighbors, and later on reporters, as a massive police presence took shape outside of Roemer's house.

"My husband and I, we were going to go down the street to our garage sales," Voss said in an interview. "Next thing I know I got a call from Juneau County Police saying we need to stay in the house, lock all the doors."

A retiree, Voss remembers Roemer as "a really nice guy." They didn't speak much, only to exchange words as the judge mowed his yard or walked his dogs.

"We'd stop and talk and that was about it," she said.

Roemer's wife and one of his sons had died in recent years, Voss detailed. The judge's two other sons lived with him at the home.

Voss heard from a neighbor that the judge's sons went to the nearby home a law enforcement officer after the shooting.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul confirmed during a press conference Friday that someone at Roemer's residence fled the scene and called the authorities from a neighbor's house.

Even one of Roemer's dogs escaped the home and was running around before a neighbor brought it into their home.

"That poor thing," Voss said. "When I got over there it was whining and whining."

The gunman who killed Roemer had compiled a list of other potential in what Kaul has described as a "targeted act" against the judicial system.

After entering the home, a police tactical unit found the gunman, 56, in Roemer's basement with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was taken to the hospital, and is reported to be in critical condition.
Authorities said retired judge John Roemer was shot in Juneau County early Friday in what they said was a targeted act against the judicial system.

On Saturday, the Department of Justice identified the alleged shooter as 56-year-old Douglas K Uhde.

Judge Roemer had previously sentenced his alleged killer to six years in prison for armed burglary and other weapons charges in 2005, online court records show.

Uhde has later convictions for escape/criminal arrest, fleeing an officer, driving a stolen vehicle and obstructing police in a separate case.

Records show Uhde was released on community supervision in 2015, but was returned to prison in 2019. He was released from prison on April 14, 2020 and was under community supervision at the time of the shooting.

The shooting happened about 6:30 a.m. Friday near the town of Lisbon, about 80 miles northwest of Madison.

The Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation.

Roemer was first elected as a Juneau County Circuit Court judge in 2004. He was re-elected in 2010 and 2016, and retired in 2017.

Those who knew Roemer said he was a man of the law who would help out anyone in his community.

"He treated everybody real fair and equal," said Timothy Cottingham, chair of the Juneau County board and a friend of Roemer's. "It seems like he would give the benefit of the doubt and try to help people out as much as he could."

While he was on the bench in Juneau County, Roemer presided over some high profile cases.

In 2017, he presided over a case in which a Lyndon Station village president had been convicted of 22 counts of sexual assault. Roemer ruled that a juror was not credible and granted Donald Coughlin a new trial, in which he was convicted again.

In 2009, he sentenced a former Necedah religious leader for hiding the corpse of a follower who died from natural causes on her toilet.
Just over two months out from the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, tightening polls show the hard-fought race is still anyones to win.

And as the top four candidates look toward attracting the nearly half of all Democratic voters that the latest Marquette Law School Poll shows as having no preference so far in the race, experts say reaching those voters will be a matter of image, candidates emphasis and reach  not their mostly similar policy positions.

Each of the top candidates  Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, Milwaukee Bucks executive-on-leave Alex Lasry, state Treasurer Sarah Godlewski and Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson  has extremely high favorability ratings among the voters who are familiar with them. And they generally agree about codifying abortion protections, bolstering voting rights, forgiving student loan debt to some extent and investing in renewable energy.

There are some subtle differences, however  like what to do about the contested Enbridge Line 5 pipeline project in northern Wisconsin, specific health care policies, reforming the U.S. Supreme Court and whether to lift Title 42, a policy the federal government has wielded to turn immigrants away at the border during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Their policy differences are not great, UW-Madison political science professor Barry Burden said. Theyre pretty much on the same page. If they got to office, their votes in the Senate would be pretty similar.

When it comes to environmental policy, Barnes proposes a Green New Deal that works for Wisconsin, Nelson touts a Blue-Green New Deal including strong labor laws, Godlewski wants more environmental policies but doesnt support the Green New Deal, and Lasry, who also doesnt support the Green New Deal, wants to bring environmentally friendly union jobs to Wisconsin.

I think its hard for those nuances to really carry the day, Marquette Law School Poll director Charles Franklin said. I think its usually more a matter of one candidate who finds an area to emphasize that someone else is not emphasizing.

In terms of Democratic voter preference, there is a 14-point gap between the top four candidates, according to the latest Marquette poll: Barnes is at 19%, followed by Lasry at 16%, Godlewski at 7% and Nelson at 5%.

The biggest voter group, by far, was the 48% of voters who had no preference.

The primary is Aug. 9.

Race takes shape

Barnes is emphasizing rebuilding the middle class, lowering costs and bringing jobs to Wisconsin as well as bolstering voting rights. The son of a third-shift General Motors line worker, Barnes has proposed new measures to increase American production and advocated for existing measures that have been proposed, like Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwins Made in America Act. Unlike many of his opponents, Barnes does not have a substantial net worth, but he has reported raising $4 million from donors, more than his Democratic opponents.

In his first ad, Barnes emphasized that he was affected by rising prices and wasnt a millionaire unlike other senators and candidates  implicitly referring to Lasry, Godlewski and Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson.

Asked whether Barnes was firmly ahead of the pack, Burden said, We still got some months to go and there will be debates, probably, and other things that could change the course of the campaign. But I do think its going to be a challenge for him to hold his front running position throughout.

In his many ads, Lasry  who has put close to $6 million of his money into the race, far more than his primary opponents  has emphasized paying fair wages, cutting costs, supporting unions and building the economy environmentally. A Milwaukee Bucks executive on leave, Lasry has also highlighted his efforts to pay Fiserv Forum workers a $15 minimum wage and build the arena using union labor.

While Lasry has crept up on Barnes with his bigger ad campaign and monetary investment, Democratic strategist Tanya Bjork said at a WisPolitics luncheon last month that Lasrys stable position behind Barnes does say a lot about Barnes relative comfortability as the frontrunner.

Godlewski, who has put about $3 million into the race, almost immediately took to the airwaves after a leaked draft opinion showed the U.S. Supreme Courts intent to overturn nationwide abortion protections. She has used her status as the only female top-tier candidate to pitch voters on child care policy and abortion rights, while also pushing for increased investments in rural areas and economic security.

While Aprils Marquette poll showed Godlewski well behind Barnes and Lasry, the leaked Roe v. Wade draft opinion may have given her a needed surge.

We had the best grassroots fundraising week of the campaign (after the leak) and it hasnt let up, Godlewski spokesperson Sarah Abel said.

Burden said Godlewskis ad and post-Roe leak efforts really could see her jump forward in the polls.

In his first ad, Nelson criticized a massive taxpayer subsidy to build Milwaukee Bucks Fiserv Forum that he says benefitted the rich at taxpayers expense. Lagging behind in the polls without Barnes vast donor base or Lasrys and Godlewskis ability to self-fund, Nelsons ad was his latest in his string of taking shots at his opponents. Nelson has also spent a lot of time campaigning on Medicare for All, building unions, opposing the Line 5 pipeline and confronting corporate power.

Burden said Nelson was a clear underdog among the top-four with his lack of donations and visibility compared with other candidates, but that nothing was impossible.

He could pull this off, but he has more of a steep road, he said.

Focus on Barnes

At last months WisPolitics luncheon, Republican strategist Keith Gilkes was asked who would be the weakest Democratic U.S. Senate candidate to compete against Johnson. Bjork, the Democratic strategist, was asked who would be the strongest. Both said Barnes.

Highlighting Barnes position as lieutenant governor to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, Gilkes said, There is some ... synergy between running against Tony Evers and Mandela Barnes because they almost represent the same thing.

Maybe running against Mandela Barnes makes the most sense because then you can really run against the entirety of the Democratic Party, he said.

Bjork responded that she would be happy with Republicans using the same playbook running against Evers and Barnes. Evers has pitched himself as a centrist Democrat who works across the aisle while Barnes has received criticism for having supported, to some extent, more liberal issues like Medicare for All and the Green New Deal.

Especially this year, turnout is going to matter a lot, said Bjork, who highlighted low Democratic turnouts in Milwaukee, especially among Black voters. For obvious reasons Mandela Barnes is very motivating to that base, she said, adding that Barnes  the son of a union line worker and union school teacher  also has a compelling personal story.

Barnes is the clear frontrunner. (He) was a year ago, still is today, probably will be tomorrow unless theres a significant shakeup in this race, Bjork said.

The pipeline issue

While the candidates generally agree on most issues, theyre torn on the proposed Enbridge Line 5 pipeline project in northern Wisconsin that supporters say could generate hundreds of union jobs while opponents fear for potentially disastrous environmental impacts.

As a result of a lawsuit, the Canadian pipeline company wants to remove a 12-mile segment of its Line 5 pipeline from the Bad River Reservation and bypass it with about 41 miles of new pipe through Ashland, Bayfield and Iron counties.

According to a draft environmental review, the $450 million project would cross some 185 waterways, including the Bad River, and temporarily disturb about 135 acres of wetlands.

The company says the line, which transports an average of 540,000 barrels a day between Superior and southwestern Ontario, is a key piece of energy infrastructure, delivering crude oil and natural gas liquids to terminals in Michigan. Supporters, including Republican lawmakers, trade unions and the state chamber of commerce, tout the economic impact and 700 construction jobs needed to complete the reroute.

Opponents say the project endangers waters, including Lake Superior, and goes against warnings from international scientists to halt new investments in fossil fuel infrastructure in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Opponents also point to dozens of past spills on Enbridge pipelines, including a 2010 rupture in Michigan that cost $1.2 billion to clean up. According to the environmental review, Enbridge spilled about 1.4 million gallons of oil over the previous decade, which amounts to less than one-thousandth of a percent of the oil transported.

Nelson  who has made his opposition to the project a campaign centerpiece and called out the other candidates for not speaking out against it in the past  said jobs can be created in a manner that doesnt put the environment at risk.

Its not just the threat of spills that makes Line 5 unacceptable for Wisconsin, Nelson said at a public hearing. Its unacceptable because it represents a dangerous reliance on the very fossil fuels that are causing the ongoing, ever-escalating climate crisis.

His stance contrasts with Godlewski, who called for a forward-looking energy policy less dependent on fossil fuels but said, As we create the clean energy economy for tomorrow, we must also create good-paying jobs and lower energy prices today.

Carefully upgrading existing infrastructure is how we smartly bridge that gap, she added.

Lasry wants the pipeline shut down immediately, too, spokesperson Thad Nation said. But if Line 5 stays open, Lasry would support the relocation project as long as the state of Michigan first approves a controversial Enbridge project to relocate part of Line 5 beneath the Straits of Mackinac in northern Michigan, Nation said.

I dont support the Line 5 project, Barnes said. My focus is on creating good-paying union jobs in renewable energy that will deal Wisconsin workers in on the economy of the future.

The Governors Task Force on Climate Change, which Barnes chairs, called for Wisconsin to halt new investments in fossil fuel infrastructure, though there wasnt a consensus within the task force on the proposal.

The task forces final report states Wisconsin cant mitigate the climate crisis without bold action to reduce fossil fuel use and pivot to renewable energy.
For measures of national dysfunction and New Yorks commendable attention to need, look no further than the debate over access to military-style weapons.

Even after the murders of 31 people in two mass killings  one of them at the Tops supermarket on Buffalos Jefferson Avenue  President Biden felt the need to not just to ask, but to beg Congress do something about guns.

Enough, enough, he said in a nationally televised address on Thursday. Its time for each of us to do our part. For the children weve lost. For the children we can save. For the nation we love.

Children accounted for 19 of the recent victims. Along with two teachers, they were slaughtered in Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. As in Buffalo, the Texas shooter mowed down his victims with an AR-15, the weapon of choice for American mass murderers.

New York, meanwhile, responded quickly and sensibly to the evidence before it. The State Legislature on Thursday passed measures that will:

 Raise the age to buy a semi-automatic rifle to 21 and require a firearms license to do so.

 Tighten the states red flag law.

 Ban online sales of body armor and restrict those sales to law enforcement and others specifically authorized.

Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to sign the bill, which directly responds to weaknesses in existing state laws. Fir example, at 18 years old, the accused Tops shooter would not have been allowed to buy a handgun at the store where he was legally permitted to buy the AR-15.

The suspect, Payton Gendron, had also previously made violent threats, but claimed they were a joke and thus avoided the restrictions of the existing red flag law, designed to keep guns out the hands of people who show themselves to be a danger.

Gendron also bought body armor online from an Iowa company. Wearing it at the time of the attack, he easily survived being shot by a security guard, whom the heavily armed attacker then killed. The guard, Aaron Salter Jr., was a recently retired Buffalo police officer.

An official of RMA Armament, the company that sold Gendron the armor, said on Thursday that his team was devastated by this tragedy, which anyone can believe. But it was a tragedy waiting to happen. Without changes in federal laws, does anyone think it wont happen again?

That, of course, is the problem with a state response to a national problem. Like Covid-19 or acid rain, what happens in one state is likely to affect another. Its important for New York to do what it can, but it's essential for Washington to pull its head out of the sand. The likelihood seems remote, given Democrats narrow majority in the House and the need for at least 60 supporters in the evenly divided Senate. In those chambers, dysfunction reigns.

Its fair to argue that access to high-capacity, military-style weapons represent only part of the problem. Issues of mental health, family breakdown, isolation and culture  including gun culture  all play a role.

But its whistling past the graveyard to pretend that easy access to weapons designed for mass murder arent a big part of the problem. Yet, thats what too many Republicans do. Either deep in denial or indifferent to suffering of innocents, they pretend that weapons meant to murder by the score are little more than tangential to the issue, if that.

Western New York is seeing that phenomenon play out in dramatic fashion. Rep. Chris Jacobs was endorsed by the National Rifle Association two years ago, but last week, the Orchard Park Republican announced his support for stronger national gun laws. He knew some of those killed at Tops, he said, and with two young daughters, was appropriately shaken by the slaughter in Texas.

But he remains an outlier in a party that clings to the Second Amendment like a drunkard to wine. Too many reject the obvious truth that all rights have limits and, on Friday, that element drove him out of the race for the 23rd Congressional District. It speaks poorly of an organization that refuses to acknowledge the blood-soaked facts.

In his address on Thursday, President Biden appeared to acknowledge the political unlikelihood of banning weapons such as the AR-15. Thus, he said, members should at least raise the age to buy them to 21 from 18. That would help to make New Yorks new measure more effective and, in fact, its the least that Congress should do.

Unfortunately, when it comes to acting against mass murder, Congress usually does less than the least.

  

Whats your opinion? Send it to us at lettertoeditor@buffnews.com. Letters should be a maximum of 300 words and must convey an opinion. The column does not print poetry, announcements of community events or thank you letters. A writer or household may appear only once every 30 days. All letters are subject to fact-checking and editing.
Aerial photo taken on Aug. 19, 2021 shows the main venue of the fifth China-Arab States Expo in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. [Xinhua/Wang Peng]

BEIJING, June 4 (Xinhua)  It has been 18 years since the establishment of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. Under the guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and leaders of Arab countries, the China-Arab strategic partnership has achieved remarkable progress and grown even closer, stronger and deeper in recent years.

The following are some highlights of Xi's remarks delivered at the ministerial meetings of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum.

June 5, 2014

When addressing at the opening ceremony of the sixth ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum held in Beijing, Xi called on the two sides to carry forward the Silk Road spirit and deepen their cooperation.

China is ready to dovetail its own development with that of Arab states and support them in increasing jobs, advancing industrialization and promoting economic growth, he noted.

Noting that Arab states are seeking their own path of development, Xi said China is ready to share with Arab states its own governance experience so that both sides can draw wisdom from each other's civilizations and development practices.

Photo taken on May 6, 2016 shows the view of Liwa desert, some 240 kilometers southeast of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). [Xinhua/Li Zhen]

May 12, 2016

In a message to congratulate on the opening of the seventh ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, the Chinese president pledged to make joint efforts with Arab states to carve out a better future for bilateral strategic cooperative relationship.

Xi noted that China stands ready to work with Arab states to steadily promote the Belt and Road cooperation based on the principle of close consultation, joint contribution and shared benefit.

July 10, 2018

During a speech at the opening ceremony of the eighth ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in Beijing, Xi announced that China and Arab countries had agreed to establish a "Sino-Arab future-oriented strategic partnership of comprehensive cooperation and common development."

China stands ready to work with the Arab side to coordinate the development strategies and actions, Xi said, calling on the two sides to strengthen strategic trust, stay committed to dialogue and consultation, uphold the principle of sovereignty, champion inclusive reconciliation and fight terrorism.

As important players in the international political arena, China and Arab states should make concerted efforts to find a new path toward full rejuvenation of the Middle East, Xi noted.

File photo shows Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi co-chairing the 9th ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum via video link, July 6, 2020. [Xinhua/Shen Hong]

July 6, 2020

In a congratulatory letter to the ninth ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum held via video link, Xi said under the current circumstances, it is more necessary than ever for the two sides to step up cooperation and join hands in tiding over difficulties.

"I hope China and Arab states can take the meeting as an opportunity to enhance strategic communication and coordination, steadily advance cooperation in various fields including pandemic response, promote the building of the China-Arab community with a shared future to continuously go deeper and more practical, so as to better benefit the peoples of the two sides," Xi added.

(Source: Xinhua)
I have been a Catholic since days after my birth; attended Catholic school and put three children through Catholic education from kindergarten through graduate school. I am confounded by the hypocrisy of an Archbishop denying communion to a member of Congress for her political belief while, for years, known pedophile priests, supported by their bishops and archbishops, were permitted to perform sacraments and celebrate the Eucharist at Mass.
Family business in Chirk praised for its work in improving environmental footprint

A fast growing family business in Chirk has been praised for its work in improving its environmental footprint.

Archwood Group is comprised of Richard Burbidge, Atkinson & Kirby and Masons Timber Products which together provide a wide range of wood products and services including flooring and wooden components. Its main customers include B&Q, Jewson, Homebase and Travis Perkins.

The privately owned company established Henry Burbidge in 1867, has been passionate about the design, manufacture and supply of timber products for over 150 years

It has been based in Chirk for over 32 years and in 2019 it moved into it new head office and consolidated all their activities to the site in Chirk. It now employs over 115 people, many from the local community.

Recently the group has adopted an environmental, social and corporate governance policy to move all its electricity to renewable energy.

It has also moved all its vehicles to electric, and is looking to install solar panels on the roof of the factory which will produce 50 per cent of all its electricity needs.

Josh Burbidge, Managing Director, said: We would like to thank Simon Baynes for taking the time to visit us, see our operations and discuss our environmental journey.

As a business we are focussed on environmental sustainability, supporting our local community and delivering valued solutions to our customers. We look forward to sharing our progress in future.

Commenting after the visit, Simon Baynes MP said: It was a great pleasure to meet with Josh Burbidge (Managing Director), Lee Burford (Director of Operations), Craig Holt (Director of Marketing & Business Developments) and other members of the Archwood Group team during my recent visit to their factory in Chirk.

They are an excellent example of a long established family business, and it was a great opportunity to learn more about their big strides towards renewable energy, as well as their success as a company with rapidly growing sales.

It also gave me great pleasure to hear about their work in the community and the fact that they employ 115 people, many of whom live locally.

I look forward to watching them continue their strong growth in the years ahead.
NSPCC Cymru recognised for its commitment to Welsh language to support its users

NSPCC Cymru has been officially recognised for its commitment to the Welsh language to help achieve a greater impact with users.

June 1 marked Cynnig Cymru Day, an opportunity to celebrate businesses and charities that take pride in the Welsh language by offering Welsh language services to the public.

The Deputy Welsh Language Commissioner Gwenith Price presented a Cynnig Cymraeg certificate to Huw Meredith , Childline Volunteer, at the Urdd Eisteddfod in Denbigh.

The NSPCC is committed to playing its part in creating and fostering a society that promotes mutual respect and values individuality and difference so it can remove real and perceived barriers, valuing everybody who volunteers with, works for, supports or benefits from the charitys work.

Working with the Welsh Language Commissioners Office, NSPCC Cymru/ Wales launched its Welsh Language Progress Plan in 2018.

The organisation provides Welsh speaking counsellors for children using its Childline service and a Welsh email response service for its adult Helpline while popular resources and lesson plans designed for schools are also available in Welsh.

Gwenith Price, Deputy Welsh Language Commissioner said: It has been great to work with NSPCC Cymru on their Welsh language services to ensure that they can reach all children and families in Wales.

Through the Cynnig Cymraeg scheme, the Welsh Language Commissioner works with organisations to plan and promote their Welsh language services to attract more support.

We are proud of NSPCC Cymrus success in securing more services through the medium of Welsh, and and pleased to recognise this on Cynnig Cymraeg Day.

Policy and Public Affairs Manager Vivienne Laing said: We are delighted to receive this award. We recognise that Welsh is the preferred language for some of NSPCCs service users, supporters, volunteers and staff in Wales.

So, in turn, we know that fully embracing and valuing the language and cultural differences in Wales will help us to achieve our goals so that everyone plays their part to prevent child abuse, every child is safe online, children feel safe, listened to, and are supported.

Language is more than a means of communication  its an essential part of a persons identity, and people are more able to express their views and needs in their preferred language.

NSPCC Cymru/ Wales is urging anyone with concerns about a child, even if theyre unsure, to contact the NSPCC helpline to speak to one of the charitys professionals. People can call 0808 800 5000, email help@nspcc.org.uk or fill in the online form.
Wrexham shoppers urged to help raise funds for Natasha Allergy Research Foundation

Shoppers in Wales called to help raise vital funds in charitys fight against food allergies

Generous shoppers in Wrexham are being encouraged to help a fundraising campaign to support medical research into food allergies.

This World Allergy Week (5th  11th June), Tesco is working with the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation to help raise awareness and support medical research into food allergies by contributing 10p from every Free From product bought in stores and online throughout the week.

All money raised will help Natashas Foundation to continue its research into reducing the risks of food allergies and further developments into the management of allergies.

In addition to the funds being raised, the campaign aims to increase awareness in Wales about the importance of understanding food allergies and clearly highlighting ingredients in food which can cause allergic reactions.

Natashas Foundation was founded in 2016 by Tanya and Nadim, following the tragic loss of their daughter Natasha Ednan-Laperouse who had a fatal allergic reaction to a baguette that contained sesame seeds not listed on the packaging.

Tanya Ednan-Laperouse OBE, said: Tesco customers have supported the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation from the very start and this year, the money raised will help fund our first clinical trial which will explore the management of food allergies.

Last October, the Foundation also helped to introduce Natashas Law, which requires all pre-packaged food made and sold on the same premises in the UK to have a full list of ingredients.

Oonagh Turnbull, Head of Health Campaigns at Tesco, said: The funds raised will continue to support the Natasha Foundation in its vital support of medical research surrounding food allergies  a cause weve been proud to raise funds for over the past three years now.

There are now 207 products in our Free From range, from meals and desserts to snacks, all created with great taste but without any of the allergens. We welcome any shoppers in Wales to try these products to help raise money for a fantastic cause this World Allergy Week.
Approximately two-thirds of voters backed Denmarks involvement in the European Unions (EU) defence policy in the June 1 referendum, according to exit poll projections. The government and main opposition parties campaigned to overturn the countrys 30-year refusal to participate in the EUs Common Security and Defence Policy.

The result means that Danish troops will be integrated into EU military operations and Copenhagen will participate in EU decision-making processes for military deployments. This will also open up opportunities for the EU to deploy military forces in the Arctic, an increasingly geopolitically explosive region.

The referendum was the product of the Social Democrat governments full support for the US-NATO war against Russia. On March 6, less than two weeks after Washington and its European allies successfully goaded Russian President Vladimir Putin into launching his reactionary invasion of Ukraine, the Danish government announced a comprehensive agreement on defence policy with the opposition Venstre (Liberal) and Conservative parties. The agreement, also supported by the ex-Stalinist Green Left, included a pledge to hike Danish defence spending to 2 percent of GDP by 2033, end the countrys reliance on Russian gas and hold the June 1 referendum.

In another indication of Copenhagens backing for military escalation against Russia, the Social Democrat government confirmed last week that it is sending Harpoon anti-ship missiles to Ukraine to target Russian vessels in the Black Sea.

Denmark negotiated the opt-out from EU defence policy in 1992 following the rejection of the Maastricht Treaty. The defence opt-out was one of four in the Edinburgh Agreement, which included exceptions for justice, immigration policy, and economic and monetary union (the euro currency).

Denmarks defence policy has traditionally focused on its full participation in NATO, of which it was a founding member in 1949, and cooperation with the US military in operations from its Arctic bases in Greenland. Denmark agreed to the establishment of a US military presence on the island during World War II, after Washington expressed growing concern that Greenland could become a base for Nazi Germany to launch attacks on North America. The main US base is Thule, which was built in 1951 and became a key location for ballistic missile defence and spying activities.

Although EU military operations have been less extensive than those of NATO, there have been more than 30 EU-led operations since the first deployment to Macedonia in 2003. They range from missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo to Bosnia, Mali, Somalia, Iraq, Georgia, and Afghanistan. An EU-led naval operation also patrolled the central Mediterranean to prevent refugees fleeing imperialist wars from reaching Europe.

Sections of the European ruling elite, above all in Germany and France, are pushing to strengthen the EUs military capabilities in order to facilitate a European imperialist foreign policy that is more independent of, and if necessary in opposition to, the United States. This includes the development of joint European weapons systems and command structures.

Denmarks participation in the CSDP could open up new possibilities for EU military operations in regions where it has yet to establish a foothold. Although Denmark, with a population of only 5.8 million, has a relatively modest military of between 7,000 and 9,000 professional troops, its control of the Faroe Islands and Greenland give it access to geostrategically important areas in the North Atlantic and Arctic.

Denmark is one of a handful of nations, including Canada, Russia and the United States, that has territorial claims to vast areas in the Arctic. Due to climate change, control over the Arctic is an increasingly significant concern for the major powers, and minor ones like Denmark. Melting ice caps are opening up access to significant deposits of oil and gas, critical minerals, and other raw materials, and to previously ice-blocked sea lanes that would significantly shorten trade routes.

One of the most highly contested routes is the North Sea Route (NSR), which passes along Russias Arctic coast and is claimed by Moscow as internal waters. Russia has begun to develop cooperation with China to enable Chinese ships to use the NSR. Washington opposes this, claiming the NSR should be considered international waters with free passage for all shipping.

Danish military and surveillance activities in Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and their territorial waters is overseen by the Joint Arctic Command. In October 2020, NATO entered a formal partnership with the Joint Arctic Command, which included the sharing of intelligence, joint military exercises, and monthly coordination meetings.

The NATO powers seized on Russias invasion of Ukraine to ratchet up tensions in the Arctic. Seven of the eight members of the Arctic Council, a body established in 1996 to oversee inter-state cooperation on ecological, economic, and research issues in the region that is currently chaired by Russia, suspended their participation in its committees.

This provocative move by the United States, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden effectively brought the Arctic Councils activities to a halt. Finland and Swedens joint decision to apply for NATO membership also impacts Arctic geopolitics: they are located on the shores of the strategically important Baltic Sea, and they provide NATO military forces the opportunity to train in Arctic conditions.

The EU and its largest states, in particular Germany, have long been pushing for a larger role in Arctic affairs. In 2021, the EU published its new Arctic strategy. One of its main complaints is that it has yet to be granted official observer status at the Arctic Council. The strategy also pledged to open an EU Commission office in Greenland. The press release announcing the new strategy noted that the Arctic is of key strategic importance for the European Union, in view of climate change, raw materials as well as geostrategic influence.

In its first official strategy document for the region, titled Guidelines for German Arctic Policy, Germanys Foreign Ministry noted in 2019 that Berlin views the Arctic as a region with increased crisis potential. The document continued, Several states are increasingly securing their interests in the Arctic militarily. This could lead to an arms race. The development of dual-use capabilities as well as their constant modernisation, and technological progress and the strategies of external players undermines the division between defensive and offensive policy options.  The possibility thus increases of non-cooperative behaviour in the Arctic, which would endanger economic, ecological and security policy stability in the region and thereby impact German security interests.

A study published this February by the government-aligned German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) was even more explicit on the growing importance of the Arctic for Berlins foreign policy, which is based on a revival of global German imperialist ambitions not seen since the first half of the 20th century. Entitled Russia in the Arctic, the paper observed, The area is, of course, also of critical importance to Germany: in any military confrontation, the German Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) would be called on as part of NATO; and Germany itself lies on Northern Europes geo-economically and geo-strategically important sea lines. Any disruption of these would have consequences for the security and stability of the whole region.

The European Policy Centre, a Brussels-based think tank, suggested in a recent report that the EU could propose an Arctic Council 7+ model, i.e., to form a body consisting of the seven Arctic Council members boycotting the organisation and the EU.

At a conference in Esbjerg on May 18, ostensibly held to discuss wind energy generation between Denmark, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, both German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and EU Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen expressed their support for Denmark abolishing its opt-out in EU defence policy. Two days later, Danish Defence Minister Morten Bdskov announced that plans are under way to make the port of Esbjerg a NATO hub for transporting military equipment and personnel to the Baltic Sea region by the end of 2023.

Overwhelming support in Denmarks political establishment and media for abolishing the defence opt-out, together with the lack of any genuine opposition to the move, helped produce Wednesdays lopsided result.

The no campaign was led by the far-right Danish Peoples Party on a nationalist basis. They said Denmark should retain full sovereignty over its armed forces and warned of Danish personnel being deployed in a European army.

The pseudo-left Red-Green Alliance (RGA) sought to salvage its tattered anti-militarist credentials by campaigning for a no vote. Its campaign had virtually no credibility, however.

The RGA has long worked to suppress and strangle left-wing opposition to war. Since 2019, its votes in parliament have been critical in securing a majority for Mette Frederiksens minority Social Democrat government, which is sending Ukraine military equipment and weaponry, including Harpoon missiles. The RGA also voted for imperialist wars, including the US-led war in Syria and Iraq from 2014.
Amazon fulfillment center in Robbinsville Township, New Jersey, 2017 (AP photo/Julio Cortez)

Workers at Amazons DEW8 delivery facility in Bellmawr, New Jersey, walked off the job on the morning of Wednesday, June 1. The strike reportedly involved 10 workers out of a shift of 45, who were joined by other Amazon workers from the region. Representatives of the Communications Workers of America and the Teamsters unions, as well as the Democratic Socialists of America, were also present.

The workers were protesting the planned closure of the Bellmawr location at the end of the month. They reported having initially been told that most of them would be transferred to another facility 11 miles away. Workers complained that the company had not lived up to the promised transfers. Instead, it has now told them that they will have the opportunity to pick up shifts at more distant locations, some as much as nearly an hour away, at a time of rising fuel prices. There is also no guarantee that workers will be able to retain their current work schedules, imposing an additional hardship for many. Other workers rejected the closure of Bellmawr altogether.

An Amazon spokesperson sought to portray the closure of the Bellmawr facility as a benefit to the workers. We regularly look at how we can improve the experience for our employees, partners, drivers and customers, and that includes upgrading our facilities. These other locations were portrayed as having upgraded amenities, including increased on-site parking, larger operational spaces, and better breakrooms with open market vending.

The Bellmawr delivery station, which opened in October 2019, is one of 20 Amazon facilities in New Jersey. The closure comes with Amazons announcement that it will be cutting its workforce and closing facilities due to a drop in business volume brought on by the developing economic slowdown. Last month, investors were informed of slowing growth and a weak profit outlook. The company suffered a nearly $4 billion loss in the first quarter of this year. It recently announced that it will seek to sublet at least 10 million square feet of space and end leases on even more. This includes warehouses in New York, New Jersey, Southern California and Atlanta.

Workers at Bellmawr expressed concerns that the company will use its planned retrenchment and facilities closures to jettison more senior workers in order to further reduce labor costs. And, at the same time, the already brutal working conditions will be intensified on the remaining newer workers to extract the maximum profit to feed its shareholders as economic conditions worsen. Bellmawr workers had already faced intensified exploitation last year when evening shifts were extended from six or eight to 10 hours. Paul Blundell, a Bellmawr worker, told the Philadelphia Inquirer, A lot of people left because they couldnt do it. Of those of us who stayed, I dont know if I know anybody here whos getting enough sleep.

Another Bellmawr worker, Joseph Calvert, told WBGO that he was being transferred to a facility in Philadelphia, but would not receive an anticipated pay raise he was due after three years with the company since the pay structure there is different than that at Bellmawr. Increasing numbers of workers are likely to face such musical chairs treatment.

Amazon already has the highest workforce turnover rate in the industry, approximately 150 percent per year. By slowing the rate of new hires, the company can rapidly reduce the size of its workforce while increasing the already grueling pace of work imposed on its remaining employees, resulting in even greater health and safety impacts on the workforce. This is already underway.

A study by Rutgers University found that worker injuries at the companys locations in New Jersey rose by 54 percent between 2020 and 2021. Amazon employees suffered a staggering 55 percent of the serious worker injuries reported last year across the entire state. The company was already known for having the highest rate of injuries in the industry nationwide. A union report found that while Amazon employed 33 percent of warehouse workers nationally, it accounted for nearly half of reported injuries in the industry.

The protest at Bellmawr is a sign of growing opposition among Amazon workers as the full impact of the companys brutal attrition and cutback policy takes hold. Workers are clearly willing to fight. Bill Allen, 62, another Bellmawr worker, told the Philadelphia Inquirer, Were willing to take those consequences because were mistreated anyway. If you do nothing, youre gonna face the consequences; you do something, youre gonna face consequences.

The Biden administration is attempting to contain this growing opposition by encouraging the development of the trade unions at Amazon. In addition to its support for union campaigns by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union and the Teamsters, Biden also met last month in the White House with Chris Smalls, the head of the allegedly independent Amazon Labor Union.

No doubt the unions have some support among Amazon workers who recognize the need for organization in the face of the massive multinational e-commerce giant. But the unions, based on class compromise and acknowledging the supposed right of corporations to profits, would quickly establish the same corrupt structures at Amazon that it has in countless other workplaces. They would sign off on job losses only on the condition that such cuts be carried out jointly with the collaboration of the union bureaucracy.

Bidens support for the unions at Amazon is informed by his experience as Vice President under Obama, who in 2009 utilized the help of the United Auto Workers to force through massive cuts as part of the bailout of the auto industry. In exchange for its support for job losses and slashing wages in new hires by half, the UAW was given billions of dollars in corporate stock.

The presence of the CWA and the Teamsters at the New Jersey walkout is significant. In 2018, the Teamsters rammed through a sellout contract at UPS against a majority no vote by the membership. Its current president, Sean OBrien, is a notorious former hatchetman for the previous president James Hoffa Jr., was disciplined in 2014 for threatening violence against his union opponents before suddenly being rechristened falsely last year as an energetic union reformer. The CWA sold out a strike in 2016 by nearly 40,000 East Coast Verizon workers. These are the organizations which are being promoted by Biden and the DSA as champions of American workers.

Amazon workers need organizations, but they need organizations which are controlled by them, not by privileged bureaucracies striving to develop ties with management and the capitalist politicians. This is why the World Socialist Web Site encourages Amazon workers to join with workers across the country in forming rank-and-file committees, appealing for the broadest possible support and unity with workers around the country.
Cowards need not apply. That should be the first line on any employment application for a job in law enforcement, cowards need not apply. How many times has an officer been found not guilty of killing an unarmed civilian because they feared for their lives? Cowards need not apply. Our latest example of people in the wrong line of work comes from Uvalde, Texas. They waited over an hour to enter the school. Cowards need not apply. No one is drafted to work in law enforcement, they applied. Being a law enforcement officer is a thankless job, that being said its one they applied for. My deepest respect and admiration for former Buffalo police officer Aaron Salter. Even though it wasnt on his employment application he knew, Cowards need not apply.
It is hard to say what is more repulsive about the level of debate in Germanys parliament, the Bundestag: the contributions of the speakers or the media coverage.

The deliberations on the budget for the Chancellors Office are traditionally used as a general debate on the policies of the federal government. That was the case again on Wednesday. Opposition leader Friedrich Merz (Christian Democratic Union, CDU) and Chancellor Olaf Scholz (Social Democratic Party, SPD) competed to see who could deliver the most ferocious war rhetoric. Like a couple of yobs butting heads, both promised to send even more lethal weapons to Ukraine and to upgrade the Bundeswehr to be the most powerful Armed Forces in Europe.

CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader Friedrich Merz during a speech in the Bundestag [Photo by DBT / Xander Heinl / photothek] [Photo by DBT / Xander Heinl / photothek]

Merz opened the debate by thanking the SPD, Liberal Democrat (FDP), Green traffic light coalition, with which the CDU and CSU (Christian Social Union) had agreed last Sunday on the design of the Bundeswehr special fund amounting to 100 billion euros. Last Sunday was and is first and foremost a good day for our countrys alliance and defence capabilities, and it is a good day for the Bundeswehr, he said.

Scholz later returned the appreciations. He thanked everyone who had helped bring about this decision so constructively and also across party lines. He said it was a quantum leap: The Bundeswehr will then probably have the largest conventional army in the European NATO system.

After putting on record his fundamental agreement with the governments rearmament policy, Merz then began to attack the chancellor fiercely. Scholz, he said, had issued a much-publicized government statement on Feb. 27 in which he promised a change of era and the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine. Since then, everything you said there has evaporated and evaporated into obscurity, into vagueness.

The promised heavy weapons had not been delivered to Ukraine to this day, he said. The chancellor was ruining the reputation of German politics. He was untruthful, insincere and dishonest. He was not committed to building a European security architecture. Instead of Ukraine must win this war, he says only, Russia must not win this war. It went on like that for minutes.

Scholz countered by listing the large quantities of weapons and ammunition that Germany has supplied to Ukraine in the hundred days since the war began: anti-aircraft missiles and anti-tank weapons, more than 15 million rounds of ammunition, 100,000 hand grenades, more than 5,000 anti-tank mines, extensive explosive material, machine guns, and dozens of truckloads of other relevant goods. Together with Denmark, it has supplied 54 modernized armoured troop carriers, 20 T-72 main battle tanks from the Czech Republic and armoured personnel carriers from Greece, which were being replaced by Germany.

In addition, there were twelve of the most modern self-propelled howitzers in the world and Gepard anti-aircraft tanks on which Ukrainian soldiers were currently being trained: This weapon comes with an initial supply of 59,000 rounds of ammunition; enough for 1,200 combat operations.

Finally, Scholz announced the government had decided to supply Ukraine with the most advanced air defence system that Germany has as well as a state-of-the-art tracking radar that detects enemy howitzers, mortars and rocket artillery.

The IRIS-T-SLM anti-aircraft missile system, developed by German defence contractor Diehl, can shoot down aircraft, helicopters and drones up to an altitude of 25 kilometres and a distance of 40 kilometres. The missiles are guided by a target-tracking radar and hit their target on final approach using a jam-resistant infrared seeker.

According to Scholz, the decision to supply these highly effective weapons was made in close consultation with the US, which is also supplying Ukraine with state-of-the-art missile systems capable of hitting targets deep inside Russia.

The result is an escalation of the war, which was deliberately provoked by NATO, and the growing danger of direct combat between Russian and NATO forces, including the use of nuclear weapons.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had already commented on initial reports of the planned missile deliveries last week, saying that they had warned the West in the strongest terms that it was basically already waging a proxy war against the Russian Federation. But these deliveries were the most serious step toward an unacceptable escalation.

It is a measure of the decline and depravity of the German media that not one commentary warns of the dangerous implications of this military escalation. Instead, Scholz was hailed for his military showmanship. The chancellor can also be different (Tagesschau) and The chancellor goes on the offensive (taz) ran some of the headlines.

What the Social Democrat delivered in the general debate in parliament has little to do with the staccato sleeping pill speeches for which he is actually known, cheered Der Spiegel. Instead, Scholz presented himself this Wednesday in a way that one rarely experiences: feisty, rhetorically biting, surprisingly precise on the matter at hand.

Have only one of these hacks thought for a second about what the consequences will be if the conflict with the worlds second largest nuclear power continues to escalate? They do not because they have long been intoxicated by German militarism.

Eight years ago, when then-Federal President Joachim Gauck, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) and Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) called for an end to military restraint and for a German global power policy, the media already lay at their feet. Now, the Ukraine war is serving as an excuse to put these plans into action.

The special fund of 100 billion euros, which the Budget Committee launched on Wednesday with the votes of the traffic light coalition and the CDU-CSU faction, and which passed in the Bundestag Friday, is intended to transform the Bundeswehr not only into the largest, but also the most modern army in Europe.

41 billion euros are earmarked for modernizing the Luftwaffe (Air Force). Plans call for the purchase of nuclear-capable American F-35 fighter jets, the development and purchase of Eurofighters with electronic warfare capability and the arming of Heron TP drones. In addition, 60 new transport helicopters, light support helicopters for the Army, electronic maritime reconnaissance aircraft and early warning and reconnaissance systems are to be purchased.

Some of the money is also to go toward the Franco-German Future Combat Air System (FCAS), whose development costs are estimated at 100 billion euros.

20 billion is earmarked for the digitization of the Bundeswehr.

19 billion is assigned for the Navy. Corvettes are to be modernized and at least one additional F126 frigate purchased. Also on the shopping list are modern anti-ship missiles capable of sinking large warships, anti-aircraft missiles for submarines, a new submarine and multi-purpose combat boats.

A total of 16.5 billion has been earmarked for the Army. This will be used primarily to purchase armoured vehicles, improve communications (including via satellite) and create the conditions for a new 5,000-strong brigade that can be rapidly deployed.
The new Labor government has spent its first fortnight in office aggressively prosecuting a US-led campaign in the Pacific, aimed at shoring-up the regional hegemony of American and Australian imperialism and furthering the advanced preparations for war against China.

Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong (Image: Senator Penny Wong Facebook)

On Wednesday evening, Labors foreign minister Penny Wong travelled to Samoa and Tonga, in a snap visit announced earlier that day. In a statement outlining her itinerary, Wong boasted that it was her second trip to the Pacific since being sworn in as foreign minister nine days ago.

On May 26, Wong went to Fiji just days after the federal election and well before it was clear that Labor had secured a majority government. There she met with Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama and addressed a gathering of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.

The haste of that first trip was clearly a result of the insistence of Washington that the new Labor administration act fast to undermine growing Chinese influence in the Pacific.

Wong was dispatched to Fiji immediately after she attended, with Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a meeting in Tokyo of the Quad, the de facto anti-China military alliance composed of the US, Japan, India and Australia. Albanese and Wong embarked on the trip to Tokyo only three hours after both were sworn in as part of a hastily cobbled together interim government on the Monday morning following the election.

Wongs May 26 visit was timed to coincide with the beginning of an ambitious regional tour by Chinese foreign minister Wang Li. Over the course of more than a week, Wang, together with a 20-strong Chinese delegation, have visited eight Pacific nations, holding talks with each of their governments.

During her first Pacific trip, Wong had spouted platitudes about the Pacific family, and had gestured over concerns in the region regarding climate change, despite Labor having just given carte blanche to the Australian ruling elite for the opening of new coal and gas mines during its time in office.

But Wong blurted out the real purpose of Labors Pacific step-up, telling reporters in Fiji We have expressed our concerns publicly about the security agreement between the Solomon Islands and China. That deal, revealed in April, was the subject of a nationalist hysteria in the federal election, led by Labor and featuring veiled threats of military action if China were to establish any sort of naval or army base in the region.

Having referenced the Solomons agreement, Wong added that there would be unspecified consequences for similar deals, another clear threat.

The neo-colonial bullying and backroom machinations of Australia, orchestrated by the US, likely played a role in the scuttling of Chinese Foreign Minister Wangs attempts to secure agreement from the Pacific nations for an overarching multilateral agreement with China.

Under the proposal, as many as ten Pacific states would have entered into security arrangements with China, related to policing, cyber-defence and marine mapping, along with substantial foreign aid, favorable trade terms and access to the massive Chinese domestic market.

Micronesia, which has close ties to Washington, vociferously denounced the prospective agreement. Other Pacific leaders issued more neutral comments, explaining that they had not signed up due to insufficient time for consultation and discussion.

Wongs trip on Wednesday to Samoa and Tonga was clearly aimed at pressing the advantage resulting from the failure of the Chinese bilateral framework. Asked about the setback to the Chinese proposal at a press conference in Samoa, Wong declared that its Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa and other Pacific leaders had shown a lot of leadership and wisdom.

Wong paid lip service to national sovereignty, having openly attacked it in the case of the Solomons agreement with China a month before. But regional security was a matter for the entire Pacific family. What sovereign nations did, could ultimately have the potential to affect the nature of the security arrangements of the region, so having a collective consideration of those matters is important.

Despite the vague language in which it was expressed, Wongs idea was clear enough. National sovereignty is fine on paper, but if any of the Pacific Islands take actions that jeopardise US and Australian interests in the region, it is out the window.

Indicating that the message had been received, Mataafa nervously stated that she wanted to clarify misrepresentations in the media. Her government had struck a bilateral agreement with Wang, but had not signed up to the Chinese regional framework because you cannot have a regional agreement when the region hasnt met to discuss it.

Mataafas comments gave the lie to the gloating over the failure of the Chinese regional framework in Washington and Canberra. While the region-wide deal was not accepted, at least five of those who met with Wang signed bilateral agreements with the Chinese delegation, including Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Kiribati.

The Chinese state-owned Global Times claimed that Wang brokered 52 cooperation pacts, covering 15 domains including those under the Belt and Road Initiative, climate change responding, the pandemic, green development, health, trade and tourism.

Many of the Pacific states essentially appear to be hedging their bets. Fiji, before signing deals with Wang, agreed to join the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. Samoa struck an Economic & Technical Cooperation Agreement with China several days before accepting an eight-year partnership with Australia, ostensibly focused on social and humanitarian issues.

The duelling bilateral deals continue to be accompanied by US-led threats. On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern issued a statement, clearly directed against China, which warned that a persistent military presence in the Pacific by a state that does not share our values or security interests would fundamentally alter the strategic balance of the region.

The US and its regional deputy sheriffs in the region, Australia and New Zealand, are engaged in what is sometimes described as projection. They are ascribing to China what Washington and its junior partners have carried out for years: a vast military build-up throughout the Indo-Pacific, in preparation for war with China. This pivot to Asia was initiated under the Obama administration, in which Biden was vice president, and is being taken to a new level under the current US government.

Giving voice to this perspective, the Sydney Morning Heralds international editor Peter Hartcher wrote a column last week, pointing to the strategic issues at stake in the Pacific contest. As a fervent supporter of the US and Australian military-intelligence establishments, Hartcher framed his comment as a warning about Chinas regional aspirations, but the areas of concern he outlined are all central to Washingtons strategy in the region.

The Pacific was of importance because of the enormous, semi-tapped resources, fish stocks and seabed resources and minerals controlled by the Pacific islands nations as the owners of their far-flung exclusive economic zones, Hartcher wrote, citing fellow war hawk Professor Rory Medcalf.

Hartcher wrote that the Pacific was also strategically critical. By establishing persistent military access to the Pacific islands nations that sit amid vital shipping lanes, China would acquire the ability to put its boot on Australias trade and military lifelines to the US and Asia, he stated. The columnist went on to reference the crucial role of the Pacific theatre in World War II.

There is no evidence that China has plans for such military facilities. The US, however, has significant installations in the region, including a massive naval base in Guam.

Again, what Hartcher was outlining was more applicable to the US and its allies, than to China. The Pentagon and associated think-tanks have repeatedly sketched out plans for an air-sea battle directed against China. Cutting off Chinese access to shipping lanes in the Pacific would play a key role in such a scenario, starving the Chinese mainland, as it was subjected to a US bombardment.

The Labor government is pressing ahead with this broader war offensive. It is currently hosting staffers from the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. They are reportedly discussing the details of Australias plans to acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. That military outlay is one component of AUKUS, a pact with the US and Britain, explicitly aimed at preparing for conflict in the Indo-Pacific.

Tomorrow, Wong and Albanese are visiting Indonesia. When AUKUS was announced last September, the Indonesian government publicly warned against it as the potential source of a regional arms race that would jeopardise south-east Asias status as a nuclear weapons-free zone.

Wong and Albanese will no doubt seek to batter down these concerns, as they continue to fulfill the marching orders they were given by the Biden administration at the Quad.
US President Joe Biden will be traveling to Saudi Arabia later this month to visit with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. A principal aim of the trip, which will include meetings with other Arab leaders and a trip to Israel, will be to strengthen broader support for the US-NATO war against Russia over Ukraine.

The New York Times, in its article on the subject, commented that it represents the triumph of realpolitik over moral outrage, according to foreign policy experts. On the part of the Times and the foreign policy experts, this was a polite way of addressing the undeniable hypocrisy of US claims to be defending democracy in Ukraine while courting one of the most brutal dictatorships in the world.

It remains to be seen whether Biden will broach the subject of Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post columnist who was brutally murdered on the orders of bin Salman in 2018, or if he will ask where Khashoggis dismembered body is located. It is even less likely that Biden will take the occasion to express his moral outrage over the execution of 81 prisoners on March 12, mainly political opponents of the blood-drenched Saudi regime.

The Biden administration has accused Russia of war crimes and even genocide in Ukraine, which, in the 100 days since the invasion on February 24 has killed an estimated 4,200 civilians, according to the United Nations. If the term genocide can be applied to a war taking place now, however, it would be the US-backed Saudi war against Yemen, which began in 2015 under the Obama administration.

Calculations of the casualties from the systematic bombardment and starvation of the impoverished country vary. However, the United Nations Development Programme issued a report in November 2021, seven months ago, that estimated 377,000 people had died. This is somewhat more than one percent of Yemens population of 30 million.

The UNDP estimated that more than 260,000 of those killed were children under the age of five, largely through hunger and disease produced by a Saudi blockade backed by the UAE and the United States. The report also estimated that the death toll will rise to 1.3 million by 2030, with 70 percent killed from the catastrophic social and economic impact of the war. The number of people living in extreme poverty is expected to rise to 22 million by 2030.

A separate report issued by the UN International Childrens Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in March found that 538,000 children in Yemen are already severely malnourished, but this is expected to soar to 2.2 million by the end of the year, in part due to sharply rising food prices throughout the world. UNICEF also estimated that more than 10,000 children have been directly killed or injured by bombs and other military actions since 2015.

The war has been characterized by repeated attacks on civilian infrastructure by the Saudi-led coalition. On January 21 of this year, an airstrike (reportedly using laser-guided missiles supplied by Raytheon) killed at least 82 and injured 266 at a detention center housing African migrants in Saada. The attack followed strikes against civilian buildings in the capital of Sanaa, including against a water treatment center that cut off 120,000 people from clean drinking water.

There was no condemnation in the US media at the time of Saudi war crimes against Yemen, nor were their howls of protest from the pseudo-left backers of US imperialism over the war crime. Two-and-a-half months later, however, a missile strike on a Ukrainian train station that killed 50blamed, dubiously, on Russiawas seized on to demand a major intensification of US military support for Ukraine. This is genocide, Biden declared.

When he came to power in January 2021, Biden said that he would make the Saudi regime pay the price, particularly for the murder of Khashoggi, and that his administration would make them in fact the pariah that they are. He also made a vague declaration that his administration would end American support for offensive operations in the war against Yemen.

This, however, was entirely for show. Military weaponry has continued to flow into the country unabated. The US is the principal supplier of weapons to Saudi Arabia (accounting for 73 percent of arms imports, according to the Brookings Institution). Per the US State Department website, Saudi Arabia is the United States largest foreign military sales (FMS) customer, with more than $100 billion in active FMS cases. Through FMS, the United States has supported three key security assistance organizations in Saudi Arabiathe Ministry of Defense, the National Guard, and the Ministry of Interior.

That is, the US is not only supplying weapons used to bomb Yemen and enforce its economic blockade, but also to bolster its apparatus of domestic repressionthe Ministry of the Interior is the body responsible for executions.

In anticipation of Bidens trip, the administration is working to reformulate its official appraisal of the Saudi regime. As recently as this week, the White House affirmed the previous statement that Biden considered bin Salman a pariah. However, on Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre praised Saudi Arabia for helping consolidate a temporary truce in Yemen, that is, to put a partial pause on the bloody carnage it has led with the backing of American imperialism.

Beyond Russia, the US will discuss with Saudi Arabia a renewed US and Israeli offensive against Iran. It is also seeking Saudi agreement to increase oil production, as the American ruling class confronts a mounting wave of social anger within the country over the soaring costs of gasoline and other consumer goods. The meeting, according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, will address the totality of our interests in that relationship.

The naked hypocrisy of US imperialism, we can rest assured, will not stop the upper-middle-class moralists in the media and academia from giving their full support for the imperialist crusade against Russia, waving the tattered and bloody banner of human rights.
The killing of a man by the police on May 25 in Brazil caused shock and angered millions around the world, with video of the brutal assault going viral on social media.

Video recordings show 38-year-old Genivaldo de Jesus Santos being approached in the city of Umbauba in the state of Sergipe by the Federal Highway Police (PRF) for riding a motorcycle without a helmet. The man, diagnosed with schizophrenia, can be seen cooperating with three police officers, who approach Santos aggressively, manhandling and cursing him while carrying assault rifles. Santos nephew, one of the witnesses to the attack, said the officers took the medication Santos kept in his pocket.

Federal Highway Police (PRF) suffocating Genivaldo de Jesus Santos, May 25, 2022

The videos show the violent response of the officers, surrounding, pushing, knocking down and pointing their guns at Santos in what witnesses said lasted half an hour. Then the officers decide to trigger a tear gas bomb inside the trunk of the police car with Santos inside, who can be seen swinging his legs out of the back hatch until he passes out. In the police report, the officers said that Santos had a sudden illness on the way to the police station and was taken to the municipal hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The sadistic public torture and murder of Santos provoked anger among the residents in the city, who blocked the highway where he was killed, burned tires and carried signs denouncing his death and calling for justice. In the newspapers and social media, many compared Santos suffocation by asphyxiation to the Nazis gas chamber.

The attack in Umbauba occurred exactly two years after the police murder of George Floyd in the US and is a particularly brutal expression of the response of the Brazilian capitalist class to the intensifying social crisis in Brazil and internationally.

Over the past two years, the Bolsonaro governments indifferent and criminal response to the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed the virus to spread through the population, resulting in over 660,000 deaths and leaving millions more with the after-effects of Long COVID.

This period of suffering and death for millions has meant financial prosperity for a thin layer. Brazilian billionaires increased their wealth by 30 percent during the pandemic, while 90 percent of the population became poorer. The richest 1 percent in Brazil owned almost half of the national wealth in 2021, an increase of 0.5 percentage points since 2019.

Santos lived and was brutally killed in Sergipe, the fifth poorest state in Brazil according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), with 46.8 percent of the states population facing serious problems related to the lack of food. Luis Moura, regional coordinator of the union-funded social studies institute DIEESE, pointed out that the population considered poor increased from 42 percent in 2019 to 46 percent in 2021. This situation is repeated throughout the country, with an increase in poverty from 25 percent to 29 percent in the same period.

A study by the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV) showed that while 30 percent of Brazilian households had no money to buy food at least once in the previous 12 months in 2019, that number increased to 36 percent in 2021. Among the poorest 20 percent, food insecurity jumped from an already staggering 53 percent to 75 percent in the same period.

Today, the enormous poverty and social inequality in Brazil, which has only intensified with a dramatic rise in food and fuel prices, are raising social tensions.

According to data surveyed by the University of Sao Paulo Center for the Study of Violence and the Brazilian Public Security Forum, 5,200 people died as a result of police violence in Brazil in 2017. In 2020, the number killed jumped to 6,400 and last year it was 6,100.

Under such conditions, the assassination of Genivaldo de Jesus Santos was met by the PRF command with cold indifference. A technical note from the PRF blamed Santos himself for his death and covered up the actions of the agents. The note stated that he actively resisted an approach by a PRF team. Due to his aggressiveness, immobilization techniques and instruments of less offensive potential were used to restrain him.

It is not a coincidence that the sadistic violence released against Santos occurred just one day after fascistic President Jair Bolsonaro praised one of the deadliest operations ever carried out by the murderous Military Police (PM) in the Vila Cruzeiro favela in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The operation resulted in the death of 25 people, including one killed by stray bullets and four people still hospitalized. The police took responsibility for only ten deaths, while local residents were forced to take the bodies of their relatives and neighbors to the hospital.

The operation, carried out in the morning of May 24, had the participation of the PRF and the notorious Special Operations Battalion (BOPE). After it became news, Bolsonaro stated: Congratulations to the warriors of the BOPE and the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro who neutralized at least 20 criminals linked to drug trafficking in a confrontation, after being attacked by gunfire during an operation against criminal faction leaders.

The PM portrayed the operation as an ambush for a convoy of the drug trafficking gang, Comando Vermelho, which was leaving the Vila Cruzeiro favela. According to the official narrative, the operation was compromised when a group of plainclothes police at one of the entrances to the community was intercepted by drug traffickers, leading the police to react by entering the favela and killing them. However, the facts point less to an ambush and more to a provocation to justify the assault inside the favela that resulted in the massacre.

The commander of the Military Police of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Uira do Nascimento Ferreira, declared the day after the operation that it had been planned months before and cruelly stated that it did not have the objective of serving arrest warrants.

How the operation, which officially was to target criminals caught in the act leaving Vila Cruzeiro, ended with a violent assault inside the favela has not been explained except by the untenable police narrative. The presence of 11 police armored cars in positions that so far have not been publicized and the movement of dozens of plainclothes agents around the slum has all the indications of an operation planned to provoke a response from the drug traffickers. The alleged initial attack against officers was responded with more than a hundred agents entering the community.

Almost a week after the brutal murder of Santos in plain sight, Bolsonaro finally responded to the episode by lamenting not his death, but that of PRF agents in another case the same week. Bolsonaro concluded that the media always has a side, the side of the criminals.

In the same week of these two horrific incidents, the Bolsonaro government also published a report on human rights abuses with a glaring absence of the section on public security, that is, abuse by cops.

Bolsonaros statements are a signal to the presidents fascistic supporters in the state apparatus, including the police forces and the military, that launching the brutal crackdown on the working class amidst the upsurge in strikes and protests in Brazil will have no repercussions for the agents involved.

So far, the only repercussions for the three policemen recorded in the scenes in Umbauba have been minor. Kleber Nascimento Freitas, Paulo Rodolpho Lima Nascimento and William de Barros Noia were relieved of duty and a disciplinary action process was initiated. The cruel response of the PRF command, blaming Santos for resisting the officers aggression, expresses Bolsonaros encouragement of these fascistic sections.

The cultivation of such forces is an expression of the ruling classs fear in the face of intense social crisis. On Tuesday morning, a day after Bolsonaros statements defending the police in the Santos case, Bolsonaros chief-of-staff, minster Ciro Nogueira, signed the dismissal of the PRFs executive director and intelligence director, only to announce on the same day that they were being promoted to higher positions in the US.

The Bolsonaro governments encouragement of these forces is also a response to tensions building up across the region. In Chile, where huge demonstrations against former President Sebastian Pineras policies in 2019 were seen by Bolsonaro as a major domestic threat, current President Gabriel Boric is plummeting in approval ratings just months after his election. The country experienced a refinery workers strike in early May, while in Argentina, a simultaneous truckers strike with no deadline to end was barely averted after its third day.

In Brazil, workers at Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (CSN) in Volta Redonda in the state of Rio de Janeiro went on strike at the end of March, creating a commission elected by the rank-and-file to negotiate independent of the union. After a campaign of isolation and suppression aided by the unions, the company is feeling emboldened, sending in police to prevent worker assemblies this week. On the day of Santos murder, Bolsonaro's communications minister, Fabio Faria, revealed the fear within the ruling class of a strike in a critical sector of the economy. Faria said, Is R$15 billion [from Petrobras] R$44 billion profit too much to subsidize truckers diesel to avoid a strike? Ive heard the market saying its not.

Meanwhile, all three countries are facing new outbreaks of COVID-19 cases, with ICUs filling their capacity and reports of outbreaks in schools.

In this explosive situation, with less than five months to go until the elections in October, Bolsonaro sees the police forces as a shock troop against any political opposition, while preparing to respond to the scenario of a defeat with a coup, with the increasingly direct collaboration of the military.

Bolsonaros unfettered encouragement of the police forces immediately after they commit acts of extreme violence is only possible amid a shift to the right of all forces in the political establishment. The intensification of poverty and social inequality in Brazil and throughout Latin America, at the same time that a thin layer has become richer at an unprecedented rate, are being responded with the promotion of the repressive forces of the state by the entire political spectrum, including the nominal opposition to Bolsonaro led by the Workers Party (PT).

In an expression of the enormous nervousness throughout the political establishment following the recent episodes of police violence, the PTs response was limited to PT president Gleisi Hoffmann, tweeting that the Santos murder and the slaughter in Rio are examples that it is necessary to review the command and training of police officers.

After remaining completely silent about the massacre for a week, PTs former president and front runner for the October elections, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, refused to make any call for an end to the police killing spree. Instead, he stated in a conformist and empty fashion: If the state was present in these areas, the police would only be a component to maintain tranquility. ... the state only appears when it is to kill someone, through the police.

In fact, the apparatus of repression being thrown at the working class on the highways and slums was strengthened during the PT governments. The foremost example is the Drug Law passed in 2006, which according to the National Prison Department resulted in the increase of those arrested for drug-related crimes from 9 percent in 2005 to 28 percent in 2014, while the prison population more than doubled in the same period, from 361,400 to 607,700.

The order of the day in the so-called left is to provide a political cover for the fascistic forces being cultivated by Bolsonaro. Marcelo Freixo, Lulas main ally in the race for governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro for the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB), responded to the slaughter in Vila Cruzeiro by posting a series of tweets to clarify that he did not call for the end of BOPE and CORE, the notoriously violent special forces of the military and civilian police in the state, respectively.

The same reasoning is true for the media. It presents the response of the Brazilian judiciary, demanding explanations from the police about the operation in Rio, as a sign that there will be significant repercussions for the killings in Vila Cruzeiro. However, it was the STF itself that upheld the extension of powers of the PRF to investigative and intelligence operations in 2020, allowing it to take part in the killing of Santos and the Vila Cruzeiro massacre.

The chief goal of the opposition is in fact to deflect social opposition and disarm the working class while Bolsonaro aims to create a fascist movement within the security forces.

Only a massive movement of the working class, independent of and in opposition to all the forces that sustain Brazilian capitalism, can stop the spiraling police violence and attacks on democratic rights, and put an end to the massive misery and suffering caused by the pandemic and the international economic crisis. For this, it is necessary to build the leadership of the working class in the International Committee of the Fourth International in Brazil and across Latin America.
The already-dire infant formula shortage in the United States continues to worsen, putting thousands of infants, children and those with special nutritional needs at risk of going hungry. Last week, the national out-of-stock rate climbed to 74 percent, up four percentage points from the prior week. Three weeks ago, the rate was 45 percent.

An aisle at a Target store in Chicago with sparsely stocked baby formula (WSWS Media)

Ten states, Arizona, Mississippi, California, Nevada, Tennessee, Rhode Island, Louisiana, Florida, Washington, and Georgia have reached out-of-stock rates above 90 percent. Colorado, the state with the most supply, has an out-of-stock rate of 44 percent. By comparison, this time last year, the average out-of-stock rate was about six percent.

In February, Abbott Nutrition voluntarily shut down its plant in Sturgis, Michigan after the FDA found hazardous bacteria in the plant and warned consumers not to use certain powdered infant formula manufactured there. Since September 20, 2021, at least four infants became ill and two died after being fed products from the Sturgis factory. In October 2021, the FDA received a whistleblower complaint detailing negligent cleaning practices and efforts by Abbott officials to prevent the FDA from learning about safety issues with the plant.

More than three months after its closure, the plant remains shut down, with FDA Commissioner Robert Califf telling Congress last week that the plant is still several weeks away from reopening, with further delay possible if Abbott does not meet safety requirements. According to Califf, the company has to complete hundreds of steps under an agreement with the FDA before reopening. Abbott actually did start remediating the plant, but it was so bad, Califf said.

On top of severe supply chain issues caused by the governments reckless response to the pandemic, Abbotts plant shutdown has caused a massive loss in production and supply of formula. Abbott controls over 40 percent of the baby formula market in the United States, with the Michigan facility producing half of its domestic production.

The Biden administration responded to the crisis far too late and with far too little assistance. To much media fanfare, Biden launched Operation Fly Formula last month with an initial planeload of 75,000 pounds of baby formula arriving by military plane from Germany on May 22.

On May 18 Biden invoked the Defense Production Act to increase supply of formula. His order under the act merely requires suppliers to fulfill orders from the formula companies before other customers. This has been far more an exercise in public relations and damage control than an actual solution: since Biden put these measures in place, the lack of formula in stores has only worsened.

Despite the clear danger to infant health represented by the Abbott plant shutdown, cutting off 20 percent of the total infant formula supply in the country, Biden said on Wednesday that he did not realize the seriousness until April.

Once we learned of the extent of the plant shutdown and how broad it was, we kicked everything into gear, he told reporters. I became aware of this problem sometime in early April, about how intense it was, Biden added. We did everything in our power from that point on.

According to Biden, kicking everything into gear and doing everything in his power includes taking nearly two months to summon even the smallest of measures, in the form of his meager Operation Fly Formula and invocation of the Defense Production Act.

With the crisis continuing to worsen, Biden announced on Wednesday that Bubs Australia will send approximately 4.6 million bottles worth of its infant formula from Melbourne to the United States on June 9 and 11. He also said that the US will import 3.7 million bottles worth of Kendamil formula from the United Kingdom, beginning June 9.

In contrast to Bidens claims of ignorance, infant formula manufacturers knew immediately that the Abbott plant shutdown would cause major supply issues. At a meeting on Wednesday with the President, Robert Cleveland, a senior vice president with Reckitt Benckiser Group, another formula company, told Biden, We knew from the very beginning that this would be a very serious event. He added, From the moment that that recall was announced we reached out immediately to retail partners like Target and Walmart to tell them this is what we think will happen.

Murray Kessler, the CEO of another formula maker, Perrigo, similarly told Biden at Wednesdays meeting that when his firm learned of the Abbott recall, the company could foresee that this was going to create a tremendous shortage.

In fact, back on November 16, 2021, well before the Abbott plant shutdown, Walgreens, with 9,000 locations across the country, reported that demand for infant formula was surging and that it was struggling to keep up.

To cope with the escalating formula crisis, desperate parents are traveling hundreds of miles in search of formula, only to find shelves empty wherever they go. Parents are also resorting to diluting formula in order to make supplies last longer. Dilution, however, offsets the electrolyte balance in infants, leading to low sodium, which, in turn leads to low blood pressure and life-threateningly low levels of circulating oxygen. Fatal seizures can also result from such an imbalance.

A formula is essentially regulated as closely as any prescribed medication when it comes to the ingredients in it to make sure a baby's kidneys are developing, their liver, their electrolyteseverything else is in a very fine balance, Dr. Owais Durrani, an emergency room physician, told Business Insider.

The Biden administrations contrasting responses to the formula crisis and the Russian invasion of Ukraine starkly reveal the priorities of the American ruling class. On February 24, just a few days after the Abbott plant was shut down, Russia, instigated by the United States and NATO, invaded Ukraine. In the three months since, the Democratic-controlled Congress, including its so-called left wing, has approved $53 billion to support Ukraine as it carries out a proxy war on behalf of the United States against Russia. By contrast, Biden took no meaningful measures to combat the infant formula crisis for more than three months after the Abbott plant shutdown.

While endless supplies of money are made immediately available for US imperialism to carry out its plans to weaken and ultimately carve up Russia, mere crumbs are provided, months late, to feed the most vulnerable.

The Biden administrations handling of the infant formula crisis is completely in line with its handling of the pandemic, where, despite the wide availability of vaccines and an understanding of the public health measures needed to stop the virus from spreading, it is responsible for more deaths than the gross buffoonery and callousness of the Trump administration. The American ruling class, through its political servants, has once again revealed its complete contempt for the lives of the working class.
The pandemic has laid bare the state of class relations in the United States and health care workers have come to the forefront of the growing movement of workers opposing the miserable conditions under which they have to labor. The conviction of former Vanderbilt nurse, RaDonda Vaught, galvanized this movement as nurses across the country rose with one voice challenging the legal system that intended to punish her as a criminal for a medication error that tragically led to the death of a patient.

Nurse Erica, an influencer and nurse advocate, became a critical figure in Vaughts defense and mobilization of nurses. The World Socialist Web Site had an opportunity to speak with her on this topic and many more.

Benjamin Mateus [BM]: Good morning, Erica. Thank you for accepting the interview. Can you tell us what you do and how you become a nurse influencer? And are you still working in health?

Nurse Erica [Erica]: I do still work. I work in hospice and palliative care now. I'm a nurse leader as they call it. Im a program director, but still do hands-on patient care from time to time. Im still within the nursing world constantly.

Nurse Erica

I became an influencer or an advocate kind of by accident at the beginning of the pandemic over two years ago. I started posting videos on TikTok, which I just downloaded at the beginning of COVID because everybody did. And I have a kind of unique perspective because I am not just a nurse, but also work in management.

There was really no one at that time willing or able to speak. And, as you know, because nursing is unfortunately very retaliatory. So, I just garnered a lot of attention and following. And it has really sort of exploded since then. I have always really done nurse advocacy, but it had always been local, but now it is just much bigger.

BM: I think that nurses do need strong advocates. There has been a tremendous movement taking place among health care workers. The pandemic has forced nurses to recognize that their work has assumed a political dynamic that cannot be suppressed anymore.

Nurses stand on one side of the fence while the health care systems are on the other side. The issue early on surrounding the personal protective equipment (PPEs) was volatile. Nurses were donning garbage bags and having to share masks and risking catching COVID, getting sick, dying, and bringing it to their families. Watching the deaths of thousands of patients as they work themselves into the ground day in and out without an end in sight. Meanwhile the CDC and White House is telling them the virus is not airborne, they can take off their masks if they are vaccinatedthe constant lying and disinformation. The experience of the last two years has been transformative.

Erica: I agree with you. Many nurses are hurting and are looking for answers. I could certainly tell you a lot of stories about PPE and the pandemic. And I think that the movement behind RaDonda is in response to these.

BM: You have been very involved in her [RaDonda Vaught] case. Do you mind speaking on it? [Vaught was recently sentenced to three years probation for the death of Charlene Murphey in 2017 who died due to a medication error. Initially charged and convicted for criminal negligence and elderly abuse, Vaught faced significant jail time. However, the movement of nurses behind the case was an important factor in the leniency granted to the former Vanderbilt nurse.]

Erica: Yes, heavily! I knew about it when it first happened. This was back in 2017. Like everyone else, I was appalled just hearing about it on the surface. I remember distinctly saying back then She needs to lose her license not knowing any of the other details and kind of followed it on and off.

It took three or four years before it even went in front of the state board of nursing. When it finally went to the board about a year or so ago, I covered that in depth and did a deep dive into the whole case. And I really learned just how much Vanderbilt was at fault. And that is not to say that she was not at fault because she certainly was.

But she was also set up for failure. That whole investigation really changed my tune. And I knew from that point that she would be facing criminal charges in March. I really wanted to go and attend her trial. But as I am in Las Vegas and this was in Nashville, it was not convenient.

About a day or two before it was set to start, I resigned myself to not being able to go because I did not have money to travel and stay for an undetermined period. You do not know how long a trial is going to last. Still, I half-jokingly posted a video on social media saying, I remember that case. God, Id love to go there and report on it and tell you guys. Does anyone want to sponsor me?

And wow! They [the nurses] did like immediately. It was amazing and overwhelming. Twelve hours later I was on a plane on my way to Nashville and I met RaDonda the first morning before court. I was just in the hallway outside of the courtroom and was introduced to her. And I really thought that I was going to be a fly on the wall, sitting in the back corner, did not want to disrupt anything, just wanted to take notes, and observe.

But that is not what happened. What did happen was that I got to know RaDonda very well, actually, and ended up spending the night at her farm. Spent quite a bit of time with her and her close friends. And from the beginning of the week, where I was one of only two nurses that attended to the end of the week, where it was a nationwide story and reporters everywhereit was quite the rollercoaster. So, I stayed and attended the entire trial and kept in touch with RaDonda after leaving.

I proceeded to collect all the position statements on her verdict, which there were thousands from various hospitals, health care organizations, nursing unions, nursing schools, all the nursing associations, et cetera. Almost all of them put out a position statement and the vast majority were positive in favor of RaDonda and against the criminal prosecution of nurses.

Nurses at the rally for RaDonda Vaught in Tennessee May 13 [Photo: WSWS]

I painstakingly collected all of those, put them together in a binder and sent it to the judge for the sentencing so that would hopefully be considered. And I traveled back to Nashville for the sentencing. I was one of two nurses that planned and arranged the sentencing day event, because we knew that nurses from around the country would be showing up. We planned a big event in the park right across from the courthouse. We had speakers and we live streamed the sentencing that day.

I am still in touch with RaDonda. I just texted her this morning and that is a general overview.

BM: How is she doing?

Erica: She is doing okay. You know, obviously relieved that she is not facing prison time. Of course, that was the biggest concern, right? But I think people have kind of lost sight of the fact that she is still a convicted felon. Many people are like, Okay, good! She didnt have to go to prison, like it is over and done with. Well, no. Not only is she on probation for three years, but she is also a convicted felon. For example, she cannot leave the state if she wanted to.

She has a farm and part of having a farm typically involves having maybe one or two firearms to fend off against snakes or hawks that can attack your livestock. But she had to give up all of her firearms.

And there is also the, I can assume, just horrible embarrassment and shame having to disclose each time that you are convicted of elder abuse, that you are a convicted felon and, of course, being stripped of your entire profession, which is no easy degree to obtain, right? The BSN [Bachelor of Science in Nursing] degree is widely accepted as the most arduous baccalaureate level degree that there is.

You put in all this work and time and you are doing something you love and you are just no sooner getting comfortablebecause she was at about the two-and-a-half-year mark as a nurse when the incident with Charlene Murphey happenedand now you cannot work as a nurse ever again.

She is still dealing with huge ramifications, even though she has avoided prison time. But she is very strong and resilient and doing as well as can be expected.

BM: Speaking about Vanderbilt and the Nashville District Attorney (DA), why do you think they went after her?

Erica: The DA, in my opinion, went after her to make a name for himself. He was running for reelection. The timing cannot be overlooked. Apparently, he has a history of doing this with other high-profile cases in the past, using it to boost his own image or what not. These are cases that typically would not go to trial were it any other DA. But he has a history of strategically pushing these headline grabbing cases to the forefront to further his career.

BM: But why didnt they go after Vanderbilt [University Medical Center  VUMC]? If I correctly understand, the issue of just culture has been around for more than 20 years, to prevent these blame game scenarios. From the beginning, RaDonda has been straight about what took place.

She admitted her mistake about overriding the Pyxis [automated medication dispensing system], which was commonplace, and administering vecuronium instead of versed. When she asked to write up the timeline of events, they told her not to put anything down in the chart. They fired her a week later. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt misled the medical examiners office the next day essentially saying that Charlene Murphey died of natural causes. They then settled with the Murphey family with the agreement that they would not go to the press with their story.

Almost nine months later, only after an anonymous tip to CMS [Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services] that led to an investigation that exposed all of it. And the only thing VUMC had to do was submit their corrective actions to CMS and they were scot-free. I mean, not one executive, not one health administrator was convicted let alone fired from their position.

Erica: Not only did overriding the Pyxis happen several times during Murpheys two-day admission before her death, but it was happening for every patient at VUMC for several weeks. It was common practice at that time for up to about two months.

They were even given emails and memos stating, You have to override, because nothing is interfacing [with the electronic patient charting]. They were in the process of switching to Epic patient electronic charting system. Epic was not interfacing with their Omnicell-Pyxis automated medication at the time. And so, they were told they had to override something like 70 percent of all patient medications. Even the intravenous fluids were being overridden. This was commonplace. And they had no other choice. Now that is clearly a system-wide failure, right?

And they knew for more than a year that they were transitioning to Epic Go-Live. Trust me, I know the challenges with that. But they knew a year in advance and still they were not prepared. You are Vanderbilt, for the love of God! Tell me you dont have IT (Information technology) people working on this, come on?

There is really no excuse. Now we could see maybe a day or two you are working at problem solving, but this went on for up to two months. That is just a system-wide failure.

And they even were so lackadaisical about it, that they put it in writing and handed it to employees saying essentially that they could override their main safety check. They did not care.

BM: The Institute for Safe Medication Practices had warned even back in 2016, I think, about the sound-alike medication error between versed and vecuronium after a similar incident. These warnings get sent to all the health care systems to act on to prevent such errors in the future. Yet, nothing was done. Vecuronium is a dangerous paralytic agent to be used in particular settings. Why was access to it so readily available? But I am sure these things are not unique to Vanderbilt.

Erica: These things unfortunately happen all the time, but this case was really blown up and used strategically to other peoples advantage. RaDonda was made a scapegoat, to be frank about it.

But this certainly is not the only time that something like this [medication error] has happened. In fact, though you will not be able to verify this, I have been told by multiple sources that a few years back there was another incident involving vecuronium administration at Vanderbilt about a year prior to this. It was in the PICU [pediatric intensive care unit]. The nurse was supposed to be giving vancomycin antibiotic, but instead gave vecuronium repeatedly every six hours. Im not sure how many doses the child received but thank God they did not die.

But that nurse in the incident is still employed there. It was not reported to the state board and certainly no criminal charges were brought.

BM: How much do you think that the massive support RaDonda received from nurses made the difference in her lenient sentencing?

Erica: Oh, tremendously. Tremendously! And I am very proud of being at the center of that.

Absolutely the judge and the prosecutors, the DAs office, heard this nonstop from the moment she was convicted. Even prior to the conviction. It just grew exponentiallythe outrageand it did not quiet at all. From the date of the conviction to the sentencing, it just kept growing. There was extreme outrage. It definitely played in the judges leniencyI believe.

BM: Erica, social media also recently exploded over the issue that the Tennessee Nursing Board fined RaDonda almost $39,000 after taking away her license. I understand she was able to raise the money through GoFundMe. But it begs the question, now that she is unemployed, how would she ever raise that kind of money?

Erica: Talk about adding salt to an open wound. All of this coincided with her interview on Good Morning America. A friend of hers raised the issue and when I heard it, I was flabbergasted. She sent me the letter from the board that said they were charging her $35,890 for assessment of costs and $3,000 for civil penalties. And she had to pay it in full by a cashiers check by August 2024. It was reprehensible.

BM: I feel these explosive situations are becoming all too commonplace in health care throughout the country. You recently reported on your social media on the tragic situation at Orlando Regional Medical Center. Can you give us an account?

Erica: Gosh, Orlando Regional Medical Center! The nurses there have been given extremely dangerous patient to nurse ratios. For example, in the cardiovascular ICU, the ratio is now four patients to one nurse. Of course, that should be one or two patients max per nurse. Any ICU, regardless of specialty, should never exceed one to two and sometimes one-to-one if the patient is very critical. But never three or four and they are being quadrupled.

Their med surge and oncology units are going up to 13 patients to one nurse. Thirteen! This should be somewhere around five. Six is pushing it. They are going 13 patients for one nurse.

The environment they are working in is very toxic, which is no surprise. They are constantly being threatened with patient abandonment and being reported to the state board if they do not accept an assignment. And, unfortunately, the vast majority of nurses really do not understand the legalities behind that or their rights, which is one of the reasons that I do what I do to try and get that information out there. So, in other words, theyre manipulated very easily.

It culminated recently in an incident where a hospitalized patient allegedly jumped from an eighth-floor window and died. It was immediately covered up by all reports. As it was relayed to me, before they removed the body, they worked [CPR] on the patient, but, as you know, the patient was already deceased. Once they took the body, they burned the grass where he landed. I think they had engineering come out and burn the grass to get rid of all the evidence.

They immediately replaced the window and, apparently, went so far as to do something to the window to make it look old so it would not look like it had just been replaced with a new window. And they immediately made every employee sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

BM: Can they do that, right then and there, legally?

Erica: Well, this is something that I am passionate about. Unfortunately, it has become commonplace as a condition of employment, especially within nursing. Here are the 500 other forms you must sign when you are hired. We are just going to slip this NDA in there and it is a condition of employment.

When you need a job, you are not going to say, No, Im not going to sign it. It has become commonplace. But as someone who has worked in nursing leadership and witnessed the corruption firsthand for many years, I can absolutely see them doing this.

I can see them walking up to nurses and going, Help us help you! Here, sign this. Lets put this all to rest. The gaslighting is prolific in the nursing world from the administration  and the manipulation and the threats. As soon as anyone says, I would like to have my lawyer review this, or, I dont know about this, they are immediately thrust into the spotlight and told that This is a condition of your job. You can go to HR right now and give me your badge, or you can sign this. What are you going to do? Florida has no unions. They are a right-to-work state and people are terrified to say anything and speak out.

BM: I was trying to look for an article on the incident at Orlando Regional Medical Center even in the local papers but could not find one.

Erica: I have been contacted by a few reporters and there are a couple that want to report on it, but they cannot get any nurses to agree to publicly speak to them and of course to verify their identity. I just posted a video a few minutes before meeting with you saying, Look, I have a reporter who is legit and would love to speak to nurses. She will protect your identity, but you do have to disclose it so she can verify you on her end. Please consider coming forward. So now we will see if they do or not.

I also spoke to the deceaseds mom. She was crying and nervous because the hospital refused to disclose anything to her.

BM: How old was he?

Erica: In his 40s. He was transferred to the psychiatric ward, I was told. I asked her who was the next of kin. Apparently, he has two children so I told her that legally they could not discuss it with her, but it is unlikely the hospital will be transparent if they feel that there will be a lawsuit.

BM: There is another nurse who has not garnered the same national recognition as RaDonda but whose story seems equally compelling. DonQuenick Joppy was terminated from her position at the Medical Center of Aurora, Colorado. She was charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of a 94-year-old patient back in the summer of 2019. She was directed by a doctor verbally to assume end of life measures for him. The respiratory therapist assisted in walking her through the process. The details are published, and the manslaughter charges were eventually dropped but the whole incident severely tarnished her reputation.

She is now suing the medical center. Her attorney, Jennifer Robinson, had this to say, I took this case on because I thought it was particularly egregious that they would do this to someones life. Shes pretty much homeless now and hasnt recovered since all this happened. Who is going to hire a nurse who has manslaughter charges against her, even if they are dropped?

I understand she was an outstanding nurse.

Erica: I do know her. Hers is an interesting case. I reached out to her with an opportunity, but she has publicly said that she is unable to work and is nearly homeless because even though she was not convicted of anything, she has to disclose that she was charged with reckless homicide or manslaughter, I believe. As a result, she has not been able to find work as a nurse.

I got in touch with a recruiter there who said they would hire her. And followed up with her, but she said she does not want to work as a nurse now because of the trauma that she has been through.

BM: It is a very sad situation. We are trying to reach out to her attorney to see if she will speak with us. Thank you for the insight.

Maybe shifting to topics to the issue of nursing and health care in the US, what has the pandemic revealed?

Erica: I do not know that it has revealed as much as it has pushed nurses past their breaking point. Prior to COVID we knew these things took placethe corruption, the manipulation. We knew that. But the vast majority of us still were easily manipulated by management and administration saying, You know, theres a nursing shortage and were doing our best trying to get nurses in here. Or, Were a family and lets just get through the work as a team. It was all this gaslighting and BS that they do.

And we wanted to believe the best in them. Then came COVID and they tell us to throw out everything that we know to be true that has been drilled into us from day one of nursing school, throw it out the window and put our lives and our familys lives at risk. Here is the trash bag. Here is the medicine cup full of liquid soap. Thats all you get for your shift to wash your hands. Here, wear someone elses used N95 thats covered in their lipstick and smells. Here, share the isolation gowns shift to shift. There will be mandatory overtime. Oh, you have COVID, thats okay. Come to work anyway.

And then we are going to give you non-COVID patients to make sure that you expose them. Lets not put them in negative pressure, airflow rooms. Lets cohort COVID and non-COVID patients putting patients constantly at risk. All these things.

Lets not let you take your vacation time when you are clearly burnt out and in need of a day off, but were going to add insult to injury and make you work overtime, mandatory overtime. And if you say anything, were going to report you to the state board of nursing.

The culmination of all these things, in my perception, pushed nurses past their breaking point. So, whereas before we would make excuses, sometimes, a lot of the time, for our hospitals, for example, we just got to the point where we were like, Were out! Done! We dont believe you. Youre lying. Youre corrupt. No more.

BM: The nursing shortage is getting worse. You even posted that Vanderbilt was bringing in truck drivers to train them as medical assistants?

Erica: Truck drivers or housekeepers. Anyone they can train to become a medical assistant.

BM: A nurse in Kentucky explained that the older nurses with experience are leaving in droves. The nurses coming in are getting fast tracked to cover patients. She recounted that one young nurse could not figure out how to calculate drawing out 15 milligrams of Toradol (pain reliever) out of a 30-milligram vial that has 10 milliliter in the vial.

Erica: Oh my God.

BM: She then asked if it was okay to just give the whole vial. These are anecdotal stories but speak to a broader issue especially as we have discussed RaDondas case and fatal medication errors. We are in trouble. One nurse told me always have a family member at the bedside if you are admitted to the hospital and paying attention to what is happening.

Erica: I say that all the time. You better have an advocate sitting there with you the whole time.

BM: So, where is all this going?

Erica: Well, I will first challenge you to think about it from another angle. There is no nursing shortage. There is not. There are over four million nurses in this country. There are more registered nurses than there has ever been in this country. They are just not at the bedside.

[In a recent report in Healthcare IT News from March 24, 2022, a November 2021 survey found that 90 percent of nursing respondents were considering leaving their profession in the next year, with 71 percent of nurses that have more than 15 years of experience thinking about leaving in the next few months. This has also led to a rise in the workload of active nurses including clerical duties, cleaning rooms and units and procuring supplies. Almost half of the nurses said they must carry five patients across their shifts. And specifically, 84 percent of emergency department nurses and 96 percent of intensive care or critical care nurses have a four to one ratio, double the optimal levels.]

If you treated nurses properly, if you paid them a livable wage, if you did not constantly threaten them and put them in toxic work environments and allow them to be violently attacked and all the things they would be at the bedside. They are at the bedside in California, where they have a union, where they have experienced nurses still at the bedside that do not want to leave because they can go to work and know that they are going to get a lunch break, a bathroom break, and they are not going to be forced to work overtime. They are not going to be constantly exhausted and they are going to have mandated ratios.

But it only exists in California, and not even all of California.

There is no nursing shortage. There is just a shortage of nurses willing to work at the bedside. If they changed things, there would be no nursing shortage. Hell, I would return to the bedside in those conditions.

BM: Can you speak on the HR3165 [Nurse staffing standards for hospital patient safety and quality care act] bill that is before Congress?

Erica: Thats the staffing act?

So, its been reintroduced every year consecutively for, I dont know, like 15 years or something and every year they let it die. They do not even vote on it. They just let it die and expire every single year. Even in 2020 when nurses were heroes and everyone was clapping at night for us, even then the Senate could not be bothered to simply vote on it. They let it die. Every year, year after year.

BM: What would you like to tell nurses? How, how do we make health care better?

Erica: You must know your rights and you must not be willing to put yourself and your patients in dangerous situations. If that means you lose a job, that is terrible. But I would rather lose a job than my license or a patients life.

Know your rights, educate yourself, get involved, politically pressure your legislators to push potential legislation that will positively impact us. And do not let them threaten you and take advantage of you. Dont be afraid to speak up.

BM: The Kentucky nurse I mentioned previously told me that health care has always been for profit. Twenty years ago, at least health care was put ahead of profits. Now nurses are saying health does not matter to these health systems.

Erica: Correct.

BM: How do you combat that as a nurse, as a health care worker?

Erica: They need to crack down even on nonprofit organizations because they are all about profits. You know, even the nonprofits have holdings and investments worldwide with teams of financial experts. And they are funneling money and hiding money everywhere. And these are just the nonprofit organizations, and their CEOs are taking home millions of dollars in bonuses alone.

For instance, the CEO of HCA, Samuel Hazen, received $30 million in compensation packages even before his $3.5 million bonus in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic when they were claiming that they were hemorrhaging money, because they had to cancel elective procedures and all of it. He is taking home $30 million, and this is happening all over the place.

They also need to have lobbyists that are for health care and not in the pockets of medical organizations that only care about the bottom line and the profit.

BM: Would it be fair to say, as a final statement, perhaps, as you said, I will challenge you to think about the fact that it is not that there are not enough nurses, but not enough nurses at bedside. It is not that there is not enough money. There is too much money in the pockets of Wall Street and not enough being put into the care of patients and their treatment and of the health and well-being of nurses.

Erica: One hundred percent, yes.

BM: Erica, thank you so much for your time. I hope to stay in touch.

Erica: Thank you.
shutterstock_1058333987 - Credit: Shutterstock / Tana888

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Theres never been a better time to be a whiskey lover. The brown liquor is now more popular, more diverse and, most importantly, more delicious than ever. Plus, with the recent explosion of mixology in the U.S., whiskey is also necessary in any bar for cocktails such as a Don Draper-approved old-fashioned, whiskey sours and Manhattans.

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If youve been drinking the stuff for years, youre in a good place. If youve just decided to delve into the whiskey world for the first time, we envy you. But with so many whiskey brands now available, it can be tricky to find the best  whether youre a connoisseur or a newbie. To help you find the best stuff out there, weve rounded up some of the brands that whiskey drinkers are talking about right now.

What Are the Different Kinds of Whiskey?

Before trying a new bottle of whiskey, its important to remember the core varieties. Below are eight of the most important types of whiskey to be familiar with.

Bourbon: Bourbon is the go-to for many whiskey drinkers because it has a sweet, smokey flavor thats easy to sip on its own or mixed in an old fashioned. Sometimes called American whiskey, bourbon is corn-based (at least 51% corn, to be exact), aged in new charred oak barrels, and 80 proof or higher.

Tennessee: Tennessee whiskey is technically bourbon, but Tennessee whiskey distillers might not agree with that. This is because Tennessee whiskey must be produced in the state using a charcoal steeping process called the Lincoln County Process before aging. This mellows the whiskey, creating a smoother taste.

Rye: Rye whiskey is pretty self-explanatory: it must be made primarily from rye. The American whiskey uses the same aging process as bourbon in new charred oak barrels. It also yields a spicy flavor that makes it the whiskey of choice for certain cocktails such as Manhattans.

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Irish Whiskey: The Eire (Republic of Ireland) and Northern Ireland produce Irish whiskey using primarily barley and malt. The aging process in Ireland takes at least three years (but often more) in wooden casks and produces a very smooth liquor.

Scotch Whisky: The Scots make their whisky (spelled without an e) using malted barley or grain, oak casks (often ex-bourbon or ex-sherry casks) and an aging process of at least three years. Scotchs flavor is often likened to bourbon but shows off a distinct smoky flavor.

Japanese Whisky: Japan didnt start exporting their whisky (also without an e) to the U.S. until the 21st century. Were very glad they did. Japanese whiskys have blown-up thanks to a wonderfully dry, smokey flavor. Its made from double-malted or peated barley and uses a distillation process inspired by Scottish whisky makers.

Canadian Whisky: Usually corn-heavy, Canadian whisky must be aged at least three years in barrels no larger than 700 liters. This aging, along with the initial mashing and distilling, all must happen in Canada. Canadians are also allowed to add artificial flavoring and coloring, but the final product has to be at least 40% ABV.

An important difference between American whiskey and all others is barrel age. By law, American whiskey must be aged in new oak barrels, whereas Scotch, Irish whiskey, Japanese whisky, and Canadian whisky primarily use aged barrels  often barrels that were recently used for American bourbon.

The Best Whiskeys Brands to Try Right Now

Below are some of the best whiskey brands that every enthusiast-to-be should know about, including classic American whiskeys to new Japanese brands to top-shelf Scotch.

1. Henry Mckenna Single Barrel 10-Year

Bourbon doesnt get much better than this Henry Mckenna Single Barrel. It won Best in Show Whiskey at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, which is one of the highest honors for any brand. Plus, this bottle is only the second bourbon to get the award.

Henry Mckenna is part of the Kentucky-based Heaven Hill Distillery, which is known for other award-winning whiskeys such as Elijah Craig Bourbon, Larceny Bourbon and Pikesville Rye Whiskey. This specific bottle of Mckenna comes from a single barrel of bourbon thats been aged 10 years, but despite that prestigious number, the whiskey isnt too expensive at all.

Courtesy Drizly.com



Buy:

Henry Mckenna Single Barrel 10-Year

at

$65.99



2. Glenfiddich 21 Year Gran Reserva

We think all whisky newbies should all try a top-shelf bottle, if possible, to get the full picture of what whisky can be. This Glenfiddich 21 Year Gran Reserva is a good way to do just that. Its maturity has shaved down the bite, letting you fully appreciate the whiskys elegant subtleties. The single malt is finished in Caribbean rum casks, imbuing unique hints of banana, spicy toffee, and other fruits.

With the Gran Reserva, youre also getting acquainted with one of the worlds quintessential whisky brands. Glenfiddich has been around since 1887 and is currently the worlds best-selling single-malt whisky. The storied brand is a staple in any whisky connoisseurs bar, and certainly worth trying if youre just getting into the spirit.

If youre a longtime whisky drinker, then you probably know that a 21-year bottle of Glenfiddich is a damn good whisky, through and through. Pick it up as a (very) nice gift for any fellow whisky lovers, or tuck it away for special occasions (if you have the self-control to do so).

Credit: Glenfiddich

Glenfiddich



Buy:

Glenfiddich 21 Year Gran Reserva

at

$179.02



3. Uncle Nearest 1856

Uncle Nearest 1856 has a fascinating story to rival its premium taste. The brands namesake, a man named Nathan Nearest Green, was the first Black master distiller. Born into slavery, Green helped invent modern Tennessee whiskey and passed that knowledge along to a promising pupil: Jack Daniel.

A Black-owned brand, Uncle Nearest 1856 launched in 2017 to honor Greens importance in American spirits. The whiskey is fragrant, floral, fruity, and incredibly smooth (thanks to at least eight years of aging)  despite the fact that its 100 proof. Its been well-received by the whiskey community with top marks across the board, and we have to agree.

Credit: Drizly

Drizly



Buy:

Uncle Nearest 1856

at

$59.99



4. SIA Scotch Whisky

Carin Luna-Ostaseski created SIA Scotch whisky for all of you scotch-curious individuals out there. The idea was to change the misconception that Scotch is only enjoyed by the grandfathers of the world. Shes also one of the first Hispanic women to ever own a Scotch whisky brand  a brand that came to fruition through a crowd-funded Kickstarter campaign over two years ago.

The finished product is a beautiful amber/gold-toned bottle of Scotch whisky, with notes of honey, citrus and smoky vanilla. The drinks subtle flavor is complemented by its smooth yet refreshing finish, making this a great option for new Scotch drinkers.

We suggest first trying this option neat, or over ice and then experimenting with your favorite Scotch-based cocktails. The SIA Glasgow Mule is our favorite, but the brands website also has a whole range of other cocktails you can try experimenting with.

Note: Use code SIPSPIRITS while shopping to nab free shipping on your first bottle of SIA Scotch Whisky.

Credit: SIA Scotch Whiskey

SIA Scotch Whiskey



Buy:

SIA Scotch Whisky

at

$41



5. Redbreast 12-Year

Whether youre looking to try your first serious Irish whiskey or in need of branching out, this Redbreast 12-Year fits the bill. The whiskey is made from a mash of malted and un-malted barley, thats triple-distilled and aged 12 years in Bourbon-seasoned American Oak barrels and Oloroso sherry-seasoned Spanish oak butts. These unique barrels give the whiskey a fruity aroma and complex flavor with tastes of sherry, fruit and cream.

Were big fans of the Redbreast distillery because theyre staunchly traditional. Theyre the best-selling single pot Irish whiskey in the world, producing rich bottles since 1857. As with most high-quality Irish whiskeys, this stuff should be enjoyed neat or on the rocks. If you want a cocktail, we suggest using a different bottle.

Courtesy Drizly.com



Buy:

Redbreast 12 Year

at

$69.99



6. Knob Creek Cask Strength Rye

This Cask Strength Rye Whiskey from Knob Creek is another San Francisco World Spirits Competition winner, earning Best Rye Whiskey back in 2018. Its the first limited rye that Knob Creek has released (although we dont know just how limited), with each bottle indicating that it was barreled in 2009. Knob Creek was introduced in 1994 as an upscale brand under Jim Beam, making it a fairly young label by American whiskey standards. Nevertheless, it has quickly become a favorite of many whiskey lovers.

The Cask Strength designation translates to a whiskey thats really, really strong; this bottle has an ABV of 59% ABV. The taste follows suit, bursting with flavors such as tropical fruits, citrus oil, and peach nectar. The finish is  you guessed it  strong, with a rich spiciness, and notes of charred oak and honey. Be sure to sip this slow, or maybe even dilute it with a splash of water to unpack the full flavor.

Courtesy Drizly.com



Buy:

Knob Creek Cask Strength Rye

at

$72.99



7. The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 Years Old

Macallan is a fixture in the high-end whiskey world. Theyve been around since 1824, and theyre still one of the best-selling Scotch brands in the world. In fact, they were one of the first to mass-produce single malt whiskey.

We like Macallans Sherry Oak 12-Year for two reasons: firstly, its matured in unique Oloroso sherry-seasoned oak casks from Spain. These casks introduce a bit of fruitiness and floral spice to the flavor. Secondly, with 12 years of age, its a mature, premium scotch  yet much more attainable than Macallans older bottles (which go as high as 72-year and can run you upwards of $10,000).

Macallan makes a Speyside whiskey, meaning theyre distilled in Strathspey, Scotland, which just happens to be the home of the other two best-selling Scotch whiskeys in the world: Glenfiddich and Glenlivet. Speysides are characterized by a sweeter and fuller flavor thats more approachable for beginner whiskey drinkers.

Courtesy Drizly.com



Buy:

The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 Years Old

at

$85.99



8. Suntory Toki Japanese Whisky

Japanese whiskys have quickly grown in size and scale over the past couple of decades, becoming big enough to rival the old dudes in Europe and the U.S. Whiskey connoisseurs havent always been excited to branch out to a whole new continent, but theyve continued buying from Japan because the whisky has a rich sharpness and spice that cant be found elsewhere. Leading the charge from Japan is Suntory, a brand with three distilleries in the Chita Peninsula, Yamazaki and the Japanese Alps.

Suntorys Toki whisky is their best-seller with a very reasonable price tag and flavor that works on its own or in cocktails. The name, Toki, translates to time, and denotes the Tokis blend of variously-aged whiskys from each of Suntorys three distilleries. Tasters have noted the Tokis accessible lightness (making it excellent as an introduction to whisky/whiskeys) and flavors of oak, honey and vanilla.

Courtesy Drizly.com



Buy:

Suntory Toki Japanese Whisky

at

$39.99



9. George Dickel Barrel Select

George Dickel is the second-largest Tennessee whiskey distillery, but its far less well-known that the largest, Jack Daniels. However, George Dickel is often considered superior in quality, and this Barrel Select is the brands finest bottle. Its first steeped in charcoal, mellowing the bite, and then aged 10 to 12 years. Finally, ten barrels are hand-selected by George Dickels Master Distiller, John Lunn.

The award-winning flavor is marked by caramel and corn with hints of vanilla, oak, clove and rye. These fade slowly, leaving a satisfying finish of caramel, cinnamon and vanilla. Its a premium bourbon, so its best enjoyed neat with a drop of water, but also works for making upgraded bourbon cocktails.

Courtesy Drizly.com



Buy:

George Dickel Barrel Select

at

$43.99



10. Chicken Cock Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Chicken Cock was originally established in 1856 out of Paris, Kentucky. It wasnt until years later during prohibition, however, that Chicken Cock became popular as the house whiskey of the Cotton Club, one of the most legendary prohibition speakeasies. Because the brand survived through Americas prohibition, they still know how to make whiskey as they did in the good old days.

This bottle of Kentucky straight bourbon is overseen by Master Distiller and 40+ year veteran Gregg Snyder. The flavor is complex, ends with a smooth finish and boasts a spicy pepper taste. At 90 proof, theres some real heat, so we suggest enjoying this Chicken Cock neat and slowly.

Courtesy Drizly.com



Buy:

Chicken Cock Kentucky Straight Bourbon

at

$61.99



11. Jeffersons Ocean Aged at Sea Bourbon

Most whiskey distillers get experimental with different wood, blends or aging. Jeffersons takes this experimentation even further with their Ocean Aged at Sea Bourbon. After eight years of aging on land, the bourbon is aged an additional five to ten months on an OCEARCH shark tagging vessel. This time at sea develops the flavor profile by exposing the bourbon to temperature fluctuations, salty air and the rocking motion of a ship.

The result of this wild aging process is a unique, complex whiskey that everyone should try. The saltiness of the ocean air is certainly present, while extra wood tannin extraction creates aromas of vanilla, caramel and burnt matches.

Courtesy Drizly.com



Buy:

Jefferson's Ocean Aged at Sea Bourbon

at

$84.84



12. Paul John Classic Select Cask

After India was introduced to Scotch in the 19th century, they quickly started making their own. Today, India might not be known as a major whisky producer, but they make liquor thats worthy of any connoisseurs bar. One of Indias best whiskys is Paul John, a premium single malt launched in 2008 to compete in the high-end market.

Paul Johns Classic Select Cask is made using exclusively Indian-grown ingredients in Indian-made equipment. The whisky is distilled and aged in the tropical region of Goa, increasing maturation speed. The end result is a strong, rich liquor that packs a punch.

Courtesy Drizly.com



Buy:

Paul John Classic Select Cask

at

$91.99



13. Makers Mark Bourbon Whisky

If you prefer a nice whiskey cocktail theres no need to splurge on a premium bottle for sipping and discussing. Instead, go for a beloved classic such as Makers Mark Bourbon.

Makers Mark sets itself apart with a recipe that doesnt include rye (reportedly because founder Bill Samuels didnt like rye in his bread). Without rye, Makers Maker allows the corn, malted barley and red winter wheat to do the talking. The flavor is less spicy, with more sweetness and citrus.

Although Makers Mark will hold its own simply on the rocks, it really does best in a great cocktail. We like the classics (old fashioneds, boulevardiers, Manhattans, etc), but also suggest trying lesser known recipes like a Lynchburg Lemonade or Whirl-Y-Gig.

Courtesy Drizly.com



Buy:

Maker's Mark Bourbon Whisky

at

$31.50



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Peter Vasilevich Verigin, the Doukhobor community's leader, pictured in 1922. His death deeply impacted the ethnoreligious community, who settled around Grand Forks and Castlegar in B.C. in the early 20th century. (Submitted by Greg Nesteroff - image credit)

A new podcast is spotlighting an ethnoreligious group who have made B.C's Kootenay region home for more than a century, as well as the legacy of their leader, who died in what has been described as one of Canada's greatest unsolved mysteries.

In May, the Columbia Basin Trust and the Kootenay Mountain Culture Magazine launched Headwaters: Stories from the Source, a podcast celebrating the region.

Produced by former CBC journalist Bob Keating and hosted by the magazine's editor-in-chief Mitchell Scott, Headwaters has released four episodes so far, including one about the Doukhobors, a religious community originally from Russia.

The Doukhobors dissented from the Russian Orthodox Church in the 18th century, rejecting organized religion while keeping its Christian teachings, according to the Union of Spiritual Communities of Christ (USCC), the largest Doukhobor organization in Canada.

Later, at the encouragement of leader Peter Vasilevich Verigin, they also adopted a communal lifestyle, abstained from tobacco and alcohol, and practised vegetarianism and pacifism  opposition to war and violence.

According to the USCC, there are an estimated 30,000 Doukhobors living in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, the Kootenay and Okanagan regions, and in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

'A tragedy'

The episode explores an event that "shattered" the community's way of life  the death of Verigin, a Russian-born philosopher and activist who became the leader of the Doukhobors in the late 19th century.

According to the USCC, persecution from the state spurred the migration of more than 7,000 Doukhobors from Russia to Canada, where they would be free to practice their religion. From 1898 to 1899, they migrated with support from novelist Leo Tolstoy and the Religious Society of Friends, also known as the Quakers, and mostly settled in Saskatchewan.

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Library and Archives Canada

Later Verigin led about 6,000 Doukhobors to British Columbia, where they built communal villages in Grand Forks and Castlegar.

On Oct. 29, 1924, Verigin and eight other passengers, including Grand Forks-Greenwood MLA John McKie, were killed by a train explosion along the Canadian Pacific Railway's Kettle Valley Line.

"It was a tragedy," said Verigin's great-great-grandson and executive director of the USCC, John J. Verigin Jr.

"It unsettled the Dukhobor community in Canada ... it was a difficult time."

The cause of the explosion remains unknown and the incident has been described as one of the greatest unresolved mysteries in Canadian history.

In the podcast, Verigin Jr. recounts pilgrimages to a monument honouring Peter Verigin in Farron, B.C., about 45 kilometres northeast of Grand Forks.

"When we used to be kids, we used to walk all the way up here, and we would have a little bit of a morning prayer service," he said.

After Verigin's death, his descendants resumed the role of spiritual leader for the Doukhobors. His son, Peter Petrovich Verigin, established the USCC in 1938.

'An interesting historical figure'

Greg Nesteroff, a Castlegar-based journalist born to a Doukhobor family, has written extensively about the community and contributed reporting to the podcast.

Now 45, Nesteroff says he didn't learn about Verigin in school, but his parents told him stories about the Doukhobor leader.

"He was an interesting historical figure to me," Nesteroff said, adding it would be worthwhile for schools in the province to add Doukhobor history, including Verigin's legacy, to their curriculum.

Bob Keating

The episode also tells the story of Mary Braun, a member of a Doukhobor faction called the Sons of Freedom, who became known for their public protests by setting fires and protesting nude. Braun was sentenced to six years in prison in 2001 for burning a satellite building of Selkirk College in Castlegar.

It also features Kalesnikoff, a Doukhobor family-run forestry company.

LISTEN | Mitchell Scott and Greg Nesteroff on the Headwaters podcast

"[The Doukhobors] have a long history much longer than any of the rest of us," said Keating, who covered Braun's trial as a Nelson correspondent for the CBC.

"There are a lot of newcomers to the Kootenays [that] I'm not sure really know the full history, so there are lots of reasons to take it on."

Verigin Jr. says the USCC is also discussing plans to commemorate the centennial anniversary in 2024 of his great-great-grandfather's death.

Episodes of the Headwaters podcast will be released every Wednesday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday paid tribute to the victims of Chinas brutal crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators on the 33rd anniversary of Tiananmen Square.

In a statement on Saturday Asia time, Mr Blinken said: The efforts of these brave individuals will not be forgotten. Each year, we honour and remember those who stood up for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Saturday (4 June) marks the anniversary of Chinese troops opening fire on unarmed, pro-democracy protestors who were part of a student-led unrest in and around the iconic square.

In the wake of the 1989 massacre, Chinese authorities have continued to ban any public commemoration of the event on the mainland.

While many are no longer able to speak up themselves, we and many around the world continue to stand up on their behalf and support their peaceful efforts to promote democracy and the rights of individuals, Mr Blinked added.

To the people of China and to those who continue to stand against injustice and seek freedom, we will not forget 4 June, his statement concluded.

At a routine news conference in Beijing earlier this week, the spokesman for Chinas foreign ministry reiterated the governments position regarding any events commemorating the Tiananmen Square protest, saying that it had arrived at a clear conclusion about the political incident.

Hong Kong police said late on Friday that part of Victoria Park  where these commemorations have previously been organised  would be shut down, adding that people should refrain from participating in unauthorised assemblies and prohibited gatherings in light of the continuing Covid-19 pandemic.

Police will deploy adequate manpower in relevant locations tomorrow and take resolute action to enforce the law, including making arrests. The public should not defy the law, they added.

Activists are scheduled to assemble in Taiwans capital Taipei later on Saturday to commemorate the anniversary. Taipei is likely the only part of the Chinese-speaking world where such a public event will take place. However, large-scale commemorations have been organised in Hong Kong in the past.

Story continues

Taiwans China-policy making Mainland Affairs Council on Friday called on Beijing to address the historical facts of the Tiananmen Square incident with sincerity, embark on political reforms (and) implement democratic governance.

In 2020, China imposed a new, stringent national security law on Hong Kong, punishing acts of subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces.

Additional reporting by Reuters
On the front page of the Nov. 1, 2007, edition of The Cheshire Herald, a photo stretching across three columns and taking up the whole top right section of the paper showed the powerful scene.

A trailer truck is shown turning into the entranceway to Bartlem Park, with hundreds of onlookers lining the street all around, some waving American flags. Behind the truck, one can see motorcyclists following in procession, about to make the same turn as the trailer.

The headline reads, The Memorial Wall Comes To Cheshire.

It was approximately 15 years ago that The Wall that Heals, a traveling, smaller replica of the Vietnam War Memorial wall in Washington, D.C., arrived in town. The moment had been anticipated for months, as then-Cheshire High School history teacher Ralph Zingarella organized a grassroots effort, composed of veterans and local students, to help bring the mobile monument to the community. And the first sign of that trailer truck, escorted by motorcyclists, as well as fire and police personnel, did not disappoint.

Bartlem Park is once again playing host to such a wall.

From now through Monday, the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall will stand at attention for visitors. A 3/5ths-scale version of the original in D.C., it is 6 feet high at the center and covers almost 300 feet from end to end. More than 58,000 names are listed on it.

Bringing the wall back to Cheshire was the idea of teenager Hayley Falk, a Cheshire High School student who comes from a family of veterans. Her father, Jeff Falk, a sergeant in the Cheshire Police Department, is a Navy veteran who served aboard submarines. Her grandfather, Don Falk, served in Vietnam and has been an inspiration for Hayley, who founded the group, Because of the Brave, specifically to honor veterans from all branches of the Armed Forces.

For five days, members of the community will be able to visit a version of the memorial that has become one of the most-visited sites in Washington, D.C. Each year, millions make the journey to the long, black marble wall etched with names and dates of those who went to Vietnam never to return.

The stories of the men and women who died in that country continue to be told, as do the stories of those fortunate enough to have made it home alive  the heroes who carry the scars of that conflict with them to this day, some of which are visible, many of which are not. It will be a week of honoring, remembering, and learning, especially for a younger generation for whom the Vietnam War is now some distant conflict to learn about in history books.

Back in 2007, the sentiment was much the same. Zingarella and those who volunteered their time to help, all had one goal in mind: pay tribute to those who never returned from a controversial war and finally pay those who did return the homage they deserved.

The Wall that Heals is now here, reads a statement printed on the front page of the Nov. 1 Around Town section. It has been a long journey since the project was undertaken in June of 2006, but it has been a rewarding one.

The piece goes on to quote Zingarella, who thanked all who had made his idea a reality, and he encouraged members of the community to attend opening ceremonies as well as visit the wall while it remained on display.

The veterans of the Vietnam War have been the focus of our town, and rightfully so, Zingarella stated. They have done their part in our nations history and the time is long overdue for them to be granted the same place in history as all of our veterans. They were simply doing their job.

In the following weeks edition, The Herald related what opening ceremonies had been like. In a Nov. 8, 2007, edition of the paper, the lead feature proclaimed that the Memorial Wall Leaves Its Mark On Cheshire. Once again, Zingarella offered his thoughts, this time in the midst of watching the wall he helped attract finally be erected.

Next to my kids being born and the day I got married, this was the greatest thing I have ever experienced, Zingarella told The Herald at the time.

The event attracted numerous dignitaries, including then-Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, prior to his election to the U.S. Senate. Another attendee was Cheshire resident, former Marine, and Vietnam Veteran Dennis Mannion, who was recently featured in The Herald. Mannion provided what The Herald described at the time as one of the more poignant speeches to be delivered throughout the ceremony, where he related the story of how, on a flight home from Vietnam, he was seated next to a man who, upon learning Mannions status as a combat soldier, asked to change his seat once the flight was underway.

But Mannion, as one would expect, spent much of his time paying tribute to his fallen comrades.

(The Wall) has made these men come alive, even if it is only for a brief moment, he said in his speech. The classic beauty of the structure behind me exists in its simplicity of purpose. It mirrors the battlefield. It is always a final world of simplicity.

Another speaker was then-Deputy Secretary of the Navy, Harvey Barney Barnum, Cheshire native, recipient of the Medal of Honor, and a man known to hold nothing back. Barnum delivered what was described as a fiery speech that offered a push-back against how the Vietnam War and the men who fought in it have been portrayed over the years.

I see little of what I experienced (in Vietnam) in any Oliver Stone movie, said Barnum. It has taken many of us a long time to speak about the war, but we must speak. We must dispel the myths that have grown up around this war.

Barnum continued.

The names of those who gave their lives are inscribed in the order in which they were taken from us, he said. In its mirror-like image, it reflects all that come to see it, and we are joined together with the names  I hope this wall serves to soothe those of us who served, and perhaps those who feel guilt for having not served.

The speeches may have been memorable, but what likely left the biggest impression on those who attended the opening ceremony occurred just after the speakers concluded. Lining up near the podium was a group of students, each of them holding flowers. Zingarella then invited those in attendance who had a family member or friend listed on the wall to come up, receive a flower, and lay it where that name was located on the wall.

Many did.

The image evoked tears from those gathered, as music played lightly in the background.

Though the event was specifically designed to honor those who served in Vietnam, many in attendance couldnt help but think about another conflict. It had been six years since the terrorist attacks on 9/11, which sparked conflicts in both Afghanistan and, eventually, Iraq.

For Sarah Barzec, a resident of Middletown, attending The Wall that Heals ceremony felt like a necessity for her, not just as a way to show respect to those who died in Vietnam, but also to honor her brothers service. He was scheduled to ship out to Iraq a few weeks later.

With my brother going to Iraq, it was really overwhelming to be here, she said. I just felt like it was the right thing to do, to come out and show my support.

How will the wall be received this time around? Will it, 15 years later, evoke the same emotions?

The answer to that is most likely yes.
A gunman shot and killed a retired Juneau County judge Friday morning in what Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul called a targeted act against the judicial system.

The unidentified shooter killed John Roemer, 68, at the judges home in the town of Lisbon around 6:30 a.m., officials said.

State Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, who represents Juneau County, confirmed Roemers death in a statement, adding we never expect violent tragedy to strike in our small, close-knit communities.

During a news conference Friday afternoon, Kaul did not confirm Roemers identity, but said the gunman had compiled a list of other potential targets. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Gov. Tony Evers appeared on the gunmans list.

The attorney general would not release the name of the 56-year-old shooter or identify other potential targets.

So far, the information thats been gathered indicates that it was a targeted act and the targeting appears to be based on some sort of court case or court cases, Kaul said.

Were limited in what information we can provide at this point, Kaul added, citing the ongoing investigation.

The Juneau County Sheriffs Office first responded to the scene after another person in the residence fled to a nearby home and contacted authorities, Kaul said.

A tactical team entered the residence just after 10:30 a.m., and found the gunman, who had shot himself, in the basement, Kaul said. The shooter was hospitalized in critical condition.

Roemer was first elected as a Juneau County Circuit Court judge in 2004 and went on to be reelected in 2010 and 2016. He retired in 2017.

While he was on the bench in Juneau County, Roemer presided over some high-profile cases.

In 2017, he presided over a case in which a Lyndon Station village president had been convicted of 22 counts of sexual assault. Roemer ruled that a juror was not credible and granted Donald Coughlin a new trial, in which he was convicted again.

In 2009, he sentenced a former Necedah religious leader for hiding the corpse of a follower who died from natural causes on her toilet.

Donna Voss, who lived next door to Roemer for 22 years, described him as a really nice guy.

This is not a type of neighborhood where anything ever happens, Voss said.

After the shooting, Voss said Roemers two sons fled to the nearby home of a law enforcement official. Roemers wife and another son had died in recent years, Voss said, and the judge had been living with his two other children.

The other targets on the gunmans list have been notified, and there is no longer a threat to public safety, Kaul said.

The Department of Justice is investigating if other individuals are connected to Fridays shooting.

Kaul appeared at Fridays news conference flanked by Juneau County Sheriff Brent Oleson and Tina Virgil, head of the state Department of Justices Division of Criminal Investigation.

The attorney general said the Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation into the shooting and is often involved in complex investigations of this nature.

Kaul noted that Juneau County deputies were considered witnesses to the incident.

The town of Lisbon is about four miles north of Mauston, the county seat, and 80 miles northwest of Madison.

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Former Vice President Mike Pences top aide warned the Secret Service the day before last years riot at the U.S. Capitol that Pence could be in danger after an expected betrayal by then-President Donald Trump, The New York Times reported Friday.

Chief of staff Marc Short told Pences lead Secret Service agent, Tim Giebels, that Trump was going to turn publicly against the vice president, and there could be a security risk to Mr. Pence because of it, reported Times journalist Maggie Haberman.

Short couldnt predict what form the risk could take, but he did know that Pences refusal to interfere in the certification of the Electoral College count, which was part of a desperate plan to keep Trump in power, had triggered a bitter breach between the men. At the same time, Trump was stoking the fury of his supporters who were streaming into Washington, Haberman wrote.

Haberman said she uncovered the information as part of research for her book Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America, which is scheduled to be published in October.

As Trump and his supporters desperately sought ways to overturn the election, Trump initially believed he could count on the usually compliant Pence.

Shorts warning to the Secret Service when Pence did not cooperate with Trumps scheme, noted Haberman, proved to be prophetic. Thousands of Trump supporters breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, after Trump told them at a nearby rally to march on the building and fight like hell as both houses of Congress were meeting to certify the 2020 electoral votes. Many were shouting Hang Mike Pence as they marauded through the Capitol, and some had erected a makeshift gallows on the grounds.

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told his Republican colleagues that Trump had expressed support for the rioters sentiment, saying something like, Maybe Pence should be hanged, according to a witness account provided to the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot, the Times reported.

Story continues

During the violence, Giebels asked Pence twice to evacuate the Capitol, according to the book I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trumps Catastrophic Final Year, by Washington Post reporters Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig. But Pence refused. Im not leaving the Capitol, he told Giebels, worried that speeding away from the building would vindicate the insurrection, according to the book.

He was escorted to a subterranean location, where Pences armored limousine awaited, and he was told to get in the car.

Im not getting in the car, Tim, Pence replied, according to Rucker and Leonnig. If I get in that vehicle, you guys are taking off. Im not getting in the car.

At 4 that afternoon, Pence called Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller, the book reported. Get troops here; get them here now, Pence ordered, according to the authors. Weve got to get the Congress to do its business.

Mike Pence addressed the Senate on Wednesday evening as lawmakers returned to certify the Electoral College vote.



"Today was a dark day in the history of the United States Capitol," Pence said. "We condemn the violence that took place here in the strongest possible terms."  HuffPost (@HuffPost) January 7, 2021

Check out the full Times article here.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

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PANAMA CITY  After a multi-investigation effort, the Bay County Sheriff's Office has arrested five people and seized almost 2 pounds of methamphetamine, 21 grams of fentanyl and heroin, and two guns.

According to the Sheriff's Office, the BCSO Special Investigations Division wrapped up three narcotics investigations between June 1-2.

The Bay County Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of five people on Friday involved in a drug bust.

The first investigation resulted in the arrest of Jared Christopher Peel, 38, of Atlanta, who was charged with trafficking more than 28 grams but less than 200 grams of methamphetamine, possessing a firearm as a felon and possession of drug paraphernalia. Peel was found to be in possession of 120.9 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded pistol, BCSO reported.

In wake of Uvalde shooting: Bay officials talk school safety and protocols for active shooters

Bay County: Officials on alert for new opioid that's 100 times more deadly than fentanyl

In the second investigation, BCSO arrested Joshua Aaron Taylor, 26, of Graceville, who was charged with trafficking more than 400 grams of methamphetamine, trafficking more than 14 grams of fentanyl, trafficking more than 14 grams of heroin, possessing a firearm as a felon and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Also arrested was Falcon Cain Borton, 23, of Panama City, who was charged with trafficking more than 400 grams of methamphetamine, trafficking more than 14 grams of fentanyl, trafficking more than 14 grams of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The third investigation resulted in the arrest of Jordan Starr Johnson, 23, of Panama City, who was charged with trafficking more than 28 grams of methamphetamine, trafficking more than 4 grams of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Also arrested was Thomas Rosebush, 42, of Panama City, who was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Rosebush also had two outstanding arrest warrants.

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Bay County deputies arrest 5, seize meth, fentanyl, heroin and guns
TigerKing_MurderMayhemandMadness_LimitedSeries_Episode2_00_34_27_04_Rc - Credit: Netflix

Bhagavan Doc Antle, the self-stylized guru who gained attention for his turn in the popular Netflix docuseries Tiger King, has been charged with laundering more than $500,000, which federal prosecutors allege was proceeds from a scheme to smuggle people over the Mexican border into the United States, Associated Press reports. The charges against Antle and one of his employees, Andrew Jon Sawyer, were revealed on Monday. Should they be convicted on the charges, Antle and Sawyer each face a maximum of 20 years in federal prison.

According to prosecutors, the two laundered $505,000 over four months. They allegedly cut checks from businesses they controlled, receiving 15 percent of the money that came through. The checks, prosecutors allege, were falsely made under the guise of payment for construction work at Myrtle Beach Safari but were instead meant to serve as evidence that the recipients had legitimate income. Antle discussed his plan to conceal the cash he received by inflating tourist numbers at his 50-acre (20-hectare) wildlife tropical preserve, according to the complaint that was unsealed on Monday.

Video: Nicolas Cage on why 'Tiger King' movie was shelved

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Antle was arrested by FBI agents in South Carolina Friday, according to sheriff records. Antle, a prominent animal wrangler and zoo owner featured in a 2015 Rolling Stone profile, was taken in to custody around 5:40 p.m. in Horry County.

The arrest is Antles latest tangle with law enforcement, following his indictment on wildlife trafficking, animal cruelty and other charges in late 2020. The indictment came after a months-long investigation conducted by the Animal Law Unit of Virginia Attorney General Mark Herrings office. Two of Antles daughters were also charged with violating the Endangered Species Act and cruelty to animals as a result of the indictment.

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Representatives from Antles Myrtle Beach Safari did not return Rolling Stones request for comment.

In addition to Antles legal woes, additional accusations of sexual misconduct and predatory behavior  much of it from women both previously employed and romantically engaged with Antle  led him to earn his own Tiger King spinoff documentary, released in 2021.

This story was updated on June 6 to include and detail the charges against Bhagavan Doc Antle and Andrew Jon Sawyer.

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Harry Styles could make this fan's prom night one to remember.

Anna Carty, a superfan of the "As It Was" singer, was practically falling after Harry accepted her invitation to the dance. As Capital FM DJ Katy J explained in a video shared by The Scottish Sun, Anna previously reached out to her local radio station in Scotland for help with her invite to Harry and her request was then relayed to none other than the One Direction alum himself. After learning that Anna was in need of a date, Harrywhose June 11 show in Glasgow is conveniently two days after Anna's promrecorded a message with his RSVP.

"Anna, how's it going? It's Harry Styles here. Hello!" he began in the recording, which was played to Anna on the air on June 2. "Look, Katy J passed on your invite to the prom and I'm sure it'll be a good Scottish party," Harry said. "I would love to be there, so just send me the details and I'll see what I can do."

Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde's Romance Rewind

He added, "I'll see you soon!"

Needless to say, Anna lit up over the news. "Oh my goodness," she gushed, after Katy J played her Harry's recording. "I actually can't think!"

According to Anna, she already has a "gorgeous" black and white dress picked out for the affair. Now, it looks like she's got a plus-one as well!

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Spotify

"You heard it from the horse's mouth, I have a feeling that he might rock up at prom!" Katy told the teen. "It's legit. He's going to do his best."

Harry is scheduled to kick off the European leg of his Love on Tour concert series on June 11. He will hit cities in the United Kingdom before returning to North America in August for a second touring of the United States.

Luckily, it seems like Harry can make some time off the stage for a night on the dance floor.

For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
The scheduled start of trial testimony in the criminal public corruption trial of Delaware Auditor Kathy McGuiness was delayed Tuesday on a technicality.

The delay could mean the trial starts Wednesday or potentially weeks in the future, depending on how prosecutors decide to proceed. The parties are due back in court Wednesday to discuss their path forward with the judge.

The delay is due to a motion made by Steve Wood, McGuiness' attorney, ahead of Tuesday's scheduled start to testimony in the criminal trial, the first for a statewide elected official in Delaware's history.

Wood moved to dismiss the charges, arguing that McGuiness' offices are in Dover, so court rules and precedent demand she should be tried in Kent County and not the New Castle County courtroom where members of the public and press had gathered.

The Leonard L. Williams Justice Center in Wilmington

In October, a grand jury in New Castle County found probable cause to indict McGuiness on two felonies and multiple public corruption misdemeanors based on prosecutors' claims that she gave her daughter a do-little job in the auditor's office, rigged payments of a state contract to avoid regulatory scrutiny, and intimidated those who questioned her behavior.

The indictment formalizes the criminal charges against a person and gives them official notice of the charges they face and what conduct prosecutors believe justify those charges.

Typically, criminal defendants are indicted by a grand jury in the county in which investigators believed a crime occurred. Prosecutors chose to indict McGuiness in New Castle County as she is a statewide-elected official.

On Tuesday morning, Wood argued to Judge William Carpenter that court rules demand the indictment be issued in the county where the criminal conduct occurred, and, because it was not, that the indictment and case should be dismissed.

State Auditor Kathy McGuiness (left) arrives at the Leonard L. William Justice Center. Her trial on corruption charges began on Monday.

Carpenter did not agree with that argument, stating the indictment was sufficient to move forward.

However, Wood also argued that the law demands prosecutors not only prove to the jury the offense occurred and was a violation of law, but they also have to prove that the offense occurred in the county in which the case was indicted.

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"At the end of the day, the state could have indicted this case in Kent County and we wouldnt be standing here today," Wood told the court.

PREVIOUSLY: Judge rules Delaware auditor must pay for private attorney or use public defender

Wood told the court he intended to file a motion of acquittal asking the judge to toss the case once prosecutors present evidence that shows none of the alleged crimes occurred in New Castle County.

In response, prosecutors argued that McGuiness' status as a statewide-elected official whose alleged crimes affected citizens in each of Delaware's three counties makes the current venue in New Castle County legitimate.

Carpenter indicated that prosecutors arguments "flip" decades upon decades of legal precedence "on its head." But Carpenter took no official action because a motion of acquittal is made whenever prosecutors finish presenting the evidence they were scheduled to begin putting to a jury Tuesday.

State Auditor Kathy McGuiness (left) waits to cross N. Market St. with Steve Wood, her attorney ahead of Tuesday's trial proceedings.

Carpenter said prosecutors' argument that McGuiness' status as a statewide official would mean she could be tried anywhere "causes concern." He likened it to McGuiness being accused of murdering someone in Sussex County and then being tried in New Castle County, stating such would be a "radical change" to centuries of judicial precedent in Delaware.

And so, the situation leaves prosecutors with a choice: proceed with this week's planned trial testimony and risk the judge invalidating the whole proceeding afterward or drop the indictment against McGuiness and reindict her in Kent County, where the trial would occur at an undetermined date.

Wood also indicated that if prosecutors decide to reindict the case, he will argue it should be thrown out entirely because of prosecutors' failure to fix the issue and put McGuiness on trial more promptly.

RECENT: Judge knocks down two attempts by indicted Delaware auditor to dismiss charges

After Carpenter's statements, the court adjourned for prosecutors to consider their options. Eventually, the parties were summoned into a back room outside the courtroom to discuss the issue.

When they emerged, Carpenter said he wanted to give prosecutors more time to consider their path forward and assess the feasibility of moving the trial to Kent County.

Both prosecutors and defense attorneys declined comment exiting the courtroom. They are due back in court Wednesday morning to discuss the case's path forward.

Contact Xerxes Wilson at (302) 324-2787 or xwilson@delawareonline.com. Follow @Ber_Xerxes on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware public corruption trial for auditor delayed over venue debate
After the incident, police searched for the alleged assailant. Residents in the immediate area were on lockdown. The investigation turned up no answers, but rather inconsistences in the deputy's initial statement, officials said.
James Craig, former Detroit police chief and the once-presumed front-runner to be the Republican Party's nominee for governor this fall, lost his bid to appear on the August primary ballot after the Michigan Court of Claims denied an appeal from his campaign Thursday.

Craig was one of five GOP gubernatorial candidates whose nominating petitions to qualify for the ballot were rife with signature fraud, according to the Bureau of Elections. The bureau's review found that of the 21,305 signatures Craig's campaign submitted, more than 11,000 were invalid, leaving him well short of the 15,000 valid signatures needed to appear on the ballot.

The Court of Claims decision mirrors Wednesday rulings from the Michigan Court of Appeals, which denied similar appeals from GOP gubernatorial hopefuls Oakland County businessman Perry Johnson and Grand Haven financial adviser Michael Markey. Johnson and Markey have appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court.

Craig's campaign announced that it also plans to ask the Michigan Supreme Court to reverse the Court of Claims ruling. "Our fight is not over," Craig said in a statement.

Dismissing Craig's lawsuit, Michigan Court of Claims Judge Elizabeth Gleicher wrote she is bound by the Court of Appeals decision in the Johnson lawsuit that she said resolved the same underlying issue at play in Craig's bid to challenge his removal from the primary ballot.

More: Michigan Court of Appeals: Perry Johnson doesn't qualify for August primary ballot

Republican gubernatorial candidate James Craig speaks to media during a Save America rally at the Michigan Stars Sports Center in Washington Township on April 2, 2022.

Problems with signatures submitted by Craig's campaign include petition sheets that had signatures with similar handwriting and evidence of "round-tabling," or petition circulators passing around a petition between each other to vary handwriting, according to the Bureau of Elections.

"Some pages are more obvious than others. For instance, at times fraudulent-petition circulators made little effort to vary handwriting," bureau staff wrote.

Craig argued he was the victim of a methodical attempt to keep him from being on the ballot and called on Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to open a criminal investigation into the petition signature fraud.

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"I'm being robbed of the opportunity to be on the ballot and let Michigan voters decide who should represent the GOP," Craig told the Free Press last week.

Jonathan Brater, Michigan elections director, described the signature fraud identified by the Bureau of Elections as an unprecedented "attack on our election system." Altogether, the bureau identified at least 68,000 invalid signatures submitted on candidates' nominating petitions.

The fraud uncovered by the bureau has been referred to the Attorney General's Office.

More: Report links fraudulent Michigan election petition signatures to 36 circulators, 1 company

James Craig wants AG Dana Nessel to investigate fraudulent signatures on GOP petitions

On May 26, the Board of State Canvassers split 2-2 along party lines on whether to accept Bureau of Elections staff recommendations to disqualify Craig, Johnson, Markey and Bryon Center businesswoman Donna Brandenburg. The deadlock had the effect of disqualifying the candidates from appearing on the primary ballot.

Craig and Johnson filed lawsuits on May 27 challenging the board's action followed by Markey who filed his lawsuit Sunday. Brandenburg filed a legal challenge with the Michigan Supreme Court early Thursday, almost a week after the Board of State Canvassers meeting and the day before Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is required by law to certify the names of candidates for the primary election.

Brandenburg's legal challenge marked the fourth and final one from GOP gubernatorial candidates disqualified from the August election. Michigan State Police Capt. Mike Brown withdrew from the race before the board met to review candidates' nominating petitions to land a spot on the ballot.

The Board of State Canvassers certified five GOP gubernatorial candidates for the upcoming primary. They include Norton Shores businesswoman Tudor Dixon, Ottawa County real estate agent Ryan Kelley, Farmington Hills pastor Ralph Rebandt, Bloomfield Hills businessman Kevin Rinke and Kalamazoo chiropractor Garrett Soldano.

Clerks will begin sending out absentee ballots to military and overseas voters on June 18.

Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @arpanlobo. Become a subscriber today.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: James Craig loses bid to appear on ballot after court denies appeal
Two men in an extremist Jewish sect called Lev Tahor have been convicted in schemes to kidnap two children from Sullivan County, officials said.

A jury in White Plains federal court found Mordechay Malka and Matityau Malka guilty of their roles in trying to kidnap a 14-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy from their mother in Woodridge in 2018, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Thursday. The children's father is a leader of Lev Tahor who did not have custody of them and was prohibited from communicating with them.

Members of Lev Tahor kidnapped the children in 2018 and smuggled them into Mexico and brought the girl to her adult "husband," who religiously "married" her when she was 13, officials said. Authorities found the children and reunited them with their mother, officials said, then men tried to kidnap the children again in March 2019.

Two other men, Nachman Helbrans and Mayer Rosner, were previously convicted in this case. They were found guilty of kidnapping and sexual exploitation in October 2021 and were each sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Sentenced: Two men sent to prison for kidnapping children in Woodridge

Guilty: Lev Tahor members convicted in Sullivan County kidnapping

Kidnapping: Members of extremist sect charged in Sullivan kidnapping

Lev Tahor has been active in a few countries, including the United States, Canada, Guatemala, Israel and Mexico, officials said. In October 2018, they said, the children's mother fled Lev Tahor's Guatemala compound for New York, where she was granted sole custody of the children.

In December 2018 members of Lev Tahor, including Mordechay Malka, took the children from their Woodridge home one night and brought them to Mexico, officials said. The scheme involved aliases, disguises, drop phones, phony travel documents, an encrypted application and a secret pact to execute their kidnapping plan. At the time, officials said, Lev Tahor leaders were seeking asylum for their entire community in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

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The children were found and reunited with their mother in New York after a three-week search. In March 2019, though, Helbrans tried to orchestrate another kidnapping of the children while he was incarcerated in Westchester County, officials said. Matityau Malka tried to execute that second kidnapping, they said.

The Malkas, both Guatemala residents, were convicted of conspiring to commit international parental kidnapping, to unlawfully use a means of identification, and to enter by false pretenses the secure area of an airport.

Mordechay Malka, 27, was also convicted of two counts of international parental kidnapping. Matityau Malka, 30, was also convicted of attempted international parental kidnapping. It was not immediately clear when they will be sentenced.

Their lawyers could not immediately be reached for comment.

The investigation included the FBI, Customs and Border Protection, Department of State, Transportation Security Administration, New York State Police, Rockland County Sheriffs Department, Sullivan County District Attorneys Office, Spring Valley police, special agents with the U.S. Attorneys Office, and law enforcement agencies in Mexico, Guatemala, Canada, and Israel.

Matt Spillane covers breaking news throughout the Hudson Valley. Click here for his latest stories. Follow him on Twitter @MattSpillane. Check out our latest subscription offers here.

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Lev Tahor members convicted in plan to kidnap Sullivan County children
The New York State Assembly has passed a bill that aims to limit productivity quotas in warehouses shortly after it was approved by the State Senate. Introduced by New York State Senator Jessica Ramos and Assembly Member Latoya Joyner back in April, the Warehouse Worker Protection Act takes aim at Amazon's labor practices. Ramos and Joyner strengthened the language and expanded upon a similar bill in California that was signed into law back in 2021.

As CNBC notes, the legislation will require Amazon and any other company that operates warehouses to provide workers with documentation of their productivity quotas and to notify them of any changes. It can make the process easier for workers seeking changes in their workplace for health purposes, and it will require companies to go through an ergonomic assessment of all tasks workers need to accomplish. Companies could face penalties if the New York State Department of Labor finds them non-compliant. In addition, it would prohibit companies from implementing quotas that would prevent workers from taking meal and bathroom breaks.

Amazon workers have long complained that the company's internal system marks them as taking "time off task" when they take too long between scanning packages. That generates a warning that could lead to being fired. Ramos explained when they introduced the bill that productivity quotas prevent workers from complying with safety standards and contribute to rising injury rates in warehouses. The company consistently makes it on the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health's list of most dangerous workplaces in the US. Heather MacDougall, Amazon's workplace safety head, claimed at a recent event, however, that it's a misconception that the company has quotas. "We do not," she said.

The bill's fate is now in the hands of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Steven McCraw, right, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, at a news conference in Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers, May 26, 2022. (Ivan Pierre Aguirre/The New York Times)

UVALDE, Texas  Two minutes after a gunman burst through an unlocked door at Robb Elementary School and began shooting inside a pair of connected classrooms, Pete Arredondo arrived outside, one of the first police officers to reach the scene.

The gunman could still be heard firing repeatedly, and Arredondo, as leader of Uvaldes small school district police force, took charge.

But there were problems from the start.

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Arredondo did not have a police radio with him, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation, which may have impeded his immediate ability to communicate with police dispatchers. As two supervisors from the local police department were grazed by bullets fired by the gunman, he made a decision to fall back, the official said.

Using a cellphone, Arredondo called a police landline with a message that set the stage for what would prove to be a disastrous delay in interrupting the attack: The gunman has an AR-15, he told them, but he is contained; we need more firepower and we need the building surrounded.

Rather than confront an actively shooting gunman immediately, as officers have been trained to do since the killings at Columbine High School near Denver in 1999, the ever-growing force of increasingly armed officers arriving at Robb Elementary held back for more than an hour.

A New York Times examination of the police response  based on dozens of interviews with law enforcement officials, children who survived, parents who were witnesses outside, and experts on policing  found that breakdowns in communication and tactical decisions that were out of step with years of police preparations for school shootings may have contributed to additional deaths, and certainly delayed critical medical attention to the wounded.

A tactical team led by Border Patrol officers ultimately ignored orders not to breach the classroom, interviews revealed, after a 10-year-old girl inside the classroom warned 911 dispatchers that one of the two teachers in the room was in urgent need of medical attention.

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The report that the incident commander at least initially had no police radio emerges as the latest important detail in what has been a shifting official account of the police response that has at times proved to be inaccurate on key points about the May 24 shooting.

Spokespeople for the Texas Rangers and the U.S. Department of Justice, the two agencies now investigating the response, have said they would not be able to reach final conclusions until all interviews had been conducted and all available video and other evidence had been reviewed.

Officers who arrived at the scene, coming from at least 14 agencies, did not go into the classrooms as sporadic gunfire could be heard inside, nor after 911 calls began arriving from children inside.

There is a lot of bodies, a 10-year-old student, Khloie Torres, quietly told a 911 dispatcher at 12:10 p.m.  37 minutes after the gunman began shooting inside the classrooms  according to a review of a transcript of the call. I dont want to die, my teacher is dead, my teacher is dead, please send help, send help for my teacher, she is shot but still alive.

She stayed on the line for about 17 minutes. Around 11 minutes into the call, the sound of gunfire could be heard.

The officers who finally breached the locked classrooms with a janitors key were not a formal tactical unit, according to a person briefed on the response. The officers, including specially trained Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and a sheriffs deputy, had formed an ad hoc group on their own and gathered in the hallway outside the classroom, a tense space where they said there appeared to be no chain of command.

They were done waiting for permission, one of them said, according to the person, before they moved toward the classroom where the gunman waited. They continued even after one of them heard a command crackling in his earpiece: Do not breach.

They entered the room and killed the gunman.

The actions by Arredondo and the array of officers he suddenly directed  which grew to number more than 140, from local, state and federal agencies, including state troopers, sheriffs deputies, constables and game wardens  are now the subject of overlapping investigations by the Texas Rangers, the Department of Justice and the local district attorneys office.

Arredondo did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Neither did Uvalde Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez nor Uvalde County Sheriff Ruben Nolasco. The Texas Department of Public Safety, which is overseeing the Rangers investigation and had a large presence of state police at the scene, referred questions to the DAs office, which did not comment.

I think theyre unfair to accuse anybody until we know all the facts, said Uvalde Countys top executive, Bill Mitchell. We have agencies coming out and saying there were mistakes. How do we know, days after, what mistakes?

The fact that control of such a complex and prolonged scene of violence fell to the head of a police force with six members who are employed by the local school board seemed unusual in the aftermath of the tragedy. But it was in keeping with the way such events are expected to be handled in their early stages, according to policing experts and the leaders of school district police departments around Texas.

In cases where a shooting drags on, and more experienced departments establish themselves at the scene, control may sometimes be handed over to a larger department. That did not happen in Uvalde, officials have said.

School-district police departments have jurisdiction over school campuses  in Uvalde, there are eight  as well as anywhere that school buses travel.

If we should have a situation like that, we would go in, handle the situation, stop the kill, and at that point, we would probably look to the state or the feds to assist us with the forensics, said Chief Solomon Cook of the Humble Independent School District Police Department, in the suburbs of Houston.

But although the presence of a school district police chief atop the hierarchy at Robb Elementary was not out of the ordinary, other elements of the response in Uvalde struck Cook as concerning. One was the need to use a janitors keys to ultimately gain entry to the classrooms.

All my people carry keys, said Cook, president of the states association for school district police chiefs.

Another was the uncertainty about whether Arredondo had been receiving messages from police dispatchers about the children still in the classrooms pleading for help.

We have direct communication with the PD dispatch, and were about the size of Uvalde, said Chief Bill Avera, who runs a force of four school district officers, including himself, that covers eight campuses in Jacksonville, Texas.

A review of the response in Uvalde shows that the school acted almost immediately after the gunman hopped a fence and approached Robb Elementary after crashing a pickup truck and firing shots outside.

Adam Pennington, an 8-year-old student, was in the front office when the school received what appeared to be the first alert. A phone call came in and said a man jumped the fence holding a gun, said Adam, who said he hurried to shelter under a table.

An employee on the campus used a cellphone to open a district security app, selecting a red lockdown button and a second button warning that there was an active shooter, according to David Rogers, chief marketing officer for Raptor Technologies, the company that provides the security app.

That warning tool was part of an extensive effort to enhance security in the Uvalde school district, which also included two-way radios for key staff, two new school district police officers and requirements that all classroom doors remain locked.

But Arredondo had no police radio when he arrived, according to the latest information gathered in the investigation, and the door to the classroom where most of the killing occurred, Room 112, was unlocked when the gunman arrived.

The lockdown alert was sent at 26 seconds past 11:32 a.m., about 2 minutes after the initial 911 call from outside the school. It triggered an immediate mass distribution of emails, text messages and notifications that included blaring alarms sent to the cellphones of other school employees, Rogers said.

Less than a minute later, the gunman was already inside the school.

Khloie Torres had been watching a movie with her fourth-grade classmates in Room 112 when her teacher, Irma Garcia, told the class to go into lockdown. Garcia turned off the movie, and then rushed toward the classroom door to lock it. But she struggled to find the right key for the door. Gunfire could be heard in the hallways.

Garcia finally got hold of the right key, but the gunman was already there. He grabbed the door, and he opened it, Khloie said. Garcia tried to protect her students. The gunman began firing.

Khloie hid under a table, listening to more gunshots. Youll die, the gunman said to the room.

He shot one of Khloies best friends, Amerie Jo Garza, and the other teacher in the class, Eva Mireles. Then the gunman said Good night, Khloie said, and began firing at students across the classroom.

One child shouted, Im shot, catching the attention of the gunman. He came back to the spot where the child was lying and shot the student again, killing him, Khloie said.

Arredondo arrived at 11:35 a.m., as the first officers began moving into the hallway outside the classroom door. Two minutes later, a lieutenant and a sergeant from the Uvalde Police Department approached the door and were grazed by bullets.

Shortly after that, Arredondo placed a phone call from the scene, reaching a police department landline. He described the situation and requested a radio, a rifle and a contingent of heavily armed officers, according to the law enforcement official familiar with the initial response, who described it on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to publicly disclose the details.

The decision to establish a perimeter outside the classroom, a little over 5 minutes after the shooting began, shifted the police response from one in which every officer would try to confront the gunman as fast as possible to one where officers treated the gunman as barricaded and no longer killing. Instead of storming the classroom, a decision was made to deploy a negotiator and to muster a more heavily armed and shielded tactical entry force.

They made a poor decision, defining that as a hostage-barricade situation, said Bill Francis, a former FBI agent who was a senior leader on the bureaus hostage rescue team for 17 years. The longer you delay in finding and eliminating that threat, the longer he has to continue to kill other victims.

Inside, the gunman moved between the two adjoining classrooms. After he left her room, Khloie said, she called out quietly, Is anybody OK? Is anybody hurt?

Yeah, one classmate replied.

Just be quiet, so he doesnt come back in here, Khloie remembered responding. Another child asked for help getting Garcias body off her.

A boy in her class, Khloie said, was worried that the gunman would find them. He wont find us, she told him.

Shortly after noon, nearly half an hour after the first police officers had arrived, Khloie began dialing 911. She said she called over and over again.

By then, the first tactical teams had arrived, along with officers carrying long guns. Scores of other officers were outside the school, keeping frantic parents away and starting to remove children from other classrooms, pulling some through windows. In video taken outside the school, Border Patrol agents could be seen donning specialized equipment at around 12:15 p.m.

Six minutes later, several shots were heard, the sound coming from inside the classroom.

Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin said in an interview with CNN on Thursday that the gunman did not answer his telephone when a negotiator tried to call him.

In the hallway outside the classrooms, a throng of heavily armed law enforcement officers anxiously awaited instructions. But frustrations were growing, particularly among members of a Border Patrol tactical unit, according to the person who was briefed on the teams response.

No one entity or individual seemed to have control of the scene, the person said. It was chaos.

The sense of frustration among tactical team members was corroborated by two officials familiar with their debriefing.

After more than an hour, the ad hoc group of officers who had arrived ready to attack the gunman was growing impatient, and decided to move in.

One of the members  equipped with an earpiece and small microphone  quietly announced over the radio that the group was preparing to go into the classrooms. At that point, a voice responded, telling them not to breach the doors.

They ignored the directive.

As the agents entered, the gunman appeared to be ready for them, the person said. He fired. They fired back, with at least one bullet striking him in the head. A bullet fragment also grazed the head of one of the Border Patrol agents.

As soon as the agents announced over the radio that the gunman had been killed, attention turned to treating the wounded. The agents helped set up a triage system, as more officers and emergency medical workers descended on the classrooms, trying to stabilize the children who had been shot but were still alive. At one point during the siege, one of the two children who called 911 had reported that at least eight or nine of the children in the two classrooms were still alive.

Khloie and her surviving classmates were rushed from the classroom. The bodies of 19 children were recovered, along with those of the two teachers. Seventeen people, including a third teacher, were wounded.

I dont understand why somebody did not go in, said Khloies mother, Jamie. Children and teachers would have still been shot, she said, but it would have been way less than 21.

 2022 The New York Times Company
Anti-abortion activists and abortion rights activists are separated by META Peace Team members during a Bans Off Our Bodies protest at U-M's Diag in Ann Arbor on Saturday, May 14, 2022.

Maternity portrait

Abortion rights activists rally during a Bans Off Our Bodies protest at U-M's Diag in Ann Arbor on Saturday, May 14, 2022.

Abortion rights activists rally during a Bans Off Our Bodies protest at U-M's Diag in Ann Arbor on Saturday, May 14, 2022.

A couple of the many signs that marchers who attended the Reproductive Rights March: Fight for Abortion Justice rally in Detroit on October 2, 2021, used as they head towards Greektown. The rally and march through downtown started at 36th District Court where speakers talked about abortion-rights and what is happening in parts of the country with a woman's right to choose.

Ive been an obstetrician-gynecologist for 24 years, caring for women giving birth, experiencing miscarriage, and deciding to have abortions. Most patients I see have experienced some or all of these events, at different times in their life.

Since abortion is so politicized and stigmatized, its often hard to see that it usually coexists alongside birth and miscarriage in many womens lives, and in the medical practices of their doctors.

I became an ob-gyn to offer compassion and expertise across all these reproductive experiences; I hope my patients have felt that. I didnt go into medicine to be part of political debates. But I am acutely aware that such debates impact the women and families I care for.

Lisa Harris

Indeed, as we wait for the outcome of the Supreme Courts upcoming abortion decision, my colleagues and I are trying to plan ahead for all of the ways the healthcare landscape in Michigan may dramatically shift  not only for women who might seek abortion care, but also for those whose pregnancies end in miscarriage, or for anyone who continues a pregnancy, as well.

Many Michiganders dont realize we have a 1931 abortion ban on the books. It is among the strictest in the country, permitting abortion only to preserve the life of a pregnant woman. The U.S. Supreme Courts 1973 Roe v Wade decision made it unenforceable, determining abortion is a Constitutional right.

More: Opinion: Michigan's economy headed for disaster if abortion is criminalized

More: Michigan woman: Hear my story, feel my pain before outlawing abortion

But if Roe is reversed in June, as a draft opinion suggests is likely, our ban will become enforceable, and abortion will be a crime again in Michigan, impacting thousands of women from every walk of life.

Lawsuits brought by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Planned Parenthood of Michigan aim to stop the 1931 ban from being enforced, should Roe fall. Last week a Michigan judge temporarily blocked the ban from coming into effect, pending the final outcome of the Planned Parenthood case. Those following abortion headlines may see the legal back-and-forth as partisan or political wins or losses.

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But as a doctor in Michigan, I see it as a healthcare issue.

Bracing for tumult

Alongside my physician, nurse and midwife colleagues at Michigan Medicine, we are getting ready for the possibility that abortion will become illegal in Michigan.

Myriad preparations are needed. We are not yet ready, nor are our healthcare colleagues statewide.

First, we need to determine what, precisely, life-preserving abortion means.

What must the risk of death be, and how imminently? I have performed abortions on critically ill patients in intensive care units, where it is clear abortion is life-saving.

More: Whitmer to Michigan Supreme Court: 'Time is of the essence' on abortion lawsuit

More: University of Michigan forms task force to 'mitigate the impact' of possible abortion ban

Pregnancy demands so much from all body organ systems, especially heart and lungs; sometimes ending a pregnancy is the only way to help a patient survive. But outside of these situations, it gets unclear.

Maternal-fetal medicine specialists care for patients with a range of high-risk conditions. For patients with pulmonary hypertension, they may cite a 30% to 50% chance of dying with ongoing pregnancy.

Is that high enough to permit abortion? Or must it be 100%?

When oncologists diagnose cancer during pregnancy, some patients end the pregnancy to start treatment immediately; some cancers advance faster due to pregnancys extra hormones, and chemotherapy and radiation can cause significant fetal injury.

Will abortion be permissible in this situation, or must patients delay cancer treatment and give birth first? When patients have advanced cancer that was preventable with earlier treatment, increased risk of death may be a few years away.

Weve identified many similar questions.

Just three options

Most pregnant patients seeking abortion care are not facing life-threatening conditions, and will have only three options: travel outside Michigan for abortion care, self-manage an abortion, or give birth. At Michigan Medicine we are preparing for all of this.

People with enough money and support will seek care out-of-state. For most Michiganders, this means driving to Illinois, making the average travel distance for abortion care more than 260 miles if our ban is re-enacted. This will be impossible for many, since lack of financial resources is why many women seek abortion care.

Nationally, half of patients seeking abortions live on incomes under the federal poverty level; another 25% live on just one-to-two times that.

Many cannot afford gas, tolls, hotels. They cannot afford to lose hourly wages or will be fired for missing work.

Most patients I see are already parents. Travel is much harder when you need childcare arrangements, too, especially overnight.

Im thinking of a patient I saw not long ago, who worked the night shift, drove several hours to her abortion appointment, three children in tow, and then afterwards headed home for another night shift. Efforts like this are already the norm in abortion care, and it will only get harder.

Nevertheless, if legally permissible, our Michigan health system will need to assist those who can travel.

If allowed, we can offer referrals out-of-state and pre-travel teeing-up. This may include ordering an ultrasound or bloodwork and, for patients with underlying illnesses, speedy specialist consultation to ensure they can safely receive care on arrival. We must figure out if Illinois medical centers have capacity to see our patients requiring hospital-level care, knowing these hospitals will also be seeing patients from Ohio, Missouri, Indiana and other states.

Insurers will need to decide if out-of-state abortion care and associated travel expenses are covered, and patients will likely find themselves battling with insurers for such coverage, which may require costly out-of-network fees.

Will legal hazards magnify distrust?

The second option is self-managed abortion.

For over twenty years, people have safely used the FDA-approved mifepristone and misoprostol combination to end pregnancies at home, after receiving medications in a doctors office. Mifepristone and misoprostol obtained online from the many available, reliable sources are equally safe and effective.

However, patients without internet access, a credit card, or who dont know about those medications may use ineffective or deadly methods: ingesting poisons, intentional trauma like falling down stairs, or putting objects into their uterus to disrupt pregnancy.

My colleagues and I will want to steer people toward safe methods, though its unclear Michigans law will permit such education.

Emergency department and primary care practitioners will need to quickly become familiar with treating abortion complications in this landscape, including complications not seen since before Roe, nearly 50 years ago.

Because mifepristone and misoprostol are so safe, legal risks may be the more serious ones for patients  meaning the people they turn to for medical care might report them, or loved ones who helped them, to police, even though that violates current privacy laws and Michigan doesnt require reporting of suspected self-managed abortion.

Indeed, all patients who have bleeding in pregnancy or experience pregnancy loss may be vulnerable to criminal prosecution because miscarriage and self-managed abortion are virtually indistinguishable. National data show that healthcare providers disproportionately report Black pregnant patients and those living on low incomes to police.

More babies will strain pre-natal care

Third, more people will give birth. Based upon projections of who will travel or self-manage abortion, we anticipate a 5% to 17% birth increase in Michigan.

We already have significant maternal healthcare deserts  places without prenatal or birth care  where patients travel far distances to deliver.

Its not clear how a greater need will be met.

Our own hospitals labor and delivery unit is already at capacity from COVID birth surges.

When we work over capacity, all birthing patients are affected, not just those who might otherwise have ended their pregnancies.

Newborn and pediatric care needs will increase, too. Many families who get terrible news about their developing baby will be forced to give birth, and those babies and children will need complex, costly medical care, and often a lifetime of specialized support.

More than ever, families statewide will need robust medical and social safety nets that may not exist.

We can expect mental health care needs in pregnancy to intensify, as girls and women continue undesired pregnancies, including those resulting from rape and incest.

Michigans abortion ban makes no exceptions for either. Our already-overburdened mental healthcare system is unlikely to adequately meet this need.

Mothers will die

Finally, maternal mortality will increase  as much as 21% overall by one demographers estimate  because abortion is safer than childbirth. Centers for Disease Control data show that in the U.S., the risk of dying from childbirth is 50 to 130 times greater than dying from abortion.

This new burden of maternal death will not be felt equally in Michigan, or anywhere in the country, because Black women are more than twice as likely as white women to die from pregnancy and childbirth.

Maternal mortality for white women is projected to increase by 13%. For Black women, the projected increase is 33%, meaning that an abortion ban will disproportionately harm Black women and the families who lose them. It will become more pressing than it already is to remedy systemic inequities and racism that generate such disparities.

Unsafe abortion will add to this burden and loss.

Other reproductive healthcare will be impacted, too.

Fearing criminal prosecution, doctors may hesitate to treat ectopic pregnancy, hemorrhage or serious infection from miscarriage, when fetal cardiac activity remains.

Healthcare providers will need to decide whether theyll continue prescribing the best evidence-based medications for miscarriage  mifepristone and misoprostol.

Since those medications are used in abortion care, doctors may fear their use carries legal jeopardy. Infertility doctors may stop providing in vitro fertilization given the potential for embryo loss in IVF.

We're not ready

Re-enactment of Michigans abortion ban will affect medical education. Abortion training is an accreditation requirement for ob-gyn residencies.

Michigan Medicine will need out-of-state training arrangements. Ultimately, our top-ranked program may cease to draw talented applicants. Roughly 40% of our ob-gyn graduates stay in Michigan to practice medicine, so the statewide reproductive health workforce may be impacted.

Patients will ultimately feel the impact of shifts in abortion training: If residents cant learn "non-lifesaving" abortion care, soon no one will be trained to perform the "lifesaving" abortions Michigans 1931 ban permits.

Patients experiencing miscarriage will feel the loss of abortion training, too, because doctors who have such training are more likely to offer patients the full range of appropriate miscarriage treatments than doctors without it.

Finally, Michigans health system workforce, like those everywhere, is disproportionately female. When more of the workforce is pregnant, on parental leave, or traveling for abortion care, patients will likely feel the impact.

All of this is my way of saying that we are not yet ready to manage what is coming if abortion becomes illegal in Michigan.

Every morning I wake up with another new question. Those who view abortion exclusively as a political or partisan issue, maybe one theyd like to avoid, will soon see that abortion care, or lack thereof, is a healthcare and health equity issue that impacts everyone.

I trust my patients

Avoiding this issue isnt possible.

Amid the flurry of logistical planning, I remain aware that abortion is complex and emotional topic for many.

That makes sense. Abortion asks us to hold two opposite things at the same time: Abortion means a baby wont be born, and that is weighty. Banning abortion means that a girl or woman must continue a pregnancy and give birth when she cant or doesnt want to, shifting the course of her, and her familys, lives. That is weighty, too.

In our polarized times we dont really learn how to hold complexity like this. Instead we are asked to resolve our feelings one way or another, even when pro-life or pro-choice boxes may not precisely fit how we feel.

From the hundreds of times my patients have shared their lives, hopes, and hurts, I know they hold this complexity, too, as do I.

Ultimately, I trust my patients to know what they and their families most need.

My colleagues and I will continue to provide support as the legal landscape shifts, even if we dont yet know exactly what the contours of that support will look like.

Lisa Harris, MD, PhD, is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology and professor of women's and gender studies at University of Michigan.

This guest column is adapted from an essay recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Opinion: Michigan hospitals aren't prepared for end of Roe v. Wade
Samir Hussein/WireImage

Royalist is The Daily Beasts newsletter for all things royal and Royal Family. Subscribe here to get it in your inbox every Sunday.

Buckingham Palaces favorite method of communication sometimes seems to be semaphore. Over the course of the Jubilee celebrations so far, the palace couldnt have made it clearer via several mime shows that it has little interest in trying to flatter the egos of Prince Harry and Meghan Marklenor any inclination to use the political capital of the queens last hurrah to sell a narrative of reconciliation between Harry and his brother Prince William, or their wives.

Instead, Harry and Meghan have been firmly treated as rather unimportant, second-class guests. Having apparently been strongly urged to do nothing to steal Her Majestys limelight they have had little choice other than to like it or lump it, as the old British saying goes.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Both Cheered and Booed at Platinum Jubilee Service

The fact that they are so desperately unpopular in Britain that their ratings are in the toilet and on Friday they were subjected to audible boos amongst the more usual cheers when they arrived at St Pauls Cathedral is likely to have made this ruthless strategic decision by the palace somewhat easier.

At the church service, the couple were seated across the aisle from Charles (representing the queen, who was too unwell to attend) and William, a long, long way, physically and spiritually, from the new nexus of royal power. Their seat mates were not future kings and queens of the United Kingdom but a collection of second division players; Beatrice, Eugenie, Prince Edward et al.

As Tina Brown, founding editor of The Daily Beast and author of the new book The Palace Papers, told The Daily Beast: The seating definitely declared they have slipped to supporting players, buried in the royal B-list.

After Fridays service, and some careful choreography that avoided even the merest possibility of Sussex and Cambridge entering each others personal space or even making eye contact, the great and the good were whisked off to Londons Guildhall to hobnob and backslap, with the notable exception of Harry and Meghan, who, were back at their house in Windsor, Frogmore Cottage, before the last stragglers had left the shindig.

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It was the latest in a series of meaningful unspoken slights. On Thursday they were excluded from any visual presentations around the Trooping the Color celebration (although a few grainy long-lens photos trickled out eventually), explicitly not invited to the Buckingham Palace balcony appearance with the queen and were not present at any of the beacon lighting ceremonies around the country.

The messaging clearly suggested that while it was jolly nice to have them there, these Californians were highly expendable in terms of the royal master planand certainly wouldnt be getting any special treatment.

Nothing happens by accident in the world of royal choreography. Courtiers were well aware that the billions of eyes on social media were very much hoping for a re-run of the 2020 Commonwealth Service when Kate blanked Meghan.

The palace was understandably not interested in facilitating a game of spot the difference. And they know that if Harry or Meghan had been photographed with William or Kate, the giant exercise of compare and contrast is all anyone would have been talking about this weekend.

As far as the palace is concerned, thats not what the millions of hours of planning that have gone into the Platinum Jubilee were intended to achieve.

The low-profiling of Harry and Meghan is likely to continue for the remainder of the weekend. For example, although sources say that William and Kate will each give speeches at Saturday nights Platinum Party at the Palace, there is no indication that Harry and Meghan will even be in attendance.

For similar reasons, The Daily Beast understands that it is also considered highly unlikely that the queen will attend a rumored first birthday party for her great-grand-daughter Lilibet at Frogmore Cottage on Saturday, and even more unlikely that a photograph of the queen with Lilibet will be released, as some have suggested, again at least partially out of concern that to do so would provide a major distraction from the core message of the Jubilee, which is, of course: God save the queen, and the achievements of Queen Elizabeth.

Will the queen be seen in public again? Not on Saturday during the day at leastBuckingham Palace said she would not attend the Derby horse race; Princess Anne will most likely stand in for her. It is a wait-and-see for the concert at the palace on Saturday night. A forecast of torrential downpours on Sunday is adding to fears the great national celebration could have a rather soggy, underwhelming end.

It was interesting to note that a story saying that the queen had met Lilibet at a lunch party on Thursday had its genesis in a claim by by Omid Scobie, the reporter who wrote the sympathetic Sussex biography Finding Freedom. Scobie, who is thought to be close to the Sussexes and their team, and was briefed by Meghans representatives when writing the book, said on a BBC breakfast show that the queen had finally met her namesake on Thursday.

The palace, for their part, flatly refused to comment on the veracity of Scobies claims, even off the record.

The reality is that despite several opportunities to position Harry and Meghan in any of many permutations with William Kate Charles and Camilla, the inherently risk-averse powers at the palace have definitively chosen not to do so.

The focus of a Jubilee is apparently the individual whose reign is being marked, but really this human is a Trojan horse for the wider institution of monarchy. In this sense, the Jubilee has given us a glimpse of the rapidly oncoming world of King Charles III, who was undoubtedly handed a gift from the heavens when his troublesome brother Andrew went down with Covid, meaning he could not attend the one event to which he had been invited, Fridays church service, which Charles ended up presiding over in place of his ailing mother.

The glitz of its ceremony-making runs in tandem with the ruthlessness of the palace. Harry and Meghan have spent the last two years attacking the royal family, so it should hardly be a surprise that the institution has retaliated by treating them with ill-disguised disdain.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Photo composite by The Daily Beast/Getty Images

The man accused of gunning down former Wisconsin judge John Roemer on Friday in a targeted attack on the judicial system was sentenced to prison time more than a decade ago by his alleged victim, court records show.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice on Saturday identified the alleged gunman as 56-year-old Douglas K. Uhde, who they said remains in critical condition after he was found in the basement of Roemers home with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Law enforcement officials confirmed to The Daily Beast that Roemer, 68, was found zip-tied to a chair and fatally shot at his home in New Lisbon, Wisconsin around 10:17 a.m. on Friday.

Court records show that Uhde wound up in Roemers courtroom in 2005, when he was found guilty of armed burglary and sentenced to six years in prison. It was not clear if the two had crossed paths since then.

Douglas K Uhde Wisconsin Department of Corrections

Authorities investigating Roemers murder have said the suspect had other potential targets lined up, with police finding a hit list that included Roemer as well as a handful of other influential government officials like Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers.

Former Judge Gunned Down in Wisconsin by Man With Hit List

The investigation underway is being handled as a homicide as well as a potential domestic terrorism case.

This does appear to be a targeted act, and the individual whos a suspect appears to have had other targets as well, it appears to be related to the judicial system, Attorney General Josh Kaul told reporters on Friday afternoon.

Kaul said that all people named on the hit list have been informed.

Retired Judge John Roemer. Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Wisconsin State Legislature

Donna Voss, one of the late Roemers next door neighbors, woke up Friday morning to police cars camped outside of their houses.

My husband and I, we were going to go down the street to our garage sale, Voss told local Madison reporters. Next thing I know I got a call from Juneau County Police saying we need to stay in the house, lock all the doors.

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Though Voss doesnt remember speaking to Roemer all that often, she does say he was a really nice guy. The neighbors would stop to chat as the judge mowed his yard or walked his dogs.

Wed stop and talk and that was about it, she said, mourning the judge.

Tragically, Roemers wife and one of his sons also recently passed away. His other two sons lived with him in Wisconsin, Voss told reporters. One of his sons might have been a witness to the fatal shooting, ABC reports.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba slammed French President Emmanuel Macron after he urged world powers not to humiliate Russia.

France has attempted to mediate the conflict between Ukraine and Russia since the war began and maintain civil relationships with both sides.

We must not humiliate Russia so that the day when the fighting stops we can build an exit ramp through diplomatic means, Macron said Saturday during an interview with a local paper, Reuters reported. I am convinced that it is Frances role to be a mediating power.

The comment has fared poorly on the international stage and in Kyiv, where Kuleba condemned Macron for the remark.

Calls to avoid humiliation of Russia can only humiliate France and every other country that would call for it. Because it is Russia that humiliates itself, Kuleba tweeted Saturday.

We all better focus on how to put Russia in its place. This will bring peace and save lives, he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also appeared to reference Macrons comment in an address Saturday night, saying: The Russian army can stop burning churches. The Russian army can stop destroying cities. The Russian army can stop killing children. If the same person in Moscow just gives such an order. And the fact that there is still no such order is an obvious humiliation for the whole world.

Russia has been accused of multiple war crimes, including targeting civilians, raping women and kidnapping children.

Macron said in the same interview that he told Russian President Vladimir Putin he is making a historic and fundamental mistake for his people, for himself and for history.

Friday marked 100 days of fighting in Ukraine as Ukrainian forces are still working to repel Russian soldiers from their land.

Zelensky offered a message of hope to his people to mark the milestone, saying that victory will be ours.

However, in recent days, Ukraine has been struggling, and Zelensky admitted that Russia has control of one-fifth of Ukraine.

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The difficulty in the war comes as the U.S. this week announced a $700 million weapons aid package for Ukraine.

 Updated at 8:41 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Northern Ireland must bounce back from a disappointing home defeat to Greece when they face Cyprus (Brian Lawless/PA) (PA Wire)

Northern Ireland continue their Nations League campaign on Sunday with a fixture against Cyprus in Larnaca.

Coming on the back of Thursdays disappointing 1-0 home defeat to Greece, Ian Baracloughs side need to produce a response.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the key talking points around the game.

Stuck on repeat

Ian Baraclough is still seeking a first Nations League victory (Brian Lawless/PA) (PA Wire)

Baraclough said before the Greece match he was keen to change the conversation around the Nations League for Northern Ireland, while Steven Davis spoke of a change of mindset among the players. But for whatever reasons, and there were no doubt several, the outcome was the same as Northern Irelands winless record in this competition extended to 11 games. If there is to be any realistic hope of them escaping League C or targeting a Euro qualifying play-off spot, that surely must end in Larnaca.

Senior servants

 Double sub! Kyle Lafferty and @nmcginn10 are on for Shayne Lavery and Conor Bradley #GAWA #NorthernIreland  Northern Ireland (@NorthernIreland) June 2, 2022

Shea Charles became the 11th player handed his senior debut by Baraclough when he came on for the last 11 minutes of Thursdays match. But as much work as Baraclough has done to blood the next generation, it was the introduction of 34-year-olds Kyle Lafferty and Niall McGinn just after the hour that did the most to offer Northern Ireland a route back into the match. Baraclough knows he still needs his experienced players and will no doubt be leaning on them to help turn results around.

Laffertys turn?

Kyle Lafferty will be hoping to start for Northern Ireland in Larnaca (Brian Lawless/PA) (PA Wire)

Laffertys return to the Northern Ireland squad for the first time since September was one of the big talking points coming into these fixtures, and given his recent form with Kilmarnock it was perhaps a surprise he did not go straight into the starting line-up on Thursday. Given the impact he had from the bench in the time he had, it would be a bigger surprise if he did not get the chance against Cyprus.

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Cypriot heat

Several Northern Irelands players have been trying to get back up to speed after time without competitive football (Brian Lawless/PA) (PA Wire)

Baraclough admitted Northern Ireland were off their levels in Belfast, something the manager put down to rustiness within the squad given that a number of players had not had a competitive match for a number of weeks. With only a couple of days between games the window for recovery has been brief, and those who were not involved in the match had been sent out for a intense workout on the pitch as Windsor Park was still emptying out. But it remains to be seen how much time Northern Ireland need to get up to full speed, and whether or not they can do so before it is too late. Adding to the challenge will be the heat in Cyprus, which will still be a factor even with kick-off at 7pm local time.

Away comforts

Northern Irelands recent form has been better away from Windsor Park (Brian Lawless/PA) (PA Wire)

Thursdays defeat means Baraclough has still won only one match of 11 at Windsor Park during his Northern Ireland reign  a disappointing return for all involved. Northern Irelands players still love to play in front of the Green and White Army but the fortress reputation of the stadium is gone and their away form is better. It will be interesting to see over the next week whether Northern Ireland play with more freedom facing Cyprus in Larnaca  where around 600 travelling fans are expected  or in next weeks return fixture in Belfast.
Belgium's King Philippe on Tuesday begins a historic visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, in a region cruelly exploited by his ancestors, as tensions rise in the volatile east.

The six-day trip, at the invitation of President Felix Tshisekedi, has strong symbolic significance, coming two years after Philippe expressed to the Congolese leader his "deepest regrets" for the "wounds" of colonisation.

The visit, the monarch's first to the DR Congo since ascending the throne in 2013, has been billed as a chance for reconciliation after the atrocities and other abuses committed under Belgian colonial rule.

It had originally been scheduled to take place in June 2020 to mark the DRC's 60th anniversary of independence, but was rescheduled to 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The visit was then postponed from March to June because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Philippe will be accompanied by his wife, Queen Mathilde, and members of the Belgian government, including Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.

- Colonial statues -

Three stops are planned and the sovereign will deliver a speech at the first two: in Kinshasa on Wednesday during a ceremony with Tshisekedi at the Congolese parliament, then Friday before students at the University of Lubumbashi in the south of the country.

Historians say that millions of people in the Belgian Congo were killed, mutilated or died of disease as they worked on rubber plantations belonging to Leopold II, Belgium's monarch from 1865-1909 and the brother of Philippe's great great grandfather.

The growth of the Black Lives Matter, initially a reaction to police violence in the United States but now a broader anti-racist movement, has seen several colonial-era statues removed in Belgium.

Belgium is also preparing to return to Kinshasa a tooth -- the last remains of Patrice Lumumba -- a hero of the anti-colonial struggle and short-lived first prime minister of the independent Congo.

Lumumba was murdered by Congolese separatists and Belgian mercenaries in 1961, and his body dissolved in acid, but the tooth was kept as a trophy by one of his killers, a Belgian police officer.

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Philippe's visit comes 12 years after the last visit of a Belgian sovereign, Albert II in 2010, and will also aim to reset ties that were soured during the presidency of Joseph Kabila, who left office in 2018.

The latter was criticised, including by Brussels, for having remained in power beyond his second term, in violation of his country's constitution, and development ties were suspended for a time.

The visit comes in a context of renewed violence in North Kivu, where the DRC accuses neighbouring Rwanda of supporting armed rebels opposed to the Congolese authorities.

Belgium has called for an "immediate" halt to the fighting, which is causing civilians to flee.

- Rwandan exiles -

In this immense country, where the GDP per capita is one of the lowest in the world despite its mineral wealth, the east has been shaken by massacres and violence for nearly 30 years.

After the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda in 1994, some of the perpetrators fled to the DRC and Kigali's new authorities launched operations against them.

The royal couple will come to show their solidarity with these battered populations, especially women victims of rape in the region.

The last stop of their journey is scheduled for June 12 in Bukavu, in the clinic of gynecologist Denis Mukwege, co-winner of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for his fight against sexual violence.

A stop on Wednesday at the National Museum in Kinshasa will also address the issue of the restitution of art objects to the former colony.

The Belgian government last year began a programme to give back artefacts to the DRC.

mad/arp/dc/ach
Are you feeling lucky? The Columbus big gamble is back  Columbus Area United Ways 25th annual Lazy River Duck Run.

The kickoff to this community favorite is 5-7 p.m. Thursday, June 9, at three local restaurants and businesses including: Bos West, 3720 23rd Ave.; Maximus, 329 23rd St.; and Slumberland, 2268 33rd Ave.

During this years kickoff event, there will be a ticket special  seven tickets for $25  as well as a drawing for three $25 gas cards from Corner Stop.

Initially, this event started on the Loup River, Columbus Area United Way Executive Director said Hope Freshour. In 2010, the race was moved to the Pawnee Plunge due to environmental and safety reasons. It has since been named Lazy River Duck Run.

In the 24 years of the race, over $1 million has been raised to jump start the annual United Way campaign, Freshour said.

During this years kick off, attendees will be able to take part in a ticket special of seven tickets for $25. In addition to the ticket special, participants will be entered into a drawing where three lucky winners will receive a $25 gas card from Corner Stop.

Our volunteer campaign team will divide up and be available at each location, Freshour said. Eric Hall, 2022 campaign chairman, will be at Maximus. Nathan Karges, assistant drive chairman, will be located at Slumberland parking lot where there will be a food truck. This is our drive through location. Kurt Shevlin, pacesetter chairman, will be located at Bos West. The three have a friendly competition going on to sell the most tickets.

This years theme for the race is Be the Difference, which was developed by the campaign team, she added.

Duck Race sales will be held from June 9 through Aug. 12. According to Freshour, tickets are available at the United Way pacesetter companies (top 17 giving companies), local banks, Hy-Vee, Grace Jewelry, Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce and the United Way office.

New to this years event is the Realtor Challenge. Nine local realty companies will be competing to sell the most tickets between July 1 and July 22, Freshour explained. Realtors will be setting up their own sales events so those who are wanting to buy from a realtor should look for promotions to be set up around the community.

The funds raised through the duck race support the annual campaign in which the monies are distributed back to the community to support 16 local nonprofits, providing 30 programs in the areas of: education, financial stability and health.

The funds provide for one in seven community members to access resources, services and programs in our local community, she said.  The funds raised through the Campaign benefit all of us as each dollar allows our community to be bold, be kind, be generous, be strong, be humble, be impactful, be part of something bigger than ourselves to truly be the difference.

The Duck Race will be held at the Pawnee Plunge Lazy River at 6 p.m. Aug. 12. It will be incorporated with Columbus Days. Top prizes include: $10,000, a dream vacation, groceries for a year, utilities for a year, $1,000 gas and food gift card and more. Winners will be announced and contacted after the Duck Race. Winners do not need to be present to win.

Every year we look forward to the race being part of the festivities with Columbus Days as that is what our community is about connecting with others, supporting each other to have a community that grows and thrives, Freshour said.

To find out more information contact Columbus Area United Way at 402-564-5661 or www.columbusunitedway.com

Monica Garcia is the managing editor of The Columbus Telegram. Reach her via email at monica.garcia@lee.net.

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Retired Juneau County Circuit Court Judge John Roemer, seen here in October 2007, was killed Friday at his New Lisbon home, the Journal Sentinel has confirmed. The killing was "a targeted attack," Wisconsin's attorney general said.

Retired Juneau County Judge John Roemer was shot and killed in his New Lisbon home on Friday in what the Wisconsin Department of Justice is calling a "targeted attack."

Authorities discovered Roemer, 68, dead and another man with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the basement.

Here's what we know so far about what happened. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

Who was involved in the incident in New Lisbon in Juneau County?

On Friday, the Juneau County Special Tactics and Response Team entered Roemer's house after failed attempts to negotiate with an armed person inside the home, where they discovered Roemer dead around 10:17 a.m.

Law enforcement then discovered a 56-year-old man in the basement of the home with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. That man was identified Saturday as Douglas K. Uhde.

Officers attempted life-saving measures on the man and he was transferred to a medical facility in critical condition. Uhde later died on Tuesday, the DOJ said.

No other individuals were found in the residence.

Who was Judge John Roemer?

John Roemer, known as Jack, was first elected to Juneau County Circuit Court in 2004. Circuit court judges serve six-year terms, and Roemer was reelected in 2010 and 2016, but resigned in August 2017, citing his wife's declining health.

His wife, Vivian Roemer, died in 2018. They had three sons.

Roemer graduated from Hamline University Law School in 1980, according to a judicial publication from the Wisconsin Supreme Court. He worked as an assistant state public defender in Baraboo for five years.

Beginning in 1992, he was one of Juneau County's two assistant district attorneys before being elected to the bench in 2004, defeating his former boss, Judge Dennis C. Schuh.

The publication noted that Roemer was a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, retiring in November 2002.

More: Retired Juneau County judge John Roemer killed in targeted attack remembered as devoted jurist, church leader

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Who was the suspect, Douglas K. Uhde?

The Wisconsin DOJ identified the suspect as 56-year-old Douglas K. Uhde.

Attorney General Josh Kaul on Saturday declined to comment on whether Uhde acted alone but repeatedly said there was no longer an active threat to the public.

Uhde was originally declared to be in "critical condition" by the DOJ, but the Department announced Tuesday that he died. He had been declared legally brain-dead since Saturday and was on life-support until Tuesday to allow for organ donation.

Those who know Uhde from his time in Michigan said he has worked in manufacturing and recently at a business selling all-terrain vehicles and boats. Michigan resident Kevin Baden, who grew up with Uhde, said he was living at his mother's house in Kentucky as of four to six months ago.

Baden said Uhde doesn't like authority figures and has "anti-government" sentiments. But Baden and another longtime friend of his, another Michigan resident who only wanted to be identified by his first name, Joshua, said they did not know Uhde to be a violent person.

More: Suspect in targeted Wisconsin judge killing in New Lisbon dies from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound

Was Udhe part of a 'militia' as some have reported?

Some local media outlets said Uhde was tied to an extremist 'militia' group. However, Kaul has repeatedly stated that there is no active threat to individuals, but declined to comment on whether or not Uhde was a white supremacist or held right-wing beliefs.

Uhde had various social media posts that supported former President Donald Trump and others that referred to Hillary Clinton with a derogatory word. Other posts were in strong support of guns.

Kaul declined to discuss how Uhde obtained the gun and whether the homicide is being investigated as domestic terrorism.

Was there a connection between Roemer and Uhde?

In 2005, Roemer sentenced Uhde to six years of prison and nine years of extended supervision, in connection with a 2001 armed burglary of a township of Quincy home.

Roemer was the second judge in the case. Uhde had been sentenced in 2002 by Columbia County Circuit Court Judge James Miller after pleading no contest to the charges. He was allowed to withdraw his plea and the case was reopened after an appellate court ruled Miller should have explained the state's truth in sentencing rules during the plea hearing.

More: Man suspected of killing retired Wisconsin judge identified as Douglas K. Uhde; had been sentenced by Roemer in 2005

Who called 911?

Around 6:30 a.m., Kaul said, a caller "exited the home" and called 911 from a nearby home. The caller said that there was an armed person and two shots were fired, Kaul said.

Kaul did not provide the caller's relation to Roemer.

Were there other targets, such as Gov. Tony Evers and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer?

Kaul indicated that this appears to be a targeted act. The suspect had other targets, Kaul said, who were related to the judicial system.

Kaul has not said how many targets there were, nor has he identified them, but sources told the Journal Sentinel that Gov. Tony Evers was among the targets.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's name was on the gunman's list, her deputy chief of staff Zack Pohl confirmed Saturday.

"Yesterday our office was notified by law enforcement officials that Governor Whitmer's name appeared on the Wisconsin gunman's list. While the news reports are deeply troubling, we will not comment further on an ongoing criminal investigation."

National TV stations, citing law enforcement sources, have reported that Uhde's other targets included U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Is there a threat to anyone else?

There is no "active threat" to individuals, but it is an ongoing investigation, Kaul said.

Other "targets" were notified and "are safe at this point," Kaul said, adding he would not provide names or how many people were targets at this time.

What are neighbors in New Lisbon saying?

A woman who asked to only be identified by her first name, Jackie, told the Journal Sentinel she lives several houses away from Roemers home. She said shes been flooded all day with calls and texts from other community members asking for information, but until law enforcement released details, the only information she had was rumors and hearsay.

When asked if neighbors were rattled by the news, she said, Were a small community, so yeah.

Jackie, a former teacher, said she knew Roemer primarily through two of his children, who were students of hers.

He walks his dogs all the time, she said. Hes friendly, nice enough guy.

Another neighbor, Jim Barnier, saw some of the situation unfold while leaving for work, including officers with their guns drawn outside Roemer's home. He described Roemer as "one of those neighbors youd always want."

More: 'I cant believe this happened in our neighborhood': New Lisbon community grapples with the killing of Wisconsin Judge John Roemer

Where is New Lisbon?

New Lisbon is in Juneau County in central Wisconsin. In 2020, the town had a population of 2,521 people.

The town is about 28 miles northwest from Wisconsin Dells and roughly 30 miles southeast of Fort McCoy. New Lisbon is located along the Lemonweir River and just off Interstate 90/94 at Exit 61.

Who is leading the investigation?

The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation and being assisted by the Sauk County Sheriff's Office, Mauston Police Department, Elroy Police Department, Wisconsin State Crime Lab, Wisconsin State Patrol, DOJs Office of Crime Victim Services and the FBI.

Joe Taschler of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.

Contact Drake Bentley at (414) 391-5647 or DBentley1@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DrakeBentleyMJS.

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: How was Douglas K. Uhde connected to Wisconsin Judge John Roemer?
Police advance on demonstrators who are protesting the killing of George Floyd on May 30, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Minneapolis has agreed to pay $600,000 to journalist Linda Tirado.

Tirado lost her left eye after police shot rubber bullets at her during a Black Lives Matter protest.

The settlement also acknowledges changes to police training in the wake of the 2020 incident.

For two years, Linda Tirado has had to relive the day that Minneapolis police opened fire on her while she covered a Black Lives Matter protest in the city, blinding her in one eye with a "less-lethal," but nonetheless life-changing, round of ammunition.

The incident  which she believes was deliberate targeting of the press  prevented the freelance writer, photographer, and mother of two from continuing to cover social movements. Lacking health insurance, she racked up six figures of debt paying for her own (and ongoing) physical and mental therapy.

Still, while she could not forget that day in May 2020, Tirado could not fully process it. One of the "specific cruelties of litigation," she said in an interview, is that she couldn't write anything down about what happened to her.

That changed Thursday night when Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey signed a settlement agreement under which the city has agreed to pay Tirado $600,000, resolving a lawsuit she filed against the city and its law enforcement.

The settlement also affirms the Minneapolis Police Department's stated commitment to, going forward, using "only the force that is objectively reasonable to effectively bring an incident under control"  and only using crowd-control methods explicitly authorized by top brass, rules added to the force's training manual after, but not explicitly because of, the Tirado incident.

There is no apology  indeed, the city insists it is not an admission of liability (a spokesperson declined to comment). But Tirado is nonetheless pleased, even if the money she gets will not even cover her own medical bills. Now, at least, she can keep a journal again without fear that it will be subject to discovery in a lawsuit; she can process her trauma.

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"There's something incredibly freeing about being able to write without having to think of how my rough drafts will be perceived," she said. After pivoting to nature photography in the year after she was blinded, Tirado can also now return to telling human stories  of people on the margins  without fear that those communications could too end up in a court of law. She's now in Germany, reporting for Substack on the plight of Syrian and Afghan refugees.

"I couldn't say it's a homecoming, because nothing is the same  it never will be again," Tirado said. "But it does feel like I'm walking on some familiar paths again."

When civil unrest broke out across the country following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, dozens of journalists were injured while trying to report on the aftermath. Tirado is not the only one who believes they were targeted, and not just by police in Minnesota.

In Portland, for example, photographer Trip Jennings recounted in an interview with Insider how he was lucky to avoid serious injury. "As soon as I exposed something that was vulnerable, which was my face, they shot me," he said of federal agents that had been deployed there by the Trump administration.

Tai-Heng Cheng, a partner at the high-powered corporate law firm Sidley, who represented Tirado pro bono, said it was his hope that such incidents would be reduced by the settlement. At the very least, others who believe they are victims of unjustified force will have a document they can use in their own litigation.

"Now we have it in writing  and in representations in this settlement  that this is what police are supposed to do," Cheng said, a fact that should help any future victims. "You cannot tell me that you could have shot and blinded a journalist such as Linda if you were following the police department's manual."

That, more than the money, is why Tirado says she agreed to the settlement. It's just a shame, she said, that the $600,000 is coming from the city's general fund, not the police. "It's frankly bullshit," she said. She plans to give a percentage of the settlement back to the community herself.

And while she doesn't think it alone will change policing in America, Tirado does hope her ordeal and the settlement it resulted in will nudge the country in the right direction.

"I think that these reforms take a thousand pushes and a thousand nudges until you hit a tipping point," she said. In a free and fair society, she argued, for police as for everyone else: "there will be consequences if you go out and shoot civilians."

Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com

Read the original article on Business Insider
Federal land managers could be reconsidering rentals of New Mexico public land to the oil and gas industry dating back to 2016 before drilling can occur, following a Wednesday ruling in federal court.

The settlement filed in United States District Court for the District of Columbia with Judge Rudolf Contreras overseeing the case will see the administration of President Joe Biden reconsider leases on a total of about 4 million acres in New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming.

The leases in question, and subsequent lawsuits from Santa Fe-based WildEarth Guardians and other environmental groups, were issued between 2016 and 2021.

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The New Mexico leases were first challenged in 2020 in a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Interior questioning the sale of about 2 million acres in the state, along with Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and Utah leased to oil and gas companies between 2016 and 2019.

Contreras ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, calling on the federal government to consider wider climate change impacts of not only production on federal lands but the burning of the fossil fuels produced.

This followed similar litigation in 2016 against about 460,000 acres leased in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, where Contreras ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in 2019.

More: Oil and gas threatens lizard native to southern New Mexico. Here's what's being done

Another suit was filed in 2021, challenging leases about a million acres in the Western states, including New Mexico, leased between 2016 and 2020.

Oil and gas industry advocacy groups the Western Energy Alliance and American Petroleum Institute intervened in the case for the defendant, but the judge dismissed their appeals.

The decision could lead to a reversal of leasing decisions issued during the administration of former-President Donald Trump, which was often criticized for relaxing environmental regulations on the oil and gas industry.

Story continues

More: Oil and gas land sale in New Mexico a month away as groups protest environmental impacts

It also comes at a time when environmentalists questions Bidens previous commitments to stronger climate change policy amid calls from the White House for other countries to increase oil production during skyrocketing demand on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic and bans on Russian imports after that countrys invasion of Ukraine.

A precedent could be set by the ruling as the BLM plans to hold a lease sale for the industry of about 500 acres in southeast New Mexicos Permian Basin on June 16, along with several others throughout the American West.

These would be the first new oil and gas leases issued under the Biden administration after a halt on new leasing implemented in 2021 when the President took office was blocked last year by a federal judge in Louisiana.

Tripp Parks, vice president of government affairs at the Western Energy Alliance said the groups were opposed to American energy production, which could ease high energy prices facing the nation.

For much of the past decade, litigious environmental groups who oppose all domestic oil and natural gas production have filed numerous lawsuits challenging BLMs onshore leasing program," he said.

"Even in a time of record high gasoline prices, these groups remain totally opposed to increased American energy development and celebrate any obstacle to lower prices."

More: Merger prioritizes Permian Basin oil and gas production as region sees record growth

Parks said he expected the BLM's updated environmental analysis would hold up in court and the upcoming lease sales would not be impacted by the ruling or any other legal challenges.

"The Alliance is confident that BLMs updated greenhouse gas analyses for the upcoming sales this month and next will withstand judicial scrutiny, and we anticipate the agency will apply the same analysis for the remanded sales at issue in the settled cases," Parks said.

"Once the supplemental reviews are complete, we hope these litigious groups will end their concerted efforts to halt all production on federal lands by nitpicking the hard work of the dedicated public servants at BLM.

Jeremy Nichols, climate and energy program director at WildEarth Guardians said the ruling provided an opportunity for Biden to follow through with promises, he said, made during the campaign and in the Presidents first year in office to crack down on fossil fuel pollution.

This is a big win for the climate and a real test to see if the Biden administration is going to get serious about confronting the climate impacts of selling public lands for fracking, Nichols said.

He said it was also a chance for the federal government to push renewable forms of energy like wind and solar, which Nichols argued would have less environmental impact and contribution to climate change.

More: Oil and gas touted by southeast New Mexico leaders, economists warn of volatility

With the oil and gas industry bent on despoiling Americas public lands and fueling the climate crisis, this is a critical opportunity for the Biden administration to chart a new path toward clean energy and independence from fossil fuels, he said.

In the settlement signed by attorneys for the plaintiffs and the federal defendants the Bureau of Land Management, a sub agency of the DOI, was required to conduct additional analysis into the environmental impacts of the leases under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and issue new decisions.

The intervenors expressed objections that the BLMs additional NEPA analysis would result in prejudice against the industry, but Contreras said in his ruling that it did not require the BLM to reach a conclusion for or against the leasing decisions.

More: How much does oil and gas spend to oppose environmental rules in New Mexico?

Intervenors real concern appears to be that BLM may decide to vacate or alter its leasing decisions after conducting the additional NEPA analysis, read the ruling. Again, because the settlement does not require BLM to reach a particular conclusion or even to conduct a full (environmental impact statement), any concerns about the agencys ultimate decision are necessarily speculative.

Plaintiffs in the case hoped the BLM would ultimately reduce the amount of public land it leased to the industry, arguing fossil fuel production in the U.S. created up to 900 million metric tons of air pollution  emissions equal to those of 200 million vehicles.

Fossil fuel consumption equates to nearly a quarter of greenhouse gases nationwide, per a report from WildEarth Guardians, while oil and gas together extracted from land and water accounted for 10 percent of countrys overall pollution linked to climate change.

This suite of cases has entirely recast the federal governments obligation to consider the cumulative climate impacts of oil and gas leasing on public lands, said Kyle Tisdel, attorney with the Western Environmental Law Center.

These settlements represent a fundamental opportunity for the Biden administration to align federal action with this climate reality and to keep its promise to present and future generations.

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Oil and gas leases in New Mexico could be reversed after court ruling
Former Vice President Pence announced late Monday that he is heading to North Carolina to support Trump-endorsed Rep. Ted Budd (R), who is vying for a Senate seat.

Next stop: North Carolina! Looking forward to traveling to the Tar Heel State to support @TedBuddNC and deliver remarks at the @NCGOP Faith and Values Summit! Pence tweeted.

Budd won the Republican primary for the North Carolina Senate seat last week, beating former Gov. Pat McCrory. Budd will now take on former state Supreme Court Justice Cheri Beasley (D) in the general midterms in November.

The Cook Political Report rates North Carolinas Senate race as lean Republican.

Pences tweet came after he finished campaigning for Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R), who is fending off a challenge from Trump-endorsed former Sen. David Perdue (R).

Former President Trump held a telerally with Perdue on Monday, showing one of the clearest splits between Trump and his former vice president as midterm campaigns heat up.

A Fox News poll released last week showed 60 percent of Georgia Republican primary voters supporting Kemp compared to 28 percent backing Perdue.

Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich called the former vice president desperate to chase his lost relevance over his midterm involvement.

Trump has endorsed hundreds of candidates up and down the tickets in this years elections, and after a hot start his picks have had a mixed record.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Jun. 3SOUTHERN INDIANA  Though no money has officially been allocated toward READI projects, Our Southern Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA) did approve a funding plan on Friday to disperse the federal funds.

Our Southern Indiana submitted $85 million worth of projects for its Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) application but was awarded the maximum amount of $50 million.

The group was left with the challenge of determining how much funding each of the submitted projects will receive. A dollar amount of what each project will get from READI funds is necessary before the submitted projects can get final approval from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC).

At the Friday meeting in Salem, River Hills Executive Director Cory Cochran presented a plan that would allow the projects to be funded in a tiered order. The RDA approved the plan unanimously.

"We've been talking about this for quite some time...It's very exciting to see these project leads be able to move forward and hopefully we'll see some actual progress and action items and we'll continue to hear from those project leads," RDA board chair Dana Huber said.

With the plan, submitted projects that requested $300,000 or less will be funded completely. The RDA gave the go-ahead for six of these Tier One projects.

While the RDA denoted a dollar amount for these projects so they can move forward in the IEDC approval process, they are not yet officially approved for funding.

The six Tier One projects are:

READI Broadband Plan for $100,000

Salem Municipal Airport for $253,800

Lake Salinda for $280,000

The ONE Fund for $125,000

Align Southern Indiana Master Trails Plan for $70,000

Southern Indiana Youth Sports Complex for $24,000

Jeff Boat Master Redevelopment Plan also falls within the Tier One group, but the RDA voted to review the project and await further information about it before approving it to move on to the IEDC.

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In all, Cochran said that the Tier One projects are expected to use just over $1 million of the READI funds.

Tier Two projects include those with costs that fall within $300,000 and $5 million. These projects will add up to about $22 million of the READI funds.

Projects that requested more than $5 million fall under Tier Three and in the RDA-approved plan will receive 52% of their funding from the READI fund.

Tier Three projects will make up a little more than $24 million of the READI funds.

Combined, the three tiers make up the $47 million left of the $50 million READI fund after the administrative fees of $3 million.

Cochran said that he believed that the project leaders of all six Tier One projects were at the Friday meeting, and they should be aware that the RDA is moving forward with submission to the IEDC.

"We will keep them up to date with their project status as frequently as we can," Cochran said.

While the projects with lower dollar amounts were not made to present to the RDA, Cochran said the project leaders seeking more funds will be asked to present their projects to the RDA and answer questions.

After projects pass through the IEDC, the RDA is responsible for the final approval.

Huber said that as these projects continue through the levels of approval the funding amount is subject to change.

The next scheduled RDA meeting is at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 8 at Mid-America Science Park in Scottsburg.
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Wapato man sentenced to almost five years in federal prison for fatal DUI crash in 2019
Larry Oathout was an ally for salmon in the Harbor ever since he came to the area in 1970.
A Puyallup resident wears his Kel-Tec RDB and several magazines of ammunition during a gun rights rally at the Capitol in Olympia in January 2018. A lawsuit filed Friday seeks to prevent Washington Senate Bill 5078, which outlaws the import and sale of any magazine that holds more than 10 rounds of ammunition, from going into effect.
This week marks the 100th Lions Club Convention in Nebraska. Chartered in 1921, the Columbus Noon chapter is the fourth oldest chapter in the state, according to Lions Club International Vice President Brian Sheehan.

"Coming to Nebraska here for the 100th anniversary is just fantastic when you look back over those 100 years and see how much community work was done and things that happened," Sheehan said.

Sheehan, currently vice president of the 1.4 million member organization, visited Columbus June 3 for the momentous occasion and to spend some time with the chapter that made it 100 years.

Sheehan will assume the position of president in 24 days, at the Lions Club International Convention in Montreal.

"In 25 days, 44 minutes and 25 seconds I'll be international president of the world," Sheehan told the Telegram June 3.

Sheehan got his start with the Lions Club very early, as he helped his father with activities as a child, but he officially joined in 1991 in Bird Island, Minnesota, a community of under 1,000. From there, he became president of that chapter, then zone chair for the area, then district governor, then third, second and first vice president, where he sits today.

"Its all about the community, community first and then its a big family is what it is," Sheehan said.

In his case, family is more literal, as Sheehan's father, mother, children, wife and his wife's father and grandfather have all been Lions.

For Sheehan, the Lions Club as an organization is about service. Over the 107 years the organization has been in operations, they have provided much-needed aid to many causes, he said.

"No matter where you're at, if you're in India, Africa, Nebraska, we all have the same things we want to get done so it's just awesome," Sheehan added.

As an example, District 38-O Governor Bob Arp said the Columbus chapter has its hand in many community activities and services.

"Columbus adheres to the five principles to a degree, but we go above and beyond with our list of activities every year," Arp said.

That list includes roadside cleanup from Walmart down to 18th Street along 23rd Street, the Columbus Days talent show, working with Keep Columbus Beautiful and administering vision and hearing tests and supplies for those who cannot afford them.

"We probably don't advertise and let people know what we do as much as we should," Arp said, chuckling.

One example of that kind of outreach was the free vision tests administered at Immanuel Lutheran Preschool Friday. Later that day, a group also participated in a Strides Walk for Diabetes, a brief exercise activity in Pawnee Park.

Joan Plummer, district chair for the Lions Club and a diabetes educator with Columbus Community Hospital, organized the walk. Walkers could ask questions about diabetes on the trail and get in some exercise. Plummer will speak later this weekend at the convention about diabetes prevention.

On a less local scale, Sheehan said the Lions have a foundation that provides assistance in the event of disasters. Money goes in and money comes out, he said.

"When someone gives a dollar, that entire dollar goes to somebody in need. We don't do any administrative costs or anything, that's covered by dues," Sheehan said. "The cool thing is if you have an emergency, you can have an emergency grant the next morning."

Another example Sheehan provided was aid for Ukraine. As an international organization, there are Lions in Ukraine, Sheehan said.

"We raised a lot for Ukraine. There are Lions Clubs there. We had a board meeting, asked if they wanted to be protected, they said no and that they were meeting, helping people. It blew me away," Sheehan said.

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Man fatally shot by police in Kent was suspected of killing ex-girlfriend, prosecutors say
Vikram Raju, 12, from Aurora, Colo., misspelled the word Senijextee in round 14 of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The word describes a Salishan people of the Columbia River Valley.
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The Fast and Furious movies are well-known for their exhilarating action sequences with extraordinary cars. The movie is synonymous with the names of actors like Paul Walked, Dwayne Johnson, Vin Diesel and others. Among all these names, one other name that instantly clicks is Sung Kang, who brought the character of Han Lue to life. Giving us the flawless action sequences in Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift driving a JDM in the form of a Mazda RX-7. However, the actor also has a similar affection for motorcycles. Recently, the Fast and Furious fame Sung Kang paid a visit to the Royal Enfield R&D facility in England.

The news was confirmed through a post he made via his Instagram account. He described how inspired he was to experience 121-year-old history. In his words, "Inspiring day meeting the passionate artisans behind @royalenfield. Humbled that you would for share your 121-year history & current process with me. Truly honored to be welcomed by the Royal Enfield family."

Sung Kang's post shows him checking out Royal Enfield's Interceptor 650 and Continental GT650. Moreover, the actor showed his keen interest in the Royal Enfield's heritage, clearly depicted by the pictures with the vintage motorcycle. However, the Royal Enfield SG650 Concept seemed to captivate the Fast & Furious star the most. The production version of the SG650 Concept will be called Shotgun 650 and will be available soon.

Also read: 2022 Maruti Suzuki Brezza: Heres what to expect? Price, features and more

Royal Enfield is one of the most popular motorcycle brands in India. And Indians are already quite impatient about the Royal Enfield Shotgun 650, and after seeing the Fast Furious star with the bike, the enthusiast might get envious of him. But for, those who are interested in the motorcycle can have a closer look at the motorcycle through the celebrities' photos.

Moreover, Sung Kang's post also gives us a kind of an introductory tour of Royal Enfield's history and designs.
China's AG600, also to be the world's biggest amphibious aircraft, has made its maiden flight over Zhuhai in South China's Guangdong Province, based on the reports by CGTN. The AG600 amphibious aircraft code-named Kunlong took off at 10:55 am from Zhuhai Jinwan Airport and proceeded to complete a series of test flight missions. Based on the reports, the aircraft flew for 20 minutes before landing on the ground.

The successful flight marks a new milestone for the AG600 project and a significant advance in enhancing the big amphibious aircraft's firefighting functional model, according to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). It is to be noted that this new aircraft has been specifically designed to carry out China's firefighting missions. The aircraft also carries the title of being the first Chinese made large specialised aircraft built to fulfil the airworthiness criteria under the civil-aircraft.

The new AG600 has a maximum water storage capacity of up to 12 tonnes and a maximum take-off weight of up to 60 tonnes. Moreover, a pressurised cabin, a fly-by-wire flight control system, an integrated avionics system, and equipment for future firefighting missions are all included in the aircraft.

Also read: Star Air starts direct flights connecting Bhuj, Ahmedabad and Belgavi

The aircraft can rescue up to 50 people in a single trip in difficult weather and environmental conditions. In addition, the aircraft is capable of landing and taking off from both water and land. The plane will be used to combat fires and will go into service in 2023. The AG600's firefighting and rescue variants will be certified by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

Once the plane is finished, it will claim the title of being the world's biggest amphibious aircraft beating Japan's US-2 and Russia's BE-200 in the competition.
After Sri Lankan authorities seized its Airbus A330 jet, Russia's Aeroflot has halted commercial flights to Colombo. Passengers with return tickets to Russia from Colombo on June 2, 4, and 5 will be transported to Russia from Sri Lanka on June 4 and 5. According to the announcement, repatriation flights would fly to Colombo sans passengers. Passengers holding tickets to Moscow for later dates will also be sent home on time, according to the company.

"Aeroflot is suspending commercial flights to Colombo (Sri Lanka) for the immediate period due to an unreliable situation in terms of the airline`s unobstructed flights to Sri Lanka. The sales of tickets for flights to Colombo have been temporarily shut down," the statement noted.

Meanwhile, on Friday, Sri Lanka`s Airport and Aviation Services issued a statement in which it stated that the flight to Moscow, which was scheduled to take off on June 2, had been restrained due to the absence of a permit from Sri Lanka`s aviation authorities.

According to the release, the Commercial High Court noted that the dispute between the Aeroloft-Russian Airlines and Celestial Aviation Trading Limited was purely a matter of a commercial nature which should be dealt with between the said two parties and no involvement of the state was emphasised.

A court hearing to lift the seizure of the aircraft is scheduled for June 8, 2022, according to the statement released by Sri Lanka`s Airport and Aviation Services. Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it had summoned Ambassador of Sri Lanka Janitha Abeywickrama Liyanage and had protested in connection with the detention of an Aeroflot plane at the Bandaranaike airport, Daily Mirror reported."

Also read - Aviation Trivia: Know why Aeroplanes fly at heights more than 30,000 feet

On June 3, the Ambassador of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to the Russian Federation, J.A.Liyanage, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry," the ministry said."We called on the Sri Lankan side to resolve this problem in a short time in order to avoid its negative impact on traditionally friendly bilateral relations," the ministry concluded.

( With inputs from ANI)
HARRISBURG  When Philadelphias election board prepared to count ballots last year that were mailed in without the voters handwritten date, Republicans threatened impeachment. Now a GOP Senate candidate wants counties to embrace the same approach.

In a last-ditch bid to close a roughly 900-vote gap with Dr. Mehmet Oz, former hedge fund CEO David McCormick was pressing for undated mail-in ballots to be counted. He finally acknowledged Friday that there were not enough ballots remaining to make up the difference.

McCormick had insisted he simply wanted every Republican vote to be counted in a contest that will decide the GOP nominee for one of this years most closely watched Senate races. But in calling for undated mail-in ballots to be counted, McCormick put the GOP in an uncomfortable spot after the party spent the better part of two years deriding such votes as illegal alongside a broader embrace of former President Donald Trumps lies about widespread fraud in the 2020 campaign.

Now it looks like we could be OK for something if it impacts the race in a way you want it to go, said Mike Barley, a Republican campaign strategist in Pennsylvania who does not have a candidate in the Senate race.

The national and state party fought McCormick in state courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court could resolve the matter any day now. In any case, most Republicans believe McCormick is out of luck and will be unable to make up the votes in a recount, regardless of whether undated ballots are counted.

More registered Democrats vote by mail in Pennsylvania than do registered Republicans, possibly as a result of Trumps baseless smearing of mail-in voting as rife with fraud.

Until now, Republican Party leaders had been solidly unified behind the idea that ballots without a voters handwritten date on the envelope must be thrown out.

The law, they reasoned, is clear on that point  even if that handwritten date on a ballot envelope plays no role in determining whether a voter is eligible or whether a ballot is cast on time.

Then, three days after the May 17 primary election, a federal appeals court ruled in a case stemming from a local judicial election last year that throwing out such ballots violates federal civil rights law.

As he tries to find the votes to overtake the Trump-endorsed Oz, McCormick has argued that every Republican vote should count, and, in court, his lawyer, Charles Cooper, told a state judge that the object of Pennsylvanias election law is to let people vote, not to play games of gotcha with them.

McCormicks pursuit served up a sort of whiplash for Republicans, who had threatened to impeach Philadelphia election officials last year after they moved to count such ballots and accused state judges of stealing a state Senate seat in 2020 when they ruled that the ballots could be counted in that years election.

This time around, however, Republicans didnt blasting judges or threatening to impeach the county election boards that are counting the ballots.

Not at this point, because its still in litigation, said Republican state Rep. Seth Grove, who chairs the committee that writes election-related legislation.

In court, the Republican National Committee and the state Republican Party opposed McCormick. The party, however, was not unified in that effort.

For instance, the Butler County Republican Party, which endorsed McCormick, hasnt taken a side in the fight, county GOP chair Al Lindsay said.

Counties that already counted the undated ballots, without being forced, include Republican counties, both big and small.

Sam DeMarco, the Republican Party chair in heavily populated Allegheny County, said hes not aware that Republicans have actually changed their mind about the law.

Rather, he has heard griping from Republicans about McCormick because they think this is what the Democrats would do.

In any case, it is probably better to get the fight out of the way in a Republican primary, rather than leave it for the general election, he said.

I just want to get a definitive ruling and, personally Im happy its happening now, in a primary, rather than in November, where the actual seat would be up for grabs, DeMarco said.

McCormicks concession sets up a November general election between Oz and Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who said Friday that he nearly died in the days before his primary after suffering a stroke.

Despite McCormicks concession to Oz, the Associated Press has not declared a winner in the race because an automatic recount is underway. The Pennsylvania secretary of state is scheduled to release the results of the recount on Wednesday.

Barley, the campaign strategist, said the perception that the party has shifted its stance  or that some Republicans have, anyway  sets a dangerous precedent.

What happens in November if it doesnt go your way and then you dont want them counted? he asked.

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Vietjet has launched direct flights from Mumbai to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, and Ho Chi Minh City, the country's largest city. The Consulate General of Vietnam in Mumbai, the airport authorities, Vietjet management representatives, and hundreds of passengers onboard the initial flights attended the inaugural flight celebration of the two direct routes at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai.

To celebrate the occasion, Vietjet will offer 19,999 super-saver tickets from just USD 0 applied to all flights between Vietnam and India with a travel duration from July 1 to December 31, 2022. Promotional tickets are up for grabs daily from 10:30 AM on June 7 till 10:30 pm on June 9, 2022.

Besides the Mumbai - Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi services, Vietjets direct routes between New Delhi and the aforementioned cities currently operate thrice-weekly flights on each route. From September 9, 2022, the Mumbai - Phu Quoc route will commence operation with four round trips per week, while the New Delhi  Phu Quoc will operate with a frequency of three round trips per week.

Also read: Fire breaks out at Delhi airport, pushback towing vehicle burned- WATCH

Vietjets direct services between India and Vietnam are expected to ease peoples travelling to the country and make connecting flights to the countrys top tourist destinations such as Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Hue, etc. and other regional destinations including Bali, Bangkok and Singapore, etc.

Vietjets Vice President Do Xuan Quang said, Following our launch of New Delhi  Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi services, we are delighted to launch two more direct routes between Vietnam and Mumbai. We believe that the two services from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to Mumbai, as well as the coming Phu Quoc  Mumbai route, will strengthen the ongoing relationship of Vietnams two biggest cities with Mumbai. The services launched between Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi and Mumbai operate four and thrice-weekly flights, respectively. We expect to increase the frequency in the incoming time to meet customers demand.

Speaking about Vietjets launching its network from Mumbai, CSMIA Spokesperson said, CSMIA is pleased to partner with Vietjet and launches new direct flight connectivity between Mumbai and Vietnam. These services by Vietjet will offer diversified travel destinations and flight schedules, as well as add direct flight options to CSMIAs route network from Mumbai to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to further boost travel opportunities between the two countries. CSMIA has been working extensively to provide connectivity to destinations across the world and creating new routes for consumers while offering best-in-class facilities and services along with ensuring safety and comfort while travellers transit through the airport.
New Delhi: Layer'r Shot, a perfume and body spray, has been heavily criticised on Twitter for its two new advertisements that, users of the microblogging platform say, are promoting rape culture. Twitter users have called out the brand for coming up with creepy advertisements that promote rape. Both the advertisements are receiving backlash from netizens, with many asking who approved such disgusting content.

In one of the advertisements, four men are seen having a conversation at what looks like a beauty section in a convenience store. Upon seeing the last bottle of Layer'r perfume in the rack, the men discuss who will take the bottle of the body perfume as theres only one remaining. But the way they discuss it sounds appalling to a woman who is seen with a cart.

Hum chaar aur ye ek.. Shot kon lega(Were four and theres only left..Who will take the shot?), the men discussed. Upon hearing their discussion, the woman turns back shocked and angered at them. However, to her surprise, she finds that the men are discussing Shot, the body spray. Also Read: RBI slaps penalty on Punjab and Sind Bank: 5 things customers should know

How does this kind of ads get approved, sick and outright disgusting. Is @layerr_shot full of perverts? Second ad with such disgusting content from Shot.@monikamanchanda pic.twitter.com/hMEaJZcdmR  Rishita(@RishitaPrusty_) June 3, 2022

In the second ad, a couple is shown in the bedroom. In the next scene, four male friends of the guy comes to the room and ask, Shot mara lagta hai (It looks like you have hit a shot?, to which he responds, ha mara na (yes, I did). In the next scene, a friend says, ab humari baari (its now our turn), and goes on to pick up a body perfume bottle kept aside from the bed in the room. Also Read: PF Balance Check Online: Heres how to do it via missed call, SMS, UMANG app and EPFO website

Can't find the ad online but here it is, apparently being played during the match. I didn't see it till @hitchwriter showed it to me Who are the people making these ads really? pic.twitter.com/zhXEaMqR3Q  Permanently Exhausted Pigeon (@monikamanchanda) June 3, 2022

Following the ads started airing on Tv channels, several Twitter users started calling out the brand for promoting rape. Here are a few of the reactions:

This ad is not an accident. To make an ad, a brand goes through several layers of decision making. Creatives, script, agency, client, casting DOES EVERYONE THINK RAPE IS A JOKE? Revelatory! This brand, the agency that made this ad need to be sued for the filth theyre serving. https://t.co/M3YjbljAYN  RichaChadha (@RichaChadha) June 4, 2022

What incredibly tasteless and twisted minds it must take to think up, approve and create these stinking body spray gang rape innuendo ads..!! Shameful.  Farhan Akhtar (@FarOutAkhtar) June 4, 2022

Terrible advertising. Just unacceptable.  Prof. Dr. Sanjeev Bagai (@BagaiDr) June 4, 2022

Just a way for them to get free social media advertising. I didn't know about the brand two minutes ago.  69fubar (@69fubar) June 3, 2022
New Delhi: Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal, on Friday (June 4), said that the government will investigate the reasons why Turkey rejected the consignment shipping 56,877 tonnes of Indian Durum wheat. The minister addressed the concerns related to the rejection of Indian wheat consignment by Turkey over phytosanitary concerns. The ships carrying the consignment shipped back on May 29 to Kandala port in Gujarat, according to media reports.

According to the Turkish authorities, the Indian wheat consignment was detected with Indian Rubella disease. The Turkish Ministry of agriculture and forestry rejected the shipment based on concerns about the disease.

Following Turkeys decision, wheat traders and exporters are concerned about the cancellations of other lineup shipments. However, addressing the concerns, Goyal said that upon inquiry, he found that ITC had exported wheat to a Netherland buyer after following the due process and quality check.

Goyal pointed out that ITC is a reputed company. He added that the conglomerate exports good quality wheat. "I am sure that Indian wheat is of best quality"

India has exported 70 lakh tonnes of wheat in the last fiscal and 14.5 lakh tonnes in April and this reflects that "world over, Indian wheat is welcomed," he said.

Meanwhile, Goyal warned those wheat exporters who are generating backdated Letter of Credit (LC) or backdated applications saying that the government is investigating the matter and strongest action will be taken against them.

"We are investigating each one of those wheat exporters to verify and the strongest action will be taken on any exporter who has tried to create backdated Letter of Credits (LC) or backdated applications," he said. Also Read: Delhi: Around 200 liquor stores shut up shop in capital city, heres why

"I want to give this message very clearly. Friendly nations who have asked us for support, there is a committee which has been constituted inter-ministerial where officers from Agriculture, Food and Foreign Affairs Ministry are a part of that committee. Collectively based on the population of the country and their genuine requirements, particularly for our neighbouring and our friendly countries, that committee takes a decision and allows the export of wheat. Whichever foreign government will apply, the committee will examine it", Goyal was quoted as saying by ANI. Also Read: Garena Free Fire redeem codes for today, June 4: Get free FF rewards with 100% working codes
India is moving towards electric mobility, and the government is supplementing the growth of EVs in India. In a similar attempt, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari was recently seen analysing the Yulu Miracle, an electric two-wheeler. It is to be noted that Yulu is an application which allows users to rent small-sized electric two-wheelers for commuting in a particular area. It is also a popular mode of transportation in some regions of Delhi for people who want to explore the place.

As per a recent post on Yulu's official Twitter handle, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari can be seen checking out and later sitting on the electric two-wheeler. The post by Yulu mentioned that they were honoured to meet Nitin Gadkari. They further mentioned discussing the potential of electric scooters in to empower India's economy workers.

It was an honour to meet our electrifying leader Sh. @nitin_gadkari & showcase Yulus @makeinindia design, engineering & technological innovation. Also discussed the potential of electric scooters to empower Indias 1.5 Cr gig economy workers. @PMOIndia @beeindiadigital pic.twitter.com/fPeB2ORYRI  Yulu (@YuluBike) May 25, 2022

Yulu Miracle is an electric two-wheeler with a top speed of 25 kmph. The scooter has a lightweight design with a low centre of gravity, making it easy to ride and manoeuvre. Moreover, the centre stands on the electric scooter locks automatically to give the rider a hassle-free experience.

Also read: Kia EV6 vs BMW i4 spec comparison: The best mid-electric car to buy in India

The scooter that Nitin Gadkari is sitting on has a single seat with a sensor that detects whether someone is sitting on the two-wheeler and displays the battery status. The footboard houses the battery pack. The front end has been designed to easily accommodate the rider's legs. The front wheel is comprised of solid rubber and is therefore impervious to punctures.

Meanwhile, electric scooter fire incidents are also on a rise. After brands like Ola, Pure EV, and Jitendra EV now Hero Electric has also joined the list of companies involved in EV fire incidents.

This is not the first time Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has been spotted checking environment-friendly vehicles. Earlier, he was seen with Toyota Mirai for his new pilot project. The sedan from the Japanese automaker is powered by a Hydrogen based advanced Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV). The pilot project will be conducted by Toyota along with International Center for Automotive Technology (ICAT) to study and evaluate the world's most advanced FCEV Toyota Mirai, which runs on hydrogen.

Toyota Mirai has a Guinness Book of World Record in its name to run 1359 km on a single tank, making it the greenest car in the world. Toyota Mirai has an EPA-certified mileage of 650 km on a single tank. Hydrogen takes less time to refill and has zero tailpipe emission, just like Electric Vehicles.
New Delhi: Preggers Sonam Kapoor is currently in Italy, enjoying her time. She along with her doting husband Anand Ahuja flew to Florence, Italy for their 'babymoon'. Sonam took to her Instagram stories, giving a sneak-peek into her vacay. She posted a series of pictures and videos from Italy.

Wearing a lime green dress, Sonam Kapoor flaunted her cutesy baby bump sitting at a restaurant. In the video, Sonam can be heard saying, "Hey. Where, where are we, babymoon?" She then picked up a glass of juice and said, "Having orange juice instead of wine." Anand showed a water bottle, and they both said, "Water is the best." Take a look at the pictures:

Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja announced the pregnancy in March this year on social media. In the caption, they wrote, Four hands. To raise you the very best we can. Two hearts. That will beat in unison with yours, every step of the way. One family. Who will shower you with love and support. We can't wait to welcome you.

Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja got married in May 2018 in Mumbai after several years of dating.

Sonam Kapoor was last seen in the film AK vs AK on the work front. She has a crime thriller titled Blind in her kitty which is directed by Shome Makhija. The film also stars Purab Kohli, Vinay Pathak and Lillete Dubey in pivotal roles. Blind will premiere on the OTT platform.
Aam Aadmi Party today accused Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of awarding PPE kit contracts to his firms linked to his wife and son. "Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma gave govt contracts to firms of his wife, son's business partners to supply PPE kits in 2020," senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia claimed during a press conference. Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was earlier a part of the Congress party, had joined in BJP in 2016.

Himanta Biswa Sarma was appointed as Health Minister in the cabinet headed by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. After 2021 Assam Assembly Polls, Himanta Biswa Sarma was appointed as the Chief Minister of Assam.

Manish Sisodia claimed that while the Assam government procured PPE kits for Rs 600 a piece from other companies, Sarma gave urgent supply orders to the firms of his wife and son's business partners for Rs 990 a piece "taking advantage of the COVID-19 emergency". The firm belonging to Sarma's wife does not even deal in medical equipment, he alleged.

"While the contract given to the firm of Sarma's wife was cancelled as the company could not supply PPE kits, another supply order was given to the firm belonging to the business partners of his son at a rate of Rs 1,680 per kit," Sisodia said citing the media report.

He said two websites had collaborated on the story and published it two days ago.

The AAP leader asked why the members of the BJP were silent on corruption by a chief minister of a state ruled by the saffron party.

"They talk of corruption and level baseless allegations against members of opposition parties. I want to probe their understanding of corruption... Want to ask them if they consider this (Assam case) corruption or not," Sisodia added.

He said the Enforcement Directorate arrested Satyendar Jain on "bogus" charges of corruption and the Centre told the court on Friday that he is "not an accused".

The ED had arrested Jain on May 30 in a money laundering case after hours of questioning. The agency has alleged that the AAP leader and his wife had amassed disproportionate wealth worth Rs 1.47 crore between February 2015 and May 2017, more than double their known sources of income.
Zee News Exclusive: SN Shrivastava, former Delhi Police Commissioner on Saturday (June 4) in an exclusive interaction with Zee media said the criminals connect with other criminals and make gangs and networks mainly for hideouts, scoring weapons and many times having the same rival also serves the purpose. Speaking on a number of subjects, Srivastava talked about issues ranging from organised crime in India to targeted killings in Kashmir.

Targeted Killings in Kashmir

Speaking on the situation of Kashmir after the removal of article 370, Shrivastava said, " After the abrogation of article 370, the situation in the valley has improved as the separatist groups and separatist minded people are now frightened of the law and order which was not the case before."

Organised crimes in India

Shrivastava when asked about the main reason for organised crime, said, "people engage in organised crimes primarily to make profits and produce money in with shortcut way." He also pointed out that a slow criminal justice system also gives leverage to criminals to carry out their heinous acts while they oscillate between the court and police.

Increasing cyber crimes in India

Former Delhi Police Commissioner also pointed out the increasing cybercrimes in India and informed that government has special portals dedicated to the reporting of cyber frauds so the victims are not needed to go to the police station to register their case

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Hyderabad: Members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Telangana protested at Jubilee Hills Police Station on Friday over the alleged rape case reported by a father. A complaint was lodged by the Hyderabad police on Friday after a man accused 5 minors of allegedly raping his minor daughter on May 28 at the Jubilee Hills Police Station area. "The police have registered a case under section 354, and 323 of the Indian Penal Code and section 9 r/w 10 of POCSO Act," said Joel Davi, DCP West Zone.

Meanwhile, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha expressed confidence in the Telangana police and took to Twitter to express her concern for the women`s safety.

#WATCH | BJP Telangana members protest at Jubliee Hills PS, Hyderabad over Jubliee Hills rape case Security forces were deployed at the protest site. A case was registered against 5 minors for allegedly raping a minor girl on May 28. pic.twitter.com/gbPvsbzNNW  ANI (@ANI) June 3, 2022

"In the sad and shameful incident where a minor was raped, we stand by the family. I am confident Telangana Police will get to the bottom of it. We have a track record of Zero Tolerance when it comes to Women`s safety," K Kavitha tweeted.

ALSO READ: AIMIM MLA's son involved in Hyderabad gang-rape case or not? 5 BIG DEVELOPMENTS

While Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao requested the state Home Minister Mohammad Mahmood Ali, DGP and Hyderabad City Police Commissioner to take immediate and stern action in the rape case and asked them not to "spare anyone involved irrespective of their statuses or affiliations".

Live TV
The Enforcement Directorate has appealed to the Dubai government through the Ministry of External Affairs to monitor abhishek banerjee's foreign visits. According to ED sources, the letter has given all the information related to the visit of Abhishek and Rujira Banerjee to Dubai. Apart from this, it has been informed that Abhishek Banerjee is to be interrogated in the coal smuggling case. Abhishek Banerjee has gone to Dubai for eye treatment, this information has also been conveyed in the ED letter. The ED has appealed to the Dubai government through the Ministry of External Affairs to monitor Abhishek Banerjee's visit.

From June 3 to June 10, he should not be summoned to investigate for the coal smuggling case. Abhishek Banerjee sent a letter to the ED with this request. In response, the ED banned him from leaving the country. Abhishek Banerjee approached the court seeking a stay on the ED ban. Hearing the case on Thursday, his lawyer said that the date of the eye examination is scheduled for June 3. Abhishek Banerjee has travelled abroad twice even after the coal smuggling case started in November 2020. So what is the reason for this ban now? Abhishek himself wrote a letter to the ED about his problems. So why is the ED behaving this way? Abhishek Banerjee is not an accused in any case.

At that time, the ED's lawyer in the high court said that the Supreme Court had said that the ED can summon Abhishek Banerjee with a notice 24 hours in advance. Now if the ED sends him a notice tomorrow, how will he appear in 24 hours? Then the Supreme Court's order will be disobeyed. When did Abhishek Banerjee have an accident? Who will treat? He didn't say whose appointment was made. Vinay Mishra is involved in corruption of around Rs 730 crore and has fled to Dubai. He is a permanent resident there.

The judge then said, "When you (ED) know that Vinay Mishra is in Dubai, what steps have you taken to arrest him?" The ED's lawyer said a red corner notice had been issued against him. Abhishek Banerjee may go to Dubai and meet Vinay Mishra. There are fears that Abhishek Banerjee may flee to Dubai. Abhishek has visited multiple times with Vinay Mishra. What is the problem that he is not being treated in India? Abhishek Banerjee is hiding medical information. We may also question Abhishek Banerjee's wife. If she also goes to Dubai, how will we question her? She (Rujira Banerjee) has no illness.

On May 26, Abhishek Banerjee came to know that his appointment in Dubai was scheduled for June 3. He booked a flight ticket for June 1. The return ticket has been issued from Dubai on June 10. On May 31, he wrote a letter to the ED. Dubai is not famous for medical treatment. So the logic of Abhishek Banerjee going abroad for this treatment is not correct. The Calcutta High Court then ordered that Abhishek Banerjee will inform the ED about the flight ticket, dubai hospital address, phone number and address of the place where he will be staying in Dubai.

Abhishek and Rujira Banerjee are not named in the FIR. They've been questioned before. Abhishek Banerjee has made several appearances at the ED's Delhi office. No fresh summons have been issued in his name. They also submitted the necessary documents. So it can't be said that they are not helping in the investigation. Supreme Court did not regulate the movement of Abhishek and Rujira Banerjee. Since the hospital has said that one can go with Abhishek Banerjee, there is no bar for Rujira Banerjee to go. Abhishek Banerjee is an MP. He has travelled abroad several times since the start of the case. So the fear that he will run away to Dubai or anywhere else from Dubai is unfounded.

Meanwhile, Abhishek Banerjee submitted documents related to the visit to the Enforcement Directorate's office following the high court's order before leaving for Dubai. According to ED sources, abhishek banerjee sent information regarding air tickets, dubai hospital address, phone number to the kolkata and delhi offices.
New Delhi: With 3,962 new Covid-19 infections being reported in the last 24 hours, India's total tally of cases rose to 4,31,64,544, according to Union health ministry data updated on Saturday (June 4, 2022). The active caseload stands at 22,416. India recorded 26 new deaths in the last 24 hours. The country also reported 2,697 recoveries in a day. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has increased to 4,26,25,454, while the case fatality rate has been recorded at 1.22 per cent.

#COVID19 | India reports 3,962 fresh cases, 2,697 recoveries, and 26 deaths in the last 24 hours. Total active cases are 22,416. pic.twitter.com/wV9V0SMnoj  ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2022

An increase of 1,239 cases has been recorded in the active Covid-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The ministry also informed that the active cases comprise 0.05 per cent of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.74 per cent.

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.89 per cent and the weekly positivity rate was 0.77 per cent, according to the ministry.

The cumulative doses administered under the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 193.96 crore on Saturday at 8 am.

The last 24 hours saw a total of 4,45,814 Covid-19 tests being conducted in the country.
Any deep dive is bound to make a splash followed by a ripple.

Throughout its history, Cumberland County has played host to a variety of getaway destinations often built around such natural features as mineral springs, inland lakes and waterways.

In many cases, transportation had an influence over how far and fast each summertime attraction progressed in a cycle that moved from pent-up demand to a popularity surge to a shift in consumer preferences and a re-purposing of the grounds.

Fairs and festivals have emerged that lend such a sense of identity and tradition that local residents plan reunions and homecomings around Summerfair and Jubilee Day.

In this series, The Sentinel will explore the origins of 12 local attractions using material drawn from past newspaper articles along with information available through the Cumberland County Historical Society and other online sources.

Day 2 will run online Monday and in Monday's print edition.

Day 1 - Carlisle Springs Hotel

The handbill advertised beautiful scenery along with the health benefits of drinking and bathing in the sulfur spring water.

Beyond its medicinal qualities, the resort at Carlisle Springs, located where Spring Road and Sulpher Springs Road intersect today in Middlesex Township about 5 miles north of Carlisle, offered its guests the chance to stroll over its extensive lawns, hike through the adjoining woods and dance the night away.

For the men the hotel provided a bowling alley and there was fishing nearby, said an article published in the summer 1995 edition of the journal Cumberland County History.

Horses and carriages were available for jaunts into the countryside, the limestone cave in the bank of the Conodoguinet [Creek] being particularly recommended, the article reads.

The story of this destination began in 1792 after William Ramsey acquired land in Middlesex Township that included mildly sulfurous springs. Over the decades that followed there was a growing acceptance in medical and social circles of the health benefits of spas.

In 1830, Ramsey capitalized on this trend by constructing a two-story frame building along an old Indian trail that eventually became a road running between New Bloomfield and Carlisle. The inn was used as a boarding house for visitors. Ramsey also installed a stone basin to collect the water flowing from the spring.

As his product became popular, Ramsey bottled the water for shipment elsewhere. He leased the hotel operation to two neighbors. When Ramsey died in 1832, the 21 acres that included the spring were sold off to David Cornman, a local landowner.

Twenty years later, Anson Norton and Morris Owen of New York purchased the 21 acres from Corman and in 1853-1854 built a larger and more luxurious hotel than the original structure. The building could accommodate 200 guests on four floors topped with a cupola surrounded by balconies and porticos.

Handbills circulating its virtues drew in guests from as far away as Baltimore and Philadelphia. A village was developed around the resort to include a schoolhouse, post office, general store and a church shared by Reformed and Lutheran congregations.

Some of the guests brought their own horses and carriages, but most came by train  via Harrisburg, and were conveyed to the Springs in time for afternoon tea, the journal article reads. Board was $1.75 a day or 10 dollars a week, but only nine if one stayed longer than four weeks. Children and servants might be charged half the regular rates. The hotel was staffed with attentive and obliging black servants. No hotel register exists today to identify the guests.

The Civil War was a blow from which the Carlisle Springs hotel did not recover, the journal article reads. Many of the summer guests in the 1850s had come from the southern states; but after the outbreak of war in 1861, they no longer came north, while the number of visitors from Philadelphia and Baltimore fell off as well.

As the Confederate army approached Pennsylvania in the summer of 1863 some farmers in York, Cumberland and Adam counties moved their horses and herds through Carlisle Springs to the safety of Perry and Juniata counties, the article reads. Those who stayed  labeled the fleeing farmers derisively as skeddadlers.  On June 28, 1863, a party of some 20 rebel cavalrymen rode into Carlisle Springs on a reconnoitre. They seized no property and did no harm.

After the war, Carlisle Springs lost its customary summer patronage. Springs and spas began to lose their appeal. In 1867, the hotel burned down allegedly by an arsonist. The building was then replaced by a smaller structure that was not identified on an 1872 map as a hotel.

In 1879 the property was sold to Willis W. Gutschall, who tore the building down and erected a stone farmhouse on the site, the article reads. Nothing now remains above ground to show where the hotels stood. The sulphur spring is still visible and accessible from a land off the main road, but the iron spring has been lost to sight.

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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New Delhi: Amid a spurt in Covid-19 cases in the state, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Saturday (June 4) clarified that the Uddhav Thackeray-led government has not made masks mandatory but advised people to wear them. Tope told mediapersons in Pune, Although the letter by the health ministry says the use of masks is a must, it is in fact an appeal to people to wear masks. No action will be taken against those who don't wear them. The health minister said it is recommended to wear masks in enclosed places like trains, buses, cinemas, auditoriums, offices, hospitals, colleges and schools. People are expected to wear masks in such places, PTI cited him as saying.

On Friday, the Maharashtra health department in a letter to district and civic authorities had directed them to increase testing and asked people to wear masks in enclosed spaces. However, this led to confusion as to whether the government has imposed the mask mandate again. The state government had struck down the mask compulsion in April this year as the cases declined.

Mumbai, Pune, Palghar, Thane and parts of Raigad district have been witnessing a surge in coronavirus cases, Tope said.

The state task force on COVID-19 which met two days ago in Mumbai decided to appeal to people to wear masks more frequently to minimise the chances of contracting the infection. The state government will observe the situation for the next 15 days, the minister said.

He added that although Covid-19 cases are increasing, hospitalisations are still very low, indicating that infections are very mild. The state government has also asked all district collectors and municipal commissioners to accelerate testing and vaccination. The authorities should monitor whether people are wearing masks at designated places, Tope said.

On Thursday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray urged people to use face masks and get vaccinated if they want to avoid Covid-19 curbs. He said the government will monitor the situation for a fortnight at the state COVID-19 task force meeting.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra on Saturday registered 1,357 new Covid-19 infections and one death, as per the state health department data. This is the third consecutive day when Maharashtra logged over 1,000 infections. The state has currently 5,888 active cases. The coronavirus caseload in the state is at 78,91,703 while the death toll stands at 1,47,865.

(With agency inputs)
Srinagar: Terrorist Commander of proscribed terror outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen Nisar Khanday was killed while three soldiers and a civilian were injured in an overnight encounter in Jammu and Kashmirs Anantnag district on in teh wee hours of Saturday (May 4, 2022). Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition including one AK 47 rifle was recovered from the terrorist. "Terrorist Commander of proscribed #terror outfit HM Nisar Khanday killed. #Incriminating materials, #arms & ammunition including 01 AK 47 rifle recovered. #Operation in progress," Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar tweeted.

The gunfight broke out between terrorists and security forces in Rishipora village Kapran area of Anantnag district of South Kashmir.

A police officer monitoring the operation said that a joint of team of police, Army and CRPF after receiving input about the presence of terrorists in the village launched cordon and search operation.

The official informed that as the joint team of searching party cordoned the suspected spot, the exchange of fire begun between terrorists and searching party, soon more reinforcements were rushed to spot and all entry and exit points were sealed.

IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar confirming the exchange of fire said, Encounter has started at Rishipora area of Anantnag. Police and security forces are on the job. Further details will be shared.

Source in police said that input is that two terrorists are trapped inside the cordon, however actual number can be told once operation is over.

Its pertained to mention that it was the 56th Encounter of this year security forces have managed to kill now 89 terrorists including 26 Pakistani in earlier operations. And have arrested 44 active terrorists and their 184 associates. however, 17 civilians and 16 security personals too have lost their lives in Kashmir this year terror incidents.
New Delhi: The apex child rights body NCPCR has sought an explanation from the Hyderabad police over the delay in the registration of an FIR in connection with the gang rape of a 17-year-old girl in the city. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has also sought the registration of an FIR against a city pub for allowing entry to minors. The girl had attended a daytime party at the pub before she was raped by five people, including three juveniles, on May 28.

ALSO READ: Hyderabad gang-rape shocker: Third accused arrested, Telangana BJP chief demands CBI probe

"The Commission has observed that since the incident allegedly/reportedly took place on 28.05.2022 (Saturday), the FIR in the said incident has been lodged on 31.05.2022, i.E. After three days of the incident. The delay in registering the FIR in the matter is a matter of concern. Reasons thereof may be furnished and action against the concerned errant official should also be taken and appraised to the Commission," the NCPCR said in a letter to the Hyderabad police on Friday.

The Commission also asked the police to ensure that the victim's identity is not revealed during the investigation.

According to police, the girl's father lodged a complaint on May 31 stating that she might have been molested but she could not disclose what happened as she was in a state of shock.

ALSO READ: AIMIM MLA's son involved in Hyderabad gang-rape case or not? 5 BIG DEVELOPMENTS

The NCPCR further said that a pub allowing entry to minors is also a matter of serious concern.

"Therefore, the Commission is of the view that an FIR should also be lodged against the said pub authorities and action taken thereof be informed," it said.

It also asked the police to furnish a detailed case report within seven days from the date of receipt of this letter including age proof of minor victims, true and legible copy of FIR, copy of statements of the victim, copy of charge sheet, present status of investigation and action taken against the accused.

An 18-year-old accused was arrested in the case on Friday, the police said, adding that prima facie, they have evidence against three juveniles and another 18-year-old.

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Hyderabad: The Telangana Police has arrested the third accused in the case of gang-rape of a teenage girl in Hyderabad's Jubilee Hills last week. So far, three accused including two minors have been nabbed in the Hyderabad rape case. One accused, identified as Saduddin Malik, was arrested yesterday and the second accused who is a juvenile was held earlier today."In continuation of arrest of accused Saduddin Malik, two children in conflict with law were apprehended by Jubilee Hills police today. They are being produced before Juvenile Court for their custody," police said.

Meanwhile, Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Bandi Sanjay on Saturday wrote to Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao demanding to hand over the Hyderabad gang-rape case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and arrest all the accused involved. Earlier, Jana Sena Party leaders and workers staged a protest at Jubliee Hills Police Station demanding justice for the victim of the Hyderabad rape case. They were later detained.

One person was arrested on Friday (June 3). In total, five people have been identified. In a press conference, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone) Joel Davis said the suspect Saduddin Malik was arrested by the police. Out of the five people identified, three are minors, the police added. CCTV footage and the statement of the victim have led the cops to the accused.

#Hyderabad minor girl rape case | Police makes second arrest in the rape case. One accused, Saduddin Malik was arrested yesterday.  ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2022

"Hyderabad rape victim could not reveal anything about the culprits. But she managed to reveal one name and special teams were immediately formed to nab them. CCTV footage has been recovered. We have identified five culprits as per CCTV footage and as per the statement of the victim," Joel Davis said. He further said that the cops have identified a juvenile boy and his location has been traced. However, as per law, minors should not be apprehended in night time. "I am hopeful that we will be able to apprehend him on Saturday," Davis had said on Friday.

The DCP, however, clarified that the name of an AIMIM MLA's son as alleged by the Telangana BJP did not figure in the victim's statement as of now. "The investigation will continue and if the victim gives any further details as and when she is in a position to do so, we will investigate accordingly. We will not spare anyone however high and mighty they are,'' the DCP reiterated.

17-year-old gang-raped: The shocking case

The security footage which is viral on social media purportedly showed the girl standing with the suspected attackers outside the pub where she had met them. The boys had offered to drop her home. Instead, she was assaulted inside a parked car in the city. Her attackers took turns to rape her while the others stood guard outside the car. The 17-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped when she was returning home after a party in Jubilee Hills area of Hyderabad on May 28. The matter came to light after the minor girl's father submitted a complaint to the police regarding the incident. On the complaint of girl's father, a police case has been registered against five persons.

The case has been registered under Sections 354 and 323 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 9 read with 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Ruling TRS Working President and Telangana Minister KT Rama Rao on Friday requested the state's Home Minister, Director General of Police (DGP) and Hyderabad City Police Commissioner to take "immediate and stern action" in the gang rape of a teenage girl in Hyderabad.

(With ANI inputs)
New Delhi: The India Post is looking to fill over 38,000 vacancies of Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) posts as Branch Postmaster (BPM), Assistant Branch Post Master (ABPM) and Dak Sevak. The company has invited applications for the recruitment of individuals in the organisation. Interested and eligible candidates can apply online through the official site at indiapostgdsonline.gov.in.

The last date to apply for India Post Recruitment 2022 is June 05, 2022.

India Post Recruitment 2022: Vacancy details

The recruitment drive is being conducted to fill up 38,926 vacant posts in the organization on various posts of Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) as Branch Postmaster (BPM), Assistant Branch Post Master (ABPM) and Dak Sevak.

India Post GDS Recruitment 2022: Important Dates

Online application commencement date: May 2, 2022

Last date to apply: June 5, 2022

Click Here For Detailed Notification

India Post Recruitment 2022: Eligibility criteria

Candidates applying for the GDS posts must have Secondary School Examination pass certificate of 10th standard having passed in Mathematics and English (having been studied as compulsory or elective subjects) conducted by any recognized Board of School Education by the Government of India/State Governments/ Union Territories in India.

"The candidate should have studied the local language i.e. (Name of Local language) at least up to the 10th standard [as compulsory or elective subjects]," stated the India Post in the official notification.

India Post GDS Recruitment 2022: Age Limit

Candidates must be between 18 to 40 years of age.

India Post GDS Recruitment 2022: Here's How to apply

Step 1: Visit the official website at: indiapostgdsonline.gov.in

Step 2: On the homepage, click on the 'Registration' tab

Step 3: In the newly opened window fill in your details and upload all the required documents

Step 4: Pay the application fee and submit your application form

Step 5: Download your application form and take a print put for future reference.

Click Here For Direct Link To Apply

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New Delhi: India has set up its first-ever 'liquid mirror telescope' at Devasthal Observatory in Uttarakhand. The largest International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT) of Asia has been installed at a height 2,450 metres. The ILMT at the Devasthal Observatory campus which is owned by Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) is the world's first liquid-mirror telescope to be commissioned for astronomy. The telescope will be used to observe the galaxies and other astronomical elements present at the edge of the world.

Devasthal Campus of @ARIESNainital showing the 3.6m DOT, 1.3m DFOT and the upcoming 4m International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT).#ShowOffYourTelescope pic.twitter.com/q7EO8lqba3  ARIES (@ARIESNainital) May 31, 2021

Liquid mirror telescope: What makes it different from conventional telescopes

The conventional telescopes have polished glass mirrors with a single or combination of curved surfaces and are used to observe special celestial objects on specific nights on the other hand, as the name suggests, liquid mirror telescopes are made up of reflective liquids, as in the Devasthal observatory the ILMT has Mercury, and observes a strip of sky capturing all possible celestial objects  from stars, galaxies, supernovae explosions, asteroids to space debris.

How does the Liquid mirror telescope work?

About 50L of mercury-filled into a container which is rotated at a fixed constant speed along the vertical axis of the ILMT. Following the circular motions, the mercury in the container spreads and forms a thin layer in the container forming a paraboloid-shaped reflecting surface which then acts as the mirror. With a diametre of 4 metre, the surface is ideal to collect and focus light.

In yet another achievement, scientists at @ARIESNainital with their Intl counterparts devised International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT) that can identify astronomical objects such as supernovae, asteroids, etc. with precision.@PMOIndia @DrJitendraSingh @IndiaDST @dipu_iia pic.twitter.com/vjPqroC0RA  ISTI Portal (@ISTIPortal) June 2, 2022

Use of Liquid Mirror Telescope

The Liquid Mirror Telescope set up by India in Collaboration with Belgium, Canada, Poland and Uzbekistan was designed and built at the Advanced Mechanical and Optical Systems Corporation and the Centre Spatial de Liege in Belgium.

The ILMT will be generating a huge volume of data as it is capable of generating 10-15 GB/night and it is set to work for the next five years starting October 2022 while observing asteroids, supernovae, space debris, and all other celestial objects from an altitude of 2,450 metres in the Himalayas.

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ITBP ASI Recruitment 2022: The Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force(ITBP) has called for applications to recruit both male and female candidates for the post of Assistant Sub Inspectors (ASI). The process of application will be online and those interested can visit the official website of ITBP at recruitment.itbpolice.nic.in. The online application will begin on Wednesday, June 08, 2022. Applicants can apply for the above posts till July 7, 2022. As per the official notification, a total of 38 vacant posts will be filled through this recruitment drive. Candidates, who are interested in these positions can scroll down for educational qualifications, experience, selection criteria, and other details here.

ITBP ASI Recruitment 2022: Vacancy details

Assistant Sub Inspector/ Stenographer (Direct Entry): 21 Posts

Assistant Sub Inspector/ Stenographer (LDCE): 17 Posts

ITBP ASI Recruitment 2022 Important Dates

The Online Application form begins on June 8, 2022

The Online Application form end on July 7, 2022

ITBP ASI Recruitment 2022: Eligibility

Candidates who want to apply for the posts should have an Intermediate or Senior Secondary School Certificate from a recognized Board or university or equivalent.

To check the education qualification, and age limit, candidates are advised to go through the official notification attached below.

ITBP ASI Recruitment 2022: How to Apply

Interested and eligible candidates can apply for the above posts from June 08, 2022, through the official website recruitment.itbpolice.nic.in.

ITBP ASI Recruitment 2022 Selection Process

The selection of the candidates will be based on a Physical Efficiency Test, Physical Standard Test, Written Test, Skill Test, Documentation and Detailed Medical Examination (DME)/ Review Medical Examination (RME).
Lucknow: The illegal properties of the accused involved in the violence that erupted in Uttar Pradesh`s Kanpur district will be demolished, said Prashant Kumar, ADG (Law and Order) on Saturday. "The situation has been brought under control. Identification of the accused is being done. Action will be taken against them, and their illegal properties will also be demolished," Kumar told ANI.

A tense situation prevailed in Kanpur after a clash broke out between two groups belonging to different communities allegedly over a market shutdown on Friday. Two persons and one policeman were injured in the aftermath of the clashes. The incident began after some people tried to shut down shops which were opposed by the other group, said the police.

Police informed that a total of 36 persons were arrested and three cases have been registered in the Kanpur violence case so far. The security in the area was also beefed up between Yateem Khana and Parade crossroads in Kanpur to maintain the situation."...36 people have been arrested while three FIRs have been registered so far. More people are being identified on the basis of the video," said Police Commissioner, Vijay Singh Meena.
New Delhi: After a clash broke out in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur on Friday (June 3), 36 people were arrested and 3 FIRs were registered. "...36 people have been arrested while three FIRs have been registered so far. More people are being identified on the basis of the video," said Police Commissioner, Vijay Singh Meena told ANI. "Action under Gangster Act will be taken against conspirators and their property will be either seized or demolished," he further stated.

The violence broke out when two groups belonging to different communities allegedly brawled over a market shutdown in. The clash later turned violent and led to the firing, smoke bombs and stone-pelting leaving three injured.

Two people and one policeman were injured in the aftermath of the clashes, informed Kanpur Commissioner of Police Vijay Singh Meena. Some people tried to shut down shops. It was opposed by the other group, said the police.

Investigation in the matter is underway.

Live TV
In a major development, the Karnataka government has disbanded the Textbook Revision Committee headed by writer Rohith Chakrathirtha. The development comes after the committee faced flak, with allegations of saffronisation of school syllabus and insulting great personalities of Karnataka. Religious seers wrote letters to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to rectify the mistakes and had also warned the state government not to play with the feelings of people. In a statement on Friday night, the Chief Minister said the Committee was disbanded following the completion of its revision work.

He also assured that the state`s ruling BJP government is open to further rectify the syllabus.

Bommai added that the textbook revision exercise is undertaken regularly to find if there were objectionable content in Kannada and Social Science textbooks prescribed for children.

"Panditaradhya Swamiji and other seers have objected to the content on Basavanna in the syllabus. The content is same regarding Basavanna when compared to previous revision committee headed by Prof Baragur Ramachandrappa. However, the content on Basavanna will be revised in such a way that feelings are not hurt."

The cyber crime police, Bengaluru, have been directed to investigate and initiate legal action against the persons who had distorted the state anthem as per the wishes of Nirmalanandanatha Swamiji and other seers, he said.

Bommai maintained that no lesson of any great personalities have been dropped from the syllabus as alleged by the Opposition.

He explained that lesson on Hinduism is included along with Islam and Christian religions in the new syllabus.

Live TV
AP

Russias war in Ukraine entered its 100th day on Friday, a bloody milestone that serves as a testament to the resilience of the Ukrainian forces against a vastly larger foe.

Well detail where Ukraine stands in the fight, plus a senators suggestion to use retired service members to protect schools and Bidens possible trip to Saudi Arabia.

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.

100 days of war: Where Ukraine stands

An unprecedented diplomatic campaign in the lead up to Russias invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 failed to prevent war. But the weeks of meetings, led by the U.S., succeeded in repositioning the global order in one of the greatest shifts to occur since World War II.

European nations including Germany, Sweden and Finland abandoned decades of cautious military policy to more fully join the U.S. and allies to deliver Ukraine the military means to fight, impose wide-ranging sanctions, shore up their own defenses and work to sever energy ties with Moscow.

While Ukraine and its supporters have declared victory in the battle for Kyiv, which U.S. intelligence had first predicted would fall within 72 hours, Moscows forces maintain advantages in the fight for Ukraines eastern territory.

Russias gains: Russia has gained control of a key port city, Mariupol, and is inching closer to dominating Severdonetsk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that Russia controls about one-fifth of his nation.

Were in a situation now where obviously the Ukrainians are having a difficult time, said Angela Stent, an expert in U.S. and European relations with Russia. Im not saying the tide is turning, but its becoming more difficult for the Ukrainians to sustain the counteroffensive.

And its weaknesses: With the Russians slow progress in mind, the U.S. is stepping up its weapons shipments, sending advanced rocket systems for the first time to help the Ukrainians more effectively repel Russian advances.

Story continues

A turning point?: Zelensky, speaking to a European security conference on Thursday, said the fight could reach a turning point if all nations increase their military, economic and political support for Ukraine.

We are grateful for the help we already receive, to everyone who helps us. But arms supplies need to be increased. Because it is on the battlefield in Ukraine that it is decided whether freedom in Europe will be preserved for all nations without exception, he said.

Right now, these days, when Russia will lose the war against Ukraine, the freedom of Europeans will win for decades to come.

A leaders transition: The Ukrainian presidents remarks showcase his transition over the past 100 days from a leader under military siege and at risk of assassination  who rejected an offer by the U.S. to flee Kyiv in the early days of the assault  to a powerful global voice.

Uncertainty reigns: Theres still plenty of uncertainty about how the war will end, with a negotiated solution of some kind appearing far off.

Ukrainian officials, grappling with the horrors of civilian deaths and alleged Russian war crimes  from extrajudicial executions, rape and forced migration  are loath to come to the table or concede territory to the Russians.

Russia attacked us. Its them who are trying to occupy as much as possible, destroy and kill, rape and torture. So we will defend ourselves and we will not surrender, Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova told The Hill.

Read the full story here

Graham: Mobilize former service members

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday called for retired and former military members to step up to enhance security in schools following the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, last week.

Graham wrote in a thread posted to his Twitter account that the U.S. has hundreds of thousands of former military members who could bring a lot to the table in protecting schools and that trained ROTC instructors should be able to carry firearms to make schools more secure.

Grahams thinking: The senator also said that he is working on creating a certification process for former military members that will allow them to go through security training and prepare them to help schools across the country.

It is time to mobilize our retired and former service members who are willing to help secure our schools, Graham added in a follow-up tweet. Our schools are soft targets. They contain our most valuable possession  our children, the future of our country  and must be protected.

A growing GOP push Grahams remarks reflect a GOP-led push to sharpen security in schools  and reject gun restriction proposals called for by Democrats and gun control advocates  following the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde that killed 19 students and two teachers.

A redundancy: Texas officials and media reports said that some of the security measures Republicans have been calling for were already in place at Robb Elementary prior to the attack.

Federal programs intended to keep schools secure, such as the Student, Teachers and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Act which provided more than

$125 million in grants to schools, are in place across the country.

Read more here

Biden says no final plans on Saudi Arabia visit

President Biden said Friday he does not have direct plans to soon travel to Saudi Arabia but acknowledged the trip was a possibility.

The Hill and other news outlets reported earlier this week that Biden administration officials are laying the groundwork for a presidential visit to Saudi Arabia later this month but that the visit has not been finalized.

I have no direct plans at the moment, Biden said Friday when asked by reporters, adding he is focused on bringing more stability and peace to the Middle East.

Some trip controversy: Biden did not directly answer Friday when asked if he would meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He also defended the possibility of such a trip despite having pledged in 2019 to make Saudi Arabia a pariah on the world stage over the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

A declassified U.S. intelligence report released by the Biden administration last year said the Saudi crown prince approved the murder of Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi royal family.

Im not going to change my view on human rights, but as president of the United States my job is to bring peace if I can, Biden said. And thats what Im trying to do.

Other criticisms: Its unclear when Bidens trip to the Middle East will be finalized, but its widely expected to take place at the end of the month.

Israeli media reported on Friday that Biden is expected to travel to Israel on June 23 before the trip to Saudi Arabia.

Plans for the trip have already triggered some criticism. An organization representing families and survivors of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks penned an open letter to Biden on Thursday urging him to hold Riyadh accountable for the role Saudi officials allegedly played in those attacks.

Read the full story here

Also from The Hill: Biden lays groundwork for risky meeting with Saudis

WHAT WERE READING

Thats it for today. Check out The Hills Defense and National Security pages for the latest coverage. See you next week!

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Mandya (Karnataka): Members of some right-wing groups on Saturday (June 4) gathered at Kirangur Junction at the historical Srirangapatna town in Karnataka's Mandya district to march to a mosque there. The groups have claimed that the mosque stands on the ruins of a Hanuman temple. The members of the groups said that they will enter the Jamia Masjid in the town and perform puja there.

Meanwhile, Section 144 CrPC has been imposed in the area for 12 hours, between 6 am and 6 pm for today, in wake of the 'Srirangapatna Chalo' call given by a right-wing organisation officials said on Saturday. "Over 500 police personnel have been deployed and four check posts have been installed. The weekly market has been postponed and liquor sale has been banned around a 5-kilometre radius in the area," said S Ashwathi, Deputy Commissioner of Police.

Karnataka | Members of Hindu organisatios gather at Kirangur junction in Srirangapatna town, Mandya district. They had called for a march to Jamia Masjid here today, saying that they will enter the mosque and perform puja there. Section 144 CrPC is currently imposed in the town. pic.twitter.com/mgzFz1BJd3  ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2022

CCTV cameras have also been installed and a special team has been formed to keep the area secure. The road leading to the mosque has been closed and the entry of people inside has been prohibited for today."The city is completely peaceful now and it will remain that way in the coming days. We`ve made the necessary arrangements. We`ve deployed our men, spoken to leaders and communicated to them about prohibitory orders in place. If any violation is done, they`ll be facing legal action," informed N Yatish, Superintendent of Police (SP), Mandya.

The VHP had declared that it will conduct a procession followed by prayers in Srirangapatna today. The district administration has imposed prohibitory orders in the area."Prohibitory orders were imposed by the taluk administration and there's no permission for rallies/processions /protests in Srirangapatna town panchayat limits today. We've ensured adequate bandobast in and around the town so that no untoward incident takes place," informed SP, Mandya.

In May this year, activists of the right-wing organisations had filed a memorandum with the Deputy Commissioner of Mandya seeking permission for Hindus to offer prayers at the mosque, which they claimed stands over the ruins of a Hanuman temple. The activists claimed the structure had been originally a temple that was converted into a mosque. They demanded permission to perform puja in the mosque. The activists claimed that Jamia Masjid had been built on the Anjaneya Temple. They also claimed that there is historical proof that the mosque was Anjaneya Temple.
New Delhi: Alarm bells started ringing across NCR as reports of a suspected monkeypox case in Ghaziabad started surfacing. The samples from a five-year-old girl were sent for testing for monkeypox. "Ghaziabad case is suspected and under observation, samples have been sent to ICMR NIV Pune," UP Deputy CM and Health Minister Brajesh Pathak told ANI. Amid all this, government health sources have said that it is "unnecessary panic mongering" and that no cases of the disease have been reported from India so far." The sample of a suspected monkeypox case in Ghaziabad has been sent for testing, but it's unnecessary panic mongering. No monkeypox case has been reported in India so far," the government sources told ANI.

The girl complained of itching and rashes on her body. The Chief Medical Officer of Ghaziabad said the test was just a "precautionary measure" as the girl has no other health issues and did not have close contact with anyone who has travelled abroad in the past month."Samples of a five-year-old girl have been collected for testing for monkeypox, as a precautionary measure, as she had complaints of itching and rashes on her body. She has no other health issues and neither she nor any of her close contacts travelled abroad in the past month," CMO Ghaziabad said.

On Tuesday, the Union Health Ministry issued "Guidelines on Management of Monkeypox Disease" to ensure advance preparedness across the country, in view of the rising reports of monkeypox cases in non-endemic countries.According to the guidelines, a confirmed case is laboratory confirmed for Monkeypox virus by detection of unique sequences of viral DNA either by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or sequencing.

"All the clinical specimens should be transported to the Apex Laboratory of ICMR-NIV (Pune) routed through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) network of the respective district/state," it said in the guidelines.The Guidelines on Management of Monkeypox Disease include the epidemiology of the disease (including host, incubation period, period of communicability and mode of transmission; contact and case definitions; clinical features and its complication, diagnosis, case management, risk communication, guidance on Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) including use of personal protective equipment."Contacts should be monitored at least daily for the onset of signs or symptoms for a period of 21 days (as per case definition) from the last contact with a patient or their contaminated materials during the infectious period," the guidelines read.

The guidelines further explained in detail about raising awareness and educating people about the measures for monkeypox virus-like avoiding contact with any material of the sick person, isolation of the infected patient from others, practising good hand hygiene and using appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when caring for patients.

The health ministry also said that the monkeypox has been reported as an endemic in several other central and western African countries such as Cameroon, Central African Republic, Cote d`Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, and Sierra Leone. However, cases have been also reported in certain non-endemic countries e.g. USA, United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Australia, Canada, Austria, Israel, Switzerland etc.

(With ANI inputs)
New Delhi: A 5-year-old girl from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh has been suspected to have monkeypox disease after she complained of itching and rashes on her body. Her samples were taken for testing recently as reported by ANI. The Chief Medical Officer further said that the little girl doesn't have any other health issues and has not had close contact with anyone who travelled abroad in the past 1 month.

UP | Samples of a 5-yr-old girl collected for testing for #monkeypox, as a precautionary measure, as she had complaints of itching & rashes on her body. She has no other health issues & neither she nor any of her close contact travelled abroad in the past 1 month: CMO Ghaziabad  ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) June 4, 2022

The testing is merely a precautionary measure and nothing has been confirmed yet. As of now, there have been zero monkeypox cases in India. On the other hand, the outbreak is on a rise in European countries which is quite unusual. Thirty non-endemic countries have reported more than 550 confirmed cases of monkeypox, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on June 2.

ALSO READ: Monkeypox in India: What to do if cases are suspected in India - Prevention and treatment

A week ago, the Uttar Pradesh health department had issued an advisory for health officials to follow the standard operating procedures when dealing with monkeypox infection.

In view of the increasing reports of Monkeypox (MPX) cases in non-endemic countries, India`s Health Ministry on Tuesday acted proactively and issued `Guidelines on Management of Monkeypox Disease` to ensure advance preparedness across the country.

(With agency inputs)

Live TV
Lucknow: A local court on Saturday rejected a bail plea of mafia-turned politician Mukhtar Ansari in connection with a 2020 land grab case. Special Judge of Prohibition of Corruption Act Court Gaurav Kumar said that Mukhtar Ansari's involvement was apparent from the investigation and the possibility that he would influence the witnesses during the trial cannot be ruled out. The FIR in this matter was lodged on August 27, 2020, by local area revenue officer Surjan Lal at the Hazratganj police station.

It was alleged in the FIR that a piece of land in the Jiamau locality was registered in the name of one Mohammad Waseem who went to Pakistan and his land was registered in the revenue records of the government as enemy property.

However, the land was grabbed allegedly by Mukhtar Ansari and his sons and the government was cheated of crores of rupees.

Earlier, the bail application on behalf of Ansari claimed that he was innocent and was implicated in the case due to political rivalry.

Mukhtar Ansari is facing over 50 cases.
New Delhi: Following a letter from Delhi Women Commission, the Centre on Friday finally pulled up advertisement agencies and companies for airing misogynistic and rape-promoting deodorant, and body-spray ads, ANI reported. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry ordered a suspension of all such controversial deodorant advertisements and said that an inquiry is being held as per the advertising code. The order comes at the backdrop of a letter written by the Delhi Commission For Women to Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur demanding that a "misogynistic" advertisement being played on mass media be taken off the air. The controversy primarily sparked after a controversial ad by perfume brand Layer'r Shot was slammed by netizens.

The panel on Saturday said the advertisement "promoted gang-rape culture" and also issued a notice to the Delhi Police on the matter.

(Layer'r Shot) Deodorant advertisement blatantly promotes the rape mentality in the country. We've issued notice to Delhi Police that FIR must be registered & ad must be immediately taken down from all platforms: Swati Maliwal, Chairperson, Delhi Commission for Women pic.twitter.com/A200SZ9kGu  ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2022

"The Delhi Commission for Women has come across a misogynistic advertisement of a perfume brand" said the letter which went on to describe the objectionable advertisement.

In her letter to Thakur, Maliwal sought urgent action by the ministry to ban the advertisement.

She also said robust systems should be built to ensure certain checks and balances to make sure that such "filthy" advertisements that promote rape culture are never played again.

She also demanded a heavy penalty on the perfume brand so that other companies refrain from playing such "dirty tactics for cheap publicity".

The Delhi Police has been asked to provide an action taken report in the matter by June 9.

"What is this creative process that promotes toxic masculinity in its worst form and encourages gang-rape culture? FIR should be registered, advertisements should be taken off the air and the strongest penalty should be imposed on this company. Delhi Police and I&B Ministry must urgently act on the matter without wasting any further time," Maliwal said.

Controversy erupted after Layer'r Shot ad

Layer'r Shot, perfume and body spray, was heavily criticised on Twitter for its two new advertisements that, users of the microblogging platform say, are promoting rape culture. Twitter users have called out the brand for coming up with creepy advertisements that promote rape. Both the advertisements are receiving backlash from netizens, with many asking who approved such disgusting content.

In one of the advertisements, four men are seen having a conversation at what looks like a beauty section in a convenience store. Upon seeing the last bottle of Layer'r perfume in the rack, the men discuss who will take the bottle of the body perfume as theres only one remaining. But the way they discuss it sounds appalling to a woman who is seen with a cart.

I&B Ministry asks Twitter, YouTube to take down "derogatory (Layer'r Shot) ad circulating on social media." pic.twitter.com/9aFUlKf97z  ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2022

The Centre has directed YouTube and Twitter to take down the controversial ad from its platform.

(With PTI and ANI inputs)
Operation Blue Star: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday reviewed the law-and-order situation in the state ahead of the Operation Bluestar anniversary on June 6 and said the police have been put on high alert for maintaining peace. Operation Blue Star was carried out by the Indian Army in June 1984 to flush out militants hiding in the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar. Chairing a meeting with senior officers of the police and civil administration, Mann asked them to ensure elaborate security arrangements before June 6 across the state.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday reviewed the law-and-order situation in the state ahead of 'Ghallugara Diwas' being observed on June 6, said the official release.

The chief minister said no one should be allowed to disturb the hard-earned peace of state at any cost.

Asserting that his government is committed to making Punjab a peaceful and frontrunner state in the country, he said anybody trying to disrupt peace will be dealt with sternly.

Some forces inimical to the progress and prosperity of the state are making constant attempts to derail the peace in the state. But the AAP government will not allow any such nefarious move to succeed, Mann said.

The Punjab Police has been put on high alert and central paramilitary forces have been deployed to assist them in maintaining peace in the state, the chief minister said.

Exhorting the Punjabis to uphold the ethos of peace, communal harmony and brotherhood in the state, Mann urged them "to teach anti-Punjab forces a lesson by foiling all their conspiracies aimed at pushing Punjab back to the black days".
New Delhi: Bhalswa landfill site is proving to be troublesome for residents living near at as the massive landfill which was on fire is exuding large amounts of smoke. The landfill fire had broken out on Friday (June 3) but smoke continues to emerge on Saturday (June 4) as per news agency ANI. Residents have complained of large amounts of smoke irritating their eyes and making it very difficult to breathe as fresh air is sparse.

ANI had shared visuals of the massive landfill fire along with photos of residents struggling to breathe and avoid the toxic fumes from the fire.

"Houses are barely a km away from the site. Our eyes hurt, it gets difficult to breathe & the heat rises too. Fire breaks out here every year from April to June. Diseases spread too. We want this landfill removed from here," said locals to ANI in an interview.

#WATCH | Delhi: Plumes of smoke continue to emanate from the Bhalswa landfill site where a fire broke out yesterday. pic.twitter.com/U5xnZwcfbp  ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2022

"Houses are barely a km away from the site. Our eyes hurt, it gets difficult to breathe & the heat rises too. Fire breaks out here every year from April to June. Diseases spread too. We want this landfill removed from here," say the locals residing around the landfill site. pic.twitter.com/L2rr2K1Fva  ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2022

This isn't the first time Bhalswa landfill has caught on fire and caused disturbance to residents living nearby. On April 26, the landfill in North Delhi had caught on fire which remained burning for over 6 days.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, however, officials said the rising temperature these days allows the formation of methane gas at the dumpyard site which is extremely flammable.

"It could have triggered a spark that would have ultimately led to this massive blaze," said the official.

Experts have time and again said that to prevent such incidents at the dumping grounds, a layer of soil should be placed regularly after dumping the waste on the trash mountain. Whether this has been implemented or not, is yet to be learnt.

(With agency inputs)

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SBI Recruitment 2022: The State Bank of India has issued a notification for the engagement of retired officers of SBI. The bank has invited applications for the recruitment of eligible Indian citizens. Interested and eligible candidates can apply online through the official website of Bank - sbi.co.in.

The candidates must note that the jobs are available on a contractual basis. The bank is looking to fill a total of 641 vacant posts through this recruitment drive. The last date to apply for the positions is June 07, 2022.

SBI Recruitment 2022: Important Dates

Commencement of submission of online application: May 18, 2022

Last date to apply: June 07, 2022

SBI Recruitment 2022: Vacancy Details

Channel Manager Facilitator  Anytime Channels (CMF-AC): 503 posts

Channel Manager SupervisorAnytime Channels (CMS-AC): 130 posts

Support Officer- Anytime Channels (SO-AC): 08 posts

SBI Recruitment 2022: Direct link to apply

SBI Recruitment 2022: Salary Details

Channel Manager Facilitator  Anytime Channels (CMF-AC): Rs.36,000/- per month Reporting Authority: Channel Manager Supervisor (CMS)

Channel Manager SupervisorAnytime Channels (CMS-AC): Rs.41,000/- per month Reporting Authority:-AGM (AC) Network

Support Officer- Anytime Channels (SO-AC): Rs.41,000/- per month Reporting Authority:-AGM (AC) Network/ AGM(S&P)

SBI Recruitment 2022: Eligibility Criteria

The candidates can check the eligibility criteria and selection process here- Detailed notification of SBI Recruitment 2022

SBI Recruitment 2022: How to Apply

Candidates can apply on the official website of SBI at sbi.co.in till June 07, 2022.
On Saturday (June 4), Google paid tribute to Indian physicist and mathematician Satyendra Nath Bose, with its creative doodle. On the same date 98 years back, June 4, 1924, Bose sent his paper on quantum formulations to Albert Einstein. The great Einstein soon recognized it as a significant discovery in quantum mechanics and to date, Bose is known best for his contribution to the Bose-Einstein Condensate.

SN Bose was born in Kolkata on January 1, 1894. Bose went to Kolkata's prestigious institutions - Hindu School and then Presidency College. According to news reports, it was Bose's accountant father who ignited his passion for maths. Before leaving for work every day, he would leave Bose with an arithmetic problem which he would then solve, thus stoking his interest in a subject that we would go on to master later in life. He pursued a Bachelor of Science degree at Calcuttas Presidency College and earned a Masters in Applied Mathematics at the University of Calcutta.

According to Britannica, "Bose, a graduate of the University of Calcutta, taught at the University of Dacca (192145) and then at Calcutta (194556). Boses numerous scientific papers (published from 1918 to 1956) contributed to statistical mechanics, the electromagnetic properties of the ionosphere, the theories of X-ray crystallography and thermoluminescence, and unified field theory. Boses Plancks Law and the Hypothesis of Light Quanta (1924) led Einstein to seek him out for collaboration."

When he began giving lectures on physics by end of 1917, while teaching postgraduate students Plancks radiation formula, doubts crept in. Bosequestioned the way particles were counted. He then started to experiment with his own theories and came up with the report - Plancks Law and the Hypothesis of Light Quanta, which he sent to a reputed science journal, The Philosophical Magazine. However, the journal rejected his papers and it was then that he decided to mail his paper directly to the great physicist Albert Einstein. And Einstein agreed with him and in no time, applied Boses formula to a wide range of phenomena. He had Bose's paper translated and published in German under Bose's name.

Also read: Google boss Sundar Pichai finally reveals name of Chennai school where he went to

SN Bose's theoretical paper became one of the most important findings in quantum theory. Soon, recognition followed at home as the Indian government, recoginising his contribution to physics, bestowed him with the Padma Vibhushan - the highest civilian award in the country.
New Delhi: At least nine workers were killed and 15 wounded when a boiler exploded at a chemical factory in western Uttar Pradesh's Hapur district, the police said on Saturday (June 4). The incident occurred in a factory, located adjacent to a CNG pump, in the UPSIDC industrial area in Dholana, around 80 km from Delhi. As per the police, there were 25 people in the affected area when the boiler exploded, PTI reported. The fire services pressed into the service doused the flames in three hours in the factory. The explosion was so intense that it damaged the roofs of some of the factories located nearby.

Giving an update on the incident, Hapur DM Medha Roopam informed, "Total 19 injured, 9 dead (in the explosion). Permission was for manufacturing electronics goods here but has to be probed what really was happening."

Earlier, Inspector General of Police (Meerut range) Praveen Kumar said that eight people died, 15 were admitted to a hospital for treatment and the rest suffered minor injuries. Total 15 injured, 8 dead in the explosion that took place at electronic equipment manufacturing unit in Hapur. Injured being treated. We are probing the matter. Action will be taken against those responsible, Praveen Kumar said.

UP | Total 15 injured, 8 dead in the explosion that took place at an electronic equipment manufacturing unit in Hapur. Injured being treated. We are probing the matter. Action will be taken against those responsible...: Hapur IG Praveen Kumar pic.twitter.com/KMGgqqltZL  ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) June 4, 2022

Officials said rescue and relief measures were underway at the site.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed his condolences to the kin of those who died in the explosion. "The accident in the chemical factory of Hapur, Uttar Pradesh is heart-wrenching. I express my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. The state government is actively involved in the treatment of the injured and providing assitance," PMO cited Modi as saying.

                   ,                         : PM @narendramodi  PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 4, 2022

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences to the bereaved families and directed all possible help to the affected. The chief minister has directed district administration officers to go to the spot and oversee rescue and relief measures and extend all possible help to the victims and their families, the CM's office said in a tweet.

                 CM Office, GoUP (@CMOfficeUP) June 4, 2022

UP minister for industrial development Nand Gopal Gupta 'Nandi' also expressed anguish over the deaths. May God give peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families to bear the immense loss. I wish a speedy recovery to the injured, the minister wrote on Twitter.

(With agency inputs)
A former governor and former Argus Leader editor are part of the class of 10 inductees into the South Dakota Hall of Fame.

Former Gov. Dennis Daugaard and Randell Beck have been honored for their professional and political contributions to the state, according to an announcement from the Hall of Fame.

Former governor Dennis Daugaard laughs at a joke T. Denny Sanford made about Sanford's $55 million donation to Children's Home Society Tuesday, Jan. 8, in Sioux Falls. Sanford said Daugaard picked his pocket.

Others being honored include: Paul Gnirk, Charles Hart, Shantel Krebs, Grace Martin Highley, Tad Perry, Ronald Reed, Mark Shlanta and Beverly Stabber Warne.

The Hall of Fame's mission is to "Champion a Culture of Excellence" and "is built upon the recognition, celebration and preservation of the stories of South Dakotans instrumental in establishing that culture." Honorees are selected for their achievements in political, business, education, medical and other professional works.

There are over 700 peopled honored in the Hall of Fame.

Daugaard was called "A Servant Leader of South Dakota," for his contributions to the Children's Home Society of South Dakota, the state legislature and governor.

Beck was honored as "A Voice of Wisdom in Journalism" for his achievements as executive editor and publisher of the Argus Leader.

Inductees will be honored in Chamberlain in September.

Who are the other eight honored?

Paul Gnirk (Rapid City, Business) "Solving South Dakota's Most Challenging Problems"

He founded RESPEC, Inc. and was president from 1969 to 1991. He's also served on the SD Board of Water and Natural Resources to extend drinking water to communities and Ranches.

Charles Hart (Rapid City, Medical) "Caring for the Health of Community"

Hart practiced Family Practice and Emergency Medicine before becoming the CEO of Regional Health, now Monument Health. He developed healthcare systems to address the multiple needs of communities, including specific disadvantaged populations.

Shantel Krebs (Canton, Political) "A Lifelong Dedication of Service to Others"

From Miss South Dakota, Secretary of State and CEO of Miss America, Krebs has worn many hats and has helped create Avera Academy, a program that helps first generations Americans into healthcare careers. During her service in the legislature, she was the first woman to chair the House Transportation Committee and one of the first women to chair the Ag Committee.

Story continues

More: 2 tornadoes confirmed in Sioux Falls and Brandon, according to National Weather Service

Grace Martin Highley (1895-1985; Hot Springs, Professional) "A Trailblazer in Child Welfare"

Highley became the director of South Dakota Child Welfare and built the program for 21 years between 1939 and 1960. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by Augustana College in 1978.

Tad Perry (Fort Pierre, Education) "A Strong Commitment to Higher Education"

Perry served 40 years in higher education, including 15 years as executive director of the South Dakota Board of Regents. He helped establish the South Dakota Opportunity Fund, a scholarship for college students to keep them in South Dakota.

Ronald Reed (Rapid City, Education) "A Tireless Advocate for South Dakotans with Special Needs"

Reed helped lead the charge on the state's implementation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which was the first disability civil rights law to be enacted in the United States. He's worked for over five decades to enrich the lives of people with special needs.

Mark Shlanta (1965-2022; Sioux Falls, Business) "Changing the Landscape of Communication in South Dakota"

Shlanta worked for 23 years at SDN Communications, helping expand the broadband network's fiber optic footprint across the state. Through his work, South Dakotans were able to lead on tech infrastructure including telehealth, mobile/cell data coverage and making sure all schools could have internet connectivity.

More: Help local nonprofits raise serious cash: It's the annual A Community Thrives grant program

Beverly Stabber Warne (Rapid City, Medical) "A Humble and Hardworking Mentor"

Warne is recognized for her work as a leader in the nursing profession. She currently works at South Dakota State University College of Nursing as an instructor of the Native American Nursing Education Center in Rapid City. She has helped train nurses to focus on preventative care in rural, underserved and Indigenous populations.

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: Beck, Daugaard among 10 new inductees to SD Hall of Fame
New Delhi: A BJP leader Sunita Shukla has criticised a Gujarati woman Kshama Bindu for deciding to 'marry herself' or indulge in 'sologamy'. In a statement to ANI, she said that Kshama will not be allowed to marry herself in a temple as it is 'against Hinduism'. Sunita also reasoned that sologamy will reduce the population of Hindus in the country.

A 24-year-old woman recently shocked netizens with her bold decision to marry herself under Hindu rituals on June 11. Speaking to ANI about the same, she had said, "I had this idea in my mind for a long but didn't think it'd be possible. Then I read about 'sologamy'. That's when I thought let's marry myself."

Gujarat | A 24-year-old girl in Vadodara is all set to marry herself complete with all traditions & wedding vows I had this idea in my mind for a long but didn't think it'd be possible. Then I read about 'sologamy'. That's when I thought let's marry myself: Kshama Bindu pic.twitter.com/5H7NVWdWOj  ANI (@ANI) June 2, 2022

Reacting to her decision, BJP leader said to ANI on June 3, "I'm against the choice of venue, she'll not be allowed to marry herself in any temple. Such marriages are against Hinduism. This will reduce the population of Hindus. If anything goes against religion then no law will prevail."

Gujarat | I'm against the choice of venue, she'll not be allowed to marry herself in any temple. Such marriages are against Hinduism. This will reduce the population of Hindus. If anything goes against religion then no law will prevail: BJP leader Sunita Shukla (03.06) https://t.co/Jf0y13WOiE pic.twitter.com/3Cus9JMwsR  ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2022

"I just want to break stereotypes and inspire others to love themselves. There are people who are tired of finding love or getting divorced multiple times. Being a bisexual, I was also in love with a man and a woman in the past. But now, I want to give all the love to myself," she said as quoted by PTI.

Legal experts, however, say that sologamy does not have any legal backing in India.

"As per Indian laws, you cannot marry yourself. There has to be two persons in a marriage. Sologamy is not legal," senior High Court advocate Krishnakant Vakharia said

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: Garena Free Fire redeem codes for today, June 4, 2022, are now active, in what could be good news for the players of the battle royale game. Players can get free rewards such as in-app skins for weapons, characters and more with the 100% working redeem codes on the official redemption portal. They are required to log in to the Garena Free Fire redemption website using their Facebook, Twitter, Apple, Gmail, Huawei, or VK ID to claim free rewards in their game accounts.

Garena Free Fire is a popular battle royale game played by millions of gamers globally. In India, too, many gamers used to enjoy playing the title before the Indian government, early this year, banned it.

Currently, gamers in India can play Garena Free Fire Max, which can be seen as an enhanced version of Garena Free Fire. However, one must note that Garena Free Fire Max is only available on the Google Play Store and not on Apples App Store.

Garena Free Fire redeem codes for today, June 4:

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Disclaimer: Garena Free Fire players outside India can use the codes to get free rewards in their game accounts.

How to redeem Garena Free Fire codes for today, June 4: Steps and website details

Step 1: Go to the official Garena Free Fire code redemption website at https://reward.ff.garena.com/en.

Step 2: Log in on the website using your Facebook, Google, Twitter, Apple, Huawei or VK account details.

Step 3: Enter the redeem codes into the text box and click on the confirm button.

Step 4: A dialogue box will appear. You will need to click on the OK button. Also Read: Amazon global consumer CEO Dave Clark is leaving company after 23 years

Thats it. Upon successful redemption, you will receive free rewards in your Garena Free mail section within 24 hours. Also Read: Gold prices today, 4 June 2022: Yellow metal gets slightly expensive, should you invest now or wait?
New Delhi: Kalash Gupta, a student of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, has won the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) CodeVita Season 10, the IT giants flagship global coding contest. He won the contest after beating more than 1 lakh participants from 87 nations. The IIT student has won a cash prize of Rs 7,76,145 ($10,000) as part of bagging the first rank in the contest. IIT Delhi director, Rangan Banerjee, felicitated Gupta for his win.

For the unversed, CodeVita is a computer programming competition which is held on such a large scale. The event also holds a Guinness World Record for organising a competition this big.

After winning the competition, Gupta reportedly said that he never thought of winning such a tough competition, adding that he feels very excited after the victory, and, of course, about the handsome cash prize.

He was also quoted in a media report saying that he thought he will win the third prize in the competition. The 2nd runner up and the 3rd comer have won a cash prize of $7,000 and $3,000. Also, the fourth-ranked from Czech Republic received a cash prize of $1000 from the homegrown IT major.

In the 10th edition of the TCS CodeVita contest, India won the first prize, followed by Chile and Taiwan which secured the second and third prizes, respectively.

According to the official website, TCS CodeVita is the largest global computer programming competition. It is a 24-hour online programming contest where a participant can log in from anywhere, any time, the website read. Also Read: Shocking! Hyderabad boy loses Rs 36 lakh playing mobile games

Coding enthusiasts can sharpen their programming skills through a series of intriguing real-life challenges across a stretch of 3 Rounds and an opportunity to win the coveted "World's Best Coder" title along with prize money of $10,000, according to the official website. Also Read: Microsoft disables hackers working with Iranian intelligence
Monkeypox scare in France: According to French health authorities, France has confirmed 51 cases of monkeypox on Friday (June 3). The cases all over the world have been rising especially in Europe where the virus was rare. There are more than 800 cases of monkeypox worldwide with around 21 cases in the United States. France had reported its first case in May and on June 3, it reported 51 total monkeypox cases.

The French health authorities informed that all infected people were men betweent the age 22 to 63. Out of these 51 men, only one had be admitted in the hospital and was later discharged as reported by AFP.

In a statement, the global health body- World Health Organisation (WHO) said that the sudden appearance of monkeypox at once in several countries where the disease is not typically found suggests undetected transmission for some time and recent amplifying events.

The WHO also warned that monkeypox disease now constitutes a "moderate risk" to overall public health at the global level.

"The public health risk could become high if this virus exploits the opportunity to establish itself as a human pathogen and spreads to groups at higher risk of severe disease such as young children and immunosuppressed persons," the health agency said. French Health Minister assured that there is little likelihood of an outbreak of monkeypox as France has enough vaccines to fight the zoonotic virus.

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Commemorating the 33rd anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre where the Chinese government carried out mass killings of pro-democracy demonstrators, US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken said that despite attempts to eradicate history, the US continues to promote respect for human rights whenever they are threatened. Blinken called the Tiananmen Square protestors brave in their will to demand democracy while protesting peacefully. The US secretary said that there have been attempts to remove the traces of history by the removal of Tiananmen memorials.

The US Secretary said the US honours the memory of the fallen protestors and upholds human rights even as they are violated and threatened by some. Taking to Twitter, Blinken wrote, "33 years have passed since the world watched brave demonstrators and bystanders peacefully demand democracy in Tiananmen Square. Despite the removal of memorials and attempts to erase history, we honor their memory by promoting respect for human rights wherever threatened."

Notably, the Tiananmen Massacre took place after the peaceful gatherings of students, workers, and others in Beijing`s Tiananmen Square and other Chinese cities in April 1989, calling for freedom of expression, accountability, and an end to corruption. The government responded to the intensifying protests in late May 1989 by declaring martial law.

On June 3 and 4, the People`s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers fired upon and killed untold numbers of peaceful protesters and bystanders. In Beijing, some citizens attacked army convoys and burned vehicles in response to the military`s violence. Following the killings, the government carried out a nationwide crackdown and arrested thousands of people on "counter-revolution" and other criminal charges, including arson and disrupting social order.

The government has never accepted responsibility for the massacre or held any officials legally accountable for the killings. Chinese authorities, over the last year, have increased the harassment and persecution of activists for commemorating the June 04, 1989 Tiananmen Massacre, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said. The Chinese government should acknowledge and take responsibility for the mass killing of pro-democracy demonstrators, it added.

A few months ago, Hong Kong`s universities removed the Tiananmen memorials. In December 2021, the University of Hong Kong removed "Pillar of Shame," a large sculpture commemorating the massacre victims, from the university premises.

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New York: Genetic analysis of recent monkeypox cases suggests there are two distinct strains in the US, health officials said on Friday, raising the possibility that the virus has been circulating undetected for some time.

Many of the US cases were caused by the same strain as recent cases in Europe, but a few samples show a different strain, federal health officials said.

Each strain had been seen in US cases last year, before the recent international outbreak was identified.

Analysis from many more patients will be needed to determine how long monkeypox has been circulating in the US and elsewhere, said Jennifer McQuiston of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

I think it's certainly possible that there could have been monkeypox cases in the United States that went under the radar previously, but not to any great degree, she told reporters Friday.

Monkeypox typically begins with a flu-like illness and swelling of the lymph nodes, followed by a rash on the face and body.

The disease is endemic in parts of Africa, where people have been infected through bites from rodents or small animals.

It does not usually spread easily among people.

Last month, cases began emerging in Europe and the United States. Many, but not all, of those who contracted the virus had travelled internationally, and health officials in a growing number of countries are investigating.

As of Friday, the US had identified at least 20 cases in 11 states. Hundreds of other cases have been found in other countries, many apparently tied to sexual activity at two recent raves in Europe.
Ukraine said it had recaptured a chunk of the factory city of Sievierodonetsk, the focus of a Russian offensive to take the eastern Donbas region, and that its troops could hold out for up to two weeks. Sergiy Gaidai, governor of Luhansk province, told national television on Friday that Ukrainian troops had retaken 20% of the territory they had lost in Sievierodonetsk. It was "not realistic" that the city would fall in the next two weeks even though Russian reinforcements were being deployed, he said.

"As soon as we have enough Western long-range weapons, we will push their artillery away from our positions. And then, believe me, the Russian infantry, they will just run," said Gaidai.

His claim of Ukrainian advances could not immediately be verified. Reuters reached Sievierodonetsk on Thursday and was able to verify that Ukrainians still held part of the city.

The war in Ukraine marked its 100th day on Friday. Tens of thousands have died, millions have been uprooted from their homes and the global economy disrupted since Moscows forces were driven back from Kyiv in the first weeks of the conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin denied on Friday that Moscow was preventing Ukrainian ports from exporting grain, blaming rising global food prices on the West.

"We are now seeing attempts to shift the responsibility for what is happening on the world food market, the emerging problems in this market, onto Russia," he said on national television.

He said the best solution would be for Western sanctions on Russia`s ally Belarus to be lifted and for Ukraine to export grain through that country.

Ukrainian officials are counting on advanced missile systems that the United States and Britain recently pledged to swing the war in their favour, and Ukrainian troops have already begun training on them.

While Ukraine`s resistance has forced Putin to narrow his immediate goal to conquering the entire Donbas region, Ukrainian officials said he remains intent on subduing the whole country.

"Putin`s main goal is the destruction of Ukraine. He is not backing down from his goals, despite the fact that Ukraine won the first stage of this full-scale war," Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar told national television on Friday.

A Russian government spokesman said "certain results have been achieved" in the war and Moscow will continue its military operations until all goals are met.

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Ukraine: Ukraine on Friday (June 3, 2022) said it recaptured a large chunk of territory in fierce fighting for Sievierodonetsk and foiled an attempt by Russian troops to advance from the devastated eastern industrial city on the 100th day of Moscows invasion.

Ukraine`s defence minister said his soldiers were training in Europe to operate advanced missile systems pledged this week by the United States and Britain, which Kyiv hopes will help swing the battle in its favour.

A war that Western countries believe Russia planned to win within hours has ground on for more than three months at a cost of thousands of lives and disruption to the global economy. Moscow was driven back from Kyiv and launched a huge new assault in the east.

Rejecting Western criticism that the war is to blame for rising global food prices hurting poor countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin denied Moscow was preventing Ukrainian ports from exporting cereals.

Reuters reached Sievierodonetsk on Thursday and was able to verify that Ukrainians still held part of the city. Troops drove towards a plume of black smoke at high speed over roads littered with wrecked armoured vehicles. One soldier sat in the back seat, his face streaked with blood from injuries.

At another location in the city, Ukrainian troops, including foreign volunteers, unloaded weapons from a truck.

"We`re gonna push the Russians back. It will take a day, a month, or a year it does not fucking matter. We are on the right side of history," said Zurab Kakalidze, a Georgian who described himself as "just a 22-year-old kid."

On Friday, the Ukrainian head of the Luhansk region Serhiy Gaidai told national television that Ukrainian troops had recaptured around 20% of the territory they had lost to Russian forces in Sievierodonetsk.

Reuters could not independently verify Gaidai`s claim.

Two Reuters journalists were injured and a driver killed after their vehicle came under fire as they tried to reach Sievierodonetsk from an area controlled by Russian-backed separatists.

Gaidai said the Russians were shelling Ukrainian positions for hours and then advancing, only to be repulsed by defenders who had not been hurt, before repeating the pattern.

"This is how they are moving forward, step by step, because with artillery, aircraft, mortars, they are simply destroying everything," he said.

"But as soon as we have enough Western long-range weapons, we will push their artillery away from our positions. And then, believe me, the Russian infantry, they will just run."

Russian soldiers attempted to advance towards Lysychansk, across the Siverskyi Donetsk River from Sievierodonetsk but were forced to retreat, Ukraine`s military general staff said.

In neighbouring Donetsk province, also a target of Moscow`s eastern offensive, Russian troops were just 15 km (9 miles) outside the city of Sloviansk, regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko told Reuters.

Donetsk will not fall quickly, but needs more weapons to keep the attackers at bay, Kyrylenko said.

Washington said this week it expected Ukrainians would need three weeks of training to use the rockets, whose range of up to 80 km (50 miles) could help negate Russia`s artillery fire-power advantage.

U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters a negotiated settlement in Ukraine would be needed at some point, but in the meantime the United States would help Ukrainians defend themselves.

Ukraine`s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an overnight address that Kyiv was expecting more "good news" on foreign arms, after the latest $700 million U.S. weapons package for Ukraine. "Victory will be ours," he said later on Friday in a video address from outside his Kyiv office to mark 100 days of the war.

SLOW BUT STEADY PROGRESS

Moscow says the Western weapons will pour "fuel on the fire," but will not change the course of what it calls a "special military operation" to disarm Ukraine and rid it of dangerous nationalists.

Despite being driven from the north of Ukraine in March after a failed assault on the capital, Russia still controls around a fifth of the country, about half seized in 2014 and half captured since launching its invasion on Feb. 24.

For both sides, the massive Russian assault in the east in recent weeks has been one of the deadliest phases of the war, with Ukraine saying it is losing 60-100 soldiers every day.

Moscow has made slow but steady progress, squeezing Ukrainian forces inside a pocket in Luhansk and Donetsk provinces, but so far failing to encircle them.

Kyiv, meanwhile, hopes the Russian advance will drain Moscow`s forces enough for Ukraine to recapture territory in months to come.

FAMINE, DESTABILISATION

The war has had a devastating impact on the global economy, especially for poor food-importing countries. Ukraine is one of the world`s leading sources of grain and cooking oil, but those supplies were cut off by the closure of its Black Sea ports, with more than 20 million tonnes of grain stuck in silos.

"Failure to open those ports will result in famine," U.N. crisis coordinator Amin Awad said in Geneva, saying a grain shortage could affect 1.4 billion people and trigger mass migration.

U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths on Friday ended two days of "frank and constructive discussions" with Russian officials in Moscow on facilitating exports of Ukraine grain from Black Sea ports, a U.N. spokesman said.

The talks came as U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tries to broker what he calls a "package deal" to resume both Ukrainian food exports and Russian food and fertilizer exports.

Kyiv and its allies blame Moscow for blockading the ports, which Ukraine has mined to prevent a Russian amphibious assault. Putin blamed Western sanctions and said sanctions should be lifted on Belarus, to allow Ukraine to export through its neighbour, an ally of Moscow.
New York Mets starting pitcher Max Scherzer's dog isn't going to be making any fans in Queens.

Per Mike Puma of the New York Post, Scherzer was bitten on his pitching hand by one of his dogs at his house in Florida recently.

The bite isn't expected to impact Scherzer's return timetable as he continues to rehab from a strained oblique.

Scherzer removed himself from a May 18 start against the St. Louis Cardinals after feeling soreness on his left side.

"Hopefully I got out of there quick enough to prevent a major injury here because I know oblique, intercostal, those things can be nasty," the three-time Cy Young Award winner told reporters. "Hopefully I avoided a serious injury."

He was subsequently placed on the injured list with a six-to-eight week return timetable.

The 37-year-old ace signed a three-year, $130 million contract with the Mets in December after his 2021 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers came to a premature end because of arm soreness during the playoffs.

Scherzer has been mostly durable throughout his MLB career. He made at least 30 starts in 10 consecutive seasons from 2009 through 2018. After 27 outings in 2019 and 12 during the coronavirus-shortened 2020 campaign, he returned to the 30-start threshold in 2021.

Injuries have started to take a major toll on New York's rotation. Two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom has yet to pitch this season because of a shoulder injury, while Tylor Megill landed on the IL with biceps tendinitis.

The Mets feature an impressive combination of high-end talent and depth when it comes to starting pitchers, which bodes well for the remainder of the regular season, but a deep playoff run will likely be heavily dependent on the availability of Scherzer and deGrom.
For all the speculation that goes on around Donald Trump and the 2024 Republican presidential nomination race, it's possible, even likely, that the more intense battle will be among Democrats. A new poll from Mark Penn, the former Clinton strategist who runs the Harvard-Harris Poll, suggests President Joe Biden's support among Democrats is significantly weaker than Trump's support among Republicans. And that could lead to chaos on the Democratic side.

Penn's question was very simple. To Republicans, he asked, "If the Republican presidential primary for the 2024 election was held today, who would you vote for?" And to Democrats, he asked, "If the Democratic presidential primary for the 2024 election was held today, who would you vote for?"

The results: Forty-one percent of Republicans named Trump, while 12% named Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, 7% named former Vice President Mike Pence, and 4% each named former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Sen. Ted Cruz. There were a few other names lower down -- Sen. Marco Rubio, Sen. Tim Scott, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo -- and a fairly large percentage, 28%, who said they were unsure or would choose someone else.

On the Democratic side, the results were 23% for Biden, while 9% named Vice President Kamala Harris, 8% named Sen. Bernie Sanders, 7% support 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton and 5% back Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Another fairly large number of people, 31%, said they were unsure or named someone else.

The result is stunning for Biden -- only 23% of Democrats said they would vote for the sitting president of their party if the primary were today. That is weak, weak, weak. But even at that, of course, Biden is stronger than the rest of the Democratic field, if a Democratic field can be said to exist at this moment.

Of course, there shouldn't be a Democratic field at all. There shouldn't even be a race on the Democratic side. When there is a relatively new president, still before his first midterms, it is assumed that 1) he will run for re-election, and 2) he will easily secure his party's nomination, almost always without opposition. In Joe Biden's case, neither is guaranteed.

In comparison, Trump is a more powerful presence in the Republican race than Biden is in the Democratic contest. And when Penn then asked voters about a Biden-Trump general election matchup, Trump won, but it was close -- 45% to 42%, with 13% unsure.

Then Penn asked about another matchup: Harris versus Trump. Trump won more handily -- 47% to 40%, with 13% unsure. Then Penn asked about one last contest: Harris versus DeSantis. The vice president won, but narrowly -- 41% to 385, with a large contingent, 20%, unsure.

So what does all this say? It says that even in his weakened condition -- old, slowing down, job approval rating stuck around 40% -- Biden is probably the Democrats' best hope of keeping the White House in 2024. It might not be a good hope, but it is the party's best hope.

This is a subject of intense discomfort among many Democrats. A recent article in New York magazine detailed the party's agonizing search for an alternative to the president -- and the fear that there might be no good alternative. The strongest believer in the no-alternative view, of course, is the president himself. Biden, the article reported, is convinced that 1) Trump must be stopped, and 2) the only person who can stop him is Joe Biden.

"As far as Biden's camp is concerned, there isn't any ambiguity about 2024 at all," author Gabriel Debenedetti wrote. "He has said in private that he sees himself as the only thing standing between the country and the Trumpian abyss and has instructed his aides to redouble their planning for a rematch."

"Biden is sustained by his contempt for Trump and the imperative of keeping him out of office," Debenedetti continued. "'If Trump is alive,' one veteran adviser says, 'Biden is running.'" The president does not seem to realize, or does not seem to care, that many Americans do not believe he should run again at age 82. "Facing a country dubious that he will run, Biden just gets more convinced that he must," Debenedetti wrote.

Biden's obsession with Trump, and Trump's obsession with avenging his loss in 2020, could lock the two men -- one 82 years old, the other 78 -- into a sort of political death match. Unless one or both parties' voters decide it should not come to that.

This content originally appeared on the Washington Examiner at washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/a-2024-trump-biden-death-match.

Byron York is chief political correspondent for The Washington Examiner.

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NEW YORK  When Jaquel Spivey found out he was nominated for a Tony Award as lead actor in A Strange Loop, he was shocked. Not just for the normal reasons, but for the statement it made.

This is an industry that in history has not been here for people like me. And when I say people like me, just to be specific, like fat, Black, queer men who had just very openly feminine energy. Im not the most masculine man in the room, Spivey recently told The Associated Press at an event honoring this seasons Tony Award nominees.

Making his Broadway debut, Spivey plays Usher, an overweight Black, gay man struggling to write a musical about an overweight Black, gay man struggling to write a musical and so on  like a strange loop. Throughout the show, Usher, who works as an usher at The Lion King, is haunted by a chorus of six thoughts that challenge him with everything from being gay and unloved to challenging his Blackness and choices in music.

Spivey says the show created by Michael R. Jackson tells a story thats kind of hard to swallow for a mainstream audience. He admits not expecting the response the show garnered since opening night on Broadway and the 11 Tony nominations that followed. It is the front-runner going into this years Tony Awards, to be held June 12, and televised on CBS.

There are so many folks who I think have turned away from being an artist because they dont fit. And its very easy to give up on yourself when nobody is encouraging you, Spivey said.

Spivey recalls those hurtful moments of rejection before getting the role.

When you walk into a room and the people behind the table scoff, and they roll their eyes and its visible. You can see it before you even sing your 16 bars. They throw you out. They dont even care, Spivey said.

Jackson conceived the story more than 20 years ago but didnt get to workshop it until 2015. Along the way, the musical built an audience, opening off-Broadway at Playwright Horizons in 2019, then a 2021 production at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., before landing at the Lyceum Theatre.

Jackson, who earned the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for the musical, admits the story was influenced by his own life, right down to working as an usher for a Disney show, though he says its not autobiographical. More than his own experiences, Jackson believes the story is relatable to anyone who has ever felt like an outsider or wants to know how that feels.

For some people, A Strange Loop is a mirror. And for other people, A Strange Loop is a window. And both of those experiences can happen in the same place. And it only enriches the experience of being in the audience and sort of participating in the loop, Jackson said.

The title of the musical comes from the 2007 Douglas Hofstadter novel I Am a Strange Loop and a song by Liz Phair.

The show marks a watershed moment for Broadway when it comes to inclusion, with more creators and actors of color being represented. Spivey says it was inevitable for the time, especially with Broadways first normal season since 2019.

I think coming out of a pandemic and just all the craziness that the world has been, its helpful to know that youre not alone, and its helpful to know that you can go to a show and not just be entertained, but you can actually go on a journey with someone and watch them go through all these trials and tribulations and make it and inspire you to make it, Spivey said.

Jackson sees the question of inclusion as more complicated than having more creators of color on Broadway.

I think thats going to always be in the eye of the beholder. I dont know that theres necessarily a fixed idea of what is enough, which is why I think that its also really important to focus not just on who is represented on Broadway, but also what is represented on Broadway, Jackson said.

Among the actors playing the chorus is L Morgan Lee, the first trans actor nominated as best featured actress in a musical, and John-Andrew Morrison as best featured actor.

Morrison calls the role a privilege, because the show can make a difference in someones life.

I always think about that queer Black boy, right? That there might be that one in the audience who just needs to know that hes not alone and that his life has value, and his feelings have value, and his humanity is important. So its nice to be in a show thats doing all of that, Morrison said.

Stephen Brackett, who earned a Tony nod for directing, had his own take on the shows universal message. Its not forced. Its not like forced wokeness. Its not performative. It just is. This is their story.
Officials with the city school division and the police department are investigating two related instances of graffiti threatening violence against Black students that were found in a student bathroom.

Principal Rodney Jordan said in a message to families that CPD officers were present at Bufords campus out of an abundance of caution and to provide a visible layer of support to students and staff.

No other information about the threats was provided in the message to families.

Jordan said officials are taking the threat seriously while noting that most threats are eventually found to be made without intent.

I know this news will be difficult to receive in the midst of the numerous terrible tragedies happening around our country, he wrote. To Black students, staff and families: I see you and I walk with you. To our whole community: we are doing everything we can to continue to make our community safe and secure.

The division noted in a statement that threats like the ones found this week can have significant impact on a communitys mental health.

Jordan also provided counseling resources for students, staff and families in the email.

The safety of our schools truly relies upon the bonds between us, he wrote. Racist words, assumptions, and behaviors tear at the fabric of our community. In our final days of this school year, lets speak up against discrimination, recommit to one another, and move forward as a community.

The school year in Charlottesville ends next week.
Charlottesville police officers are investigating an aggravated assault that reportedly occurred Thursday night near the UVa Corner.

The University of Virginia Police said in a community alert that the reported stabbing occurred on the 1600 block of University Avenue. The victims injuries were not life-threatening, according to the alert.

Initial reports indicate that the victim and a group of others were gathered together at this location when the incident occurred, according to the alert.

The assault reportedly occurred at 9:20 p.m. Thursday, according to the alert.
We are writing this letter because we are specifically concerned about the shooting that happened in Uvalde because it was the deadliest school shooting since 2012. We want to take action and not forget about it.

In 2019, the United States had almost four times as many murders by guns as any other wealthy country. Roughly 19 million guns were sold legally in the U.S. in 2021. That is not counting the guns that were bought illegally.

We need gun laws to change. So we are asking the people who represent us in Congress to do something.

Dear Senator Warner, Senator Kaine and Representative Good,

We want you to write a bill based on these ideas we have:

* Raise the age requirement for owning a gun.

* Guns may not be concealed.

* No loaded guns in populated spaces, like schools or malls.

* No automatic guns.

* Federal background checks.

* All guns should be registered federally.

The president of Ukraine sent sympathy to our country when they are in the middle of a war! We shouldnt need sympathy from someone who is in a war now. Guns are for hunting in the woods or part of law enforcement, not for killing innocent people, especially children. Kids shouldnt have to be scared to go to school.

We believe we should have the right to feel safe everywhere.

Ruthie Wallenborn, 6th grade, Tandem Friends School

Ana Salazar-Gil, 6th grade, Tandem Friends School

Caleb Gilbert-Schroeer, 5th grade, Tandem Friends School

Dhruvi Godhwani, 6th grade, Tandem Friends School

Daniel Blemker, 5th grade, Tandem Friends School

Maeve Donelson, 6th grade, Tandem Friends School

Bryn Shelton-Barnes, 5th grade, Tandem Friends School

Sophie McCaughey, 5th grade, Tandem Friends School

Brendan Shiraishi, 6th grade, Tandem Friends School
Released: May 20, 2022

On Thursday, May 19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported Delaware County is currently experiencing High COVID-19 Community Level Transmissions. New COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population (7-day total) were calculated using data collected from Thursday, May 12 through Wednesday, May 18, 2022. New COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population (7-day total) and percentage of inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients (7-day average) were calculated using data from Wednesday, May 11 through Tuesday, May 17.

The Delaware County Health Department (DCHD) has been calculating similar weekly statistics in anticipation of a possible return to the High Community Level Transmission designation.

When a county is designated as High Community Level Transmission, that is the highest warning signal that residents need to take additional precautions to prevent the spread of COVID -19, said DCHD Director Melissa Lyon. This is especially true to protect individuals who are at high risk of COVID-19 disease complications and those who are not eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations.

The Delaware County Health Department strongly encourages the public to follow the CDCs recommendations of universal masking indoors regardless of vaccination status.

Effective, Monday, May 23, County employees and people visiting any County Government Building will be required to wear a mask regardless of vaccination status.

It is also important for individuals to stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters and to get tested if they have symptoms. Individuals at risk for severe illness should consider taking additional precautions and speak to a healthcare provider about the most appropriate course of action for their situation.

Those who have a medical condition or are taking medications that weaken their immune system may not be fully protected even if they are up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines. They should talk to their healthcare providers about additional precautions that may be necessary.

Residents are encouraged to take advantage of the third round of free, at-home COVID-19 tests, currently available to every U.S. household. Orders can be placed at https://www.covid.gov/tests or by calling 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489).

Delaware County residents can receive a COVID-19 vaccination or booster at the newly renovated Delaware County Wellness Center located at 125 Chester Avenue, Yeadon Pa.,19050, or at DCHD-Chester at 151 W. 5th Street, Chester PA., 19013.

Walk-ins are welcome at each location and appointments can be scheduled via:
PORTLAND  During migration season, millions of birds fly though Oregon as they head north for the summer.

Were talking about songbirds, were talking about waterfowl, were talking about birds of prey, Portland Audubon Society conservation director Bob Sallinger told Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Most of their journey happens after the sun goes down.

You cant see them at night, but the sky is literally full of birds, Sallinger said

The Audubon Society shared a lights-out alert on Tuesday, May 31, based on data published by Colorado State Universitys AreoEco Lab. The lab forecasts bird migration patterns across the country and suggests varying levels of lights-out alerts based on how many birds are passing overhead.

Light has serious impacts on migration, Sallinger said. A lot of birds migrate at night and it blocks out the stars. They use the stars to navigate.

Light pollution can disorient birds, causing them to exhaust themselves. It also can draw them into urban areas where they can face hazards, like crashing into windows.

Having people reduce unnecessary lighting during migratory periods does help, Sallinger said. That can be as simple as shutting off your porch lights and your outside lights at night.

On Tuesday alone, nearly 5 million birds were expected to migrate over Oregon skies. While numbers wane throughout the week, the call to keep lights off at night continues through Friday night when over 3 million birds are anticipated to pass over the state. Out of Oregons three most populated cities, Portland sees the largest portion of the birds overhead. Sallinger said its because Portland is toward the center of the course that birds take as they head north through West Coast states.

Sallinger acknowledges there are large sources of light not operated by single households.

We need to be adopting policies that prevent light pollution, Sallinger said. And thats not just about preventing lights; lights are an important part of our landscape. Its preventing unnecessary lighting and lighting that goes where we dont need it.

The Audubon Society helped the city of Portland complete a report about light pollution as part of the citys Dark Skies Project. The final report was published a couple of years ago, and called for regulations to address light pollution. The project got suspended when COVID-19 hit, but Sallinger said the council assured the nonprofit that they were going to bring it back and pursue it.

Theres a tremendous opportunity here to put into place common-sense policies, Sallinger said. So we look forward to continuing to work with the city of Portland and other jurisdictions to accomplish that goal.

In addition to struggling with light pollution, many bird populations are in decline.

A lot of that has to do with habitat loss, but also hazards and light pollution is a big hazard, Sallinger said.

Comparatively, Oregons light population isnt as severe as other states. Still, Sallinger said there is work to do and he is confident that Oregonians will be on board.

People like to see the night sky, he said. They want their communities to be safe and safely lit, but we dont find a whole lot of advocates out there that say, Yeah, we want unnecessary wasteful lighting.

While the peak of the bird migration season in Oregon is early June, Sallinger said the migration season can last months, so reducing light pollution at night is always helpful to birds.

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

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After 13 years, the company started by five Black classmates at Denver School of the Arts is closing the curtain.
According to Forbes Magazine, Alabama ranks 47th in the nation in retaining college graduates. More specifically, two-thirds of in-state college graduates remain in Alabama and only 20% of the out-of-state college graduates remain in Alabama to begin their professional journey. These statistics lead to two key questions  Why are students leaving to work in other states? And as a community, what can we do to solve this problem?

Leadership from the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce, Southeast AlabamaWorks, and Wallace Community College all recently participated in the Fuel Alabama (FUEL AL) Talent Conference presented by the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA). The conference revealed the best practices in talent attraction and retention and prompted us to share with our communities.

So, why are students leaving to work in other states? A recent report from EDPA, Retain Alabama, highlighted some key takeaways to include: 1) the biggest barrier to retaining Alabama students is their sense that the state does not have the job opportunities they want; 2) students are evaluating their post graduate opportunities on a city level, not a state level, and Alabamas cities are competing against other Southern cities; 3) when it comes to positioning Alabama, there is a clear directionits cities offer mid-size, manageable communities with short commutes that let graduates enjoy life outside of work; 4) practical incentives like sign-on bonuses, student loan forgiveness, and incentives for graduate school would increase their likelihood to stay in the state; 5) students start prioritizing places of interest before graduation, so early engagement with students is critical; and 6) the EDPA will play a key role in helping communities and employers attract and retain talent graduating from Alabama universities through research, convening, communications, and targeted student programming.

As we take these things into consideration, we should begin to answer the second question concerning how our communities solve the talent attraction/retention problem at hand. At the FUEL AL conference, we heard directly from a variety of young professionals about the issues that matter to them in deciding where to work and live. One recent graduate stated, Young professionals are concerned with starting salary, quality of life, cost of living, the potential for professional advancement, positive work culture, and freedom to implement new ideas in the workplace. Another young professional said, Outside of work, I am looking for things to do  community spaces, book clubs, and varied recreational opportunities. Other recent graduates in attendance stressed the importance of working in an environment with creative freedom, having challenges to problem-solve, and wanting to be part of a company with a purpose.

It was apparent to those who attended the FUEL AL Conference that local businesses and companies must market themselves appropriately to the younger generation. The online and social media presence of a company is vital when attracting the Gen Z workforce. It is important for cities, businesses, organizations, and companies to welcome new ideas and ensure a healthy culture is present. Also, we all must realize we are competing across the state for the best and brightest workers; therefore, salary expectations for the Gen Z population are higher than ever before.

So, what can Dothan and Houston County do to recruit talent to the Wiregrass area? It really is simple  we must share our story, be a part of the change, and invite graduates to visit our area. Seeing is believing. The community plays a crucial role in recruiting and retaining workers, especially those who are younger. Statistics show that recent graduates desire to live in communities where their quality of life is valued. In many cases, young talent is deciding where they would like to live first and deciding where they would like to work second. Therefore, communities that are investing in their downtown areas, like the City of Dothan is planning to do, will see a return on those investments.

The time has never been better to live, work, and play in Southeast Alabama. The future is bright. The opportunities are endless. However, it is up to each of us to share our Alabama story. Will you join me to help Fuel Alabama with talent and workers for the future?

Brad Kimbro is the Chief Operating Officer of Wiregrass Electric Cooperative and currently serves as Chairman of the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Chairman of the Ashford Downtown Redevelopment Authority, and on the Executive Committee of Grow Southeast Alabama. Contact Brad at bkimbro@wiregrasselectric.coop
A microscopy image of high-density malaria parasites (purple dots) in the blood of a female patient in Hanoi. Photo by Hanoi's Bach Mai Hospital

Two people in HCMC and two others in Hanoi have been hospitalized with malaria after arriving from Africa, the first such patients recorded in the cities in recent years.

Bach Mai Hospital, a major public facility in Hanoi, said it is treating two patients with malaria returning from Angola late last month.

One of them is a 38-year-old man in the central province of Ha Tinh who lived in Angola for 12 years. He suffered from high fever, chills, headache, and diarrhea and was first hospitalized in Ha Tinh, but the conditions only worsened. He was then transferred to Hanoi and blood tests at Bach Mai hospital confirmed he was infected with the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.

The other patient is a 32-year-old pregnant woman in Hanoi who was in Angola for eight years and also had malaria last year. She went to a private clinic after having fever, headache, sweats and chills. She was then tested with malaria and transferred to Bach Mai.

Doctor Do Duy Cuong at Bach Mai said Vietnam has successfully controlled malaria in recent years and there were almost no local cases recorded in northern Vietnam.

The two other patients under treatment at HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases are also its first malaria cases in nearly two years.

They are a 24-year-old female student returning from Cameroon and a 63-year-old Chinese man coming from the Ivory Coast, doctors said Friday.

Doctor Ho Dang Trung Nghia at the hospital said the woman started having fever a day after returning to Vietnam while the Chinese man was already feverish on the flight. Tests later confirmed they were infected with malaria.

"Both are being treated in the ICU with malaria medication and many other measures," Nghia said.

Vietnam aims to eliminate malaria by 2030.
Passengers land at Cam Ranh Airport near Nha Trang on a flight from Singapore, June 3 2022. Photo courtesy of Vietnam Airlines

Vietnam Airlines has become the first Vietnamese carrier to operate a direct service connecting Nha Trang beach town in Khanh Hoa Province with Singapore as tourism picks up.

On Friday, the first flight carrying 160 passengers from Singapore landed at Cam Ranh International Airport, around 40 kilometers from Nha Trang, which is famous for long, sandy beaches and high-end resorts.

There would be two weekly return flights.

Nguyen Thi Le Thanh, director of the provincial tourism department, said the local travel industry, which is heavily dependent on Chinese tourists, has been looking for ways to diversify its markets since China is still pursuing a zero-Covid policy with strict travel restrictions.

Singapore is a potential tourism market, she said.

Khanh Hoa has welcomed over 31,000 foreign arrivals in the first five months of this year, up 75 percent year-on-year, according to the provincial tourism department.

In 2019, the year before the onset of Covid, Khanh Hoa received over seven million tourists, half of them foreigners.

Vietnam allowed free-quarantine entry and resumed its visa exemption policy for ASEAN countries including Singapore from March 15.

Singapore made a similar move, scrapping mandatory hotel quarantine for those arriving from Vietnam from March 16.
CARLIN  Building a house and wiring it with lights sounds like a task for a carpenter and electrician.

But for 12 students in Donita Duvalls sixth grade STEM class at Carlin Combined Schools, it was an introduction to skills that could spark interest in STEM and lead to careers or jobs in the technical trade field when they get older.

Duvall started her students at the beginning of the semester learning the difference between two- and three-dimensional drawings, then moved into a refresher on series and parallel circuitry.

The sixth-graders created floor plans to a scale roughly one-half-inch to two or five feet and then they used lathes she cut down to the size they needed.

The spring project familiarized students with using hand tools and measurements.

They had to measure the studs themselves and cut them, so theyre learned to use hand tools, Duvall explained.

Finally, they added parallel circuits to them using strings of colored lights. Each house had to have a certain number of rooms and a light in each room that switched off and on individually.

Although the students realized the amount of work that was involved in constructing a house with wiring, they enjoyed doing the whole process, Duvall said, adding shes assigned it for many years.

I did this way before STEM was cool, she said. Years ago, her students in Owyhee built barns to present to tribal members.

The project was two-pronged for Duvalls students: teaching them the steps it takes to build a house while giving them a taste of learning a trade and other options for future careers.

I feel like the trades  plumbing, electrical and carpentry  we dont put enough emphasis on that, Duvall said. Weve talked about going to a trade school instead of going to college as an alternative. They say college isnt always the answer for every student, but going to a trade school means they could have a decent income in a short amount of time.

As the students wrapped up their projects before taking them to the school library for display on May 4, Duvall said her students learned other things as they worked on their houses.

I heard them say, I cant believe I did this all by myself, Duvall recalled. To me thats pretty awesome because it does show they have that perseverance to get through it and finish.

She said she also observed the firm due date helped her students understand the responsibility of deadlines and not wasting time has been a huge learning cure for them. Overall, I think its been a super good learning experience.

It was a lot and maybe some people think its asking too much, but I think you get what you ask for, she added.

Duvalls students also get a taste of STEM with other projects, including Lead the Way for automation and robotics.

The STEM class was an afterschool project, which Duvall has taught for three years.

This is the first full year of it, she said, calling the class a work in progress due the pandemic. Next year, she will add a STEM class for seventh- and eighth-graders.

Duvalls class will have options to move forward in STEM with Carlins Career and Technical Education classes, including welding SkillsUSA, FCCLA and computer programming.

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The California Trail Interpretive Center eight miles west of Elko has been busy this spring. Lots of locals are ready to get out and go to the activities at the Trail Center, and people from across the country have been pulling in to learn about the history of the California Trail.

Visitation is definitely picking up, Trail Center Manager Paul Brownlee said.

The Center had more than 500 visitors in one recent week, and on June 1, 129 people spent some time looking through the Center.

Its been good to see people flowing in here, especially after being closed for so long, Brownlee said.

The Trail Center was closed for a while during the pandemic, and then was open for two days a week, and went to five days a week on April 6. Starting June 6, the Center will be open seven days a week, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

Were excited to have it open, excited to be going to seven days a week, Brownlee said. The staff is great, theyre energized, theyre ready to go.

The Center now has a team of four Bureau of Land Management staff, two permanent Southern Nevada Conservancy staff and one Nevada Outdoor School staff. Theyll be adding to their core team with two summer employees hired through the Southern Nevada Conservancy.

The staff has been working on organizing lots of events at the Trail Center, and people have been coming out to enjoy all kinds of activities, including historical talks, make-and-take projects, and hikes. Some of the activities coming up include a buffalo chip toss on June 11, axe throwing on June 23, a childrens story time and craft on June 24, and a talk on the history of Fort Halleck on June 25.

Theres just lots going on, Brownlee said. Well have programming four days a week following California Trail Days. Weve expanded our programs from two a month when I got here, to now well do one each day Thursday to Sunday.

Recently more than 180 people went to the Center for a night sky program. They looked through telescopes at constellations, took short hikes, and enjoyed hot chocolate and smores.

The night sky program has been a hit, Brownlee said. It was just really great to see all those folks come out.

Another star party is coming up June 24 from 9 to 10:30 p.m.

Brownlee said they ask that people sign up for the events in advance to help with planning. Go to californiatrailcenter.org to see whats coming up, and sign up for the events you are interested in.

This spring a lot of students from schools throughout Elko County have been visiting the Trail Center. Many weeks three or four school groups come to the Trail Center for programs and activities. Sometimes the Center staff travels to a school for classroom programs.

This year California Trail Days are back after a two-year hiatus. Trail Days will be June 18-19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The popular weekend event features historical reenactors and a schedule of activities including a mural art walk, gold rush songs, and black powder demonstrations. There will be a pioneer dance with live music Saturday night.

Through Our Own Eyes, an art exhibit featuring paintings by Native American students from Owyhee Combined School, is also returning this year after two years off.

Weve had a lot of patrons asking if we were going to do it this year, so we brought that back, Brownlee said.

This year there are 40 paintings in the exhibit, which will open June 18 and run through Oct. 31. A little over half of the paintings will be available for sale at prices set by the students.

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ELKO  An Elko County rancher has proposed setting up a meat-packing plant at the Railport east of town.

Ken Bowler, owner of the Devils Gate Ranch, approached the County to purchase or lease six acre feet of water rights for a $1.2 million meat-packing plant. The plants first phase would start in a 7,500 square-foot building and process 100 cattle per week, storing and freezing the meat on site.

Bowler said the goal is for the plant to become a USDA-approved facility. Currently, cattle are sent to USDA processing plants in Utah, Idaho and the Carson Valley.

A plant would save money in transportation fees for Nevada ranchers, he said.

We feel this would be the perfect location, and it will help ranchers, hopefully, increase their profit margin, Bowler said. He acknowledged it might be difficult to receive USDA certification, but he is willing to pursue the venture whatever it takes.

We anticipate that there will be a process, he said. Well probably be bald by the time were done from pulling out our hair, but well do our best.

Bowler predicted with ranchers transporting cattle closer to home, about 5% to 7% of the cattles value could be saved, along with gas expenses.

President of the Nevada Cattlemans Association Jon Griggs said the proposed meat-packing plant would be a great way to sell our product locally. We dont have that opportunity now. All the cattle we raise has to go somewhere else to be processed.

Currently, calves or yearlings are sold and shipped to stock operators and feed lots closer to packing facilities, Griggs explained.

He added that if the plant opens in Elko County, it would create a consistent market for both ranchers and consumers alike, taking out the crazy highs for consumers, and show profits over the long run.

The market for producers and consumers is cyclical. Right now consumers are seeing market highs because of the market dynamics, and the producers are seeing market lows, Griggs said. But locally sourced like this, we wont have some of the economies of scale that the big producers have, but it will lend to consistency.

Griggs said keeping production local would likely be a better product. Keeping cattle in Nevada could be a win for all of us.

The plant could run into a few hurdles, such as federal meat inspection, Griggs added.

Traditionally, its been a struggle to get a USDA inspector to a fairly small operation or into a market like Elko, he said. But the good news, the Nevada Department of Agriculture is just now getting set up where state inspectors do the same job as federal inspectors.

The other challenge is we producers typically in this area tend to be spring calvers. Our cattle are roughly all of the same age, he said. Well have to work out for him, but sometimes well have a glut of cattle and sometimes not enough cattle because theyre all about the same age. 

Andrew Church of the Glaser Land & Livestock Co., told Commissioners that Bowler and the Devils Gate Ranch had been neighbors and collaborators for years. Weve always known Ken and the Devils Gate crew to be progressive and forward thinking.

He observed some benefits to the plant, including a reduction in expenses and stress on the animals and the environment, along with local economic diversification with dairies, creameries and bakeries.

I think of any way of diversifying the economy but the agricultural production in the county is in our best interest, Church said.

Additionally, the plant could be a good way of showing to the public that you can do beef production right.

I think what oftentimes happens is the black eyes caused by the big four packers, as far as these public relations nightmares and how they treat animals, trickles down to everyone from ranchers, producers, etc., Church explained. I think by bringing this down to the local level, we have the possibility to show people how this can be done right.

County Commissioner Wilde Brough said ranchers in surrounding counties could save costs by transporting their cattle to Elko County and contribute to the local economy at the same time. Off-shoot businesses, such as feed lots, could also take off because of this.

I think this is going to be a big boom. I think its going to save a lot of ranchers a lot of transportation money, he added.

I really like this idea of a meat-packing plant, said Commissioner Delmo Andreozzi. I love the idea because cattle is just as much a part of Elko County as mining has been for a long, long time. I think its a great idea.

Commissioners unanimously approved a motion Wednesday for staff to review the options to sell or lease water rights for the plant, with a clause to revert the ownership back to the County if the plant is sold or shuts down operations.Currently, Elko County owns about 200 acre feet of underground water that has been earmarked for development at the Railport and is being used for its intended purpose, according to County Supervisor and Senior Planner Corey Rice.

Rice told Commissioners that the staff believed the meat-packing plant was an appropriate use for those underground water rights, explaining that the water should be put to use.

He also added his concerns that continuous extensions could soon come to an end for primary underground water rights.

Some water rights have already been sold to a shooting range and motocross track, Rice added. He and Assistant County Manager Curtis Moore also suggested selling the water rights because it would definitely be easier for every party involved.

Due to Nevadas use-it-or-lose-it stipulations, Rice supported selling the underground water rights with a clause to revert rights back to Elko County within five years of the sale.

If we sell the Devils Gate Ranch the water rights, we feel we can put a reversion clause in there, say the meat-packing plant shuts down, and something else doesnt move in within five years, Rice said. Then those water rights can revert back to the County.

However, Commissioners Jon Karr and Rex Steninger stated they were in favor of leasing the water rights instead, while offering full support for the project.

I dont like the getting rid of [the water rights], Karr said. I think water is king. But Im 100% for the project.

Im all in favor of a lease, too, Steninger added. We cant let it go.

I speak for the rest of the board: were going to get you the water, one way or another. We just want to look at the options, Steninger told Bowler.

Prior to approaching the County, Devils Gate Ranch purchased water rights in the Osino Basin, but later realized it was in the wrong basin and cant be transfered, Rice explained.

Bowler suggested trading his purchase of water rights in the Osino Basin to Elko County, if that would work.

Brough supported selling the rights, due to Bowlers commitment to the project, which will be funded by the Ranch.

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Regulation No. 2022/870 of the European Parliament and the Council on temporary trade liberalization measures, exempting Ukrainian exports from duties for a year, came into force on Saturday, the Ministry of Economy reported.

"This decision complements the opportunities that our exporters have in accordance with the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU. Now the tariffs prescribed in the Agreement will be suspended," the agency said.

It clarified that the matter concerns duties for industrial products; suspension of the application of the entry price system for fruits and vegetables and all tariff quotas for agricultural products; as well as the suspension of antidumping duties on imports of goods originating from Ukraine and the application of global safeguard measures in relation to Ukrainian goods.

In turn, the liberalization of trade relations implies that Ukraine will comply with European rules: the origin of goods and related procedures under the Association Agreement; refraining from any new restrictions on imports from the EU; Ukraine's respect for democratic principles, human rights and fundamental freedoms, the rule of law, and fight against corruption.

"These new rules will be in effect for a year and will help Ukrainian producers and exporters withstand the pressure of the war and strengthen their positions in the European market," the Ministry of Economy stressed.

It indicated that the EU is now Ukraine's largest trading partner. In 2021, the European Union accounted for 39% of the total trade volume of our state. The volume of trade increased by 35% and amounted to $62.5 billion.

Ukraine exports to the European Union, primarily ferrous metals, ores, electrical machines, oil and grain.

"We expect that trade liberalization will help our exporters strengthen their positions in these and other commodity niches," the ministry added.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed to the mayors of American cities asking to break twinning ties with Russian ones.

"You know that dozens of American cities maintain the so-called twinning ties with the cities of the Russian Federation. Chicago and Moscow. Jacksonville and Murmansk. San Diego - Vladivostok. Albany and Tula. What do these ties give you? Probably nothing. But they allow Russia to speak that even after the outbreak of such a war, it is not isolated," he said, speaking via video link to participants in the Conference of Mayors on Saturday.

"Everyone sees how the Russian army is fighting and what it is doing with the peaceful cities of Ukraine... Just imagine: since February 24, Russia has used almost 2,500 different missiles against Ukraine. The vast majority of them are at cities. At urban infrastructure. And one of the deadliest Russian missiles are designed and manufactured in Yekaterinburg, which, by the way, is still twinned with the city of San Jose," he said.

He also recalled the massacres in Bucha.

"I'm sure many of you have seen and heard what Russian soldiers did in our city of Bucha. Massacres, torture of people. The bodies of the killed locals laid right in the streets while Russian soldiers remained in the city. One of the Russian brigades that did all this against our people in Bucha was a brigade from Khabarovsk Territory of Russia. And the capital of this region, the city of Khabarovsk, is still twinned with American Portland," Zelensky said.

Zelensky also invited the mayors to join the restoration of Ukraine.

"Take patronage of a city, region or industry destroyed by Russian strikes. And rebuild them with the most modern technologies. This could be the largest economic project of our time, which will strengthen Ukraine, and every country, and every company that will participate in the post-war reconstruction You can join the implementation of this major project," the president said.
French leader Emmanuel Macron did not rule out a visit to Kyiv in the near future, French media reported.

"Today, I do not exclude anything. We want to increase financial and military support for Ukraine. And, finally, do everything to export grain from Ukraine," Le Figaro quoted Macron as saying.

It is noted that Macron mentioned his possible visit to Kyiv in the context of a conversation about Russian President Vladimir Putin, who "made a historical and fundamental mistake for his people, for himself and for history."
Zelensky, presenting United24 in Washington: it's not just fundraising, it's one of opportunities to prove to Russia that evil won't win

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has presented the United24 platform in Washington, emphasizing that this is not just fundraising, but also one of the opportunities to prove to the Russian Federation that evil won't win.

"I want to tell you a story so that you understand what this war means to us. I want to tell you about Svitlana Klymenko. She works as a nurse in a hospital in the city of Ivankiv near our capital. On February 24, the first day of the Russian invasion, Svitlana lost her husband. He worked as an emergency medical assistant and went on a call to the area where Russian troops were trying to advance on Kyiv. From that day, the first day of the war, he is considered missing. The war also took another beloved of Svitlana - her son. He died in Mariupol," Zelensky said during the presentation of the United24 platform in Washington.

The president also said that Svitlana spent more than a month in the occupation until her city - Ivankiv - was liberated from Russian invaders. Throughout the occupation, she worked in a hospital and helped save people.

"Like thousands of doctors and nurses who have been saving people since February 24. Children, women, the elderly. Because the Russian Federation does not spare anyone. We must do everything to support them. So that they have something to treat with, so that they have somewhere to treat, so that we have armored ambulances, protected from Russian troops who shoot them," Zelensky said.

He stressed that the Russian army is very brutal and is trying not only to kill as many people as possible, but also to destroy all the infrastructure necessary for life.

"But people should have somewhere to return. Already now. Already today. That is why I initiated the creation of a special platform United24. This is not just fundraising. This is also one of the opportunities to prove to the Russian Federation that evil cannot win. Thousands of wounded people need help. Thousands of objects need to be restored. Ladies and gentlemen, you can join this," the head of state urged.

Zelensky also noted that the assistance would be used as efficiently and transparently as possible.

"We guarantee that thanks to these contributions, your names will forever remain in the history of Ukraine, the history of the defense of freedom and democracy. Please join United24 today," he said.
Since February 24, the United States has provided more than $6.3 billion in security, humanitarian and economic assistance to help Ukraine win, the U.S. Department of State said on its website.

"In the one hundred days since Russian President Putin ordered his forces to further invade Ukraine, the world has seen the courage and determination of the people of Ukraine as they fight for their country. Since February 24, the United States has provided more than $6.3 billion of security, humanitarian and economic assistance to help Ukraine prevail. As President Biden has said, our goal is straightforward: The United States wants to see a democratic, independent, sovereign and prosperous Ukraine with the means to deter and defend itself against further aggression," it said.

"We again call on President Putin to immediately end this conflict and all the suffering and global upheaval his war of choice has caused. Neither the United States nor our allies and partners seek to prolong the war to inflict pain on Russia. We greatly respect the citizens of Russia, who are not our enemy and who deserve a better future than what continued war and increasing repression will bring," the report states.

"To the families of Ukraine who have lost loved ones, who have been separated by violence, whose villages, apartments, schools, and hospitals have been hit by bombs, shells and missiles, who have been sent to and survived Russia's so-called "filtration" camps: The United States stands with you; we will help you defend your sovereignty and territorial integrity, and we will help you rebuild when this war is over. Ukraine will prevail," the department said.
Civilian casualties since February 24, when Russia started the war against Ukraine, until 24:00 on June 2 amounted to 9,197 civilians (the day before  9,151), including 4,183 dead (4,169), reports the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

"The OHCHR considers that the actual figures are much higher as information is delayed from some areas of heavy fighting and many reports are still awaiting confirmation," the UN data document notes.

According to it, this applies, for example, to Mariupol (Donetsk region), Izium (Kharkiv region) and Popasna (Luhansk region), where there are reports of numerous civilian casualties. They are subject to further verification and are not included in the above statistics.

"The majority of civilian deaths or injuries were caused by the use of explosive devices with a wide area of effect, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, as well as rocket and air strikes," the report says.

According to confirmed UN data, 1,584 men, 1,049 women, 102 boys and 99 girls died, while the sex of 67 children and 1,282 adults has not yet been determined.

Among the 5,014 injured were 141 boys and 116 girls, as well as 170 children whose gender has not yet been determined.

Compared to the report the day before, four children were injured.

The OHCHR indicates that in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as of midnight on June 3, there were 2,253 (2,241) dead and 2,261 (2,252) injured in government-controlled territory, and 147 (147) dead and 603 (593) injured in territory controlled by the self-proclaimed "republics."

In other regions of Ukraine under government control (in Kyiv, as well as in Zhytomyr, Zaporizhia, Kyiv, Sumy, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy and Chernihiv regions), the UN recorded 1,783 (1,781) dead and 2,150 (2,137) wounded.
The approval of the seventh package of European Union sanctions against the Russian Federation may take several months, David Arakhamia, the head of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, believes.

"I believe that it will take 2-3 months for sure, because they (sanctions) pass parliamentary committees, and now after June many parliaments (of European states) will have holidays, so this will need to be done after their (parliamentarians') return," Arakhamia said on the air of the national telethon on Friday, asked how long it might take to agree on the seventh package of EU sanctions against the Russian Federation.

Speaking about what restrictions could be included in the seventh package of sanctions, the MP noted that it would most likely be a complete disconnection of Russian banks from the SWIFT system and an expansion of the list of Russian oligarchs who support the Putin regime, against whom personal sanctions should be imposed.

In addition, Arakhamia stressed that Ukraine would insist on the introduction of a full embargo on energy resources from the Russian Federation, but he called the probability of its introduction, given the approaching heating season and the shortage of energy resources on the world market, insignificant.

"However, in this package we are developing the so-called SMART sanctions, they are targeted, but very painful," the MP emphasized.

As an example, he mentioned the possibility of imposing sanctions against insurance companies that service Russian oil tankers.

"Thus, Russia, which has oil that other countries want to buy, will not be able to transport this product, because no one wants to take it on," Arakhamia summed up.
Egyptian political activist Yahia Hussein Abdel-Hady received on Tuesday a presidential pardon after he was sentenced to prison last week to four years in prison for intentionally spreading false news about Egypt locally and internationally, his lawyer Khaled Ali confirmed.
The Armed Forces mourned in a statement released on Friday the death of two Egyptian peacekeepers and the injury of another in an IED explosion while carrying out a mission in central Mali.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Tuesday that multilateral cooperation is important for strengthening the world's unity and solidarity in facing extraordinary challenges.
UN investigators on Tuesday blamed Israel's continued occupation and discrimination against Palestinians for the endless cycles of violence in the decades-long conflict, prompting angry Israeli protests.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday that Moscow's troops were in full control of the residential areas of Severodonetsk, a key city in Ukraine's east.
Egyptian and Qatari ministers and officials agreed in an extended meeting in Cairo on Tuesday on a package of $5 billion in investments and partnerships in Egypt within "the framework of boosting economic cooperation between the two brotherly countries."

The agreement comes "within the framework of boosting economic cooperation and investments between the two brotherly countries," the Egyptian Cabinet said in a statement.

The meeting was attended by Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said, Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait, Qatar's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Minister of Finance Ahmed El-Kuwari, and Qatar's Ambassador in Cairo Salem bin Mubarak Al Shafi.

The meeting highlighted the importance of strengthening cooperation and coordination between Egypt and Qatar in various fields, the statement said.

The two sides hailed the step to establish a high joint committee between Egypt and Qatar, which was announced in a joint statement following a meeting between the two countries foreign ministers on Monday, to boost cooperation and coordination in all fields as well as to continue consultations.

In a press conference following his Cairo talks with Shoukry yesterday, the top Qatari diplomat said that Egyptian-Qatari relations are in constant development, affirming his government's keenness for upgrading these relations.

We see that the horizon of the relations between Qatar and Egypt is wide in boosting economic partnership and communication between the two countries on all levels, the Qatari FM said, adding that the past period that was marred by tensions is over.

During the presser, Shoukry said Egypt looks forward to continuing the friendly relations and cooperation with Qatar, adding that their discussions addressed activating bilateral relations and exploring chances of cooperation in various fields.

The Qatari delegation's visit to Egypt comes as the two countries continue to explore developing cooperation on multiple levels following the restoration of diplomatic and economic ties with the 2021 Ula agreement, which ended a three-and-half-year Cairo boycott of Doha.

An Egyptian-Qatari follow-up committee  set up after the signing of the Ula agreement  has already held seven rounds of negotiations over the past year, the last of which was in Doha last September, to develop the two countries' relations. The rounds of talks have seen the signing of a number of bilateral deals for enhancing cooperation between the relevant authorities.

"The impurities that plagued the relations were removed through consensus on the statement of Al-Ula, the subsequent honest and sincere activation of the follow-up committee, and the positive results it reached," Shoukry said during the presser on Monday.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani have met or talked on the phone on more than one occasion since the signing of Al-Ula.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing in February.

El-Sisi and the Qatari emir also held a meeting last winter on the sidelines of the UN Conference of Parties on Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.

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Egypt invested $400 billion to create an attractive environment for investors by improving the infrastructure over the past seven years, Egypts Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait told his Qatari counterpart Ali bin Ahmed Al-Kawary in Cairo on Thursday.

Maait added that the government encourages the private sector to increase its contribution in economic activities and the development process.

The government is eager to foster foreign, Arab, and local investment inflows, Maait stated at the meeting held at the finance ministry headquarters.

Al-Kawary told Maait that Egypt is an attractive investment destination for Qatari investors who are keen on exploring the new opportunities Egypt is providing.

The two sides agreed on updating the double taxation treaty (DTT) framework between the two countries to boost bilateral investments.

On Wednesday, Qatar said that it would inject $5 billion in investments into the Egyptian market following talks between Egypts Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdel Rahman Al-Thani, and Al-Kawary.

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A UN human rights expert on Sudan called on Saturday for accelerated investigations into killings of protesters and other atrocities, as the death toll since last year's power grab nears 100.

Sudan has been rocked by deepening unrest and a violent crackdown against near-weekly mass protests since army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan's power grab on October 25 derailed a fragile transition to civilian rule.

"It is simply unacceptable that 99 people have been killed and more than 5,000 injured as a result of excessive use of force by the joint security forces," Adama Dieng told reporters, quoting a toll provided by pro-democracy medics.

He called on authorities "to expedite" investigations into the killings of protesters.

On what is his second visit to Sudan since last year's power grab, Dieng has raised concerns during talks with senior officials over arbitrary and mass arrests of activists, sexual and gender-based violence, and "acts of torture and ill-treatment" during detentions.

He said a probe set up by Sudanese authorities has confirmed "four cases of sexual violence" during the protests.

The UN expert also pointed to an intensification of an existing economic crisis since the power grab, which has seen Western donors return to the sidelines, after brief engagement with a civilian-military power-sharing government established in the wake of autocrat Omar al-Bashir's ouster in 2019.

Spiralling prices and a poor harvest are "forecast to dramatically increase the number of people living in poverty," he noted.

Dieng is scheduled to meet with Burhan later Saturday.

On Friday, thousands of protesters took to the streets across Sudan to mark the third anniversary of a crackdown that medics say killed 128 people in June 2019, when armed men in military fatigues violently dispersed a weeks-long sit-in outside army headquarters.

A protester was killed during Friday's demonstrations despite calls by Dieng, echoed by Western diplomats, for security forces to "refrain from excessive violence against protesters."

The UN, along with the African Union and regional grouping IGAD, have been pushing for Sudanese-led talks to break the post-coup political stalemate.

On Friday, UN special representative Volker Perthes announced the Security Council had voted to extend by one year the United Nations' mission in Sudan.

Perthes, as well as AU and IGAD representatives, agreed with military officials to launch "direct talks" among Sudanese factions next week.

On Sunday, Burhan lifted a state of emergency in force since the power grab to set the stage for "meaningful dialogue that achieves stability for the transitional period".

Since April, Sudanese authorities have released several civilian leaders and pro-democracy activists.

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As part of the Al-Azhar Teacher Activity Groups Joint Programme (AATAGs), the British Council and Al-Azhar celebrated the graduation of 4,605 Azhari teachers on 2 June at Al-Azhar Institutes Centre.

Attending the graduation ceremony were Deputy to the Grand Imam Mohamed El-Dweiny, Deputy Director of the British Council in Egypt Ruth Cocks, and Head of Al-Azhar Institutes Salama Dawood.

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The AATAGs  one of the programmes offered under the Al-Azhar-British Council partnership  is a capacity building programme that is provided across the country. The programme aims to develop the English language skills and pedagogical knowledge of participants in addition to improving the digital literacy of teachers working at the primary, preparatory, and secondary levels of Al-Azhar institutes.

During the graduation ceremony, the British Council and Al-Azhar announced their plan to inaugurate the Al-Azhar English Training Centre in Luxor this academic year to build on the success of the English Training Centre in Cairo.

The Luxor centre is going to be dedicated to students of Al-Azhar Girls College in the new city of Taiba, allowing them to develop their communicative English language skills and empowering them to confidently engage in interfaith and intercultural dialogue with people from other backgrounds nationally and overseas. This prospective English Teaching Centre in Luxor will be run by 18 teachers that were trained intensively and earned the proper accreditation to teach 6,000 female students that the centre will welcome.

During the event, Cocks said: Today, Al-Azhar and the British Council witnessed the graduation of 182 teacher educators and 4,605 teachers. Our Al-Azhar teacher training programme has offered nearly 5,000 life-changing opportunities for teachers of English and the students they teach. The British Council prides itself on its English language teaching and training capabilities and it gives us enormous pleasure to work with Al-Azhar in this field. Its one of the programmes in our wider partnership with Al-Azhar  a partnership we are extremely proud of and will continue to commit to in order to build connections, trust, and understanding between the UK and Egypt.

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For his part, El-Dweiny said: Today, we gather in the honourable Al-Azhar to celebrate and honour our sons  teachers of the English language  as part of Al-Azhars belief in the importance of foreign languages and their eagerness to learn them. It gives me great pleasure to see today the result of this fruitful partnership between the British Council, and to reap the fruits of this joint effort, which reflects the perseverance of everyone involved who devoted their time and effort to learning, teaching, training, and learning.

The partnership between Al-Azhar and the British Council partnership started in 2007 at the request of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar  who was the president of the university at the time  to support Al-Azhar University in setting up an English language training centre for students of the Faculty of Islamic studies.

Since it started, the partnership has evolved to involve three tracks  supporting the Al-Azhar English Training Centre to provide quality English language lessons, building the capacity of Al-Azhar to support the professional development of their primary and secondary school teachers, and managing a Masters and PhD UK-scholarship programme for Al-Azhar teachers and students in partnership with the British Embassy in Cairo.

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Egypt plans to issue its first sukuk (Islamic sovereign bonds) in the upcoming FY2022/2023 with a key objective of financing the budget deficit, Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait told Ahram Online.

Maait made his comments in an interview with Ahram Online on the sidelines of the 47th annual meetings of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Egypt hosted over four days in Sharm El-Shiekh.

Egypt planned to issue its first sukuk in the current FY2021/2022, which ends in June.

Maait explained that the government has not set the total value of this issuance, asserting that it will be set according to the global markets latest conditions.

He also stressed that Egypts sukuk are not commercial bonds, but they have the specific purpose of financing the budget deficit as well as attracting new investors to the Egyptian market.

Sukuk issuance needs great efforts as these kind of bonds are unconventional way to secure finance. It needs capital, investors, capabilities and a suitable infrastructure, Maait further noted.

He also said that the total amount of the issuance has yet to be set.

Following cabinet approval in November 2020, the House of Representatives approved the sukuk bill in June 2021.

The bill paves the way for Egypts government to enter the world of Islamic financing, which recorded $2.7 trillion in transactions globally by the end of June, according to Maait.

Sukuk issuance globally grew by 11.6 percent in value during the first quarter (1Q) of 2022 to post $64.5 billion, driven by sovereigns and multilateral institutions despite the ongoing challenges, Fitch Ratingss report said in April.

According to the report, global outstanding sukuk rose to $722.8 billion by the end of 1Q of 2022, which is 1.5 percent higher than the level reached by the end of 2021.

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Oman and Iran signed deals to develop two gas pipelines and an oil field along their maritime border, Oman's energy minister said Saturday, less than two weeks after Iran's president visited the sultanate.

The visit by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on May 23 came amid stalled international talks to revive a deal on Tehran's nuclear programme, leaving the Islamic republic under sanctions.

At the time, the official Oman News Agency reported that the countries had signed memoranda of understanding concerning oil and gas, but did not provide details.

On Saturday, the agency quoted energy minister Mohammed al-Rumhi as saying the agreements were "related to the development of the two gas pipeline projects linking the two countries and the Hengam oil field".

A deal was reached about two decades ago to allow Iran to supply Oman with gas, but the project never materialised.

Sanctions on Iran complicated efforts to execute that project, and could also make it difficult to implement the new deal.

The Hengam oil field is located in the strategic Strait of Hormuz near the United Arab Emirates.

Oman has close political and economic ties with Iran and played a mediating role between Tehran and Washington in the build-up to the original nuclear deal in 2015.

Stop-start talks began in April last year to restore the deal, after the US unilaterally withdrew from it in 2018 and reimposed biting sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to roll back its commitments.

The 2015 agreement gave Iran relief from crippling economic sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear activities.

The sultanate, which faces Iran across the Gulf of Oman, endured economic pain during the pandemic, with its GDP dropping 6.4 percent in 2020 and government debt soaring.

It saw rare protests over high unemployment and lay-offs last year.

Raisi's visit to Oman was his second to a Gulf country since he took office in August 2021.

He visited Qatar in February, where he met Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and took part in a conference of gas exporting countries.

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The United Arab Emirates welcomed the announcement by Hans Grundberg, UN Special Envoy for Yemen, to extend the truce for two months in accordance with the terms of the initial agreement.





In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC), the UAE praised efforts by the United Nations to reach a comprehensive and sustainable political solution and enhance prospects for peace and stability in Yemen and the region.

Moreover, the UAE called on all countries to support the ceasefire in Yemen and push the parties towards a comprehensive solution.

The UAE also emphasized the pivotal role played by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in achieving stability and security in Yemen, reiterating its commitment to standing by the Yemeni people and supporting their legitimate aspirations for development and prosperity as part of its policy in support of all efforts to achieve the interests of the region's peoples.

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The Armed Forces mourned in a statement released on Friday the death of two Egyptian peacekeepers and the injury of another in an IED explosion while carrying out a mission in central Mali.

The Armed Forces also offered its sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

Furthermore, the statement affirmed that the Armed Forces role in maintaining international peace and security stems from its full belief in the importance of peace and coexistence and the elimination of terrorism under the umbrella of the UN.

For its part, the UN also condemned the attack, noting that it is the second time this week that a peacekeeping convoy in the West African country has been targeted.

UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric  on behalf of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres  said that attacks targeting UN peacekeepers are considered war crimes under international law.

The UN chief also called on the transitional authorities in Mali to spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators of this attack so that they can be brought to justice swiftly, Dujarric added.

The Malian state has struggled to regain control of some of its territory from a jihadist insurgency that began in the countrys north in 2012 and has since spread to neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso.

The ever-spreading hostilities have so far claimed thousands of lives and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.

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The Red Wave-5 joint naval exercise wrapped up Saturday in Saudi territorial waters in the Red Sea with the participation of the naval forces of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Djibouti, Sudan and Yemen, Egyptian Armed Forces' Spokesman Gharib Abdel-Hafez said in a statement.

During the final stage of the exercise, participating troops conducted a demonstration of an amphibious assault on a coastal island under covering fire from air units.

Naval units also carried out live fire training and practiced counter-attacks against enemy speedboats to protect vessels loaded with important cargo.

The drill, which kicked off Tuesday, is part of the participating forces' efforts to foster distinguished relations and military cooperation, including between the Egyptian Armed Forces and their counterparts from the sisterly states, as well as to get acquainted with the latest combat techniques.

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Egyptian officials denied on Saturday that Egypt was going to receive a shipment of Indian wheat coming from Turkey after being rejected by Turkish authorities for not meeting safety standards and specifications.

According to the officials from the Ministry of Agriculture that spoke to Egyptian media, Egyptian authorities refused to receive a shipment of 50,000 tons of Indian wheat coming from Turkey because it did not meet the Egyptian standards due to pest contamination.

On Friday, news reports in foreign news websites claimed that Egypt accepted the shipment.

In the first week of May, Egypt signed a deal to import 61,500 tons of Indian wheat which arrived at Alexandria on Friday. According to officials, that shipment met Egyptian standards.

Meanwhile, in an interview with Bloomberg in Sharm El-Sheikh Thursday, Egypts Minister of Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali Moselhi said that Egypt was currently in discussions with India to import wheat in exchange for Egyptian products such as fertilisers.

Moselhi revealed that he met with the Indian ambassador to Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the potential swap agreement to secure 500,000 tons of wheat in multiple shipments.

The Egyptian government is also in talks with the United Arab Emirates, US and various Western European countries over wheat in a bid to ease any potential shortage, according to the Bloomberg article.

India has already exempted Egypt from the wheat export ban it imposed in May.

Egypt, the world biggest wheat importer, was hit hard in its wheat supply when Russia invaded Ukraine in late February.

Egypt used to receive about 80 percent of its imported wheat from Russia and Ukraine. Both countries accounted 30 percent of global wheat supply before the invasion.

Egypt imported 12 to 13 million tons of wheat per year, as of 2020, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity.

The government has announced that it is diversifying its import sources from a new list of countries, at the top of which is India as well as increasing the local supply of wheat.

Egypts General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) announced on Wednesday that it has signed a contract to purchase 4.65 million tons of wheat from Russia, Bulgaria and Romania in what is reportedly the countrys largest wheat purchase since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Egypt is expected to locally source around six million tons of wheat this season  around 3.5 million more than in 2021.

In late May, Moselhi stated that Egypt was planning to do its best to achieve greater self-sufficiency in wheat production, aiming to meet 65 percent of its domestic needs by 2024.

Moselhi also revealed that the Egyptian government has received around three million tons of wheat from local farmers since the start of harvest season in early April which is nearly half the expected total.

He added that the government increased the country's stock of wheat to cover local consumption until January 2023.

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Belgium's King Philippe on Tuesday begins a historic visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, in a region cruelly exploited by his ancestors, as tensions rise in the volatile east.

The six-day trip, at the invitation of President Felix Tshisekedi, has strong symbolic significance, coming two years after Philippe expressed to the Congolese leader his "deepest regrets" for the "wounds" of colonisation.

The visit, the monarch's first to the DR Congo since ascending the throne in 2013, has been billed as a chance for reconciliation after the atrocities and other abuses committed under Belgian colonial rule.

It had originally been scheduled to take place in June 2020 to mark the DRC's 60th anniversary of independence, but was rescheduled to 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The visit was then postponed from March to June because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Philippe will be accompanied by his wife, Queen Mathilde, and members of the Belgian government, including Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.

Colonial statues

Three stops are planned and the sovereign will deliver a speech at the first two: in Kinshasa on Wednesday during a ceremony with Tshisekedi at the Congolese parliament, then Friday before students at the University of Lubumbashi in the south of the country.

Historians say that millions of people in the Belgian Congo were killed, mutilated or died of disease as they worked on rubber plantations belonging to Leopold II, Belgium's monarch from 1865-1909 and the brother of Philippe's great great grandfather.

The growth of the Black Lives Matter, initially a reaction to police violence in the United States but now a broader anti-racist movement, has seen several colonial-era statues removed in Belgium.

Belgium is also preparing to return to Kinshasa a tooth -- the last remains of Patrice Lumumba -- a hero of the anti-colonial struggle and short-lived first prime minister of the independent Congo.

Lumumba was murdered by Congolese separatists and Belgian mercenaries in 1961, and his body dissolved in acid, but the tooth was kept as a trophy by one of his killers, a Belgian police officer.

Philippe's visit comes 12 years after the last visit of a Belgian sovereign, Albert II in 2010, and will also aim to reset ties that were soured during the presidency of Joseph Kabila, who left office in 2018.

The latter was criticised, including by Brussels, for having remained in power beyond his second term, in violation of his country's constitution, and development ties were suspended for a time.

The visit comes in a context of renewed violence in North Kivu, where the DRC accuses neighbouring Rwanda of supporting armed rebels opposed to the Congolese authorities.

Belgium has called for an "immediate" halt to the fighting, which is causing civilians to flee.

Rwandan exiles

In this immense country, where the GDP per capita is one of the lowest in the world despite its mineral wealth, the east has been shaken by massacres and violence for nearly 30 years.

After the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda in 1994, some of the perpetrators fled to the DRC and Kigali's new authorities launched operations against them.

The royal couple will come to show their solidarity with these battered populations, especially women victims of rape in the region.

The last stop of their journey is scheduled for June 12 in Bukavu, in the clinic of gynecologist Denis Mukwege, co-winner of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for his fight against sexual violence.

A stop on Wednesday at the National Museum in Kinshasa will also address the issue of the restitution of art objects to the former colony.

The Belgian government last year began a programme to give back artefacts to the DRC.

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Russia's Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov said on Friday that his country is planning to reopen its embassy in Tripoli soon.

"I think this will be very soon," Bogdanov said in a statement to reporters, according to Russia Today channel.

In April, officials from the Libyan interior ministry discussed arrangements for reopening the Russian embassy in Tripoli with the Russian Charge d'Affairs Jamshid Poltaev.

"The Russian embassy will start its work in Tripoli next year," Polatev said in a statement in September 2021, according to the Russian news agency Sputnik.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed his hope last year that the Russian embassy would reopen soon in Tripoli, but he made it clear that "it depends on the provision of security there."

The Russian diplomatic mission were evacuated from Tripoli in 2014 for security reasons, continuing its work from the Tunisian capital Tunis.

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Dozens of police officers patrolled Hong Kong's Victoria Park on Saturday after authorities for a third consecutive year banned public commemoration of the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989.

For decades, an annual candlelight vigil was held in the park to remember China's deadly crackdown on protesters demanding greater democracy in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.

Critics say the ban is part of a move to suppress political dissent and a sign that Hong Kong is losing its freedoms as Beijing tightens its grip over the semi-autonomous Chinese city.

The vigil organizers, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, disbanded last year after many of its leaders were arrested on suspicion of violating the national security law.

Authorities have cited risks from the coronavirus for banning the public commemoration over the past three years. Critics say the pandemic is used as an excuse to infringe on the right to assemble.

A government statement Friday said that parts of Victoria Park, which traditionally served as the venue for the candlelight vigil, would be closed as it may be used for "illegal activities.'' The move was to "prevent any unauthorized assemblies'' in the park and to reduce the possibility of COVID-19 spread.

Earlier in the week, a police superintendent warned that anyone who gathered in a group "at the same place, with the same time and with a common purpose to express certain views'' could be considered part of an unauthorized assembly.

Since the British handed over Hong Kong to China in 1997, the city has been governed under a "one country, two systems'' framework that gives it freedoms not found on the mainland, including freedom of speech and assembly.

For years, Hong Kong and Macao were the only places on Chinese soil allowed to commemorate the Tiananmen incident. In China, keywords such as "Tiananmen massacre'' and "June 4'' are strictly censored online, and people are not allowed to publicly mark the events.

Hong Kong's crackdown on commemorations of Tiananmen has drawn criticism internationally.

"Today, the struggle for democracy and freedom continues to echo in Hong Kong, where the annual vigil to commemorate the massacre in Tiananmen Square was banned by the PRC and Hong Kong authorities in an attempt to suppress the memories of that day,'' U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement, referring to the People's Republic of China.

Blinken said the U.S. would continue to speak out and promote accountability on human rights abuses by China, including those in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet.

"To the people of China and to those who continue to stand against injustice and seek freedom, we will not forget June 4,'' he said.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry wrote on its Facebook page that "when this time of year comes around, there is a lot one can't say, a lot one can't write, and a lot one can't even look up on the internet.''

The post encouraged Chinese citizens who use a VPN to access Facebook, which is blocked in China, and search for information on the Tiananmen Square massacre "to see what their country is hiding from them.''

"We hope that no more will the individual be sacrificed for the party, and that freedom, democracy and human rights can become our common language with them,'' the ministry's post said.

Amid the ban on commemoration events in Hong Kong, overseas gatherings and seminars in the U.S., Taipei, Prague and elsewhere have taken on larger significance, with calls online encouraging people to participate.

In recent years, institutions including universities have also removed sculptures and artwork that mark the Tiananmen massacre, amid a harsh national security law that Beijing imposed on the city in June 2020 after months of anti-government protests rattled Hong Kong in 2019.

Authorities have been using the law to crack down on dissent, with over 150 people arrested on suspicion of offences that include subversion, secession, terrorism and foreign collusion to intervene in the city's affairs.

In December 2021, a sculpture called "Pillar of Shame," which depicts torn and twisted bodies symbolizing the lives lost during the massacre, was taken down at the University of Hong Kong, with officials saying that no approval had been obtained to display the sculpture there.

A day later, two other universities in the city removed monuments related to the commemoration of the Tiananmen massacre, citing similar reasons as well as legal issues.

Last week, Jens Galschiot, the artist who created "Pillar of Shame,'' unveiled a full-scale replica of the 8-meter- (26 foot) tall sculpture at the University of Oslo in Norway.

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A locomotive rammed into a stationary train in Slovakia, injuring dozens of people, police said.

The crash occurred on Friday on the Vrutky-Varin line in Zilina region, around 220 kilometres (140 miles) north of the capital Bratislava, Zilina regional police spokeswoman Gabriela Kremenova told AFP on Saturday.

"After the accident, rescuers treated 74 people, 34 of whom were transported to nearby hospitals. Four of them were seriously injured," she said.

More than 20 firefighters were helping at the scene and the material damage was estimated at two million euros ($2,144,000), she said.

An investigation has been launched and charges of endangering life have been filed, police said.

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NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has met with Finland's prime minister and spoken to Turkey's president as he seeks to overcome Turkish resistance to Finland and Sweden joining the alliance.

Stoltenberg, who visited Washington this week, tweeted late Friday that he met with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin while there and discussed "the need to address Turkey's concerns and move forward'' with the Finnish and Swedish membership applications.

Russia's war in Ukraine pushed the Nordic countries to apply to join NATO, but Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses Sweden and Finland of supporting Kurdish militants deemed by Turkey to be terrorists.

Stoltenberg said he had a "constructive phone call'' with Erdogan, calling Turkey a "valued ally'' and praising Turkish efforts to broker a deal to ensure the safe transportation of grain supplies from Ukraine amid global food shortages caused by Russia's invasion. Stoltenberg tweeted that he and Erdogan would continue their dialogue, without elaborating.

The NATO chief's diplomatic efforts came before a gathering of senior officials from Sweden, Finland and Turkey next week in Brussels, where NATO is based, to discuss Turkey's opposition to the applications.

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New York prosecutors have announced seizing five Egyptian artefacts worth more than $3 million from the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of an investigation into international trafficking involving the Louvre Museum.

The artefacts include a group of painted linen fragments that date back to between 250 and 450 BC depicting a scene from the Book of Exodus, AFP reported, citing the Manhattan district attorney's office as saying.

The artefacts have been confiscated as per an order by a New York state judge in May, according to a court document.

The seized artefacts are part of an investigation in which Jean-Luc Martinez, former president of Paris historic landmark Louvre museum, has been charged last week with complicity in fraud.

Martinez, who ran the museum between 2013 and 2021, has been charged with conspiring to hide the origin of the Egyptian archaeological artefacts.

Investigators suspect that the Egyptian treasures were smuggled from Egypt during the revolution against late former President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

Met Museum purchased the five seized pieces between 2013 and 2015, reported The Art Newspaper. The museum said it was "a victim of an international criminal organisation."

In 2019, the famous New York museum also returned the gilded sarcophagus of the priest Nedjemankh to Egypt, which was stolen during the 2011 protests, according to NY prosecutors.

The Louvre case was opened in July 2018, two years after the Louvre's branch in Abu Dhabi bought a rare pink granite stele depicting the pharaoh Tutankhamun and four other historic works.

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The Egyptian Embassy in Switzerland is arranging the repatriation of a collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts after receiving them from the Swiss Federal Cultural Office in August 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

According to the ministry, in August 2021, the Egyptian ambassador to Switzerland received a collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts from the Swiss Federal Cultural Office.

The collection includes a segment of an alabaster statue of a lady, a stone piece with a carving representing a part of the deity Bes, a human head-shaped lid for a canopic vase made of stone, a sphinx statue made of stone, a stone panel with ancient Egyptian inscriptions, and a cylindrical alabaster vase.

This comes within the framework of an agreement Egypt and Switzerland signed in 2010 regarding the return and transfer of illegally acquired artefacts to their original homeland.

The ministry also announced that from 29 May to 2 June, a technical delegation comprised of officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities visited Switzerland and discussed with their Swiss counterparts the recovery of smuggled Egyptian antiquities and ways to enhance cooperation between the two sides in that regard.

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Korea's suicide rate has skyrocketed since the Asian economic crisis and is now 2.3 times higher than the rate of death from traffic accidents. In the 1990s, about 7.3 people for every 100,000 committed suicide, but that has soared especially among women, the elderly, highly educated people, professionals, and divorcees.

The number of women who killed themselves rose 2.8 times from 1,853 in 1996 to 5,237 in 2010, and among men 2.5 times. The suicide rate for women was 19.7 for every 100,000 people in 2009, the highest in the OECD and 25 times greater than in Greece.

Women are less prone to suicide than men, but whereas in the U.K. and Germany the suicide rate among women is just a quarter or one-third of that among men, in Korea it is 50.7 percent.

Psychiatrist Sa Seung-eon said, "In the early 1980s, the number of women who committed suicide was just one-third that of men in Korea too. The reason for the surge among women is that depression is three times more prevalent among women and they suffer excessive stress from increased economic activity in addition to their traditional role in the family." He added that many women kill themselves without recognizing that they are suffering from depression.

In 1996, the suicide rate was higher among people in their 20s and 30s, but while the figure is declining among these age groups, it is rising among people over 40. The reason suicide became the No. 1 cause of death for young people in Korea is that deaths caused by other factors decreased sharply. Suicide among people over 65 jumped from 10.5 percent to 28.1 percent.

Experts blame the lack of a social safety net and poverty among the elderly amid a fast growth of the elderly population.

Suicide among highly educated people, professionals and corporate managers also increased. The proportion of university graduates among all suicides has soared from 12.9 percent to 24.4 percent. While the proportion of single or married people dropped, the proportion of divorcees grew from 5.7 percent to 12.8 percent. Suicide is particularly common among divorced men and widowed women.

Surprisingly, most people kill themselves in late spring or summer. May saw highest average number of suicides per day with 31.5, followed by 30.6 in April, 29.5 in June, and 29.1 in July. The bleak month of January, by contrast, saw the fewest suicides with 20.7 per day.

According to a 2011 report on mental health by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 16 percent of people have thought about suicide and 3 percent have tried to kill themselves. Some 108,000 Koreans a year attempt suicide.

This is related to increase in mental health problems. Over 90 percent of those who commit suicide have mental problems, and experts say 60 to 80 percent of them suffer depression. The proportion of people with depression has risen from 5.6 percent of population in 2006 to 6.7 percent, but only 15.3 percent have gone to hospital for help.
It added that the Chinese navy in April had released a promotional video on the country's carrier program "in which it implied that the country's third aircraft carrier will be officially revealed soon."

China's Ministry of National Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Though no launch was announced, the state-run Global Times newspaper on Tuesday ran a story quoting reports that it "could be launched soon."

CSIS noted in a report that China often pairs military milestones with existing holidays and anniversaries. It suggested that the vessel could be launched as soon as Friday to coincide with the national Dragon Boat Festival, as well as the 157th anniversary of the founding of the Jiangnan Shipyard. Cloud cover blocked Planet Labs satellites from capturing images of the shipyard from Wednesday to Friday.

The launch has been long anticipated, and constitutes what the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank called a "seminal moment in China's ongoing modernization efforts and a symbol of the country's growing military might."

The newly developed Type 003 carrier has been under construction at the Jiangnan Shipyard northeast of Shanghai since 2018. Satellite images taken by Planet Labs PBC on May 31 suggest work on the vessel is close to done.

China's most advanced aircraft carrier to date appears to be nearing completion, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press showed Friday, as experts suggested the vessel could be launched soon.

Though the U.S. Department of Defense estimates that the carrier won't be fully operational until 2024, first needing to undergo extensive sea trials, the carrier is China's most advanced yet. As with its space program, China has proceeded extremely cautiously in the development of aircraft carriers, seeking to apply only technologies that have been tested and perfected.

Its development is part of a broader modernization of China's military as it seeks to extend its influence in the region. China already has the largest navy in the world in terms of numbers of ships, but not near the capabilities of the U.S. Navy.

Among other assets, the U.S. Navy remains the world's leader in aircraft carriers, with its forces able to muster 11 nuclear-powered vessels. The Navy also has nine amphibious assault ships, which can carry helicopters and vertical-takeoff fighter jets as well.

The expected launch of the new Chinese carrier comes as the U.S. has been increasing its focus on the region, including the South China Sea. The vast maritime region has been tense because six governments claim all or part of the strategically vital waterway, through which an estimated $5 trillion in global trade travels each year and which holds rich but fast declining fishing stocks and significant undersea oil and gas deposits.

China has been far and away the most aggressive in asserting its claim to virtually the entire waterway, its island features and resources. The U.S. Navy has sailed warships past Chinese-held humanmade islands in the sea, which are equipped with airstrips and other military facilities. China insists its territory extends to those islands, while the Navy says it conducts the missions there to ensure the free flow of international trade.

Once mainly a coastal force, China's navy has in recent years expanded its presence into the Indian Ocean, the Western Pacific and beyond, setting up its first overseas base over the last decade in the African Horn nation of Djibouti, where the U.S., Japan and others also maintain a military presence.

The carrier is China's second domestically developed carrier, following a Type 002 ship that is currently undergoing sea trials. Its other carrier is a modified former Soviet ship bought as a hulk from Ukraine and refurbished over several years as an experimental platform that nevertheless packs considerable combat capability with an airwing of Chinese-built fighters developed from the Russian Su-33.

In addition to being the largest of its three carriers, the new Type 003 class is fitted with a catapult launch system that will "enable it to support additional fighter aircraft, fixed-wing early-warning aircraft, and more rapid flight operations and thus extend the reach and effectiveness of its carrier-based strike aircraft," the U.S. Defense Department said in its annual report to Congress on China's military in November.

"In particular, the PRC's (People's Republic of China's) aircraft carriers and planned follow-on carriers, once operational, will extend air defense coverage beyond the range of coastal and shipboard missile systems and will enable task group operations at increasingly longer ranges," the Defense Department said, adding that the Chinese navy's "emerging requirement for sea-based land-attack systems will also enhance the PRC's ability to project power."

China's existing carriers weigh in at about half the size of the U.S. Nimitz class flattops and displace about 100,000 tons fully loaded.

Experts from the Washington-based CSIS, which has been monitoring the construction for years, said in an analysis Thursday of different satellite images by Maxar Technologies, also taken Tuesday, that a smaller vessel had been moved out of the carrier's way, and that water now partially fills some of the dry dock.

But, they said, more work still needed to be done before the vessel could leave the dock. "The staircases that workers use to access the carrier -- as well as the support structures and other equipment that skirt the ship -- will need to be removed," CSIS said. "The caisson, which segments the dry dock and allows work to proceed simultaneously on multiple vessels, will also be opened to allow water to fill the entire dry dock."

The Wall Street Journal first published the Maxar images of the vessel from the CSIS analysis.
Once these responsibilities are taken away as children grow up, there is little time to kick back. They often still need to cook for their husband after retirement and care for their grandchildren to ensure that their children can work. And some elderly women also have to care for their even older parents as the lifespan increases.

According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, depression is most common among men in their 20s (51,919 cases) and women in their 60s (96,249). Women of that generation had a tougher time finding educational and professional opportunities due to a strong preference for sons and the patriarchal system, and often had to devote themselves to raising children and housework.

More and more women over 60 are suffering from depression as they find it difficult to free themselves from crushing family responsibilities.

A shortage of public childcare facilities makes it difficult for grandmothers to decline the new responsibilities. According to a 2018 study by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 83.6 percent of couples who have help raising their children said their parents offer a hand, and that mostly means grandmothers.

The responsibility also leads to conflicts within families. Researchers at Seoul National University found that 92.8 percent of people in their 60s said they have faced serious conflict at home due to pregnancy and childcare.

One 65-year-old woman who retired from teaching wanted to learn swimming and painting and refused a request by her daughter to care for her child. As a result, her daughter has not visited for a year. "I believe I did what I had to do as a mother and wife by working and raising my family. My daughter's situation deserves sympathy, but I want to live my life now doing the things I want," she said.

Many elderly women resent the gender equality younger women claim for themselves. They cannot expect their daughters or daughters-in-law to do housework or other labor for family like preparing big meals for holidays like Lunar New Year or Chuseok and ancestral rituals, and end up taking the brunt of it even in old age.

One 68-year-old woman who used to run a small store with her husband said, "My daughters-in-law work so they don't come to jesa" -- the traditional custom of preparing the ancestral table. "When I see myself preparing the ritual table alone, I wonder what Im doing in life," she said.

Another elderly woman who hurt her back caring for her grandchildren said, "I did very well at school, but I was forced to go to a local university in my hometown instead of one in Seoul because my parents couldn't afford it. And I had to quit my teaching job after marriage. So I wanted my daughter to have a professional job and did my best to raise her to become a doctor. But I did not expect to still care for her at this age and raise her kids."
KYODO NEWS - Jun 4, 2022 - 20:51 | World, All

China on Saturday marked the 33rd anniversary of the crackdown on the Tiananmen Square democracy protests with tight security, months before the ruling Communist Party's twice-a-decade congress in the fall.

Uniformed police officers were keeping a close watch in and around the square with the aim of containing any potential commemorative demonstrations, at a time when many people in Beijing have become fed up with strict regulations under the country's radical "zero-COVID" policy.

Last year, the ruling party adopted a pivotal resolution on the nation's modern history that identified the quashed pro-democracy protests in the square in 1989 as a "political disturbance."

Chinese President Xi Jinping has been pursuing political stability recently as he strives to secure a controversial third term as leader at the upcoming congress, foreign affairs experts said.

Following the 1989 death of Hu Yaobang, sacked as general secretary of the Communist Party two years earlier for his liberal leanings, students rallied to call for democracy and government action against rampant corruption. Support for the protests grew as people poured into Tiananmen Square.

The protests defied martial law, declared in late May that year, and inspired big rallies across China.

But from the night of June 3 through the early hours of June 4, troops and armored vehicles cleared the square by force, killing hundreds of protesters and bystanders.

Intent on maintaining its firm one-party rule, the Communist Party has justified the 1989 killings by declaring it was necessary to quell political unrest. Open discussion about the incident remains taboo in China.
KYODO NEWS - Jun 4, 2022 - 19:51 | All, World, Japan

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is planning to attend a summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization slated for late June in Spain, which would make him the first Japanese leader to take part in a gathering of the Western alliance, government sources said Saturday.

Kishida's attendance at the June 29 to 30 event in Madrid is dependent on the domestic political situation leading up to a House of Councillors election likely to be held July 10, the sources said.

Government officials hope Kishida's participation in the NATO summit will strengthen coordination with the United States and European countries in responding to Russia's war in Ukraine and possible contingencies over the Taiwan Strait.

Kishida plans to travel to the Spanish capital after attending a three-day summit of the Group of Seven industrialized nations from June 26 in Germany, according to the sources.

Australia, New Zealand and South Korea have also been invited to attend the NATO summit as partner countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

South Korea has sounded out Japan about the first in-person meeting between Kishida and President Yoon Suk Yeol on the sidelines of the summit, the sources said, as the two countries have been struggling to improve their relations strained by disagreements over wartime issues.

Kishida and Yoon held phone talks in March after Yoon won the presidential election, agreeing to meet directly at an early date.

Attendance by Japan and the other non-NATO countries would give a strong message of solidarity to the international community over the Ukraine crisis.

However, there are mixed views in the government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party over Kishida's participation as the NATO summit's schedule clashes with the expected kickoff on June 22 of official campaigning for the Japanese upper house election.

Some government officials think the premier's summit diplomacy with Western and Indo-Pacific leaders will help boost public support for his ruling coalition.

But some LDP lawmakers suggest that Kishida, whose support rate is already relatively high, should focus on campaigning in as many electoral districts as possible before the election.

As of May 22, the Kishida Cabinet's approval rating stood at 61.5 percent, the highest level since he took office in October last year, according to a Kyodo News survey.

Kishida has strongly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, seeing it as the use of force to change the status quo in violation of international law.

Japan has coordinated with other G-7 members -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United States plus the European Union -- in imposing sanctions on Russia to compel it to cease its aggression.

Kishida has also called for preventing a similar crisis from occurring in the Indo-Pacific region, where China's assertive moves have heightened tensions.

In April, Japan's Yoshimasa Hayashi joined a foreign ministerial meeting of NATO member states and partner countries in Belgium, becoming the first Japanese foreign minister to attend a NATO session.
BEIJING, June 4 (Xinhua) -- In 1972, the United Nations designated June 5 as World Environment Day to foster environmental awareness and prompt action. China, the second-largest economy in the world, has celebrated the annual event with solid steps in environmental protection.

Among the latest steps, the country's first specialized law on wetland protection came into force on Wednesday. Earlier this week, an action plan was unveiled to further boost what has already emerged as the world's largest installed wind and solar power capacity in the coming years.

As President Xi Jinping said, China has made "historic, transformative and comprehensive" ecological progress over the past decade. The country is embarking on a journey to a green, beautiful and sustainable future, not only for itself but shared by all human beings.

A BEAUTIFUL CHINA

With frequent smoggy days, serious pollution from factories, and black and smelly rivers, China, while enjoying high economic growth, had suffered from a worsening environment. In 2012, the country contributed 11.5 percent of the global economy but had its energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product (GDP), or energy intensity, 2.5 times the world average.

If the economy develops at the price of the environment -- no safe food, clean water, fresh air and habitable environment -- then such modernization is not what people would desire, Xi said.

Putting ecological protection high on his agenda, the president has led China's arduous efforts to turn the tide.

Tough battles were fought to rein in pollution of air, water and soil, and hard efforts were made to restore eco-systems from mountains to rivers. The "strictest" environmental protection law took effect, and central authorities' inspections on local environmental protection work were launched on a regular basis. Ecological advancement was incorporated into the Constitution in 2018.

Time and again, Xi made field trips, chaired key meetings, and gave important instructions on environmental protection, with his words still inspiring and resonating.

"Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets." "We should protect the environment like we protect our eyes, and treat the environment like we treat our lives." "Protecting the environment is protecting productivity, and improving the environment is boosting productivity."

In the suburb of Datong, a national coal-producing region in north China's Shanxi Province, a photovoltaic power station generates enough electricity for 34,000 households each year. In a fast-tracked green drive, the city once plagued by severe haze has started to see bluer skies and embrace much healthier development.

The city's change shed light on a national transition to a sustainable development path, under the guidance of Xi's new development philosophy put forward in 2015, which features innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared growth.

Over the past decade, remarkable progress has been made across the country, from bluer skies and clearer lakes to more wild animals reappearing in forests and wetlands.

China's afforested land has accounted for about a quarter of the world's total, and its CO2 emissions per unit of GDP have dropped about 34 percent over the past decade. The country has topped the globe in installed capacity of wind and photovoltaic power and other green energy, and in the production and sales of new energy vehicles.

A COMMUNITY OF LIFE FOR MAN, NATURE

At the General Debate of the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly in 2020, Xi pledged that China will strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 -- a much shorter time span than many developed countries would spend.

"Meeting these targets will require tremendous hard work from China. Yet we believe that when the interests of the entire humanity are at stake, China must step forward, take action, and get the job done," he said when addressing the World Economic Forum Virtual Event of the Davos Agenda in 2021.

While pushing for its own green drive, China has been actively contributing to building a beautiful Earth.

In Kenya, the China-financed Garissa solar power plant, the largest solar plant in East and Central Africa, helped facilitate Kenya's quest for green development. The Chilean capital of Santiago has been using electric vehicles from China as part of plans to revamp its public transport system and advance clean mobility.

During the construction of the China-Laos Railway, which connects Kunming in China's Yunnan Province with Lao capital Vientiane, many tunnels were extended and roads replaced by bridges to protect elephant habitats.

Shouldering the environmental responsibility, China has acted as an important participant, contributor and leader in global ecological progress, observers said.

Faced with unprecedented challenges in global environmental governance, the international community needs to come up with unprecedented ambition and action, Xi said when addressing the Leaders Summit on Climate in April last year. "We need to act with a sense of responsibility and unity, and work together to foster a community of life for man and nature." 
A press conference on the Shenzhou-14 crewed space mission is held at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, June 4, 2022. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)

JIUQUAN, June 4 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming Shenzhou-14 crewed space mission will complete the construction of the Tiangong space station, with a basic three-module structure consisting of the core module Tianhe and the lab modules Wentian and Mengtian, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Saturday.

The mission will build the space station into a national space laboratory, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA, at a press conference.

China is set to launch the Shenzhou-14 crewed spaceship on Sunday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, sending three astronauts to its space station combination for a six-month mission.

The Shenzhou-14 crew will work with the ground team to complete the rendezvous, docking and transposition of the two lab modules with the core module, Lin said.

They will enter the two lab modules for the first time and help make the environment suitable for their stay, he said, adding that they will unlock and install a dozen of scientific experiment cabinets in the two modules.

They will also carry out relevant function tests on the two-module space station complex, three-module space station complex, large and small mechanical arms, as well as exit from the airlock cabin in the Wentian lab module, with the assistance of the ground team.

The crew will, for the first time, use the airlock cabin in Wentian to carry out extravehicular activities for two to three times, Lin said.

They will continue to give "Tiangong Class" series to students for science popularization and perform other activities for public good.

The trio will also carry out in-orbit health monitoring, protective exercises, in-orbit training and drills, space station platform inspections and tests, equipment maintenance, as well as station and material management.

During their stay in orbit, the Shenzhou-14 crew will witness the two lab modules, Tianzhou-5 cargo craft and Shenzhou-15 crewed spaceship dock with the core module. They will experience nine space station complex configurations and conduct rendezvous and docking for five times.

The three astronauts will rotate with the Shenzhou-15 crew in orbit, before returning to the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in December, Lin said. 
President of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta smiles in an interview with Xinhua in Dili, Timor Leste, June 2, 2022.(Xinhua/Xu Qin)

DILI, June 4 (Xinhua) -- China is very concerned about the global and regional economy, and has done its share in supporting many countries in Asia, President of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta has said.

In an interview with Xinhua on Thursday, Ramos-Horta said China's role is indispensable for the peace and stability, development and prosperity of the region.

President Ramos-Horta recalled that 20 years ago, on behalf of Timor-Leste, he signed the joint communique on the establishment of diplomatic ties with China, and bilateral relations have ever since become "very strong, solid and fraternal."

China is one of the main trading partners of Timor-Leste, and has been very generous in supporting the nation in the fields of education, health, agriculture and infrastructure, Ramos-Horta noted.

"We have many Timorese studying in China, Chinese doctors working here, and Chinese agricultural experts advising in some rural areas of Timor-Leste. In addition, major Chinese construction companies have participated in the infrastructure development of Timor-Leste," said the president.

"What China is providing to us as it has done in the last 20 years, is extremely important for Timor-Leste to keep progressing economically," he stressed.

The president expressed his hope that China will help diversify Timor-Leste's economy, and in particular, the country's industrial development will be further enhanced with China's assistance.

Ramos-Horta also mentioned that as a national strategic goal, Timor-Leste is in the process of joining ASEAN, and will in time bring tremendous benefit to foreign companies investing in the country.

The president also thanked China for the help in the fight against COVID-19.

"I believe that for the next years to come, the relations between Timor-Leste and China will expand even more, for the benefit of both countries," said Ramos-Horta. 

President of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta speaks in an interview with Xinhua in Dili, Timor Leste, June 2, 2022.(Xinhua/Xu Qin)
Photo taken on June 2, 2022 shows the milling plant funded by China in Lusaka, Zambia. Zambia on Friday officially commissioned three state-of-the-art milling plants funded by China. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuliang)

Lusaka, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Zambia on Friday officially commissioned three state-of-the-art milling plants funded by China.

The three industrial milling plants, with a combined capacity to produce 520 tons of mealie meals per day, are expected to enhance food security and reduce the price of mealie meals used in preparing the country's staple food.

The commissioning ceremony was attended by Du Xiaohui, the Chinese Ambassador to Zambia and Ambrose Lufuma, Zambia's Defense Minister.

In his remarks, the Chinese envoy said the commissioning of the project was yet another milestone in enhancing the cordial bilateral relations between the two countries.

He said the project will go a long way in enhancing food security and stabilizing the price of mealie meals in the country.

According to him, China has always shown keen interest in supporting Zambia's agriculture development and food security in various forms.

He cited the China-supported Demonstration Center which has supported the cultivation of high-yielding crops as well as provided technical training to about 5,000 people in recent years.

China was open to other proposals aimed at tapping the potential of agriculture cooperation with Zambia, he said.

On his part, the Zambian minister expressed gratitude to China for the support, saying it will go a long way in not only boosting agricultural production but reducing the price of mealie meals.

Lufuma said Zambia will forever be grateful to China for the support rendered over the years, adding that China has been a reliable partner and has been ready to step in and support when called upon.

According to him, the project has not only provided jobs during the construction stage but about 300 additional jobs have been created by the project while local people will be imparted with technical skills on how to run the milling plans.

The milling plant project is under the Presidential Milling Plants Initiative. Previously, over 1,000 solar-powered milling plants have been installed in various parts of the southern African nation since 2015. 

Workers monitor operations in the milling plant funded by China in Lusaka, Zambia, on June 2, 2022. Zambia on Friday officially commissioned three state-of-the-art milling plants funded by China. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuliang)

Photo taken on June 2, 2022 shows the milling plant funded by China in Lusaka, Zambia. Zambia on Friday officially commissioned three state-of-the-art milling plants funded by China. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuliang)

A worker checks the quality of the mealie meal in the milling plant funded by China in Lusaka, Zambia, on June 2, 2022. Zambia on Friday officially commissioned three state-of-the-art milling plants funded by China. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuliang)

Workers pack the mealie meal in the milling plant funded by China in Lusaka, Zambia, on June 2, 2022. Zambia on Friday officially commissioned three state-of-the-art milling plants funded by China. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuliang)

Photo taken on June 2, 2022 shows the milling plant funded by China in Lusaka, Zambia. Zambia on Friday officially commissioned three state-of-the-art milling plants funded by China. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuliang)
HONG KONG, June 4 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said Saturday that it will distribute around 100,000 sets of COVID-19 rapid antigen test (RAT) kits to people in an area of the region as part of a follow-up on recent detection of the COVID-19 virus in sewage samples.

The test kits will be distributed to residents, cleaning workers and property management staff working in estates in Kwun Tong and Wong Tai Sin with positive sewage testing results showing relatively high viral loads, in order to help identify infected persons.

The HKSAR government also urged RAT kit users to report any positive results for COVID-19 via the government's online platform.

In an effort to combat COVID-19, the HKSAR government's Environmental Protection Department and the Drainage Services Department have strengthened the sampling of sewage in all districts of Hong Kong for COVID-19 virus testing.

On Saturday, Hong Kong registered 176 new COVID-19 cases by nucleic acid tests, and 270 additional cases through self-reported rapid antigen tests, official data showed. 
A press conference on the Shenzhou-14 crewed space mission is held at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, June 4, 2022. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)

JIUQUAN, June 4 (Xinhua) -- The Shenzhou-14 crewed spaceship will be launched at around 10:44 a.m. Sunday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, announced the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Saturday.

After entering orbit, the spaceship will adopt fast automated rendezvous and docking with the radial port of the space station core module Tianhe, forming a complex with Tianhe as well as the cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-3 and Tianzhou-4, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA, at a press conference held at the launch center.

At present, the complex of Tianhe, Tianzhou-3 and Tianzhou-4 works in normal condition and is ready for rendezvous, docking and the astronauts' entry, Lin said.

The quality of both the Shenzhou-14 spaceship and the Long March-2F carrier rocket has been well checked. The crew is in good condition, and the ground system facilities are in stable operation, Lin said.

All preparations for the launch have been basically completed, Lin said. 

Related:

China discloses tasks of Shenzhou-14 crewed space mission

Journalists attend the press conference on the Shenzhou-14 crewed space mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, June 4, 2022. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)

A press conference on the Shenzhou-14 crewed space mission is held at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, June 4, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

A press conference on the Shenzhou-14 crewed space mission is held at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, June 4, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

A press conference on the Shenzhou-14 crewed space mission is held at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, June 4, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Gang)
MOSCOW, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed political, trade and economic cooperation, as well as the impact of Western sanctions with the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) and Senegalese President Macky Sall in the southern Russian city of Sochi on Friday.

Putin and Sall addressed a wide range of cooperation issues, including the importance of enhancing political dialogue as well as economic and humanitarian cooperation between Russia and African countries, the Kremlin said.

Putin said that Russia was ready to develop humanitarian ties with African countries, mentioning Russia's strong interest in African culture.

The Russian president said that from a political perspective, Africa's influence in the international arena has grown, adding that Moscow was dedicated to further developing its long-standing friendly relations with the continent as a whole.

Sall in turn expressed willingness to foster cooperation between Russia and Africa.

Sall also noted the influence of Western sanctions on Russia, adding that many African countries were directly affected by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

"Sanctions against Russia have further exacerbated this situation, and we currently have no access to grains from Russia, especially wheat ... most importantly, we do not have access to fertilizers ... and this has consequences for food security in Africa," Sall was cited by the Kremlin as saying. 
By Trend

Azerbaijan's Small and Medium Business Development Agency (SMBDA) is holding meetings with local and foreign businessmen to expand ties and implement new business initiatives, the agency told Trend.

As the agency noted, Chairman of SMBDA Management Board Orkhan Mammadov met with Director of the Economic Empowerment Department at the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Nabil Ghalleb on the sidelines of the 47th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the IsDB in Egypt.

Furthermore, the sides exchanged views on alternative funding and explored ways for cooperation.
Workers arrange Zongzi leaves at a company in Sangzhi County, central China's Hunan Province, April 19, 2022. (Xinhua)

CHANGSHA, June 4 (Xinhua) -- New York City resident Catherine Zhang made her way down to the nearby Chinatown to buy Zongzi, a traditional Chinese delicacy wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves, for the Dragon Boat Festival celebration.

For Chinese people, making and eating Zongzi or glutinous rice dumplings is the most iconic way of celebrating this annual traditional festival, which fell on Friday this year.

"Every time I have Zongzi, the fragrance of its leaves reminds me of my hometown," said Zhang, who travelled to the United States from central China's Hunan Province.

Meanwhile, a remote mountainous county called Sangzhi in Zhang's hometown of Hunan has been associated with Zongzi for many years, as it is one of the best sources of Zongzi leaves in China. The sales volume of frozen Zongzi leaves from Sangzhi accounts for 70 percent of the whole Chinese market.

"Our domestic sales are mostly sold to large food factories in provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, while our exports are sold to the European, American and Southeast Asian markets," said Peng Keke, general manager of a Zongzi leaves company in Sangzhi County.

"Thanks to these leaves, we are able to stay financially afloat," said Wu Shiyun, a staff member working with the company. The Zongzi leaves have generated stable jobs and decent incomes for the locals, including farmers, stay-at-home moms, and people with disabilities.

"During the epidemic, the demand for pre-made and frozen food increased, and the market for Zongzi leaves grew as a result," said Peng.

Over 60,000 farmers in the county use Zongzi leaves to enhance their yearly per capita revenue by more than 5,000 yuan (750 U.S. dollars), according to the latest data.

Surrounded by misty clouds, humid air, and abundant water all year round, the county's temperate climate boasts favorable conditions for the growth of Zongzi leaves.

There are over 18,000 hectares of wild bamboo leaves in the county, mostly growing on high mountains elevated more than 800 meters above the sea level.

"The leaves will become increasingly valuable to the county's economy," said Zhang Zeping, a staff of the forestry bureau of the county.

"In the foreseeable future, we will develop 'zongzi leaves culture' to expand the value chains of the leaves. Our goal is to make the fragrance of these remote mountain leaves spread far and wide," Zhang added. 

Workers arrange Zongzi leaves at a company in Sangzhi County, central China's Hunan Province, April 19, 2022. (Xinhua)
JIUQUAN, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Taikonauts will celebrate China's National Day in space for the first time, said a Shenzhou-14 crew member on Saturday.

Liu Yang, China's first woman taikonaut, made the remarks at a press conference ahead of the launch, scheduled for 10:44 a.m. (Beijing Time) on Sunday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

Falling on Oct. 1, the National Day is the birthday of New China. The three Shenzhou-14 taikonauts -- Chen Dong, Liu Yang, and Cai Xuzhe -- will, for the first time, celebrate the birthday of the motherland and the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival during their six-month stay in space with their best wishes to the country and the Chinese people, Liu said.

She said the trio would carry out extravehicular activities, robotic arm operations, and many scientific experiments in orbit. They will complete the construction of the Chinese space station with a basic three-module structure consisting of one core module and two lab modules.

It is the second space trip for Liu, who became the first woman taikonaut on the Shenzhou-9 mission in June 2012. 
Zambia on Friday officially commissioned three state-of-the-art milling plants funded by China.

The three industrial milling plants, with a combined capacity to produce 520 tons of mealie meals per day, are expected to enhance food security in the country.

The commissioning ceremony was attended by Du Xiaohui, the Chinese Ambassador to Zambia and Ambrose Lufuma, Zambia's Defense Minister.

In his remarks, the Chinese envoy said the commissioning of the project was yet another milestone in enhancing the cordial bilateral relations between the two countries.

He said the project will go a long way in enhancing food security and stabilizing the price of mealie meals in the country.

According to him, China has always shown keen interest in supporting Zambia's agriculture development and food security in various forms.

On his part, the Zambian minister expressed gratitude to China for the support, saying it will go a long way in not only boosting agricultural production but reducing the price of mealie meals.

Lufuma said Zambia will forever be grateful to China for the support rendered over the years, adding that China has been a reliable partner and has been ready to step in and support when called upon.

The milling plant project is under the Presidential Milling Plants Initiative. Previously, over 1,000 solar-powered milling plants have been installed in various parts of the southern African nation since 2015.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) meets with Xanana Gusmao, Timor-Leste's first president, in Dili, Timor-Leste, June 4, 2022. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

DILI, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Xanana Gusmao, Timor-Leste's first president, on Saturday expressed appreciation for China's dedicated efforts to promote cooperation with Pacific island countries.

Xanana made the remarks during a meeting with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Noting that China is of vital importance to the development of Pacific island countries, Xanana said small and medium-sized countries such as Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste, in the face of similar development tasks, need solidarity to jointly meet challenges, more attention and support from the international community as well as tangible help.

The Chinese foreign minister's visit to South Pacific island countries has sent a positive signal that China stands with developing countries, which brings hope to the small island countries, he said.

Looking forward to deepening friendly cooperation with China, Xanana expressed hope that China will make greater contribution to the development and revitalization of small and medium-sized countries.

Wang said that as a major developing country and a responsible major country, China upholds the diplomatic tradition of treating small and medium-sized countries as equals, and has made efforts to safeguard the interests of developing countries and to help speed up their development and revitalization.

China has never sought the so-called spheres of influence nor taken an interest in geopolitical rivalry, Wang said, adding that some countries misjudge or even smear China, but people of various countries are clear-eyed, with the fruits of cooperation being visible and leaving no room for falsehood.

China has repeatedly made clear its intention of conducting more tripartite and multi-party cooperation to form international synergy in order to help small and medium-sized countries speed up development and revitalization, he said.

Stressing that no country should be forgotten and no region marginalized, Wang said China will continue to stand firmly by developing countries.

Xanana expressed hope that learning from China's successful experience and tapping the huge potential of bilateral cooperation will help Timor-Leste and other small and medium-sized countries achieve self-reliant and diversified development. 
JIUQUAN, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe will carry out the Shenzhou-14 spaceflight mission, and Chen will be the commander, announced the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) at a press conference Saturday.

Chen, born in 1978, once participated in the Shenzhou-11 crewed spaceflight mission, and Liu, of the same age with Chen, became China's first female astronaut in the Shenzhou-9 mission. Cai, born in 1976, is a newcomer to space.

"Although we three are relatively young, we are fully prepared, passionate and confident," Chen said while the trio met the press on Saturday.

The Shenzhou-14 crewed spaceship is set to be launched on Sunday with a Long March-2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

The three astronauts will stay in orbit for six months, and complete the construction of the Tiangong space station, with a basic three-module structure consisting of the core module Tianhe and the lab modules Wentian and Mengtian.

The three modules will form a more stable, powerful and well-equipped space station. "We will make good use of such a platform to carry out more complicated sci-tech experiments, so as to generate more achievements to serve the world and benefit all mankind," Chen said.

According to Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA, the Shenzhou-14 crew will witness the two lab modules, Tianzhou-5 cargo craft and Shenzhou-15 crewed spaceship dock with the core module Tianhe during their stay in orbit.

They will work with the ground team to complete the rendezvous, docking and transposition of the two lab modules with the core module, Lin said.

They will enter the two lab modules for the first time and help make the environment suitable for their stay, and will unlock and install a dozen of scientific experiment cabinets in the two modules.

They will also carry out relevant function tests on the two-module space station complex, three-module space station complex, large and small mechanical arms, as well as exit from the airlock cabin in the Wentian lab module, with the assistance of the ground team.

The crew will, for the first time, use the airlock cabin in Wentian to carry out extravehicular activities for two to three times.

They will experience nine space station complex configurations, conduct rendezvous and docking for five times, continue to give "Tiangong Class" series to students for science popularization and perform other activities for public good.

The trio will also carry out in-orbit health monitoring, protective exercises, in-orbit training and drills, space station platform inspections and tests, equipment maintenance, as well as station and material management.

The three astronauts will rotate with the Shenzhou-15 crew in orbit, which means six Chinese astronauts will live and work together in space for a short period, according to Chen.

The Shenzhou-14 crew is expected to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in December. 
Students take a lesson at a "mobile school" in Kandhar province, Afghanistan, June 2, 2022. A "mobile school" has been set up in Kandhar province of Afghanistan. The "mobile school" travels from village to village to provide education chances for local kids. (Photo by Sanullah Seiam/Xinhua)

Students attend a class at a "mobile school" in Kandhar province, Afghanistan, June 2, 2022. A "mobile school" has been set up in Kandhar province of Afghanistan. The "mobile school" travels from village to village to provide education chances for local kids. (Photo by Sanullah Seiam/Xinhua)

A teacher gives a lesson at a "mobile school" in Kandhar province, Afghanistan, June 2, 2022. A "mobile school" has been set up in Kandhar province of Afghanistan. The "mobile school" travels from village to village to provide education chances for local kids. (Photo by Sanullah Seiam/Xinhua)

A girl reads during a class at a "mobile school" in Kandhar province, Afghanistan, June 2, 2022. A "mobile school" has been set up in Kandhar province of Afghanistan. The "mobile school" travels from village to village to provide education chances for local kids. (Photo by Sanullah Seiam/Xinhua)

A boy reads during a class at a "mobile school" in Kandhar province, Afghanistan, June 2, 2022. A "mobile school" has been set up in Kandhar province of Afghanistan. The "mobile school" travels from village to village to provide education chances for local kids. (Photo by Sanullah Seiam/Xinhua)

Students walk in a row at a "mobile school" in Kandhar province, Afghanistan, June 2, 2022. A "mobile school" has been set up in Kandhar province of Afghanistan. The "mobile school" travels from village to village to provide education chances for local kids. (Photo by Sanullah Seiam/Xinhua)

Boys read books at a "mobile school" in Kandhar province, Afghanistan, June 2, 2022. A "mobile school" has been set up in Kandhar province of Afghanistan. The "mobile school" travels from village to village to provide education chances for local kids. (Photo by Sanullah Seiam/Xinhua)
This undated photo shows Chinese astronauts Chen Dong (C), Liu Yang (R) and Cai Xuzhe who will carry out the Shenzhou-14 spaceflight mission. Chinese astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe will carry out the Shenzhou-14 spaceflight mission, and Chen will be the commander, the China Manned Space Agency announced at a press conference Saturday. (Xinhua)

JIUQUAN, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe will carry out the Shenzhou-14 spaceflight mission, and Chen will be the commander, announced the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) at a press conference Saturday.

Chen, born in 1978, once participated in the Shenzhou-11 crewed spaceflight mission, and Liu, of the same age with Chen, became China's first female astronaut in the Shenzhou-9 mission. Cai, born in 1976, is a newcomer to space.

"Although we three are relatively young, we are fully prepared, passionate and confident," Chen said while the trio met the press on Saturday. They have been working and training together for 12 years, which ensures tacit cooperation among them.

The Shenzhou-14 crewed spaceship is set to be launched on Sunday with a Long March-2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

The three astronauts will stay in orbit for six months, and complete the construction of the Tiangong space station, with a basic three-module structure consisting of the core module Tianhe and the lab modules Wentian and Mengtian.

The three modules will form a more stable, powerful and well-equipped space station. "We will make good use of such a platform to carry out more complicated sci-tech experiments, so as to generate more achievements to serve the world and benefit all mankind," Chen said.

"Building China's space station is the dream of all Chinese people. We are so lucky and happy to see that the construction of the space home will be completed in our hands," Chen said.

According to Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA, the Shenzhou-14 crew will witness the two lab modules, Tianzhou-5 cargo craft and Shenzhou-15 crewed spaceship dock with the core module Tianhe during their stay in orbit.

They will work with the ground team to complete the rendezvous, docking and transposition of the two lab modules with the core module, Lin said.

They will enter the two lab modules for the first time and help make the environment suitable for their stay, and will unlock and install a dozen of scientific experiment cabinets in the two modules.

China's Tiangong space station, designed to be a versatile space lab, is capable of accommodating 25 experiment cabinets for scientific exploration.

"Each cabinet is a small-sized lab in space, capable of supporting single subject or interdisciplinary research in space science experiments," said Lin.

The experiment cabinets installed on Wentian lab module can support experiments on life and ecology, biotechnology, and varying-gravity science research, according to Lin.

The Mengtian lab module will mainly support microgravity research, with experiment cabinets for the study of physics of fluids, material science, combustion science and basic physics. It also has cabinets for space technology experiments, said Lin.

The astronauts will also carry out relevant function tests on the two-module space station complex, three-module space station complex, large and small mechanical arms, as well as exit from the airlock cabin in the Wentian lab module, with the assistance of the ground team.

The crew will, for the first time, use the airlock cabin in Wentian to carry out extravehicular activities for two to three times.

They will experience nine space station complex configurations, conduct rendezvous and docking for five times, continue to give "Tiangong Class" series to students for science popularization and perform other activities for public good.

The trio will also carry out in-orbit health monitoring, protective exercises, in-orbit training and drills, space station platform inspections and tests, equipment maintenance, as well as station and material management.

The moment that Cai Xuzhe is most looking forward to is to see the completion of the space station construction after the docking of the core module Tianhe and the lab module Mengtian.

"I will try to adapt to the zero-gravity space environment and get familiar with our space home as soon as possible," said the new face.

The crew will celebrate China's National Day and the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival in space for the first time, with their best wishes to the country and to the Chinese people, said Liu Yang.

Late in their mission, the trio will rotate with the Shenzhou-15 crew in orbit, which means six Chinese astronauts will live and work together in space for a short period.

The Shenzhou-14 crew is expected to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in December.



This undated photo shows Chen Dong, one of the three astronauts who will carry out the Shenzhou-14 spaceflight mission. Chinese astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe will carry out the Shenzhou-14 spaceflight mission, and Chen will be the commander, the China Manned Space Agency announced at a press conference Saturday. (Xinhua)

This undated photo shows Liu Yang, one of the three astronauts who will carry out the Shenzhou-14 spaceflight mission. Chinese astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe will carry out the Shenzhou-14 spaceflight mission, and Chen will be the commander, the China Manned Space Agency announced at a press conference Saturday. (Xinhua)

This undated photo shows Cai Xuzhe, one of the three astronauts who will carry out the Shenzhou-14 spaceflight mission. Chinese astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe will carry out the Shenzhou-14 spaceflight mission, and Chen will be the commander, the China Manned Space Agency announced at a press conference Saturday. (Xinhua)


The Russia-Ukraine crisis will hurt Africa's agricultural and energy sectors which are crucial for the continent's economic development, a senior pan-African bank official said on Friday.

Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) told journalists in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that the crisis could reduce Africa's annual food production by between 20-50 percent due to scarcity of key agricultural inputs.

"The continent imports about two million metric tons of fertilizers per year from Russia and Ukraine. So what that means is that if we don't take action, the food production itself would decline by between 20 and 50 percent. So clearly, we are looking at a potential food crisis," Adesina said.

The AfDB official, who has been in Kenya for a four-day visit, said that the continent's food security challenges will be further compounded as imports of agricultural products will also be negatively affected.

He revealed that Africa is likely to lose the approximately 30 million tons of maize, wheat and soybeans that are imported annually from both Russia and Ukraine.

According to Adesina, in response to the looming food crisis caused by the Russia-Ukraine crisis, it has rolled out the African Emergency Food Production Facility to boost the continent's capacity to produce its own food.

He said that the Russia-Ukraine crisis has also negatively impacted the energy prices in Africa which will have a tendency of slowing down the region's economic growth.

"So you look at energy prices today and they have gone up through the roof. So the oil importing countries are facing a higher import bill," he added.

The AfDB official revealed that the crisis has also disrupted global supplies and logistics as freight costs have gone up tremendously.

"So you are going to find that in literally almost every sector and for development projects that have been funded, you are going to see a lot of slowing down on that, because people just can't get things, equipment and stuff like that out," he observed.

According to Adesina, the impact of the Russia-Ukraine crisis is going to be quite serious.

"And I don't expect the impact of this war to be a passing thing. I will just say, Oh, no, wake up next year, and I expect that this probably will be gone. The impact will be with us for at least five years. Because you will have to rebuild even after the crisis," Adesina noted.

He said that African countries that export goods to Russia and Ukraine will also be affected due to closure of the markets.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
JOHANNESBURG, June 4 (Xinhua) -- The China-proposed Global Security Initiative is crucial as it comes at a critical time when the world is grappling with multiple crises, a South African scholar has said.

The multilateral structure is an important part of international governance, and at the heart of multilateralism is the United Nations, said David Monyae, director of the Center for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg.

A key challenge facing the world today is that the United Nations is becoming less binding as some nations are opting for a more unilateral approach in international affairs, said Monyae.

Referring to the Ukraine crisis as an example, the scholar said the United States and NATO didn't address the security concerns of relevant parties in the ongoing conflict, bringing about challenges that further divide the world.

Against such a backdrop, the Global Security Initiative, which emphasizes the need for common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security, provides the right guiding philosophy to ensure global peace and security, according to the expert.

"Therefore one expects ... it would be a starting place where the bulk of the global community will start opening the discussions ... reach an agreement and have a consensus that binds the world by and large," Monyae said.

It is quite important that "different voices would converge and come up with solutions and the solutions that are acceptable to all where you don't have unilateral decisions by single countries dominating others," he stressed.

The Global Security Initiative is completely different from traditional U.S. approaches, Monyae pointed out.

The world has seen the United States on numerous occasions bombing countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq, he added. "We have seen similar approaches played by the United States in Syria and Libya ... a trend that has seemed to be a very popular one within U.S. foreign policy."

By contrast, the Global Security Initiative "tries to bring in a consensus among countries to ensure that peace is guaranteed and that peace should not come at the expense of any other country," he said. 
PRETORIA, June 3 (Xinhua) -- The first three months of 2022 recorded increases in murder, robbery of cash in transit, kidnappings, and truck hijacking because of the country's socio-economic levels, said Minister of Police Bheki Cele on Friday.

Cele made the remarks in Pretoria while presenting the crime statistics for the first quarter of this year.

He said murders increased by 22.2 percent, truck hijacking by 31.4 percent, carjacking by 19.7 percent, and robbery of cash in transit by 26.2 percent compared to the same period last year.

"The first three months of this year, 10,818 people were raped in South Africa. Out of the 6,083 people killed in the country, 898 of them were women and 306 were children under the age of 17 years. A total of 3,306 kidnapping cases were opened by the police. This crime trend has shown a sharp increase with over 1,700 more cases reported to the police compared to the same comparative period. Most of the kidnapping cases were high jacking, robbery, and rape-related," said Cele.

Cele said they have managed to arrest criminal syndicates involved in extortion, kidnapping, cash-in-transit heists, and drug smuggling. The police are working hard to remove corrupt officers and have a station accountability plan to improve efficiency.

"One thing is for sure, police alone cannot win the fight against crime. We need deeper partnerships with communities built on trust, commitment, and delivery. These quarterly figures are used as a management tool to guide the operational plans of the South African Police Service," he said.

He called on the government, business, non-governmental organizations, civil society, and communities to join the police in tackling crime. 
RTHK: Britain celebrates with Party at the Palace

Britain went into full celebration mode Saturday to honour Queen Elizabeth II's 70 years on the throne, as a "party at the palace" concert got under way featuring an array of stars including Diana Ross and Andrea Bocelli.

The concert, the climax of the third day of public events to mark the 96-year-old monarch's record-breaking Platinum Jubilee, saw 22,000 ticket-holders pack a purpose-built 360-degree stage outside the queen's central London residence.

Tens of thousands more thronged the city centre while millions watched on television as rockers Queen + Adam Lambert opened the star-studded show with renditions of "We Will Rock You", "Don't Stop Me Now" and "We Are The Champions".

"We're exceedingly honoured and exceedingly happy to be here, it means a lot to us," guitarist Brian May said beforehand.

May provided one of the most enduring images from the 2002 jubilee, playing "God Save the Queen" on the roof of Buckingham Palace.

As Saturday's concert got started, the monarch made a surprise on-screen appearance, starring in a comedic pre-recorded scene taking tea with Britain's beloved children's book and film character Paddington Bear.

"Happy Jubilee, ma'am, and thank you. For everything," the bear told her.

"That's very kind," the queen replied, before the pair began to tap out the drum beat to "We Will Rock You" on their tea saucers with silver spoons.

Motown legend Ross -- performing for the first time in Britain in 15 years -- Italian opera star Bocelli and James Bond composer Hans Zimmer were also to perform later in the evening.

Ross, who heads to the Glastonbury Festival this month after Saturday's concert, said she was "absolutely delighted to receive an invitation to perform on such a momentous occasion".

Heir-to-the-throne Charles has previously revealed that the 78-year-old diva's disco hit "Upside Down" from 1980 was one of his favourite tracks.

Others set to take the stage include Alicia Keys, Rod Stewart, George Ezra and Eurovision 2022 runner-up Sam Ryder. Elton John has recorded a tribute.

The queen -- the longest-reigning monarch in British history -- was not attending the two-and-a-half-hour event in person but was watching on television in Windsor Castle.

On Thursday, the first day of celebrations, she made two public appearances to huge crowds on the Buckingham Palace balcony, and then travelled to Windsor to attend a beacon-lighting ceremony.

The effort, after months battling difficulties walking and standing, left her in "some discomfort", Buckingham Palace said.

She withdrew from a Friday church service of thanksgiving and missed the flat-racing showcase The Derby Saturday for only the fourth time since 1952.

Charles, 73, and his eldest son, Prince William, 39, joined other dignitaries in a royal viewing box at the concert and were expected to address the crowds.

But Prince Harry and wife Meghan, who sensationally quit British royal life for California in January 2020 but are visiting for the jubilee, were notably absent.

It was their second child Lilibet's birthday Saturday, with the queen wishing her namesake great-granddaughter a "very happy first birthday" on Twitter after reportedly meeting her for the first time in recent days.

Jubilee celebrations began Thursday with the pomp and pageantry of the Trooping the Colour military parade to mark the sovereign's official birthday.

Friday's focus was the traditional Church of England service led by senior royals -- and returning Prince Harry and his wife Meghan -- in the hallowed surroundings of St Paul's Cathedral.

Britain made Thursday and Friday public holidays to mark the unprecedented milestone in the queen's reign, which has focused attention on the monarchy's future without her.

Longer pub opening hours, street parties and other celebratory events have temporarily lifted the gloom of a soaring cost-of-living crisis.

"I'm proud of Britain and it's nice to be able to celebrate as well," said London bus driver June Davis, in Windsor Saturday to enjoy the atmosphere.

"The queen is a constant thread through all our lives, she binds us all together."

Sunday will see millions of people share food at "Big Jubilee Lunch" picnics and take part in a musical and creative public pageant with a cast of 10,000.

Ed Sheeran will round off the celebrations Sunday, singing his 2017 hit "Perfect". (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2022-06-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
By Trend

The memorandum has been signed between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Islamic Republic of Iran, Azerbaijan's Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov tweeted Trend reports.

"During the meeting with Minister of Oil of the Islamic Republic of Iran Javad Ovji, we talked about the current state and development of economic relations between the two countries. The memorandum signed with the Ministry of Oil of Iran will contribute to the expansion of cooperation between the countries in the field of natural gas," the minister wrote.

According to the State Customs Committee (SCC) of Azerbaijan, trade with Iran exceeded $165.7 million from January through April 2022, while in the same period of 2021, this figure amounted to $134.115 million (an increase of 23.56 percent).




ADDIS ABABA, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) Moussa Faki Mahamat on Saturday condemned the latest terrorist attack against United Nations peacekeepers serving in Mali.

"The AU condemns in the strongest terms yet another appalling terrorist attack against UN peacekeepers serving in Mali," Mahamat said in a Twitter post. "My sincere condolences to the families of the two Egyptian peacekeepers who paid the ultimate sacrifice. My prayers for a full recovery to their comrades."

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday condemned the killing of two Egyptian members of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, a UN spokesman said.

Two other peacekeepers were injured when their armored personnel carrier hit an improvised explosive device outside of the town of Douentza, in the Mopti region of central Mali, said Stephane Dujarric, the chief spokesman for Guterres.

Since May 22, there have been six attacks on UN mission convoys, the spokesman said. A terrorist assault on a convoy near the town of Kidal, in the northern part of Mali, killed a Jordanian peacekeeper and injured three colleagues Wednesday. 
President of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta (L) meets with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Dili, Timor-Leste, June 4, 2022. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

DILI, June 4 (Xinhua) -- President of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta and visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday expressed common willingness to strengthen regional cooperation and safeguard multilateralism.

During their meeting in Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste, Ramos-Horta said his country fully supports the Belt and Road Initiative and other major initiatives proposed by China. China's development benefits Timor-Leste greatly, and is of great significance to the region and the world.

Ramos-Horta thanked the Chinese government and people for their tremendous support in the past years, stressing that Timor-Leste has unswervingly adhered to the one-China policy since the establishment of diplomatic ties.

Timor-Leste is full of confidence and expectation for the future of bilateral relations, the president said.

For his part, Wang expressed appreciation to Ramos-Horta for signing the joint communique on establishing diplomatic ties with China on the day of independence in 2002 when he served as the first foreign minister of Timor-Leste.

Over the past 20 years, Wang said, China and Timor-Leste have treated each other as equals, understood each other and supported each other. Timor-Leste has become an important partner of the Belt and Road Initiative, and China has played a positive role in Timor-Leste's socio-economic development, infrastructure construction and improvement of people's lives.

Immediately after the COVID-19 outbreak, China sent medical supplies to Timor-Leste to help its fight against the pandemic. Chinese medical teams have benefited more than 300,000 people in the country. China has also taken an active part in the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Timor-Leste, Wang said.

China is ready to work with Timor-Leste to take the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties as an opportunity to review their successful experience and draw up a blueprint for the future, so as to elevate their comprehensive cooperative partnership to a new level and set an example of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit and common development among countries of all sizes, Wang said.

Wang called for efforts to promote high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road and initiate new landmark projects. China is willing to support Timor-Leste in enhancing its capability for self-development, accelerating its agricultural modernization and industrialization, and achieving diversified development, he said.

The Chinese side will continue to encourage Chinese enterprises to invest and start businesses in Timor-Leste, contributing to its development and revitalization, Wang added.

Both sides also reached consensus on strengthening regional cooperation.

Wang said China supports Timor-Leste playing an active role in regional and international affairs, and expects to see its early entry into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, on which Ramos-Horta expressed gratitude for China's support as well as the hope that the long-cherished wish will come true at an early date.

Both sides pledged to uphold and safeguard multilateralism.

Wang said China expects Timor-Leste to take an active part in the China-proposed Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative, both of which have won widespread support.

Timor-Leste always sticks to its principles despite being a small nation, Ramos-Horta said, noting that his country advocates peaceful settlement of differences through dialogue and consultation as well as unity in responding to challenges facing international peace and security.

Wang is on a visit to Timor-Leste, the last leg of his Pacific tour starting from May 26, which has taken him to island countries of the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea. 
NEW DELHI, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Doctors at a private hospital in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have detected monkeypox-like symptoms in a five-year-old girl, officials said Saturday.

The health officials have not confirmed the case and said they had collected samples of the patient and sent them for testing at the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune.

"Samples of a five-year-old girl were collected for testing for monkeypox, as a precautionary measure, as she had complaints of itching and rashes on her body. She has no other health issues and neither she nor any of her close contact traveled abroad in the past one month," the chief medical officer of Ghaziabad told media.

Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease that presents symptoms including fever, an extensive characteristic rash and usually swollen lymph nodes.

The five-year-old girl visited the hospital on Friday for the treatment of an ear infection when the doctor noticed monkeypox-like lesions over her body.

"I saw lesions over her body and they seemed similar to monkeypox. We immediately informed the health department and isolated the girl. The family told us that several children in the family have developed a similar infection and two of them have already recovered," a local newspaper quoted Dr B P Tyagi, a senior ENT specialist as having said.

So far no case of monkeypox has been found in India. On Tuesday the federal health ministry issued guidelines on the management of monkeypox disease. 
SOFIA, June 3 (Xinhua) -- The 25th edition of the international Sofia Motor Show, the largest car exhibition in Bulgaria, kicked off here on Friday.

As many as 189 vehicles from 32 car brands will be on show during the ten-day event, which is included in the calendar of the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA).

Great Wall Motors, China's sport utility vehicle (SUV) and pickup manufacturer, participates with its brands Haval, Great Wall and ORA.

According to the organizers, 33 pure electric models and 70 hybrids are on display along with 86 conventional models with internal combustion engines.

Until now, cars with alternative propulsion have never outnumbered those with conventional engines at the exhibition, the organizers said.

The event will also offer 14 world premieres, Hrabrin Ivanchev, chairman of the Association of Car Manufacturers and their Authorized Representatives for Bulgaria, told at the opening ceremony, adding that visitors will see the future at its best -- environmentally friendly, safe and connected. 
CANBERRA: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirms his country's visit to Indonesia. The PM said that he will visit Indonesia on Sunday in an effort to improve relations between the two countries.

Albanese, whose Labor Party won the general election on May 21, will go to Indonesia on Sunday alongside Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Trade Minister Don Farrell, and Industry Minister Ed Husic for the Annual Leaders' Meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, as per reports.

The three-day tour will mostly focus on the two nations' economic connection, which froze during the coronavirus pandemic after the landmark Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) was ratified in early 2020.

Albanese claimed in the run-up to the election that a Labor government would prioritise the relationship with Indonesia as a foreign policy priority. "I pledged to visiting Indonesia as soon as possible because it is one of our closest neighbours," he said in a statement.

"I hope to strengthen our relationships during my visit, notably by revitalising our economic partnership and promoting climate, infrastructure, and energy cooperation." The IA-CEPA reduces or eliminates duties on 99 percent of Australian exports to Indonesia, making it easier for young Indonesians to work and study in the country.

However, the trade deal's influence was considerably diminished by the strict Covid-19 border restrictions that were implemented immediately after it was ratified.

New Australian Govt ministry sworn in for the first time

Pak PM Shehbaz duties ISI to screen govt officers: Report

In Islamic country only 'Muslims' are insulting Islam and Namaz .., now religious leaders have warned"
Colombo: India on Friday handed over 3.3 tonnes of medical supplies to a free pre-hospital care ambulance service in Sri Lanka, that was launched with India's help in 2016 and played a key role in the island nation's fight against COVID-19.

"Another promise made to the people of Sri Lanka has been fulfilled!!! External Affairs Minister Dr. SJaishankar was appraised of shortages of medicines faced by @1990SuwaSeriya during his March visit. Today, the High Commissioner handed over 3.3 tonnes of medical supplies to aid the essential lifeline's seamless operation "The Indian High Commission in Colombo issued a statement on Twitter.

"Over SLR 370 million in medical aid has been sent from India in the last two months. I've been proud to support the Service with presents of ambulances from India since its inception "It was mentioned.

The Suwa Seriya Ambulance Service was launched in 2016 with a USD 7.6 million funding from India. India also contributed free ambulances to the service, which currently operates in all of Sri Lanka's provinces and has been critical in the country's fight against COVID 19.

Another promise to the people of #SriLanka delivered!!! During his visit in March, EAM @DrSJaishankar was apprised of shortages of medicines faced by @1990SuwaSeriya. High Commissioner handed over 3.3 tons of medical supplies today to help the vital lifeline run smoothly. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/JeSNlzMmto  India in Sri Lanka (@IndiainSL) June 3, 2022

India sends another 40,000 MT of petrol to Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka receives another 40,000 metric tonnes of diesel from India

Sri Lanka Cabinet approves proposal to alter Acts to increase state revenue
Spain's Rafael Nadal, the undisputed king of red gravel, has entered the final of the second Grand Slam of the year for the 14th time after Germany's Alexander Zverev retired from an ankle injury after two sets. When Zverev left the match, Nadal came 7-6, 6-6 up. The match lasted more than three hours and the second set was about to make it to the tie break but Zverev skipped the match.

The German injured his right ankle in an attempt to grab Nadal's forehand behind the baseline and has had to be out of the cord in a wheelchair. Nadal, who is 36, has thus made it to the final for the 14th time. Zverev groaned in pain after the fall and his physio and the Nadal who approached him have made him sit in a wheelchair.

The world's number three player came to the court in tears and the spectators stood up and greeted him. Nadal also embraced Zverev. Nadal, a 13-time winner, said on the court after the match that he was very sorry for him. He was seen performing incredibly in the tournament. He was working hard to win a Grand Slam but at the moment he is unlucky. I'm wishing him all the best for a speedy recovery.

Nadal also said that reaching the final of the French Open one more time is equivalent to a dream come true. Celebrating his 36th birthday, the Spaniard, who is celebrating his 36th birthday, made a comeback after trailing 2-6 in the first set tie break and won the tie break 10-8 to finish the set in one hour and 31 minutes. After scoring 6-6 in the second set, Zverev has also skipped the match.

Pakistani cricketer made big claim on Pujara and Mohammad Rizwan's 'friendship'

Eng vs NZ: Tribute paid to 'Shane Warne' at Lord's, people stood for 23 seconds and applauded

Iga Swiatek reaches the final of the French Open
SENEGAL: After a three-day visit to Senegal, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu left for Qatar on Saturday, the final leg of his three-nation trip. Antoine Felix Dioume, the Senegalese Minister of Interior, and other dignitaries greeted him at Dakar Airport.

Naidu is in Gabon, Senegal, and Qatar for a visit. Naidu had previously spoken at the 'Tiranga-Business Dialogue: India-Senegal Business Forum' in Dakar, Senegal. Vice President Venkaiah Naidu said on Friday that bilateral trade between India and Senegal has reached a new high of USD 1.65 billion in 2021-22, highlighting the growing trade and economic links between the two countries.

In addition, the Vice President expressed confidence that the commerce will expand greatly in the next years. Naidu has been in Senegal since June 1 and will now continue his trip to Qatar. Senegal, a West African country, sees India as an important and trustworthy partner in its vision of 'Emerging Senegal 2035.' Earlier, Naidu reaffirmed India's commitment to supporting Senegal's development.

Economic issues were also highlighted during his visit to Senegal. "Both parties discussed bilateral trade, which has increased by 35-37% in the last two years. The current value of bilateral commerce is 1.65 billion dollars "In a news conference, MEA Secretary (ER) Dammu Ravi said.

VP Naidu in Senegal: Lauds Indian diasporas' immense goodwill for country

Pak PM Shehbaz duties ISI to screen govt officers: Report

Pakistan govt planning to file treason case against Imran Khan
Curtis Farrar remembers that his mother always used to say the more you give in this life, the more you will receive.

Growing up in rural Virginia, his home was the place people of all ages came to eat when their cupboards were empty; his mother was a great cook and could make a meal out of seemingly nothing.

This selfless generosity molded Curtis as he attended Mercersburg Academy, a preparatory school in Pennsylvania, under a scholarship from the A Better Chance Program, and then went on to Dartmouth College.

It was in college that he met his wife, Carolyn, who shared his passion for philanthropy and community.

Curtis and Carolyn Farrar

Now living in Springfield, the couple has become heavily involved in community giving, contributing to various funds at the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln for many years. To create a more unified approach to their contributions, the family decided to establish the Curtis and Carolyn Farrar Family Fund.

Logo for the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln

The Farrars chose to designate their fund as unrestricted, which means the Community Foundation is able to support a variety of causes in the name of the fund. The fund will also help them meet the minimum distributions required by their IRAs, in addition to providing assistance to local causes.

We hope that the fund will be more impactful in addressing the needs in the community, Carolyn said.

Like Curtis, Carolyn also grew up in the South  more specifically, Atlanta in the 1960s and 70s. Her family attended the Ebenezer Baptist Church pastored by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his father, the Rev. Daddy King Sr., in the shadow of the civil rights movement.

Her parents were both educated with advanced degrees, so I learned firsthand the importance of supporting the social and educational needs of your community, she said. While Curtis was attending Dartmouth, Carolyn was a student at Middlebury College less than two hours away.

Previous column: Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln: One year later, thankful for gift of community

Story continues

Today, Carolyn is a retired educator and currently serves as president of the board of directors of the Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum. Curtis is retired from working in various state of Illinois government agencies.

Because on their own life experiences, the Farrars are passionate about helping to fund families in need and expanding educational opportunities for minority students.

While we have always supported individual charitable organizations that address these needs, we hope that by increasing our giving through our family fund with the Community Foundation, our contributions will be more impactful, Carolyn said.

The couple is also thrilled about the chance to involve their children in philanthropy and grant-making. The fund will serve as a vehicle for their sons, Christopher in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Corey in Tracy, California, to contribute to the community where they were born and raised.

The generosity modeled for both Curtis and Carolyn as young children continues to be passed on to new generations and will deeply impact the community for years to come through their newly established fund.

We fervently believe that the Community Foundation recognizes the divergent needs of the Springfield community and is positioned to direct resources to individuals and organizations to make this city a better place to live and work, Curtis said.

For more information on establishing an unrestricted fund, or how to contribute to the Curtis and Carolyn Farrar Family Fund, please contact the Community Foundation at 217.789.4431 or visit CFLL.org.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Farrars aim to meet ever-changing community needs with family fund
By Trend

Azerbaijani Small and Medium Business Development Agency (SMBDA) continues holding meetings with local and foreign businessmen in order to expand ties and implement new business initiatives, Trend reports via the agency.

According to the agency, within the framework of the 47th Annual Investment Meeting of the Islamic Development Bank Group in Egypt, the SMBDA Board Chairman Orkhan Mammadov met with the Turkish Minister of Treasury and Finance Nureddin Nebati.

The parties discussed opportunities for investment and joint cooperation, as well as other issues of mutual interest.

According to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan, from January through April 2022, trade with Turkey exceeded $1.9 billion, thus having grown by 22.61 percent compared to the same period of last year (nearly $1.6 billion).




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Happy Fri-yay the 3rd of June 2022. Or, as this cursed pandemic is still doing its thing, perhaps its March 824, 2020, who knows. Whatever is happening in your world, we hope that you are experiencing peace and that you know the source of peace. Can you tell weve been reading some hippie literature recently? Those folks do seem pretty peaceful  maybe theyre onto something. Happy weekend and catch you on the flip side!  Haje and Christine

The TechCrunch Top 3

Brrrr, its cold in here  there must be some hiring freezes in the atmosphere : Its been quite the week for layoffs and hiring freezes, as you will see farther down in our fair newsletter. So perhaps it is not a surprise that after telling Tesla employees to get thee into the office, it has now come out that Elon Musk told executives to freeze hiring for salaried workers. Not only did the news do a number on Tesla shares, but it also gave President Joe Biden some fodder for his jobs report.

The delivery kids arent all right : Delivery startups, once the darlings of venture capital investment as Kyle put it, found their stride when none of us could go places over the past 2 years. But it seems the faster the delivery times got, or the promise of it, the more certain companies failed to, well, deliver. Sources say correction is a comin.

"Inflation and layoffs and supply chain problems, oh my!": That was Rons evaluation of what is going on out there. However, as he found out while listening to Salesforces first-quarter performance call, CEO Marc Benioff revealed his company did not see the downed quarter as some other companies did.

Startups and VC

Sometimes, you come across companies that speak with a forked tongue. Im not saying thats the case for Blackbauds self-proclaimed social good cloud provider business, but its definitely a little whiffy to have had the National Rifle Association as a customer since 1997, as Devin reports.

Story continues

A propos calling bovine excrement when we see it; the A team (Amanda and Anita, obvz, that other A-team has a lot less finger-on-the-pulse cred) argue that perhaps we should just cool it with the girlboss moniker.

But wait, there is more:

Black Founders Matter presses VCs to pledge commitment to diversity

A man in a yellow hoodie looks at the camera

Image Credits: Marceau Michel

In an interview with new TechCrunch reporter Dominic-Madori Davis, Marceau Michel, founder and managing partner of Black Founders Matter VC Fund, spoke about a new initiative to boost diversity in tech.

This is about changing the power dynamics in venture capital, he told TechCrunch. You have to start at who is left behind and bring them to the starting line.

Under the 25 by 25 Pledge, investors would promise to direct 25% of their funds to BIPOC women founders by 2025.

If a fund does not want to do this pledge  the question is why, Michel said. The status quo just doesnt hold up anymore. Keeping people that look like us out of the picture just doesnt work.

(TechCrunch+ is our membership program, which helps founders and startup teams get ahead. You can sign up here.)

Big Tech Inc.

Microsoft said it thwarted a plan by a Lebanon-based hacking group, believed to be working with Iranian intelligence, to allegedly target Israeli organizations. The group, called Polonium, was creating Microsoft OneDrive accounts and then using them to attempt the hacks.

Amazons long-time consumer division CEO Dave Clark said he was stepping down from the company in July after 23 years with the company. Its unclear why he is leaving after having only taken on the role two years ago, but Clark did tweet that its time for me to build again.

In new features news:

You may have missed these gems from yesterday, but Coinbase surprised us by announcing that it was freezing its hiring process. Initial reports said the company was rescinding offers to new employees that were already accepted, but those people had not yet started. Now we are getting word that their jobs are safe. Dont worry, we are on it and will hopefully be able to clear this up soon. Next up, General Motors autonomous vehicle unit Cruise is now able to charge for driverless robotaxi rides in San Francisco. And we take a look at a report showing just how hard it is to get an app at the top of the App Store.
Sidse Babett Knudsen Borgen 2022 sc 445

Sidse Babett Knudsen as Birgitte Nyborg in the new season of 'Borgen' Credit - Mike KolloffelMike Kolloffel

Early in the new season of Borgen, the hit show about a fictional version of Denmarks first female prime minister, Birgitte Nyborg stands in the kitchen during her sons birthday party and washes dishes with her still hot, but now ex-, husband. Its an intimate scene that in past seasons would have ended with Nyborg guiltily running off to address some brewing crisis; for all its political emphasis, Borgen was always, at its heart, about the double bind that women face as they attempt to balance their professional obligations with their families needs. And this time too Birgitte barely has time to dry the last plate before she needs to rush back to the office. But she no longer feels guilt. I am so happy, she confesses to her ex, not to have to apologize for working so much.

When its fourth season began streaming on Netflix on June 2, nearly 10 years had passed since Danish television aired what was meant to be Borgens finale, and in that decade, a lot has changed. Social media, climate change, populism, war: The world itself has become a darker place and the show, which has always delighted in referencing real-life events, reflects that. Much of this seasons plot revolves around the multifaceted crisis that unfolds when oil is discovered in Greenland, an autonomous region of Denmark, whose valuable natural resources in both the show and real lifeare both the object of intense geopolitical grappling among the U.S., China, and Russia, and seen domestically as a way of funding independence.

Yet the larger shift is within Birgitte and, in some ways, the shows portrayal of accomplished women in general. No longer head of state but Denmarks foreign minister, Nyborg is 10 years older than when we last saw her, with her kids grown, no husband to take care of, and a naked urge to hold onto power at any cost. Highly principled and idealistic in the pasta Danish version of The West Wings Jed Bartlettshe now abandons some values in favor of political expediency, betrays allies and even family members, and undermines anyone she perceives as threatening her powerwhich, in this case, happens to be a lot of other women.

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Within the shows framework, there is a logic to this transformation, and actor Sidse Babett Knudsen continues to play the character with subtlety and grace. But for viewers accustomed to seeing Birgitte Nyborg as an appealing feminist icon, the transformation may provoke a bit of cognitive dissonance. In its depiction of powerful women behaving just as badly as men, has Borgen arrived at a new, post-feminist version of true equality? Has it succumbed to an older, more misogynistic vision of women in power? Or is the show, which on many occasions has seemingly predicted real social and political change, a recognition that the reality of feministsand women in generallies between the poles of idealization and demonization?

Knudsen as Birgitte Nyborg, 10 years after viewers last saw her in the role Mike KolloffelMike Kolloffel

When it premiered in 2010, no one expected Borgen, with its nerdy focus on the intricacies of Scandinavian coalition politics, to become a global hit. That it did sothe series was syndicated in 70 countriesis due in part to its portrayal of an idealistic politician who is good at her job. I would get letters from people who were inspired by this woman, and who really like her, says Knudsen. They would write meeven American soldiersto say that, in their current situation, its really nice that theres a politician in some weird little country who is doing things well.

But what really made Birgitte Nyborg a favorite with audiences was the person behind the politician. Even though she was very professional, her vulnerability was there at all times, says Adam Price, the shows creator and co-writer. You saw it in the first episode, in the first speech she actually gives where she says, You know what? Im wearing the completely wrong dress for this occasion. But the thing is, Ive gotten too fat for the business suit that I should actually have been wearing. And everybody was just like, yes, yes, thats what we want; we want the real stuff.

A year after Borgens debut on DR, the Danish public broadcaster, Denmark elected its first female prime minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt; currently, not only its leader, but those of Iceland, Sweden, Finland, and Estonia are all women. And while it would be a stretch to suggest that Borgen influenced the Danish vote, a show watched every Sunday by 1.5 millionthats 1 in 4 peoplemay well have shaped the environment in which the election took place. She was definitely the kind of woman that Danes would like to see as a reflection of their society, says Susanne Eichner, professor of media studies at Denmarks Arhus University, in reference to Nyborg. Its a bit far-fetched to say that there was a cause-and-effect. But I will quote the Geena Davis Institute: If she can see it, she can be it. A show like this is paramount in enabling us to see alternative realities and futures.

In the fourth season, as in life, female leadership is no longer the novelty it once was. Although the new prime minister now tags her social media posts with #thefutureisfemale, so too is the present: the shows Swedish prime minister, Greenlandic premier, Russian ambassador, and majority of Danish cabinet members are all women. Among them is foreign minister Nyborg, who finds herself with a boss (in the form of a prime minister with a marked resemblancedown to her tight bun and homey Instagram poststo Denmarks current head of state, Mette Frederiksen), who is just as determined as she is to assert her authority. The conflict between the two women is a primary tension in the show.

Women also fight it out in the newsroom, which provides another important plotline in the show. Former reporter Katrine Fnsmark has become head of news at the public network, and she quickly finds herself in conflict with a younger, more openly political colleague. She fails to realize the importance of making sure her employees feel heard and seen, says Birgitte Hjort Srensen, who plays Katrine. And she has the added pressure of a rising sh-tstorm on social media, so the room for her to maneuver becomes very narrow.

Birgitte Hjort Srensen as Katrine Fnsmark Mike KolloffelMike Kolloffel

Echoing an experience her character suffered in Season 3, Hjort Srensen had a very Borgen moment during production when, newly returned from maternity leave, her nanny canceled on the morning of the first script read and the actor had no choice but to bring her baby to work. But in the new season, her character has handed childcare over to her hagiographically patient partner. For her part, Nyborg has resolved the double bind simply by aging out of it. Now in her 50s, Birgittes children have left home, leaving her to eat sad supermarket sushi alone, even while she insists on her liberation. She is actually able to work 24/7 now,, says Price. Which seems like a blessing, but tastes like a curse. That, says Price, is a central storyline this season: what happens to a woman when her roles as a wife and mother move into the background.

What is left, it seems, is power, and power, as any student of Shakespeare can tell you, corrupts. The first time you taste it, its amazing, because you actually get to realize many of the idealistic dreams you had as a young politician, says Price of his lead characters trajectory. But power is a slow working poison as well. And it drips into your cup of coffee every day, until, as a politician, youre almost not able to taste that its coffee anymore.

Borgen was never one of those shows that promised women they could have it all; Birgittes marriage collapsed because her husband grew to resent her job. And now, with the roles of wife and mother neutralized, the series finds another aspect of womanhood to maintain the public/private tension: aging and menopause. In the new season, the foreign minister struggles with hot flashes, grows irritable from lack of sleep, and sees things she doesnt like when she looks in the mirror. Knudsen, who is 53, says she embraced the opportunity to play a realistic woman at that stage of life. We talked about how to show that she has menopause because thats what happens to women at a certain age and they live with it, Knudsen says. I thought it was just another tool in the box of showing a whole person.

Still, many people, she says, have asked her if it was difficult to expose what they perceived as that particular vulnerability. I have friends who have said about the age thing, Oh you really see it. You really see it, she says with a laugh. The interesting thing about not doing things to your face is that your face shows whats been happening for the last 10 years.

In Birgittesand the showsyounger days, the question of womens suitability for power was made explicit. After Nyborg took leave from the government to care for her mentally ill daughter, a political opponent sniped, Im glad Birgitte Nyborg is a good mom. But do we want a good mom for Prime Minister? The audience hardly needed to wait for Nyborgs rousing speech before Parliament for the answer.

But this time around, the shows reply is a little less clear. There might be an abundance of powerful women in the new Borgen, but none of them act especially admirably. Menopauseread, hormonesmakes Birgitte irritable, less cool-headed, even less responsible as she abruptly leaves important meetings to deal with her changing body. Stress and her own sense of falling short lead Katrine Fnsmark to a nervous breakdown. There are whiffs of that old trope of women as too emotional or too out of control for leadership. And Birgittes newfound will to power, Borgen seems to be arguing, is born from a need to fill the hole that husband and children once occupied.

Is that feminism, post-feminism, or just good old-fashioned sexism? The image of a woman who has lost her family so now she has nothing is stereotypically negative, says media studies professor Eichner. But there is also something progressive in that the show allows women to feel the whole spectrum, to be good and evil, broken and ambivalent.

In the past, and especially when Birgitte was being compared to Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Knudsen would say that she thought of herself as playing the prime minister, not a female prime minister. And although she initially worried about the direction this darker Birgitte was taking, the actor relished the opportunity to emphasize the characters more complex humanity. When I was young, we were always talking about the roles that werent there for women: they were either the bitch or they were put on a pedestal. Whereas men, in their parts, could move around, they could be in between, she says. I think its really important in a feminist sort of way that we dont pretend that women have to be perfect. Its also interesting to show somebody who gets lost. Because that is part of the human condition.
For the first time all six Republican candidates for governor gathered for a candidate forum on Thursday night. While the candidates articulated policy ideas, the forum featured several episodes of personal attacks.

The forum was hosted by ABC 7 in Chicago and the League of Women Voters of Illinois.

During the debate, state Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, turned to Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin.

"I want to let you know something. I'm not interested in defeating you just because you're a Democrat," said Bailey. "I'm interested in defeating you because you are a corrupt Democrat."

Bailey was referring to accusations about an improper relationship between Irvin and Ken Griffin, the billionaire CEO and founder of Citadel, a hedge fund based in Chicago that does business in Aurora.

Both Griffin and Irvin have denied accusations of impropriety.

Griffin has donated $50 million to Irvin's campaign, according to state board of election records.

Bailey has also accepted donations from billionaire megadonors, most notably accepting $5.5 million from Richard Uihlein in May.

Irvin said his campaign's resources are a strength, allowing him to be a major player in supporting Republican politics in Illinois.

"I'm gonna use our resources, I'm gonna use our infrastructure, I'm gonna use our ground game, not to just help myself and my running mate Avery Bourne, but to help every Republican up and down the ballot."

More: Illinois GOP governor candidates cite mental health as core issue in gun debate

Jesse Sullivan who himself has received $11 million from just three people  Silicon Valley billionaire Chris Larsen, Asurion CEO Kevin Taweel and philanthropists Robert and Dorothy King  quickly jumped on this as a chance to attack Irvin's character.

Sullivan was participating in the debate remotely after testing positive for COVID-19.

"Richard said his greatest and his only strength is he has a whole lot of money he has to throw around," said Sullivan. "Well money cannot buy you character. Money cannot buy you a conservative record."

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Irvin has accused both Sullivan and Bailey of supporting Democratic presidential candidates such as Joe Biden and Barack Obama in ads paid for by his campaign.

Bailey was a delegate for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election and has visited Mar-A-Lago in recent weeks.

Irvin also was the subject of criticism from onstage after he was asked by Sullivan to directly say whether he supports overturning Roe v. Wade, a subject he avoided answering in the last debate he appeared in.

"My opponents are attacking me and I understand. I get it," said Irvin. "They're threatened by the fact that I'm violating their political aspirations, I'm hurting their political aspirations."

"Let me tell you why I'm a Republican," he added before sharing an anecdote about his grandfather.

As he was saying this, his opponents started to talk over him.

"Has he answered the question yet?" one off-screen candidate said as others also interjected.

Irvin also fought back, questioning Bailey's electability.

"The reason JB Pritzker supports Darren Bailey is because he knows Darren Bailey can't win," said Irvin.

The Democratic Governor's Association, which has received millions of donations from Pritzker, has put out several ads attacking Irvin. Pritzker has also directly paid for ads attacking Irvin.

More: Parental notice of abortion law officially ends in Illinois

Though Irvin and Bailey are the frontrunners of the race, it is still close. The most recent polling for the GOP primary was between May 6 and May 8 and was conducted by Emerson College Polling.

That poll, which was taken before debates began, showed Irvin with 24% of support among likely Republican voters, with Bailey behind at 20%.

The largest share of voters were undecided at that point, with 37% of voters yet to pick a candidate.

The other candidates in the race, businessman Gary Rabine, attorney and pastor Max Solomon and former state Sen. Paul Schimpf, R-Waterloo, all polled under 10%.

Rabine and Bailey also engaged in a heated back and forth over their respective records on mask mandates as well as their respective ability to tell the truth.

"Excuse me, excuse me, it's my turn," said Rabine, raising his voice over Bailey, who was interrupting him.

"Well you're not telling the truth, sir" said Bailey.

Solomon stressed that his positions are rooted in his Christian conservativism.

"Evil is here and they are attacking our children. I will protect our kids," said Solomon, who added that his priorities are making sure kids are not "indoctrinated," lowering taxes and reforming Illinois' pension system.

Schimpf stressed his disconnection from the Republican establishment Thursday night.

"The candidates come and go but things stay the same," said Schimpf. "That's because it's the same megadonors, the same political operatives, the same special interest groups."

Solomon and Schimpf have the smallest campaign war chests of any Republican candidates. Solomon has an estimated $5,600 and Schimpf has an estimated $64,000 of cash on hand as of June 3, according to Illinois Sunshine, a database of campaign contributions maintained by the nonpartisan group Reform for Illinois. All other candidates have more than $1 million of cash on hand.

Contact Andrew Adams: aadams1@gannett.com; (312)-291-1417; twitter.com/drewjayadams.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Irvin, Bailey spar in televised debate as GOP primary gets closer
As Robel Garcia turned in a dominant May performance at the plate, Chicago Cubs fans started calling for the infielder to get promoted for Triple-A Iowa and get a second shot in the big leagues with the organization.

Well, Garcia is on the move. Its just not to Chicago. Garcia, a hard-hitting infielder for the Iowa Cubs and one of the best hitters in the system so far this season, has been released by the Cubs and become a free agent. Garcia is expected to pursue a career overseas.

The 29-year-old was in the midst of a monster season that saw him hit .295/.394/.619 with seven doubles and 12 homers in 41 games with Iowa. Garcia had a huge stretch in May when he hit .409 (9-for-22) with a double and six home runs and earned International League Player of the Week honors.

Iowa's Robel Garcia steps up to the plate during a Triple-A baseball game against Toledo at Principal Park in Des Moines on Tuesday, April 12, 2022.

But Garcia, despite impressing members of the clubs front office, was always the odd man out in Chicagos already crowded infield which could get more packed with David Bote approaching the end of his rehab assignment with Iowa. Plus, the Cubs had already given Garcia a good look.

Garcia was one of the organizations biggest surprise stories after he signed a minor league deal with the Cubs in November of 2018. He started the 2019 season in Double-A, dominated and earned a promotion to Iowa. After a strong performance with Iowa, Garcia earned his first big-league promotion.

He showed plenty of pop but was also prone to high strikeout numbers. It led to the Cubs cutting ties with him after 31 big league games. Garcia bounced around and landed with four different organizations. He even appeared in 46 games with the Houston Astros last season.

Garcia came back to the Cubs this March when he signed a minor league deal with Chicago. Hes spent the entire season in Iowa where he put up big numbers again and even impressed Jared Banner, Chicago's vice-president of player development. Banner raved about Garcia during a recent visit to Iowa.

"I think his approach has gotten a lot better," Banner said at the time.

Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468. Follow him on Twitter @TommyBirch.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Robel Garcia leaving Chicago Cubs organization to play overseas
Israeli officials hope a new laser weapon can defend against rockets from Gaza, like the one that destroyed this building in the Tel Aviv suburb of Petah Tikva last year. (Dan Balilty/The New York Times)

JERUSALEM  After two decades of research and experimentation, Israeli defense officials now say they have a working prototype of a high-powered laser gun that can intercept rockets, mortar shells, drones and anti-tank missiles in flight.

Officials said that the system performed successfully in a recent series of live fire tests in the southern Israeli desert, destroying a rocket, a mortar shell and a drone, and prompting a standing ovation from officials watching the action on screen.

The government has allocated hundreds of millions of dollars to develop the weapon, which Prime Minister Naftali Bennett described this week as a strategic game changer. He has pledged to surround Israel with a laser wall.

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Professionals involved in developing the system say it is still several years away from being fully operational in the field, and experts caution that even then, it may initially be of limited use in protecting Israel from heavy incoming rocket fire. Israeli officials have not said whether it would be effective against the precision-guided missiles that Israel says Hezbollah is developing in Lebanon.

Still, laser weapons have moved from science-fiction movies and the gaming fantasy genre to reality. At least one laser weapon, Lockheed Martins Helios, has started deployment on U.S. Navy ships.

There is a lot of promising laser work going on, said Thomas Karako, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. This isnt Star Wars science fiction anymore.

The U.S. Army has also been working on laser weapons, including more powerful ones able to down cruise missiles, and is moving toward deployment, Karako said.

None have been battle-tested yet, however, and laser beams have serious limitations, like not being able to shoot through clouds.

Israels ground-based laser air defense system, named Iron Beam, is intended to complement, not replace, other elements of Israels air defense arsenal, including Iron Dome, the well-known short-range missile interception system, as well as medium- and long-range missile interception systems.

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While those systems fire small guided missiles to intercept incoming projectiles, the new weapon trains laser beams on a particular spot on the projectile, heating it up to the point of destruction.

Israels defense minister, Benny Gantz, said that Israel was one of the first countries in the world to develop such a weapon.

Brig. Gen. Yaniv Rotem, head of the Defense Ministrys research and development team, said that during the live fire tests in March, incoming threats were intercepted within seconds of detection, not minutes, as in previous tests, and at a range of up to 6 miles.

We have a full system to demonstrate the capability, he said in an interview. We are there.

The quest for laser weapons has had a long history of failure.

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan created the Strategic Defense Initiative, widely mocked as Star Wars, to find a way to shoot down nuclear ballistic missiles, including by laser technology. After spending more than $200 billion with little to show for it, that effort was abandoned in 1993.

But research continued under other programs. In the late 1990s, Israel and the United States tried to produce an experimental, high-energy laser system with a less ambitious reach, aimed at destroying rockets in flight. That effort, known as Nautilus, was shelved in 2005, partly because of the systems bulkiness and poor performance.

The technology has now shifted from the chemical laser, which required corrosive and toxic chemicals to induce a beam and machinery almost the size of an on-site laboratory, to the solid-state laser, which needs only copious amounts of electricity.

And in a recent technological breakthrough, the Israeli developers say they were able to combine many laser beams, at a very high intensity, and have them meet at a specific point on an airborne target.

Israels Defense Ministry recently awarded a contract worth more than $100 million to the state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., the primary manufacturer of the laser system.

Weve been working on laser technologies for about 20 years, Michael Lurie, vice president and head of the Land Maneuver Systems Directorate at Rafael, said in an interview. They were very cumbersome, large and not effective. We had problems with energy, tracking and the ability to pierce through the atmosphere.

But in the past couple of years, he said, we solved the science. Right now we face engineering challenges. But we know the system works.

Israeli officials say the main advantage of the Iron Beam will be its cost, with interceptions costing little more than the power needed to operate it. Bennett said the Iron Beam interceptions cost about $3.50 a shot, compared to tens of thousands of dollars apiece for each Iron Dome interception.

Moreover, Iron Dome is heavily subsidized by the United States, which allocated an additional $1 billion for the weapon in the 2022 budget at a time when U.S. military aid to Israel has become increasingly controversial. Israel is also sharing its Iron Beam knowledge with its U.S. allies, Israeli officials said.

Rotem said that Iron Beam would reverse the economic equation with Israels enemies and that Israel would recoup its investment in as little as two weeks of conflict. The initial deployments would be around Gaza, he said, then along all of Israels hostile borders.

Israel never abandoned the idea of laser technology, said professor Gabi Siboni, an expert in military strategy at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, an Israeli research center. It will be cheaper, safer and less dependent on rearmament.

But the developers acknowledged that the laser system must be integrated with the other kinetic interception systems because of the weather: The laser beams are ineffective in hazy and cloudy conditions.

Israel is working on an airborne high-powered laser that could intercept threats above the clouds, but that is likely to take years to develop.

Experts also questioned how cheap it will really be to deploy and operate Iron Beam.

Unlike an Iron Dome launcher, which can send up multiple interceptors simultaneously, each finding its own target, laser weapons have to focus on one target before moving on to another, according to Tal Inbar, an independent expert in space and missiles and senior research fellow at the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, an American nonpartisan organization.

So you will need many more systems on the ground, Inbar said, even if they are described as very cheap because they only need electricity.

But cheap is relative in the world of military spending.

A senior military official said in a recent briefing that Israeli F-35 stealth fighter jets had intercepted two Iranian drones last year in the airspace of a neighboring country. Scrambling the most sophisticated warplanes in Israels arsenal to take down cheap drones underlined the huge cost imbalance Israel faces in defending against relatively inexpensive rockets and drones, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with army rules.

Iron Beam, Israeli officials hope, could correct that imbalance.

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Celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz can officially shift focus and resources to November after former hedge fund CEO David McCormick bowed out of Pennsylvanias Senate Republican primary on Friday.

McCormicks concession comes after he failed to close a nearly 1,000-vote gap, the race's final development after weeks of a contentious contest that saw each candidate winning 31 percent of the vote and both campaigns projecting victory once all ballots were counted.

Though Oz had already declared himself the presumptive Republican nominee with the candidates locked in a recount, McCormicks withdrawal from the race guarantees the Trump-endorsed Oz will face-off against Democratic Senate nominee John Fetterman in November  a key race that will decide who replaces retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey and could determine the control of a closely divided Senate.

Oz said he received a gracious call from McCormick earlier Friday and that he was grateful for his support in the midterms.

We share the goal of a brighter future for Pennsylvania and America, Oz said in a statement. Now that our primary is over, we will make sure that the U.S. Senate seat does not fall into the hands of the radical left, led by John Fetterman.

McCormicks speech similarly projected unity. He thanked his campaign team and voters who put their trust in him, and he talked about his commitment to making sure all Republican votes were counted.

Its now clear to me, with the recount largely complete, that we have a nominee. And today, I called Mehmet Oz to congratulate him on his victory, and I told him what I always said to you, that I will do my part to try to unite Republicans and Pennsylvanians behind his candidacy, behind his nomination for the Senate, McCormick said. It is so important for Pennsylvanians, so important that we beat John Fetterman.

The Republican attacks against Fetterman have already begun. The Senate GOPs campaign arm launched its first TV attack ad on Friday against the lieutenant governor, describing Fetterman as a Bernie Sanders ally whos sided with socialists, backed a government takeover of health care and embraced parts of the Green New Deal thatd cost you 50,000 bucks a year.

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The progressive Democratic nominee has built a devoted following in his state and is seen as a rising star in the party. When he beat out moderate Rep. Conor Lamb for the Democratic nomination May 17, he laid out the stakes ahead in November.

This is the most important race in the country. Control of the Senate is going to come down to Pennsylvania, and we have to flip this seat. We have a hard fight ahead of us  but Pennsylvania is worth fighting for, Fetterman said in a statement.

And it didnt take long for Fetterman to start launching his own attacks. He posted a campaign donation link on Twitter Friday night, accompanied with a jab at Oz.



I ACTUALLY LIVE IN PENNSYLVANIA!!! Please consider rushing $10 to our campaign right now to help me beat New Jerseys Dr. Oz in November, the tweet said. Oz was a longtime resident of New Jersey, and voted there as recently as 2020. He has said he is now renting a home owned by his in-laws in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Fetterman revealed Friday that he had a previously undisclosed heart condition that led to the stroke last month that pulled him off the campaign trail. While Fetterman admits he ignored doctors warnings five years ago, his doctor said Friday he is well compensated and stable and if he takes his medications, eats healthy, and exercises, hell be fine. Its not yet clear when he'll return to the trail.



Landing former President Donald Trumps endorsement was vital for Oz, though he still had to conquer doubts about his conservative bona fides among the party base. Trump levied attacks against Ozs rivals, portrayed him as the best candidate to win in November, and pushed Oz to declare victory before a winner was determined.

McCormick, who previously was little known in politics, took advantage of Ozs decades in the public spotlight, best known as the host of The Dr. Oz Show, when leveling attacks. He also took aim at Ozs Turkish citizenship, a line of attack Senate Republicans called unsavory.

Oz was born in the U.S but served in Turkeys military and voted in its 2018 election. He has said he would give up his dual citizenship if elected in November. If hes victorious this fall, he would be the nations first Muslim senator.



The two candidates have battled it out for months, spending millions of their own money on television commercials. After the race was too close to call on election night and officials moved to a recount, the candidates fought over whether undated ballots should be counted.

The issue moved through state courts, and the Supreme Court could have resolved the dispute in the coming days, though there were doubts McCormick could make up the difference regardless of whether those ballots were tallied.

McCormick, standing beside his partner, Dina Powell McCormick, who served as Trumps deputy national security adviser, joked that the good news was his wife would have more time with him now that he wont be moving on to November.

Now the bad news for the Democrats is theyre going to get a lot more of me, too, he said.
With layoffs at Netflix and leadership shakeups at Warner Bros. Discovery, the needs of film festival programmers might sound like a low priority. At least, thats the kind of thinking thats created a huge predicament for this profession, and one thats become acute as festivals slim their budgets to attempt post-COVID comebacks.

A few weeks ago, this column addressed the way the job of the programmer has been marginalized by the industry, and at Cannes last month, many people told me they were clamoring for a follow-up.

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For the sliver of the film community that doesnt work with multimillion marketing budgets, festivals are a critical launchpad. The international festival calendar is roaring back to action, as Cannes made clear. The cocktail events teased everything from upcoming editions of Locarno in August to TIFF in the fall, with the latter bringing the majority of its robust new programming team to the south of France.

Cannes was brimming with confidence about the need for the in-person festivals around the world. During the first weekend, I moderated a conversation about the future of festivals with 30West executive Trevor Groth, who served as director of programming for Sundance for years, and asked him to address reports that the Park City event planned to retain its hybrid format next year.

Its a tough one, he said. One of the things they said was that they reached more people than ever, which is a good talking point. But how much of an impact did that have on those people versus when you have the in-person festival? There was a certain type of movie I didnt love until I went to a film festival. Certain types of films, if theyre presented at a festival, you savor them and appreciate them in a different way. I think that happens at film festivals far more than with someone streaming it at home, when they might not have the patience to finish it.

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As Groth points out, festivals advocate for certain movies to have a place in the culture and business of movies.

But there is little in the way of a support system for the people who pick those movies. Programmers of the World United, a loose consortium of programmers from around the world, hosted a packed happy hour on the first day of the festival where frustrations about the lack of infrastructure and respect for the profession were rampant. However, I detected little in the way of mobilization efforts.

An upcoming report from the Film Festival Alliance examines festival staffing, workforce, and compensation, primarily in the U.S. (the full report will be released later this month, but the organization sent it to me in advance). Participating festivals have not been named, but the sample size is formidable: 108 film organizations participated, most of which had annual operating costs of over $500,000.

Most festivals with revenue of $100,000 or more retained staff and independent contractors (16 percent of the festivals are entirely run by volunteers). The report includes some remarkable details about operational structure, inclusivity efforts, and even vaccination policies.

But for the purposes of this column, I was struck by details pertaining to financial security of programming staff. According to the survey, programming director compensation at these festivals range from a low of $500 (insert shock emoji here) to a high of $240,000 (ditto); additionally, the report shows that festivals often spend as much as half of their revenue on director-level compensation.

Meanwhile, so many programmers stitch together their profession in piecemeal that festivals build their budgets around the notion that programming is a disposable piece of the larger whole. As festivals rework their budgets around pandemic-era cuts, the job has never looked more vulnerable. Many festivals struggle to create a programming staff that supports year-round work, which in turn devalues the market for programmers as whole. (Disclosure: IndieWire is owned by Penske Media, a majority stakeholder in SXSW, which has year-round programming staff in addition to freelancers.)

When I wrote in this weekly column about the layoffs at International Film Festival Rotterdam, the festival said in an official statement that it was working toward creating a more sustainable infrastructure that took into account its $2 million euro budget cuts. At Cannes, IFFR announced its new programming team, and its leadership said they finally were ready to talk. So on the first weekend of Cannes, I dropped by the Netherlands Pavilion to sit down with IFFR managing director Marjan Van der Haar and artistic director Vanja Kaludjercic to get their side of the story.

IFFR

We looked closely at how much a healthy, sustainable percentage of the budget would be the cost of staff, Van der Haar told me, adding that they looked to the structures of other European festivals operating on a similar scale, including San Sebastian, Locarno, and IDFA. Then we went back to the drawing board to make an organization which is able to deliver on our future goals.

Outside of Kaludjercic, the new programming staff is entirely comprised of seasonal contractors. Financially, this is the way we can assure were in a healthy position for the festival we want to deliver, which is still large in scale, Kaludjercic said.

She added that the freelance structure of the staff was an outgrowth of her own experiences. My career was exactly like that until just a few years ago, she said. I understand the precarity of it, but I also understand how much opportunity it gave me. If it werent for freelance gigs of a great variety, I wouldnt be where I am today. I lived in many places that were really expensive. I know what its like when youre juggling I dont know how many gigs and nobodys paying, but I managed to learn about programming because for many years, I was programming in different places.

This is a business that requires hustle and passion to justify the hard work, but the outcome of IFFRs belt-tightening is symptomatic of a larger existential threat to the profession. Elsewhere at Cannes, I came across Ava Cahen, the 35-year-old new artistic director of Critics Week, whose entire programming committee operates on a volunteer basis.

Im going to work on that, she told me. When you commit to this work, you have to balance it with other work that brings in revenue. Its a work of passion, but we need a selection committee that doesnt put them in a precarious position.

The irony of all these discussions was the image of Cannes director Thierry Fremaux living like a rock star at Cannes, working the red carpet each day and cavorting with the talent as the crowds looked on. Fremaux embodies Cannes and the decision-making process behind the official selection. Some programmers I know disparaged the festival for not opening up its team to more contributions from the international programming community. They are protecting the sales agents, one veteran groused to me, insinuating that the Cannes selection process has more to do with the preferences of the people selling movies than the ones who officially pick them.

Maybe so. But the potential for Cannes to elevate the job of a festival programmer to movie star status is also kind of amazing, and worthy of consideration by the rest of the industry: Programmers serve as the connective tissue between talent and the festival environment. Thats not a disposable role; its the one that makes a festival worthwhile in the first place.

But its not one that the current festival business model treats as a priority. The problem this creates goes beyond maintaining status quo. It hurts the potential to bring new talent into a field in dire need of diversification. If we want better representation for rising filmmaking voices, there must be considerable investment in the work of programming those films.

If festivals cant afford year-round staff, the industry should rethink how it allocates its resources to support this profession. Its not enough to sponsor festivals themselves; a separate fund may be necessary specifically for freelance programmers, and a governing body to sort out how to allocate those funds. It could support programmers who can verify their employment status at multiple festivals, which would take the pressure off individual festivals to figure out Tetris-like solutions to retain staff.

Whos best suited to organize such support? On the European side, my moneys on the International Federation of Film Producers, which represents the needs of major festivals but has yet to sort out its role on the curatorial side of things. In North America, the Film Festival Alliance has already raised the question of how festivals might better share resources when their programming teams overlap. They would be well-suited to formalize that concept with a centralized fund.

The question of who pays for all this is a thornier one. As the industry looks to a future that treats in-person festivals as a crucial part of their existence, major distributors and other entities reliant on festivals should consider the way that some aspect of their annual budget might support the people whose programming efforts fuel their operations. Contribute to a collective fund and everyone stands to benefit: Festivals retain better programmers and festivals expose audiences to the best films, which enables the industry to support a wider array of cinema.

I dont expect Netflix or Warner Bros. Discovery to prioritize programmer salaries while considering their vast bottom-line expectations, but that speaks to the disconnect between the programming field and the industry that benefits from its labor.

There are countless grants and other initiatives out there to support filmmakers; there could always be more. But once those movies are made, someone has to give them the platform that gets them seen, and current evidence suggests that if the industry doesnt spend some money to support that process, nobody else will.

Is there another way to support the programming field through a centralization of resources? Or is the profession fated to collapse in a sea of discontent? Send me your solutions and I might dig into them with a future column: eric@indiewire.com

Browse previous columns here.

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Religion can be helpful and healing, and provide community to those in need of one. But in the wrong hands, it can also be exploitative, controlling, and dangerous. So when u/ItchyPage asked , "What ruined religion for you?" the Reddit thread was full of heartbreaking stories. Here are some of them:

(Content warning: This post contains mentions of child abuse and sexual assault.)

1. "Going to a megachurch. They received over 1 mil in donations every weekend and spent it on elaborate props and videos rather than helping the community in any meaningful way."

u/ LiterallyCasey

"Theres a megachurch outside of Tampa that has a fucking Starbucks in it."

u/ hooboyilltellya

2. "A friend of mine got me to tag along to mass one day in college. I was raised with the somber death march that is Roman Catholicism. My friend walked me into what looked like a reclaimed and refurbished warehouse, huge and full of people. Two bands, a stage, not an altar. They had a commercial break for Expo erasable markers in the middle of it. I couldn't understand how everyone just rolled with it."

u/ schlongjohnson69

Panorama view of mega-church near Houston, Texas Julian J Rossig / Getty Images/iStockphoto

3. "When I was 6 years old, the pastor gave a letter to my aunt to give to my mom saying that we were not donating enough money to the church. So we stopped going, and I have never been to church since."

u/nicklee803

"Something like this happened to my friend's grandma. The church wrote her a letter basically saying they knew how much money she was making and that she should be giving more to the church. Her was response was, screw you guys, I'm moving to Mexico."

u/ aninamouse

4. "Being kicked out of Christian school prior to the third grade because my mom bought the wrong edition of the Bible."

u/ __groundhogday__

5. "When the pastor started ranting about the evils of women, saying that Satan walks among us in the body of every female, and men must take measures against them. It was later enforced in my mind when I met his very timid granddaughter in high school. She fully believed she was cursed from birth and showed serious signs of abuse. It didn't make me think all Christians are evil, but it showed me how easily a religion led by humans can be warped. That theme has been shown to me too many times now to get behind the idea of any formal religion."

Story continues

u/ allthemigraines

6. "Being told that being sexually abused as a child was a good thing as God needed to teach me a lesson on hubris and ego. I should accept it as a lesson and be better so I wouldn't fall into the clutches of the devil. I was 7. Apparently, I was asking for it."

u/ meaton124

7. "There is this really popular Christian radio station my parents listened to when I was younger, and when the hosts were talking about some Christian gathering, they referred to non-believers as 'icky people.' I was so annoyed. At the time, I was still religious and kept thinking, what if someone who didn't believe was checking this out for the first time? I am very much not religious now, but back then, it really opened my eyes to how shitty people were."

u/ ainsanityy

8. "The non-answers to all my questions as a kid. 'You just have to have faith' is a dumb way to respond to an inquisitive mind."

u/ my_dickhurts

"When I was a kid, I asked my grandmother where God came from, and she smacked me across the face and said, 'We don't ask questions like that.' I was just being honestly curious because I wanted to understand, and her reaction shocked me. That's where it all started for me."

u/ jaymae21

9. "My mother. She instilled some serious shame into me under the guise of God. Some things she said:

"Not allowed to believe in Santa because that takes credit away from God. Santa was actually a hand of Satan trying to corrupt me.Not allowed to believe in the Easter Bunny because it was also a hand of Satan trying to corrupt me away from Jesus.I wasn't allowed to feel pride in my accomplishments because it's a sin.I was a dickhead because my dad got me fully vaccinated as a child and that is against God's plan.Hollywood is operated by Satan, so I wasn't allowed to watch movies or shows (especially Disney).Harry Potter was an absolute no because witchcraft is an affront to God.Scientists should not be trusted under any circumstances.My rare genetic condition was part of God's plan and I'd understand some day.Not allowed to say 'damn' because it's an affront to God.That combined with her regular, not-religious abuse has left me struggling a lot with my religiosity."

u/ dayna29

Bohdan Bevz / Getty Images/iStockphoto

10. "I was 15. My father had been diagnosed with ALS. I had gone to a youth group thing with a Christian friend of mine, and they had a circle of teenagers going around talking about things going on in their lives and relating it to God. When it was my turn, I shared that my father was dying, and I didn't understand why him. I was angry, and I said something along the lines of I doubted there was a God if this was happening. Basically a normal thing to say when you're young and you have a sick relative. I got chewed out for even questioning God, and the rest of the kids refused to talk to me the rest of the night, including my friend. You would think I had killed someone; it was THAT strong of a reaction."

u/ UltraDucks895

11. "The fact that if you're not in my religion, you're kinda fucked in the afterlife. I didn't choose my religion, so what makes me so special?"

u/ Final_Ad_6862

12. "When I was in the third grade, my best friend was Indian and Hindu. My aunt said she would pray for him and his heathen family, and that was enough for me to turn away from religion early. It was only reinforced with time."

u/ ooglepoogle1

Hanan Isachar / Getty Images

13. "Sermons alternated between asking for money, telling us LGBT people were bad, or telling us we were all worthless sinners without God. Left church every Sunday feeling like shit. One week, I just decided I'm not going back. I don't miss it."

u/ IngsocInnerParty

14. "For me it was helplessly watching my infant child suffer in constant pain from a genetic disease called Epidermolysis Bullosa (look it up if you want to cry), and losing her after 9 months. No amount of prayer makes any difference. No one is listening. What was 'the plan' for her? And why would I live for a god that chose to allow my child to suffer and die? My faith died with her."

u/ mudfossil

15. "The idea that youre created by an omniscient God, and they give you free will, but [will] chastise you for using that exact free will is kinda bullshit."

u/ ProbertsCokeStash

"It's even worse because he created the universe knowing exactly how things would play out. He created you the way you are knowing you'd do things he doesn't like, and he'd get an excuse to punish you for them."

u/ Canuckleball

Feng Wei Photography / Getty Images

16. "I wanted to be a pastor. I wanted to be just like my great grandfather. I was told, in no uncertain terms, that the 'best' I could do was be a pastor's wife. Simply because I don't have a penis. Yeah, I'm out. Fuck that."

u/ schroedingersnewcat

17. "When I realized the Bible wasn't written by God/Jesus and it was written by man and was written like 200 years after Jesus's death. Like, I can't even 100% trust the word of a good friend who heard something from someone else in 2022, let alone some game [of] telephone from 2,000 years ago."

u/ Greenlawn11740

"Yes, similarly, the Gnostic Gospels were the final death knell for me. To learn that someone chose to marginalize women in the Bible that had a giant, detrimental effect on women was just so betraying. Fuck all that."

u/ Aloket

18. "Seeing a whole congregation of people perform an 'exorcism' on a 5-year-old boy. I was a teen youth leader at a southern Baptist church I had been involved with for several years. During Sunday morning service one day, one of the deacons came from the children's church building next door and interrupted the preacher to whisper something in his ear. They both left immediately, and when they returned, were dragging a 4- or 5-year-old boy down the aisle who was screaming like a banshee. They ended up taking him in front of the church, holding him down, and reciting all sorts of bullshit about demonic possession, asking the churchgoers to come up to him and help banish the demon from the child. Kinda ruined God for me."

u/ Grim_Rebel

19. "As a kid, someone explaining to me that my dog that just died wouldn't be in heaven. I'd never see him again. Because dogs can't accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior. So he was going to hell. Pretty much done with it after that."

u/ BoredBSEE

20. "I went to a congregational church. This meant we had a pastor, but most of the sermons were delivered by preselected members of the congregation. One guy got up to deliver his sermon, and it quickly devolved into a snobbish political rant that barely even referenced the Bible. He was given applause and polite chuckles of agreement. This was a fairly common occurrence. I still have faith in the divine, but my faith in earthly institutions has been deeply shaken."

u/ MrLemonaide

21. "I was like 15 and playing an instrument in the 'worship band' for the most popular 'youth group' in the area (which is a verrry Christian area). At one point, the pastor dude was praying, and the musicians were behind him waiting to play when he was done. The whole room (200-plus) had their heads bowed as dude was praying. Then his prayer went into the whole 'heres what you pray if you want to become a Christian right now' yada yada yada... then, at the end he says, 'OK everyone keep your heads bowed, eyes closed. Now if you just prayed that prayer with me, I want you to look up  everyone else keep your heads bowed  but if you just now gave your life to Jesus, look up at me or raise your hand so I can see you.' Im behind him, and facing the crowd who have their eyes closed, so I decide its safe to take a peek...

"I discreetly look up and notice that exactly ZERO people in the crowd are looking up at him. Every single person still has their head bowed, eyes closed. (Which is fine, I mean maybe they were all already Christians?) However, as Im looking at nobody responding, Mr. Pastor starts saying, 'OK I see you there, oh I see another over there, amen, and you back there, praise God. Yes I see you over there, amen come find me afterwards.' It was perplexing to see him lie to so many people like that. And this wasnt some nobody youth pastor; he was like quite legit having written books and being mentioned in national articles and stuff."

u/ timcooksdick

Getty Images

22. "In Mormonism, there's a ceremony called Baptisms for the Dead. Prior to the ceremony, 14- or 15-year-old me was required to have a private, closed-door meeting with the head of my congregation (the Bishop). In that meeting, he asked me very explicit questions about pornography, sex, and masturbation. He needed to know my soul was pure. Fucking WEIRD, and creeped me out."

u/ jostler57

23. "The final straw for me was my church asking a homeless man to leave and not come back. He would sit and listen to the sermons, never bothered anyone, and always sat in the very back. I confronted my youth group leader, and she defended the preacher."

u/ chaoz2030

24. "A couple of friends of mine invited me to a summer camp when I was in middle school. The first warning sign I noticed was the packing list included a Bible, but I brushed it off because the camp brochure had horseback riding, water slides, and a bunch of stuff that seemed cool. And then I get there. And one of the first things we had to do was line up and 'deposit' our money in a camp account. Why? So during our twice-daily church services, we could write 'donation' slips that would take money out of our account and 'give' to the camp. It was full-on, 100%, a super conservative religious Christian summer camp that just happened to have fun stuff in between the ridiculous religious nonsense. Fun stuff like 'bands' coming in to sing religious smash hits like 'My Daddy Ain't a Monkey.' No. I'm not lying. That was the name of the song..."

"Thank God I was there with another guy who my 'friends' convinced to attend camp with us. I eventually confronted them about their lie, and they admitted they had done it because they knew I wasn't a believer and did it to 'save me.' I told them that I didn't care what their reasons were; if they were my friends, they wouldn't have lied. And if they believed so strongly about it, would they really lie, etc. Left camp bewildered and more than a little betrayed. As the years went on and I continued to see the complete lack of integrity and regard for honesty amongst religious people, I was still disappointed, but not surprised."

u/ ButtholeBanquets

25. "I was 6 years old in a Saudi elementary school. There was this one Christian Bosnian kid whose dad was a butcher; he was incredibly kind and often gave me delicious smoked meat sandwiches. The thought of him going to hell as a non-Muslim was illogical, and made me question religion for the first time."

u/ Svstem

26. "When I lived in Texas, I attended a Church of Christ with some very subtly progressive leadership. They were as down-home Texan as they come, but they preached the actual message of Jesus  not that hate-filled, fear-mongering stuff you get from most evangelical churches. When a certain president was doing a lot of hate-motivated stuff during his presidency, the sermons reflected what was going on with precision. IRL, we were torturing migrant children and putting them in cages...so the sermon was about kindness and Jesus's thoughts on welcoming foreigners. IRL, a certain person was extorting another country's leader for dirt on a political opponent...so the sermon was about doing what's right because it's the right thing to do, not for personal gain. That kind of thing. It was months and months of our pastors addressing the issues as directly as they could without 'getting political' and pissing off any members of the congregation..."

"I had always noticed the Trump bumper stickers and the 'Jesus was a Republican' bumper stickers in the parking lot, but one Sunday, I decided to notice who was in those cars and see if they were actually paying attention to the sermons. ... Nope, they were the ones dozing off and zoning out and looking at their fucking phones. Their pastor was tailoring the sermons to those peoples' spiritual growth, and they weren't even fucking listening. I couldn't keep going there. I now do all my praying and worship the way Jesus taught us to: in private."

u/ GingerMau
Solar panels are installed at a floating photovoltaic plant on a lake in Haltern, Germany, Friday, April 1, 2022. Martin Meissner/AP Photo

Ikea said it will start selling solar panels in select markets in California this year.

The company has been selling solar panels in some European markets since 2013.

Ikea could become a direct competitor with Elon Musk's company Tesla Energy.

Ikea announced that it was branching out into home solar panels in the US on Thursday.

The furniture company will team up with SunPower Corporation, a residential energy services provider, to create the initiative called Home Solar. Through this collaboration, IKEA customers will be able to purchase home solar solutions, available through SunPower. The program will launch in select markets in California this fall.

"The launch of Home Solar with IKEA will allow more people to take greater control of their energy needs, and our goal is to offer the clean energy service at additional IKEA locations in the future," Javier Quinones, CEO & chief sustainability officer of IKEA in the US, said in the press release.

Last year, Ikea started selling renewable energy to homeowners in Sweden through a system which allowed households to buy energy from solar and wind parks and track their power usage on an app via a fixed monthly fee. The company also sells solar panels in 11 other markets, including the UK.

Ikea's new initiative will make it a direct competitor residential solar-panel companies and Tesla Energy, an off-shoot of Elon Musk's electric car company that designs and installs residential solar roofing. Insider previously reported that Musk's company has faced a slurry of complaints related to poor customer services and price hikes of as much as $75,000.

The market for residential solar panels was estimated to be about $9.1 billion in 2020 and is expected to continue to grow in the coming decade, per data from Grand View Research. As of last fall, Tesla accounted for only about 2% of the residential solar market, according to a report from CNBC. In March, a solar industry magazine ranked Tesla Energy as fourth in US market share, just ahead of SunPower Corporation.

Story continues

While both Tesla and SunPower offer traditional solar panels that sit atop a home, Musk's company also offers a more streamlined product that replaces existing roofing with sleek black solar panels.

The residential solar market is expected to grow in the coming years, but the industry has faced some headwinds from supply-chain snarls. In its latest earnings release, Tesla said its volume of solar deployments nearly halved during the beginning of the year as the result of import delays.

Ikea did not specify how much its solar panel installation process and monthly usage fees would cost. The average cost to install solar panels in the US is about $12,000 after federal tax incentives, according to Consumer Affairs.

California is a prime market for the launch of Ikea's Home Solar initiative as it was home to about 40% of the nation's residential solar energy capacity last year, according to the California Public Utilities Commission.

Read the original article on Business Insider
June 4 (Reuters) - Ukraine wants to strengthen its positions on the ground with the help of new weapons deliveries from the West before it resumes peace talks with Russia, Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia said.

"Our armed forces are ready to use (the new weapons)...and then I think we can initiate a new round of talks from a strengthened position," he told Ukraine national television on Friday.

Ukraine said it had recaptured a chunk of the industrial city of Sievierodonetsk in the Luhansk region, the focus of a Russian offensive to take the eastern Donbas region.

(Reporting by Max Hunder, writing by Nerijus Adomaitis, editing by Mark Heinrich)
By Trend

International Finance Corporation (IFC) is ready to develop cooperation with the Azerbaijani government in the implementation of green projects, IFCs Regional Manager for the South Caucasus Ivana Fernandes Duarte said at 27th Energy Forum in Baku, Trend reports.

According to the regional manager, today Azerbaijan is implementing large projects in the sphere of renewable energy sources (RES) and the transition to green energy.

"We are also ready to provide support to private businesses involved in the development of these solutions and projects," the regional manager added.
Children in the United States today live in a country where their lives, well-being, and future are of little concern to many of the adults with the power and responsibility to protect them.

Its not just the acceptance of gun violence and the cowardly refusal to do anything to stop it. So many politicians in our countrymostly, but not all, Republicansshow cruel indifference to many other forces that hurt children, including poverty and the climate crisis.

How so? It was the failure of adults in elected office to take an immediate and coordinated approach to contain the coronavirus, and the refusal of many so-called grown-ups to do something as simple as wear masks and get a vaccine, that led to wave after wave of infections that have killed 1 million people in the U.S. Though children were largely spared from the death toll, many lost parents, grandparents and other family members.

Those in power are doing practically nothing to slash air pollution that damages kids lungs and threatens to leave them and future generations with a ruined planet. Worse, some of those standing in the way in Congress are profiting off the burning of fossil fuels that threatens the very survival of our children. Scientists say it is now more likely than not that global average temperatures will rise more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial levels, the destructive rise in temperature that world leaders have pledged to work to prevent. It could happen by 2030, or by the time a toddler today turns 10.

The Supreme Court appears poised to take away abortion rights and the ability of people to decide when and whether to bring a baby into this troubling world. But once children are born, too many elected leaders seem to have no interest in their welfare. Here are just two recent examples: In January, after giving children a lifeline through an expanded child tax credit that sent families automatic monthly payments of as much as $300 per child, Congress let it expire and allowed millions of American children to slide back into poverty. And in another shameful and avoidable crisis, federal authorities failed to prevent a shortage in the supply of formula, the most basic sustenance babies need for survival.

Most painful of all, some politicians have worked to allow virtually unfettered access to guns, giving just about anyone the ability to kill our children at school, church or synagogue, at the supermarket, the mall or at home. Firearm-related deaths have been rising in the U.S. in recent years, and in 2020, guns overtook motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of death among children and teenagers.

A decade ago, a gunman killed 26 people at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. But the adults in Congress, who promised to take action, did nothing to prevent it from happening again. And it did, this time at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

Once again, too many leaders response to another massacre has been tragically insufficient: to offer prayers and condolences. To call for safety drills. To blame mental illness. But they wont even talk about limiting the guns that keep taking our childrens lives.

Parents should be able to tell their children that they will be safe and believe that there is a limit to the amount of violence that U.S. leaders will tolerate. But we cant. And thats the most helpless feeling of all.

Adapted from the Los Angeles Times
ELMWOOD  Cindy Backemeyer has brought educational nourishment to hundreds of Elmwood-Murdock students with her deep teaching roots in the school district.

She will be recognized for her achievements with a prestigious teaching award later this month.

Backemeyer was named the Nebraska Department of the American Legion Elementary Teacher of the Year. She will be honored during a special ceremony at the Nebraska American Legion State Convention. The convention is scheduled to take place June 24-26 in Columbus.

Elmwood American Legion Post 247 Commander Bonnie Brewer said she was happy to see Backemeyer selected for the statewide award. She said Backemeyer has gone above and beyond in her support of American Legion activities for more than two decades.

Cindy is our first nominee, so were very excited to be able to honor her in this way, Brewer said.

Elmwood-Murdock Elementary School Principal Trisha Nichelson said Backemeyers commitment to the local community made her a good choice for the Elementary Teacher of the Year honor.

Cindy takes the time to teach her students and other members of the community about caring and being responsible for our history and the valuable lessons we can learn from them, Nichelson said in a letter to the state selection committee. She makes it her passion to ensure her students know the importance of education both in and out of school. It is because of her dedication to the education of students of our community that I recommend her for this award.

The Nebraska American Legion sponsors Teacher of the Year awards for elementary, middle and high school educators. Teachers must have promoted American Legion youth programs in the field of education at a notable level. They can be a veteran or non-veteran and must have accomplished many positive educational goals in their careers.

A local American Legion post must endorse candidates for the award. The states Americanism Committee selects winners in elementary, middle and high school levels by majority vote each spring.

Brewer said members of American Legion Post 247 decided to nominate Backemeyer earlier this year. They wanted to honor her for leading fourth-grade students in many community service projects.

We feel Cindy meets this criteria with her support of bringing students to visit the Elmwood G.A.R. Hall Veterans Museum, visiting the cemetery to help clean veterans tombstones and general support of veterans throughout the year and especially on Veterans Day and Memorial Day, Brewer said.

Nichelson said Backemeyers list of achievements is a lengthy one. She works with Student Council members and Elmwood-Murdock families to raise money for the local food bank each year. She coordinates a fund-raising activity before Christmas and leads a cereal challenge in the spring.

Backemeyer takes fourth-grade students to Elmwood Cemetery each year in the week prior to Memorial Day. Students learn how to identify graves of veterans, the war in which they served and additional facts about the history of the cemetery. They also clean tombstones and crosses with rags and buckets in preparation for the annual Memorial Day service.

Backemeyer takes her classes to the Bess Streeter Aldrich House and Grand Army of the Republic Hall Veterans Museum each year to give them a chance to learn about Elmwood history. In addition to teaching social studies lessons at school, Backemeyer also works with students and families to create pop-up shops. Children learn about economics and entrepreneurship by selling products to local residents. They then donate their profits to area charities.

Nichelson said Backemeyer has planted many positive seeds with her work at Elmwood-Murdock. She said those efforts have paid off in many ways for everyone in Cass County.

Cindy models for her students and the staff what it means to serve our community, Nichelson said. From raising money for the local food pantry to cleaning headstones before Memorial Day, Cindy works to ensure the community is well taken care of.

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Northeast Community College celebrated the success of its graduates during three commencement ceremonies on May 13 in the Cox Activities Center on the Norfolk campus.

The following area students were awarded degrees:

Arlington: Jacob Ernesti, Associate of Applied Science Degree  Diesel Technology; Cooper Hilgenkamp, Associate of Applied Science Degree  Electrical Construction and Control; Elly Krause, Associate of Arts; Macy Rosenthal, Associate of Applied Science Degree in Agriculture  Agribusiness, Associate of Applied Science Degree in Agriculture  Agronomy; Wyatt Wollberg, Associate of Applied Science Degree  Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning.

Dodge: Charles Dvorak, Associate of Applied Science Degree  Electrical Construction and Control; McKenna Klosen, Associate of Applied Science  Early Childhood Education; Blake Pojar, Associate of Applied Science Degree in Agriculture  Precision Agriculture; Mason Uhing, Certificate  Information Technology-General.

Fremont: Amber Bergantzel, Certificate  Drug and Alcohol Counseling; Jessica Cizek, Associate of Applied Science Degree  Business; Maycee Fagan, Associate of Applied Science Degree  Business, Certificate  Real Estate; Hannah Farmer, Associate of Arts; Oscar Garcia, Diploma  Practical Nursing; Samantha Lockhart, Associate of Applied Science Degree  Drafting, Diploma  Drafting; Brittney Perina, Diploma  Practical Nursing; Grace Sendgraff, Associate of Arts; Anthony Walter, Associate of Applied Science Degree  Utility Line.

Hooper: Kathryn Robertson, Associate of Arts.

Howells: Kyle Pickhinke, Associate of Applied Science Degree in Agriculture  Precision Agriculture; Trevor Schumacher, Associate of Applied Science Degree  Utility Line; Austin Steffensmeier, Associate of Applied Science Degree in Agriculture  Precision Agriculture.

Kennard: Connor Tate, Associate of Applied Science Degree  Veterinary Technology.

Morse Bluff: Erica Stephenson, Associate of Arts.

North Bend: Kory Bourek, Associate of Applied Science Degree  Information Technology, Certificate  Information Technology, Certificate  Technical Services Support; Megan Reese, Certificate  Drug and Alcohol Counseling; Joshua Strauss, Associate of Applied Science Degree in Agriculture  Agronomy; Colton Wesely, Associate of Applied Science Degree  Business.

Oakland: Bradley Gillett, Diploma  Practical Nursing; Tasha Merryweather, Associate of Science Degree; Leneah Olson, Associate of Applied Science Degree  Business.

Prague: Cole Johnson, Associate of Applied Science Degree  Utility Line.

Scribner: Sidney Fletcher, Associate of Science Degree.

Snyder: Trey Bruce, Associate of Applied Science Degree  Media Arts, Certificate  Media Production, Certificate  Video Production.

Wahoo: Parker Barnes, Certificate  Media Production.

West Point: Jakob Andreasen, Associate of Applied Science Degree in Agriculture  Agribusiness, Associate of Applied Science Degree in Agriculture  Agronomy, Associate of Applied Science Degree in Agriculture  Animal Science; Carter Arduser, Associate of Applied Science Degree  Diesel Technology; Christian Corrales, Associate of Applied Science Degree  Automotive Technology; Destiny Dickey, Associate of Arts; Aaron Disher, Associate of Applied Science Degree  Building Construction; Shelby Fehrer, Associate of Science Degree; Nicole Fisher, Associate of Arts; Andrew Franzluebbers, Associate of Science Degree; Levi Frederick, Associate of Applied Science Degree  Diesel Technology; Kelly Hansen, Diploma  Practical Nursing; Jorge Ibarra, Associate of Applied Science Degree  Automotive Technology; Morghann James, Associate of Arts; Nolan James, Diploma  Drafting, Certificate - Drafting; Jayce Johnson, Associate of Applied Science Degree  Drafting, Diploma  Drafting; Naydeli Medina, Associate of Science Degree; Joselyn Melendres, Associate of Arts; Loren Peterson, Associate of Science Degree; Allyson Plagge, Diploma  Practical Nursing; Rene Ramirez, Certificate  Information Technology-General; Jacob Reimers, Associate of Science Degree; Jose Rodriguez, Diploma  Welding; Carie Schinstock, Associate of Arts; Kali Stratman, Associate of Applied Science Degree  Business; Parker Uhing, Associate of Applied Science Degree in Agriculture  Diversified Agriculture; Troy White, Diploma  Machining and Manufacturing Automation.

Yutan: Molly Davis, Associate of Arts.

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FILE PHOTO: The logo of Gilead Sciences Inc pharmaceutical company is seen in Oceanside, California, U.S., April 29, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
By Trend

Azerbaijani Ministry of Energy and UK's bp company signed an addendum to the executive agreement on cooperation in Shusha, Trend correspondent reports.

The addendum was signed by Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov and bp Regional President for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey Gary Jones.

In addition, an executive agreement was signed between the Ministry of Energy and Masdar (UAE). The document was signed by Masdar Clean Energy Acting Executive Director Fawaz Al Muharrami and Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov.

The documents were signed during the special session The Path to Zero Emissions: Developing the Green Energy Potential of the Liberated Territories, which is taking place in Shusha as part of the Baku Energy Week.

The session noted Azerbaijan's contribution to the energy security of Europe. It was emphasized that Azerbaijan played an important role in the diversification of energy sources. This indicates the importance of developing the "green" energy potential of Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur.
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 Moire Sculpture #12, by Collin Parson, Lakewood, acrylic, vinyl, metal base, $25,000, northwest corner of Tejon Street and Moreno Avenue (near Atomic Cowboy, 528 S. Tejon St.)

 Continuous Line VI (levity), by Kelly Goff, Norton, Mass., steel pipe, oil-based enamel, $18,000; median on South Nevada Avenue between Costilla and Cimarron streets (near Loyal Coffee, 402 S. Nevada Ave.)

 Mariachi Galaxy, by Jeff Glode Wise, Durango, welded steel (powder coated), reflectors, faceted glass sphere, $48,000; exterior archway of Plaza of the Rockies, 121 S. Tejon St.

 Betwixt, by Su Kaiden Cho, Colorado Springs, aluminum (thermoplastic) duct, $42,000, North exterior wall of UCCS Downtown at 102 S. Tejon St.

 Jade, by Juls Mendoza, Denver, latex paint and acrylic spray paint, $11,000; west exterior wall of 327 E. Pikes Peak Ave.

 Seek Higher Ground, by Michael Krondl, Brooklyn, N.Y., digital photography on vinyl, $10,000, orth exterior wall of Downtown Transit Terminal, 127 E. Kiowa St.

 Bighorn Sheep/Mountain Sun, by Brenda Biondo, Manitou Springs, digital photography on vinyl, $8,000; west exterior wall of Downtown Transit Terminal, 127 E. Kiowa St.

 From U to You, by Hootnannie, Los Angeles, Calif., acrylic paint, $8,800; north exterior wall of 32 N. Tejon St.

 WindSong, by Kim Carlino, Easthampton, Mass., exterior acrylic latex and spray paint, $4,000; east exterior wall of 101 N. Cascade Ave.

 we are one, by Mono Sourcil, Montreal, Canada, latex paint and acrylic spray paint, $8,000; West exterior wall of Saks Building, 19 E. Bijou St.

 Mountain Horse, by Francis Fox, Boise, Idaho, bronze, $25,000; northwest corner of Tejon and Boulder

Scavenger Hunt

What: A passport-guided event. Start at any Art on the Streets location and show your ticket to receive a passport. Some artists will be on site. Each location will have fun surprises.

When: 5-8 p.m. Friday

Where: Downtown Colorado Springs

Price: Free. A $10 donation is suggested. Pre-registration is required online at bit.ly/3M0h9Vs.
By Trend

A ceremony of signing the cooperation agreement between the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and bp has taken place at a special session titled "The Path to Zero Emissions: Potential and Opportunities of Green Energy in Karabakh Region" being held in Azerbaijans Shusha city [liberated from Armenian occupation in the 2020 Second Karabakh War] within the Baku Energy Week, Trend reports.

The agreement envisages the study of the potential of renewable energy sources in Azerbaijan, cooperation in this area and the implementation of joint projects.

Besides, a memorandum of understanding was signed between SOCAR and Masdar (UAE).

Within the framework of this memorandum, its planned to cooperate in the field of the renewable energy sector.

The purpose of signing both documents is to ensure the decarbonization of oil and gas operations and the application of advanced technologies in the field of energy efficiency and the joint development of renewable energy sources.
Kyla Stone may have the leading role in the national touring production of Anastasia, but she stands in awe of the understudies and swings in the show.

Thanks to them, she says, Anastasia has kept going while COVID ebbs and flows. Theyre leaders in terms of just putting on the hat and going, Im just going to do it, Stone says. Its just unreal.

Often with little notice, those swings (so called because they swing in and out of roles) have been able to step in and make the show work. Even now, she says, those unsung heroes do it with such ease and such grace.

Among the first in her company to contract the virus, Stone was no stranger to its effects.

The pandemic made its first appearance just as she was graduating from Chapman University in 2020. Theaters shut down, jobs disappeared; like others, Stone wondered if she had made the right career choice. Is theater even going to happen? I was so lucky to have such a great group of friends. We were writing things and putting them up on Zoom and doing staged readings. So I sort of switched gears.

When live performances started to return, I just sort of hit the ground running.

Among those auditions: one for Anya in Anastasia, the story of a young woman determined to find out if shes a member of Russian royalty.

While a person of color hadnt played the part, director Darko Tresnjak was open to colorblind casting. He told us really early on that he wanted a cast that was going to best tell the story, Stone says. It just so happened that I was one of those lucky people.

The decision  one foreshadowed by the multi-ethnic cast in Hamilton  is a good one, Stone says. Doors are hopefully opening in terms of whats available to any actor.

That anythings possible approach grazed Stone during high school. I was very fortunate. I had a theater director who just let me run wild and I distinctly remember sitting down my junior year and she was like, OK. What show do you want to do? And I was like, What? To get that agency at such a young age was great. And then to go to college and get to play such a wide variety of roles was just sort of the icing on the cake. When I graduated, I was so gung ho to audition for everything that I felt right about.

As a big musicals lead, Stone says, theres always something new to discover. To get to be on stage with these people that I adore and love and care about is just such a gift.

Because professors didnt detail all that comes with a national tour, the California native has learned plenty while traveling from one city to the next. I dont think anyone realizes laundry is harder to do than you think, she says with a laugh. You really need to listen to what your body needs, too. Every day is different. Every show is different. Sometimes we dont have the luxury of sitting down for a week, so it really is a true testament to knowing yourself.

Slated to play Anya through August, Stone says shes eager to try all sorts of roles. One in Star Wars is obvious, but I would love to be a Bond girl or a Bond villain and Christine Daae (in Phantom of the Opera) and Anna in Frozen. Theres a whole bucket list of shows.

Now, though, shes immersed in Anastasia. To capture the right essence, Stone says she just needs to put on the costumes Linda Cho designed. Its hard not to just take up that mantle. You feel like that energy is running through you. And the dress that I wear at the end is 35 pounds. So its hard not to just stand upright. But there really is something about having a crown on your head that makes you feel, OK, this is real.

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If youre not a hardcore superhero fan, you just might like The Boys.

Now in its third season, the outrageous anti-superhero series shows how a group  called The Seven  has gone off the rails and is really just a front for a less-than-honorable corporate owner.

Forced to share his leader status, Homelander (the uber-patriotic manipulator played by Antony Starr) freaks out and shows a less-than-favorable side to those who admire him.

This prompts his bosses to find some way to put him back in the bottle and, sure enough, theres someone who has the ability.

No, its not Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), whos part of the group trying to take him down, but an old Vought superhero named Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles). Hes thawed (yes, shades of Walt Disney) and put back into play. The only problem? Hes bringing 1940s values to a 21st century situation.

That gives the shows creators ample opportunity to send up another superhero thread and give this more to ponder. What gets lost, though, is the camaraderie of the dissidents. Its still around, but so much time is spent showing Homelander railing at everyone, it doesnt give them their due  at least not in the early episodes.

What we do discover is just how far executive producer Eric Kripke is willing to go to test his shows audience. (Weve already gotten a hide-out whale and an, um, unusually long appendage.) In Season Three, theres a sex scene that should definitely separate the weak from the strong. It pushes barriers and isnt afraid to offend.

That, in a nutshell, is what The Boys really is about. Its willing to take those risks, send up tropes and educate.

In many ways, its approach could be applied to present-day politics. Folks who rant the most are probably guilty of what theyre ranting about. Thats the same with The Seven.

When Homelander melts down, its an epic melt and just what wed expect some senator to do if he werent so worried about currying favor.

Starr continues to be the shows biggest asset. But Ackles slips in with his own sense of style. And, then, theres a contender who used to be in a boy band. Hes so awfully good, youll want to download the song he foists on an unsuspecting public.

Urban fights the good fight and Jack Quaid is still interesting as one of The Boys who has an inside track to information.

In early Season Three episodes, Erin Moriarty (as Starlight) holds her own. But the beauty of The Boys is you just never know where its headed.

If Kripke and company know whats good, theyll give Chace Crawford (as the Deep) more to do. He was so good in the first season, it was difficult to see him slide back in the second.

Again, who knows what could be lurking.

Take a peek at the Third Season, but dont say we didnt warn you. That first episode is a killer. In more ways than one.

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DES MOINES  Iowa Democrats are proposing sweeping changes to their caucuses, essentially turning the complicated system into a simple straw poll, in an attempt to preserve their status as one of the first states to express their choice for the next U.S. president.

The Iowa Democratic Party on Thursday afternoon formally submitted to the national party an application to be one of the early-voting states to the national partys rules and bylaws committee.

The national partys rules and bylaws committee is expected to meet later this month to review states applications.

The Iowa caucuses  both Democrat and Republican  have kicked off the countrys presidential nominating process every four years for the past four decades.

But in recent years, national Democrats have expressed concern with the caucus system, which requires in-person attendance, and with a lack of diversity in the state, which makes it, in critics eyes, unfit to serve as the influential first state in the process of picking a president.

The heat on Iowa Democrats intensified after the 2020 caucuses, when a computer program designed to tabulate caucus results failed on caucus night. As a result, official results werent reported for several weeks.

The Democratic National Committee earlier this year decided to overhaul its presidential primary calendar. The national party is throwing out the current order of early-voting states and requiring any state that wants to be an early-voting state in the future to submit an application.

Twenty states intend to submit applications, according to national reports.

Iowa Democrats last month notified the national party of their intention to apply to remain an early-voting state.

This proposal allows us to grow the Iowa Democratic Party and keep our position on the nominating calendar, Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Ross Wilburn said in a statement. By expanding our caucus process to include a window of non-present participation, we will be able to engage with more Iowans than ever before and showcase the strength of the Iowa Democratic Partys grassroots infrastructure.

To make their caucuses more accessible  a requirement established by the national party  Iowa Democrats are proposing to eliminate the requirement for in-person attendance and the reorganizing of candidates supporters over multiple rounds.

Whats left would be similar to Iowas Republican caucuses, which are a simple straw poll, with each participant submitting one presidential candidates name and the party counting those submissions.

Developing a non-present participation process that is easy to understand and accessible is a critical improvement we must make to live up our Democratic Party values, Scott Brennan, the Iowa Democratic Partys member on the national partys rules and bylaws committee.

By making our Iowa Democratic Caucus process more straightforward, we also create an opportunity for more Iowans to get involved and help us do the important work of electing more Democrats.

The Iowa Republican caucuses once again will be first-in-the-nation in 2024, national Republican leaders recently announced.

No attendance required

According to the application submitted by the state party, the Iowa caucuses would allow Democrats to cast a presidential preference without attending the caucuses.

Under the current system, participants are required to attend the caucuses at a prescribed time and remain in attendance throughout the process, with limited exceptions. Critics of the caucus system say this requirement makes it difficult for some people to attend, and thus excludes them from the process.

Under the proposed changes, Democrats would participate by completing a preference card before caucus night. Participants would request a card, which would be mailed to them two to four weeks before caucus night. The participant would state their presidential preference on the card and return it via the mail, before caucus night.

No multiple rounds

To streamline the process of quantifying support, Iowa Democrats also are proposing an end to the current systems process of reorganizing candidates supporters over multiple rounds.

Under the current system, candidates are required to reach a prescribed level of support. If a candidate fails to reach that level, that candidates supporters can shift to another candidate in a second round.

Under the proposed changes, there would be no multi-round process, and only the participants initial choice for president would be counted.

Party process

The proposed changes in effect detach Democrats presidential preference statements from the partys delegate election process.

So under the proposal, on caucus night party officials would announce the presidential preference results, and the remainder of the caucus would be dedicated to party business.

Iowa Democrats also are proposing to contract with national party-approved election vendors or state or local elections officials to run the new process to ensure it is fair and trustworthy.

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DES MOINES  A federal judge Wednesday sentenced a northern Iowa father and son to prison for their participation in the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Daryl Johnson, 51, and his son Daniel Johnson, 30, both of St. Ansgar, admitted to entering the building through a broken window and pushing through a police line once inside.

Daryl Johnson will serve 30 days in jail, the time recommended by federal prosecutors, and Daniel Johnson with serve four months, less than the six months prosecutors sought. Defense attorneys for both men sought probation and no jail time.

Federal Judge Dabney Friedrich handed down the sentences in Washington.

Daryl Johnsons attorney, Christopher Davis, wrote in a sentencing memo that Johnson is a politically conservative, passionate man who got caught up in the moment and now admits he was wrong to enter the Capitol.

I have no explanation nor any excuse. I was wrong to enter the capital and behave like I did. I simply am heartbroken; I know there is no way I can make amends. The only option I have is own my failure, ask for forgiveness, and pay the price required, Johnson said in court documents.

In social media comments after the attack, Johnson posted that Jan. 6 marked the beginning of a revolution that could lead to hangings on the front lawn of the capitol. On Feb. 7 he posted, Bring it on Biden! I have no problem dying in a pool of empty shell casings.

Davis argued Johnson, now a convicted felon, can no longer carry a gun for protection or vote and his businesses, which include laundromats, a tanning salon and a car wash, could suffer as a result of the felony conviction.

Documents filed by Daniel Johnsons attorney, Allen Orenberg, said Johnson works for a roofing company and lives with his parents in St. Ansgar, a Mitchell County town of 1,100 people near the Minnesota border, 130 miles northeast of Des Moines. He previously listed an address in Austin, Minnesota.

In court documents, Orenberg said Johnson believed what he read on the internet and heard from President Donald Trump about the election being stolen but didnt plan to enter the Capitol until Mr. Trump invited everyone to march to the U.S. Capitol.

Both men pleaded guilty in January to one felony count of civil disorder. The government agreed to drop other charges, including disorderly conduct, entering a restricted building and demonstrating in a Capitol building.

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CROWN POINT  A Texas woman was placed on probation for two years after admitting last week she pushed a pregnant woman to the ground in 2019 in Hammond so her co-defendant could steal the woman's pit bull puppy.

Chelsea A. Flowers, 24, who was living in Hobart in 2019, pleaded guilty to battery resulting in bodily injury to a pregnant woman, a level 5 felony.

Flowers admitted in her plea agreement she pushed a woman who was 17 weeks pregnant to the ground and pinned her down while co-defendant Devontai M. Mitchell, 23, kicked the woman's stomach during an attack Sept. 24, 2019, near a gas station in the 6300 block of Calumet Avenue.

The woman suffered injuries to her knee, toe, finger, wrist, foot and back and sharp pains to her lower stomach, Lake Criminal Court records state.

Mitchell, of Hammond, pleaded not guilty to six felony counts, including armed robbery, criminal confinement and battery. His next court date is set for July 21.

Prosecutors also charged Davion N. McCloud, 21, of Hammond, in the attack. He pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to face a jury in August.

According to charging documents, McCloud pulled up alongside the pregnant woman and her boyfriend and pointed a gun at them and Mitchell said he wanted their dog.

Flowers pinned the woman down as Mitchell kicked her, and McCloud punched the man in the face and hit him in the jaw with the gun, records state.

The couple told police Mitchell picked up the dog by its legs and threw it into a Chevrolet before all three co-defendants fled.

Police arrested Flowers, Mitchell and McCloud after stopping a car that matched the description of a vehicle involved in the attack, records state. Officers recovered the couple's pit bull puppy and a semi-automatic handgun from their vehicle.

Judge Gina Jones accepted Flowers' plea agreement Thursday and sentenced her to an agreed term of two years in jail, suspended in favor of probation.

Jones also granted Flowers' request to transfer her probation to Texas.

Flowers was represented by attorney Adam Tavitas.

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Quote:

A. Have community activists in other towns successfully campaigned against the opening of a SaveAll store on the outskirts of their towns?

Quote:

B. Do a large percentage of the residents of Morganville currently do almost all of their shopping at stores in Morganville?

Quote:

C. In towns with healthy central shopping districts, what proportion of the stores in those districts suffer bankruptcy during a typical five-year period?

healthy

Quote:

D. What proportion of the employees at the SaveAll store on the outskirts of Morganville will be drawn form Morganville?

Quote:

E. Do newly opened SaveAll stores ever lose money during their first five years of operation?

The passage begins with the conclusion: "If Morganville wants to keep its central shopping district healthy, it should prevent the opening of a huge SaveAll discount department store on the outskirts of Morganville."The activist bases this conclusion on the following evidence: "Records from other small towns show that whenever SaveAll has opened a store outside the central shopping district of a small town, within five years the town has experienced the bankruptcies of more than a quarter of the stores in the shopping district."Sure, this doesn't PROVE that the same thing will happen in Morganville. However, the evidence seems to suggest that if Morganville opens a SaveAll on the outskirts of town, then we would expect more than a quarter of the stores in the central shopping district to experience bankruptcy within five years.According to the author, these bankruptcies would indicate that the central shopping district is no longer healthy (here "healthy" means "flourishing" or "prospering"). The author believes that this effect can be avoided if the town prevents the SaveAll from opening.The answer to which of the following would be most useful for evaluating the community activists reasoning?Perhaps community activists have thwarted the opening of SaveAll stores in other towns. So what? Maybe if we knew that the bankruptcy rates were LOWER in those towns, then we would have information relevant to the argument.But simply knowing the answer to (A) doesn't help us evaluate the author's logic. Regardless of the answer, the author would still be concerned about the evidence from the towns in which a SaveAll DID open. (A) is irrelevant and can be eliminated.We don't care whether residents do all, most, some, or very little of their shopping at stores in Morganville. Whatever the percentage, we would simply want to know whether that percentage will CHANGE if a SaveAll is opened.Knowing whether the percentage will increase or decrease in Morganville's shopping district would certainly be useful, but simply knowing the current percentage would not help us evaluate the argument. Eliminate (B).Let's say we find out that roughly a quarter of stores in a HEALTHY central shopping district suffer bankruptcy during a typical five-year period. This would be evidence that losing a quarter of the stores to bankruptcy is NOT a sign that a shopping district is "unhealthy". In that case, the records from the other towns would simply show that, DESPITE having a SaveAll, the shopping districts maintainedbankruptcy rates.So, the fact that a quarter of stores in Morganville's central shopping district will likely experience bankruptcy is no cause for alarm. This is what we would expect in ANY healthy central shopping district. So, based on the evidence, there is no reason to expect that opening a SaveAll will negatively affect the health of the central shopping district.Answering this question would certainly be useful in evaluating the argument, so hang on to (C).We don't care about the staff at the SaveAll. The argument is not related to employment/unemployment stats. Maybe most of the employees are from Morganville and maybe not. Either way, will opening a SaveAll cause an unhealthy level of bankruptcies? (D) does not help us evaluate the argument, so eliminate this one.Maybe they do and maybe they don't. In either case, the SaveAll stores could negatively affect business in the central shopping districts and cause bankruptcies within five years. (E) is irrelevant and can be eliminated.(C) is the best answer._________________
thefibonacci wrote:

Bunuel wrote: Tough and Tricky questions: Distance/Rate .



Edwin is planning to drive from Boston to New Orleans. By what percent would his travel time be reduced if Edwin decides to split the driving time equally with his friend George, instead of making the trip alone?



(1) The driving distance from Boston to New Orleans is 1500 miles.

(2) Georges driving speed is 1.5 times Edwins driving speed. Edwin is planning to drive from Boston to New Orleans. By what percent would his travel time be reduced if Edwin decides to split the driving time equally with his friend George, instead of making the trip alone?(1) The driving distance from Boston to New Orleans is 1500 miles.(2) Georges driving speed is 1.5 times Edwins driving speed.



B.



1) only distance is given, speed/time is not given so insufficient.



2) let edwin's speed be x. --> george's speed becomes 1.5x

so when he travels alone, he must have taken d/x amount of time

now when he splits the driving time equally with george, then lets assume he drove for k miles

=> k/x = (d-k)/1.5x

=> 2.5k = d



earlier he travelled for 2.5k/x hours, now he travels for k/x hours. so time reduction rate can be calculated. hence, sufficient. B.1) only distance is given, speed/time is not given so insufficient.2) let edwin's speed be x. --> george's speed becomes 1.5xso when he travels alone, he must have taken d/x amount of timenow when he splits the driving time equally with george, then lets assume he drove for k miles=> k/x = (d-k)/1.5x=> 2.5k = dearlier he travelled for 2.5k/x hours, now he travels for k/x hours. so time reduction rate can be calculated. hence, sufficient.
By Trend

The Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea has great potential for the implementation of renewable energy projects, including the projects in wind energy, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Azerbaijan Pauline Eizema said at the 27th Baku Energy Forum on June 3, Trend reports.

According to Eizema, the Netherlands can share the experience with Azerbaijan in this direction during the visits of the country's experts to Baku, and Azerbaijani specialists to Amsterdam.

"We are inviting the relevant structures of Azerbaijan to participate in an event on alternative energy, which will be held in Amsterdam in September," added the ambassador.
Orland Mayes rent went from $642 a month to $800 the beginning of this month.

The 62-year-old Dan River Crossing Apartments tenant says he cannot bear the extra burden on his finances. He says is not able to stay  or leave.

Theyre forcing us out and people cannot afford to move, Mayes told the Danville Register & Bee.

But the buildings owner said tenants are not being priced out of the apartments and the new rental rates are within guidelines.

Were just moving them to the current market value, said Drew Lancaster, with Bridge Street Properties, LLC, which owns the complex.

Bridge Street Properties bought the 74-unit Dan River Crossing Apartments through a foreclosure sale in April 2021.

Under the previous owners, Finlay Interests 5, LTD, Dan River Crossing had 60 of those 74 units designated under a federal low-income housing tax credit program, said Kyla Goldsmith-Ray, a spokesperson with Virginia Housing. Incomes for tenants in those units could not exceed a designated amount, which is typically a percentage of the area median income, Goldsmith-Ray said.

The tax-credit program also sets a limit on fair-market rents that can be charged, which is set by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

In the case of Dan River Crossing, the original owner applied for low-income housing tax credits via a competitive program administered by Virginia Housing and were awarded the credits, which were then used as equity coupled with a Virginia Housing loan to purchase, then rehabilitate the property, Goldsmith-Ray said.

The program is a federal subsidy used to finance construction or rehabilitation of affordable rental housing and was created as an incentive for private developers and investors to provide more low-income housing, she said.

But the mortgage loan on the property went into default due to nonpayment, and the property was sold to Bridge Street Properties, she said.

Foreclosure removes the federal low-income tax credit program restrictions, but the property is subject to a decontrol period for three years following the foreclosure, Goldsmith-Ray said.

For existing low-income tenants, the decontrol period after the foreclosure provides that there will be no eviction or termination of tenancy (other than for good cause), and the gross rent on low-income units cannot be increased to an amount that exceeds the current maximum rents limited by section 42 of the IRS tax code, Goldsmith-Ray said.

A letter from Dan River Crossing Apartments shown to the Register & Bee by Mayes states that tenants cannot be required to move as a result of the propertys sale for a three-year period as long as they follow their lease requirements.

Also, your rent can not [sic] be raised above the annual affordable rent restriction limits during this three-year period, the letter states.

Your rent will remain affordable during this time, the letter states. You can be asked to move for good cause if you do not follow the lease and rules established for Dan River Crossing and agreed to when you signed your lease.

Mayes, who has rheumatoid arthritis, emphysema and neuropathy in his feet, is on Social Security disability.

Theres a lot of people here on disability, Mayes said, adding that he believes low-income tenants are being forced out to make way for new tenants due to the upcoming Caesars Virginia casino expected to open in 2024. Its low-income and senior citizens here and I feel safe here. Now we have to move.

Patricia Sabine, 76, has lived at Dan River Crossing for 15 years. She has watched her rent go up from $555 to $665 per month.

I cant afford it, Sabine said. Im on Social Security and I dont have anyone to help me move.

She and other tenants will have to leave if they cant pay the market rate for rent, she said.

I dont know what Ill do, Sabine said. I dont know what I can do. Most of the senior housing [in Danville], there are waiting lists to get in.

Sabine added that she doesnt not have enough money to pay for a deposit on a new place.

Everybody is panicky, Mayes said. Nobody knows what to do.

But prices are going up, Lancaster said.

You get a lot of that, he said. Rents go up.

The previous owners hadnt raised rents to keep up with current pricing, and it takes more money to maintain and care for the building, Lancaster said.

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Daniel Hale has roughly 45,000 followers on TikTok.

The 30-year-old former Danville resident  who now lives just a few miles away in Reidsville, North Carolina, but still works in the city  amassed that number by posting near daily videos chronicling his medical journey.

Hale has schizophrenia. He was first diagnosed in 2019.

The short clips are a way for him to unglue the stigma society sticks on mental illnesses.

I was dealing with a lot of thoughts in my head to the point where I literally could not hear myself think, he said in an interview with the Register & Bee, describing how he found out he had the disease. I chalked it up to stress, and made an appointment to see my primary care doctor.

His doctor asked if there was a history of mental illness in his family. Since Hales father died when he was young, he didnt have much contact with relatives on that side.

He started to investigate.

So I talked to my aunts to see if they knew anything and they shared that he was on an antipsychotic but wasnt sure for what, Hale said.

Now realizing his own symptoms, he felt confident his father also suffered from schizophrenia.

Through happenstance, I found an aunt on Facebook from my fathers side of the family and she confirmed his diagnosis, he said.

With everything finally adding up, he was referred to a psychiatrist for the formal diagnosis.

What is schizophrenia?

Hales doctor, Amy Johnson, of Centra Medical Group, explained that schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder that causes chronic and recurrent psychosis.

Symptoms range from hallucinations and disorganized speech to a loss of memory and thought process.

Hallucinations are the perception of a sensory process, such as hearing or seeing something, that does not have an external source, she explained via email. Delusions are a fixed, false belief that are resistant to change, even when given overwhelming evidence to the contrary, that are present in up to 80% of people diagnosed with the disease.

The stigma surrounding schizophrenia, in part, comes from the false belief that patients are violent, Johnson said.

I think that mainstream media contributes to many of these stereotypes by portraying the antagonists as someone with a mental illness or psychotic and glorifying these diagnoses, she told the Register & Bee.

In addition to people often fearing the unknown, many mental health disorders are not well understood by the general public.

Patients with schizophrenia are more likely to have depression and anxiety and I think that many of societys responses to their disorder contributes to these co-morbid mental health disorders, she said, also calling it one of the most disabling and financially catastrophic medical disorders.

Hale said his symptoms are minimal day to day. In fact, in his personal life, some people doubt he has schizophrenia since there arent any visible signs.

Like any illness, it exists on a spectrum, he shared. I have some consistent symptoms  voices in head, motor function issues, speech difficulties, but all these are easy to manage with medication and coping mechanisms.

The only routine that sets his life apart from others is that in addition to daily medication, he has to take antipsychotics.

Opening up

Hale, who has an undergraduate degree in psychology and a graduate degree in human services counseling, first used Facebook to tell his story.

Opening up on Facebook was a way for me to tell my circle of friends and family that I had the condition, that I was fighting through it and that I wanted to share some facts, he explained. All of that is great, and Im so glad I did it.

Growing up in Bedford, Hale moved to Danville in 2016 to work as a 4-H extension agent. Hes now the club director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Danville Area, a group with a mission to to inspire all youth to reach their full potential as caring, productive and responsible citizens, according to its website.

Two years before the move to the River City, Hale met his friend  and future colleague  Mandi Dolan, whos been part of his medical journey from the very start.

I was who Daniel called to help him in the midst of a traumatic experience that is believed to have triggered his schizophrenia, she said. However, I didnt know about his official diagnosis until he shared that with me during our typical conversation one day.

Sharing a close bond, its natural for Hale and Dolan to openly talk about even the most vulnerable information.

His casual approach of sharing that information with me made it much easier to have conversation about [it] as I sought to understand his circumstances, she said.

Hale decided to use a video platform popular with young teens and adults to reach a larger audience.

TikTok opened up my message to the world at large, anyone in the world could find it through a hashtag, he said.

He now has followers from Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and Sweden.

Although most videos on the service are set to music with goofy or lighthearted dance moves, Hale delivers calm and straightforward messages describing his odyssey with schizophrenia.

In one video hes sitting by the fireplace in his home addressing viewers.

Hey, TikTok, he begins the video, I have schizophrenia and today I want to go through some of the common myths and misconceptions of the conditions to kind of set the record straight.

In the video thats just under 3 minutes long, Hale describes five myths about the disease and then tells viewers hes open to any questions they may have.

That video ends with a double thumbs up and a smile.

He tries to post a new video daily  it takes at least an hour to craft the content  based on his schedule. However, even if hes not loading original content, hes answering questions viewers leave on other videos.

I love that his TikTok posts are filmed at both work and at home/on personal time because it sheds a light on the fact that schizophrenia effects him all the time; that its not just something he can turn on and off, but rather something he is learning to manage and work through every day, Dolan said.

Facts first

Johnson said Hale is very particular about ensuring his quick video clips contain science-based facts on the disease. She discourages others from following those in the social media realm who only want to promote themselves or exploit false messaging about a medical condition.

I think that it takes a significant amount of courage and bravery to share any condition on social media, Johnson said. In terms of Daniel, he has made himself very vulnerable by sharing his story, but he has also put a face and a name to a condition.

He has shared his struggles, the ups and downs, the good and the bad, she said. He has been openly honest with his followers about what he has gone through.

Johnson believes hes bringing attention and giving hope to other patients that its possible to leave a normal and healthy lifestyle.

Daniel likes any information he shares to be based on facts so I trust that the information he shares is either 100% true for his situation and/or is well-researched before being shared with the public, Dolan said. His willingness to share offers others encouragement, a sense of reality, and provides truthful information to a vast and diverse audience.

Moving the mark

Changing the mindset of society can be a monumental task, but education is a key part, according to Johnson.

Being open-minded is essential, she said. Take a step back and think about what it would be like to spend a day in their life.

Johnson encourages open communications to better learn from one another.

Creating a supportive environment where individuals feel that it is safe to share their experiences allows more folks like Daniel to talk about what they are going through and help end the stigma associated with mental illness, she explained.

Any kind of disorder springs to mind a negative connation, Dolan said.

What Daniel is doing by sharing his experience is showing the general public that even with a psychological disorder, he is strong, he is brave and he is valued exactly as he is, said said. In fact, I think hes stronger, braver and more valued than most, simply because hes doing what it takes to be heard.

And he shows no signs of slowing that effort.

As long as there are questions, stigma and an illness to demystify Ill continue, Hale said of his TikTok posts.

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Col. Wayne Huggins was grinning as he waited at the Capitol for the General Assembly to adopt a budget on Wednesday.

For Huggins, the two-year, $165 billion budget culminates years of work on a new pay plan to raise starting salaries for sworn officers of the Virginia State Police while rewarding veterans whose pay has lagged behind new hires.

The budget includes $46.5 million to fund the new plan, which also will dovetail with across-the-board raises of 10% over two years for all state employees as Virginia tries to bolster its government workforce as it hopes to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Weve finally got the problem solved, said Huggins, a former state police superintendent and Fairfax County sheriff who is retiring as executive director of the Virginia State Police Association after 18 years. Were very pleased.

The new budget would increase annual starting salaries for state police officers from $47,843 to $51,500 ($64,383 in Northern Virginia because of the higher cost of living).

It also would fund a pay plan that ensures a 10% salary separation based on rank, so higher ranking officers dont earn less than those they supervise, while increasing pay by 1.4% per year of service.

State police were not the only group of law enforcement and public safety officers to receive targeted pay relief in the budget, which also boosted starting pay for correctional officers and local sheriffs deputies, while providing $47 million to local governments that operate police departments that often have been overlooked for state aid.

The budget coming out of public safety was one of the best budgets in a long time, said Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, who chairs the public safety subcommittee of Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee.

The budget includes almost $58.6 million for correctional officers to staunch an exodus of front-line staff at state prisons, as well as $7 million for probation and parole officers. Deputy sheriffs and officers at regional jails will receive $85.7 million. It also includes $1.9 million for a pay plan at the Division of Capitol Police.

The budget includes a 5% raise for state employees to take effect on July 10 for the Aug. 1 paycheck. Law enforcement, public safety and other employee groups who receive targeted pay increases of 7.5% or more will get a 2.5% across-the-board raise the first year.

The money will boost starting pay for correctional officers and deputies to $42,000, an increase of about $7,000 a year, and will help them deal with salary compression, which results when compensation for veteran employees lags behind the market rates for new hires.

Its a big step, its a lot of money, and we appreciate it, said John Jones, executive director of the Virginia Sheriffs Association, whose members dont see the same level of local government support across the state.

The money helps, but wont fully solve the problems correctional officers face. A legislative study last year found that more than a quarter of all correctional officer jobs were vacant, and one facility had a staff turnover rate of more than 50%.

Don Baylor, lobbyist for the National Coalition of Public Safety Officers, said the state lost more than 2,600 correctional officers last year alone, more than double the number in 2010, when the problem began to emerge during the Great Recession.

Its going to help to some extent, but its still not going to be enough to retain people, Baylor said.

The budget compromise before Gov. Glenn Youngkin includes about $29 million less for correctional officer pay than then-Gov. Ralph Northam proposed in the spending plan he introduced in December, while adding money for probation and parole officers.

The challenge goes beyond pay to working conditions, Baylor said, with mandatory overtime compensating for lack of adequate staffing in one of the toughest environments for employees.

Money isnt the only answer to this, he said.

Lucas said she recognizes the ongoing challenge of recruiting and retaining officers.

I couldnt fix it all in one budget cycle, she said, but Im not going to stop working on it, for sure.

Huggins can testify to the time it takes to address the problem of employee compensation, especially salary compression for veteran officers whose pay has lagged between raises that require General Assembly approval.

The legislature has addressed the salary compression issue for state police and law enforcement and public safety agencies in the budget six times, beginning in 2014. But salary compression has remained a challenge that Huggins often has described as a crisis for state police, which has more than 300 vacancies in its more than 2,000 jobs for sworn officers.

A compensation study last year found that the current pay structure made it harder to recruit new officers, retain veterans or promote them to higher positions that earned enough to offset the lost overtime.

Huggins and former Sen. Bill Carrico, R-Grayson, a retired senior state trooper from Southwest Virginia, tried unsuccessfully for several years to persuade the assembly to raise Virginias vehicle registration fee to generate a source of revenue dedicated to state police compensation.

Now, Carrico is succeeding Huggins as executive director of the association, with the battle appearing to be won. Wayne had worked so hard on it, he wanted it to come to fruition, said the former senator and delegate.

Said Huggins: Its just a way to pay people for their years of service that theyve dedicated to the commonwealth.
Headlines about interactions between police and people in North Carolina and around the country ending in injuries, lawsuits and even deaths have raised questions about what officers are allowed to do and what rights people have.

Whether youre pulled over, stopped on the street or find police at your door, you do have rights that you can exercise in your interaction. Still, there are things police do have the authority to do.

If you feel that police have overstepped, there are also actions you can take to get accountability.

Heres what to know about your rights when interacting with police in North Carolina:

What are your rights when police come to your home in North Carolina?

If police come to your home, you do not have to let them in unless they have certain kinds of warrants, the ACLU of North Carolina advises.

Ask the officer to slip the warrant under the door or hold it up to the window so you can inspect it, the group recommends.

If police have a search warrant, they can enter the address listed on the warrant, but officers can only search the areas and for the items listed. If they have an arrest warrant, they can enter the home of the person listed on the warrant if they believe the person is inside.

Even if officers have a warrant you have the right to remain silent, the ACLU adds. If you choose to speak to the officers, step outside and close the door.

If arrested, you should ask for a lawyer, the ACLU recommends, and you have the right to a free one if you cant afford one.

If you feel your rights were violated, the ACLU says, you should make note of the details of the incident and report them to the ACLU or file a complaint.

What are your rights when pulled over in North Carolina?

If youre being pulled over, you need to put on your turn signal and pull off to the right as soon as you can safely do so, the North Carolinas drivers license handbook says. If theres not an obvious safe space to immediately stop, you should put on your flashers and slow down to signal that youre aware of the situation and looking for space to pull over.

Once pulled over, the ACLU recommends turning off your car, turning on your cars internal light, opening your window part way and putting your hands on the steering wheel. You should also turn off the radio, the states handbook says.

If youre being pulled over by an unmarked vehicle, the state handbook says, you may call 911 to report your name and location in order to verify that an actual law enforcement officer is conducting the traffic stop.

Police can ask to see your drivers license, vehicle registration and proof of car insurance. Per the state handbook, you should also disclose immediately if you have a weapon in your car.

You can refuse to consent to a search of your car, per the ACLU, but if police believe your car contains evidence of a crime, your car can be searched without your consent. You also still have the right to remain silent during a traffic stop.

Passengers also have the right to remain silent and may ask police for permission to leave, the ACLU adds.

Again, if youre arrested the ACLU recommends getting an attorney immediately and noting the details of any issues that need to be reported to the ACLU or reported in a complaint.

What about if youre stopped on the street?

If youre stopped by police, the North Carolina ACLU recommends that you stay calm and not try to argue, run away or resist, even if you are innocent or police are violating your rights.

You can ask if you can leave and, if told yes, do so calmly, the ACLU says.

You also have the right to remain silent and cannot be punished for refusing to answer questions. If you wish to remain silent, tell the officer out loud, the ACLU adds.

You dont have to consent to searches of yourself or your belongings, but police may pat down your clothing if they suspect a weapon.

You should not physically resist, but you have the right to refuse consent for any further search, the ACLU says. If you do consent, it can affect you later in court.

If you are arrested, you can and should ask for a lawyer, the ACLU recommends.

And if you feel your rights have been violated, you should take notes of the details of the incident and file a written complaint or call your local ACLU.

What about officers in schools?

Students also have rights when approached by school resource or safety officers, the ACLU of North Carolina says.

If stopped or questioned, students can ask if they can leave and, if yes, calmly and silently walk away, the ACLU says.

Students also have the right to remain silent and can also ask to have a lawyer, a parent or another adult present before you are questioned, the ACLU adds.

Searches must be related to the crime that youre suspected of committing, and officers cannot search you based on a feeling, a rumor, the color of your skin, or the clothes youre wearing.

Police and school employees are never allowed to strip search you, the ACLU adds.

Students also have the right, per the ACLU, to take pictures and video of on-duty police in public areas at your school as long as you dont interfere with what theyre doing and phones are allowed in the school.
The primary race for Montanas eastern U.S. House district is winding down with few people donating to U.S. Rep Matt Rosendales challengers.

Rosendale, a Republican, leads all eastern district candidates with $1,137,244.01 cash on hand, as of May 18. Rosendale's receipts for the election total $1.6 million.

U.S. House District 2 includes Billings, Helena Great Falls and all points east. The low-dollar trend in the east differs from spending in U.S. House District 1, where candidates have combined to raise $6.27 million.

Combined, the remaining candidates reported $124,770.22 in the bank and that figure comes with a major asterisk: Mark Sweeney the leader in funding among the non-Rosendales, died unexpectedly May 6. Without Sweeney, the available funding totaled $56,136.34.

Rosendales contributions from individuals totaled $159,158.05 between April 1 and May 18. He also picked up $21,400 in PAC money and $52,514.85 in money from other committees.

There is a Republican primary, pitting Rosendale against James Boyette, of Bozeman, Kyle Austin, of Billings, and Charles Walking Child, of Helena. None of those candidates have cash on hand. Among the Rosendale primary challengers, only Boyette has reported his spending, with $5,371.07 in net operating expenditures since the start of he year, including $2,500 from himself.

The Democrats in the race, Penny Ronning and Skylar Williams, both of Billings, had a combined $4,707.85 cash on hand. Williams accounted for $48.13 of that amount.

Williams did pick up $650 in contributions from individuals between April 1 and May 18, plus $153.66 from political party committees.

Ronnings fundraising has been more robust. Shes raised $47,320.45 from all sources since filing for office. Between April 1 and May 18, the candidate picked up $8,299 in contributions from individuals.

There are three Libertarians in the primary: Sam Rankin, of Billings, Roger Roots, of Livingston, and Samuel Thomas, of Missoula. Only Rankin is reporting funds, $20,326.66 of his own money.

Independent Gary Buchanan, who appears to have gathered enough signatures from voters to qualify for the November ballot, but will not be in the primary, reports $51,428.49 cash on hand, the most among the non-Rosendales. Buchanan, of Billings, reported $47,750 in individual contributions between April 1 and May 18. He also loaned his campaign $25,000.

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By Trend

Azerbaijan has imported 1.5 billion cubic meters of Turkmen gas through Iran since the beginning of 2022, Azerbaijan's Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov told reporters during a special session on 'Path to Zero Emissions: Developing the Green Energy Potential of the Liberated Territories' on the sidelines of the Baku Energy Week in Shusha on June 4, Trend reports.

According to him, the sides have reached corresponding agreements during the Iranian minister's visit to Azerbaijan.

"Iran will further continue to cooperate in this direction," Shahbazov said.

As Minister of Oil of the Islamic Republic of Iran Javad Ovjihas earlier said, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Iran agreed to double natural gas exchanges as part of an agreement signed in November 2021.

Currently, Turkmenistan is supplying 5-6 million cubic meters of gas per day to the northeastern regions of Iran, while Iran provides Azerbaijan with the same amount of gas through its northwestern border.

A trilateral agreement to swap Turkmenistans natural gas to the Republic of Azerbaijan through Iran was signed on the sidelines of the 15th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit in Ashgabat on Nov. 28, 2021.

The implementation of the contract began on January 1, 2022.
A thick gray fog blanketing the town lifted just in time to unveil Helena High Schools 2022 graduating class as they marched onto the field for commencement and into the next chapter of their lives.

On Saturday morning, Helena High School presented diplomas to 263 students during its 143rd annual commencement held at Carroll Colleges Nelson Stadium.

The ceremony began with opening remarks from Steve Thennis, principal of Helena High.

Can there be a class that is more resilient than this group? Thennis asked the crowd. Just think for a moment in the last four years what these kids have experienced.

Thennis went on to share how annually the Art IV class presents their selection of ideas to adorn the Helena High sign off Billings Avenue, from which Thennis then selects the winner. This year, however, he explained how he was only given one idea for the 2022 class, titled Graduates Versus Zombies.

From a pop culture side of things, I bet the last three years of their lives have felt exactly like graduates versus zombies, said Thennis. Yet these kids have progressed undeterred. You are grit, resilience, and perseverance defined.

He asked the students to recall and envision the Pixar animated film, Up, which tells the story of Carl, an elderly balloon salesman who fulfills a lifelong dream by tying thousands of balloons to his house and flying to the South American wilderness. Along the way, he befriends Russell, a junior Wilderness Explorer. Thennis explained that the students are akin to the character of Russell.

The message of the film is that the real adventure of life is the relationships we have with people, said Thennis. Its so easy to lose sight of the things we have and the people that are around us until they are gone.

He implored the students to build on and cherish their relationships because, as written in a Dakota proverb, We will be known forever by the tracks we leave.

The history of the school tells me that the Bengals make great tracks, said Thennis. Each of you has the ability to leave these great tracks in this world. We need you. I implore you to share your gifts and your talents and build those relationships.

Following Thennis remarks, Rex Weltz, superintendent for Helena Public Schools, addressed the students.

Weltz shared a brief story of his grandmother, Gladys, who was crippled and bedridden as a child from polio. Refusing to let her condition and her doctors doubts define her, she went on to teach herself to walk again and live a full life alongside her husband and three children.

Adversity is going to find us, said Weltz. Youre going to do amazing things, but adversity is all around us and it will happen. Through adversity that defines character you will find yourself as long as you have a great attitude and are willing to be gritty.

The lesson that Gladys leaves us is that you cant accept your environment around you, concluded Weltz. Work hard, persevere, and be gritty.

The 22 Helena High valedictorians were next called forward to the stage to deliver their class reminiscence. To encapsulate the experiences of the graduating class, the students chose to use a topic that connects everyone  music. The students selected five different songs to play, one at a time, in the background as they reflected on their journey to graduation and pondered the future ahead.

The first song chosen was Were All in This Together from High School Musical 3.

Through the years of struggles and triumphs, we have all found our way because we make each other strong, said senior Sydney Mattfeldt, in reflecting on the song. Although everyones going their separate ways, were all in this together.

The second song selected was Billy Joels Vienna.

Senior Lucy Lantz pondered the lyrics in saying, Billy Joels asks in Vienna, Wheres the fire? Whats the hurry about?

Well, the fire seems pretty real and we are all caught up in the hurry, said Lantz But when we live in this rushed way, with our minds always on tomorrow, we can forget to appreciate and feel proud of our accomplishments. Today is about those accomplishments.

The Third song was Mirror by Lil Wayne featuring Bruno Mars.

With all the busyness, we truly dont know whether we are coming or going sometimes, but we do know that we are on our way to our future lives -- lives that we seem to be lining up in front of us with our choices this year, said senior Lucas Canty.

The fourth song was Its Time by Imagine Dragons.

When choosing songs for our class playlist, Its Time by Imagine Dragons fits into the playlist before even beginning to look at its lyrics, said senior Sierrah Paul. The title focuses on how its time for change and its our choice if its a positive or negative change. Now is the time to become who we want to be. We arent in high school anymore, the possibilities are endless, and the sky is the limit.

The final song to round out the valedictorians address was Rivers and Roads by The Head and the Heart.

We are all following our own path as we graduate, said senior Chloe Roberts. These roads may take us far away from each other to new cities, new states, new people, and new adventures. While they may seem to tear us apart, these rivers and roads also connect us all. They lead us back home, and no matter where we are in the world, we are always connected by the wide expanse of rivers and roads.

As the final song note chimed and the valedictorian reminisce ended, Margaret Belisle, former Helena High educator, was introduced next as the guest speaker.

Belisle taught English at Helena High School for 25 years and taught for a total of 35 years in the Helena Public Schools system. Before beginning her career as a teacher, she attended Carroll College for her undergraduate education and received her masters degree from Northern Montana College. From 2005-2015 she also served as a state coordinator for Poetry Out Loud.

Today my job is to inspire you, said Belisle. Not to lecture or to teach you some profound truth but to ensure you walk away with a good feeling about your future possibilities.

Belisle acknowledged the unprecedented challenges the class of 2022 faced during the COVID 19 pandemic. From the loss of routine and structure to missing milestone experiences and fear of the unknown, she sympathized with the students and commended them on all they had endured.

You lived through one of the most difficult times for teenagers and are here now  proof that you will do great things in the future, said Belisle. You will rise above the chaos and make the world a better place.

Belisle asked the graduates to consider, What kind of life do you want?

To help the students answer her question, Belisle encouraged them to explore the options, write down all the possibilities, and consider how the choices they make today will impact them in the future.

To expand the choices in their future, Belisle stressed the importance of maintaining a lifetime of curiosity and continually pursuing education.

Education gives you choices, said Belisle. Its the best investment a person can make.

The world is moving fast so prepare yourself in the best way you can, said Belisle. Having an education rich in arts, science, and math will prepare you with critical thinking skills that will help you engage in thoughtful discussions and enable you to make informed decisions.

In her final remarks, Belisle gave the students an annual assignment. She told them to write a letter to their future selves to review one year later.

A year from now read it and see how much you have accomplished, said Belisle. Do this every year. This is your own personal note to self that informally addresses your hopes, fears, and expectations.

As soon as Belisle concluded her words of advice to the students, the moment they had worked toward for four years finally arrived. As each of the 263 names was read, the students walked across the stage and accepted their diplomas.

Following the presentation of diplomas, Thennis asked the graduates to turn and face their parents, family and friends in the stands. He then called upon the loved ones watching on to participate in a Helena High tradition of signing You Are My Sunshine to the students.

As Thennis formally declared the Helena High class of 2022 graduated, caps and tassels were flung into the air as a roar of applause and cheers erupted from the stands.

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Attendees at Friday's commencement ceremony for 23 graduates of Helena's Project for Alternative Learning understood it was a special occasion.

"Today is a testament to all the hard work you and your families put in," PAL faculty member Ryan Cooney said during the ceremony held on the main stage of The Myrna Loy.

The alternative high school's Principal Matt Carey challenged the graduates to recognize the sacrifices and support of their families and friends.

"The PAL community is a very special one in that we have the ability to rely on each other and look to one another for support," Carey said.

Helena Public Schools Superintendent Rex Weltz called it a "proud moment for the Helena community."

Per PAL tradition, faculty members presented a bevy of awards to students in the class of 2022.

Dante Jo Vallance won three scholarship awards from the Helena Exchange Club, Kiwanis Club and Rebekah Lodges for his "tremendous growth and leadership skills," according to the PAL faculty member presenting the awards.

Students Hope Elizabeth Savage, Kaisa Nelson, Brandon Anthony Lindsay and Jesse Randall Lamping also won Kiwanis scholarships.

Students Gaige Vincent Harris and Charles Frederick McLaren both received the Helena Education Foundation Distinguished Student award.

McLaren also was presented the Jeannette Rankin award for showing principled beliefs and helping others, along with other accolades.

Harris and Lamping took home the PAL award, meaning they most embodied the school's spirit.

"Anyone who has spent any time at PAL knows we take our TARPIT philosophy very seriously," faculty member Marie Rauch said.

The acronym stands for Tolerance, Acceptance, Respect, Pride, Individuality and Trust.

In the PAL class of '22, Lindsay was chosen as the student who most embodied the philosophy.

Two students, Autumn Rayne Denney and Olivia Marie Richardson, were presented the Patty White Memorial Award, named in honor of a longtime counselor at the school.

Mike Copeland introduced the new JoAnn Copeland Memorial Award, explaining the recipient "exemplifies my late wife's spirit of giving."

"This Project for Alternative Learning is about helping people, and it's about helping people become better human beings, and that's why this award is such a perfect fit," Copeland said.

Savage won the JoAnn Copeland Memorial Award as well.

The other graduating PAL students in the class of '22, included Tucker Lincoln Anderson, Layla Ann Cooper, Cadence Roger Dixon, Sage Hannah Ewart, Juno Lee Field, Shayla Raylynn Garza, Mia Elizabeth Loble, Alisaid Jean McGurn, Dhestin Mitchell McKinnis, Madison Marie Moosman, Jay Sandoval, Madelynn June Smith, Shayla Richelle Walking Child and Landon James Wiseman.

While the ceremony was joyous, the crowd did share a somber moment when they said goodbye to longtime PAL educator Tim Garrett, who is retiring after a more than 30-year career.

Garrett wiped away tears as the crowd gave him a standing ovation.

"I love you guys," he told his graduates. "Keep doing good stuff."

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Montana coal production is up slightly as rising natural gas prices make the fuel more competitive.

Mines produced seven million tons through March, an increase of about 11% from the same period a year earlier, according to federal Mine Safety and Health Administration data.

The increase comes at a time when U.S. coal production is up 3% for the year so far. Montana mine production can be attributed partly to two things, increased exports and a slight rebound in coal demand at domestic power plants. The longer trend in production is for less coal. The state has one less mine than it did in 2020, when Decker Coal went bankrupt.

Signal Peak reported an increase of nearly 200,000 tons at Bull Mountain mine, which straddles Yellowstone and Musselshell counties. The mine is exclusively a source of export coal for customers in Japan and South Korea. Its 1.72 million tons produced in the first three months of the year marked its best first quarter since 2018 and its third best early-year performance in the last decade.

Likewise, Spring Creek Mine coal production was up 160,568 tons. At the beginning of the year, Spring Creek owner Navajo Transitional Energy Company forecasted improved demand in South Korea and Japan would spur production in its Montana and Wyoming mines.

Spring Creek is Montanas largest coal mine. First quarter production has hovered around 2.7 million tons for several years. Prior to a 2016 coal slump, which lead to the bankruptcy of then owner Cloud Peak Energy, Spring Creek rarely produced less than 3 million tons in a first quarter.

Cheap natural gas and a global coal glut was credited for Cloud Peaks coal crash in 2016. Rising gas prices and tight coal production are now credited for the mines improved production.

NTEC CEO Clark Moseley told Argus Media at the start of the year, that coal would benefit from higher natural gas prices in 2022. Just two years ago, NTEC was furloughing Spring Creek employees as the pandemic disrupted domestic coal consumption in the Midwest.

Spring Creeks most productive period is usually between June and October as domestic demand for coal increases. Coal piled at power plants ahead of air conditioning season, and again ahead of winter heating, are the big drivers.

Westmoreland Mining LLC, which operates Rosebud and Absaloka mines, has increased production. The companys Montana mines fuel domestic power plants, primarily Colstrip Power Plant in southeast Montana and the Sherburne County Generating Station in Becker, Minnesota. Both power plants have owners intending to phase out coal power in less than five years. SHERCO Unit 2 is scheduled to retire next year.

Rosebud mine, which serves Colstrip and a smaller power plant that burns waste coal, produced 130,000 more tons in the first quarter of the year, than it did in early 2021. The 1.9 million tons produced at the mine were the most first-quarter tons mined since 2019, which was the last year Colstrip Units 1 and 2 operated, before being shuttered.

Absaloka mine, the states smallest active mine, increased production to 550,674 tons in the first quarter, a 42% increase over the same period a year earlier.

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CLINTON  A month-long celebration of Clinton-area aviators has landed at the C.H. Moore Homestead and DeWitt County Museum.

Retelling the stories of aviation pioneers, barnstormers, test pilots, military airmen and NASA scientists and their connections to DeWitt County, Prairie Flyers: A Century of Aviation in DeWitt County brings an upscale gallery to the small Clinton museum.

Don Marshall, of Lane, stopped by the exhibit on Sunday, the day before Memorial Day. The Vietnam veteran said he enjoyed the high-altitude flight uniforms.

His wife, Janice Marshall, said shed never been to an exhibit like it.

Ive been to museums and airshows, but not anything like this, she said. I think its great.

The couple both said they were impressed.

The display is in the Carriage Barn on the C.H. Moore Homestead, which is estimated by museum staff to be from the 1860s. Modern lighting and World War II-era music and radio traffic immerse visitors into a world of vintage.

Denis Hambucken of New Hampshire, his friend John Warner, and Edith Brady-Lunny, former reporter for The Pantagraph and a current WGLT correspondent, combined forces to collect stories and piece the display together. In December, the museum publicly asked DeWitt County residents to loan them historical artifacts.

Joey Long, director of the museum, said "Prairie Flyers" is the most ambitious exhibit theyve ever taken on.

We have proven that if you dream big, and if you have the support of the community, you can do it, she said. Long also said it wouldnt have been possible without the generous support they received.

She said people dug into their attics and closets, dusted off and opened old shoe boxes and dresser drawers, and brought them old photos, service medals, apparel and more. Long said those heirlooms were brought out of hiding to help tell the stories the exhibit presents.

The exhibit is chartered for a run at the Carriage Barn for only a limited time. After July 3, items will be returned to their loaners.

The display was a team effort by museum staff and volunteers, with Warner originating the idea. Long said she tracked down local people who were connected to aviation, and catalogued artifacts. Once found, the director said Brady-Lunny then interviewed them.

One aviator featured in the display is Dave Henard, who flew helicopters in the Vietnam War. He said it feels amazingly special to be featured in the exhibit.

Another subject covered by "Prairie Flyers" is Ken Shaffer, who served in the United States Air Force for 20 years as a pilot and reservist. He has 25,000 hours of logged flight time.

You can meet them both at events scheduled on Thursdays this month at the Vespasian Warner Public Library, 310 N. Quincy St., Clinton.

Henard and Hambucken will be present to sign their books on June 9, and Shaffer will share stories from his time serving on June 16. Both programs start at 6 p.m. at the library.

Hambucken has released a World War II history book, and Henard in 2018 published "Victory Stolen," which shares his perspective on the Tet Offensive and its aftermath.

Long said she's thrilled with the project's final outcome. She said visitors will have all of their senses engaged for the experience.

"It takes it to a much higher level when you add all of these elements," she said of the audio and visual parts of the display.

Contact Brendan Denison at (309) 820-3238. Follow Brendan Denison on Twitter: @BrendanDenison

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CHICAGO - A second probable case of monkeypox was found in Chicago, the Illinois Department of Public Health said Friday evening.

The second case was a close contact of the first positive case which was announced Thursday, the department said in a tweet Friday.

The risk to the general public remains low, the department said.

The first case was found in a male Chicagoan who recently traveled to Europe and was isolating at home, the department said Thursday.

As of Friday, 22 confirmed cases have been reported nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Monkeypox is a rare virus that starts with flu-like symptoms  fever, headache, muscle aches and exhaustion  and swelling of the lymph nodes. Symptoms then progress to a rash on the face and body.

The virus typically spreads from close contact with an infected person through large respiratory droplets, direct contact with skin lesions or bodily fluids or indirect contact with contaminated clothes or linens.

The illness typically lasts two to four weeks.

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Located at 582 Geneva St., The Goddard School of New Braunfels is now enrolling children ages six weeks to six years old. Submitted photo
NEWTON  The Catawba County Branch NAACP announced the winners of its COVID & Me essay contest for students in Catawba County schools with two awards presentations  one at Newton-Conover Middle School and the other at Challenger Early College High School.

Earlier this spring, students in grades one through 12 were asked to write an essay titled COVID & Me about how the virus affected them and their families.

We were so pleased with the number of students who wrote so movingly about their experiences over the past two years, said Jerry L. McCombs, president of the Catawba County Branch, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

"It was difficult to identify winners with so many outstanding submissions.

Recently, the branchs youth advisor Lacolia Mungro presented checks to the winners. There were two categories of winners: middle school and high school.

The middle school winners are Hailey Martin, first place; and Emmerson Biddix and Abbey Lopez, who tied for second place. All eighth-graders, Martin and Lopez were students at Newton-Conover Middle School and Emmerson Biddix attended Jacobs Fork Middle School.

The top high school winners are Ashley Hinostroza-Villacorta, 11th grade; and Elizabeth Vicente, ninth grade. The second-place high school winners, all ninth-graders, are Mariana Guerrero Segura, Adeli Huffman, Hazel Lemus, Rosa Lemus, Iris Vang, and Adela Yang. The high school students all attend Challenger Early College High School.
" " Dame Jean Macnamara worked tirelessly for the disabled, but it was her research that helped lead to the polio vaccine that she is most remembered for. HowStuffWorks

Living through a global pandemic will have a wealth of unintended consequences positive and negative, but one will certainly be a greater appreciation for those in the medical professions  from those on the front lines treating patients to those researchers laboring behind the scenes, seeking to isolate viruses and to discover vaccines both now and in the past.

Dame Jean Macnamara was one such heroine. She witnessed and made remarkable contributions in her chosen profession  medicine  principally in the area of polio research, and her work with patients with partial or complete paralysis.

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Macnamara was born in Victoria, Australia, April 1, 1899. She was born into a family that prized hard work and education, and she excelled at both. Macnamara attended Presbyterian Ladies College and became the editor of the school's magazine, winning the prize for general excellence. She distinguished herself at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 1922 with degrees in both surgery and anatomy. She went on to become a resident medical officer at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Macnamara was just 23 when she was appointed resident at the Royal Children's Hospital in May 1923, where she worked until 1925. It was a critical time as a horrifying disease  poliomyelitis, also known as polio  was sweeping the globe. After leaving the hospital, Macnamara worked as a clinical assistant at the Children's outpatients' physician and entered private practice to focus on poliomyelitis patients.

But it was in Macnamara's research where her light shone brightest. It was her conclusion that immune serum needed to be used in polio treatment during the pre-paralytic stage. She published and defended her results in both Australian and British journals, though it was a treatment that was never widely administered.

However, it was her discovery in 1931, along with Australian virologist Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet, of more than one strain of the polio virus that made her reputation. Their finding is credited as one of the first steps toward the eventual discovery of the Salk vaccine. She traveled to England and North America on a Rockefeller Fellowship from September 1931 to October 1933, even meeting with President Franklin D. Roosevelt, himself a victim of polio.

In addition to her keen interest in curing disease, Macnamara sought to alleviate the pain and suffering it left in its wake. She is credited with ordering the first artificial respirator (or ventilator) in Australia. She introduced novel approaches to rehabilitation and splinting damaged limbs, most developed in conjunction with conversation with patients and her own splint-maker. Macnamara proved to be a tireless advocate for people with disabilities long before it was in vogue.

She married a fellow physician, dermatologist Joseph Connor in 1934, and in 1935, Macnamara was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for her services to the welfare of children. She died in 1968 of heart disease.

Now That's Interesting While visiting Princeton University, Macnamara also learned about the virus myxomatosis that infected and killed rabbits. It was at her urging that the Australian government held field trials using the virus to eradicate millions of Australia's rabbits  considered to be pests  that had overpopulated the country.

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Originally Published: Apr 1, 2020
" " Dionysus enthroned between a bacchant and a faun in a 1924 fresco by Antonio Maria Morera in the Great Hall of the Enological School, Conegliano, Veneto, Italy. DEA/V. GIANNELLA/De Agostini/Getty Images

If a Google search for "Dionysus" brought you here rather than to information on the hit song from South Korean K-Pop megastars BTS, first of all, apologies. Second of all, welcome  let's find out why the god of fertility and wine has inspired artists (including the most famous current boy band in the world) to sing his praises.

"Dionysus is a complex god," Richard P. Martin, Antony and Isabelle Raubitschek professor in classics at Stanford University, says via email. "He has the power to transport his worshippers into ecstasy, and to drive his opponents mad. He seems to come from outside and to invade the consciousness. Of course, that's probably primarily due to his connection with wine and its effects, from the very first mild and pleasant buzz it gives you to the wretched morning-afters when you have too much."

Here are some more facts about the grape-loving Greek god:

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1. He Symbolizes Wine and All Things Wine-related

Dionysus was originally considered the god of fertility and wine, later tied to being the patron god of the arts. But mostly, he's all about the vino.

"Dionysus is credited with introducing viticulture to Greece," Martin says. "Ancient Greeks knew about, wrote about, and did innumerable vase paintings of all of those situations. In fact, we still have pots of the sort used in drinking parties ('symposia') that show wild dancing, energetic celebration, and even young guys vomiting as someone holds their head. The Greeks were keenly conscious of how you should keep control and what can happen when you don't in wine-drinking occasions (which were frequent). They had a number of myths relating to wild creatures like satyrs and centaurs who crave wine but can't always handle it. These semi-human creatures go nuts and try to steal brides at weddings or start huge fights and so forth. The message in these myths is: Be human, not semi-human, when it comes to drinking (a good message still)."

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2. He Has Two Sides. On One Hand, He's a Ton of Fun ...

Dionysus is known for having something of a dual personality: He brings joy, ecstasy and merriment, but also delivers "brutal and blinding rage." So, in a sense, he represents all the possible side effects of overindulgence.

"He's more than a symbol, which implies a kind of bloodless or over-intellectual pigeonholing; instead, he was a deeply-felt personal and social reality for the ancient Greeks," Martin says. "He's associated with joy and terror, at once, which is why he always appeals to artists, philosophers and poets who are interested in the boundaries of consciousness and how emotions work. Friedrich Nietzsche in his final months of madness would occasionally sign letters 'Dionysos'."

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3. ... On the Other Hand, He's Totally Terrifying

There's also the "terror side" of Dionysus. "The scariest stories are about what happens to people who resist Dionysus and his ecstatic bands of worshippers  usually female, called Bacchae or Bacchants, after one of his many names, Bacchus  when they come to town spreading the god's special ritual practices. The Athenian dramatist Euripides wrote the most compelling depiction, a tragic play produced in the late 5th century B.C.E. In the drama, the young king of Thebes (named Pentheus) in Greece feels threatened by a mysterious visitor  Dionysus in disguise  who has come back to his own birthplace. He thinks the stranger is up to no good, seducing women. But at the same time he's fascinated by the new worship and spies on the ecstatic women as they celebrate the god, dancing and drinking up on the mountain. All of a sudden, he is caught  the women are driven to a frenzy, and they turn from tearing apart small animals to actually hunting Pentheus. They tear him limb from limb and his mother in a Dionysus-induced madness carries his head off, thinking she has slain a lion. So Pentheus and the Theban are punished for having resisted the idea that the local boy was really a powerful god."

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4. He Was Born Twice

Dionysus was the son of Zeus and Semele, a daughter of Cadmus, the king of Thebes. Just one problem: Zeus was married to someone else besides Semele, and her name was Hera. "Hera, always jealous of his many affairs, visited Semele in disguise and convinced her to put Zeus to the test (implying that her lover was really just an ordinary man in disguise  the same motif as later crops up in this story)," Martin says. "So Semele begged Zeus to come to her showing himself as he really was  and he did, in the form of a lightning bolt. Semele was incinerated on the spot. However, Zeus not wanting to lose his semi-divine son, snatched Dionysus from her womb  he was a real 'preemie'  and completed the growth process by sewing the baby Dionysus into his own thigh.

"When the baby was fully formed he was 'born' again  taken from his father's thigh  thus, 'twice-born,'" Martin says. "There are all sorts of theories as to how this odd detail fits with the whole concept of the god. It may have to do with half-forgotten initiation rites, in which young men on the verge of puberty are represented as being 'born again' after they formally leave a mother's protection and join a tribe's menfolk."

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5. He Was Also the God of Theater

"The most important to my mind is that he was the god of theater," Martin says. "You can still walk through the ancient Theater of Dionysus, built right next to an old shrine of his, on the southern slopes of the Acropolis in Athens. How are drama (which the Greeks after all invented  both comedy and tragedy) related to the god of wine? It seems to have to do with masking and disguise, and of going out of your own self  whether by drinking or dressing up  into a fictional otherworld. It is not an accident that 'ecstasy' comes from Greek ekstasis 'standing outside'  and that the ultimate and wild 'outsider' god can cause it in those who worship him."

Now That's Interesting Great Dionysia, also known as City Dionysia, was an ancient dramatic festival that's said to be the origin site for tragedy, comedy and satyric drama. The festival was held every March in Athens in honor of Dionysus.
By Trend

ACWA Power company (Saudi Arabia) is ready to work with Azerbaijan on decarbonization projects and hydrogen production, the company's Chief Investment Officer (CIO) Clive Turton said, Trend reports.

Turton made the remark at a special session on 'Path to Zero Emissions: Developing the Green Energy Potential of the Liberated Territories' on the sidelines of the Baku Energy Week in Azerbaijans Shusha [liberated from Armenian occupation in the 2020 Second Karabakh War] on June 4.

"Its a great pride to take part in the energy forums final session in Shusha," he noted.

The CIO also noted Azerbaijan's readiness to become the first country which can achieve zero emissions.

"Karabakh region has great potential both in the field of installing solar and wind power plants. We are ready to cooperate with Azerbaijan on these projects," Turton further said.

According to him, the company is also interested in cooperation in the construction of "smart" cities.

"The creation of such projects also contributes to the achievement of reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and the transition to "green" technologies," stressed the official.
This is Peter Hitchenss Mail on Sunday column

This country is in many ways like a great and ancient oak tree, which appears majestic from outside but which is hollow and crumbling within.

There are many examples of this, from the Armed Forces and the great universities to the political parties, the Church of England and the courts of law. But perhaps the most striking instance of decay is the police force, as it is now not supposed to be called.

It is actually the case that it was once uniquely good in the world, not perfect or saintly but restrained, fair, effective and above all on the side of goodness. But now it is not.

The only way to put this right is to recruit wholly new police forces, small, local and responsive, unafraid to walk the streets in the drizzle.

And, once they are in place, disband the failed, bloated, arrogant bureaucracies who have been trading under the name of police for some years now.

People writing critically about the police always used to begin by praising the supposed vast majority of officers who were allegedly doing a good job. But I cannot do this.

No doubt the men and women in our police are perfectly pleasant individuals. They sometimes even turn up when called upon and are polite when they do so. But they are not doing a good job and they have not been doing one for years.

When I first started pointing this out, I was given all the usual excuses. The first was they did not have the numbers, an argument exploded by the easily-discovered fact that there are far more officers now than there were when they used to patrol the streets on foot. See

https://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2016/06/shock-new-news-another-blazingly-obvious-thing-is-true.html

They also have many fewer duties than they did then. They no longer run prosecutions. The CPS do that. They no longer enforce parking laws or patrol commercial premises. These have been privatised. And they are backed up by legions of white-collar staff they never had before. Or we are told they are tied up fighting internet crime. But they are not. In fact, as far as I can see, nobody is.

Then theres the claim that crime has become so technological and high-speed that patrolling on foot wouldnt prevent it. I cant see why. The most mechanised crook has to get out of his car or off his e-scooter before he can burgle a house or rob a jewellers shop.

This is all just propaganda. And last week even the BBC caught on, producing a report which showed that the police in this country have now sunk to quite staggering depths of total blazing uselessness. The BBC recorded:

lA mother who reported that her 12-year-old son had been sexually assaulted by a man in the lavatory of a pub. She says it took a week for police to investigate. Officers then accidentally deleted CCTV footage;

A victim of domestic violence who was assaulted by an ex-partner in front of her children, aged two and four. She says she was told that no one could visit her until the following morning. The man returned later that evening;

lA stalking victim who could not get officers to come to her home, despite repeated visits by her stalker, which included death threats.

Then there was Michelle Almond, who decided to turn to social media because police were so useless when her car  vital for her job  was stolen. After reporting the theft, she rang the police three or four times a day for help. They did not return her calls. Facebook helped her more. Someone actually responded (unlike the police) to her post about the theft, saying they had recorded joyriders driving the car around a nearby estate.

As a result, Michelle finally located the stolen car. She told the police twice. They were not interested.

She recalled: Every single night we would see my car, I was giving them all the information, and they would just do nothing.

Eventually she gave chase in her daughters car and cornered the stolen vehicle in a dead end.

But then she had to flee when a man with a crowbar confronted them. The next day the car was found abandoned with its windows smashed in.

So much for the old police refrain of Well, who are you going to call when youre in trouble? The answer nowadays is I have no idea. Even if anyone answers the phone, who will come when you call, and when?

I do not think this experience is untypical. Despite their racy new uniforms, their weapons, clubs and sprays and their flashy cars, the police are much less use than in the days when they walked about (often daringly on their own), wore old-fashioned helmets and tunics, and concealed truncheons in special pockets.

They have forgotten that their job is above all to prevent crime. It is not to wait uselessly in offices for it to happen and then to race about with wailing sirens. I cannot say it enough times. A police officer after a crime is more or less useless. He cannot unburgle, unmug or unstab you.

Which would you rather? A prosecution years after the crime against you, in which the culprit probably gets a feeble penalty? Or for the crime never to happen in the first place?

All research shows that a visible presence on the street stops crime. So does rebuking even the smallest offence. Where the small laws are plainly being enforced, people hesitate to break the big ones.

We need new police forces who grasp this.

Then the existing services can see if they can get anyone to pay them voluntarily for sitting in offices and zooming about in fast cars. We only pay for them now because we have no choice.

Why the dope secrecy?

Was the Texas shooter a marijuana user, like so many other mass killers? I am still trying to get the New York Times to say why it suddenly dropped a reference to Salvador Ramoss cannabis use. This appeared in the first version of an online story, then mysteriously vanished.

Normally the paper provides elaborate explanations when it alters an online article. Not this time. I have tried by many routes to contact the New York Times for an explanation. I have had no response.

Americas Fox News last week also asked them about the disappearing words, and they too got no reply.

Top Gun Tom wont fight the real enemy

How strange, after 36 years, to see Tom Cruise, right, return to his role as an ace fighter pilot in an enjoyable, noisy sequel to the 1986 film Top Gun.

I was nostalgic, as I watched, for the simple, good-versus- evil years of the Reagan presidency. In those days, of course, we knew who the enemy was  world Communism.

Now, no reference can be made to the USAs main military rival, China.

This is because there is so much Chinese money in Hollywood and China has worked hard in Western countries to soften criticism of its secret police concentration camp regime.

Maybe if Vladimir Putin had invaded Hollywood, instead of Ukraine, hed get a better press.
CHARLESTON  University Drive from Grant to West Coolidge avenues is scheduled to be closed to through traffic for road work starting Wednesday, June 8.

The Charleston Public Works Department reported that its crews will be doing concrete patching on the southbound lane of University Drive, near Lovers Lane, to help repair several failures in the street. The department reported that the patching should be completed in approximately two working days, weather permitting.

"We will reopen University Drive as soon as possible," the public works department reported. "We apologize for any inconvenience in travel."

The department reported that it has sent notices about the patching project to residents in this area of University Drive.

Drivers are encouraged to use an alternate route through the area.

Contact Rob Stroud at (217) 238-6861. Follow him on Twitter: @TheRobStroud

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The states political world may have been shocked, but I doubt many in that world were surprised at the level of vitriol in Rep. Sam Yinglings (D-Grayslake) press release last week which claimed hed been attacked by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Pritzkers offense was endorsing Yinglings Democratic primary opponent Mary Edly-Allen in the race to replace retiring state Sen. Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake).

Edly-Allen is a former Democratic state Representative and is also backed by Sen. Bush. She had a pretty good couple of weeks leading up to the Pritzker endorsement. Edly-Allen had by then reported raising about $266K just since the middle of May, including $25K reported last week from the Illinois Pipe Trades PAC. Rep. Yingling started the second quarter with more money (his $109K compared to her $11K), but has struggled ever since, reporting just $38K in contributions to date.

Pritzker has yet to give any legislator more than $5,000 in campaign contributions during the primary, but Edly-Allen clearly has the funds to get the word out about his support. And while there is no polling that I could lay my hands on in that district about Pritzker, hes generally polling very well among Democrats. So, the nod will likely help.

I privately thought going into this Senate contest that Yingling had a decent edge, but if Edly-Allen is working like she did when she first won a House race in 2018, along with all this money and numerous important endorsements, well, I may have been very wrong.

And then Yingling let loose on the governor. As a gay man, I am used to being bullied, Yingling was quoted as saying in his press release after Pritzker announced his decision. But, I did not expect to be attacked on the first day of PRIDE month by a fellow Democrat. The press release issued by the governors campaign did not contain a single reference to Rep. Yingling. It was all about Edly-Allens positive traits.

Im told the governor made his decision to endorse Edly-Allen the week earlier, but there was reportedly some Senate Democratic involvement in the decision to hand the story to a suburban newspaper over the Memorial Day weekend. The short-staffed and possibly disinterested paper didnt run it. So, the announcement was pushed out the door Tuesday evening in a wide blast. No thought was apparently given to the fact that the following day would be the beginning of LGBTQ+ Pride Month.

The reason most in the political world probably wont be surprised by his reaction is that Rep. Yingling, plain and simple, does not work well with others.

Since January of 2021, for instance, Yingling has introduced 183 bills and not a single one of them has made it to the governors desk. Just four have passed the House. The Senate, where Yingling is trying to land, has taken up none of them. The four bills never even made it out of the Assignments Committee.

Yingling has sent out four mailers that I could find. Three of them were negative.

One mailer paired up Edly-Allen with former House Speaker Michael Madigan, and Yingling also mentioned the Madigan connection in his press release. Madigan did not originally back Yingling for the House, but he sent plenty of foot soldiers to the district to keep him there. Madigans committees also directly gave Yingling $1.75 million over the years and Madigans allies in the House and in organized labor gave him millions more.

Rep. Yingling did not join colleagues to call for Madigans ouster until after the November 2020 election was over and his Republican opponent was vanquished with the help of about $300,000 in contributions from Madigans Democratic Majority PAC and the Democratic Party of Illinois.

To be clear, theres nothing inherently wrong with that. But using Madigan as a cudgel against a primary opponent after taking help like that while Yingling is clearly demonstrating that he is having a difficult time raising money on his own without backing from a party caucus is a bit much.

Pritzkers campaign had no comment about Rep. Yinglings remarks. Coincidentally or not, the governor appeared the following day with two prominent LGBTQ+ state legislators Rep. Kelly Cassidy and Sen. Mike Simmons to tour LGBTQ+ owned businesses in Chicagos Andersonville neighborhood and kick off PRIDE Month. He was not asked by reporters about Yinglings statement.

Rich Miller publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com.

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Samuel Mudd

Samuel Alexander Mudd Sr. (December 20, 1833-January 10, 1883) was an American physician who was implicated in the group planning the kidnapping of President Abraham Lincoln. Dr. Mudd was sent to prison for the conspiracy by assisting John Wilkes Booth.

Working as both a physician and tobacco farmer in Southern Maryland, his plantation was seriously damaged when Maryland abolished slavery in 1864. Without the slaves to work on the plantation, Mudd harbored ill feelings toward Lincoln.

It was in 1864 that he first met John Wilkes Booth. Booth told Mudd of the plot to kidnap Lincoln and stated that he had others that would assist in this endeavor.

During that same day Mudd learned of the assassination but did not report Booths visit to the authorities for another 24 hours.

Unable to grow tobacco without the use of his slaves, Mudd considered selling his plantation.

The real estate story was merely a cover. Booths true purpose had been to plan an escape route as part of a plan to kidnap Lincoln. Booth believed the federal government would ransom Lincoln by releasing a large number of Confederate prisoners of war.

On a visit to Washington, he met Booth and his fellow conspirators. Mudd agreed to assist these conspirators in any way possible as he was very upset in losing his plantation.

After Booth shot Lincoln on the evening of April 14, 1865, he broke his left fibula while fleeing Fords Theater. Booth made his way to Mudds house around 4 a.m. On April 15. Mudd splinted Booths leg and gave him a shoe to wear. Booth spent the night in Mudds home. Mudd did not contact authorities immediately, and this drew suspicion and was a significant factor in tying Mudd to the conspiracy.

On June 29, Mudd was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. Mudd would be sent to Fort Jefferson, in the Dry Tortugas, about 70 miles west of Key West, Florida. The Dry Tortugas was a Union prison in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico whose only access was by boat. The fort housed Union Army deserters.

Due to Mudds assistance to fellow prisoners during an outbreak of yellow fever, he was pardoned by President Andrew Johnson on Feb. 8, 1869.

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Q: Is there a group that traps and spays feral cats? How do I contact them?  J.M.

Answer: Christina Howell, the public information officer and public relations manager for the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office, gave us this information.

We are not aware of any organizations that will trap feral cats currently. However, our partners at Forsyth Humane Society (FHS) may be able to assist you through a new program called Mighty Mousers.

FHS helps Forsyth County residents work toward curbing the feral cat population through trap, neuter, release (TNR). You can contact FHS through their website or by calling 336-955-1750 for the specifics, but below is an overview.

Residents are responsible for obtaining a trap (available online or at many hardware/equipment supply stores) and trap the cat(s).

Note that the cat(s) may only be trapped on your own property. Once the cat is trapped, the resident will then take it to FHS to be spayed/neutered, given a rabies vaccine, and microchipped.

The resident is responsible for paying the $15 fee FHS charges (per cat) to cover expenses.

The resident will then be responsible for taking the cat and releasing it on the same property it was initially trapped on. This program is only for feral cats, Howell said.

If we hear from any groups that TNR, well pass the information along.

Q: Some friends and I were out walking recently and saw a baby bird that had fallen out of its nest. A couple of people wanted to put it back and others said leave it alone.

We left it alone, but I felt a little bad about it. What should we do if we find a baby bird or other animal that looks like its in distress?  S.F.

Answer: It looks like you made the right decision.

In most cases, the best thing to do if you find an injured bird or animal is leave it alone, according to the N.C. Wildlife Commission.

Many young animals will be left alone during the day. If it doesnt look injured and is alert and active, it probably isnt orphaned and chances are the parents are close by watching.

Leave the animal alone and check again the next day. If the animal is still there and there is no sign of the mother, contact a wildlife rehabilitator.

Wildlife rehabilitators are volunteers who are trained and licensed by the State of North Carolina to rehabilitate wild animals until they can be released back into their natural habitat.

Rehabilitators dedicate a considerable amount of their time and money to care for orphaned and injured wildlife.

Before contacting a rehabilitator, be sure the animal truly needs assistance. In most cases, a wild animal has the best chance of survival when it is not taken into human care.

Often the best way you can help a wild animal is to leave it alone, the commission said.

The wildlife commission has a list of wildlife rehabilitators and the type of animals or birds that they are licensed to rehabilitate on its website.

Go to ncwildlife.org and click on Interactive Maps from its home page. Then click on Wildlife Rehabilitators.

Email: AskSAM@wsjournal.com Write: Ask SAM, 418 N. Marshall St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101

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Monday is the 78th anniversary of D-Day, known more formally as Operation Overlord. The invasion component of it was Operation Neptune. It was the invasion by the Allied troops of the European continent during World War II. The invasion was the beginning of the end of Nazi occupation of Europe.

According to the D-Day Memorial website (www.dday.org), it was the largest armada the world had ever seen. There were more than 5,000 ships, 11,000 aircraft and 150,000 members of the Army, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard.

The BBC said in 2019 during the 75th anniversary commemoration of the invasion, On D-Day, Allied forces consisted primarily of US, British and Canadian troops but also included Australian, Belgian, Czech, Dutch, French, Greek, New Zealand, Norwegian, Rhodesian (present-day Zimbabwe) and Polish naval, air and ground support.

About 12:15 a.m. June 6, 1944, aircraft began taking off from England headed toward France. Some were towing gliders, and others were packed with paratroopers to drop behind enemy lines and still others had leaflets in French and German to let the people on the ground know that the invasion had begun. The paratroopers job was to hold roads and bridges so the trucks, tanks and soldiers could get through. They also fought and confused the Germans.

For the land invasion, troops crossed the English Channel headed to five beaches at Normandy  Omaha, Utah, Gold, Juno and Sword. The Americans went to Utah and Omaha beaches; the British went to Gold and Sword; the Canadians went to Juno.

At 6:30 a.m., the first wave went ashore amid heavy fire from the Germans. The Americans were the first to land. The troops landing at Omaha suffered the highest casualty rates of the invasion, said the BBC.

According to the National Archives, Allied casualties on June 6 have been estimated at 10,000 killed, wounded, and missing in action: 6,603 Americans, 2,700 British, and 946 Canadians.

Bedford, Va., a small town, found out firsthand about the high price of freedom. Nineteen of its sons were killed on D-Day. The National D-Day Memorial is located there for that reason.

Back on the home front, the Winston-Salem Journal put out an extra when news of the invasion arrived.

INVASION BEGINS AS ALLIED TROOPS MAKE LANDINGS ON NORTHERN COAST OF FRANCE

During the day on June 6, some businesses didnt open or closed early so employees and customers could go to prayer services, the Journal reported on June 7. Centenary Methodist, First Presbyterian and First Baptist were open all day for people to stop in for prayer and mediation. Church officials told the newspaper that attendance was good and had been steady.

A sign in one store read, Closed today so our employees may have an opportunity to join others in attending prayer services for our boys in this trying hour.

Most of the people interviewed said that they were glad the invasion had finally come, We can hope and pray for the best, now that it has started, a woman told the newspaper.

Other churches had services at noon and in the evening.

On June 8, the Journal had this very short story from United Press, The first mail was delivered yesterday to Allied invasion forces in France, it was announced by British postal officials.

Email: AskSAM@wsjournal.com Write: Ask SAM, 418 N. Marshall St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101

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Residents of Forsyth County now have a greater risk of contracting COVID-19 than they have for months, according to Fridays Centers for Disease Control update.

Forsyth now has a high level of the virus after going from low to medium a week ago. The level is determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area.

With the shift from medium to high, the CDC recommends residents of Forsyth wear a well-fitted mask in indoor public spaces and on public transportation, regardless of your vaccination status.

Respirator and surgical masks offer the most protection.

People in Forsyth also should stay up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines; get tested if you have symptoms; and, if at high risk for severe illness, consider taking additional precautions.

As the local and statewide peak from the omicron surge was fading, Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines ended a citywide mask mandate March 1, while Gov. Roy Cooper recommended a March 7 ending K-12 school and local government mask mandates.

Joines said Saturday that while he is not inclined to reinstate a citywide mask mandate "at this time ... will likely put out an advisory encouraging individuals to wear indoors."

It is the first time Forsyth has been listed in the high category since Feb. 25, which was during the peak of the omicron variant locally and statewide.

Forsyth had been in the low-spread category since March 10 before being shifted to medium last week.

New COVID-19 cases rose again in Forsyth last week, but at a much lower rate of increase, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services update Wednesday.

Forsyth had a 4.3% uptick in weekly cases to 1,119, along with one additional COVID-related death.

Thats compared with a 25.8% jump for the week that ended May 21 and a 19% hike for the week that ended May 14.

Weve seen week-over-week increases in cases the past two months, but its been a slow increase for the most part, Forsyth health director Joshua Swift said Thursday. The increases have not been as steep as we saw with omicron and delta.

Swift stressed the DHHS weekly case totals include only laboratory-confirmed cases, and doesnt include most individuals who determine they are positive with an at-home test. Individuals are not required to report their positive tests to county health departments.

Swift said that, based on his conversations with infectious diseases experts, that the actual positive case test rate could be six to eight times higher than DHHS updates reflect.

Forsyth has had 825 COVID-19 related deaths since the onset of the pandemic in mid-March 2020. In all, Forsyth has reported 97,564 COVID-19 cases.

Other Triad and Northwest N.C. counties with high community levels of COVID-19 are Alamance, Alleghany, Davie, Stokes, Surry and Yadkin.

Mask mandate return?

Theres not likely enough time for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools to reinstate mask mandates considering Thursday is the last day for students.

County officials could not be immediately reached for comment about a potential mask mandate return.

The primary reason behind the decisions to end mask mandates in February and March were the declining number of COVID-19 omicron cases.

The countys positive test rate was at 21.6% as of Monday, according to the CDC.

Although that is up considerably from about 3% in April, its still nearly half the 40%-plus range Forsyth saw during the peak of the omicron variant surge.

Our percentages are what we are seeing across the state and other local counties, Swift said.

Meanwhile, weekly COVID-19 test levels in Forsyth have remained steadily below 1,000 since the omicron variant surge, though modestly higher the past two weeks.

Still in community

The uptick in COVID-19 cases in Forsyth, the Triad and statewide is not worth overreacting to, local experts have said recently.

Swift expressed concern that community contact tracing for COVID-19 is waning, particularly as state funds are diminishing for such efforts.

Swift has recommended to the Forsyth Board of Commissioners that it consider using federal COVID-19 funds to keep county contact tracing at appropriate levels as much as we can.

I would encourage residents to take precautions based on their health status. The best protection is to stay up-to-date with COVID vaccinations.

Dr. Christopher Ohl, an infectious diseases expert with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, said May 26 that while new cases are increasing, particularly in urban areas, its at a much slower pace than in previous waves.

Were seeing more cases because more people are out and about doing things, being more socially active, Ohl said. Its a bit to be expected.

In Wednesdays update, DHHS reports the BA.2 variant made up 95% of North Carolina cases from May 8-21.

Dr. David Priest, an infectious diseases expert with Novant Health Inc., has said the current mini-wave of a subvariant could produce a small wave of new cases before summer, when cases are projected to decline again.

That does give everyone reason to pause, and it is hard right now to pin down what could happen, Priest said.

COVID-19 hospitalizations statewide averaged 657 last week, up 83 from the previous week.

Hospitals in the 17-county Triad region averaged 134 COVID-19 patients, up 10 from the previous week.

Swift said Forsyth had 11 county residents in local hospitals as of Thursday.

DHHS latest COVID-19 update reported 26.5 million COVID-19 virus particles found in the wastewater samples last week. Thats up from 19.1 million the previous week.

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A Winston-Salem man was shot and wounded Saturday in the 800 block of East Devonshire Street, authorities said.

Winston-Salem police responded at 12:31 p.m. to a reported shooting at that location, police said.

When officers arrived, they found Albert Lee White Jr., 29, of Patterson Avenue suffering from gunshot wounds in his abdomen and back, police said.

White told the officers that he was assaulted and shot by three males in front of a home in the 800 block of East Devonshire Street, police said.

White was taken to a local hospital for treatment, police said.

The motive for the shooting is unknown, police said. Officers are investigating the incident.

No further information was available.

Winston-Salem police are asking for the public's help in this case.

Anyone with information regarding this shooting can call Winston-Salem police at 337-773-7700, Crime Stoppers at 336-727-2800 or its Spanish line at 336-728-3904. Crime Stoppers of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County is on Facebook.

The Text-A-Tip program at 336-276-1717 allows people to text tips, photos and videos to the police.

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A Winston-Salem man will spend the rest of his life in prison after a Forsyth County jury found him guilty Thursday of first-degree murder in a 2018 shooting that killed a woman and wounded the mans half-brother. Forsyth County prosecutors said the shooting was over $500.

Jashawn Arnez Summers, 29, of the 5000 block of Kaybrook Drive, also was convicted of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle while in operation and possession of a firearm by a felon.

There are only two sentences available for someone convicted of first-degree murder  death or life in prison without the possibility of parole. Because Forsyth County prosecutors did not pursue the death penalty, Judge Todd Burke of Forsyth Superior Court gave Summers a life sentence.

Assistant District Attorneys James Dornfried and Alison Lester prosecuted the case. Alec Carpenter represented Summers. Carpenter could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday.

Summers convictions are connected to a fatal shooting on Feb. 22, 2018. Tenisha Jenel Mills was shot in the neck and the head while she was in the front passenger seat of a Kia sedan. She died on Feb. 23, 2018, at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. The shooting happened in the 500 block of East 25th Street. Christopher Grooms, Summers half-brother, was also shot and also was injured by broken glass, according to search warrants and Winston-Salem police.

Prior to the shooting, Summers and Grooms had argued over $500 that Grooms was supposed to use toward Summers bond for a pending assault charge, according to a news release from the Forsyth County District Attorneys Office. Grooms, however, gave the money to the mother of Summers children for the childrens care.

According to search warrants and closing arguments, Grooms and Mills went to Hot Dog City restaurant on North Patterson Avenue to get something to eat and meet his sister, Vaneisha Summers. When they got there, Grooms said he saw Jashawn Summers. Summers and Vaneisha Summers have a child together, search warrants said. Grooms told police that there had been a history of violence between Summers and Grooms sister.

Grooms and Mills left the restaurant to avoid a confrontation with Summers, prosecutors said in the news release.

But Summers and several other people got into a white 2017 Nissan Pathfinder, which was later found out to have been reported stolen from Modern Nissan on University Parkway. Grooms said the Pathfinder followed them.

Near the intersection of East 25th Street and Blum Park, Grooms told police that the Pathfinder pulled up to the left side of his car, on the wrong side of the road. Grooms said a man named Armando Nicolas Pagan, who is facing a charge of accessory after the fact to first-degree murder, was driving. Summers was in the rear passenger seat.

Grooms told police that Summers and another man fired multiple shots into his vehicle. Then the Pathfinder drove away. Grooms drove his car to the Winston-Salem Police Department and called 911.

According to a search warrant, police officers found Grooms car with multiple bullet holes in the left and rear sides. Prosecutors said Summers rolled down his window and fired several shots into Grooms vehicle. An autopsy report later said Mills died from a single gunshot wound to the head.

Winston-Salem police detectives said in a search warrant that Hot Dog Citys surveillance cameras showed Summers, Pagan and another man, who has not been charged, coming into the restaurant at 9:12 p.m. on Feb. 22, 2018. The men ordered food, but left suddenly without getting anything. Two minutes later, Grooms called 911.

Pagan testified against Summers during the trial, which started with jury selection last week. Summers also took the stand in his own defense. Summers did admit to Winston-Salem police that he had gone to Hot Dog City but denied being with Pagan or anyone else, according to search warrants. He also denied that he was in the Kia sedan with the men and said he was not involved in Mills murder.

Pagan testified that Summers was in the car with him when the shooting occurred. Pagan admitted that he fired a gun in the air.

On March 12, 2018, Summers was arrested in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Three days before his arrest, authorities found the Pathfinder at the same place where Summer would later be taken into custody. The Pathfinder had been spray-painted black, the news release said. When he was arrested, Summers gave the name of his brother and had a semi-automatic handgun. Summers is facing pending federal charges connected to the handgun.

In closing arguments Thursday morning, Assistant District Attorney James Dornfried said Summers portrayed himself as a prominent drug dealer who made upwards of $300,000 in a year. That wasnt true, he said. But what is true, he argued to the jury, is that Summers is a killer.

He took (Mills) life and he took her away from her family, Dornfried said.

Besides Pagan, another person, Katisha Lashawn Springs, 28, was also charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. She is also facing a charge for possession of stolen goods or vehicle in connection to the stolen Pathfinder. Springs, who was charged May 23, is in the Forsyth County Jail with bond set at $500,000.

Summers was previously convicted in 2012 on charges that he fired a gun three times into a car stopped at a light at Carver School Road. The driver of the car, Donte Marquee Felders, was hit twice and seriously injured, Assistant District Attorney Matt Breeding said at a 2012 hearing. The shooting happened on Sept. 14, 2011. Breeding said the incident was over a dispute between Felders and Summers brother Javon over a mutual ex-girlfriend. Summers was sentenced to a maximum of six years, six months in prison and was released from prison in 2016.

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As one of the most powerful commodity traders in Brazil, Cargill Inc. has worked to expand its business while fending off criticism that it's enabling the destruction of Amazon forests and savanna for soy farms.

The clearing of Brazil's climate-moderating tropical forests and grasslands has escalated under nationalist President Jair Bolsonaro, and Cargill in 2019 announced it would fail to meet its pledge to halt deforestation in Brazil by the following year.

Now the Minnesota-based agribusiness giant's Brazil operations are being challenged again, this time by human rights activists with the backing of environmentalists.

Cargill, which has plants in Columbus and Schuyler, has plans to build a new $150 million river port in northern Brazil to help handle its soy shipments. The land it acquired, however, sits on an island that's long been home to a community of fishermen and acai gatherers who are descendants of former African slaves, and who hold special land rights in Brazil.

The residents have sued Cargill in federal court in Brazil, accusing the company of stealing their land, acquiring it through third parties bearing allegedly fake land titles. Others are named in the lawsuit, including public entities and the company that sold the land to Cargill.

The dispute centers on about 1.5 square miles of land in Abaetetuba, a city near the coast in the northern state of Para.

Brazil's judicial system is notoriously slow. The lawsuit was filed earlier this year, but Cargill hasn't filed a legal response in court yet because it hasn't received the official court summons, said spokeswoman Eliane Uchoa. In an email exchange, Uchoa denied wrongdoing. Cargill legally purchased the land, she said.

"We have not and will not build anything until we have the proper environmental permits to do so and after consultation has been completed with the Regulatory Authority and local community," Uchoa said.

Cargill will uphold the Amazon Soy Moratorium, which bans buying soy from illegally cleared land, Uchoa said, as well as the company's own four-page written policy on ending deforestation in its soy supply chain in South America.

The company's website states that "more than 95%" of the soy it bought in Brazil during 2018-2019 "was demonstrated to be deforestation- and conversion-free."

Cargill is seeing a rapid increase in demand for South American soybeans "to address rising global food security issues," Uchoa said.

A leading soy trader in Brazil, Cargill owns four ports in the country, and two more through joint ventures. The new one in Abaetetuba would handle up to 9 million tons of cargo each year of corn, soybeans and other grains barged down the Para River from the states of Para, Maranhao, Piaui, Tocantins, Rondonia and Mato Grosso, according to its 2018 environmental impact report.

Much of that area is in Brazil's Cerrado, the vast wooded savanna adjacent to the Amazon rainforest that is also a major carbon sink. Intense soy production has shifted to the Cerrado following international outcry over destruction of the rainforest. Much of the soy goes to animal feed.

Deforestation in the Cerrado has escalated to its highest rate since 2015. It has lost 3,293 square miles of trees and vegetation  an area greater than the state of Delaware  from August 2020 to July 2021, according to data from Brazil's National Institute of Space Research.

The deforestation has gone hand-in-hand with conflicts over land rights.

Lisa Rausch, a University of Wisconsin scientist working on deforestation-free supply chains in Brazil, said she is surprised Cargill is pursuing another port in Para given the past controversy over its port in Santarem, built in the early 2000s.

That port was the focus of major protests and featured heavily in the influential 2006 Greenpeace report "Eating Up the Amazon," a call to action that linked Brazilian soy to European supermarkets and fast food chains such as McDonald's. The controversy helped drive the signing of the Soy Moratorium in 2006.

Rausch said she's also surprised the company would pursue the land if there were questions about the land transfers.

"Creative solutions" around land titles are extremely common in Brazil, Rausch said.

"The whole region is sort of shrouded in a long history of what they call land title disputes," she said. "It's surprising to me that they are moving ahead with this knowing that somebody would dig into it."

In an interview, Tatiane Rodrigues de Vasconcelos, a legal adviser in the Public Prosecutor's Office of the state of Para, said she researched the land titles in question during law school. She concluded they are fake, and that the community land was sold illegally.

The riverside community is a federally protected traditional settlement that has been in the area for more than 200 years, according to Paulo Weyl, a human rights lawyer rights at the Federal University of Para who is representing the residents.

In an interview, Weyl said the government officially recognized the community's protected status in 2005 as what's called an Agro-extractive Settlement Project. It was made clear at that time that the federal government owns the land. Weyl called the sale of the land "absurd."

According to Weyl, city officials transferred land titles to individuals who sold it to a company called Brick Logistica, which then sold it to Cargill in 2020 for about $1.2 million.

Brick Logistica's LinkedIn profile says it "develops greenfield private ports in the Brazilian Amazon." In its filed response to the lawsuit, the company denied any fraud. The part of the island that Brick Logistica acquired for the port had a long history of private ownership and did not belong to the protected community, it said. The crucial point, it said: "the absolute non-existence of any trace of occupation or use of the property currently owned by Cargill under the of tenure by communities residing on the Xingu island."

Chief executive Kleber Menezes, Para's secretary of transport from 2015-2018, forwarded a request for comment to his legal team, which did not respond in time for this story. But he said he quit his duties at Brick while in statement government and there was no conflict of interest.

The plans for the new port are wreaking havoc on the community, which sees a threat to their entire way of life, Vasconcelos said. Some of the 188 families who are directly affected have already moved away. The dredging and construction, along with increased barge traffic up and down the river, will serious harm the fishing grounds, she said.

"It's like they're invading their houses, their territory," Vasconcelos said.

Environmental groups are holding up the land deal as a sign that Cargill isn't committed to ending deforestation or protecting the rights of Brazil's traditional communities.

Merel van der Mark, coordinator of the Forests & Finance Coalition, a group that includes Rainforest Action Network and Amazon Watch, said she thinks Cargill's buyers and the global banks doing business with Cargill should reconsider their ties with the trader. It's "bad business," she said.

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Masdar Clean Energy company (UAE) is ready to implement even larger projects and will continue to explore business opportunities in Azerbaijan, the companys Acting Executive Director Fawaz Al Muharrami said, Trend reports.

Al Muharrami made the remark at a special session on 'Path to Zero Emissions: Developing the Green Energy Potential of the Liberated Territories' on the sidelines of the Baku Energy Week in Azerbaijans Shusha [liberated from Armenian occupation in the 2020 Second Karabakh War] on June 4.

"We are also ready to work with the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) on decarbonization projects and a number of other directions envisaged in the company's development strategy until 2035," he said.

According to him, its a great honor and pride for Masdar to carry out projects in Azerbaijan, including Karabakh.

"By implementing these projects, well create new jobs in the liberated territories, and speed up the process of transforming the region into a green zone. We have a project to build a solar power plant in Garadagh with an installed capacity of 230 megawatts. This project will provide energy to 110,000 households, as well as will reduce emissions," Al Muharrami added.
HONG KONG (AP)  Heavy police force patrolled Hong Kongs Victoria Park on Saturday after authorities for a third consecutive year banned public commemoration of the anniversary of the deadly Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989, with vigils overseas the only place marking the event.

For decades, Hong Kong and nearby Macao were the only places in China allowed to commemorate the violent suppression by army troops of student protesters demanding greater democracy in Beijings Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989. Hundreds, if not thousands, were killed.

The ban is seen as part of a move to snuff out political dissent and a sign that Hong Kong is losing its freedoms as Beijing tightens its grip over the semi-autonomous Chinese city.

The vigil organizers, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, disbanded last year after many of its leaders were arrested on suspicion of violating the national security law, which was imposed following massive pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Authorities have cited risks from the coronavirus for banning the public commemoration over the past three years. Critics say the pandemic is used as an excuse to infringe on the right to assemble.

A government statement Friday said that parts of Victoria Park, which traditionally served as the venue for the candlelight vigil, will be closed as it may be used for illegal activities. The move was to prevent any unauthorized assemblies in the park and to reduce the possibility of COVID-19 spread.

Earlier in the week, a police superintendent warned that anyone who gathered in a group at the same place, with the same time and with a common purpose to express certain views could be considered part of an unauthorized assembly.

I am disappointed because although no one organized any commemoration event, the authorities are already on high alert, said Donald Tam, a resident who was shopping in the Causeway Bay district, where the park is located.

Since the British handed over Hong Kong to China in 1997, the city has been governed under a one country, two systems framework that gives it freedoms not found on the mainland, including freedom of speech and assembly. It meant Hong Kong and nearby Macao, the other semi-autonomous territory, were allowed to commemorate the 1989 crackdown. Elsewhere in China, keywords such as Tiananmen massacre and June 4 are strictly censored online, and people are not allowed to publicly mark the event.

Outside China, vigils were held to remember the Tiananmen victims.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said even though Chinese and Hong Kong were attempting to suppress the memories of the crackdown, his government would continue to speak out and promote accountability on human rights abuses by China, including those in Hong Kong, against Muslim minorities in the western Xinjiang region as well as Tibet.

To the people of China and to those who continue to stand against injustice and seek freedom, we will not forget June 4, he said.

In Taiwan, a self-ruled island claimed by Beijing as part of its territory, the Foreign Ministry wrote on Facebook that when this time of year comes around, there is a lot one cant say, a lot one cant write, and a lot one cant even look up on the internet.

The post encouraged Chinese citizens who use a VPN to access Facebook, which is blocked in China, and search for information on the Tiananmen Square massacre to see what their country is hiding from them.

Taiwan has been commemorating the June 4 massacre before Hong Kong did, and each place (in the rest of the world) that holds this event interprets it in its own ways, said Taiwan democracy activist Lee Ming-che. We must be aware of Chinas threats and protect Taiwans values of democracy, human rights, and freedom.

Graduate student Joanna Chen said that commemorating the June 4 massacre is important because Taiwan is one of the few places in Greater China to commemorate such an event publicly.

We must remind the Taiwanese people that democracy should not be taken for granted, she said.

In Sydney, about 50 pro-democracy supporters lit candles outside the Chinese Consulate to mark the massacre, as several police officers kept watch.

In the Indian city of Dharmsala, home to Tibets exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, activists organized a street theater to mark the Tiananmen anniversary. They used a cutout of a Chinese tank to recreate the tank man, an iconic image taken by The Associated Press of a student standing in front of a tank, which came to symbolize courage in the face of Chinese governments crackdown of the protest.

For the first time in 30 years, Hong Kong's Catholic churches also skipped Mass for the Tiananmen victims, after the diocese expressed concerns that such events could violate the national security law.

Authorities have been using the law to crack down on the opposition, with over 150 people arrested on suspicion of offences that include subversion, secession, terrorism and foreign collusion to intervene in the citys affairs.

The clampdown has included universities as well. In December 2021, a sculpture called Pillar of Shame, which depicts torn and twisted bodies symbolizing the lives lost during the massacre, was taken down at the University of Hong Kong. Officials said that no approval had been obtained to display the sculpture.

A day later, two other universities in the city removed monuments related to the commemoration.

In response, Jens Galschioet, the artist who created Pillar of Shame, last week unveiled a full-scale replica of the 8-meter- (26 foot) tall sculpture at the University of Oslo in Norway.

Associated Press journalists Alice Fung in Hong Kong, Taijing Wu in Taipei, Taiwan, Mark Baker in Sydney, and Ashwini Bhatia in Dharmsala, India, contributed to this report.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Civic Nebraska will honor five Nebraskans who create a more modern and robust democracy June 9.

The Strengthening Democracy Awards will be at 5:30 p.m. at the DelRay 817. Nebraska State Poet Matt Mason and Zedeka Poindexter will perform at the celebration along with an Omaha slam poetry champion and poet-in-residence at the UNION for Contemporary Art. Drinks and heavy appetizers will be provided.

A strong democracy does not build itself. It requires dedicated Americans putting community, learning, innovation, empowerment, and optimism together and making them work for the common good, Civic Nebraskas executive director Adam Morfeld said in a press release. Our 2022 honorees have lifted up these values every day by word and deed, and we are proud to honor them.

Civic Nebraska's 2022 Strengthening Democracy honorees:

Community Builder: Valeria Rodriguez, Gering, for increasing access to opportunities for all residents of the Nebraska Panhandle. In 2017, Valeria co-founded Empowering Families, a nonprofit that builds a stronger and more welcoming community through education, civic participation, and individual empowerment. She has helped organize DACA and naturalization clinics, registered residents to vote, worked to ensure a complete 2020 census count, and hosts a yearly Multicultural Youth Leadership Conference for 200 area students.

Civic Catalyst: Erin Feichtinger, Omaha, for fighting for housing justice through education and advocacy. Erin leads calls to action and guides Nebraskans in working together to tackle the states housing affordability challenges. In the most recent session of the Legislature, Erin was instrumental in organizing, educating, and activating hundreds of Nebraskans to fight for rental assistance and other issues of fundamental housing fairness at the state and local levels.

Champion of Learning: Ebony McKiver, Lincoln, for promoting quality civic education across the state. The Nebraska Department of Educations social studies specialist, Ebony leads the states work in grounding social studies education in facts and history. She guides the states efforts to implement the Nebraska Legislatures revisions to civics graduation requirements and centers those who have been historically marginalized.

Young Civic Leader: Brooklyn Terrill, Lincoln, for conceiving, co-writing, and lobbying for meaningful legislation. Brooklyn, a recent graduate from Nebraska U., was a key force behind LB519, an immunity policy for certain drug and alcohol charges that would be potentially prohibitive to a survivor or witness of sexual assault reporting the crime. The Legislature passed LB519 and Gov. Ricketts signed it into law this year. Brooklyn also volunteers at a local sexual assault crisis line and serves on the Government Liaison Committee for Nebraska U.s student government.

Guardian of Voting Rights: Jennifer Yi-We Hernandez, Omaha, for her innovation to ensure accessibility to voting for community members. Amid the onset of COVID-19, Jennifer recognized that some voters needed help getting their mail-in ballots turned in on time, so she created Ballot Buddies, a volunteer initiative to assist stuck-at-home voters with getting their signed, sealed ballots turned into the Douglas County Election Commission. Jennifer recruits and vets volunteers, promotes the importance of voting, and provides nonpartisan education about the election process and local deadlines.

Register to attend by clicking here or by visiting CivicNebraska.org/sda-2022.

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Schuyler Central High School, located in a primarily Hispanic community, has shown enough progress to be removed from the Nebraska Department of Education's list of schools needing intervention.

The Nebraska Board of Education voted Friday to remove its designation of the high school as a "priority school," selected from among the lowest-performing schools in the state's classification system.

Schuyler Central High School landed on the list in 2018 because of a number of factors, including its dropping graduation rate, chronic absenteeism and the number of English language learners not proficient on state assessments.

State law requires the Department of Education designate priority schools for intervention. Schools identified for help work with the state to draft an intervention plan to identify goals and areas for improvement.

After three years, the board can vote to extend or amend the progress plan or remove the priority school label. The 2019-20 school year was not taken into account because of the pandemic.

"It's not easy to name a priority school from our standpoint," said state education Commissioner Matthew Blomstedt.

Schuyler set out seven measurable goals  in addition to strategies for staff  to demonstrate improvement, which the state used to quantify the school's progress.

School officials pointed to a number of tangible changes, including raising the graduation rate from 82.7% in 2016 to 86% in 2022 and reducing the chronic absenteeism rate from 16% to 11%.

A nearby meatpacking plant owned by Cargill has drastically changed Schuyler's demographics over the past two decades. Schuyler Central High School serves just less than 600 students, 93% of whom are Hispanic.

This year alone, the school welcomed 39 students from Central America and Africa, 27 of whom had no prior educational experience.

When Schuyler first landed on the list, 25% of its students were English language learners but none were proficient on standardized assessments. This past school year, 9% reached proficiency.

The number of ELL students classified as emerging  the lowest classification on English language proficiency assessments  dropped from 86% five years ago to 38% today.

Schuyler instituted a number of strategies over the past four years, including devoting professional development time to supporting ELL students across all content areas.

The mood was one of celebration at Friday's board meeting in Lincoln. Board member Maureen Nickels recalled when Schuyler landed on the list initially.

"That was a tough, solemn day," Nickels said. "And so to sit here on my last year on the board and to know we made the right decision and you all took the bull by the horn ... this is what we want. This is what education is about."

Schuyler Superintendent Dan Hoesing said the process is an expensive one for schools that take it seriously. The district received $2 million from the state for support, Hoesing said, and the district also passed a bond to build a new gym, cafeteria and fine arts center.

"While this process started out being uncomfortable, it doesn't have to be, but there is a certain amount of uncomfortableness that will push you to change," Hoesing said. "What we want is to change your belief in who we are, remove a label because the label is not who we are."

The state is required to have no fewer than three schools on its priority school list. Santee Community Schools' elementary, middle and high schools on the Santee Sioux Nation Reservation in Knox County are the only remaining ones on the list.

Contact the writer at zhammack@journalstar.com or 402-473-7225. On Twitter @HammackLJS

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A judge tossed a lawsuit filed by the parents of an Omaha bar owner who killed himself after being charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of a Black man in May 2020.
OMAHA -- The Sarpy County Attorneys Office has welcomed a new four-legged employee: Trio, a trained facility dog.

Trio, a 2-year-old Labrador retriever, joined the staff in May.

His job duties include creating a sense of calm at the courthouse while also providing emotional support to crime victims and witnesses, especially children.

Trio is partnered with Jean Brazda, the Sarpy County Attorneys Office chief of staff. The duo trained together in April at Canine Companions in New Albany, Ohio.

Im proud that were able to provide a facility dog for crime victims who have experienced trauma, Brazda said. They need to know they are not going through the process alone.

Trio, like other dogs from Canine Companions, went through 16 months of obedience and socialization training, followed by six months of intensive training geared toward his specific assignment. He was provided to Brazda to work in the Sarpy County Attorneys Office at no cost.

Brazda previously worked with Manny, the first courthouse facility dog in Nebraska. Manny worked in the County Attorneys Office for eight years. He died in January.

For the past eight years, weve seen firsthand the important role a facility dog can play in a courthouse setting, Sarpy County Attorney Lee Polikov said in a statement. Were excited to have Trio at the Sarpy County Courthouse and know hes going to do amazing work.

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Humanities Nebraska will offer a free public program on how climate affects different sectors in Nebraska at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 15, at the Lied Center for Performing Arts and livestreamed online. The event will include audience Q&A.

The program, Weathering Uncertainty: Conversations About Climate in Nebraska, will feature local leaders in agriculture, the environment, local economies and public health to discuss how different sectors in our agriculture-based economy are responding in the aftermath of multiple weather disasters that are projected to increase as part of climate change.

Panelists will include:

 Mark McHargue, president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau;

 Josh Moenning, mayor of Norfolk;

 Jesse Bell, director of the Water, Climate and Health Program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center;

 Hannah Birge, director of agriculture for The Nature Conservancy-Nebraska; and

 Martha Shulski, moderator and Nebraska state climatologist.

This is not about politics, or about whos right or wrong, said Shulski. We want to hear from all Nebraskans about how climate change impacts our public health, our agriculture, our water resources and what Nebraskans think are solutions to some of these issues. Its a conversation about bringing as many Nebraskans as possible to the table to hear from trusted sources, who also want to hear from all of you.

If you are curious about what climate change means for Nebraska, this program is for you," said Chris Sommerich, executive director of Humanities Nebraska. "Everyone who attends will leave with a broader understanding and appreciation for the diverse ways our state is dealing with climate change, and how they fit in with that.

Weathering Uncertainty is funded in part by the Mellon Foundations Democracy and the Informed Citizen initiative, administered by the Federation of State Humanities Councils, and by Rhonda Seacrest.

For more information on the program and how to attend in person or online, visit humanitiesnebraska.org/weather.

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Colorado utilities are preparing for whats shaping up to be a hotter-than-normal and relatively dry summer while regulators are assessing how to keep the lights and power on as the climate changes.

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission has started discussions with climate, weather and water experts as well as power providers to figure out if its prepared to ensure reliable, adequate electric and gas service as extreme heat and cold test the systems.

Xcel Energy-Colorado is actively watching whats happening in Colorado and across the West heading into summer and is working to ensure the utility has the resources to deliver reliable service, said Hollie Velasquez Horvath, the regional vice president of state affairs and community relations.

Xcel Energy, the states largest electric utility, is looking at a situation where utilities in the West relying on hydropower will likely see their resources tighten because of lower-than-normal levels in some of the regions reservoirs. Hydropower is only about 1% of Xcels energy mix.

The availability of the extra energy that we sometimes depend on through the summer we know will be constrained, Horvath said. Were thinking about that every day.

Xcel Energy has a pretty robust communications plan to contact customers to encourage scaling back use if there are problems with the electricity supply, Horvath said.

Controlled outages would absolutely be our last resort, Horvath said. Were making sure we can do everything we can on the generation side.

Widespread drought and the below-normal snowpack in the West threaten the availability of hydroelectric power that can be transferred among utilities, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation said in a recent report. Wide-scale extreme heat would put the area at risk of energy emergencies, according to the report.

The PUC is considering both the near- and long-term impacts of climate change as it makes decisions about Colorados energy needs.

We need to build an electric system involving many millions of dollars of invested capital to keep the lights on during the extremes, Eric Blank, PUC chairman, said during a hearing Wednesday.

Blank said utilities and regulators look to historic data and events to help plan for the future, but asked for advice on forecasting during a time of volatile weather.

I wish I had a good, solid answer for you on that one, said Russ Schumacher, the state climatologist and associate professor at Colorado State University.

Schumacher said records show the subzero weather in Texas in February 2021 that knocked out power to millions and drove up energy costs in Colorado and other states is rare, but similar events have happened. However, last summers heat wave in the Pacific Northwest, when British Columbia had its highest-ever temperature and hundreds of people died, was so far outside the envelope of anything thats ever been observed before in that area, he said.

Certainly theres a lot of useful information still in the historical data. Were not at the point where we should just ignore that because we expect the future to be different, Schumacher said. But it may be we have to expand the imagination a little bit of what might be possible.

The outlook for Colorado and a big part of the region is hot and relatively dry over the next few months. A long-range forecast by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows a 60% to 70% chance of above-normal temperatures for all but the northeast tip of the state June through August.

Most of the state has a 33% to 40% chance of below-normal precipitation for the same period, according to NOAA. The best chance for relief will be the annual monsoon, which the weather forecasting company AccuWeather said could begin in late June or early July.

All of Colorado is in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Conditions range from abnormally dry to extreme and exceptional drought in parts of southern Colorado. Each of the states 64 counties qualifies as primary natural disaster areas by the federal government because of the ongoing drought.

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RACINE  Somebody help me! Somebody help me! a woman screams.

Moments before, a prayer during a funeral burial was being led. Seconds later, two women were shot and dozens more were on the ground, surrounding the coffin of DaShontay Day Day King as they feared for their lives, as recorded in a video shared on social media Thursday evening.

Call an ambulance! Call 911! others yelled after the first shots, but still before the second and subsequent bursts, which continued over a span of nearly 60 seconds.

Dozens of shots were apparently fired into a crowd of mourners burying King at Graceland Cemetery, just before 2:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon.

As soon as the crowd got quiet, all you heard was gunshots, Idoana Gordon, Kings stepdaughter, recalled Friday morning when she went to visit the grave and was interviewed by a Journal Times reporter.

It was horrific. All I could do was hit the floor, Gordon continued. The kids who were out here were screaming and hollering about how they just want their dad, and how they hate Racine and dont want to be here no more. King was a father of four, three of whom attended the funeral.

Hours later, Kings coffin was lowered into the ground, with loved ones forced to stay about 100 feet away to watch rather than be up close due to the active investigation at the gravesite.

King, 37, died May 20. He was a suspect wanted for being a felon in possession of a firearm, then fled police upon being pulled over before being shot and killed. Police have said Officer Zachary B. Brenner saw King with a gun and that King ignored Brenners orders to drop the gun before Brenner opened fire. The day of the shooting, Racine Police Chief Maurice Robinson told reporters that King took an action that led to Brenner firing his gun, but it remains unclear what that action was.

Little other information has been released about the May 20 shooting as the state investigation continues. Family members and loved ones are growing restless and multiple protests have been held as they demand answers and the public release of body camera footage, which police and the state have said does exist but has not been publicly released.

Stupid shooting

In response to the people who opened fire on herself and others Thursday, Gordon said: Its stupid because, when DaShontay was here (alive), nobody did anything to him. So its stupid. It took yall for the police to kill him for you to come through and shoot up his casket, to kill a dead man or innocent people? ... Why did they have to do this to us like this?

We didnt get to say our final goodbye. We had to watch them lower him from all the way over there, because this was an active crime scene.

Gordon said Kings coffin was nicked twice by bullets.

Whoever fired at the mourners, Gordon said, were in multiple different vehicles shooting from Lathrop Avenue, approximately 550 feet away.

Racine is getting out of hand. Its ridiculous, she said.

According to police, comparing 2022 to 2021, shots fired reports are up more than 40% in the City of Racine and non-fatal shootings are up 90%.

The 1 minute-24 second video of the shooting, shared on social media, does not show who is shooting and if anyone fired back.

Investigation

As of noon Friday, no one is in custody in relation to the shooting. Police said they believe multiple firearms were used in the shooting.

The Racine Police Department confirmed Thursday evening that two women were shot; Gordon confirmed that two were shot, not five as some other news outlets erroneously reported.

One of them, who is 19 years old, was treated at Ascension All Saints Hospital and released.

The other, who is 35, was taken via air ambulance to a Milwaukee area hospital. She underwent surgery; a family member told The Journal Times that an artery was hit.

According to a release from the Racine Police Department, issued at 11:58 a.m. Friday, At the time of this report she (the 35-year-old) was awake and alert.

Natasha Mullen, Kings sister, wrote on Facebook afterward I (expletive) HATE ALL YALL WHY WE COULDNT BURY HIM IN PEACE ALL THESE BABIES OUT THERE TWO INNOCENT WOMEN SHOT ... FOR WHAT I HATE YALL.

Later she wrote, HOW DARE YALL WHY WOULD YALL TAKE AWAY OUR LAST GOODBYE YALL SO WRONG FOR THIS.

Share information Police are seeking video and statements from other witnesses of Thursday afternoon's shooting. Those with video evidence may contact email Lt. Chad Melby at chad.melby@cityofracine.org and/or Sgt. Justin Koepnick at justin.koepnick@cityofracine.org. To contact investigators to give a statement, you can call the Racine Police Department Investigations Unit at 262-635-7756. Those who wish to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 262-636-9330 or through the Crime Stoppers app by using the p3 app.

In a tweet Thursday evening, Gov. Tony Evers said Weve been monitoring the shooting earlier today in Racine and have been in contact with our local partners to offer support. As we await additional information, we are praying all involved survive and recover.

Gun violence has to stop.

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A tip led to the recovery of a Memorial Union Terrace chair stolen in 1978, UW-Madison police said.

We solved a big one, folks, UW Police said in a Facebook post that recounted how the chair was seen in a garage in Verona by someone who contacted UW police.

The UW police investigation revealed the chair was taken from the Terrace in 1978 when the thieves were in college and, The perps turned over the chair and we returned it to our friends at the Union. No citation  just a verbal warning.

Police added that anyone in possession of a stolen Terrace chair can return it to the Terrace or police with no questions asked.

UW Police spokesperson Marc Lovicott told the State Journal that Terrace chairs are a hot commodity and an iconic item that brings certain feelings and memories  everyone from the area knows exactly what it is when they see it!

Unfortunately, he said, the chairs are so beloved that theft is pretty common, noting a Wisconsin Alumni Association story in 2015 that reported about 250, or 25%, were taken in 2014.

Union staff estimated that 60 to 70 chairs would be stolen annually and would plan accordingly, the story said.

At the time, Wisco Industries was making about 300 chairs per year, and they cost about $250.

The cost now is more than $300, Lovicott said.

While Lovicott said that like all crimes, we take theft seriously, in the case of this weeks recovered chair, just a verbal warning was given.

Its officer discretion when it comes to verbal warnings, Lovicott said. In this case, because the chair theft was 40-plus years prior, a verbal warning seemed like the most appropriate route.

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1. Yes. Expect rolling blackouts if hot temperatures persist. The grid cant handle the strain.

2. Yes. No significant steps were taken after the grid failed during last years winter storm.

3. No. Texas power officials have been preparing for the hot weather. The grid will be OK.

4. No. If some brown-outs are needed, fine. Thats just part of protecting the system.

5. Unsure. Its hard to know how much stress the energy grid is designed to handle.

Vote

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A Juneteenth celebration with food, games and prizes, a fun fair, music and youth hip hop dance battle will take place on Saturday, June 18, at Riverside Park in La Crosse.

Hosted by Black Leaders Acquiring Creative Knowledge (B.L.A.C.K), Hope Restores, Enduring Families Project and Black Student Leaders La Crosse, the event will run from noon to 8 p.m. Black-owned businesses will also be featured at the celebration, along with information sessions about the history of African Americans in La Crosse and trolley tours.

There will also be a welcome by Mayor Mitch Reynolds and introduction from the Juneteenth Court.

Juneteenth is a federal holiday, officially recognized by President Joe Biden in 2021, that honors the end of slavery in the United States.

On June 19, 1865, federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to free and inform enslaved African Americans of the Emancipation Proclamation. This took place more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect.

Others scheduled to be in attendance include the jazz band Mayfield Experience, local rapper Greg Stanton, DJ and host Deatre Greene, musician Jabali Afrika and hypnotist Chris Jones.

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Vietnam becomes 1st country to authorise commercial circulation of African swine fever vaccine

Vietnam has become the first country in the world to successfully research and produce a vaccine against African swine fever (ASF), and licence its commercial circulation.













NAVET-ASFVAC is manufactured by the Navetco National Veterinary Joint Stock Company (NAVETCO). (Photo: VNA)

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) held a ceremony in Hanoi on June 3 to announce the outcomes of the research and production of the vaccine named NAVET-ASFVAC manufactured by Navetco National Veterinary Joint Stock Company (NAVETCO).



An African swine fever outbreak was first detected in Vietnam in February 2019, and then spread to all 63 provinces and cities nationwide, causing more than 6 million pigs to be culled.



The disease cost Vietnam over 30 trillion VND (1.29 billion USD) in losses, and affected the national consumer price index (CPI) in 2020. Currently, it is still reported in many localities nationwide.



Vietnam began working on researching and producing the vaccine in February 2020 with the help of US experts. Following lab trials, the vaccine has proved to be able to protect at least 80 percent of immunised pigs, which retain immunity for six months.



The ministry enlisted several scientific councils and scientists to evaluate its effectiveness.



Last month, an agency representing US scientists sent a letter to Vietnam, affirming that NAVETCOs vaccine research and evaluation match the results they produced.



The vaccine will first be sold on a small scale and given to around 600,000 pigs aged between 8-10 weeks. Following an evaluation, the ministry will consider nationwide distribution.



In his remarks, US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E. Knapper lauded cooperation between the two countries in addressing such a global issue, stressing that US scientists will continue their cooperation with Vietnam.



At the ceremony, the MARD handed over a licence for commercial vaccine circulation to NAVETCO.



Apart from NAVETCO, Avac Vietnam One Member Ltd (Avac) and Dabaco Group JSC are also capable to research and produce the ASF vaccine.



Vietnam expects to license two other African swine vaccines by the end of this year.
By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev and his Armenian and Russian counterparts - Mher Grigoryan and Alexei Overchuk respectfully, held the 10th meeting of the Tripartite Working Group n Moscow on June 3.

According to the information, the parties discussed and brought together their positions on issues of border, customs and other types of control, as well as the safe passage of citizens, vehicles and goods on roads and railways through the territories of Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Furthermore, the sides exchanged views on possible routes for the passage of the highway, which provides transport links between the western regions of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic through the territory of Armenia.

It was mentioned that the parties will continue to work on the implementation of the agreements between the leaders of the three states regarding the unblocking of transport links in the region.

Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk have signed a number of documents as part of the 20th meeting of the Azerbaijan-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on April 26.

On May 24, the first meeting of border delimitation commissions led by Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev and his Armenian Mher Grigoryan was held on the on the state border in line with the agreement reached between the leaders of the countries in Brussels.

The parties confirmed their willingness to cooperate on delimitation and other matters within the commission's framework. The conference also discussed the commission's joint operations' organizational and procedural difficulties.

To recap, on May 23, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed decrees on the creation of border delimitation and security commissions.

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 districts came under the occupation of Armenian armed forces in the war in the early 1990s.

The deal also stipulated the return of Azerbaijan's Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions. Before the signing of the peace deal, Azerbaijan liberated 300 villages, settlements, city centers, and historic Shusha city that had been under Armenian occupation for about 30 years.

On January 11, 2021, the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders signed the second statement since the end of the 44-day war. The newly-signed statement was set to implement clause 9 of the November 2020 statement related to the unblocking of all economic and transport communications in the region.

On November 26, 2021, the three 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.
The annual Haake Poetry Prize Competition held by the Foundation for Winona Area Public Schools got back to normal after the pandemic with an in person judging and competition.

The WSHS winners are:

First Place ($100 Prize): Freyja Wolfe, Ukraines Destiny; and Lucy Severson, Chaser of Words

Second Place ($50 Prize): Owen Brommerich, Ocean Waves; Sarah Sheridan, For Hope; and Livia Gross Rayfield, Fishing

The WMS winners are:

First Place ($100 prize): Evie OShea, Colors; and Ahniya Morgan, Juneteenth

Second Place ($50 Prize): Lillian Stevens, Inspiration is in All of Us; Jamya Harvey, The Pen; and Jolie Hill, Accept Change

Thank you to all student contestants for their participation with original poetry compositions this year. The Foundation thanks Cassidy Wade, Adam Matson and all of the language arts teachers at WMS and WSHS and the esteemed judges panel.

The judges included Carol Borzyskowski, Ken McCullough and Marcia Ratliff, who lended their expertise to blindly judge the competition.

Carol Borzyskowski is retired from editing, publishing a literary magazine and as a 25-year Associate Librarian. She now spends her time listening to books while she works on her mosaic art pieces. Occasionally she will write poetry and appreciates the chance to read the Haake Poetry entries written by high school and middle school kids.

Our second judge, Ken McCullough, served three terms as Winonas Poet Laureate. His poetry, stories, reviews, translations and illustrations have appeared in a wide variety of magazines and anthologies. He has received numerous awards for his poetry including the Academy of American Poets Award, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, a Pablo Neruda Award, a Galway Kinnell Poetry Prize, the New Millennium Poetry Award, the Blue Light Book Award and the Capricorn Book Award. His most recent book of poetry, Dark Stars, is his ninth. McCullough has worked closely with Cambodian poet U Sam Oeur on Us poetry, Sacred Vows (a bilingual edition), as well as Us memoir, Crossing Three Wildernesses. McCullough edited Crossings: an Anthology of the Poets Laureate Winona Minnesota, Published 2021.

Our final judge, Marcia Ratliff (she/her), a.k.a. Marcie, is a poet, writer, creative thinker, and human in progress based in Winona/Keoxa, Minnesota. Her work explores community and a sense of place, and weaves mindfulness and witness into the cultivation of wonder. Marcia is also the executive director of Engage Winona, a nonprofit that drives equitable civic action and social change.

A debt of gratitude is owed to Dr. Paul Haake, who established this annual poetry competition at the Foundation for Winona Area Public Schools. Haake, a 1950 alumnus of Winona Senior High School and Professor Emeritus at Wesleyan University, honored the memory of his father, Arnold Haake, by endowing the annual poetry prize.

For more information, please call the Foundation for WAPS at 507-494-1004.

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Our story today is called "The Birthmark." It was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Here is Barbara Klein with the story.

A long time ago, there lived a skillful scientist who had experienced a spiritual reaction more striking than any chemical one.

He had left his laboratory in the care of his assistant, washed the chemicals from his hands and asked a beautiful woman to become his wife. In those days new scientific discoveries such as electricity seemed to open paths into the area of miracles. It was not unusual for the love of science to compete with the love of a woman.

The scientist's name was Aylmer. He had so totally given himself to scientific studies that he could not be weakened by a second love. His love for his young wife could only be the stronger of the two if it could link itself with his love of science.

Such a union did take place with truly remarkable results. But one day, very soon after their marriage, Aylmer looked at his wife with a troubled expression.

"Georgiana," he said, "have you ever considered that the mark upon your cheek might be removed"?

"No," she said smiling. But seeing the seriousness of his question, she said, "The mark has so often been called a charm that I was simple enough to imagine it might be so."

"On another face it might," answered her husband, "but not on yours. No dear, Nature made you so perfectly that this small defect shocks me as being a sign of earthly imperfection."

"Shocks you!" cried Georgiana, deeply hurt. Her face reddened and she burst into tears. "Then why did you marry me? You cannot love what shocks you!"

We must explain that in the center of Georgiana's left cheek there was a mark, deep in her skin. The mark was usually a deep red color. When Georgiana blushed, the mark became less visible. But when she turned pale, there was the mark, like a red stain upon snow. The birthmark would come and go with the emotions in her heart.

The mark was shaped like a very small human hand. Georgiana's past lovers used to say that the hand of a magical fairy had touched her face when she was born. Many a gentleman would have risked his life for the honor of kissing that mysterious hand.

But other people had different opinions. Some women said the red hand quite destroyed the effect of Georgiana's beauty.

Male observers who did not praise the mark simply wished it away so that they did not see it. After his marriage, Aylmer discovered that this was the case with himself.

Had Georgiana been less beautiful, he might have felt his love increased by the prettiness of that little hand. But because she was otherwise so perfect, he found the mark had become unbearable.

Aylmer saw the mark as a sign of his wife's eventual sadness, sickness and death. Soon, the birthmark caused him more pain than Georgiana's beauty had ever given him pleasure.

During a period that should have been their happiest, Aylmer could only think of this disastrous subject. With the morning light, Aylmer opened his eyes upon his wife's face and recognized the sign of imperfection. When they sat together in the evening near the fire, he would look at the mark.

Georgiana soon began to fear his look. His expression would make her face go pale. And the birthmark would stand out like a red jewel on white stone.

"Do you remember, dear Aylmer, about the dream you had last night about this hateful mark?" she asked with a weak smile.

"None! None whatever!" answered Aylmer, surprised.

The mind is in a sad state when sleep cannot control its ghosts and allows them to break free with their secrets. Aylmer now remembered his dream. He had imagined himself with his assistant Aminadab trying to remove the birthmark with an operation. But the deeper his knife went, the deeper the small hand sank until it had caught hold of Georgiana's heart.

Aylmer felt guilty remembering the dream.

"Aylmer," said Georgiana, "I do not know what the cost would be to both of us to remove this birthmark. Removing it could deform my face or damage my health."

"Dearest Georgiana, I have spent much thought on the subject," said Aylmer. "I am sure it can be removed."

"Then let the attempt be made at any risk," said Georgiana. "Life is not worth living while this hateful mark makes me the object of your horror. You have deep science and have made great discoveries. Remove this little mark for the sake of your peace and my own."

"Dearest wife," cried Aylmer. "Do not doubt my power. I am ready to make this cheek as perfect as its pair."

Her husband gently kissed her right cheek, the one without the red hand.

The next day the couple went to Aylmer's laboratory where he had made all his famous discoveries. Georgiana would live in a beautiful room he had prepared nearby, while he worked tirelessly in his lab. One by one, Aylmer tried a series of powerful experiments on his wife. But the mark remained.

Georgiana waited in her room. She read through his notebooks of scientific observations. She could not help see that many of his experiments had ended in failure. She decided to see for herself the scientist at work.

The first thing that struck Georgiana when entering the laboratory was the hot furnace. From the amount of soot above it, it seemed to have been burning for ages. She saw machines, tubes, cylinders and other containers for chemical experiments. What most drew her attention was Aylmer himself. He was nervous and pale as death as he worked on preparing a liquid.

Georgiana realized that her husband had been hiding his tension and fear.

"Think not so little of me that you cannot be honest about the risks we are taking," she said. "I will drink whatever you make for me, even if it is a poison."

"My dear, nothing shall be hidden," Aylmer said. "I have already given you chemicals powerful enough to change your entire physical system. Only one thing remains to be tried and if that fails, we are ruined!"

He led her back to her room where she waited once more, alone with her thoughts. She hoped that for just one moment she could satisfy her husband's highest ideals. But she realized then that his mind would forever be on the march, always requiring something newer, better and more perfect.

Hours later, Aylmer returned carrying a crystal glass with a colorless liquid.

"The chemical process went perfectly," he said. "Unless all my science has tricked me, it cannot fail."

To test the liquid, he placed a drop in the soil of a dying flower growing in a pot in the room. In a few moments, the plant became healthy and green once more.

"I do not need proof," Georgiana said quietly. "Give me the glass. I am happy to put my life in your hands." She drank the liquid and immediately fell asleep.

Aylmer sat next to his wife, observing her and taking notes. He noted everything -- her breathing, the movement of an eyelid. He stared at the birthmark. And slowly, with every breath that came and went, it lost some of its brightness.

"By Heaven! It is nearly gone," said Aylmer. "Success! Success!"

He opened the window coverings to see her face in daylight. She was so pale. Georgiana opened her eyes and looked into the mirror her husband held. She tried to smile as she saw the barely visible mark.

"My poor Aylmer," she said gently. "You have aimed so high. With so high and pure a feeling, you have rejected the best the Earth could offer. I am dying, dearest."

It was true. The hand on her face had been her link to life. As the last trace of color disappeared from her cheek, she gave her last breath.

Blinded by a meaningless imperfection and an impossible goal, Aylmer had thrown away her life and with it his chance for happiness. In trying to improve his lovely wife, he had failed to realize she had been perfect all along.

"The Birthmark" was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It was adapted and produced by Dana Demange. Your storyteller was Barbara Klein.

Quiz - The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz



For Teachers

Download the lesson plan for activities related to this story.

____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

chemical - adj. of or relating to chemistry

chemicals  n. elements found in nature or made by people; substances used in the science of chemistry

imperfection - n. a small flaw or bad part

visible - adj. able to be seen

birthmark - n. an unusual mark that is present on the skin from the time when someone is born

Now it's your turn. Do you know of anyone who tries to make other people 'perfect?' Write to us in the comments section.
By Trend

Slovak businesses show growing interest in Azerbaijani market, Slovakian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Milan Laj?iak told Trend.

"Slovakia and Azerbaijan recorded growing trade volume with number of successful business stories, which preceded COVID-19 pandemic. If I should put it in numbers, the trade volume in the period 2015-2020 achieved cumulatively around 170 mil.  with strong positive balance on Slovak side. In other words, yearly average of our trade volume was nearly 30 mil. . Unfortunately, pandemic limitations negatively impacted our trade and the year 2021 was much lower than the above-mentioned average. The good sign is that currently we see gradual revival of our business activities as well as growing interest of Slovak businesses in Azerbaijan market. The Slovak  Azerbaijan Business Forum in October the last year during my visit to Baku showed clearly this promising trend," said the envoy.

He noted that the dominating items of Slovak export are cars, automotive components, precision instruments/machines and cables.

"Azerbaijan export to Slovakia is composed mostly of mineral fuels, dyes, textile and some agriculture products. We are looking now intensively for diversification of our businesses on both sides. As to the Trade houses, we exercise our economic diplomacy through Slovak diplomatic missions abroad in close cooperation with the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency SARIO. In our eyes, it is necessary to have first on both sides our diplomatic missions in our capitals to pursue and support economic goals. Subsequently, when we identify and reveal broader dimensions of cooperation between our countries, we can start to consider opening also Trade houses," said Laj?iak.
TOKYO (AP)  An 83-year-old Japanese adventurer returned home Saturday after successfully completing his solo, nonstop voyage across the Pacific, becoming the oldest person to reach the milestone.

Kenichi Horie arrived in the Kii Strait off Japans western coast, completing his trans-Pacific voyage in 69 days after leaving a yacht harbor in San Francisco in March.

It was the latest achievement for the octogenarian adventurer, who in 1962 became the first person in the world to successfully complete a solo nonstop voyage across the Pacific from Japan to San Francisco.

Sixty years later, he traveled the opposite route.

I just crossed the finish line. Im tired, he wrote in his blog after reaching Japan in the early hours of Saturday.

He said that his sailing boat, Suntory Mermaid III, was to be toed after the sunrise for an expected arrival at his home port of Shin Nishinomiya yacht harbor in the evening. Local media said a welcome ceremony will be held Sunday.

His achievement came after three days of struggle with the pushback from a strong tide. He wrote in his blog Friday that he succeeded but was exhausted and took a nap after feeling assured that his yacht was now on the right track to the finish line.

Hories return to Japan makes him the worlds oldest person to complete a solo, nonstop crossing of the Pacific, according to his sponsors.

Horie has also achieved a number of other long distance solo voyages, including sailing around the world in 1974. His latest expedition was the first since his 2008 solo non-stop voyage on a wave-powered boat from Hawaii to the Kii Strait.

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

By Orkhan Amashov

Viewed by some think-tanks as a middle power punching above its weight, Azerbaijan is conscious that the substantial part of its clout on the international stage is inextricably connected with its energy export prowess. Each bcm delivered to the European market entails a corresponding share of influence and the ability to project power on a grander scale.

Not given to rodomontade, but with imperturbable snob-free confidence and a healthy appreciation of its worth, Azerbaijan is continuing to cement its place in the global market.

The Baku Energy Week (1-4 June) has provided its participants, observers, and the world at large with an excellent opportunity to throw a pervasively piercing glance at the South Caucasus nation's export capabilities and its place in the new world energy order.

Before December 2020, Azerbaijan's role in Europe's energy security architecture was potentially worthy, whereas, over the past year and five months, it has moved beyond a mere potentiality. With the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) westernmost segment of the Southern Gas Corridor becoming operational, Baku's energy sources are now interwoven into the chain of the EU's critical supplies.

The demand for Azerbaijani gas is growing, the potential is here, political will is here, we should not waste time, declared President Ilham Aliyev most emphatically and in a no-nonsense manner that has long characterised him, whilst addressing the 27th International Caspian Oil and Gas Exhibition held on the sidelines of the Baku Energy Week.

The Azerbaijani leader could not have been clearer. At a time when the global energy architecture is being reconstructed and Europe has finally, this time apparently decisively, understood the perilous side of the overreliance on a supplier with whom it has chronically failed to maintain trustworthy relations, Bakus critical role looms larger than ever.

Azerbaijani current gas export stands at 22 bcm per annum, and it is expected this year that the volume will reach 24 bcm. Out of this, 6 bcm goes to Turkiye, and 10 bcm to the EU via the SGC. This volume may appear inconsequential when compared with the 155 bcm per annum provided by Russia prior to the present escalation. Yet there are a couple of critical objections to the inconsequentiality concern.

First of all, it was Europe's currently acknowledged fundamental failure and short-sightedness that led them to rely on a single supplier for such a gargantuan volume. If Brussels aims to rectify itself and embark on a truly fresh journey, it is critical that, in a revised diversification agenda, no supplier should gain a similar proportion.

Secondly, Azerbaijan's 10 bcm is to be augmented. It is projected that the figure could and should be doubled or even, according to some, tripled in the fullness of time.

Thirdly, the nations gas potential is not limited to the Shah Deniz deposit. There is an Umid gas field, for instance, with estimated reserves ranging between 300-600 bcm.

Fourthly, Azerbaijan's role is bespoke and aimed at a specific segment of the EU market, namely the South-Eastern section of the continent. Currently, more than 8 bcm per annum goes to an Italian interconnector. If doubled, the volume could play an indispensable role for Bulgaria and Serbia, both of which have critical ties with Baku.

Given that Bulgaria's annual gas need is around 3.5.-3.7 bcm and Serbia's is 2.7 bcm, Azerbaijan, via the increase in export volumes, will have what it takes to provide sufficient security.

One particular segment reinforced during this week was Azerbaijan's renewable energy potential and export prospects. Baku is in tune with the spirit of the time. Renewable energy sources are not yet Azerbaijans forte, but measures have already literally been taken to create fertile ground for the development of the green energy sector. East Zangazur and Karabakh regions are central to this vision and, in the fullness of time, Baku aims to export renewable energy to its near neighbours.

What is abundantly clear is that whatever augmentation mode is pursued, there will be a need for a massive investment. The optimisation and extension of the SGC are possible through a collective decision requiring consensus between all stakeholders. Thus there is an indubitable political element, demanding will and resolve to step in financially.

President Aliyev has clarified a couple of times, both during his numerous interviews and in his latest address during the Baku Energy Week, that the gas business is constructed in a specific way. The key tenet is that "you first sell gas, sign the contract, then start to invest and extract". In other words, building infrastructure and new connectors comes first.

This means if the EU is truly interested in Azerbaijani gas, it should not merely engage in cheap fine talk, but share the risk and financial responsibility. The idea of a quick interim solution should be shelved, for natural gas is supplied on the basis of long-term contracts.

It is another question as to whether Europe is unreservedly honest in its quest to extricate itself from the clutches of the Kremlin-dominated energy web. The current measures and particularly the sixth package of the sanctions imposed by the EU bespeak nothing but resolute determination.

Specifically, the latest measures stand as a testament to the EUs desire in terms of oil imports. By the end of 2022, Brussels envisions a near-complete ban on this component, yet when it comes to gas supplies, a more phased-out approach is likely to be maintained.
Madison-based WEA Trust, a health insurance company wounded by the passage of the 2011 Republican anti-union law Act 10, will stop offering health insurance at the end of 2022.

The company will lay off 110 employees, it said in a statement, and offer each employee a severance package and at least 60 days notice. It will continue offering long-term care, life and vision coverage for its members.

WEA Trust clients will have until the end of 2022 to find a new insurer. Nearby employers insured by WEA Trust include Reedsburg school district.

The challenges related to healthcare consolidation, the costs associated with the global pandemic, and the drop in the stock market have made it difficult for local, not-for-profit organizations like ours who seek to provide families with high value personal care, company president and CEO Vaughn Vance said in a statement.

It became clear that we had to make the difficult decision to pivot as an organization before we sacrificed what has made WEA Trust unique for many years, Vance continued.

WEA Trust was created by the Wisconsin Education Association Council in 1970 to serve Wisconsin school district employees.

The company insured the vast majority of school districts before former Gov. Scott Walkers Act 10 in 2011 blocked unions from negotiating over benefits, which led school districts to shop for cheaper alternatives, resulting in a stark revenue loss for the company. Conservatives heralded the change, saying it saved school districts tens of millions of dollars around the state.

For years taxpayers across the state were getting a raw deal, Walker said in a 2012 press release. Collective bargaining stymied competition for benefits in the health insurance market, and instead directed property tax revenue to those affiliated with big government union bosses, adding taxpayers were saving millions with the changes he enacted.

WEA Trust has since expanded to cover state, county and municipal workers.

WEA Trust spokesperson Steve Lyons said Act 10 had nothing to do with the companys decision to pull out of the health insurance market in Wisconsin.

Its a difficult decision by WEA Trust, but its also a difficult day for the state of Wisconsin, Lyons said in an interview, adding the companys workers live and work in the state.

When you call WEA Trust, not only do they know how to say Oconomowoc, they know where it is on a map, he said.

This story was corrected to reflect that Columbus School District did not use WEA Trust for health insurance.

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As an only child with devoted parents, artist and interior designer Anastasiya Chepil Craig, who often goes by Nastia, fondly recalls her childhood in Ukraine.

Her parents sought the best education for her, and when she displayed interest in art or music or languages, they got her lessons.

Craig, 41, who designed the bold, contemporary interiors of RED sushi and its sister restaurant, Jacknife, two of the most distinctive places to dine in Madison, as well as the new Forage Kitchen in Middleton, said she became interested in art when she was 11. Her parents, she said, gave her opportunities to study with talented teachers.

Ive been really nostalgic about my hometown, which is Odesa. Its on the Black Sea. Its just a really, really beautiful place. Its considered to be a resort town, Craig said.

Odesa has a unique culture, and its people have unique personalities, she said. I definitely miss that.

It was hard to leave home, she said, and she typically goes back every summer with her daughter, Ilyana, 11. She said shes sad to miss returning this year because of the war with Russia.

Craig, whose ex-husband, a native Wisconsinite, lives in Madison, said shes taken Ilyana to Odesa since she was 4 or 5, and they stay for a few weeks. Her parents, who have remained in Odesa, usually visit them each winter.

She came to the United States at 17 to study interior design at Cazenovia College in upstate New York, 20 miles southeast of Syracuse. After two years, she transferred to New York Institute of Technology, where she got her bachelors degree.

Craig said she studied abroad because interior design was not as prominent in Ukraine. The United States offered better opportunities, so she stayed.

She runs her business, Pink House Designs, and produces her colorful, abstract collage art out of her pink house on Lakeside Street on Madisons South Side.

My dream actually has always been to be an artist. Ive always been creative ... being a designer gave me an opportunity to be in the creative field and create visual experiences for people, she said. I felt like it would be a little bit more reliable rather than being an artist.

Im wondering what came first, the pink house that you live in, or the name of your business?

It was definitely the house. ... I did not want to choose my own name. Maybe it wouldve been easy in some ways, but people always have a hard time pronouncing it.

When you bought the house was it already pink?

It was already pink. I didnt choose that color.

Did you buy it because you liked the color? Was that part of your decision-making?

No, it was not, actually. I did not quite care for it in the beginning. Not because I dont like bright colors because I do, its just that one would not be probably my choice. I would probably choose something a little raspberry, lets say. But over time, it just really grew on me, and I liked how it was sort of distinct in the neighborhood and people always use it as a landmark.

What is it like for you to have your parents staying in Odesa and worrying about their safety?

Its kind of hard to even put in words. First of all, sometimes I still feel like this whole war, its like a bad dream, like Im going to wake up or something and this really is not happening because its just so unbelievable whats going on there in this day and age. Of course, I worry like crazy. Im happy that Odesa is at least not in the midst of the most fighting, but they do try shelling. They do try to throw missiles every single day. They do have a pretty good air defense system. So, most of the missiles get destroyed before they hit their target. But my parents, they hear air raid sirens every single day, sometimes a few times a night, so they have to wake up and go where its safer, so they dont get to sleep a lot. Theyre very tired. Theyre constantly on the lookout, but at this point theyre already used to it, which I know sounds crazy, but the human brain, it gets used to everything, the human kind of experience.

Tell me more about what life has been like for them.

They have at least water and electricity and other things. They dont have gasoline now (because of Russian strikes and panic buying). So, the driving is very, very limited right now. Its been horrible. They are still there and they still refuse to leave, actually.

Could you bring them here?

I could, but they are still refusing, to be honest. ... My mom has a business that is really struggling right now ... but shes doing what she can to save it. Theres a lot of people who work for her that she feels responsible for, including my cousin. Hes helping her with the business. She just doesnt want to leave him on his own. And my dads health is not really good. So, its hard for him to move at this point.

What is your moms business?

She has a business where they sell eyewear, like glasses, and also a line of medical supplies and things like that.

How many other friends and family do you still have in Ukraine?

Well, everyone besides my daughter. I dont have any family here. Im the only child, but I have cousins, and uncles, their kids. Everybody I grew up with, theyre still there.

How often do you communicate with your parents?

Either every day or every other day. Usually, we dont go without talking more than one day.

Is it hard for you to get through?

Most of the time? No. The quality of the call can be pretty bad now. But most of the time its working fine, which is so amazing. Im so grateful that we have the modern methods of communication that were not available when I came to this country.

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Donna Voss opened her blinds Friday morning and saw a police car parked in front of her neighbor's house.

That's when the telephone calls started.

Voss' next door neighbor, retired Juneau County Judge John Roemer, had been shot and killed in his town of Lisbon home by a gunman at 6:30 a.m. Roemer was 68 years old.

Voss first heard from neighbors, and later on reporters, as a massive police presence took shape outside of Roemer's house.

"My husband and I, we were going to go down the street to our garage sales," Voss said in an interview. "Next thing I know I got a call from Juneau County Police saying we need to stay in the house, lock all the doors."

A retiree, Voss remembers Roemer as "a really nice guy." They didn't speak much, only to exchange words as the judge mowed his yard or walked his dogs.

"We'd stop and talk and that was about it," she said.

Roemer's wife and one of his sons had died in recent years, Voss detailed. The judge's two other sons lived with him at the home.

Voss heard from a neighbor that the judge's sons went to the nearby home a law enforcement officer after the shooting.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul confirmed during a press conference Friday that someone at Roemer's residence fled the scene and called the authorities from a neighbor's house.

Even one of Roemer's dogs escaped the home and was running around before a neighbor brought it into their home.

"That poor thing," Voss said. "When I got over there it was whining and whining."

The gunman who killed Roemer had compiled a list of other potential in what Kaul has described as a "targeted act" against the judicial system.

After entering the home, a police tactical unit found the gunman, 56, in Roemer's basement with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was taken to the hospital, and is reported to be in critical condition.

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A gunman shot and killed a retired Juneau County judge Friday morning in what Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul called a targeted act against the judicial system.

The unidentified shooter killed John Roemer, 68, at the judges home in the town of Lisbon around 6:30 a.m., officials said.

State Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, who represents Juneau County, confirmed Roemers death in a statement, adding we never expect violent tragedy to strike in our small, close-knit communities.

During a news conference Friday afternoon, Kaul did not confirm Roemers identity, but said the gunman had compiled a list of other potential targets. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Gov. Tony Evers appeared on the gunmans list.

The attorney general would not release the name of the 56-year-old shooter or identify other potential targets.

So far, the information thats been gathered indicates that it was a targeted act and the targeting appears to be based on some sort of court case or court cases, Kaul said.

Were limited in what information we can provide at this point, Kaul added, citing the ongoing investigation.

The Juneau County Sheriffs Office first responded to the scene after another person in the residence fled to a nearby home and contacted authorities, Kaul said.

A tactical team entered the residence just after 10:30 a.m., and found the gunman, who had shot himself, in the basement, Kaul said. The shooter was hospitalized in critical condition.

Roemer was first elected as a Juneau County Circuit Court judge in 2004 and went on to be reelected in 2010 and 2016. He retired in 2017.

While he was on the bench in Juneau County, Roemer presided over some high-profile cases.

In 2017, he presided over a case in which a Lyndon Station village president had been convicted of 22 counts of sexual assault. Roemer ruled that a juror was not credible and granted Donald Coughlin a new trial, in which he was convicted again.

In 2009, he sentenced a former Necedah religious leader for hiding the corpse of a follower who died from natural causes on her toilet.

Donna Voss, who lived next door to Roemer for 22 years, described him as a really nice guy.

This is not a type of neighborhood where anything ever happens, Voss said.

After the shooting, Voss said Roemers two sons fled to the nearby home of a law enforcement official. Roemers wife and another son had died in recent years, Voss said, and the judge had been living with his two other children.

The other targets on the gunmans list have been notified, and there is no longer a threat to public safety, Kaul said.

The Department of Justice is investigating if other individuals are connected to Fridays shooting.

Kaul appeared at Fridays news conference flanked by Juneau County Sheriff Brent Oleson and Tina Virgil, head of the state Department of Justices Division of Criminal Investigation.

The attorney general said the Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation into the shooting and is often involved in complex investigations of this nature.

Kaul noted that Juneau County deputies were considered witnesses to the incident.

The town of Lisbon is about four miles north of Mauston, the county seat, and 80 miles northwest of Madison.

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A retired Juneau County judge who was gunned down in his home Friday morning had sentenced his alleged killer to six years in prison for armed burglary and other weapons charges in 2005, online court records show.

Douglas K. Uhde, 56, shot and killed John Roemer, 68, after entering the judges home in the town of Lisbon around 6:30 a.m., the state Department of Justice said in a statement Saturday.

Law enforcement officers tried to negotiate with Uhde before entering the residence around 10:15 a.m., the DOJ said. In the home, they found Roemer dead and zip-tied to a chair and Uhde in the basement with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Uhde was taken to the hospital and remains in critical condition, the DOJ said.

Investigators have said Uhde planned to target other government officials and found a list in his vehicle that included Roemer, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, said the official who was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly.

The 56-year-old has an extensive criminal and prison record spanning at least two decades.

In 2005, Uhde was convicted in Adams County Circuit Court of burglary while armed and other weapons offenses, including possession of a short-barreled shotgun or rifle.

Roemer was not the judge at the time the case was initially tried in 2002 but did preside over the withdrawal of Uhdes no contest plea and subsequent reconviction after a court of appeals reversed his earlier conviction, sentencing him to six years in prison and nine years of extended supervision.

Uhde has later convictions for escape/criminal arrest, fleeing an officer, driving a stolen vehicle and obstructing police.

Record of appeals by Douglas Uhde Appeals filed by Douglas K. Uhde, who police say shot and killed retired Juneau County Circuit Court Judge John Roemer in his home Friday morn

His 2005 conviction came at the end of a lengthy series of court fights in the case, which began with an incident in August 2001. After pleading no contest in 2002, Uhde pursued an appeal and succeeded in withdrawing his plea, according to online court records.

After his attorney withdrew from the case, Uhde appears to have represented himself, was reconvicted and appealed again.

For his subsequent offenses, Uhde was sentenced  by other judges  first to 9 months in jail for the escape in 2007, and then seven years in prison and four years of extended supervision for fleeing police and driving a vehicle without the owners permission in 2008.

According to court records, the escape conviction came after Uhde walked away from a job site in Baraboo while an inmate at the Fox Lake Correctional Institution. He pleaded no contest in Dodge County and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. He appealed the conviction because the job site was in Sauk County, but the appeal was denied.

After Uhde escaped, a truck owned by Easter Seals was reported stolen in Wisconsin Dells. Rome police found a salt spreader and other items that had been in the truck 10 days later.

Uhdes former girlfriend told police she was afraid Uhde might come to her house. She received three phones calls from him the next day, according to court records. Uhde told her he was driving a newer pickup truck. Police tracked the call to a pay phone and put the truck under surveillance.

Two days later, a woman spotted Uhde standing in his ex-girlfriends yard. Later that night, police saw a truck fitting the description of the one Uhde was driving outside the ex-girlfriends home and where she worked.

When police got closer, the truck drove away. Following a high-speed chase, Uhde drove the truck into a ditch and field, causing it to burst into flames. Officers found Uhde hiding near a log after he was tracked by a police K9.

Records show Uhde was released on community supervision in 2015, but was returned to prison in 2019. He was released from prison on April 14, 2020, and was under community supervision at the time of the shooting.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Citing staff shortages, the Madison School District on Wednesday let the families of about 700 students know it will not have spots for them in summer school.

In an email, the district told parents and other caregivers that while the district has received a tremendous amount of interest from families looking to participate in (the districts) Summer Semester program ... unanticipated staffing challenges mean we are not able to move forward with your childs enrollment in the Summer Semester.

District spokesperson Tim LeMonds said Friday that there were about 3,420 students enrolled in summer school and another approximately 700 whose families have expressed interest in summer school programming but the district cant accommodate. The district has about 25,500 students total.

Had the district been able to provide spots for all students interested, enrollment would be well above what it was in 2020 and 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic was likely responsible for a reduction in enrollment to 3,505 and 3,992, respectively, according to the state Department of Public Instruction. Summer school in 2020 was online only, while in 2021 there was a hybrid online and in-person model.

But interest this summer, which will also offer online classes, has not rebounded to what it was prior to the pandemic. From 2015 to 2019, summer enrollment ranged between 4,930 and 5,825. Total enrollment is down as well from 2015, when it was about 27,300.

Summer school runs from June 20 to July 29. Enrollment for elementary and middle schoolers ran from March 14 to April 20 by invitation for those students teachers felt needed extra help. High schoolers could sign up beginning in late March. The district offers about 50 different classes across all grade levels.

LeMonds said staff shortages are affecting all classes and summer school sites, but the district is prioritizing spots for students who need remedial help. The Wednesday email says the change in summer enrollment will not affect your childs progression to their next grade level this fall. Students the district cant accommodate this summer will be able to keep their district-issued Chromebooks so they can work independently.

LeMonds said that as the district recruits and hires more summer teachers, it will expand course offerings and enrollment. Hourly pay for teachers this summer is down, however, from last summer now that a one-time infusion of COVID-19 relief money has run out.

LeMonds said the base rate for summer school staff is $28 per hour, or 12% higher than in previous years. But the relief money last year allowed the district to pay $40 an hour. The districts teachers union, Madison Teachers Inc., had not responded to requests for comment.

Wednesdays district email said chronic staff shortages in education continue to impact the (district) community and school districts across the country.

It also pointed to other summer options for students:

The districts Summer Learning Resources hub

, which offers activities students can complete independently, along with links to educational websites.

.

, a partnership between the city of Madison, the district and various youth-serving organizations that have a database of camps, programs and other opportunities for school-age children.

The list of summer camps at

.

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Pro-Life Wisconsin, a Christian-based organization, opposes abortion in every case, even when it is not politically correct.

Legislative director Matt Sande said the group considers any legal or medical exception a loophole, and it favors doctors providing equal care to the pregnant person and fetus  even if it is nonviable.

But the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said induced abortion is an essential component of womens health care. And a recent fact-check by Reuters ruled the statement, Abortion is never medically necessary to save a womans life, as false.

Even the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which lists five doctors from Wisconsin as members, acknowledges that when extreme life-threatening emergencies arise, premature delivery may be indicated. But unlike in an abortion, the group said, Every reasonable attempt to save the babys life would also be a part of our medical intervention.

Dr. Abigail Cutler, an obstetrician and gynecologist who practices in Wisconsin, and Dr. Douglas Laube, a Madison physician who is the former president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, describe myriad circumstances in which an abortion might be necessary to prevent disease or death.

Laube and Cutler note that pregnancy can make any underlying condition worse, such as chronic kidney disease, heart disease, high blood pressure, connective tissue disorders, or recent heart attack, stroke or brain bleeds.

There is a tremendous physiologic burden on the pregnant woman, Laube said. This oftentimes begins very early in pregnancy. Any condition which can be made worse by pregnancy is a potential threat to the life of the mother, he said.

Cutler said risky medical conditions can also arise during pregnancy. And the point of no return  the moment at which a physician must intervene so as to prevent death  isnt always so clear.

Generally speaking, the line at which point, you know, a patient is imminently about to lose her life, sometimes its more obvious than others, she said.

One potentially deadly complication that worries many OB-GYNs, Cutler said, is preterm premature rupture of membranes. In this scenario, the water breaks prior to fetal viability. That can lead to a fatal sepsis infection or dangerous hemorrhaging for the patient  but not immediately.

Cutler said physicians must decide how far along on that spectrum a patient must be before you, as a physician, say, Im worried that if we dont end this pregnancy now that she could die from sepsis, or that she will lose too much blood bleeding out and we wont be able to resuscitate her, she said.

Who decides?

Physicians practicing under those circumstances will face an untenable choice over whether to perform a lifesaving abortion that could put them at risk of criminal prosecution.

Who decides that? How many people must agree? How much time do you have to make that decision? How critically ill or on the threshold of death does the patient have to be? Cutler asks.

And she said doctors will have to ask themselves, Do I risk facing prison time and thousands of dollars to intervene with what I think is my best medical judgment? Or do I hold off doing what my medical judgment and experience and training is telling me to do to ensure that what I do will be considered legal? And then, what if she dies because I didnt act? Or what if she dies because I didnt act quickly enough?

Nearly all deaths under those circumstances, Laube said, would be preventable, adding, Its more politics than it is medicine at this point.

Post-birth risks

And if people are forced to carry unwanted or risky pregnancies to term? They face severe injury or death during or shortly after birth. Hundreds of women in Wisconsin experience one or more severe maternal morbidities  which the Department of Health Services calls near misses with death  each year. At least 25 women die annually during or within one year of pregnancy, DHS reports.

For Black women, the risks are far higher. Compared with their white counterparts, non-Hispanic Black women in Wisconsin are five times more likely to die during or shortly after pregnancy.

Adds Cutler: I think the laws need to make room and trust physicians, with all their medical training and expertise, to have their patients best interests at heart, and to know what the appropriate interventions are to ensure that a patient gets the care that they need.
About 50 abortion rights supporters stood on the bridge over the Wisconsin River into Sauk City on a sunny Saturday morning in mid-May.

They held signs reading CHOICE and PROTECT ROE v. WADE and cheered when passing cars honked in support.

Jennie Klecker brought three generations of her family out on the bridge for the demonstration: her mother and her daughter and niece, in the sixth and ninth grades.

Im here for them, she said, gesturing to the girls. They shouldnt be forced to be mothers. These are human rights.

A local group, Indivisible Sauk Prairie, organized the bridge demonstration. Across the state and country that Saturday, thousands gathered to protest in anticipation of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization that is expected to overturn the 49-year-old precedent guaranteeing a constitutional right to an abortion.

A recent Marquette University Law School poll found 69% of people nationwide oppose overturning the landmark decision. A Marquette poll from last year found 61% of Wisconsin residents support the right to an abortion in all or most cases.

While the Supreme Courts final decision seems nearly certain to reverse federal protections for abortion rights, its impact on Wisconsin is far from clear. Observers agree that the state will see a legal battle over whether Wisconsin reverts back to a law from 1849  a near-total ban on abortion passed 71 years before women had the right to vote.

That law makes it a Class H felony for anyone other than the mother to intentionally (destroy) the life of an unborn child. The maximum penalty is six years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The law provides an apparent exception for medically necessary abortions  referred to by an antiquated term therapeutic abortion  to save the life of the mother.

But what would constitute a legally allowable abortion? That is a daunting question for physicians across Wisconsin  not just those who specialize in providing abortion care  as they could soon face criminal prosecution for providing what they believe is life-saving care.

That uncertainty alone is going to likely severely limit, if not completely cut off, all abortion access in Wisconsin, said Dr. Abigail Cutler, an obstetrician and gynecologist who practices in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Hospital Association did not respond to email and phone messages asking how overturning Roe would affect patients ability to get medically necessary abortions at hospitals.

In an interview, Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul said the 173-year-old abortion ban may be unenforceable under a legal doctrine which holds that a long-unenforced law essentially becomes invalid. Kaul has vowed not to enforce that draconian law if Roe falls.

Wisconsin has multiple abortion laws passed after the 1973 Roe decision, including several passed under former Republican Gov. Scott Walker. One could make an argument, Kaul said, that these statutes  which are currently enforced, as opposed to the 19th-century ban  could imply that the right to an abortion remains intact in Wisconsin.

We are in a process right now of evaluating what the different legal options are in the state, Kaul said. But who files those or what the exact arguments raised are, I cant say.

Hostile landscape

Wisconsins abortion laws are already considered restrictive.

Over the previous decade, under Walker, Wisconsins GOP majority in the Legislature passed a series of restrictions that turned the states landscape from leans hostile to hostile to abortion rights, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which researches sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Today, Wisconsin has only four clinics providing elective abortion procedures: two in Milwaukee, one in Madison and one in Sheboygan. Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin operates three of the four clinics, and Affiliated Medical Services operates one of the Milwaukee locations.

Over the past 45 years, the number of Wisconsin abortions has declined significantly. In 1976, the state Department of Health Services reported 14,243 induced abortions, rising to a high of 21,754 in 1980. By 2020, that number had dropped to 6,430.

UW-Madisons Collaborative for Reproductive Equity (CORE) said Wisconsin already restricts many aspects of abortion, including banning government-funded insurance coverage, limiting availability through family planning programs, requiring mandatory counseling, ultrasounds and waiting periods for medication and surgical abortions and gestational limits, among other restrictions.

For example, Wisconsin law only allows licensed physicians to perform abortions, even though other medical professionals including nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and physician assistants can and do provide safe abortions in other states.

In Wisconsin, doctors must provide counseling and obtain spoken consent, both in person, at least 24 hours before administering care. In practice, that can put patients beyond the 20-week gestational limit.

None of these restrictions are evidence-based, said CORE director Jenny Higgins. Theres no medical reason for any of these restrictions.

Early challenge

In 1970, just three years prior to Roe v. Wade, a panel of federal judges in the Eastern District of Wisconsin decided a case called Babbitz v. McCann. A physician sought an injunction against the Milwaukee County District Attorney E. Michael McCann, arguing that the abortion statute was unconstitutional.

The court agreed, holding that under the Ninth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a woman has the basic right ... to decide whether she should carry or reject an embryo which has not yet quickened or started to move.

According to UW associate law professor Miriam Seifter, the judges found a right to privacy based on precedents dating back to the late 19th century. But the impact of that decision is complicated, Seifter said. As a federal district court decision, its not formally binding. Instead, it serves as persuasive authority  and may seem less persuasive depending on the Supreme Courts eventual ruling in Dobbs.

In other words, although the judges in 1970 found a federal constitutional right to abortion in Wisconsin, courts today are not required to follow that ruling.

Theres a tangled series of abortion-related laws in Wisconsin, Seifter added. Most likely some court will need to figure out whether those statutes are enforceable or compatible (and) how to read them together.

And any challenge filed in state court would likely end up before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, currently controlled by a 4-3 conservative majority. Justice Brian Hagedorn, sometimes a swing voter, was endorsed by two Wisconsin anti-abortion groups. Next Aprils Supreme Court election could shift the balance with the retirement of conservative Justice Patience Roggensack.

At the Capitol

Meanwhile, Wisconsins Republican legislative leadership remains mum on any post-Roe plans.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg  as well as ardent abortion opponent Sen. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere  did not respond to Wisconsin Watchs emailed questions about their plans. Vos staff shared a prepared statement that read, in part, Ive always been proudly pro-life. If this is the final ruling, it will empower states to make their own decisions.

Wisconsin Democrats have tried and failed to shore up abortion rights, and at this point, any attempts to pass new legislation would be largely symbolic.

Two prominent anti-abortion groups in Wisconsin celebrated the possible end to Roe, but they have separate visions for the future.

Wisconsin Right to Life, a non-religious organization, supports exceptions that allow for medically necessary abortions, legislative director Gracie Skogman said. However, the group opposes an exception for rape or incest  which also is not in the 1849 law.

Our position has always been to support women who are in their utmost need, and when we think about the heartbreaking situation of rape, that is the utmost violence against women, she said. But an abortion only continues that cycle of violence.

Pro-Life Wisconsin, a Christian-based organization, opposes abortion in every case, even when it is not politically correct, per their website. Legislative director Matt Sande said the group considers any legal or medical exception a loophole and favors doctors providing equal care to the pregnant person and fetus  even if it is nonviable.

He argues that removing a medical exception will not prevent people from obtaining life-saving treatment for ectopic pregnancies  which involves removing a non-viable embryo from the fallopian tubes  because legally such operations are not considered abortions.

Pro-Life Wisconsin also opposes contraception, but Sande said the group has no plans to push for a legislative ban on contraception.

Enforcement unclear

In the interim, while court battle lines form, access to abortions would certainly diminish.

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin will pause providing abortions until theres clarification from the court of competent jurisdiction, declaring that (1849) law is not enforceable, said Mike Murray, vice president of governmental relations for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, the largest provider of elective abortion care.

Were physicians to continue providing abortions in any of the four clinics  or in any other setting  enforcement of laws prohibiting abortion would lie with prosecutors.

So long as Kaul remains in office, the Wisconsin Department of Justice will not investigate abortions, he said. But the Democrat is facing reelection in November. Two of his Republican challengers, Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney and former lawmaker Adam Jarchow, have both tweeted support for a decision overturning Roe. Toney also criticized Kauls refusal to enforce the old law.

Local prosecutors in Dane, Milwaukee and Sheboygan counties could choose to pursue charges against providers if abortions continued.

None of these district attorneys  Democrats Ismael Ozanne and John Chisholm and Republican Joel Urmanski  returned multiple emails and phone calls asking if they would prosecute physicians providing abortions if Roe is overturned. However, in 2020, Chisholm signed an open letter announcing he would not prosecute anti-abortion laws.

The future of abortion rights in Wisconsin, then, likely lies at the ballot box, in statewide and local elections for governor, attorney general, Supreme Court, state Legislature and district attorney.

Its scary, said Jennie Klecker, out on the Sauk City bridge. Kleckers life was saved by removing an ectopic pregnancy that occurred between the births of two of her children. And some of these laws ... she said, her voice drowned out as honks from passing cars sound off in support of abortion rights.

Im here for their future. Im here for my future and (the future of) women in general.
By Trend

A service meeting led by the Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov has been held at the Central Command Post, Trend reports via the ministry.

The meeting was attended by deputies of the defense minister, commanders of types of troops, chiefs of main departments, departments and services of the ministry. Commanders of the Army Corps and formations stationed in the territories liberated from Armenian occupation [in the 2020 Second Karabakh War] were also involved in the meeting via video teleconference.

Hasanov delivered to the meeting participants the tasks assigned to the Azerbaijan Army by the President of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev.

During the meeting, the activities of the types of troops over the past month were assessed, the issues of combat readiness, moral-psychological state, defense system and its comprehensive provision were highlighted, and relevant instructions to the command staff were given to further increase the combat capability of troops, as well as improve interoperability.

The importance of increasing the intensity and quality of exercises and practical training conducted in real combat conditions was also stressed.

The minister gave specific instructions to maintain a high level of combat readiness and take immediate and adequate response measures to possible provocations against the units.

Besides, Hasanov instructed to study the individual and psychological characteristics of young conscripts to be called up for active military service, their adaptation to military service, ensuring the safety of military personnel and protection of their health.

At the same time, the activities of the National Defense University, established to improve the management of military education in the framework of measures taken to bring the Azerbaijan Army in line with the standards of the Turkish Armed Forces, were highly appreciated.

The minister instructed the relevant officials on the eve of the 26 June  Armed Forces Day, as always, to keep the families of war veterans and martyrs, who sacrificed their lives for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, in the spotlight.

The importance of continuation of the necessary measures for engineering support and organizing the troops service in military units stationed in the liberated territories, as well as improving military infrastructure and paying special attention to safety rules was emphasized.
After the massacre in Uvalde, Texas, mental health care is enjoying a fleeting moment of attention. This ought to be a good sign, but its not. Thats because too many politicians and public commentators are conflating two issues that deserve separate attention, separate solutions. We need desperately to upgrade the social safety net for psychological services, but that would not prevent mass murders.

Politicians and pundits  especially those on the right  have promoted better mental health services as an answer to the problem of gun violence, but their arguments are specious. Improved psychological resources might help bring down the rate of suicides  it would surely help with the death rate from drug overdoses  but better mental health care is hardly the answer for keeping people with murderous intent from using firearms.

Psychiatrists cannot predict which among the many troubled Americans  angry, alienated, bitter, paranoid  will purchase battlefield weapons to take out their anguish on others. As academic psychiatrist Jonathan Metzl said in a PBS interview in 2019, Most of the research shows that people with mental illness are actually less likely than the general population to go on to shoot somebody else or to commit mass violence. Metzl noted that the general profile for mass murderers  white male, angry, slightly paranoid, disaffected, isolated  would fit hundreds of thousands of Americans, most of whom will never shoot anyone.

Yes, Congress ought to be able to come to a compromise to pass a national red flag law, which would give police and courts a path to temporarily prevent firearms purchases or seize firearms from a person exhibiting threatening behavior. Thats a modest enough step toward gun safety. Most such restrictions expire after a year.

And they dont always work. The shooter who opened fire on a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, had threatened mass murder about a year before he carried out his crime, a threat that led to a psychological evaluation. Still, New York authorities did not use the states red flag law to stop him from purchasing weapons.

The Uvalde shooter was reportedly an 18-year-old man from a dysfunctional home whose adolescence had been marked by alienation and bullying. He apparently showed many signs of acute psychological distress, frequently posting threats of violence on social media accounts. According to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, he had posted on Facebook his intention to shoot his grandmother  which he carried out before his attack on the school. Its deeply distressing that his threats werent taken seriously.

Perhaps his shooting spree would have been prevented if Texas had a red flag law. Perhaps. But the Uvalde police could not bring themselves to enter the schoolhouse once the shooting had started. Would they have roused themselves to prevent the shooter from buying weapons?

Cowed by the gun lobby, conservative politicians have abandoned logic and jettisoned common sense to overlook the key factor in the nations plague of gun violence: guns. Gov. Abbott has mandated unannounced, random intruder detection audits on school districts to determine whether strangers are able to sneak into schools unnoticed. Measures designed to deter random intruders will inconvenience parents and other legitimate visitors, but they wont stop a determined killer with a gun.

Of course we should have a serious, rational discussion about improving mental health services. Given the epidemic of teen suicides, that discussion is overdue. The United States is a wealthy country, but we dont use our wealth to shore up the social safety net or promote the common good.

Our medical care system is a profit-based scheme that poorly serves those without deep pockets. Mental health care is especially skimpy. Even those with health insurance can expect to have to shoulder much of the financial burden should they pursue routine therapeutic care. Laws mandating that insurance companies provide parity with physical health care havent managed to change that dynamic. We can do much better to serve those who need mental health resources.

We can also do more to keep firearms from the hands of murderers. The way to do that is to require background checks and waiting periods for gun purchases  for everyone.

Tucker won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2007: cynthia@cynthiatucker.com.
This State Journal editorial ran on June 3, 1997:

The federal jury that found Timothy McVeigh guilty of killing 168 innocent people must now decide if he should pay with his own life. Most Americans would agree that convicted mass murderer McVeigh deserves to die, but executing him would cause more problems than it would solve.

McVeigh was convicted Monday of blowing up the federal building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in a heartless plot to avenge the FBI siege at Waco, Texas, and to spark a second American revolution. The Oklahoma City truck bombing took place April 19, 1995; the Waco siege ended in a tragic fire exactly two years earlier. Beginning Wednesday, the jury returns for the penalty phase of the trial. Only on a unanimous vote by all 12 jurors can McVeigh be executed.

Killing McVeigh might make some of the families and friends of his victims feel better, but it cannot bring the dead back to life.

A dull victory is how the father of one bombing victim described the verdict handed down in Denver. The bottom line is my little girl isnt coming back, and I have the rest of my life to deal with that.
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators met Tuesday on Zoom to continue exploring a compromise on gun safety legislation, just as more families in Uvalde, Texas, held funerals for some of 19 children and two teachers slaughtered there at an elementary school last week.

Were not naive enough to think that Congress will finally break from the gun lobby and embrace landmark reforms, like banning military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. But even more modest steps can help, as Florida showed in the aftermath of its own tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland four years ago.

Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty in October to murdering 17 and wounding 17 others at Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018. While a jury is being selected to decide whether Cruz, now 23, is sentenced to death or life in prison, Florida lawmakers didnt wait to adopt wide-ranging reforms that Republicans supported and that then-Gov. Rick Scott signed into law.

The legislation banned weapons sales to those younger than 21, imposed a three-day waiting period on most long-gun purchases and created a red flag law allowing authorities to temporarily confiscate weapons from people deemed to be a threat to themselves or others. Lawmakers dedicated $400 million for mental health and school security programs, and set aside $97.5 million in recurring funding for more school resource officers.

The bill mandated more frequent active shooter drills, and school districts hardened their campuses to improve security. Another controversial provision allowed some school professionals to volunteer as armed campus guardians. Signed into law only weeks after the Parkland shooting, the legislation shows what can be accomplished when lawmakers on both sides focus on solutions instead of scoring political points. ...

Red flag laws are critical tools for buying time for those in a crisis. Florida is among 18 states that have risk protection orders, and states like Florida and California  which have used them thousands of times  have treated them as essential methods for protecting public safety. In Hillsborough County, law enforcement agencies have asked to seize peoples guns more than 900 times since the law went into effect, according to records from the Hillsborough Clerk of the Circuit Court. In the Pinellas-Pasco Circuit, cops have sought risk protection orders more than 450 times since the fall of 2020. The law could be improved by giving regular citizens the power to bring forward petitions. Family members and friends, after all, are often the first to spot a loved one in trouble. But this is a simple strategy to apply nationwide.

Aside from incentivizing states to adopt red flag laws, the bipartisan Senate group is examining ways to expand background checks for firearms sales. Those checks should be expanded to include firearms bought through private and online transactions. States should also toughen penalties against owners who leave their firearms unsecured in unlocked vehicles, a key pipeline for gun theft and violence across America.

In addition, states need to expand ready access to mental health counseling. Last month, major health care providers in the Tampa Bay area, including BayCare and Tampa General Hospital, announced a new partnership to help stabilize individuals suffering an immediate mental health crisis. The program includes telecounseling for those who face long waits for help from local crisis care providers. Again, timing is key. And states and the federal government can build on what works instead of holding out for the impossible.

Americans are rightly frustrated with Congress over gun safety laws, but resignation is not a strategy. Majorities in both parties favor expanded background checks and preventing those with mental illnesses from purchasing guns. Congress and the states need to strike where common ground exists. Thats the first step in keeping more schools and groceries from becoming killing fields.
Queer is a verb

Queer was once an insult; now, people wear this name with pride. And it goes beyond being merely an identity marker  now, queering is a verb. So what does it mean to queer all the things?

Our service Sunday will be both in person at our location 160 Ninth Ave. E. in as well as on Zoom. To access Zoom, please email mvuuf83301@yahoo.com for sign in information. In the subject line write Zoom Service June 5th.

Newcomers of all religious paths or none at all are always welcome. Unitarian Universalists believe in the dignity of every person regardless of race, creed or none at all, immigrant status or sexual orientation.

Everyone is welcome, no exceptions. We believe in justice, equality and compassion in human relations; and acceptance of one another. We are handicapped accessible in rear.

Please park in the rear of the building or on the street in front or the side of the building. Child care is available.

Join us at 10: 30 a.m., Sunday.

For further information, please call 208-410-8904, email us at mvuuf83301@yahoo.com or visit magicvalleyUU.org. When calling, please state your name in order to be connected.

Pentecost at Ascension

The Episcopal Church of the Ascension, Twin Falls, invites the community as we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost at 9 a.m. Sunday, June 5th. The congregation is invited to wear red, symbolizing the flames of fire of the Holy Spirit. Childcare may be available though children are welcome in the sanctuary for worship.

A fellowship time will take place after the service.

The service will be online as well as in person. To view, click on the link at episcopaltwinfalls.org or go to Ascensions YouTube channel The Episcopal Church of the AscensionTwin Falls.

Training for those who would like to be Eucharistic Visitors will be held after coffee hour. This ministry is for those who would like to take communion to parishioners who are not able to attend worship services in person.

Ascension Episcopal Church is handicapped accessible and is located at 371 Eastland Drive N. More information about Ascension can be found at ascension.episcopalidaho.org or 208-733-1248.

To submit an item, email it in plain text to frontdoor@magicvalley.com.

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The regional branch of the U.S. Housing and Urban Development agency that includes Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington announced a new effort to boost the housing supply across all four states through a national initiative called Our Way Home, according to a press release.

HUD will host roundtable discussions and listening sessions in the coming months, as well as peer learning opportunities to connect cities, counties, tribal communities and state governments with the tools and resources to build more affordable housing. The initiative will also serve as an opportunity for the agency to collect feedback and ideas for improvements to its existing programs, according to the release.

President Joe Biden announced a nationwide plan to increase affordable housing developments in late May, with a list of more than a dozen actions the administration intends to take within the next five years. The list includes expanding and improving existing forms of federal financing such as the low income housing tax credit, working with the private sector to address supply chain issues and improve building techniques, and establishing a new grant program to help eliminate barriers to development, including permitting for manufactured home communities. Through the American Rescue Plan Act, communities across the country also now have access to $5 billion in HOME grants.

Regional Housing and Urban Development Administrator Margaret Solle Salazar announced the initiative publicly on Wednesday in Boise with Mayor Lauren McLean and Idaho Housing and Finance Association President Gerald Hunter. She applauded the state of Idahos establishment of the Workforce Housing Trust Fund and the city of Boises efforts around housing, according to the release.

As part of the Our Way Home initiative, HUD will continue to elevate community wins and learn from communities that are building and preserving affordable homes. The Department will engage communities in discussions on housing supply policies and resources in the coming months.

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The World Health Organization declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020. The coronavirus had spread to at least 114 countries by then, and  though nobody knew it at the time  was already in Idaho.

Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly. It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in prepared remarks that day.

That was 814 days ago, and the WHO has yet to declare the pandemic over. But daily life in Idaho and much of the U.S. has resumed a kind of pre-pandemic status quo. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shifted its focus away from trying to keep people from catching COVID-19, toward keeping hospitals from being crushed by the disease.

But as new varieties of the omicron variant spread, Idaho heads into summer with a growing number of reported and unreported COVID-19 cases.

How many new cases of COVID-19 does Idaho have?

New cases COVID-19 are on the rise, according to numbers reported by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfares Division of Public Health. The good news: That rise starts from a very low point, because the original omicron variant burned through Idaho over the winter. The bad news: Those numbers are probably a drastic undercount of cases.

Officially reported COVID-19 cases have always been a somewhat unreliable indicator of how much virus is spreading in Idaho. Some people didnt have symptoms. Some chose not to get tested. Some people couldnt get tested. And, according to previous Idaho Capital Sun reporting, some patients tests may have been reported as negative when they were actually positive.

But this year, two more factors could suppress the number of cases reported to public health officials:

Home testing kits are widely available for purchase, and the federal government just opened another round of free test kit deliveries to households through the U.S. Postal Service. (The rapid antigen tests may be less effective at detecting the virus, especially with new variants circulating, according to research studies. Lab tests, conducted by health care providers or through a pharmacy or clinic, are considered the gold standard). Congress has failed to reauthorize federal funding to support COVID-19 testing for people who lack health insurance. It is unclear what effect this had on testing for Idahoans. But if history is a guide, it has an effect. The program covered more than $22.5 million of COVID-19 tests for uninsured Idahoans before Congress allowed it to expire.

So, what are Idahos leading indicators for COVID, then?

Wastewater, test positivity rates and federal reports are three ways to keep tabs on the pandemic in Idaho. They each have their pros and cons.

What test positivity and wastewater say about COVID in Idaho

When more than 5% of COVID-19 tests  those officially reported to public health agencies  are positive, that means the COVID-19 virus is spreading unchecked in a community.

Idahos positivity rate peaked in mid-January at 37.9% as the original omicron variant rampaged through the state. Positivity dropped to record lows this spring, and is now on a steady climb. The Division of Public Health reported Thursday that Idahos positivity rate is now 9%, up from 7.2% last week.

The coronavirus infects virtually every organ system throughout the body. That means, when a person has COVID-19, they shed pieces of the virus in their bodily waste  especially stool  and that waste ends up in sewers.

Thats why scientists began to take samples of wastewater and look for traces of the virus in each liter they gathered.

Trends, not daily numbers, are the key. Nobody knows how much coronavirus each person sheds when theyre infected. When wastewater numbers are rising steadily, though, it generally means that more people are getting infected in the community.

There are several wastewater testing sites in Idaho. Two are in Boise, which reports coronavirus levels through a dashboard at cityofboise.org.

Dr. Christopher Ball, who leads the Idaho Bureau of Laboratories, said in a press briefing in March that 18 of 30 community wastewater sites in Idaho had agreed to participate in a statewide wastewater testing program.

Others are displayed on the CDCs wastewater testing website, but several of the new sites have limited data, and even long-standing sites in Ada and Latah counties dont always show up with recent data on the CDC map.

The testing company Biobot Analytics Inc., which has a nationwide testing program, shows recent data for both Ada and Latah counties on its website, biobot.io/data. The current levels in both counties are at peaks that rival the last big surge, according to Biobot.

Haley Falconer, the citys environmental division manager, told Boise State Public Radio in December that, watching the COVID-19 presence in wastewater during the pandemic, there was about a five-to-seven day leading indicator from an increase in viral load in the wastewater to an increase in clinical cases.

Colin Hickman, communications senior manager for the city of Boise, told the Idaho Capital Sun that the city delivers wastewater samples to a laboratory at Boise State University three times a week  Monday, Wednesday and Friday  except for federal holidays.

We get data either that same day or up to 1-2 days later if the lab does not have the capacity to test samples due to limited staff, Hickman said in an email.

The citys COVID-19 wastewater dashboard automatically updates at noon every day, Hickman said.

The CDCs mixed message on COVID in communities

This year, the CDC shifted its public message on COVID-19 risks  creating two sets of guidelines and maps.

One set shows how much COVID-19 is spreading in a community. Those community transmission levels, which reflect how much virus is spreading in the community, were previously used to set guidelines for the general public. The CDC now says theyre meant for health care organizations. The corresponding map of Idaho on June 2 showed the state almost entirely at high transmission levels. Several counties had moderate or substantial transmission rates, but only Idahos most sparsely populated counties were at a low level.

The CDC built a new set of community level guidelines and maps for the general public. It is based on how much of a burden COVID-19 is putting on the community as a whole  how many hospital beds are taken by COVID-19 patients, for example. The corresponding map of Idaho on June 2 was almost entirely green, at a low community level, with medium and high levels emerging in the Southwest. Adams and Payette counties were at the yellow medium level. Washington County reached the red high level.

The CDC still published status reports on a daily and weekly basis, though, that can provide more insight into what is happening in Idaho.

The CDCs Community Profile Report gives an update on COVID-19 across the country, every week day. The reports maps for June 1 show rapid rises in cases in the Treasure Valley and part of North Idaho, with a sustained hotspot in the Treasure Valley, but nowhere else in Idaho as of May 31. That makes it a community with a high sustained case burden that may be at risk of straining their health care resources, the CDC says.

Many Idaho counties have high, and rising, rates of test positivity. Almost all counties also saw an uptick in COVID-19 hospitalizations. Nowhere in Idaho does COVID-19 take up more than 15% of ICU capacity, and deaths remain low, the maps show.

The CDC also publishes a weekly report by state. Idahos report for May 27 showed cases per capita rising 30% from the prior week; positivity rate up to 11.5% from 9.8%; and the number of hospital admissions per capita up 43% from the prior week.

A more transmissible subvariant of omicron, BA.2.12.1, is starting to gather steam. It made up a growing share of infections, an estimated 10% of all cases, the report said.

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MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (AP)  A federal appeals court has upheld part of a 2020 Connecticut police accountability law that allows public disclosure of state trooper personnel files and internal investigations.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York on Thursday rejected a challenge by the Connecticut State Police Union, which argued the law violates the 2018-2022 troopers' contract by stripping away its exemptions to state freedom of information laws.

The contract section in question says troopers' personnel files and documents in internal investigations that end with no finding of wrongdoing are not subject to disclosure.

A three-judge panel of the appeals court upheld a lower court ruling against the union.

Because we conclude that the law the union sought to enjoin was reasonable and necessary to achieve a legitimate public purpose, we identify no error in the District Courts legal or factual conclusions, the panel wrote.

A message seeking comment was left with the state police union on Friday. It wasn't immediately clear if the union plans to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Proponents of the 2020 law said it answered the calls for reform after the police killings of George Floyd and other Black people. It also created a new state inspector general to investigate police use-of-force cases statewide, limited circumstances in which deadly use of force can be justified, and allowed lawsuits in state courts against officers in certain cases.

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

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KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP)  The state of Alaska has sold the ferry named Malaspina to a business group in a deal aimed at giving the ship a new life and preventing it from being scrapped.

The Malaspina, built in 1963, was one of the original ferries in the state's ferry fleet. It was moored in late 2019 after the state transportation department said the vessel wouldn't sail as part of the fleet again because of its age and the cost of needed repairs.

Businessmen John Binkley and David Spokely on Wednesday signed paperwork to buy the ship for $128,250, the Ketchikan Daily News reported.

Binkley is president of the M/V Malaspina LLC, a subsidiary of the Spokely and Binkley families joint business entity, the Ward Cove Dock Group LLC. The purchase was made by the subsidiary.

John Falvey, the ferry system's general manager, in a statement said the transportation department "didnt want just any future for the Malaspina, and we certainly did not want her sold for scrap metal. This gives her a retirement we can be proud of. The ferry system falls under the transportation department.

Binkley, in a March letter of intent to purchase the vessel, said the hope is to create a museum onboard the ferry to showcase the history of the state ferry system. He wrote that his partners would plan to explore ways that the ferry could be used by students working toward maritime careers.

Binkley, in an email to The Associated Press on Friday, called the Malaspina a beautiful ship and we feel privileged to be the caretaker for the next chapter in her storied life.

He said the ferry fits in with the broader development he and his partners have been involved with in the area where the Malaspina is located, including construction of a cruise ship dock and refurbishment of an old pulp mill.

Earlier this year, the state opened a bidding process for the ferry's sale.

Applicants were asked to submit, among other things, documentation demonstrating that you are technically and financially capable of relocating, refurbishing, operating and maintaining the vessel, and any considerations to preserve the vessels historical value and positively promote the Alaska Marine Highway System.

The state limited the request to U.S. buyers that intend to retain the ship in Alaska, and said letters of interest that propose scuttling the vessel are not being considered at this time.

The Malaspina is the fifth ferry system vessel sold by Alaska officials over the past 20 years.

The state in 2018 sold the ferry named Taku to a Dubai-based company for about $170,000. The company ultimately had it dismantled for scrap metal.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Ketchikan (Alaska) Daily News.

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RENO, Nev. (AP)  Nevada will divest investments valued at $89 million in companies that profit from the manufacture or sale of assault-style weapons, state treasurer Zach Conine announced Thursday. The decision adds the state to the list of those that have exempted firearm businesses from their portfolios in recent years.

Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York City are among places in the U.S. that have taken similar steps and Conine called on treasurers around the U.S. to follow suit.

We have a moral obligation not to just offer thoughts and prayers, but to act, said Conine, a Democrat. And we have a financial obligation to rid ourselves of investments that carry this much risk.

The announcement came nine days after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers after storming an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, with a military-style rifle.

An initial review by the Nevada treasurers office identified about $89 million in investments that would be subject to the new policy. That represents just a fraction of a state's overall investment portfolio of nearly $50 billion.

Conine said that investments that cannot be divested profitably soon will be sold when officials can do so.

He recalled tearfully dropping off his three children at school last week with and a discussion at his child's pre-K graduation about how to evacuate in case of a shooting.

Nevada has the 16th highest rate of gun deaths in the country with an average of 519 per year, according to Gov. Steve Sisolak's office.

Nevada also is home to the headquarters of one of the leading gun manufacturers in the country, Polymer80, a main manufacturer of ghost guns, or unfinished frames and receivers that can be made into full guns.

The Biden administration announced in April that unfinished frames and receivers would be included into the federal firearm definition.

Conine's announcement came a day before National Gun Violence Awareness Day.

Stern 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 undercover issues.

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

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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

A combination of chemotherapy with an immunotherapy meant to unleash the anticancer capacity of the immune system was effective against one of the hardest targets in cancer care, pancreatic cancer, in a national, randomized clinical trial led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and sponsored by the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.

The results of the small but promising trial were announced today in a presentation at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago, and simultaneously published in Nature Medicine.

The researchers found that in 34 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer randomized to receive the immunotherapy nivolumab with two chemotherapy drugs, nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine, had a one-year survival rate of 57.7 percent, significantly greater than the historical average of 35 percent with chemotherapy alone. The findings also included the identification of immune system biomarkers associated with better outcomes. A second treatment of the immunotherapy sotigalimab with chemotherapy also appeared more effective in a subgroup of patients, identified with a different set of biomarkers.

"This study suggests there is benefit of combining immunotherapy and chemotherapy in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer and there may be ways to fine tune treatment choices based on the 'immune health' of the patient," said Robert H. Vonderheide, MD, DPhil, the John H. Glick Abramson Cancer Center Professor and director of the Abramson Cancer Center at Penn. "We now hope to evaluate these potential biomarkers in further trials to see if they'll enable us reliably to identify patients who will respond best to this and other combination therapies. The most promising biomarkers were measured by a blood test of the immune system, not genetic sequencing, which opens the door for a new approach in precision oncology."

The most common form of pancreatic cancer, known as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), is commonly diagnosed only after it has become advanced or metastatic, and is also notoriously aggressive and difficult to treat effectively. Historically, only about 10 percent of patients who receive a PDAC diagnosis survive for five years, and patients newly diagnosed with metastatic PDAC usually live for less than a year even with optimal chemotherapy.

Standard chemotherapy regimens can arrest the growth of PDAC tumors, but only temporarily. Newer immune-targeted therapies, such as checkpoint blockade antibodies, have been strikingly effective against some other cancers, but almost entirely ineffectivewhen used on their ownagainst PDAC.

However, a ray of hope has come from preclinical experiments in mouse models of PDAC, and an initial small clinical trial reported by Vonderheide's team last year suggested that the addition of chemotherapy can substantially disrupt pancreatic tumors' resistance to immunotherapymaking the combination more effective than either type of treatment on its own. In the new study, they tested that approach on a larger scale.

They randomized a set of more than 100 patients with metastatic PDAC to receive a standard chemotherapy (gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel) plus one of three immunotherapy regimens: an antibody treatment (nivolumab) targeting the immune "off switch" PD-1, a different antibody treatment (sotigalimab) that activates an immune "on switch," CD40, and a combination of the anti-PD-1 and pro-CD40 treatments. The main goal of the study was to see if any of these combinations could improve the rate of survival over one year for these patients, compared to the historical rate of just 35 percent for patients who receive chemotherapy alone.

The researchers found that all three groups had one-year survival rates higher than 35 percent: 57.7 percent for anti-PD-1 plus chemo, 48.1 percent for pro-CD40 plus chemo, and 41.3 percent for combo immunotherapy plus chemo. Only the first of these results was statistically significant, although in a study with such small patient numbers only the most striking differences will clear the statistical significance barrier.

A key part of the clinical approach to difficult cancers such as PDAC is the discovery of factors in the patient that are linked to better outcomes for a given treatment. This enables a better understanding of the cancer, and in principle allows doctors to know which treatment to give only to patients who are likely to benefit the most. In this case, the researchers were able to identify factors, including the levels of certain immune cells in the bloodstream pre-treatment, that predicted longer survival for the anti-PD-1/chemo and pro-CD40 arms.

Patients who received chemotherapy and both types of immunotherapy did not benefit any more than chemotherapy alone. The researchers suspect that the relatively poor results for the two-immunotherapy regimen may have resulted from an excessive activation of T cells that pushed the cells into an exhausted state.

Funding and/or immunotherapy doses were provided by the Cancer Research Institute, the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Apexigen. Participating clinical sites included Penn's Abramson Cancer Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, MD Anderson, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Stanford University, University of California Los Angles, and University of California San Francisco.

Explore further CD40 combination therapy can shrink pancreatic tumors

More information: Sotigalimab and/or nivolumab with chemotherapy in first-line metastatic pancreatic cancer: clinical and immunologic analyses from the randomized phase 2 PRINCE trial, Nature Medicine (2022). Journal information: Nature Medicine Sotigalimab and/or nivolumab with chemotherapy in first-line metastatic pancreatic cancer: clinical and immunologic analyses from the randomized phase 2 PRINCE trial,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41591-022-01829-9
By Trend

A year has passed since the death of the cameraman of Azerbaijan Television (AZTV) Siraj Abishov and an employee of Azerbaijan State News Agency (AZERTAC) Maharram Ibrahimov, who filmed the Kalbajar district liberated from Armenian occupation [as a result of the 2020 Second Karabakh War], Trend reports.

On June 4, 2021, a vehicle that transported a group of reporters, as well as a representative of Kalbajar district Executive Authority Arif Aliyev, sent to the liberated Kalbajar district, hit a mine, as a result of which Abishov and Maharramov were killed and four people were injured.
On Sunday, June 5, we find a unique convergence of Judaisms Shavuot and Christianitys Pentecost. Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, marks the completion of the 49 day count from Passover, the springtime agricultural holiday marking the freedom of the ancient Israelites from slavery, and, Shavuot, the celebration of Gods revelation of the Ten Commandments and the Torah at Mt. Sinai, thereby establishing the Jewish people.

Pentecost celebrates the 50th day from Easter marking the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, thus the birth of the Church.

Both of these holy days have distinct historical messages that are significant to their respective religious traditions. Both commemorations are meaningful calls for deeper faith, right relationship and opening our being to new perspectives and pathways to act in ways to better our world leading each person and community to find fulfillment, meaning and purpose.

My colleague and friend, Jennifer Yocum, Senior Pastor at UCC Missoula, and I were sharing Shavuot and Pentecost stories, messages and insights. Communicating with care and curiosity, we felt the blessings of each tradition as unique framings of theological messages bringing humanity, (us!), to betterment on lifes journey. It is not about right or wrong; it is about doing and knowing goodness, love, hope and shalom-Peace.

My daily prayers contain yearnful expression that we can listen compassionately to the voices of the other, have genuine curiosity about those who are different from ourselves, joyfully appreciate the uniqueness and diversity of our human family, graciously show care for those who need help, openly love our neighbor and together find the ways to limit the injustices and ills of our community, nation and world.

A favorite Shavuot midrash, Jewish parable, of mine describes the interaction between God and humanity when the Torah was being offered. God went to several nations and offered the Torah. They in turn asked: What does it say or what is in it for them? The Jewish people responded with the words, Naaseh vnishma, we will do the Torah and then learn more for our understanding. This is a great lesson for implementing our values of truthfulness, compassion, sharing and loving. Lets put these values into play and then come to know the underpinnings and meaning.

Perhaps that is the opportunistic message of the convergence of these sacred times and messages. Please, let's do more to bring justice, safety, respect, equity and kindness leading to more understanding and love.

Rabbi Mark Kula resides in Missoula offering Jewish experiences throughout Montana, Rabbi on the Pastor Team UCC Missoula, Rabbinic Advisor to Zootown Jews, a Missoula fellowship welcoming all, and University of Montana Campus Rabbi. Mark looks forward to meeting you. Rabbimarkkula@gmail.com.

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SATURDAY, June 4, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- When you're at a beach or pool, would you be able to identify someone who's drowning and take action to save them?

"Even the most experienced swimmers can be in danger if the weather is bad, currents are strong or a medical emergency occurs in the water," said Dr. Gillian Schmitz, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). "Most drowning accidents are preventable, but it only takes seconds for a tragedy to occur."

On average, 11 people die in accidental drownings each day in the United States, and drowning is one of the leading causes of death among 1- to 4-year-olds, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It can be difficult to determine whether someone is drowning, so ACEP outlined the signs:

Bobbing or floating in place.

Head tilted back with mouth open.

Head low in the water, with mouth at water level.

Trying to roll over onto the back.

Hyperventilating or gasping for breath.

Hair over forehead or eyes.

Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus, or eyes closed.

If someone appears to be in trouble in the water, take immediate action. Get help from a lifeguard or call 911. Do not attempt to rescue a drowning person when you're also in the water unless you are trained to do so. Drowning people may panic and try to pull anyone nearby underwater with them, the ACEP explained.

Instead, extend or throw a floating object to the person. Once they are safely out of the water, tilt their head back, lift their chin and check for breath. Turn the person on their side to help them expel water.

If the person is not breathing, anyone trained should begin to perform hands-only CPR until first responders arrive.

"Learning to swim and becoming familiar with water safety are choices that can save a life," Schmitz said in an ACEP news release. "Simple steps to avoid danger can help keep everyone safe."

Keep the following steps in mind:

Always designate a responsible adult to supervise children in or near water.

Clear any loose toys from the pool area to reduce tripping hazards.

Don't use toys as flotation devices. Use life jackets for activities in or near lakes, rivers, or oceans, especially for children and weaker swimmers.

When swimming in natural bodies of water, be wary of hidden hazards such as strong currents, sharp rocks, or tangles of vegetation.

Always check the weather forecast before water activities.

Use the buddy system when swimming.

Don't drink alcohol before or during water activities or while supervising children.

People with medical conditions or those taking certain medications may require additional precautions.

More information

For more about water safety, go to the American Red Cross.

SOURCE: American College of Emergency Physicians, news release, May 26, 2022

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Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
Gathered next to 19 chairs representing the children killed in the Uvalde, Texas massacre, about 100 Missoulians stood side by side Thursday evening calling for comprehensive legal action to improve gun safety around Montana.

On Thursday, Moms Demand Action held rallies across the state demanding thorough gun laws to protect public safety. At the event in Missoula, attendees called for more background checks, implementation of red flag laws and stricter regulation of assault rifles.

At this point for kids in school, it isnt what if? or just in case, its when is it going to happen? Washington Middle School seventh grader Cora Barnes said at the event.

Over 311,000 children in the U.S. have experienced gun violence since Columbine shook the country in 1999, according to a Washington Post database.

In 2020, there were 238 deaths related to firearms in Montana, resulting in a firearm injury death rate of 20.9 per 100,000 people, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The national average rate is 14.9 per 100,000 people.

Montana has seen several alleged threats of school violence in the last year, with an especially alarming influx in the days following the elementary school massacre in Texas.

Recent threats

In the two weeks after the Uvalde tragedy, five western Montana schools were alerted to threats: St. Ignatius High School, Columbia Falls Junior High School, Big Sky High School, C.M. Russell High School and Helena High School all took reports of possible school violence just days after the Uvalde tragedy.

Many of these incidents involved guns, with four separate suspects getting arrested. Officers responding to the incident at C.M. Russell High School determined no threat existed and no arrests were made.

Last Tuesday, a 23-year-old Helena man was arrested on suspicion of making credible threats regarding a mass shooting at Helena High School. The suspect, Logan Pallister, stated he was inspired by the Columbine shooting in 1999, according to charging documents.

Helena police said Pallister had eight firearms, including five handguns and three semi-automatic rifles.

In a separate February incident, 18-year-old Parker Abbott in Missoula posted threats online, saying he was inspired by Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook shooter, according to court documents. Abbott, a Big Sky High School student, mentioned on social media he had access to his fathers firearms.

While a high volume of threats has been recently made against Montana schools, gun violence has already happened on a campus.

In 1994, 11-year-old Jeremy Bullock was killed on a school playground in Butte after a fellow student shot him.

His family created the Jeremy Bullock Memorial Trust to support students in Montana and the annual Jeremy Bullock Safe Schools Summit to provide Montana education stakeholders with information they can use to make schools safer.

According to a 2020 report from Every Town Research, roughly 75% of school shooters obtain guns from their residence or from the homes of friends and relatives.

School safety

Washington Middle School teacher Molly Norton was at Thursdays event.

Im filled with a lot of rage, Norton said. I feel like Im screaming into a void.

In the wake of Uvalde, Norton said MCPS staff got an email recommending teachers ensure students are safe. But Norton said she doesnt feel safe at her workplace.

She also wasnt surprised by the recent threats across Montana.

I feel like thats normal in America now, Norton said.

Within the first few days of the 2021-2022 school year, three juveniles were detained following a lockdown at Hellgate High School prompted by students alleging they planned to shoot their peers. No firearms were found on the suspects or on campus and no injuries were reported.

The Missoula County Public Schools administration shared tips from the National Association of School Psychologists with teachers and parents on talking with children about gun violence, which includes making time to talk, letting a childs questions be a guide on how much information to provide, and reassuring children that they are safe.

Please remember that all of our schools have emergency plans and procedures in place, and that routine drills take place in each school throughout the school year, MCPS Superintendent Rob Watson wrote in the email. "School safety is our top priority, and we work continuously to provide the safest environment possible for all students and employees."

The Missoula Police Department has six student resource officers stationed throughout MCPS buildings.

These officers are tasked with conducting criminal investigations and reviewing threats toward Missoulas schools, Missoula Police spokesperson Lydia Arnold said. Officers attended an active-shooter refresher and response course last February.

Call for action

Moms Demand Action is a national group with over 8 million members. At the top of the group's pleas is the need for safe gun storage to prevent children getting hold of firearms.

Shani Henry works for Moms Demand Action.

Nobody should argue with the importance of the need to secure firearms responsibly, Henry said in an interview with the Missoulian. Firearms are a right through the Second Amendment, but theyre also a responsibility if you are an ethical and responsible gun owner.

Henry also noted the lion's share of Montanas gun violence happens via suicide incidents.

From 2010 to 2019 firearms were used in 63% of all suicides in Montana, and a majority (82%) of firearms used in youth suicides in the state belonged to a parent, according to the Lewis and Clark Suicide Prevention Coalition. Only 7.5% of suicides in Montana involved prescription medication in 2019.

The National Alliance for Suicide Prevention says that many suicide attempts take place during a short-term crisis and that putting time and distance between lethal means and those in crisis can prevent suicide.

Additionally, Moms Demand Action stresses the need for stricter laws around assault rifles.

We feel like there needs to be a very, very harsh review of how assault weapons are manufactured and how they are marketed, Henry said. The marketing of firearms is pretty suspect.

Shed also like to see better regulation of assault weapons.

Again and again, it's typically these high-capacity, high magazine-volume, assault weapons in a variety of forms that are used in mass shootings, Henry said. For the sheer reason that they can fire so many rounds in such a quick instance.

The organization pointed to red flag laws and background checks as other vital parts in improving gun safety around the country.

Red flag laws allow concerned law enforcement, family or educators to petition courts to temporarily remove firearms from someone suspected of misusing them, Moms Demand Action Missoula Chapter Lead Roxane Weikel explained.

Background checks save lives, former Missoula City Council member Bryan von Lossberg said at the Missoula rally. "Red flag laws save lives."

He called for Montanans to put the heat on the Legislature, especially the 68th Montana legislative session set to commence this January.

Engage them all, von Lossberg said. Tell them your stories. Tell them about the loved ones lost. Tell them about the fear. Tell them about your kids. Offer solutions, make them see and hear you. Remind them of their duty around the protection and benefit of the people's health, welfare and security.

Legislation in Montana

A district court judge in Lewis and Clark County struck down House Bill 102  otherwise known as the campus carry bill  in December, citing the violations of the Montana Board of Regents constitutional authority.

Last spring, the Regents voted unanimously for the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education to seek a swift judicial review of the bill following overwhelming public comment in opposition.

The bill expanded where firearms can be and would allow students on college campuses who meet safety certifications to carry concealed firearms without a permit by removing the Regents ability to enforce restrictions for guns carried on campuses.

The bill was signed into law by Gov. Greg Gianforte in February 2021 and was expected to take effect on campuses the following June.

During a public listening session held prior to the regents' decision, 75 people spoke. For every comment that offered support for the policy to allow guns on campus, there were nearly 11 in opposition.

In the most recent legislative session, Sen. Carl Glimm, R-Kila, wrote a bill that Gianforte signed adding language to state law to clarify that expulsion for bringing a firearm to school is discretionary for school boards.

While the bill was in committee, no one testified in favor of the bill and only Lance Melton with the Montana School Boards Association spoke in opposition. Melton raised issues with the bill in regard to how it relates to the federal Gun-Free Schools Act.

Glimm drafted the bill after a Columbia Falls student faced expulsion after accidentally bringing a hunting rifle to school in the trunk of her car.

Thursday evening, President Joe Biden addressed the nation to express his sympathies for the lives lost in Uvalde, and called for Congress to pass common sense gun laws."

He noted that in the 10 years since he visited Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut after 26 people were killed by a gunman, there have been more than 900 incidents of gunfire reported on school grounds.

We cant and wont prevent every tragedy, but we know they (gun control laws) work and have a positive impact, Biden said. When we passed the assault weapons ban, mass shootings went down. When the law expired, mass shootings tripled.

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MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD)  Leaders from a Michigan state university made a surprise announcement Thursday night at an eighth-grade graduation ceremony.

All the graduates of the Timberland Charter Academy will receive free tuition to Grand Valley State University as long as they graduate high school with at least a 2.8 GPA.

The announcement was made to approximately 40 students at the end of the graduation ceremony.

The academy is the first school selected for the program in West Michigan.

The Timberland Charter Academy on June 2, 2022. (WOOD)

Students knew a major announcement would be made, but they didnt know what it might be.

I kind of had a feeling it was something about college, said student Aniyah Thomas.

Her mother, Gloria Hammond, said the news came as a relief for parents.

Its exciting for our children to have an opportunity to go to college if they want to go and not have to pay for it and that barrier has been broken for them, Hammond said.

Valedictorian Jemarion Brown, who won many awards at the ceremony, was not expecting such a big announcement. His mother, Candace Cook, said the opportunity will help so many young lives.

This is a great school for him, and Im extremely happy that they choose Timberland to do this. Its a blessing, Brown said.

California man, 78, gets high school diploma 6 decades later

Stephen Evans, the school director, said the announcement includes additional funding to help with other college expenses.

The program offers free tuition, tutoring, also a variety of support programs. You name it. Everything that a student will need to be successful at the college level and the system that were going to put in at the high school level, at Timberland, to support them through high school, Evans said.

GVSU leaders say it may take a little time for the impact of the announcement to set in for the students.

Barry Hall, the assistant director of charter through college at GVSU, was the keynote speaker and announced the surprise.

Once they have sophomores and juniors and they have colleges talking to them, say how much it costs to go here, that whole process of getting in, theyre going to say, Wow, Ive already been accepted into a school already, and I know what this process is all about, Hall said.

Story continues

The money for the tuition comes through the Grand Valley Pledge program.

Parents are also eligible to apply for scholarships to help them with their degrees.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Memorial Day parade intruders wave flag of draft-dodging ex-president

May 31  To the Editor:

It was deeply disturbing to see the vehicle caravan that paraded around downtown Portsmouth on Mondays holiday led by a train with a large Trump flag on it. How dare them politicize Memorial Day, and especially waving a flag picturing the ex-President who dodged the draft five times, four for college and one for bone spurs. He was one of the many sons from wealthy families who found ways to avoid going to Vietnam back then.

Trump denigrated John McCain for having been caught after being shot down, then imprisoned, in North Vietnam as a POW for over five years. He dishonored Gold Star families during his campaign and term. This is the patriot that should be displayed on this day of remembrance for those who did give their lives for our country? Shame on them for politicizing our Memorial Day event in this manner.

Tess Holom Schneier

Kittery, Maine

A Trump flag is seen on a truck on Memorial Day in Portsmouth.

'Good guy with a gun' is the height of hypocrisy

May 28  To the Editor:

Republicans and the gun lobby and Fox News love to tell us that, The answer to a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. I have heard this mantra ad nauseam after each slaughter.

Well, theres one place in Texas filled with good guys and it is safe! But thats not why its safe. Its safe because everyone is frisked at the door, no one is allowed to carry, open or concealed. Its called the NRA convention!

Now why would the NRA ban guns? Its because the NRA hierarchy knows that in a room full of people carrying guns, the chances of someone, or lots of people, getting shot is very high; they know their good guy with a gun mantra is total BS.

Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway all had a culture of gun ownership, and all tightened restrictions after a mass shooting. Their gun violence statistics are now sharply lower than those of the U.S. Obviously America needs gun legislation to protect citizens. If other countries can do it so can we!

Story continues

Michael Frandzel

Portsmouth

NH is gold standard of elections; reject rumors and misinformation

May 28  To the Editor:

As a recent retiree, I now have time to be a poll worker. It is an honor.

I can only speak to the process I personally experienced. Everyone connected with the election realized we were stewards of an awesome legacy. Poll workers were required to attend two hours of training, learning routines and becoming prepared for exceptional circumstances. We took our oath of office, recognizing its weight.

On Election Day, floaters in every room helped as needed. Voters proceeded in the assurance that each vote mattered. As we voted or enabled the voting, we rededicated ourselves to democracy.

Gov. Chris Sununu has announced New Hampshire is the gold standard" in elections. So why is there a Special Committee on Voter Confidence? Their website states New Hampshire is one of the easiest places for voters to register and cast their ballots, but concerns about declining voter confidence have been voiced in the state, as well as nationally.

How can such doubt exist? Lies about stolen elections and bad machines have influenced public opinion. There is no evidence of bad actors in our election process, except those who want to change the outcome by any means necessary. Do not allow this "misinformation" to poison our faith in New Hampshire elections.

Please send a quick email to VoterConfidence@sos.nh.gov. Let the Special Committee know you admire the integrity of elections in your town. What needs fixing? The ability of citizens to believe rumors, contrary to their own experience! Become a poll worker and see for yourself.

Susan Richman

Durham

Open letter to NH Gov. Sununu urging him to love children more than guns

May 29 -- To the Editor:

Dear Governor Sununu,

As a concerned parent, NH resident and American, I would love to see our uniquely amazing state take the lead in banning assault rifles as well as enact stricter gun control.

You are the leader the for the job. If you were to take a leadership role on this topic it would propel you onto a national platform as the man who can lead this country to a safer place. You would be known as the Governor who loves children more than guns. After all, feeling safe is true freedom.

Dont kowtow to the antiquated white haired men leading the Republican party. They are out of touch with what NH residents and Americans want.

Stay strong and listen to the young people of the state and country. Listen to the cries of parents who have had their children gunned down with legally obtained military grade weapons. Listen to the worldwide statistics showing how America leads in murders and suicides by gun.

This is the time to rise up as the independently minded Republican that you claim to be. Ban assault rifles. Ask the House and Senate to create a law for background checks and a waiting period for handgun ownership. And dont take campaign funds from gun lobbyists and gun manufacturers.

You are a father. You are an American. Lead NH into the future and ensure that our children have one!

Brinn Sullivan

Exeter

We need Dr. Tom Sherman to tackle NH mental health issues

May 29 -- To the Editor:

What kind of person goes into a school and shoots children?! A young person with mental health issues. It's obvious that calling for better parenting or more church going is not the answer there. We can't regulate that. What we can do, and haven't done adequately in NH is improve our mental health services for young people in our schools and in our mental health facilities where dozens of children are waiting for admission.

That means funding public schools, where mental health issues are on the rise, so they can afford mental health resources. It means money for NH hospitals that do not have adequate psychiatric beds. Dr. Tom Sherman, if elected Governor, understands that need, understands how to work with the NH legislature, and knows that sometimes, a governor has to use the power of the office to handle a crisis instead of waiting for a bill to cross his desk.

Robin Schnell

Portsmouth

Remember those who died needlessly during botched Afghanistan evacuation

May 29 -- To the Editor:

On this Memorial Day 2022, it is appropriate to honor the memory the 13 Marines killed (and the 20-plus service personnel injured) in the bungled Afghanistan evacuation on Aug. 26, 2021.

Their deaths were the direct result of one of the most ill-conceived and idiotic evacuation plans ever ordered by a Commander in Chief. The closing of Bagram airbase (and other outlying airbases) prior to the complete execution of the evacuation, and the subsequent release of thousands of terrorists (one of whom murdered our Marines) during the height of the most dangerous fighting season are decisions and actions that must never be forgotten. The upcoming election season will be an opportunity to put in place representatives who will oppose such lunacy in the future.

Tom Steele (former Lt. USN Air & Viet Vet)

Rye

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Memorial Day parade intruders wave flag of draft dodger Trump: Letters
Northern Ireland opened their campaign with a defeat to Greece (Brian Lawless/PA) (PA Wire)

Northern Irelands wait for a Nations League victory goes on after their latest campaign began with yet another dispiriting result as Ian Baracloughs side were beaten 1-0 at home by Greece.

Despite the best efforts of another sell-out crowd at Windsor Park, Northern Ireland were too flat for too long, only raising their game when two 34-year-olds  Kyle Lafferty and Niall McGinn  came off the bench to chase a result in the final half an hour.

But they could find no answer to Tasos Bakasetas 39th-minute strike for the visitors as Gus Poyet took victory in his first competitive game in charge of Greece.

It means Northern Ireland are still without a win after 11 attempts in the Nations League, while Baraclough has only one victory in the same number of fixtures at Windsor Park in all competitions.

On Wednesday, the manager had set his side a points target of 12 for their four fixtures this month, but this is a result that leaves Northern Ireland already facing an uphill task in their goal of promotion out of League C.

Baracloughs predecessor Michael ONeill was in the stands to watch his first Northern Ireland match in person since leaving for Stoke, no doubt hoping for a repeat of those famous nights when his side beat Greece home and away on their way to Euro 2016, but this was very different fare.

A flat first half was largely passing without incident until Greece made the breakthrough six minutes before the interval.

Paddy Lane, making his competitive debut, was unable to cut out a long ball forward and Dimitrios Limnios played it inside for Bakasetas to hit a low drive beyond Bailey Peacock-Farrell into the corner.

(Getty Images)

Greece had been trying that ball forward since the start, but more often than not saw it drift out of play. Their only other chance up to that point had been a deep Limnios cross to Celtic striker Giorgos Giakoumakis, who headed tamely at Peacock-Farrell.

Two minutes earlier Northern Irelands only chance had come and gone, Gavin Whyte turning neatly to make space on the edge of the area but unable to generate enough power to test Odisseas Vlachodimos.

Story continues

Greece might have added a second just before the break as Kostas Tsimikas got the better of his Liverpool team-mate Conor Bradley in a battle that raged for much of the night on Northern Irelands right.

The hosts were appealing for a foul but Tsimikas strode forward, playing in Lazaros Rota, who blazed over to the frustration of Giakoumakis, who was awaiting the cross in front of goal.

The visitors really should have been two ahead six minutes into the second half as Limnios sent in a low cross that just evaded the out-stretched boot of Giakoumakis  the 27-year-old who was in such hot form for Celtic but who could not add to his sole international strike.

Baraclough turned to Lafferty  back in the squad for the first time since September  and McGinn as he switched to a 4-5-1 formation just after the hour.

Northern Ireland turned up the intensity, pumping balls forward, but genuine chances were few and far between. The best of them was a McGinn shot which was comfortable for Vlachodimos, while Lafferty brushed the roof of the net with a curling free-kick.

There was a debut for Manchester Citys Shea Charles as Baraclough made a flurry of changes heading into the final 10 minutes, but none made the difference he sought as the final whistle was greeted with boos.
The New York Senate has passed a bill that bans crypto mining operations that use carbon-based fuel to power their facilities.

The bill specifically is targeting proof-of-work mining, which is one of the two most popular mechanisms cryptocurrencies use to verify new transactions on the blockchain and make new tokens, but it uses a lot of energy to validate blockchain transactions.

Some of the most popular proof-of-work tokens include Bitcoin, Ethereum and Dogecoin.

The alternative, proof-of-stake, is when cryptocurrencies -- like ETH2.0 or Avalanche -- use staking to achieve the same thing for less energy and it is thought to be more efficient for scaling than proof-of-work.

The bill is an attempt by lawmakers to impede the states carbon footprint and mitigate the current and future effects of climate change, according to the bill.

Cryptocurrency mining operations running proof-of-work authentication methods to validate blockchain transactions are an expanding industry in the State of New York, it stated. The continued expansion of operations will greatly increase the amount of energy usage in the state, it added.

If it passes, all proof-of-work mining activity in the state that relies on burning fossil fuels will face a two-year ban. However, 100% renewable energy proof-of-work mining businesses will still be allowed to operate.

Ultimately, this bill will hurt New York more than it will help, as these miners will increasingly cluster in states such as Texas, Tennessee, Washington State, and elsewhere that provide solar, wind, hydro and other sources of clean energy, said Steven McClurg, co-founder and CIO of Valkyrie Investments, which oversees WGMI, the largest U.S.-based Bitcoin miners ETF.

The Senate voted 36-27 in favor of the bill after passing it through the New York State Assembly in April. It now moves to the desk of New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who could sign or veto the legislation.
The South Iredell Lions Club located in the Mooresville area has given a gift of more than $1 million to the North Carolina Lions Camp Dogwood for the expansion of new construction on the 56-acre facility located on the banks of Lake Norman in the Sherrills Ford area.

Camp Dogwood for the Blind and Visually Impaired is a summer retreat waterfront recreation complex and hosts various other waterfront experiences for those residents with disabilities from all over North Carolina. N.C. Lions Camp Dogwood began in 1967 and is now a state-of-the-art facility with dorms, offices and meeting spaces.

In a ceremony held in the cafeteria area of the Joyce Building on the waterfront of the camp, with the attendance of club members and special guests including current and past officers of the foundation, the president of the South Iredell Lions Club, Thomas Johnston, filled with emotion, presented the check of $1,033,450 to North Carolina Lions Inc. Foundation President, Karl Ernst, who thanked the club for its extraordinary and heart-felt gift.

Johnston said the gift had been an ongoing wish from club members for many years when and if their club house was sold, proceeds from the sell of the property would be given to the N.C. Lions Camp Dogwood facility. Johnston said he was so happy and proud to present this special gift to Camp Dogwood and those Lions Club members who cherished the happiness given to the visually impaired and blind throughout the the state with a special retreat designed just for them and those Lions Club members who were there in the very beginning of the camps operation and outreach in 1967.

The South Iredell Lions Clubs only request for the gift is that the proceeds would go for new construction on the campus. Even though the Lions Club sold their property, the club still meets at various locations in the Mooresville area.

Camp Dogwood for the Blind and Visually Impaired is owned and operated by NC Lions Inc. a 501(3) charitable nonprofit foundation which is made up of Lions Club members throughout North Carolina.
Voters in Butte-Silver Bow will decide Tuesday if marijuana sales are taxed locally and whether residents should pay about $75,000 in property taxes each year to the 15-90 Search and Rescue team.

But some voters mistakenly thought everyone would get ballots in the mail like they did during the primary and general elections in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. Thats not the case.

As far as ballots go, things have returned to pre-COVID days, when they are only mailed to people on a permanent absentee ballot list or those who requested them in time for the June 7 primary. Its too late for that now.

The county mailed out about 12,000 absentee ballots around April 22, but voters were still able to get ballots at the Clerk and Recorders Office in the Butte-Silver Bow Courthouse and vote early.

They can do that from 8 a.m. to noon on Monday, too, and from noon to 5 p.m. Monday, they can vote early or drop-off ballots at the Butte Civic Center. That is where most people in Butte can vote in person on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Voters living in Rocker, Ramsay, Divide or Melrose will vote in their respective communities on Tuesday. The polling places are the Ramsay School, Melrose School, the Rocker Fire Hall in Rocker and Grange Hall in Divide, and they are each open from noon to 8 p.m.

Linda Sajor-Joyce, clerk and recorder in Butte-Silver Bow, said Thursday that about 50% of the 12,000 ballots mailed out had been returned so far. Sajor-Joyce considered that low so far in a county with typically high turnout numbers.

Some people might be confused about mailed ballots, she said, but, Some people are totally unaware that there is an election this year.

There are contested races for congressional seats on the primary ballot in Montana and a couple of contested primaries for Montana House seats in southwest Montana.

In House District 75, which covers most of Jefferson County, incumbent state Rep. Marta Bertoglio, R-Clancy, faces Republican Timothy McKenrick of Boulder. The winner Tuesday will likely get the seat since no Democrat filed and only write-in candidates can get in now.

In House District 78, freshman state Rep. Gregory Frazer, R-Deer Lodge, faces a GOP challenge from Steven Grant of Deer Lodge on Tuesday. No Democrat filed.

Several House members from Butte and surrounding areas will have Democrat or Republican opponents in November.

The primary will have implications in a handful of races for local offices in southwest Montana, but in Butte-Silver Bow County, only the District 10 seat on the Council of Commissioners is in play.

Incumbent Commissioner Bill Andersen is running for a fourth term while Trenin Bayless, Brody Shields, Maisie Sulser and Brian McGregor are seeking their first. Only the top two vote-getters on Tuesday will move on to the November election.

Voters in Powell County will decide on Tuesday whether a 3% local tax is imposed on all marijuana sales, meaning medical and recreational sales.

In Butte-Silver Bow, voters will decide those taxes separately. One question asks if recreational sales should be taxed at 3%, the other if medical sales should be taxed at that rate.

Montana voters approved a pair of ballot initiatives in November 2020 that legalized sales of marijuana for recreational purposes. Anyone 21 or older can now possess up to an ounce with no criminal penalties, but driving while high is still against the law.

The state imposed a 20% tax on recreational sales and a 4% tax on medical marijuana sales and allowed local taxes up to 3%.

Voters in Butte-Silver Bow will also decide whether a one-mill property tax is imposed to support 15-90 Search and Rescue. A mill is currently worth about $75,000.

One mill will add $1.35 to tax bills on houses valued at $100,000 and $2.70 for homes worth $200,000. The higher the tax value, the higher the cost to taxpayers.

The search group asked commissioners to put the measure on the ballot, citing a lack of sufficient, sustained funding for its efforts.

For information on your voter registration status and other matters go to app.mt.gov/voterinfo/

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In October 2018, Naspers announced its Naspers Foundry initiative to boost the South African technology sector.

Naspers Foundrys mandate is to help South African technology entrepreneurs to develop and grow their businesses by using its R1.4 billion fund.

Naspers CEO Bob van Dijk said the fund would encourage and back South African entrepreneurs to create businesses which ensure South Africa benefits from technology innovation.

In July 2019, the global tech giant appointed Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa as Naspers South Africa CEO.

Mahanyele-Dabengwa leads Naspers business in South Africa and is responsible for Naspers Foundry and Naspers Labs.

Under her leadership, Naspers Foundry invested in numerous South African technology and finance businesses.

To date, it has invested over R500 million in eleven businesses. Here is a list of these investments.

SweepSouth  R30 million

In June 2019, Naspers Foundry announced its first deal  a R30 million investment in South African tech start-up SweepSouth. The company was co-founded in 2014 by Aisha Pandor and Alen Ribec, and offers an online cleaning services platform that connects clients with trusted, reliable domestic cleaners.

Aerobotics  R100 million

In May 2020, Naspers Foundry announced a R100 million investment in agritech business Aerobotics. Aerobotics was founded by James Paterson and Benji Meltzer in 2014 and is a subscription-based artificial intelligence (AI) company that provides intelligent tools for the agricultural industry to manage crop health and predict crop yields.

Food Supply Network  undisclosed amount

In September 2020, Naspers Foundry closed its third deal  an investment in Food Supply Network (FSN) on undisclosed terms. FSN, which was founded by Gert Steyn, is an independent business-to-business marketplace that integrates the ordering systems of manufacturers, distributors, and buyers of food products.

The Student Hub  R45 million

In November 2020, Naspers Foundry invested R45 million in The Student Hub. The Student Hub, founded by Hertzy Kabeya, increases access to vocational education for large numbers of students whilst reducing the costs of delivery of education and training.

WhereIsMyTransport  R42 million

In June 2021, Naspers Foundry invested R42 million in WhereIsMyTransport. WhereIsMyTransport, co-founded by Devin de Vries, is a mobility technology company that maps formal and informal public transport networks and uses this data and technology to improve the public transport experience.

Ctrl  R34 million

In July 2021, Naspers Foundry invested R34 million Ctrl. Ctrl, which was co-founded in 2017 by Pieter Venter, provides a unique tech solution to the short-term insurance industry and consumers through its single platform, which connects consumers, brokers and insurers in one place.

Naked  R120 million

In August 2021, Naspers Foundry invested R120 million in Naked. Naked, co-founded by actuaries Alex Thomson, Sumarie Greybe, and Ernest North, is an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven insurtech company that offers a new, fully digital way for consumers to insure their cars, homes, and valuables.

Planet42  R54 million

In December 2021, Naspers Foundry invested R54 million in Planet42. Planet42 was founded in 2017 and addresses transport inequality by offering an inclusive car subscription service to customers who typically cannot access traditional bank credit.

Floatpays  R15 million

In February 2022, Naspers Foundry invested R15 million in Floatpays. Floatpays, founded in 2019 by Simon Ward, helps customers reduce their reliance on debt, start saving, and gain skills to better manage their money.

Nile  R40 million

In May 2022, Naspers Foundry invested R40 million in Nile. Nile, co-founded by Louis de Kock, supports the movement of fresh produce across the SADC region, making quality food more accessible to people across Southern Africa.

LifeCheq  R53 million

In May 2022, Naspers Foundry invested R53 million in LifeCheq. LifeCheq, co-founded by Abu Addae, uses technology to drive financial inclusion by democratising access to financial advice  previously only accessible to high-income earners.

Now read: Naspers invests R40 million in LifeCheq
By Trend

Azerbaijan's Land Forces held live-fire tactical exercises in units and subunits in accordance with the combat training plan for 2022 approved by the Minister of Defense, Trend reports citing the ministry.

According to the scenario, motorized rifles, artillery and armored units involved in the exercises in cooperation with each other destroyed an imaginary enemy's detected targets.

The main purpose of the exercises is to develop the managerial skills of commanders and the practical skills of military personnel, as well as to improve the interoperability between units.

The tasks assigned during the live-fire tactical exercises were successfully accomplished by the units.




South Africas plan to procure emergency power to help Eskom stave off load-shedding before the end of 2022 has been utterly derailed.

The energy department on Thursday announced it had signed off on a power purchasing agreement (PPA) with Norwegian company Scatec to provide 150MW of dispatchable renewable generating capacity.

This was part of the Risk Mitigation Programme Independent Power Producers Programme (RMIPPP).

The hybrid installation in the Northern Cape will consist of 540MW of solar PV capacity and 1.1GWh of battery storage, providing the ability to dispatch 150MW to Eskoms grid at any given time.

The project must now reach financial close within 60 days from the signoff, after which construction will begin. It is expected to start providing power to the national grid by the end of 2023.

These are the first of 11 planned RMIPPP projects progressing to this stage.

Government first announced its plan to procure emergency power in December 2019.

The department officially gazetted the programme on 7 July 2020.

One of its main goals was to address the electricity supply gap that prevented Eskom from performing necessary maintenance on its coal power fleet, forcing it to implement severe load-shedding.

The programme also intended to reduce the power utilitys reliance on expensive diesel-based peaking open cycle gas turbines (OCGTs).

Eskoms OCGTSs provide extra power during high demand periods when its typical generation is insufficient.

In March 2021, the department announced the eight preferred RMIPPP bidders, with a combined dispatchable capacity of 1,825MW.

The three projects from Scatec were added to the list three months later, meaning the programme would provide 1,975MW capacity once all the projects were built.

However, the approval of power purchasing agreements for the remaining eight projects dragged along at a snails pace.

The result is that none of the projects are expected to be completed by the end of the year  which was the deadline government initially set by which bidders had to supply electricity.

The table below summarises the progress on each of the projects from the preferred bidders.

Preferred emergency power bidder projects Supplier Type of energy Dispatchable capacity* Project progress ACWA Power Projects DAO Diesel, gas, solar 150MW Power purchase agreement signoff pending, no ETA for completion Oya Energy Hybrid Facility Battery storage, diesel, solar, wind 128MW Power purchase agreement signoff pending, no ETA for completion Karpowership SA Coega Gas 450MW Power purchase agreement signoff pending, facing legal challenges Karpowership SA Richards Bay Gas 450MW Power purchase agreement signoff pending, facing legal challenges Karpowership SA Saldanha Gas 320MW Power purchase agreement signoff pending, facing legal challenges Mulilo Total Coega Solar, gas 198MW Power purchase agreement signoff pending, no ETA for completion Mulilo Total Hydra Storage Battery, diesel, solar 75MW Power purchase agreement signoff pending, no ETA for completion Scatec Kenhardt 1 Solar, battery 50MW Power purchase agreement signed, ETA for completion end 2023 Scatec Kenhardt 2 Solar, battery 50MW Power purchase agreement signed, ETA for completion end 2023 Scatec Kenhardt 3 Solar, battery 50MW Power purchase agreement signed, ETA for completion end 2023 Umoyilanga Energy Battery storage, gas, solar, wind 75MW Power purchase agreement signoff pending, no ETA for completion *Actual capacity may be more

Well-known energy analyst Chris Yelland pointed out that the only three projects that have been signed also happen to be those that dont rely on other forms of energy generation than solar.

No wind. No gas. No diesel. No Karpowerships, Yelland said.

It is worth noting that all of the other projects plan to use either gas or diesel or a combination of the two.

With diesel and gas prices surging in recent months, there may be concerns over how much Eskom would have to pay for these projects over the programmes 20-year PPAs.

The fly in the ointment?

The bidder that wouldve provided the most significant chunk of generating capacity  Karpowership  has been embroiled in controversy.

The company runs powerships that can be moored in harbours and connected to a countrys power grid to provide power generated by onboard liquified natural gas (LNG) gas turbines.

But the powership plan, estimated to be worth about R218 billion, has come under attack by energy experts, civil organisations, and opposition parties.

Many questioned why Karpowership would be given a 20-year PPA when powerships were typically rolled out as a short-term solution during a crisis  like war.

Rival DNG Energy has launched a legal challenge alleging foul play in awarding Karpowership preferential bidder status.

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse applied to the court to have the granting of the companys generation licences declared unlawful.

Karpowership also still lacks the necessary environmental approval after having an exemption revoked that it allegedly acquired under false pretences.

Furthermore, Eskom is refusing to sign a PPA with Karpowership until the National Energy Regulator of South Africa can provide clarity on the prices of the gas that would power the turbines.
Despite the .ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA) holding two meetings to get feedback on its proposed regulations for the .ZA namespace, South African registrars fear their feedback is falling on deaf ears.

Registrars are companies that help customers buy and configure their Internet domains.

On 22 April, ZADNA proposed controversial regulatory changes to South Africas .ZA namespace, including:

Registrars must collect the ID documents of people registering .ZA domains.

Registrars must apply for a license and pay licensing and registrar fees.

Registrars must provide ZADNA with access to their environments upon request for audits.

Absolute Hosting managing director Jade Benson told MyBroadband that ZADNA held two online meetings during May with the relevant parties to get feedback on the regulations.

During the first meeting, Benson questioned the necessity of license fees, collection of identifiable documents, and the registrys unfettered access to registrar environments.

ZADNA did not address any of these concerns, Benson said.

On 24 May, the regulator hosted the second meeting  a registrar engagement discussion.

During the meeting, I requested answers to my previously posed questions, but ZADNA did not provide a single answer, Benson said.

This indicates that they have no intention of changing their proposed regulations and are merely following procedure.

He said ZADNA told the registrars that they should suggest solutions to the problems resulting from the draft regulations.

When I questioned them again regarding the registrar license fee, they told me to suggest a monetary value. I suggested a R1 license fee every ten years  a response which all the registrars approved and supported.

Register Domain SA CEO Mauritz Koekemoer said the regulations would cripple the .ZA domain industry to pre-2011 times, when the ZA Central Registry (ZACR) still used an outdated and time-consuming registration system.

No country, anywhere on Earth, has ever tasked registrars with the duty to collect personal identification documents to allow someone to register a domain name. This will become an administrative nightmare for registrars, Koekemoer said.

Domains.co.za managing director Wayne Diamond said it does not make sense for ZADNA to complicate the registration process when .ZA faces overwhelming competition.

There are over 1,500 top-level domains too choose from, including .com, .africa, .me, and .xyz.

With so much competition in the domain space now, the regulator should be making purchasing a .ZA domain easier to promote growth, rather than adding cumbersome regulations.

Diamond explained that the new regulations would require registrars to perform numerous manual tasks which will increase the pricing of domains to the registrant.

With no benefit to the registrant or registrar, one could only think that the proposed regulations are there to benefit the regulator.

By charging additional fees, ZADNA may make more money in the short term, but this initiative will be detrimental to anyone associated with the .CO.ZA domain in the long term, 1-Grid CEO Thomas Vollrath said.

However, ZADNAs response to MyBroadbands queries indicated that the regulator disagrees with the registrars sentiments.

The regulations will benefit all role-players within the .ZA domain name ecosystem, ZADNA said.

Particularly registries and registrars will provide the industry with unified and centralised licensing and compliance processes. For registrants, they will enjoy a more secure online environment through deterrence of online activities that compromise their safe internet use.

In response to the widespread criticism from the industry, ZADNA also released a press statement and a Q&A defending its controversial regulations.

I am fearful that ZADNA will steamroll [registrars proposed] changes despite being given ample warning not to proceed, which may very well lead to the demise and decline of the ZA Namespace, Benson stated.

Benson explained that registrants and registrars are already considering alternate namespaces with less government interference.

Were all pushing .africa domain names as the alternative and have sent the ZACR over 120,000 domains to be registered as free alternatives to .co.za, he said.

A license fee seeks to ensure that ZADNA can extort money from registrars who will need to pass this cost on to their resellers and registrants.

Smaller registrars have already indicated that they would need to forfeit their registrar status and purchase domains from other registrars if the license fee is excessive. This would result in an uncompetitive market.

Another major concern is that customers would avoid South African registrars services entirely due to privacy concerns.

In response to a MyBroadband community members forum post, Benson explained that the requirement for registrars to give ZADNA unfettered access to their infrastructure poses a substantial risk.

If ZADNA requires access into a registrars infrastructure, they get access to everything  there may be data in that environment that ZADNA doesnt have jurisdiction over and shouldnt have access to.

Benson said that discarding the proposed regulations would ensure the domain industrys continued growth.

The .ZA namespace is currently a stable ecosystem thanks to the registrars and the ZACR, who have provided governance and policies that protect all parties interests, rather than being a cash mule for a single organisation at the expense of all South Africans, Benson said.

Diamond said implementing the new regulatory framework would effectively destroy the .ZA brand.

If the new regulations are put in place, there would be very little future growth in the .ZA domain space  it would essentially destroy our own .ZA brand since fewer people will register and use a .ZA domain going forward.

Sadly, regulations that may have good intent often harm the local industry providers, where they should be assisting it, Diamond said.

MyBroadband asked ZADNA if it plans to incorporate the industrys feedback into its final regulations.

The Authority will consolidate and review the inputs and submissions made, it stated.

The draft regulations will then be reviewed to capture relevant and substantive considerations made through the inputs and submissions in clause format.
Justin-Siena High School's Class of 2022 on Thursday evening stepped up to receive diplomas and stepped into the wider adult world.

About 138 graduates stepped into a world of promise, climate change, rapidly changing technology, the pandemic, college  in short, problems and possibilities. And they will help shape it.

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Optimism abounded. This was a day of celebration on the North Lawn of the Catholic high school campus in the northwest city of Napa.

Madison Gaul is going to Hawaii Pacific University to pursue a business major and an aviation career. She wants to be an airline pilot.

"I feel amazing," she said. "Justin has really prepared me for the next step in life. I love change, and I feel it's going to be a great next step in my life."

David Elias will attend the University of Miami and major in architecture.

"It's been a great four years, but I believe I'm ready for this next step and excited to move forward," he said. "I'm trying to impact my own world for the better and hopefully that affects other people around me, also makes it better for them."

Andrew Broussard will go to St. Mary's College of California and pursue a journalism major. He's hoping to open his own business at some point.

"I feel like Justin-Siena has prepared us academically, for sure, on what we're going to endure in college," he said. "I had a pretty tight-knit experience here at Justin and I would say I don't think I'd get that a lot at any other school. That's one thing I can definitely go out of here appreciating."

He hopes to change the world for the better, he said.

The graduates marched into the ceremony at 6:30 p.m. on a warm, sunny evening. Parents and guests sat on white chairs spread across the lawn.

Cassandra Richardson delivered the salutatory address.

She recalled how the pandemic brought their sophomore year to a screeching halt. Seeing people in a small box on a screen became the new normal.

"However, the experience taught us resilience," Richardson said. "It taught us what it means to be all heart, to trust in the Lord, and to unify with our peers to create a community stronger than a pandemic."

Their younger selves would be proud of the people they are becoming, she told her peers.

Eleanor Meyers delivered the valedictory address. She said the Class of 2022 after 40 months had become a family, a group that knows how to serve because Justin-Siena offered opportunities to support those in need.

The graduates studied God in textbooks, projects and exams, but truly found God in their lives when life tested them, Meyers said. The foundation of spirituality they found at Justin-Siena is a true gift, she added.

"The Class of 2022 kept moving forward even when life's challenges tried to push us back," she said. "And now we graduate triumphant."

Then came the diplomas amid shouts, cheers and smiles. When it was over, the graduates tossed their caps into the air and walked down the lawn and into whatever comes next.

You can reach Barry Eberling at 707-256-2253 or beberling@napanews.com

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The June 7 primary election is rapidly approaching, and Napa County residents who havent yet filled out and submitted their ballots still have plenty of time to do so before the 8 p.m. Tuesday deadline.

Its a bit too late, however, to mail in ballots, according to the Napa County Elections webpage  the county needs to receive such ballots by June 14 at the latest  which means voters need to drop their ballots off at one of 10 drop box locations, which are open at all times until the deadline hits, or at seven voting centers spread across the county.

Registered voters in Napa County began receiving their ballots by mail back in early May. But Napa County Registrar of Voters John Tuteur said in an email that the turnout for this election is shaping up to be historically low statewide. A Thursday article in the Los Angeles Times notes that it appears that even a last-minute surge of interest might not keep the June 7 election from landing near the historical low point of voter turnout.

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California primary elections are historically not big turnout events, but this one is particularly quiet. Of 22 million ballots mailed to residents, only 11% had been returned to California election officials as of Friday morning, the LA Times article says. The record low for turnout in a statewide primary, set in 2014, is 25.17% of registered voters.

Tuteur noted that every vote cast is important and will be counted.

If you have not received a ballot or you lost or damaged your ballot, you must come in person to a vote center to register and vote or to receive a replacement ballot, Tuteur wrote in an email.

So, Tuesday at 8 p.m. will mark the last chance for Napa residents to help decide who should be Napa County sheriff and whether or not theyd like to pass Measure L, which would boost the local sales tax by a quarter-cent to help fund fire prevention efforts.

Two seats on the Napa County Board of Supervisors may also be decided this election, but that will only happen if the majority of the vote goes to one candidate in each race. (Its likely that wont happen, and the top two vote-getters of each race will move on to the Nov. 8 general election.)

Residents of Napa Countys 1st District  which includes much of downtown Napa, Browns Valley and the Carneros area  are voting among four supervisor candidates, and residents of the 3rd District, which consists of Calistoga, St. Helena, Yountville and a northeastern portion of the city of Napa, are voting among six candidates.

Napa County residents are also set to vote on the new 4th District congressional seat and the 4th California Assembly District seat  long-time representatives Mike Thompson and Cecilia Aguiar-Curry are running for those seats.

Voters can check the status of their ballot on the Napa County Website, at https://app.countyofnapa.org/VoterInfo.

You can reach Edward Booth at 707-256-2213.

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At least 10 dead in Iran railway accident

Artsakh President receives Armenia Prosecutor General

Yerevan State University former rector Aram Simonyan dies

Armenia Constitutional Court chief judge meets with visiting Venice Commission president

Opposition MPs stage protest outside Armenia Marriott Hotel

World Bank to provide additional $1.5bn to Ukraine

Newspaper: Armenia population drops

Newspaper: EU ambassador has nothing to say to ordinary Armenia citizens

Google fined $100M over Google Photos' facial recognition feature

Resistance Movement announces upcoming actions

The World Bank worsens forecast for global economy

Janet Yellen: US faces unsustainable inflation

Germany is ready to increase its military mission in Lithuania in response to war in Ukraine

European Parliament commends recent rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia

Representatives of Japan and NATO agree to intensify military cooperation

North Korea ignores numerous US dialogue initiatives

Germany does not recognize Taliban as legitimate rulers of Afghanistan

10 people detained in case of clashes at Demirchyan and Proshyan streets intersection in Yerevan

Athens is in full readiness for even most extreme scenario from Ankara

Blankspot: New documents give unique insight into how talks went after Karabakh war

European Parliament won't be silent on latest violations of fundamental freedoms in Turkey

NEWS.am digest: Protests continue in Yerevan, stun grenades reportedly fired at people

Australia to bring coal-fired power plants back on line to tackle energy crisis

Taliban consider topic of human rights politicized

White House: Increase in Saudi oil production is not the central issue with Riyadh

Defense Ministers of Russia and Turkey discuss security of navigation in Black Sea

Armenia Deputy PM discusses with French Ambassador work on unblocking regional transport communications

WSJ: Saudi Arabia, Israel are moving towards rapprochement through US mediation

EU Special Representative for South Caucasus visits Turkey

Armenia Parliament Speaker to visit Iran

Armenia FM receives relatives of POWs

What will Lavrov and Cavusoglu discuss during meeting in Ankara?

Non-cash summer: a chance to win 22 travel vouchers for the clients of Ameriabank

Shoigu: Total number of Ukrainian servicemen who surrendered reached 6,489

Minor detained in connection with June 3 clashes in Yerevan is released

Armenia deputy PM, American envoy reflect on unblocking of regional transport communications

4 tons of cocaine seized in Italy

Russia lifts transport communication restrictions with Armenia, Kyrgyzstan

Dollar, euro still weakening in Armenia

Wizz Air kicks off Larnaca-Yerevan-Larnaca flights

Turkey plans to buy Ukrainian grain at a discount of over 25%

Municipality to re-launch Armenias Dilijan Textile Factory as multi-functional urban space

IBM closes business in Russia

Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises military reserve training preparatory program underway

Armenia finance minister: More than AMD 157bn were spent in 2021 from funds allocated to health ministry

Believers in Azerbaijan prisons go on hunger strike

Japanese government alarmed by fall of yen against dollar

Kremlin has no information on CSTO peacekeepers possible engagement in Donbas, Peskov says

High-tech industry minister briefs Russia Ambassador on details regarding Armenia's first space satellite

Minister: Armenia health ministry spent about $79M in 2021 to fight coronavirus

Increasing healthcare spending in Armenia cannot be considered complete solution, minister says

First flight of latest carrier-based drone to take place in 2025

Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan cooperation documents signed

Artsakh Diocese Primate: Azerbaijan wants to replace Dadivanks Armenian clergy with Bakus Russian Diocese servants

Summit of Americas to adopt 5 documents

Secretary General to speak about work related to CSTO crisis response mechanism

Armenia opposition MP: Police use stun grenades in front of EU embassy but latter is silent

US expresses readiness to support progress, including as OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair

Venice Commission chair to arrive in Armenia on official visit

Azerbaijan defense minister visiting Turkey

World oil prices on the rise

Resistance Movement marching towards EU Delegation to Armenia office

Envoy to US has remote meeting with Co-Chairs Pallone and Speier of Congressional Caucus on Armenian issues

Johnson retains post as UK Prime Minister

Newspaper: Artsakh Defense Army ex-commander summoned for questioning about 20 times

Newspaper: Armenia authorities' efforts to stop waves of protest in diaspora are in vain

Minister shot dead in Dominican Republic

Azerbaijani Parliament Speaker hopes for signing peace treaty between Yerevan and Baku

Armenia Defense Minister: At this stage we see no danger of war with Azerbaijan

Armenia Defense Minister: Head of General Staff of Armed Forces will be appointed after structural changes

France is negotiating with UAE regarding supply of oil, diesel fuel

Ishkhan Saghatelyan presents program of actions for tomorrow

Hungarian FM agrees with Zelenskyy's 'psychological problems' opinion

Germany to need 5 billion euros per year due to Russian gas sanctions

Elon Musk names release date for Tesla robot

Flights between Makhachkala and Baku canceled by Azerbaijani authorities

NATO drills to be held in Turkey from 20 to 28 June

Resistance Movement procession starts in Yerevan

Reuters: US to allow Venezuelan oil supplies to Europe

Ministry of Economy: Armenia's trade with Iran and China increased in 2021

Foreign Ministers of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan to meet in Baku

NEWS.am digest: Over 2,000 people detained in Yerevan protests, 50 injured

Lebanon calls for US mediation after vessel appears in waters disputed by Beirut

Armenia MFA: European partners assure they are ready to liberalize visa regime with Armenia

Iran, Iraq and Turkey trilateral meeting in Baghdad on water rights

Resistance Movement holds rally in Yerevan

Rashid Nurgaliyev: Washington is satisfied with the Karabakh conflict

UK to supply Ukraine with MLRS, which can hit targets at distance of up to 80 km

Samsung sued for technology theft

Armenia opposition: Today we met with leaders of Artsakh opposition political forces

Taliban condemn Indian party member's remarks against Prophet Muhammad

Parliament Speaker: Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is matter of rights of Armenians to live in their homeland in security

Armenia MFA: Issue of return of Armenian POWs is raised on various international platforms

Armenia PM receives participants of CSTO PA Council meeting

Armenia FM: Foreign Ministry's 2021 business trips are less than planned

Iran to respond to any action taken at IAEA meeting

MFA: There will be no delays in European financial aid to Armenia on EUR 2.6 billion

IAEA: Iran close to possessing significant atomic bomb material

Defense Ministers of Turkey and Ukraine discuss issues of safe passage of commercial dry cargo ships

One citizen injured in June 3 incident in Yerevan remains in hospital
By Trend

President Joe Biden has said the US should ban assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines to tackle the "carnage" of gun violence, Trend reports citing BBC.

In a primetime speech to the nation from the White House, Mr Biden said too many everyday places in America had become "killing fields".

He said if Congress cannot outlaw such weapons, it should seek to raise the age to buy them from 18 to 21.

Mr Biden spoke after a string of mass shootings in the country.

In remarks from the White House, he also called for expanding federal background checks and nationwide red flag laws, which allow law enforcement to remove weapons from anyone deemed dangerous.

"This is not about taking away anyone's guns," said Mr Biden.

"This isn't about taking away anyone's rights," he added. "It's about protecting children."
The Colombian presidential election is heading into a runoff on June 19 in a match that has catapulted a left-wing candidate into the presidential race.

Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla member and past mayor of Bogota who is presently a senator, claimed 40 percent of the vote in the first round of elections held on May 29. Rodolfo Hernandez, an engineer and businessman who used mostly social media to campaign, took about 28 percent of the votes.

Petro, a former member of the M-19 guerrilla group, has gained popularity with a platform that promises to overhaul Colombias economy, curb poverty, implement practices to address climate change, and tax wealthy landowners.

The vote is a result of a growing frustration by the electorate with the government that has not promoted social development, said John Twichell, lecturer and director of Latin American Studies in the University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences. The government is not fulfilling the peoples needs, he added.

Colombians are tired, said Colombian-born Omar Vargas, associate professor of Spanish in the Michele Bowman Underwood Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. They lost hope in the government. It started a few years back when the government tried to impose some unpopular and unfair tax reform laws.

There were major protests against those tax reforms that lasted months and turned extremely violent in 2021. Both Twichell and Vargas agreed that the COVID-19 pandemic also exacerbated the countrys underlying problems.

Colombia now has an unemployment rate that hovers near 12 percent. And an increase in violence by armed guerrilla groups tied to drug trafficking is having a devastating effect on the countrys civilians. Although a 2016 Peace Accord with the guerillas was meant to end most of the conflict, the pact has not been fully implemented, said Twichell.

The limited and unbalanced implementation of the Peace Accord has left many rural areas insecure and open for the informal, illicit economy to operate throughout the territory of Colombia, said Twichell.

The country also has one of the worst distributions of wealth in the world, according to Vargas. There is a lot of poverty, he emphasized.

Petro has promised that his first act as president would be to implement a state of emergency to address hunger. Almost 16 million people in Colombia live on two meals or fewer per day, according to a Colombian association of food banks.

Many critics fear that Petro would impose other presidential orders and that he could turn Colombia into another Nicaragua, Venezuela, or Cuba, Vargas noted.

Twichell, however, said that he doubts that Petro would go the route of those authoritarian countries.

I do not believe he could do that because there are functioning democratic institutions that exist to prevent Petro or anyone else from doing so, he said.

Petros Historic Pact coalition would need to pursue consensus building in a non-majority congress in order to pass legislation. Moreover, the Central Bank is independent, and Colombias judicial system is autonomous and is set up to provide checks and balances to the executive branch regardless of who is in power, Twichell pointed out.

Vargas, like many other Colombians, does not believe that Petro stands a chance at winning the presidential post. Instead, he purports that the candidate who will get the job is Hernandeza colorful conservative that Vargas describes as a very folkloric, Colombian version of Donald Trump.

The third highest votes in Mays election, with 24 percent, went to right-wing candidate Federico Gutierrez, who already has given his support to Hernandez.

According to a survey by La FM, a Colombian radio station, Hernandez is ahead in the polls with an eight-point lead. About 52 percent of those contacted said they will vote for him in the runoff and 44 percent stated that they will support former guerrilla member Petro.

Colombians are very conservative, Vargas said. If you add all the numbers of people who voted for other candidates besides Petro, it will exceed the 40 percent that voted for him.

The unconventional Hernandez is running what he has shared as an anti-corruption platform. Most of his campaign was carried out on social media, which earned him the title king of TikTok. He refused to participate in debates with the other candidates.

His agenda is one of conservative law and order but he wants to reestablish consular and trade relations with Nicolas Maduros socialist regime in Venezuela. According to news reports, Hernandez also has proposed rewarding citizens who provide evidence of corruption among state officials.

Ironically, Hernandez is facing corruption charges and is scheduled to go to trial in July. He is accused of improperly awarding a business contract while he was mayor of Bucaramanga. The suit alleges that Hernandezs son benefited financially from the contract. Hernandez denies any wrongdoing.

Twichell maintained that any one of the two candidates could win the presidency. He said some voters may give a nod to Petro because he is the more experienced politician, and he is also addressing many of the needs of the young and disenfranchised.

On the other hand, Hernandez touts the fact that he is not part of the political establishment of the country. And the candidate pointed out that as a businessperson, he knows how to resolve many of the existing problems.

There is 20 percent of the vote up for grabs, said Twichell. It will come down to whose narrative wins out in the next few weeks before the election.
Contempt charge for former Trump adviser

Peter Navarro speaks to reporters outside court in Washington. Photo: AP

Peter Navarro, a former top adviser to ex-President Donald Trump, has been charged with contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with the House of Representatives committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, the Justice Department said on Friday.



A federal grand jury charged Navarro with one count involving his refusal to appear for a deposition before the January 6 Select Committee and another for his refusal to produce documents in response to a subpoena, the department said.



Navarro did not enter a plea at his 72-minute hearing before Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. The former Trump adviser accused the Justice Department of "prosecutorial misconduct" for arresting him at a local airport as he tried to depart on a trip to Nashville and New York.



Navarro said authorities ignored his request for them to contact an attorney and refused to allow him to make a phone call during his arrest. "I am  disappointed in our republic," he told the judge. His next court appearance was set for June 17.



A longtime China hawk, Navarro advised Trump on trade issues and also served on his Covid-19 task force. He has contended previously that his communications are protected by executive privilege, a legal principle protecting a president's communications.



His indictment came a week before the committee is due on June 9 to hold the first in a series of public hearings on its investigation. And it came two days after Navarro filed a civil lawsuit against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the House committee.



Trump has urged associates not to cooperate with the Democratic-led investigation, calling it politically motivated.



In its subpoena, the committee said it had reason to believe that Navarro, 72, had information relevant to its investigation. (Reuters)
By Trend

The United States on Thursday added 71 Russian and Belarusian entities to its trade blacklist including several aircraft factories and shipbuilding and research institutes in its latest effort to deprive the Russian military of U.S. technology and other items.

The export restrictions are among a raft of new sanctions the Washington imposed on Thursday in response to Russia's war in Ukraine, including prohibitions on additional Russian oligarchs and members of the country's elite.

They include 70 Russian companies and other entities like several units of the Russian Academy of Sciences, including A.A. Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems and the V.A. Trapeznikov Institute of Control Sciences and one Belarus entity, Trend reports citing Reuters.

The companies added include several aircraft plants and the Voronezh Joint Stock Aircraft Company, one of the largest Russian factories for passenger and cargo aircraft, according to several research reports.

Also added was the Irkutsk Aviation Plant, which has manufactured nearly 7.000 aircraft of more than 20 types since 1934 and produces the MC-21 family of airliners.

In total the Commerce Department has now added 322 entities to its economic blacklist for support of Russias military since February.

"The U.S. and our international partners have put in place strong, sweeping restrictions on Russias ability to obtain the items and technologies it needs to sustain its military aggression, said Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Alan Estevez.

Of the 71, 66 were determined to be military end users. Also added were the Ilyushin Aviation Complex Branch, the St. Petersburg Shipbuilding Institution and the Special Research Bureau for Automation of Marine Researches Far East Branch Russian Academy of Sciences.
"We have identified the main accused and are making efforts to arrest him," Sazzadul Selim Reza, the officer in charge of of the Bogura Sadar police station said, adding that the accused Ariful Islam Arif has two murder cases against him at the police station.

The deceased, Md Al Jamiul Boni, 22, achieved a Guinness world record for an official attempt for most users to complete a remote 10km in 24 hours on September 29, 2021. According to Guinness, the attempt was held for virtual runners (total 25,523) in Germany for other participants from different countries, and Boni was part of it.

A fifth semester student of Bogura Polytechnic Institute, Boni died at the Bogura Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital after getting stabbed by local goons on Friday for protesting the harassment, police told IANS.

Quoting witnesses, Bonani police outpost Sub-Inspector Sazzadul said: "Boni went to a fair organized in front of the Mohammad Ali Hospital of the town where local youths were teasing his female friend. At the time, an altercation occurred between them."

Two hours later, Boni went to a restaurant near the fair where Arif, along with two-three others, attacked him and stabbed him.

Locals rescued Boni and took to a hospital where he died while undergoing treatment. His body was handed over to his family this afternoon after an autopsy.

His father Anisur filed a case against two youths, Arif, 28, and Sohan, 26, and another three to four unidentified accused, said Selim Reza.

--IANS sumi/vd

( 289 Words)

2022-06-04-21:02:03 (IANS)
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 4 (ANI/GPRC): One of the most important functions of museums and public art is to create a pluralistic society, Dr Subhodh Kerkar, Founding Director, Museum of Goa, said at a recent event. Addressing a panel discussion on 'The power of the museum and the impact of public art' organized by the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) jointly with RMZ Foundation, he said that it is important that public places like malls, corporate premises, fish market, bus stands, and railway station should have public art. Schools should have a lot of art in its premises, he said. Dr Jayaram Poduval, Dean, Faculty of Fine Arts and Head of the Department of Art History, M S University, Baroda said, while some people may understand and appreciate modern art, very few people understand traditional and Indian art and this is where our museums came into focus. "The spirit of the Age is depicted through museums and museums talk to people," he said. Raising the question, how many schoolchildren go to museums, he said museums should have education officers who will actually invite schools and engage them in activities. Contemporary artist L N Tallur said that our museology is only 30 years old and we don't have people to teach museology. "Shifting a museum from one place to another requires planning, packing and taking 3 to 4 years to move a museum. Are we ready for the proposed move to shift the National Museum in Delhi to the North-South Block," he asked. Contemporary artist Arun Kumar H G pointed out the necessity of negotiating with the local community to engage them in reviving local arts like 'hasechitra'. "How they look at arts is different as they look for tangible results." Arun Kumar's experimental project SARA (Sustainable Alternative for Rural Accord) Centre, in the Western Ghats' region, where he grew up, as a knowledge centre for rural farmers and villagers has evolved as a museum. The focus was on agrarian issues like farming, ecology, biodiversity and water bodies manifested in a seed bank of rice diversity, which functions as a museum for the common people, with 150 types of paddy, many of which are now lost. Prof. M J Kamalakshi, artist and a veteran of Karnataka ChitrakalaParishat, spoke about the traditional art of leather puppets and Ganjifa cards and its association with the Mysore royalty. Also present on the occasion senior artist S G Vasudev, Director of NGMA, Bengaluru Nazneen Banu and Associate Vice President of RMZ Foundation Amrita Varma. This story is provided by GPRC. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/GPRC)
New Delhi [India] June 4 (ANI/NewsVoir): Pancham Dham Trust, witnessed a large contingent, more than 100 people from India traveling to Siem Reap, Cambodia to celebrate the 5th Pancham Dham Yatra. The 5-day long journey began on May 31, 2022, and will commence on June 4, 2022. Earlier the Holy Yatra was flagged of by MoS, MEA, and the Culture Minister. Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister of State for External Affairs also cheered for the prestigious Yatra. Pancham Dham Trust, the flagbearer for the historic event in Cambodia, has been at the forefront of various cultural activities and has been instrumental in trying to unite the East Asian nations through the Fifth Dham initiative and help fostering the thought process viz. Sanatana dharma. "One has to follow the 'dharma' prescribed for him and it is hazardous to tread on what is ordained for another is stressed in the Gita in two places." Earlier, the event witnessed the Bhoomi Poojan of Dhyan Kendra at Siem Reap, Cambodia for the construction of the meditation center on 5 acres of land. The construction and overall development of Pancham Dham Nyas Dhyan Kendra will be taking place under the guidance and leadership of Sailesh Vats. Sailesh Vats is also the Secretary and a Trustee of Pancham Dham Yatra and is also the organizer of the prestigious event as well. The foundation stone was laid in presence of leaders from all over the world including RSS Leader Shyam Parande, Business Icon, Navratan Aggarwal, the Director of Bikanervala, Aman Nath, renowned historian and recipient of the prestigious Legion De' Honneur from the French President, Kavita Ashok Goyal, Director of Esselworld, Manoranjan Mohanty, Director ATD Finance and Cultural Gurus like Dandi Swami Anantanand Saraswati, Mhamandleshwar Swami Yatindranand Giri and Buddist Guru, His Eminence Samdech Choeung Buncheo and many other high-profile delegates from leading organizations. Renuka Pullat who has taken up the responsibility of serving humanity has also pledged her support in this mission. Sanatana Dharma differs from other walks of life, only in having a word of sympathy and promise for every sincere conviction, wherever and whatever it may be, as constituting a step in the great ascent to the highest human perfection. 'Sanatana Dharma', implies a code of human conduct, a set of tenets handed down from time immemorial. Seers and preachers of Sanatana Dharma have been providing discourses on a wide-ranging set of topics covered including the shastras and modern life, the Vedas, their content and purport, the sanskaras (purification ceremonies), dharma common to all and the duties specifically enjoined on people in the four stages of human life. Like the word 'yoga' occurring in the Bhagavad Gita, 'dharma' defies precise definition. It could mean one's duties are linked to one's class and stage in life. Or it may refer to different areas of general human conduct, for instance, discipline, manners, management, and law. The Pancham Dham Yatra is being held from May 30, till June 4, and will be witnessing a large number of spiritual leaders all from over the globe. Apart from India, a large number of overseas Indians from other countries in South Asia will also be participating in this journey. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
"For all you do, for who you are, I will be forever grateful you are in my life. Happy 1st Anniversary!" Yami and Aditya captioned their Instagram post.

The 49-second video reveals Yami all-smiles during her mehndi ceremony, donning the henna on her hands and feet as Aditya sits by her side. Mushy moments between the couple are shown and there is also a glimpse of their wedding day.

Yami and Aditya got married in a private ceremony on June 4, the previous year in Himachal Pradesh. The duo had previously worked together in the 2019 war-action drama 'Uri: The Surgical Strike'.

Yami made her Bollywood debut with the film 'Vicky Donor', and since then has featured in several movies, including 'Kaabil', 'Sanam Re', 'Bala' and 'Ginny weds Sunny'. Speaking of Aditya, apart from 'Uri', he has also worked on films like 'Kabul Express', 'Tezz' and 'Aakrosh'.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Yami was last seen in the movie titled 'Dasvi' also featuring Abhishek Bachchan and Nimrat Kaur. (ANI)
According to Deadline, Rahim will be joining cast members Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor and Isabela Merced for director SJ Clarkson. Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless have penned the screenplay, with Kerem Sanga also penning a previous draft.

It's set for release in theatres on July 7, 2023, on the heels of J.C. Chandor's 'Kraven the Hunter', starring Aaron Taylor Johnson, which is slated for release on January 13.

In the comics, Madame Web is depicted as an elderly woman with myasthenia gravis and thus was connected to a life-support system that looked like a spider web. Due to her age and medical condition, Madame Web never actively fought any villains.

For that reason, sources have stressed its possible the project could turn into something else. Insiders say that due to her psychic sensory powers, she is essentially Sony's version of Doctor Strange. Rahim's role in the film is unknown, as of now.

Currently, Sony is coming off a hot streak with 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage' making more than USD 500 million worldwide, while 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' was the biggest film of 2021 with USD 1.85 billion in worldwide sales.

Best known for star-making roles in 'A Prophet' and 'The Mauritanian', Rahim recently wrapped filming Ridley Scott's 'Napoleon', in which he co-starred opposite Joaquin Phoenix.

Last year, he earned rave reviews playing the title character in Netflix's 'The Serpent', where he gave a chilling performance as serial killer Charles Sobraj.

As per Deadline, up next, he will be seen in Apple TV Plus and Scott Z Burns' limited series 'Extrapolations', as well as 'Don Juan', a French musical directed by Serge Bozon that recently premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. (ANI)
According to a new study, Shoulder dystocia is relieved by the fact that human shoulders slow down before birth and then speed up subsequently. The researchers employed computed tomography to create cross-sectional reconstructions of the clavicle in humans, chimps, and Japanese macaques, and then looked at distinct shoulder-width to birth-risk connections in humans and the other primates. The findings of the research were published in the journal 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Why do human mothers have a much harder time giving birth than our evolutionary cousins, the chimpanzees, and macaques? The differences are a big head and wide shoulders. But it has made all the difference for safer births. "The question is actually two-fold, " says study author Naoki Morimoto of Kyoto University. "What also makes childbirth difficult for women is the relatively narrow pelvis."Morimoto's team discovered two central aspects of the female human skeletal anatomy that deserve attention when discussing the evolution of childbirth. The first comes with its own set of points: initially, the growth of human shoulders slows down just before birth and speeds up thereafter; next, this phenomenon alleviates the problem of shoulder dystocia, where the shoulders interfere with the safe passage of the fetus through the birth canal. "It is important to note that the second point reconciles the incompatibility of wide shoulders with the narrow birth canal. The shoulders show an 'intelligent' modification in fetal development," notes lead author Ph.D. candidate Mikaze Kawada. What makes a human skeletal makeup 'human' in terms of the head and shoulders is size proportionality to the pelvis. Our largely developed brains have resulted in large heads, and our wide shoulders explain bipedal stability and an ability to throw objects far. On the other hand, the need to make walking more efficient reduced the size of the pelvis as our ancestors treaded farther and more frequently. Morimoto and his team used computed tomography to obtain cross-sectional representations of the clavicle in humans, chimpanzees, and Japanese macaques from fetal to adult samples. The team then looked at different shoulder-width to birth-risk correlations between humans and the two other primates. Chimpanzees have proportionally large shoulders and yet, like macaques, fewer shoulder-related birth complications. Since chimpanzees move about less frequently on two feet, their pelvis -- and therefore their birth canal -- is larger than that of their human counterparts. "We surmise that the wide shoulders, relative to the pelvis of our ancestors, emerged simultaneously with the narrower pelvis as we became fully bipedal," says Morimoto, "but before the brain evolved to today's size." Morimoto concludes, "This study motivates us to further examine the extent to which obstetric and metabolic constraints in our ancestors have influenced human ontogeny in relation to evolutionary adaptations." (ANI)
Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC), Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar on Friday held a meeting with Sarah Storey, Deputy Australian High Commissioner to India and both sides exchanged views to promote effective collaboration between the two countries. Along with Storey, Mathew Johnston, Minister Counsellor (Education and Research)- South Asia and Brett Galt-Smith, Counsellor, Education and Research, Australian Government joined the meeting. During the meeting, both sides exchanged views to promote effective collaboration between the two countries considering the fact that education has been recognised as one of the priority sectors for cooperation by the leadership of India and Australia. Kumar apprised the Australian side of the various progressive initiatives taken by the University Grants Commission and the Government of India for the internationalisation of the Indian higher education system, as envisaged in the National Education Policy, 2020. He also shared the key features of the UGC Regulations on Academic Collaboration between Indian and Foreign Higher Educational Institutions to offer Twinning, Joint and Dual Degree Programmes. The Australian side appreciated the ushering in of the much-awaited UGC Regulations on Academic Collaboration and expressed that they would encourage the Australian higher education institutions to collaborate with the Indian HEIs under the ambit of these Regulations. The Charge' D'Affaires, Australian High Commission hoped that the task force on education qualification recognition will strengthen the mobility of students Chairman, UGC further shared that a Committee, constituted by UGC has been working on various modalities for recognition of foreign qualifications in India. The Australian side also expressed its interest in the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) in Gujarat. Kumar assured the Australian side of the support and guidance of the UGC to facilitate Australian universities to set up their campus (es) and offer courses in diverse areas like Financial Management, FinTech, Science and Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in the GIFT City. He also shared that UGC would bring out a set of enabling Regulations so as to allow top-ranked foreign HEIs to open their campus (es) in India. The Australian side suggested that a self-regulatory framework for foreign HEIs might be developed for promoting their establishment and operations in India. The Australian side further agreed to explore opportunities for educational collaborations by reaching out to and bringing together eligible Indian and Australian HEIs through an online workshop. Both sides shared their commitment to commence Twinning, Joint and Dual Degree Programmes by the start of the next academic session. It was discussed during the meeting that as announced in the Budget 2022-23, establishment of a Digital University on a network hub and spoke model shall provide a platform for various higher educational institutions including foreign HEIs to provide an affordable, world-class teaching-learning ecosystem. Both sides also agreed to work together to ensure quality in the delivery of online academic programmes. It is expected that the talks will provide a greater impetus to academic collaborations between Australia and India in the fields of higher education and research. (ANI)
Karnataka police personnel have been stationed to stop Hanuman devotees and activists, who are planning to conduct prayers at the Jamia Masjid in Srirangapatna, enroute the historical town on Saturday. The district authorities have already issued prohibitory orders with effect from the evening of June 3 till June 5 morning to avoid any untoward incident in the town. The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal have given call to all activists to gather in Srirangapatna on Saturday. They plan to enter the Jamia Masjid and conduct prayers there. This call was given in the backdrop of the district administration not responding to their demand of getting a survey of the mosque done, on the lines of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi. Sriram Sena founder Pramod Muthalik has also extended support to the 'Srirangapatna Chalo' movement to protest the delay in getting the mosque surveyed. Sources said the police have informed that they will stop the Hindu devotees and activists from entering Srirangapatna. However, they will be allowed to pray and sing bhajans up to a certain point beyond which they will not be allowed. In case of any resistance, arrests will be made. Punith, a VHP leader, said that in the wake of the prohibitory orders, they have dropped plans of entering Jamia Masjid. "We will gather peacefully and sing bhajans. We have sought permission from the district authorities in this regard," he told IANS. "The authorities will have to come to the spot and clarify when the survey of the mosque will be carried out. Otherwise we will proceed legally," he added. Jamia Masjid was built by the erstwhile ruler of Mysuru, Tipu Sultan. But Hindu activists claim that the mosque was built after razing a Hanuman temple. The mosque, also called the Masjid-i-Ala, is located inside the Srirangapatna fort. It was built in 1786-87 during the rule of Tipu Sultan. The mosque has three inscriptions that mention nine names of Prophet Muhammad. --IANS mka/kvd/arm ( 343 Words) 2022-06-03-21:06:08 (IANS)
The Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, particularly the Kashmir Valley, has recently witnessed a spate of targeted and selective killings of minority Hindus and Muslims who are either progressive or display support for India. In just about a day after the brutal killing of a Hindu female school teacher in Kulgam, a Hindu bank manager from Rajasthan, who was posted at Kulgam just a few days ago, was killed in cold blood inside the bank in the same town. This, along with the series of targeted killings where 18 innocent civilians have been mercilessly murdered, has enraged the Hindu minorities living there. It seems to have also affected the people living in other parts of India. Even a substantial proportion of NDA supporters feel that the government is failing to stop terrorists from committing these acts of targeted murders. This was revealed by a nationwide survey conducted by CVoter on behalf of IANS that sought responses from Indians from all socio economic, educational and ethnic backgrounds. While 61 per cent of NDA supporters were of the opinion that these killings are happening because the terrorists are becoming desperate and the government is not really failing, a significant 31 per cent of NDA supporters felt that the government is actually failing to stop the terrorists. In the case of opposition supporters, 50 per cent were of the opinion that the government is failing to stop the terrorists while 37 per cent felt the terrorists are becoming desperate. Violence in the Valley had subsided to a large extent since August 5, 2019 when the controversial Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu & Kashmir was removed by the Union government. However, the last few months have seen widespread resurgence in violence as well as brazen terrorist attacks. --IANS arm/ ( 313 Words) 2022-06-03-21:32:06 (IANS)
By Trend

Russias COVID-19 case tally rose by 4,101 over the past day to 18,348,065, the anti-coronavirus crisis center reported on Sunday, Trend reports with reference to TASS.

In relative terms, the number of cases increased by 0.02%. As many as 1,493 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Russia over the past day, 28.7% fewer than in the previous day. The number of hospitalized patients declined in 63 regions, while in 14 other regions the figure increased.

Russias COVID-19 recoveries rose by 5,132 over the past day, reaching 17,760,326, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told reporters on Saturday.

The share of patients discharged from hospitals has risen to 96.8% of the total number of those infected. A day earlier 5,234 patients recovered.

Russias COVID-19 death toll rose by 82 over the past day to 379,445, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told reporters on Saturday. A day earlier 78 COVID-19 deaths were registered.

The average mortality rate went down to 2.07%, according to the crisis center.

Moscows COVID-19 cases increased by 272 over the past day versus 264 a day earlier, reaching 2,771,824, according to the anti-coronavirus crisis center.

St. Petersburgs COVID-19 cases increased by 263 over the past day versus 302 a day earlier, reaching 1,530,650.
A day after a security guard employed by the state-run Goa Human Resource Development Corporation was arrested for trying to smuggle in narcotics substances to the central jail premises in North Goa, the organisation on Friday said that all guards posted at the Colvale prison complex would be changed. "The procedure to terminate the services of the guard has already started... All the guards at the central jail would soon be replaced," the Corporation's Managing Director Narayan Navti said. The security guard in question, 28-year-old Sandesh Varik, was arrested by the local police on Thursday, while he was trying to smuggle in marijuana and cocaine, valued at Rs 1.04 lakh into the prison complex. Navti on Friday visited the prison complex on Friday to review the performance of the Corporation's security personnel posted at the prison complex. The Corporation provides security personnel to various government establishments in the state and they are in charge of the outer perimeter security at the jail. --IANS maya/vd ( 178 Words) 2022-06-03-21:38:02 (IANS)
"The Central government has helped Goa by sanctioning Rs 25 thousand crore to build better connectivity of roads. The new Zuari bridge is being built at the cost of Rs 2,500 crore. The iconic viewing towers on this new bridge will be better than the Eiffel Tower in France, which will attract tourists," Godinho said while addressing a press conference here.

He said that Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has also spoken about this unique project in parliament, mentioning it will be better than the Eiffel Tower in France.

Godinho said that 'Atal Setu bridge' in Panaji and Mopa airport are big examples of developmental works taking place in coastal state.

"All round development of Goa is taking place under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Godinho said.

"Narendra Modi is a world leader. He is welcomed everywhere. Indian Diaspora staying in various countries also welcomes him," he said adding the nation is in safe hands and strong hands.

--IANS sanjay/pgh

( 205 Words)

2022-06-03-22:03:58 (IANS)
Nayak, who has been is serving as a doctor at different hospitals in New York City for the past 43 years, is a devotee of Lord Jagannath. While Nayak will provide Rs 1 crore for building the temple, locals have donated land for the temple at Jagatpur village under Beruda panchayat in Jajpur district.

Nayak and his wife Indrajita performed a 'Bhumi Puja' for the temple on June 1 in the presence of the villagers.

"My father was a big devotee of Lord Jagannath. He wished to have a Jagannath temple in our locality. The people of Jagatpur also wanted to build the temple. So we laid the foundation stone for the temple," Nayak said.

With the support of all, the temple will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 1 crore to Rs 1.5 crore, he added.

Srinivas Panda, a native of Jagatpur village, said, "The temple will be built under the leadership of Bhaskar Nayak. All the villagers are with him and joined the Bhumi Puja programme."

Soon after the rainy season, the construction work will begin and a target has been set to complete the work within a year, the villagers said.

--IANS bbm/arm

( 247 Words)

2022-06-03-22:07:17 (IANS)
An Army official said that based on specific intelligence, a cordon and search operation was launched in the general area Patitohalan in Shopian on Thursday.

"During the move to the target area, an explosion took place in a civil hired vehicle, being used for the operation, resulting in injuries to three soldiers. The injured personnels were immediately shifted and given first aid at District Hospital, Shopian and thereafter evacuated to 92 Base Hospital, Srinagar. Naik Praveen who was grievously injured was further transferred to Command Hospital, Udhampur where he succumbed to his injuries.

"Keeping with the highest traditions of the Indian Armed Forces, Naik Praveen made the supreme sacrifice for the nation. The fallen soldier belongs to Tehri Garhwal region of Uttarakhand and is survived by his wife and six-year-old son. The nation will remain indebted to his valour and bravery," he said.

The army said the mortal remains of the soldier were taken to his native village after wreath laying ceremony at Udhampur on Friday.

--IANS zi/vd

( 196 Words)

2022-06-03-22:07:26 (IANS)
The massive loot took place in Saket Vihar under Gardanibagh police station around 6.30 pm. The robbers came on bikes, barged into the company office, and held all the employees at gunpoint before fleeing with the gold.

The officials of the gold finance company claimed that they have looted around 8 kg gold. Though, the exact weight and worth of gold is under calculation.

The SHO, Gardanibagh said that the matter is under investigation.

He also said that another loot incident took place in a jewellery shop in Gardanibagh area.

"We are investigating both the incidents of loot. The process of scanning CCTV cameras is currently underway and we have some leads about the accused," he said.

The incidents of loot are frequently taking place in Bihar these days. This was the fourth gold robbery in the state since Thursday. On Thursday, unidentified robbers looted Rs 1 crore gold from Sri Krishna jewellers in Patepur under Mahua police station in Vaishali district and a similar incident happened in Gopalganj on when robbers looted gold worth Rs 5 lakh.

--IANS ajk/vd

( 221 Words)

2022-06-03-22:13:27 (IANS)
Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala on Friday said that an organized industry on cow-based products is a reality now. He was speaking at the Global Confederation of Cow-based Industries (GCCI) where he said GCCI has proved that organized Industry on cow-based products is a reality now. Speaking at the global webinar jointly organized by ICAR-CIRC and GCCI on Friday on the occasion of World Milk Day 2022, Rupala appreciated GCCI for having established a new dimension by making such a confederation. Scientists, veterinarians, industrialists, farmers from across the globe attended the online event. The topic of the webinar was - 'Sustainability in the dairy sector as well as environmental, nutritional and socio-economic empowerment'. Rupala said that the world is now aware about the importance of cows. He added that the period of the COVID-19 pandemic has established the importance on looking towards means for immunity. He added that the world is opting for milk, ghee and other cow products. He said that youth is showing enthusiasm in cow entrepreneurship. He pointed out that in New India, the people working in this sector are being recognized and appreciated. Speaking on the occasion, he informed that the Government of India has approved 4000 mobile veterinary units. He added that one needs to dial 1962 to call for Cattle Ambulance and this will revolutionize this sector. GCCI founder Dr Vallabhbhai Kathiria said that there is a paradigm shift under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the country is transforming. He said that the milk of desi cow is like an elixir of life that is keeping us healthy and full of vitality throughout life. Dr Abhijit Mitra, Director, ICAR-CIRC talked about CIRC work, achievements and research findings for improvement of cattle for high profitability. He added that the milk producing capacity of indigenous cows is increasing. He further said that India contributes 21 per cent of total milk production in the world. Managing Director of Amul, Dr RS Sodhi discussed about the sustainability through dairy sector. He told that the supply chain efficiency in the dairy sector of India is the best in the world. (ANI)
One more doctor, working at a reputed Delhi hospital as a surgeon and allegedly involved in the major illegal kidney transplant racket, unearthed a few days ago, was arrested on Friday, police said. "In the intervening night of June 2-3, one more accused Dr Priyansh Sharma alias Sameer (34) was arrested in the case from the area of Rohini," Deputy Commissioner of Police Benita Mary Jaiker said. She said that the accused doctor used to give his services to gang leader Kuldeep Ray Vishwakarma alias KD during the illegal transplantation of kidneys in Guhana area of Sonipat in Haryana. Jaiker had earlier said information was received on May 26 at Hauz Khas police station regarding an illegal kidney transplantation racket being operated in the area of Hauz Khas which targeted the poor people and induced them to sell their kidney. After arresting several people in south Delhi, the police team along with one Forensic Science Laboratory's advance team conducted a raid at a hospital where a set-up was formed by the accused persons for illegal transplantation in Guhana. Quack, Dr Sonu Rohilla was found who with the help of doctors, technicians from different big hospitals used to perform illegal transplantation of kidney. He was also arrested. After that, Dr Sourabh Mittal, who was an anesthesiologist and worked in a reputed hospital in Delhi, was arrested after it was found he gave his services in illegal transplantation with other accused persons, the official said. During interrogation, it was revealed that Vishwakarma is the main mastermind of this gang who convinced other persons for these illegal transplants and also selected the clinic of Sonu Rohilla for execution of operations. He is the person who paid all the accused persons according to their roles and they had done 12-14 illegal transplants during the last 6-7 months at Guhana setup. During the course of investigation it has also been revealed that they used to target youths of the age group of 20 to 30 years who are in desperate need of money and then through their regular counselling, convinced them to sell their kidney. --IANS uj/vd ( 365 Words) 2022-06-03-22:35:14 (IANS)
The Delhi High Court on Friday sought response of the Delhi University on a plea moved by St Stephen's College against the varsity order to withdraw its admission prospectus and allow admissions through the Common University Entrance Test (CUET). Issuing notice in the matter, a division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi posted it for hearing in July. On Thursday, after hearing the submissions of the petitioner, a bench of Justice Sanjeev Narula listed the petition before the division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice. During the course of the hearing on Friday, advocate Romy Chacko, appearing for the petitioner, prayed for a passover, citing senior advocate Kapil Sibal is in Supreme Court. At this, the bench pointed out that the court had given the date of hearing for July 6 before the exam and admission process. As counsel highlighted the DU letter which emphasises withdrawing the prospectus of St Stephen's, the court, taking the submission of the college, said it will hear the matter, stating no consequences will be there till the next date of hearing. "You stick to your stand," the bench said while posting the matter for hearing in July. The prospectus issued by St Stephen's for admissions 2022-23 states that students from all categories, including general/unreserved seats, will be admitted on the basis of an 85:15 ratio. While 85 per cent of weightage would be given to the CUET, 15 per cent weightage would be given to interviews. However, this decision goes against the Delhi University guidelines issued for admissions to the new academic session which led to a row between Delhi University and St Stephen's College. On Wednesday, a law student at the Delhi University approached the high court through a Public Interest Litigation alleging that the college violates DU guidelines through its 15 per cent weightage plan for interviews under a selection committee. "The recommendation of the committee was a boon for those lakhs of students who wanted to study in Respondent University but did not have enough marks in their intermediate exams," the plea said, alleging that the process will give "ample room for discrimination and manipulation". --IANS jw/vd ( 375 Words) 2022-06-03-23:02:11 (IANS)
In Mahavamsa, it is mentioned that "When the relics are seen, the Buddha is seen." While in Salistamba Sutra (Rice Seedling Sutra) we find the Buddha Shakyamuni say, "One who sees the Dharma sees the Buddha" stressing the importance of the body relics and Dharma relics. In the Buddhist tradition, there are various classifications of Buddha: 1. Body relics 2. Contact relics (paribhogika), i.e., objects that the Buddha owned or used or with which he closely associated, such as bowls, robes, bodhi trees 3. Dharma relics which are meant as either whole Sutras, or a Dharma verse (such as the "ye dharma hetuprabhava hetum tesam tathagato hyavadat, tesam ca yo nirodha evamvadi mahasramanah" meaning 'All phenomena arises from causes, The causes are taught by the Tathagata, the cessation of the causes as well is taught by The Great Seer', or a dharani, or any record of the Buddha's teaching. In the case of body relics, it should be pointed out that distinctions came to be made between relics that were actual physical remains of the body, such as bones, teeth, etc. and transmogrified somatic substances that could be as small as mustard seeds and appear as jewel-like beads. These very hard glittering particles exist in a variety of colours and sizes, and are usually found in the ashes of cremation fires. The colours are said to reflect the part of the body or organ with which these particles were associated: white if they originated in bone, black if from the hair, red if from the flesh, etc. One Tibetan tradition even gives these relics different names and associates them with different families of Buddha: sharira are white, the size of a pea, and come from the head; barira are blue, the size of a small pea and come from the space between the ribs; churira are yellow, the size of a mustard seed, and come from the top of the liver; serira are red, also the size of a mustard seed and come from the kidneys; finally nyarira are green, also the size of a mustard seed, and come from the lungs, as mentioned in the book Relics of the Buddha by J.S. Strong. In the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, after the Buddha Shakyamuni's passing away, his remains were divided and distributed among the princes of eight of the sixteen mahajanapadas. A stupa enshrining the portion of the ashes was constructed by each prince near his capital. They are said to be located at 1. Allakappa (The precise location of this place is not currently known) 2. Kapilavastu 3. Kusinara, capital city of the Malla kingdom 4. Pava, a major city of the Malla kingdom (located about 15 km east of Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, India) 5. Rajagaha (Rajgir) a major city of the Magadha kingdom 6. Ramagrama, a major city of the Koliya kingdom (According to legend, the serpent king was guarding the Ramagrama stupa, and prevented Ashoka from unearthing the relic) 7. Vesali, capital city of the Vajji kingdom 8. Vethadipa, a settlement of Vethadipaka Brahmins. Some 300 years later, Emperor Ashoka opened seven of these stupas and removed the Buddha relics. His goal was to redistribute the relics throughout the Maurya Empire into 84,000 stupas which he planned to construct. According to legend, the serpent king prevented Ashoka from unearthing the relic of the Ramagrama stupa. There are a many places in India where the Buddha's relics are currently kept. The Piprawa Relics 1898, 1970 is now at the Delhi National Museum. In 1971, K. M. Srivastava discovered 22 bones in soapstone urns dating to 5th cent BCE. The K.M. Srivastava Report on Kapilavastu and Holy Buddha Relics was filed to ASI in 1991. According to the book 'The Return of the Buddha' by Prof. Himanshu Prabha Ray, a Historian, Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, the Taxila Relics, Mirpurkhas excavated in 1931 and the Nagarjunakonda Relics, 1932 are said to be enshrined at the Mulagandhakuti Temple in Sarnath near Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh under the Mahabodhi Society of India. In 1963, the Devni Mori Relics is said to have been found near Shamalaji, Gujarat in a gold bottle wrapped in silk cloth within a copper bowl kept in a casket (1700 yr. old) with Brahmi inscription that reads 'Abode of bodily relics of Lord Buddha'. It is now at the Baroda Museum in Gujarat. The Sopara Relics, 1882 (Asiatic Society of Mumbai) and the Bhattiprolu Relic, 1892 were enshrined in Mumbai in 2006 in the central locking stone of the dome of the Global Vipassana Pagoda and was donated by Mahabodhi Society of India and the PM of Sri Lanka. The Sopara Relics were found in 1882 when Pt. Bhagvanlal Indraji, a renowned archaeologist, numismatist, epigraphist and Honorary Fellow of the ASM, excavated a Buddhist stupa at Nala Sopara near Bombay. The site itself has Mauryan associations and two Asokan edicts have been found. From the centre of the stupa was excavated a large stone coffer containing eight unique Buddhist bronzes of 8th-9th century AD. The coffer also enclosed relic caskets of copper, silver, stone, crystal and gold, along with numerous gold flowers and one of the 13 fragments of a begging bowl believed to have been originally used by Gautama Buddha. During 1958- 1962, the Vaishali Relics were found 55 km Northwest of Patna in Vaishali District in a stupa discovered under the aegis of K.P. Jayaswal Research Institute. The relics was excavated from the core of the stupa mixed with earth, piece of conch, pieces of beads, thin gold leaf and copper punch-marked coin. It is now at the Patna Museum. Similarly, the Girmar Relics, 1889 is said to be at Rajkot, Gujarat; the Bhattiprolu Relics, 1892 are said to be enshrined in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh and Kolkata under the Mahabodhi Society of India; The LalitgiriRelics, 1986 in Bhubaneswar and a Tooth Relic, 1930 at Nagarjunakonda in Telangana. --IANS nilza/pgh ( 995 Words) 2022-06-03-23:02:13 (IANS)
With three districts in Kerala -- Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam - seeing a rise in the coronavirus cases, the state's Health Minister Veena George on Friday said that there was no need for concern. Following a high-level review meeting on COVID-19, George said that although there is a slight increase in the number of infections in the state currently, the cases are only of the Omicron variant of the virus. "Covid situation was assessed in the meeting. The highest number of Covid cases are in Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam districts. These districts need special attention. Those with symptoms should be tested," she said. The Health Minister further said that taking precautions and the COVID-19 vaccine is essential. "It is important to live with COVID. Everyone must wear masks. Measures should be taken to protect elderly people and bed-ridden patients. All those who have to take the second dose of COVID vaccine and precautionary dose should take it. Health workers must take the precautionary dose," George said. She further said that with the decrease in cases of COVID-19, many people were reluctant to take the second dose and the precautionary dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. "It would be dangerous. It is estimated that COVID deaths are higher among those who have not been vaccinated and those who have comorbidities. If people with comorbidities have Covid symptoms, they should seek immediate treatment," George said. Discussing the status of COVID-19 vaccination, the Health Minister said that about 100 per cent of people over the age of 18 have taken their first dose of the vaccine, but only 88 per cent have taken the second dose. While only 22 per cent took the precautionary dose. The first dose was given to 83 per cent of children aged 15 to 17 years and the second dose to 55 per cent of children. The first dose was given to 54 per cent of children aged 12 to 14 years and the second dose to 15 per cent of children. "Field workers will be tasked with compiling a list of those who have not been vaccinated locally and ensuring that they are vaccinated. Vaccines will be given to all children. Steps will be taken to vaccinate all children in consultation with the department of education in the wake of school re-opening," George said. The Health Minister also directed to take special attention to infectious diseases, especially the Nipah virus and rabies. As per the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Kerala logged 734 COVID cases in the last 24 hours, taking the active cases in the state to 6,990. Meanwhile, the Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has written to officials of five states including Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu to closely monitor emerging clusters of CCOVID-19 cases and maintain an adequate number of tests, and send samples from infected individuals for genome sequencing. (ANI)
Leading global leaders in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) sectors will be in Dubai for a key industry event - Construction Technology Festival (CTF) - to discuss changing industry practices in the construction sector.

They will get to share their insights and provide digital solutions that help design, build, and handover assets faster and more efficiently whilst focusing on better sustainability at CTF, which is back for its fifth edition from June 7 to 8.

The event will showcase how digitalisation and advanced technologies are shaping construction and real estate industries. Supported by the Saudi Contractors Authority, CTF is expecting more than 400 attendees.

CTF is being organised by Ventures Connect, a partnership between b2b Connect and Ventures Middle East, two businesses committed to empowering companies across the Mena region while enabling critical connections with key stakeholders and decision-makers across various industries.

More than 150 expert speakers from leading organisations globally will discuss digital transformation in construction sector, virtual construction and modern building method as well as ways to decarbonise the built environment, shifting to cloud, and many more engaging topics, said the organisers.

Real experiences in the implementation of more than 10 digital disciplines will be revealed from IoT to Machine Learning and the Metaverse, they added.

For the first time, CTF will also host a PropTech Focus, allowing the event to bring together the entire value chain and focus on how technology can be better scaled across each discipline.

The PropTech Track will introduce digital asset management, property management, facility and community management and how digital innovations can increase asset value, reduce operational costs and deliver better experiences for end-users.

On the concluding day, CTF will host the annual Construction Technology Awards to celebrate outstanding examples of digital implementation, transformation and leadership that have helped deliver projects with improved design, efficiency, cost, sustainability, workplace safety, and occupancy wellness.

With a shortlist of almost 100 people, projects and organisations across 17 categories, the awards will welcome more than 300 attendees from across the industry, stated the organisers.

These awards recognise the contribution to the sector being made by every shortlisted finalist in categories that include BIM Project of the Year, Digital Twin, Sustainable Organisation, Rising Star, Woman in ConTech and ConTech Leader.-TradeArabia News Service
Attacking Congress ahead of state Assembly polls, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur on Friday said the grand old party has vanished and its farewell song is buzzing across the country. Addressing a public meeting at Jalog, Thakur said Congress is on the verge of extinction. He said, "Everything has a phase. There was a time that passed. I am talking about the Congress party. They have vanished from the country. There is no meaning in finding them whose existence has ended in the nation. Their national leaders are on bail. Elections were held in Uttar Pradesh. They are left with just two seats. The sound of farewell is buzzing across the country." Referring to the recently held five state elections, Thakur said, "There were elections in five states and they were saying that they will come to power. When the results came, Channi Ji (Former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi) lost both the seats he contested. Congress had just one state and that too went out of their hands. We were in the four states and we regained power in all four of them." He said that the BJP would break the tradition of changing the government of the ruling party every five years (in Himachal Pradesh). "They (Congress) say that in Himachal, the government is changed every five years. The same thing used to happen in Uttrakhand, but the tradition has changed. We will also end this tradition in Himachal this time and again BJP government will come to power in Himachal Pradesh," Thakur emphasised. The Chief Minister was on a visit to Shimla Rural Assembly constituency where he inaugurated development projects worth Rs 14 crore. He announced the opening of a government degree college at Jalog. Thakur also announced a Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) office in Sunni. "For better arrangements of the ground in Karyali, if our proposal is passed under Khelo India then it can be made into a great place for sports. The provision for funds for the construction of the temple at Gram Panchayat Ogli would be made," he said. Thakur also assured people to fulfil various developmental demands in the area. "We will open a degree college at Jalog. I want to congratulate people as developmental projects worth Rs 14 crore have been inaugurated at Jalog in Shimla Grameen Constituency," he said. Thakur took a dig at Congress and said, "The MLA of the region has represented the state as a Chief Minister. But what I am seeing is that despite being the chief minister, nothing was done for the region. People are asking for roads and drinking water." Notably, Shimla Assembly Constituency has been represented by Congress for decades. Former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh was an MLA from the seat. Currently, the constituency is represented by Congress MLA Vikramaditya Singh. Thakur further said, "Before here, I went to Rampur. They audaciously say that they have been in power so long. But, staying for long does not matter. The thing that matter is the contribution to the development. The situation of Rampur and Shimla Rural is the same." Pertinent to mention, the Rampur Assembly constituency has been dominated by the Congress party. The assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh are slated for later this year. (ANI)
The Prime Minister will also address the gathering during the programme.

'Save Soil Movement' is a global movement to increase awareness about deteriorating soil health and bring about a conscious response to improve it.

The movement was started by Sadhguru in March 2022, who embarked on a 100-day motorcycle journey passing through 27 countries. June 5 marks the 75th day of the 100-day journey.

Prime Minister's participation in the programme will be reflective of the shared concerns and commitment toward improving the health of the soil in India.

World Environment Day is celebrated annually on June 5. It offers a global platform for inspiring positive change in the environment. It also pushes individuals to think about what they consume from the ecosystem and gives them a chance to build a greener future. (ANI)
The first flight with pilgrims for the Hajj pilgrimage 2022 departed from Kerala's Kochi airport to Medina in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. As many as 377 passengers departed in the SV 5747 flight of Saudi Arabian Airlines. It was flagged off by V Abdurahman, Kerala Minister for Wakf and Hajj pilgrimage. Kerala Minister for ports, museum, archaeology and archives Ahmad Devarkovil, Central Hajj Committee Chairman AP Abdullkutty, and State Hajj Committee Chairman C Muhammad Faisi were also present here. "Today, the first batch of Indian Hajj pilgrims took off from Kochi airport to Saudi Arabia. As per our schedule, the last aircraft take off from Mumbai on July 3. I request all of you, we need your prayer and blessings. We are very confident, under the leadership of Narendra Modi, we will successfully perform all rituals in Mecca and Medina," AP Abdullakutty, Chairman of the Central Hajj Committee told ANI. Meanwhile, Kerala Minister for Wakf and Hajj pilgrimage V Abdurahman said that all the arrangements had been completed for the pilgrimage and there were no issues. "All arrangements are completed. Today, 377 people for hajj are started their journey on the first flight. They arrived at the camp two days ago. All their tests are over. Now the flight has departed. There are currently no issues. Things are going well," said Abdurahman. C Muhammad Faisi, Chairman of the State Hajj Committee thanked the central and state governments for all their efforts in this regard. "The first Hajj flight from India has just departed. I would like to thank the central and state governments and the Central Hajj Committee for all their efforts in this regard. The pilgrims will leave for Medina in 14 days on the next 20 flights," he stated. "That is a very happy thing. I am very happy that the first Hajj flight from India departed from Kochi. As a result of the efficient work of the Central and State Hajj Committees, we made all the preparations in a short period of time," Ahammad Devarkovil, Kerala Minister for ports, museum, archaeology and archives added. A total of 20 flights will depart from Kochi to Medina with 7,724 passengers from June 4 to June 16. Of this, 5,758 pilgrims are from Kerala and 1966 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Lakshadweep and Andaman. (ANI)
In yet another setback to the Congress, seven Congress leaders including four former ministers joined the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) at the party office in Chandigarh on Saturday. Former ministers Raj Kumar Verka, Balbir Singh Sidhu, Gurpreet Singh Kangar, and Sundar Sham Arora were among the seven Congress leaders who joined the BJP today. Apart from them, Congress leaders Kewal S Dhillon, Kamaljeet S Dhillon and the sitting Mayor of Congress in Mohali, Amarjeet S Sidhu also joined the BJP here today. In addition, two Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders Bibi Mohinder Kaur Josh and Sarup Chand Singla also joined the BJP today. Earlier in the day, Raj K Verka, Sunder S Arora, Gurpreet S Kangar and Balbir Sidhu were seen with the BJP leaders Sunil Jakhar and Manjinder Singh Sirsa in Chandigarh. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also arrived at the Chandigarh office after the said leaders joined BJP. However, the Punjab MLA from Congress, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring wished a sarcastic 'good luck' to the members who quit the party and said that he is "grateful" for the seats to be vacant for young leaders. "Best of luck for Joining BJP. Grateful that the 'elite' who enjoyed all the privileges in the party have vacated the space for younger leadership from the common background," he tweeted. In the past few months, the country has witnessed a number of leaders from various Opposition parties joining the BJP. Recently on Thursday, Former Congress leader Hardik Patel, who quit the Congress last month, joined the BJP- months ahead of the Assembly elections in Gujarat, while the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) retired colonel Ajay Kothiyal had also joined the party in Uttarakhand on May 24. The development came amid the regular shifts taking place from different parties to the centre-ruling party, including Congress' Sunil Jakhar, Pramod Madhwaraj, and Ashwin Kotwal. Jakhar, being the former Congress leader and former Punjab party chief joined the BJP on May 19, whereas Madhwaraj- the former Karnataka Minister was welcomed by the state party chief Basavaraj Bommai on May 7. Madhwaraj had alleged that "bad experiences" in the party led to "political suffocation". Kotwal had resigned from Congress on May 3 and joined the party in the Centre on the same day. (ANI)
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma hit out at the Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia over allegations of malpractice in the supply of PPE kits during the COVID-19 pandemic and said he will initiate legal action against Sisodia. In his clarification, the Assam CM said, "At a time when the entire country was facing the worst pandemic in over 100 years, Assam hardly had any PPE Kits. My wife took the courage of coming forward and donated around 1,500 PPE kits free of cost to the government to save lives. She didn't take a single penny." Sisodia on Saturday alleged that when Sarma was the state Health Minister back in 2020, he had given PPE kit orders to his wife and son's business partner's companies. He said, "Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma gave govt orders to his wife and son's business partner's companies in 2020 for PPE kits when he (CM) was the then health min. An elected CM has indulged in such corrupt activities, will the BJP put him behind the bars?" Sarma replying to the allegation said, "While you Mr Manish Sisodia at that point of time showed a completely different side. You refused my multiple calls to help Assamese people stuck in Delhi. I can never forget one instance when I had to wait 7 days just to get an Assamese COVID victim's body from Delhi's mortuary." "Stop sermonising and I will see you soon in Guwahati as you will face criminal defamation", Sarma warned. Rinku Bhuyan Sarma, wife of Himanta Biswa Sarma also took to Twitter to issue a clarification over Sisodia's allegations. She wrote, "In the first week of the pandemic, not a single PPE kit was available with Assam. Taking cognizance of the same, I reached out to a business acquaintance and delivered about 1500 PPE kits to NHM with a lot of effort. Later on, I wrote to the NHM to treat the same as part of my CSR," she wrote. "I didn't take a single penny out of the supply. I have always been transparent about my belief in giving back to society, irrespective of my husband's political standing," she added. The Assam CM tagged an acknowledgement document addressed to JCB industries for the PPE kits. The notification read, "Your supply of 1485 kits has served the healthcare workers as well as patients, as a shield from the disease.....I appreciate your initiative to come forward and donate the above items as part of corporate social responsibility." (ANI)
The Assam Police on Saturday successfully established a link between the Popular Front of India (PFI) and the Bangladesh based Islamic terror group Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), during an investigation pertaining to the recent crackdown on the ABT module where the police had arrested 16 persons since April. According to the Assam police, some PFI activists are working for ABT-- an Al-Qaeda inspired Islamic extremist group based in Bangladesh and they have been closely monitoring all the activities of PFI in the state. The Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) (Special Branch) of Assam police, Hiren Nath, confirmed that one person among the 16 arrested was the president of PFI's Barpeta district unit. "On April 15, we registered a case in Barpeta district in which some (16) ABT activists were arrested. One of them was Maqibul Hussain," Nath said. "During the interrogation, Hussain surrendered that he was the president of PFI of Barpeta district. Before joining Ansarullah Bangla Team he was actively working for PFI in the lower Assam, but later resigned to join the said group where he was trained by Mehdi Hasan," he added. According to the ADGP, so far, the Assam police have registered as many as 18 cases against PFI and CFI. "Out of the 18 cases, 16 are registered against PFI while the other two cases are lodged against the CFI. We have submitted a chargesheet in 12 cases so far and the rest of the cases are being investigated," he said. Nath in his further conversation revealed the style of working of this group by highlighting that they provoke the people by demonstrating sensitive issues taking place anywhere in the country. "One of the modus operandi of this group or the workers is that anything happening anywhere in the country which does not even have any connection with Assam--may be some Hijab issue or some temples, mosques-- they will demonstrate it here, especially in the lower Assam region, including Guwahati city, Goalpara, Barpeta, Baksa, Dhubri and some parts of the Barak Valley. They provoking people and it is very dangerous for the country," he asserted. Mentioning that the PFI is currently active in 10 districts of the state, he assured that the police is keeping its sharp eye on their activities. Recently, the state Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also urged the Centre to ban PFI and CFI organisations. "Two cases were registered in Guwahati and one in Dhubri where they (PFI) published some materials and pamphlets with some anti-national and anti-government slangs written over them," he noted. He further continued by saying that PFI members were doing something very secretly. "We have recovered some printing materials printed in Bengali and Arabic, that contained literature teaching Jihad, how to do Jihad, how to attract people to Jihad, what are the requirements for the Jihadi, and all these things. We are investigating it all," the top cop said. "If anyone tries to disturb the social peace and tranquillity, or take the law into their hands, we will take very strong action against them," Nath assured. Nath also offered to help the Uttar Pradesh police in managing the recent clashes that broke out in Kanpur on Friday. A violent clash broke out between two groups belonging to different communities allegedly over a matter of market shutdown in Kanpur. In the aftermath of the clashes, two persons and one policeman were injured. (ANI)
Top military brass of the country including the three services chiefs on Saturday briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the new 'Agnipath' recruitment scheme for induction of soldiers in three defense services. The scheme is likely to be approved by Union Cabinet in the coming week as the defense forces have already started making preparations for its rollout. The Prime Minister was briefed about the Agnipath recruitment scheme today by the top military brass including the three defense forces' chiefs and Department of Military Affairs Officials, government sources told ANI. The scheme has been planned and prepared by the Department of Military Affairs presently led by Additional Secretary Lt Gen Anil Puri. As per the initial plans, after the initial training of around six months, around 20-25 per cent of recruited youth known as 'Agniveers' would be given longer tenures while others would be released with a severance package which would be around Rs 10-12 lakh, they said. If the project moves as per plan, the recruitment process for the first batch of Agniveers may start in the next three to four months, the sources said. The forces will also have the option of recruiting specialists for specific tasks who would perform the desired role. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the recruitment of soldiers in the armed forces has been halted. As per the plans, the soldiers relieved from the service would be provided assistance in getting placed in civilian jobs. A number of corporates have shown interest in availing services of such 'Agniveers' as they would be benefitted from hiring such trained military-trained disciplined manpower. (ANI)
Cyber Police station of Outer District on Saturday have busted an International fake call centre, in which the accused persons were cheating US citizens by pretending themselves as executives of Microsoft support, as per Delhi Police. The four main accused have been identified as Mohit Khanna (50), Bhupinder Singh (32), Rahul Makhija (22), and Subham (23), who were found involved in the offence and have been arrested and other 28 telecallers have also been bound down. According to DCP Outer Sameer Sharma, the police team received secret information on May 31 that an illegal call centre is being run in the area of Rani Bagh police station, Delhi. "The information was further developed and it came to light that the cheaters are involved in large-scale cyber cheating with US citizens by impersonating them as the executives of Microsoft Support from the USA and inducing them to pay money for solving a non-existent problem. The information was briefed to the senior officer," said Sharma. After getting information on this fraud, Delhi Police raided the call centre premises located in Engineers Enclave, said the police. After confirmation of suspicious activities, other members of the raiding party including Inspector Sandeep Panwar reached the call centre premises where more than 25 persons (male/female) were found engaged on a number of computers installed, in two separate halls on the same premises, said the police. As per the police, it was found that a setup of Computers and accessories were installed to communicate with the US citizens. These alleged persons used to call the US Nationals with English names in order to impersonate themselves as Microsoft Support executives from USA. It also came to notice that fraudsters were engaged in using illegal techniques, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calling, bypassing the legal International Long Distance (ILD) Gateways and thus causing wrongful loss to Government Exchequer and wrongful gain to themselves, stated the police. According to the police, on checking the computer systems installed there it was found that they are also using remote access applications such as Ultraviewer, TeamViewer, and AnyDesk. The dialling software was checked and a list of US telephone numbers in the Dialed/Received calls was found. 29 smartphones, 25 hard discs from different CPUs, two laptops, one DVR, three Routers, and one load balance router were recovered from the accused persons, the police added. (ANI)
A commander of proscribed terror outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) was killed in an encounter with security forces in Anantnag district, the Jammu and Kashmir police said on Saturday. Incriminating materials, including arms and ammunition, were recovered from his possession, the police said. "Terrorist Commander of proscribed terror outfit HM Nisar Khanday killed. Incriminating materials, arms, and ammunition including 01 AK 47 rifle recovered. Operation in progress," Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar said. On Friday, on a specific input regarding the presence of terrorists in the Rishipora area of Anantnag, the Police, Army (19RR) and CRPF launched a joint cordon and search operation in the said area. As the joint team was establishing the cordon around the suspected area, the hiding terrorist started indiscriminate firing upon the search party which was retaliated effectively leading to an encounter. According to Jammu and Kashmir police, in the initial exchange of fire, three army personnel and a civilian got injuries. All the injured were immediately airlifted to 92 Base Hospital Srinagar for treatment and are stated to be stable. In the ensuing encounter, the hiding terrorist was killed and his body was retrieved from the site of the encounter. He has been identified as Nisar Khanday (Commander of proscribed terror outfit HM) and active since the year 2018, the police said. As per police records, the killed terrorist is a categorized terrorist and was part of the groups involved in several terror cases including attacks on Police/SF and civilian atrocities. The slain terrorist was earlier arrested in the year 2000 along with arms/ammunition and detained under PSA. Before joining terrorist ranks in the year 2018, he was working as a terrorist associate of the proscribed terror outfit HM. He has been involved in several killings of civilians and security forces besides mastermind in fresh recruitment of youth in terror rank. IGP Kashmir congratulated the joint teams for carrying out the operation in a professional manner and neutralizing the wanted terrorist commander. He also appreciated the valour and dedication of the injured personnel and prayed for their speedy recovery. Incriminating materials, arms, and ammunition including 01 AK-47 rifles were recovered from the site of the encounter. All the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation. In this regard, a case under relevant sections of law has been registered and an investigation has been initiated. People are requested to cooperate with the police till the area at the encounter site is completely sanitized and cleared of all the explosive materials if any. (ANI)
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Saxena on Saturday instructed all the Additional and Zonal Deputy Commissioners of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to be in the field before the office starts and asked them to be in the office at 12-1 PM to meet the people for redressing their problems. "Additional and Zonal Deputy Commissioners of MCD have been instructed to be in the field before the office starts to inspect and ensure work and be present in the office between 12-1 PM to meet people and redress their problems," the LG said in a tweet. "I appeal to the people of Delhi to utilise this interface and help MCD serve better," he added. Earlier on Wednesday, the Members of the Delhi Legislative Assembly had called on Saxena and discussed various issues pertaining to the city and their constituencies. Saxena, the chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission, was appointed as Delhi's new Lieutenant Governor on May 23 after Anil Baijal resigned from the position citing "personal reasons" last week. Following the appointment, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal extended a warm welcome to Saxena and tweeted, "On behalf of the people of Delhi, I extend a warm welcome to the newly appointed Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Vinay Kumar Saxena. For the betterment of Delhi, he will get full cooperation from the cabinet of Delhi Government." (ANI)
Northern region forecasted to face higher rainfall

The northern region of Vietnam has been forecasted to experience more rain between July and September this year with an average rainfall higher than many previous years.



The National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control held a meeting on Friday on reservoir operating procedures along the Red River in 2022.



At the event, Mai Van Khiem, director of the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, said that the northern region would see heavy rain with an average rainfall of 100-250mm in the days to come.





Tuyen Quang hydropower reservoir



This month, the rainfall of northern mountainous areas between July and September would be 15-30 percent higher than in many previous years. However, the northern regions rainfall between October and November would be 15-20 percent lower than in many previous years.



According to Tran Quang Hoai, deputy head of the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, plans to respond to the water level of reservoirs along the Red River have been built based on the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecastings impact assessment.



The committee has asked localities and hydropower plants to drege their reservoirs to provide more capacity. Hoai added that he would also ensure a Zalo group was established for localities to report information about the water level on rivers and reservoirs and rainfall.

Ngo Son Hai, deputy general director of Vietnam Electricity (EVN) said that at present coal prices had sharply risen, affecting the operation of coal power plants. So abundant water supply was a positive factor for the operation of hydropower plants. EVN would also have to consider how to use the water in its reservoirs effectively for power production.


Leading UAE-based cloud computing provider G42 Cloud has announced a strategic collaboration with Kyndryl, one of the worlds largest IT infrastructure services providers, mainly aimed at accelerating the adoption of cloud in the UAE and the Middle East.

G42 Cloud, which manages the regions largest cloud computing infrastructure, and Kyndryl will aim to provide businesses with holistic and innovative solutions.

Both companies will ensure alignment of their respective capabilities, expertise and resources that will facilitate solution planning and execution.

Kyndryl is an American company created from the spin-off of IBM's infrastructure services business.

The companies will also look to help drive IT and business reinvention for customers through the combination of G42 Clouds state-of-the-art cloud solutions and Kyndryls global leadership in IT infrastructure services.

The collaboration was formalized at a signing ceremony by Talal Al Kaissi, CEO of G42 Cloud and Vickram Nagi, Managing Director, Kyndryl Middle East, Africa and Turkey, in the presence of Thomas Bruns, Regional Senior Commercial Officer for the Gulf and Commercial Counselor, US Embassy as well as other high-level delegates from G42 Cloud and Kyndryl.

G42 Cloud sad its diversified base of customers includes government, healthcare, energy, sports, finance and more. Under the collaboration, Kyndryl will be able to support G42 Clouds existing and new customers to help migrate, manage and modernize their complex, mission-critical workloads on G42 Cloud infrastructure.

On the key tieup, Al Kaissi said: "As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, cloud and digitization services are in greater demand in the UAE and across the region. This new collaboration with a global leader in IT infrastructure services like Kyndryl presents us with the opportunity to better support our existing and new customers as they transform their businesses to achieve superior performance and resilience."

"We look forward to share our capabilities and resources with Kyndryl to continue to deliver superior security and user experience to our clients, strengthening G42 Clouds leading position in the UAE and internationally," he added.

Pointing out that the digital transformation was at the top of every organization's agenda, Nagi said: "Kyndryl is excited to embark on this journey with G42 Cloud and work together to help customers achieve their business transformation goals."

"This collaboration also reaffirms our commitment to forging strategic collaborations with technology leaders to better serve our customers in the region and globally," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Maharashtra stands firmly behind the Kashmiri Pandits and will do everything possible to help them, assured Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday. "For the last few days, targeted killing of Kashmiri Pandits and Hindus has been going on in Kashmir Valley. Within a month, nine Kashmiri Pandits were assassinated. Hundreds of frightened Kashmiri Pandits have started fleeing. The whole country is outraged," stated a release quoting Thackeray. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray expressed grave concern over the situation in the valley. He said that Kashmiri Pandits are literally on the run in Kashmir Valley. "They were shown dreams of returning home, but on their return home, the Pandits are being picked and killed. In this horrific situation, a large number of Pandits started fleeing, which is a shocking as well as disturbing event," said Thackeray. At this juncture, as the Shiv Sena party chief and the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, I can promise that Maharashtra will stand firmly behind the Kashmiri Pandits in these difficult times", said Thackeray. When the Shivsena government was formed in Maharashtra in 1995, Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray had given reservation in education to the children of Kashmiri Pandits in Maharashtra as a special matter. Mentioning the Shiv Sena chief has consistently raised his voice for the protection of Kashmiri Pandits, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that Maharashtra has always maintained a sensitive relationship with Kashmiri Pandits. "We consider it our duty and look at it with a sense of duty. We are currently closely monitoring the situation in the valley. Talks are also underway with leaders of Kashmiri Pandits. I repeat we will do everything possible for Kashmiri Pandits. They will not be left in the lurch. Maharashtra will do its duty," assured the Maharashtra CM. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray today expressed concern over the situation in Jammu and Kashmir in the aftermath of the recent targeted killings in the union territory and termed the situation 'deeply concerning'. He further said that the doors of Maharashtra are always open for Kashmiri Pandits. Speaking to ANI on the recent killings of Hindus in the Kashmir Valley, Thackeray said, "The situation in Kashmir is deeply concerning. It's unfortunate that the situation is repeating again. We expect the Government of India to take strong measures to ensure their protection." A bank manager, identified as Vijay Kumar, was shot dead outside his office by terrorists in the Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. Earlier this week 36-year-old Hindu woman teacher Rajni Bala, hailing from Jammu's Samba district, was shot dead by terrorists at a government school in Gopalpora, Kulgam. Last month, two civilians - including Kashmiri Pandit employee Rahul Bhat -- and three off-duty policemen were killed in Kashmir by terrorists. (ANI)
With an aim to focus on the 2024 General elections and Assembly polls, all Cabinet Ministers of the Odisha government have submitted their resignations on Saturday. The new Cabinet will be sworn in on Sunday at around 11.45 am. The ceremony will take place in the new convention centre of Lok Seva Bhawan in Bhubaneswar. Such development has occurred for the first time in history that all the Cabinet Ministers stepped down from their respective offices at once. The move has been initiated to give opportunities to the new faces, both younger and senior, in the Cabinet ahead of the crucial 2024 General elections and Assembly elections in the state which are slated to take place in the same year. Some of the ministers who have performed well in their respective offices and still dropped from the Cabinet are likely to get important responsibilities in the party organization in view of the next election, according to sources. The Naveen Patnaik government has completed three years of its fifth consecutive term as the Chief Minister of Odisha on May 29. In these 25 years, he has carved a niche for himself. Today, in India and abroad, Naveen Patnaik is seen as a role model of governance, whose work speaks. He has often said that he speaks less as he believes his work should speak. While others in the political realm give long speeches, his speeches rarely cross the five-minute mark. He speaks less and works more. A simple man whose journey has created history for India and the world. All Advisors/Chairpersons etc. of 23 different departments/Corporations/ Boards etc shall cease to be in office with effect from June 5th (Sunday), Planning & Convergence Department has issued an official notification, after the order passed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, read order by the state government. (ANI)
The Assam government on Saturday strongly denied the allegations of irregularity in supply of PPE kits and sanitisers and that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's family was involved in the reported malpractice. The opposition Congress, Trinamool Congress, Raijor Dal and Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) and other political parties have been demanding a Supreme Court monitored probe or by the central agencies in the matter. Assam's Information and Public Relations Minister Pijush Hazarika, who is also the state government's spokesman, said there was no irregularity in the supply of PPE kits and no member of Sarma's family was involved. Claiming that the allegations are "bogus, malicious and imaginary", Hazarika, who was the minister of state of Health and Family welfare in 2020, said that the false campaign is a handiwork of a certain section with vested interests. "If they have evidence they can go to the appropriate court instead of making false and unsubstantiated allegations," the Minister said. The political controversy erupted after a New Delhi based online media and a Guwahati based media outlet claimed that the Assam government in 2020 placed four Covid-19 related emergency medical supply orders, without following proper procedures. Hazarika said that considering the emergency situation, orders for supply of PPE kits were placed with 35 firms and for supply of sanitisers orders were placed to nine firms. A supply order of only Rs 85 lakh was given to the firm referred to by the media portals, the Minister said. Sarma, now Chief Minister, was the Health and Family Welfare Minister in the previous Assam government headed by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who is now the Union Minister. Chief Minister's wife Riniki Bhuyan Sharma in a statement said that a news website has come out with an unfounded accusation with regard to my supply of PPE kits to the National Health Mission. "In the first week of the pandemic, not a single PPE kit was available in Assam. Taking cognisance of the same, I reached out to a business acquaintance, and delivered around 1,500 PPE kits to the NHM with a lot of effort. Later, I wrote to the NHM to treat the same as a part of my CSR. A due acknowledgment is enclosed. I did not take a single penny out of this supply. I have always been transparent about my belief in giving back to the society, irrespective of my husband's political standing. My organisation has also supported the NHM in the fight against Covid by donating to the Aarogya Nidhi," Bhuyan Sharma said. In Kolkata, Trinamool Congress' Rajya Sabha Member Sukhendu Sekhar Ray quoting the media reports, said that PPE kits were purchased at the rate of Rs 2,200 per piece. "However, the actual market prices of the same that time in the open market were Rs 600-700. The time referred to here is March-April of 2020 when these PPE kits were procured. A total of 10,000 PPE kits were procured from Agile Associates at the rate of Rs 2,200 per piece. Two companies named Agile Associates and Meditime Healthcare were involved and included the participation of the wife and son of the then Health Minister of Assam," Ray said. Demanding a Supreme Court monitored probe in the alleged scam, Meditime Healthcare bagged orders worth Rs 4.20 crore for the supply of PPE kits. On the other hand, Agile Associates received orders worth Rs 2,20,50,000 for the same. These facts surfaced in the RTI replies and documents submitted on the purchases by the concerned department published in the media, said Ray, also a senior lawyer. Congress leaders in Guwahati announced that they would continue the agitations till the probe was ordered to unearth the "irregularities". Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday accused Assam Chief Minister of "awarding PPE kits' contracts to his kin during Covid emergency". In reply, Assam Chief Minister Sarma in a statement said: "Manish Bhai, most surprising that you once claimed to be an 'anti corruption' activist. At that point of Covid wave, we in Assam did not have any single PPE kit. After hectic efforts, my wife managed to bring in a few kits to save precious lives. Although the NHM issued an order, the company raised no bill and the kits were gifted to the Govt." Saying that not a single penny was transacted, the Chief Minister asked Sisodia where is the corruption? "Due to acute shortage then, every government including yours waived the tender process for PPE kits and went for direct purchase. Don't cherry-pick from half the documents. Have the courage to put all the facts. Don't show half of a document trail, have courage to put all the facts?" Sarma stated. --IANS sc/skp/ ( 795 Words) 2022-06-04-21:06:02 (IANS)
Ahead of the commencement of the 43-day-long annual Amarnath pilgrimage, Jammu and Kashmir administration issued the dos and don'ts for the pilgrims urging them to "go on a morning walk daily and practice breathing exercises" to keep oneself fit at the high altitudes. While specifying precautionary measures, Principal Secretary to Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Nitishwar Kumar said that devotees should go on a morning walk, do breathing exercises, must keep their warm clothes, food items and keep themselves hydrated. The Yatra is set to start on June 30, 2022, and conclude on August 11, 2022, on Raksha Bandhan. The remarks by Nitishwar Kumar, came after over 90 pilgrims lost their lives during the Char Dam Yatra in Uttarakhand since it began on May 3 this year, due to heart attack, mountain sickness and other reasons. Speaking to ANI on Saturday, Nitishwar Kumar said, "The pilgrims who have done their registrations and are planning to do the same, must do the morning or evening walk for nearly 4 to 5 hours daily. This is a necessity to keep oneself fit as one comes at a very high altitude. The holy cave is at 12,700 ft while you do have to cross 14,000 or 15,000 ft in your way. Also, practice deep breathing exercises as there are oxygen shortages at such high altitudes." Citing the occasional dip in temperature in the region during rains, the principal secretary suggested the pilgrims to carry warm clothes as a precautionary measure. "The temperature dips to nearly 5 degrees when it rains during the yatra. So do bring your warm clothes with you keeping this in mind. Do bring a walking stick, jacket and eatables. Keep hydrating yourself to avoid dehydration," he said. Notably, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in an important meeting chaired recently over Jammu and Kashmir security situation, had discussed Amarnath Yatra among other issues. Meanwhile, the Centre has asked Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Odisha governments to take urgent steps to ensure that the ongoing Kedarnath Yatra and upcoming Amarnath Yatra and Rath Yatra are conducted in a manner so as to ensure high levels of cleanliness. In this regard, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) Manoj Joshi has written to the Chief Secretaries of Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Odisha. Notably, there are four holy shrines in Uttarakhand dedicated to Hindu Gods and holy rivers of India. The four shrines are situated within the Garhwal Region. These are collectively referred to as "Char Dham of Uttarakhand". In the Hindu religion, Char Dham Yatra holds great importance and sanctity. It is believed that every Hindu should undertake Char Dham Yatra at least once in a lifetime to avail the blessings of gods adorning the shrines. Haridwar is the traditional point to start the Char Dham Yatra of Uttarakhand. Badrinath Yatra commenced on May 8, 2022 and Kedarnath Yatra on May 6, 2022. Amarnath Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir is scheduled to begin on June 30, 2022, and conclude on August 11, 2022. Jagannath Rath Yatra in Odisha is scheduled to commence on July 1. (ANI)
After the US and UK requested Beijing to allow unfettered access to the northwest Chinese province at the UN security council, China rejected the accusations of human rights abuses being levied against the country in the Xinjiang province. "I wish to point out that the representatives of the United States and Britain in their statements made unfounded accusations against China, which China firmly rejects," Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told the Security Council open debate on strengthening accountability and justice for serious violations of international law. "As the saying goes, to hide a lie, 1,000 lies are needed," Xinhua quoted Dai as saying. "Allegations of 'genocide' or 'forced labor' in Xinjiang are lies of the century pure and simple." This comes after the US and other countries called for the International Labour Organization (ILO) to set up a mission to probe alleged labour abuses in Xinjiang. Dai claimed that US and Britain are afraid that their "cooked-up lies" about Xinjiang "are seen through" by the international community. "However, no amount of lies spread by the United States and Britain can deny the factual reality of Xinjiang that it enjoys stability and prosperity, and its people are living and working in peace and happiness," Dai stressed. On Thursday, the US and UK expressed deep concern about the continued reports of a widespread and systematic programme of forced labour in Xinjiang involving the Uyghur and other Turkic and Muslim minorities. New evidence continues to emerge to reveal the scale and severity of the human rights violations in the region, including from the Chinese Government's own documents. "In order to effectively implement the recommendations found in the Committee of Experts report, we strongly call for the Chinese Government to accept a high-level tripartite mission in Xinjiang. We urge the Chinese Government to grant all necessary accommodations to enable the mission to carry out its duties in a meaningful and unfettered manner - just as we did prior to the recent visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights," said Rita French, British Ambassador for Human Rights & Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Geneva. "In addition, we suggest that the Chinese Government avails itself, without delay, of all available technical assistance to ensure comprehensive compliance with Convention 111 in law and practice," she added. French also requested that the Chinese Government provides detailed and complete information on the application of Convention 111 to the Committee of Experts before its next sitting in December 2022. "We call on the Chinese Government to officially ratify both Conventions, and any accompanying Protocols, by depositing the legal Instruments at the International Labour Office, and to take expeditious action to align its laws," she said. (ANI)
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Interior, the cabinet's special committee meeting was chaired by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, Geo News reported.

During the meeting, the interior minister, interior secretary and Islamabad IG briefed the participants on PTI's Azadi March' held on May 25.

The participants deliberated over filing a case under the charges of sedition against former Prime Minister Imran Khan and the chief ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mahmood Khan, and Gilgit-Baltistan, Khalid Khursheed, a statement read.

"However, the committee postponed the meeting to deliberate over the matter further till June 6 to present its final recommendations before the federal cabinet," the statement read, Geo News reported.

During the meeting, Sanaullah urged the committee to recommend that the federal cabinet file a treason case against Imran Khan.

While briefing the committee, the interior minister said a plan was made to siege and invade the capital with an armed force on May 25.

"With planning, around 2,500 miscreants were already sent to Islamabad and they tried to capture D-Chowk before the arrival of Imran Khan," he said.

Sanaullah further said that Imran Khan had violated the Supreme Court's order and asked workers to reach D-chowk.

The interior minister told the committee that a group of armed people not only attacked the police, Rangers and FC personnel, but also set trees and a metro station on fire.

--IANS san/arm

( 287 Words)

2022-06-03-21:10:02 (IANS)
Clearing the diplomatic confusion over the halting of a Russian airplane carrying nearly 200 passengers on Thursday, Sri Lanka said on Friday that the government was not involved in grounding the Russian aircraft. A Russian Aeroflot Airbus SU 289 from Moscow, which landed on Thursday with 191 passengers and 13 crew members onboard, was stopped from leaving the Colombo International Airport following an order obtained from the Colombo Commercial High Court by Irish aircraft leasing company, Celestial Aviation Trading. The court order to ground the Russian passenger aircraft was obtained over a commercial dispute with the Irish aircraft leasing company which leased the aircraft to Aeroflot. The passengers and the crew had been diverted to local hotels. Following tough Western sanctions over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, Russia's flagship carrier had suspended all international flights in March but had resumed operations to Colombo in April. With the sanction, Russia had instructed its airlines operating rental planes registered in foreign countries cease flights abroad, to avoid the seizure of the planes in connection with the sanctions. When the case resumed on Friday, Sri Lanka's Attorney General through Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Sumathi Dharmawardena informed the court that the Sri Lankan government had no direct connection with the civil suit between the Russian and Irish companies, and it was not involved in grounding of the aircraft. ASG Dharmawardena informed the court that the enjoining order was not against Sri Lanka's Airport and Aviation Services which was made a defendant in the case. The ASG complained that the Irish company had obtained the order to ground the Russian flight, misleading the courts. Aeroflot told the court that the issue had already created a serious national and international embarrassment with foreign media reporting it. It stated that the issue came up at a time when Sri Lanka has given an assurance and there is a state guarantee to Russia that its aircraft could be flown to the country. The Russian national career told the court that the grounding of its flight cost it nearly $1 million in daily costs with Special Drawing Rights (SDR) amounting to $5600 per passenger per day. While European Union leaders are in talks to impose fresh round of sanctions against Russia over the attacks on Ukraine, Sri Lanka, facing a power crisis with the worst ever post-independent economic crisis, is in talks with Russia to obtain fuel. The island nation is awaiting a 90,000-tonne consignment from Russia to restart the country's only oil refinery, which has been closed since March 25 with no oil. --IANS sfl/arm ( 446 Words) 2022-06-03-22:42:03 (IANS)
Two Reuters journalists were injured and a driver was killed on Friday in eastern Ukraine, according to media reports. "Two Reuters journalists injured, driver killed near Sievierodonetsk. Reuters reported that photographer Alexander Ermochenko and cameraman Pavel Klimov had sustained minor injuries after the vehicle they were in came under fire while en route to Sievierodonetsk," The Kyiv Independent said in a Tweet on Saturday. "They were traveling in a car provided by Russian proxies on a Russian-controlled road. The news agency said it couldn't establish the identity of the driver who had been assigned by the Russian proxies for the reporting trip," The Kyiv Independent said. On Monday, French journalist Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff was killed in eastern Ukraine. "Journalist Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff was in Ukraine to show the reality of the war. On board a humanitarian bus, alongside civilians forced to flee to escape the Russian bombs, he was fatally shot," Macron tweeted Monday. Thousands of people have died since Russia's operations in Ukraine began 100 days ago. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces currently occupy 20 per cent of Ukraine in an address on Thursday. Zelenskyy said that 50 embassies have resumed operations in Kyiv, Ukraine, and termed it a testament to their faith in the country's victory. He on Thursday said that this is important news not just practically, but also symbolically. "Every new embassy that returns to our capital is a testament to our faith in our victory," Zelensky said, reported The Kyiv Independent. Earlier, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said that the Indian Embassy in Ukraine, which was temporarily operating out of Poland, would resume its operation in Kyiv from May 17. Russia started its military operation in Ukraine on February 24. This large-scale operation has reportedly resulted in a humanitarian crisis, leading to crippling sanctions from Western countries targeting Moscow's high-profile individuals and companies. (ANI)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday condemned the killing of two Egyptian members of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, a UN spokesman said. Two other peacekeepers were injured when their armoured personnel carrier hit an improvised explosive device outside of the town of Douentza, in the Mopti region, said Stephane Dujarric, the chief spokesman for Guterres. "They were going from Douentza to Timbuktu. They were escorting ... from what I understand ... civilian trucks," the spokesman said as quoted by Xinhua News Agency. Since May 22, there have been six attacks on the UN mission convoy, the spokesman said. A terrorist assault on a convoy near the town of Kidal, in the northern part of Mali, killed a Jordanian peacekeeper and injured three colleagues on Wednesday. The secretary-general wishes a prompt recovery to the injured peacekeepers, Dujarric said, adding that the peacekeepers are fulfilling the Security Council mandate in extremely challenging conditions. "The Head of the UN mission in Mali, El-Ghassim Wane, also condemned the new attack," Dujarric said. "He also condemned the attack in the Kayes region earlier this week, in which two members of the Malian Red Cross were killed," he said. The spokesman said that despite the deadly attacks, "UN colleagues are continuing their mandated work. As an example, the UN Peacekeeping Mission helped to rehabilitate two bridges in the Mopti region, which had been destroyed in earlier attacks. The restoration of these two bridges will bring relief to the people of the region and will facilitate the resumption of travel, commerce and activity, including between Mopti and Bandiagara." He added that in the Kidal and Gao regions, peacekeepers assisted the populations of Anefis and Tanbankort towns as part of their ongoing support in the North. (ANI)
From the devasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to the economic slowdown in the country, China has been facing severe criticism due to its so-called "zero Covid policy". It is well known that Chinese president Xi Jinping exerts significant control on the governance and political frameworks. However, in the recent past, reports in the international media suggest a growing rift between Xi and Premier Li Keqiang, contributing to a policy dissonance. Beijing's extreme lockdowns have led to protests and clashes between authorities and residents forced to stay home for weeks without normal access to food and medical supplies. The harsh lockdowns look set to depress economic growth to lows last recorded in the early 1990s. Nis Grunberg, a lead analyst at Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) said that while public discontent and heated behind-the-scenes policy debates look set to continue, they will likely lead to little more than the scapegoating and dismissal of local or regional officials - decisions that Xi will construe as changes-for-the-better under the 'people centric' CCP of Xi Jinping Thought. Li has a short window in which to restore confidence in the economy, as he will retire this year after completing two full five-year terms as premier. Businesses and logistics infrastructure are struggling to resume operations after being forced to shut for weeks and it is unlikely government stimulus will be able to boost economic growth to this year's target of 5.5 per cent. Despite hopes for stability in the run-up to this fall's 20th Party Congress, Beijing sees itself as facing an increasingly hostile international environment. According to the German-based think tank, the West's decisive response to Russia's war on Ukraine and growing American and European engagement with Indo-Pacific partners has fueled fears in Beijing of a US-led containment strategy. US President Biden was on an Asia visit recently. There he announced the new Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity and met with other leaders of the QUAD format, and the EU summits with Japan and India are seen as attempts to isolate China. Such fears are likely being heightened by disruptions to diplomatic exchanges as a result of China's zero-Covid policy, increasing the risk of an echo-chamber effect among the Chinese top leadership. MERICS analyst Grzegorz Stec said that while the current international environment remains volatile and uncertain, Beijing's foreign policy seems unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. "This is all the more likely as international friction looks set to continue after the publication of the 'Xinjiang Police Files', for instance, or the looming Indo-Pacific-focused NATO summit. Unless major developments cause a shift in thinking, Beijing will continue to fortify China domestically and expand a coalition based on push-back to the Western-led international order," the analyst said. (ANI)
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is set to meet his Chinese counterpart for the first time during a trip to Singapore for a defence summit next week, CNN reported citing a senior official. The date and time for the meeting between Austin and Chinese Minister of National Defense General Wei Fenghe have not been set yet, the defence official said. Austin is scheduled to speak at the Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday (June 11). On April 20, Austin and Wei spoke for about 45 minutes, marking the first time a US Defense Secretary had spoken to his Chinese counterpart since the Trump administration more than a year earlier, CNN reported. But the Pentagon provided few details of the conversation. "It was a good first conversation. There was a range of issues discussed. Clearly, security issues in the Indo-Pacific were brought up. I think I'm going to just leave it at that for now," another senior defense official said at the time. Austin has repeatedly described China as the "pacing challenge" for the Defense Department and said that the Indo-Pacific region is the priority for the United States, even with Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. "Indo-Pacific nations have made clear that they seek a region that's rooted in transparency, in freedom of navigation, in peaceful resolution of disputes, in respect for sovereignty and the territorial integrity of sovereign states," said the official. "At the same time, we have also seen what an assault on these shared principles looks like, from the [People's Republic of China's] harassment in the South China Sea to Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, and we're actively working to build a more transparent and inclusive security order for the region," official further said. The already tense relationship between Washington and Beijing boiled over earlier this week when a US congressional delegation visited Taiwan. Responding to it, the Chinese embassy in Washington lodged a "stern representation" with the US, according to a statement, urging it to "avoid sending wrong signals to the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces." It is to be noted that China on Monday also sent 30 warplanes into Taiwan's air defense identification zone, the highest daily figure in four months. (ANI)
The United Nations on Friday (local time) condemned the latest attack on the UN peacekeepers in Mali in which two Egyptian peacekeepers lost their lives. This is the second fatal attack this week on a peacekeeping convoy in the West African country. The UN mission in Mali, MINUSMA, lost two Egyptian peacekeepers on Friday. The two blue helmets were killed and another was injured when their armored personnel carrier hit an improvised explosive device outside the town of Douentza, in the Mopti region in central Mali. "The secretary-general condemns this new attack on our peacekeepers, who, as you know, are just fulfilling the mandate in Mali given to them by the Security Council in extremely challenging conditions," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York, Xinhua reported. The UN chief also wished a prompt recovery to the injured peacekeepers. MINUSMA's logistic convoy in Kidal, northern Mali, came under direct fire from suspected terrorists for nearly an hour on Wednesday. In all, four Jordanian peacekeepers were injured, and one of them died after being evacuated, Xinhua News Agency reported. UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix also tweeted his condemnation on Friday, of what he called "yet again another cowardly attack against our peacekeepers." "These crimes are a blatant violation of international law," and they "shall not go unpunished," Lacroix said. Mali remains one of the most dangerous places to serve as a peacekeeper.MINUSMA, the French acronym for the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, was established in April 2013 in the wake of a military coup and the occupation of the north by radical Islamists. The mission supports political processes and performs tasks related to security and civilian protection. Despite the challenging circumstances, MINUSMA personnel continue their mandated work, Dujarric said. The mission recently helped rebuild two bridges that had been destroyed in earlier attacks in the Mopti region, according to Dujarric. The development will bring relief to the population, and will also facilitate the resumption of travel, commerce and other economic activities, including between Mopti city and the town of Bandiagara, some 65 kilometers to the southeast, Xinhua reported further As part of their ongoing support to communities in northern Mali, peacekeepers have assisted people in two towns in Kidal and Gao regions, said Dujarric. (ANI)
Amid Sri Lanka's unprecedented economic crisis, its President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has ordered the release of Rs 1.8 billion from COVID-19 Healthcare and Social Security Fund for the import of essential medicines. The President made this remark during the discussion at its official residence in Colombo regarding matters of urgent concern in the field of the health sector. The President said that the funds which were given by donors to control the coronavirus disease can be used for health needs as the COVID-19 epidemic is now under control, Colombo Page reported citing President's Media Division. According to the release, President Rajapaksa pointed out the possibility of rapidly increasing the local pharmaceutical manufacturing and obtaining the necessary raw materials in this regard under the Indian credit line. There are 12 investors in the pharmaceutical sector in Oyamaduwa and Millewa area in Horana. The production in those factories is expected to begin in the next few months and has the potential to produce more than 200 types of drugs in these regions, the officials said. Sri Lanka President further said that the Ministry of Samurdhi and Education is planning to provide nutritious meals to primary school children and pregnant mothers. The Officials pointed out that based on the current progress in the health sector it would return to normal within the next three months. Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella, President's Chief of Staff, Anura Dissanayake, Finance Secretary Mahinda Siriwardena, Secretary to the Ministry of Health S.J.S. Chandragupta, Additional Secretary Saman Ratnayake and Heads of Line Institutions of the Ministry were also present at the discussion, according to Colombo Page. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan President has instructed the officials to maintain adequate stocks of all essential food items to prevent a shortage of goods. Gotabaya pointed out that it could prevent the organized efforts of some businessmen to increase prices by artificially creating a shortage of goods and acting on people's fears, Xinhua news agency reported. He said a portion of the agricultural products currently being sent to the wholesale market should be made available directly to grocery stores. The Sri Lankan president said this would reduce the cost of transportation and enable consumers to purchase goods at lower prices and farmers to obtain higher prices. Rajapaksa also instructed the Consumer Affairs Authority to take legal action against those who take advantage of the prevailing situation and sell goods at unfair prices. Sri Lanka is mired in an economic and political crisis. Large-scale protests have been taking place for months, leading to the ouster of former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. (ANI)
After the hike in petroleum products prices, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has approved the hike in gas prices for Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL). The gas price hiked up to 44 per cent for SSGC consumers and 45 per cent for SNGPL consumers, ARY News reported. After the hike, the new gas price for SSGC consumers was fixed at Rs1007 with an increase of Rs 308.53 and the new price for SNGPL consumers was fixed at Rs 854.52. The new gas prices will come into effect from July 1 following a notification to be issued by the federal government. People across Pakistan were already irritated with the hike in petrol price and adding to their agitation, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Friday has also approved a Rs 7.91 increase per unit of electricity, according to ARY News. According to a notification issued by NEPRA, the government has increased the basic tariff per unit of electricity by Rs 7.91. The per-unit price has been increased from Rs 16.91 to Rs 24.82, which is a 47 per cent hike in prices. NEPRA said that the price hike has been made due to an increase in fuel prices and increases in the cost of production. The new rates would be applied from July 2022, it added. Prime Minister Shehbaz-led government ceded to the demands of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and removed fuel subsidies, and increased the price of petrol by Rs 30. The development was announced by Finance Minister Miftah Ismail while addressing a press conference in Islamabad. After the hike, the new price of petrol is set at Rs 209.86, diesel at Rs 204.15, and kerosene oil at Rs181.56.PM Shehbaz Sharif launched a new relief package of Rs 28 billion per month. This comes in the context of the February 28, 2022, announcement by the Imran Khan government of relief measures to reduce prices of petrol and electricity are on account of Opposition pressure and public anger. The measures include a reduction in the prices of petroleum products and electricity tariffs by Rs 10 and Rs 5 respectively along with a number of new schemes including one on tax amnesty. Imran Khan's subsidies are perceived to have destroyed Pakistan's economy for the Shehbaz administration. Now, in this latest relief package announced by the Shehbaz government, the PM said that 14 million poor families, comprising 85 million people, would be given Rs 2000 per family. He said this was in addition to the monetary assistance being given to them under the Benazir Income Support Programme. "This relief package will be added in the next budget," Shehbaz said. Moreover, in a veiled attack, Shehbaz also slammed Imran Khan for his allegations against the US for conspiracy to oust him from power. "A most trusted friendly country -- the one that supported us in all difficult circumstances -- was made upset. But we have started the rebuilding process," the premier said in an apparent reference to the United States. (ANI)
A weapons expert at UK's Imperial College who has long received research funding from the British Ministry of Defence and advised it on a number of "critical weapons of destruction" has had frequent interactions with China over the past nearly one decade and is likely to visit the country soon, according to a new investigative report. The weapons expert Clive Woodley may visit China in July to chair the International Conference on Defence Technology, in an attempt to cosy up with Beijing, especially the Chinese Communist Party's military, said the report in Radio Free Asia which has cited a British website. The conference will focus on the latest discoveries in sensitive military technology. The conference will be co-chaired by China's most prominent defence scientists, Feng Changgen of Beijing Institute of Technology and Li Baoming of Nanjing University. Both are Communist Party members who have devoted their careers to China's military, Radio Free Asia reported. According to the media report, since 2014, Woodley had gone to China seven times. He has attended the conferences conducted by the Chinese-state owned companies and backed by the research institutions. Since 2014, he had eight papers published in Chinese journals or co-authored with Chinese scientists working with Chinese arms manufacturers, the most recent one in 2021. It further says that Woodley's most recent conference with China took place around mid-October in 2021 in Jinan Shandong, hosted by the Shandong Institute of Nonmetallic Materials (53), one of China's top military research centres, and Qi Xiaoliang, director and secretary of the institute, held a grand opening ceremony for the meeting. A few weeks after Woodley's visit, MI6 chief Richard Moore in a speech had said that the threat from China was now his agency's "single biggest priority" and warned of large scale espionage operations targeting experts like Woodley and research that is of interest to China. Meanwhile, the RFA report cited another former MI6 officer as saying: "The fact there have not just one or two talks but a consistent and continuing pattern of meeting and contact is deeply concerning. I can't think of another case where a British lecturer has visited China many times to talk about weapons technology, nor written papers about it in Chinese journals," he said. Mi6 officer further claimed that Woodley might be unaware of the fact that the Chinese regime may have tried to steal the data from his laptop, according to Radio Free Asia. Tom Tugendhat, a co-chair of the China Research Group, an organisation of Tory MPs, has also voiced concerns about the integrity of UK military secrets after it was reported that a British weapons expert had given talks in China. He said, "This case raises serious concerns about the integrity of our military secrets and the level of cooperation between a British expert and a potentially hostile state." According to the British publication, as the scale of the strategic threat China poses becomes clearer, it may just be that Woodley's friendships could have endangered the rest of the UK. (ANI)
A huge fire broke out at The Children's Hospital in Lahore's Gulberg in Pakistan on Saturday, reported local media. The incident of this massive fire was confirmed by the rescue officials, reported Pakistan's local media outlet Samaa TV. The fire erupted in the pharmacy storage on the third floor where medicines worth millions of rupees were burnt to ashes. No loss of life has been reported so far in the incident. During the rescue operation, the hospital building has been evacuated. According to the Fire Department, at least seven fire engines have been dispatched to put out the fire. Meanwhile, additional fire engines have been summoned from across the city to help put out the fire. To contain the situation, more than 40 firefighters from Fire Department and Rescue 1122 have been deployed at the site. The cause of the fire remains unclear. As per the officials, the cause of the fire will be investigated once the fire has been put out. Earlier on Wednesday, one person was killed and three others fell unconscious after a fire broke out in the basement of a departmental store near Jail Chowrangi in Karachi. Station House Officer (SHO) Arshad Janjua of Ferozabad Police Station said the deceased was an employee of the store, while among the three who lost consciousness was a firefighter. Karachi Metropolitan Corporation's (KMC) Chief Fire Officer Mubeen Ahmed said that 11 fire tenders belonging to the corporation, two water bowsers, one snorkel, 13 water tankers from the Karachi Water, and Sewerage Board as well as tenders from the Pakistan Navy took part in dousing the flames. They had managed to control 70 percent of the blaze by the evening, he said. "However, officials are facing extreme difficulty as the fire erupted in the basement," he said, adding that there were no entry or exit routes.According to the SHO, the blaze had somewhat subsided but erupted once again at around 6 pm, prompting authorities to call fire tenders to the site. "The fire erupted again because of some unknown reasons and spread rapidly, and the firefighters are struggling to extinguish it," the officer added. (ANI)
A member since 1869, India is contesting re-election, to the International Telecommunications Union Council (ITU), for the term 2023-2026, the government said on Saturday. "India is contesting, for re-election, to the ITU Council, for the term 2023-2026. India has been a member of ITU since 1869 and has been continuously participating, actively in the works, and activities of the Union, and has been contributing, to the fullest possible extent, in the growth and development, of Telecom/ICTs, for the benefit of the global community," the government said in a media statement. Devusinh Chauhan, Minister of State for Communications during the World Summit of Information Society (WSIS) 2022 said, "India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been at the forefront of global digital transformation, achieving excellence in development, and use of Information and Communication Technologies." Devusinh Chauhan led the Indian delegation at WSIS 2022 from May 31 to June 3, 2022 in Geneva, Switzerland. WSIS is co-organized by International Telecommunications Union (ITU), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), in close collaboration with all WSIS Action Line co-facilitators and other UN organizations. Speaking at the reception for introducing India's Radio Regulations Board (RRB) Candidate and ITU Council candidature of India for re-election, Devusinh Chauhan said that India shares the dream, and vision of ITU, to realize the world, as a connected society, and enabling information and communications technology (ICTs), to accomplish the Sustainable Development Goals 2030. Proposing the name of M. Revathi, as India's candidate for Member, RRB, the Minister said that Revathi, has a proven track record, of professional expertise, leadership capabilities, commitment to delivering time-bound tasks, systematic problem-solving capability, and framing regulations, for inclusive ICT development. Devusinh Chauhan reiterated India's firm commitment, to contribute to the realization, of the ITU's goals and appealed to the participants, to support, India's candidature, for ITU Council, and Revathi's candidature, for RRB. During the event, the Minister participated in several sessions including a High-Level policy session on "Bridging the Digital Divide", a Ministerial Round Table meeting on ICT for well-being, inclusion, and resilience, and a High-level Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence (AI). While delivering a high-level policy statement on the digital divide, he apprised the global forum about the Indian Government's initiatives like Bharatnet to cover all 6 lakh villages, umbrella mobile coverage for all villages, high-speed internet access to all, and many other initiatives. Also apprised that India successfully got a customized standard approved which will help in spreading 5G in rural areas. (ANI)
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Friday met his Brazilian counterpart, Joaquim Leite in Stockholm on the sidelines of the Stockholm+50 conference. Taking to Twitter, the Indian embassy in Brazil said, "On 03.06.2022, Shri. @byadavbjp, Minister of @moefcc had fruitful discussions with Mr. @joaquimleitemma, Minister of @mmeioambienteof Brazil on the sidelines of the #Stockholm50." The Union Minister, who arrived in Stockholm on May 31, had addressed the Stockholm+50 Leadership Dialogue 3 on Friday. At the conference, he said that India is making rapid development toward sustainable development and especially in the environment division. Yadav also pointed out a few examples like the installation of over 90 million new cooking gas in the last few years and around 400 million LED bulb has also been distributed. "World's first fully solar power airport is in India. Indian railway is moving toward complete electrification and increasing the use of solar power," he added. Earlier, on Wednesday, Union Minister Yadav reached Sweden and participated in the High-Level Dialogue on Industry Transition under the aegis of the Leadership Group for Industry Transition. "Stated that 'transition' needs to be understood in the right context. The developing world needs not just an industrial 'transition', but an industrial renaissance -- a flowering of industries that will create jobs and prosperity along with a clean environment," he tweeted after the meeting. "The developed nations, with their historical experiences, must take lead in the global transition towards net-zero and low carbon industry. Green premium associated with zero or low carbon tech must be compensated to trigger demand at required scale in appropriate ways," he added. Upon arriving in Stockholm, Bhupender Yadav tweeted, "In 1972, the world made a declaration at the same place to protect Today, 50 years later, we stand at an inflection point. Urgent, collective global action with the spirit of equity is required more than ever before." "Over the next three days in Stockholm, will be participating in deliberations on climate action and related aspects with representatives from the world over and present India's side on all issues," he added. (ANI)
Associate women's rights director and former senior Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, Heather Barr, has said that the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is nowhere near over. "The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is nowhere near over," said Barr adding that "donors need to keep giving aid urgently and, more importantly, they and the Taliban need to work out measures to unlock the economy," reported Afghanistan's media portal TOLO News. Taking to Twitter, she said, "Everyone from Taliban leadership has zero credibility on women's rights," recalling the human rights violation taking place in Afghanistan. "They made representations about their supposed respect for women and girls when taking power. Every day there is a new crackdown on women and that continues to intensify over time," she added, continuing the thread on Twitter. Barr, in a statement earlier also referred to the international community, and said that it "didn't do much" to protect Afghan women. Meanwhile on Saturday, the US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Thomas West met with Afghans living in Abu Dhabi, a source told TOLOnews, including Afghans living in camps as well as Afghan business people in the UAE. The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also pointed toward the increased human rights violations in Afghanistan. "Conditions for religious freedom have deteriorated dramatically under the Taliban, particularly as they crack down on the basic rights of women and girls...ISIS-K is conducting increasingly violent attacks against religious minorities," Blinken said. Notably, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has been facing criticism inside and outside Afghanistan for imposing restrictions on women while 2021 has been the worst year for the Afghan women as the Taliban after assuming control of Afghanistan have rolled back access to their right to education and work, however, also snatched it later for an indefinite period of time. Afghan women are staring at a bleak future due to a number of restrictions imposed by the Taliban governing aspects of their lives within 10 months of Afghanistan's takeover. Women are no longer allowed to travel unless accompanied by men related to them and are being curtailed from wearing make-up as well as their reproductive rights. Unrecognized by most of the international community, the Taliban-led government has committed to disrespecting the human rights of women. (ANI)
After his three-day visit to Senegal, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday embarked on the last leg of his three-nation visit by leaving for Qatar. Senegalese Minister of Interior, Antoine Felix Dioume, and other dignitaries saw him off at Dakar airport. Naidu is on a visit to Gabon, Senegal, and Qatar. In a concluding event, Naidu addressed the 'Tiranga-Business Dialogue: India-Senegal Business Forum' in Dakar, Senegal earlier. Highlighting the growth in trade and economic ties between India and Senegal, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Friday said that the bilateral trade has crossed a record high of USD 1.65 billion in 2021-22. The Vice President also hoped that the trade would grow significantly in the coming years. Naidu was in Senegal since June 1 and now he is heading to Qatar as part of his visit. The West African country, Senegal, views India as an integral and reliable partner in its vision of 'Emerging Senegal 2035'. Earlier, Naidu reiterated India's commitment to be a part of Senegal's growth story. During his visit to Senegal, economic issues were also discussed. "Both sides talked about bilateral trade which has grown by 35-37 per cent in the last two years. Bilateral trade is at 1.65 billion now," said Dammu Ravi, MEA Secretary (ER) in a press briefing. Three MoUs were also signed with the West African country to further deepen bilateral partnerships in various areas. The first MoU pertains to a visa-free regime for Diplomatic and official passport holders which would strengthen cooperation between the two countries through seamless travel of officials/diplomats. The second agreement relates to the renewal of the Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) for the period 2022-26. Appreciating the richness of Indian and Senegalese culture, Naidu expressed confidence that with the renewal of the CEP, there will be more cultural exchanges, thereby strengthening people-to-people contacts. The third MoU seeks to enhance bilateral cooperation in youth matters. Recognizing that both India and Senegal have relatively young populations, the Vice President expressed confidence that this MoU will be mutually beneficial to the two countries through sharing of information, knowledge and good practices, and youth exchanges. Complimenting Senegal for positioning itself as one of Africa's model democracies, the Vice President said that India, as the world's largest democracy, appreciates Senegal's success in this regard. He further said that these shared values of democracy and secularism form the basis of warm and friendly relations between the two countries. Appreciating Senegal's support for India's permanent UNSC membership, Naidu reiterated India's unwavering support for the Common African Position, enshrined in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration and underscored the need to rectify the historical injustice done to the African continent. "There was discussion on cultural enhancement, including Bollywood, people-to-people, and parliamentarian exchanges. Vice President Venkaiah Naidu invited President of the National Assembly (of Senegal) Moustapha Niasse at a mutually convenient time," said the MEA Secretary. (ANI)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will travel to Indonesia for the Annual Leaders' Meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Jakarta on Sunday. The Prime Minister will travel along with Foreign Minister Senator Penny Wong, Trade Minister Senator Don Farrell, Industry Minister Ed Husic, and Member for Solomon Luke Gosling OAM. They will be joined on the visit by a high-level delegation of Australian business leaders. The Prime Minister will depart Australia on Sunday, June 5, and will return on June 7. During the Annual Leaders' Meeting, the Prime Minister and President Widodo will discuss bilateral trade and investment, cooperation on climate and energy, and regional and global interests. Especially important will be both sides' ambition to unlock the potential of the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, including taking forward the Government's proposed USD 200 million climate and infrastructure fund with Indonesia, stated the press release by the Australian government. In Jakarta, the Prime Minister will also meet with ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi to discuss the Government's commitment to Southeast Asia and ASEAN centrality. "Indonesia is one of our closest neighbours, which is why I committed to visiting as soon as possible," Albanese said in the release. "Our two countries have a long history of cooperation and friendship, and my Government will work with Indonesia to deepen this. We partner together closely on issues of trade, development, education, and regional security," he added. "During my visit, I look forward to building our ties further, including revitalizing our trade relationship and promoting climate, infrastructure, and energy cooperation," the statement added quoting the Prime Minister. Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Penny Wong said that the Australian Government is serious about engagement in Southeast Asia, and this visit demonstrates the importance its places on the partnership with Indonesia. "We share a fundamental interest in promoting a more prosperous, stable, and secure region, where sovereignty is respected. Australia's partnership with Indonesia has never been more consequential to this objective," she said. Moreover, Minister for Trade and Tourism Senator Don Farrell highlighted that the Albanese Government will deliver the economic expansion promised in the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. "Revitalising our trade and investment relationship will boost the economies of both Australia and Indonesia," he added. (ANI)
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has said leaders of the ruling coalition in the country want to eliminate him from politics over "high treason" but he has vowed that he will not surrender. "The two most corrupt, who looted the country for 30 years, parked their illicit wealth in foreign banks, and were convicted by the courts, are trying to get rid of me through a case of high treason," Khan told a gathering of his party's workers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday. "I want to make it clear to them that I am not the one, who will surrender to the imported government or any superpower," he was quoted as saying by Dawn newspaper. Alleging that leaders of the Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition wanted to get corruption cases against them quashed, Imran also accused the government of planning to rig the next general polls. "They (Zardari and Sharif) want to introduce a system of governance, where only small thieves are punished, while the big thieves get off scot-free. We, the patriotic citizens, have to fight against them and that system," he said. Imran Khan's rebuke comes as the Pakistani government is mulling whether to file treason charges against the former prime minister over his party's 'Azadi March' last month that led to large-scale violence in Islamabad. Multiple scuffles took place between the police and PTI marchers after Imran Khan and his convoy entered Islamabad and started marching towards the D-Chowk despite the Supreme Court's order to hold a rally at a ground between areas of Islamabad. He later had called off his long march and sought help from the Pakistan Supreme court. During a key cabinet meeting, top officials of Shehbaz Sharif's government briefed the participants on Azadi March' held on May 25. Earlier this week, Pakistan Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah requested the committee to recommend to the federal cabinet that Imran Khan be charged with treason. "PTI's long march was a fitna and fasad March, instead of 'Azadi March' as it was an armed uprising on the capital. Therefore, I urged the committee to recommend filing a treason case under section 124(A) of the CrPC [Code of Criminal Procedure] against Imran Khan and chief ministers of KP and GB," Daily Times quoted him as saying. "With planning, around 2,500 miscreants were already sent to Islamabad and they tried to capture D-Chowk before the arrival of Imran Khan," he said. (ANI)
Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to India, Milinda Moragoda, met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Saturday in Chennai and discussed the relationship between Sri Lanka and the State of Tamil Nadu, including the fishermen's issues. This was the first time that a Sri Lankan High Commissioner met with the Chief Minister of the state of Tamil Nadu after 2011 and held a dialogue. "The High Commissioner and the Chief Minister discussed an array of areas pertaining to the relationship between Sri Lanka and the State of Tamil Nadu, including the fishermen's issue," the Sri Lankan High Commission said in a statement. "The courtesy call on the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu by the High Commissioner came as part of the latter's plan to expand Sri Lanka's footprint at the state level to promote greater interactions between Sri Lanka and the state of India as stipulated in his policy road map the "Integrated Country Strategy for Sri Lanka Diplomatic Missions in India," he added. At the outset, the Chief Minister extended a warm welcome to the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka, following which the Sri Lankan envoy thanked the Chief Minister and the people of Tamil Nadu for the humanitarian assistance worth LKR two billion that they recently extended to Sri Lanka to help it manage the current economic situation. In response, Stalin stated that he was concerned with the situation in Sri Lanka and had made arrangements to immediately dispatch the first shipment of essential commodities. A second shipment is also in line to be dispatched and a few more shipments are expected, he added. Moreover, the two dignitaries also reviewed the ancient and strong ethnic, cultural and religious affinities between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka and discussed the ways to further strengthen them, pertaining to which Chief Minister Stalin requested Sri Lanka to install a statue of the celebrated Tamil poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar in suitable premises in the island country, such as a university. The High Commissioner welcomed the suggestion made by the Chief Minister. With a view to having better coordination on all aspects of the relationship between Sri Lanka and the State of Tamil Nadu, High Commissioner Moragoda requested the Chief Minister to designate a focal point at the state level in return of which, Moragoda invited Chief Minister Stalin to visit Sri Lanka as well. High Commissioner Moragoda also presented a copy of the Tamil translation of the book containing his parliamentary speeches to the Chief Minister. The High Commissioner recalled how he had presented a copy of the same book to the father of Chief Minister Stalin, late M. Karunanidhi, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, in 2006. High Commissioner Moragoda was accompanied by the Deputy High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Southern India Dr D. Venkateshwaran, Deputy High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in New Delhi Niluka Kadurugamuwa and Second Secretary of the Deputy High Commission of Sri Lanka in Chennai Supun Deshaprema to this meeting. The Chief Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Government Irai Anbu and several other key State officials were also present in the meeting. (ANI)
Media watchdogs have called out the Taliban for another crackdown imposed by the organization as TV channel Metra in Balkh province of Afghanistan has been converted into a religious seminary. Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August last year, its atrocities on media houses have continued, private TV channel Metra being the latest that has been transformed into a religious outlet to prioritize Islamic sentiments among the Afghan crowd, TOLOnews reported. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the acting Minister of education, Noorullah Munir, said that the Islamic Emirate prioritizes attention on Islamic education. "We have 20,000 schools across Afghanistan, but the seminaries registered with the Islamic Emirate are not more than 1,000," he said. The Metra TV Channel formerly broadcast several programs and is now a seminary for more than 1,000 students. "Replacing a media outlet complex with a religious seminary is considered an unfair action for journalists. We call on the Islamic Emirate to help in reopening media outlets that were closed after the fall of the former government," said Ahmad Yar Mujroh, a member of the Afghanistan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA). Metra TV broadcast for more than a decade but stopped its operations After the Islamic Emirate came to power in Afghanistan, Metra TV which broadcast for more than a decade in the country stopped its operations for an indefinite period of time. A recent survey by the Afghanistan Journalists Federation, reviewed by Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), found that before the fall of Kabul, around 4,090 Afghan male journalists and 979 female journalists were active in Afghanistan. Six months later, an estimated 2,091 male journalists and 243 female journalists are still working in the country. In every respect, Afghanistan's once-thriving media ecosystem is declining rapidly under Taliban rule. Furthermore, the attacks on Afghan Journalists and media workers, including imprisonment, harassment, and assault, have significantly increased since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. An estimated 1,000 journalists have fled the country since August, with threats, harsh restrictions, and economic collapse leading to mass closures of media outlets. (ANI)
Moscow [Russia], June 4 (ANI/Sputnik): Russia does not hinder the export of Ukrainian grain, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. "As for the export of Ukrainian grain. We do not interfere with this. And there are several ways to export grain," Putin said in an interview with the Rossiya 24 broadcaster. The first way, according to him, is that "you can export through the ports that are under the control of Ukraine, first of all in the Black Sea basin -- Odessa and nearby ports." "We didn't mine the approaches to the ports. It was Ukraine who mined it," the president stressed. Russia will not launch any attacks from the sea while Ukraine is demining ports, Putin said. "We will not take advantage of the demining situation in order to launch, so to speak, attacks from the sea. I have already said this," Putin said. Russia is ready to ensure the peaceful transportation of grain and the safe entry of ships to the Azov and Black Seas, he said. "No conditions. Please, we will ensure peaceful passage, guarantee the safety of approaches to these ports, ensure the entry of foreign ships and their movement in the Azov and Black Seas in any direction," he said. If Ukraine clears the ports of mines, ships with grain will be able to leave without any problems, Putin said. "It was not us who mined the approach to the port. Ukraine mined it. I have already told all our colleagues many times: let them clear mines, and please let ships with grain leave the ports. We guarantee a peaceful passage without any problems. But no problems, please. They must clear mines and take ships from the floor of the Black Sea there, which were sunk in order to make it difficult to approach these ports in southern Ukraine," he said. (ANI/Sputnik)
Vociferousling asking for an early election in Pakistan, beleaguered PTI chief Imran Khan on Saturday alleged that the US, Israel, and India "conspired" against his government and imposed the incumbent leaders on the people of Pakistan. The former prime minister is holding consecutive public shows in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and is once again planning to march toward Islamabad after he called off his protests that led to large-scale violence in the federal capital. Since his ouster from power, Imran Khan's government has continued with a tirade against the United States for conspiring against his government. Occasionally, he also rakes up the name of India. "They have conspired to oust us so they can place the American puppets in power. They want to place people who have a connection with the Sharif family,' he said during a public rally in Dir. Referring to the controversial visit of the Pakistan delegation to Israel, Imran Khan said, "Those people were sent to Israel for the first time which included a government official. They want to impose India-Israel's agenda on us, they want to make us slaves. We will never accept this imported government." Besides the foreign conspiracy allegation, Imran Khan also attacked the incumbent over the rising fuel prices in the country. "When we were in govt we provided relief despite massive pressure. When there's an increase in petrol prices, other items will also increase," he said. Taking aim at the country's all-powerful military, Imran Khan asked the "neutrals" why they did not defend the country against the "conspiracy" to oust his government. He said that fair elections were the "only way out" of the crises Pakistan was facing. Vowing to wage jihad against the current government, he told his supporters that it was about time to stand up against the "dacoits, thieves and servants of America." "I will fight till the end," Khan said as he concluded his address. (ANI)
Marking 33 years since the Tiananmen Square massacre, US Speaker House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi paid tribute to the brave Chinese demonstrators who inspired the world through what she described as one of the "greatest acts of political courage" in modern times. "Today, the image of a lone figure - unyielding before a line of tanks - remains seared in the memory of all democracy-loving people. As the world honors the courage of students, workers and ordinary citizens who peacefully defied the Chinese Communist Party's oppressive regime, let us renew our vow to keep alive the flame of freedom that burned in their hearts," Pelosi said in a statement. "From escalating aggression toward the Tibetan people to atrocities inflicted against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities to crackdowns on the freedoms of peaceful activists and faith leaders, this regime's actions have shocked the conscience of the world," she added. And as the world marks 25 years since the handover of Hong Kong, Pelosi pointed out how Beijing continues to defy the principle of 'one country, two systems' - imprisoning champions of freedom and the rule of law, including many of those who have kept alive the memory of Tiananmen for decades. The Tiananmen Massacre was precipitated by the peaceful gatherings of students, workers, and others in Beijing's Tiananmen Square and other Chinese cities in April 1989, calling for freedom of expression, accountability, and an end to corruption. The government responded to the intensifying protests in late May 1989 by declaring martial law. On June 3 and 4, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers fired upon and killed untold numbers of peaceful protesters and bystanders. In Beijing, some citizens attacked army convoys and burned vehicles in response to the military's violence. The government has never accepted responsibility for the massacre or held any officials legally accountable for the killings. (ANI)
China is persecuting practitioners of religions "that it deems out of line with Chinese Communist Party doctrine," including by destroying Buddhist houses of worship, and referenced discrimination faced by Tibetan Buddhists, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the release of the 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom this week. Blinken made these remarks at the State Department on Thursday. Rashad Hussain, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, also spoke during the release of the key report. Hussain, in his remarks, said that too many governments use discriminatory laws to persecute religious practitioners, according to the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT). He added that China "continued its crackdown on Tibetan Buddhists. Authorities arrested, tortured, and committed other abuses against Tibetans who promoted their language and culture, possessed pictures and writings of the Dalai Lama, or practiced their religion at Buddhist monasteries." China has illegally occupied Tibet for over 60 years, turning it into the least-free country on Earth in a tie with South Sudan and Syria, according to the watchdog group Freedom House. The Tibet section of the report is divided into four sections: Religious Demography; Status of Government Respect for Religious Freedom; Status of Societal Respect for Religious Freedom; and U.S. Government Policy and Engagement. According to ICT, the report refers to the regulations that Chinese authorities have been issuing to "control the registration of monasteries, nunneries, and other Tibetan Buddhist religious centers." It says individuals in Tibet have to apply to the "CCP Committee to take up religious orders, and the committee may deny any application." It further says the Chinese "government continued to place restrictions on the size of Buddhist monasteries and other institutions and to implement a campaign begun in 2016 to evict monks and nuns from monasteries." In a reference to one of China's most notorious violations of religious freedom, the report notes that "the whereabouts of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, recognized as the 11th Panchen Lama by the Dalai Lama and most Tibetan Buddhists, remained unknown since his 1995 forced disappearance by Chinese authorities." (ANI)
Addis Ababa [Mali], June 4 (ANI/Xinhua): Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Moussa Faki Mahamat, on Saturday condemned the latest terrorist attack against United Nations peacekeepers serving in Mali."The AU condemns in the strongest terms yet another appalling terrorist attack against UN peacekeepers serving in Mali," Mahamat said in a Twitter post. "My sincere condolences to the families of the two Egyptian peacekeepers who paid the ultimate sacrifice. My prayers for a full recovery to their comrades." The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday condemned the killing of two Egyptian members of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, a UN spokesman said.Two other peacekeepers were injured when their armoured personnel carrier hit an improvised explosive device outside the town of Douentza, in the Mopti region of central Mali, said Stephane Dujarric, the chief spokesman for Guterres.Since May 22, there have been six attacks on UN mission convoys, the spokesman said. A terrorist assault on a convoy near the town of Kidal, in the northern part of Mali, killed a Jordanian peacekeeper and injured three colleagues on Wednesday. (ANI/Xinhua)
Imran Khan is unlikely to announce the date for the next round of 'Azadi March' amid his massive quest to secure an election date before his return to the National Assembly. Multiple scuffles took place between the police and PTI marchers after Imran Khan and his convoy entered Islamabad and started marching towards the D-Chowk despite the Supreme Court's order to hold a rally at a ground between areas of Islamabad. The 'Azadi March' was abruptly called off by the PTI chief on May 26. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf has been in talks with the 'establishment' since it began the May 25 long march as the channel succeeded in persuading Imran Khan to go back without staging the sit-in on the assurance that dates for dissolution of assemblies and fresh polls. Pakistan's political instability does not seem to die down as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan appears to be pinning his hopes on the Supreme Court, where his party has filed a petition seeking protection for its right to protest, Dawn reported. The blame game between PTI and Shehbaz government continues. Differences between the PTI and the establishment over the former's return to the National Assembly after withdrawing their resignations and announcement of the date for the next elections as the biggest sticking point in the talks. According to Dawn, the PTI wants an election date before its return to the National Assembly, while the establishment wants things to go in the other direction. Imran Khan fears that if the PTI goes back to the assembly without securing an election date, then it will become "business as usual" and the government will get a chance to complete the remaining tenure. Moreover, he thinks the party's narrative that it will not accept the PML-N-led coalition government, which it calls an "imported government", will suffer damage. Claiming that the "selected" government has been imposed on the masses through planning and plotting, former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said previously that general elections must be held in the country under the supervision of a neutral chief election commissioner (CEC). Notably, PTI has staged several protests across the country against the United States for an alleged "foreign conspiracy" to oust Imran Khan from power who has been unseated after the no-confidence vote initiated by the Opposition was carried in the National Assembly. (ANI)
As Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday wrapped up his Senegal visit and is now headed to Qatar, the last leg of my three-nation tour. "Today, I concluded my visit to Senegal, which was the first-ever high-level visit from the Indian side to the beautiful West African nation. Now, I'm on my way to Qatar, the last leg of my three-nation tour, filled with many pleasant memories of the warm hospitality and affection shown by the people of Senegal," the Vice President said in a Facebook post. "Democracy is another binding factor between India-Senegal ties. Ever since its independence in 1960, Senegal has positioned itself as one of the stable and model democracies in Africa, making it a natural partner of world's largest democracy, India," he added. As part of his three nations tour, the Vice President arrived in Senegal on June 1 in a first-ever high-level bilateral State visit. Naidu was accompanied by a high-level delegation including Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar and three Members of Parliament, Sushil Kumar Modi (Rajya Sabha), Vijay Pal Singh Tomar (Rajya Sabha) and P. Ravindhranath (Lok Sabha). The main official engagement day was on June 1, during which Vice President had a tete-a-tete followed by delegation-level talks with President Macky Sall, who warmly received him at the Presidential Palace. Senegalese President fondly recalled his earlier visits to India in 2015 and 2017. According to the ministry of external affairs (MEA), the two leaders reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations including regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest. Both leaders had also discussed active economic engagement and identified new areas for cooperation, particularly in agriculture, energy, health, railways, mining, housing, oil & gas, defence etc. Both sides noted the need for cooperation in skill development/training and capacity building in key sectors. Both sides signed three MOUs i.e. MoU on cooperation in Youth Affairs, Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP), and Visa waiver Agreement for diplomats/officials. Vice President also had a meeting with the President of the National Assembly Moustapha Niasse, during which a few members of the Senegalese Parliament were also present. Both sides appreciated the leadership in upholding democratic values and traditions and agreed to have regular Parliamentary exchanges. Vice President invited the President of the National Assembly to pay a visit to India. Vice President addressed a Business event in Senegal organized by CII, which led a 15-member delegation on an exploratory visit. Naidu also interacted with the small but vibrant Indian community in Senegal. He also delivered a Public Talk at the Universite Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD), Dakar on the theme "Tiranga-Teranga: 60 years of diplomatic relations between India and Senegal". Both sides appreciated the mutual support extended to each other's candidatures at the UN and other international fora. During the visit, Vice President announced the Phase-II upgradation of the Entrepreneurship Development and Technology Centre (CEDT) in Dakar, built with Indian grant assistance, and also offered a Special ITEC English proficiency course for Senegalese public servants and also a special training programme for a batch of 15 Senegalese diplomats at Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Services. During the visit, Vice President visited a few historical places in Dakar, including the Renaissance Monument and Museum of Black Civilization. He also visited Dakar Biennale, an international art exhibition that showcases contemporary African art and creativity. "India and Senegal enjoy warm and friendly relations, sharing common values of democracy and secularism, with a strong economic engagement and development cooperation. The State visit of the Vice President, which took place as both India and Senegal celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, reflected and reiterated the commitment to further deepen the relationship a mutual benefit of both peoples," MEA said. (ANI)
Marking the 33rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, a survivor of the historic event recalled the courage of the famous Tank Man who stood firm in front of an army, the image of which led to becoming one of the symbols of 20th century. Jianli Yang, founder and president of Citizen Power Initiatives for China, narrowly escaped the June 4 massacre in 1989. "I escaped to America, and have since continued my human-rights work." Writing for the American weekly news magazine Newsweek, Yang recalled the photo of the famous Tank Man, taken during the Tiananmen massacre. "Part of its power was not just that it showed one completely vulnerable man standing in front of an array of tanks, but also that the world knew about the events that had preceded the moment. The Tank Man had survived a massacre, yet here he was, still risking his life," he said. The Tiananmen Massacre was precipitated by the peaceful gatherings of students, workers, and others in Beijing's Tiananmen Square and other Chinese cities in April 1989, calling for freedom of expression, accountability, and an end to corruption. The government responded to the intensifying protests in late May 1989 by declaring martial law. On June 3 and 4, People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers fired upon and killed untold numbers of peaceful protesters and bystanders. The government has never accepted responsibility for the massacre or held any officials legally accountable for the killings. Yang said that he was near Tiananmen Square in the early morning on June 4, just as gunfire began. "The Tank Man photo was taken the next day, on June 5, the morning after, when the massacre was still ongoing. By any measure, this image is one of heroism. But how many heroes do we see?" he said. Yang said Beijing's streets witnessed many Chinese like Tank Man in June 1989, who stood face-to-face with the soldiers. "Yet there were also some soldiers, like the second Tank Man and the deserter, who refused the Communist Party's orders." "Remembering this, I am convinced that the natural desire for dignity and freedom are not only present among dissidents. They exist in everyone," he underlined. (ANI)
Vice President Venkaiah Naidu received a warm welcome from the Indian community amid chants of 'Vande Mataram" and "Bharat Mata ki Jai'' as he arrived in Doha during his last leg of the three-country visit. Vice President was accorded a ceremonial reception and a Guard of Honour at the Doha airport. "Vice President @MVenkaiahNaidu arrived in Qatar for the last leg of his 3-country visit. Vice President was accorded a ceremonial reception and a Guard of Honour at the Doha airport," he tweeted on Saturday. Sameer, who lives in Qatar for 11 years expressed happiness for welcoming the Vice President. "We are happy to welcome him. The bilateral business deal is very important to us in the current scenario," he said. "Since 2014. a lot of development and bilaterals happening between both the countries. The bond between India and Qatar is amazing," he said. KS Prasad Chair Person of the ICC advisory council said that this visit holds importance for bilateral, economic, and financial ties. Meanwhile, Venkaiah Naidu wrapped up his Senegal visit yesterday. Union Minister of State (MoS) for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Bharti Pravin Pawar said that the Indian delegation, led by Vice President M Venkaiya Naidu on his recent visit to Gabon and Senegal, was very fruitful which resulted in strengthening the relationship between the nations in several sectors including Health, Agriculture, Trade and culture. During these two countries' visits, India signed two MoUs in Gabon and three MoUs in Senegal in different sectors which underlined the warm and friendly relations between the two countries, she stated. During the visit to Senegal, Vice President M Venkaiya Naidu also designated India as the largest democracy in the world, and Senegal, as one of the most stable and model democracies in Africa. He appreciated Senegal for conducting presidential, parliamentary and local elections very peacefully since its Independence, in a free, fair and transparent manner. "Just like India, democracy has been the bulwark of Senegal to guarantee political stability, economic growth, social cohesion and prominence in the international community," he added. During this visit, the Vice President is being accompanied by Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Sushil Kumar Modi, Member of Parliament, Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, Member of Parliament, P. Raveendranath, Member of Parliament and senior officials from the Vice President's Secretariat and the Ministry of External Affairs. (ANI)
A 57-member jirga of notable tribal leaders negotiating with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has returned to Pakistan without any major breakthrough over the group's demand for the reversal of FATA's merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dawn newspaper reported citing a member of the jirga. The jirga consists of tribal elders, politicians, and parliamentarians who met with senior TTP leaders at Kabul's Inter-Continental Hotel for two days and held threadbare discussions over demands, including the most contentious issue of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)'s merger. "We neither have the mandate to commit to undoing it, nor do we sincerely think it would be possible to undo it, given the broad political support including that of a larger section of the tribal people," the member said, Dawn newspaper. He said that the jirga sought three months' time for mutual consultation and discussions with important stakeholders, including political and military leadership, to frame proposals to address some of their concerns within the Constitutional framework. "We can meet in between and will continue to remain in touch to exchange ideas but the three months' timeframe is for us to complete our work within this time period," the member said. Sirajuddin Haqqani, the acting Minister for Interior, said that the end of TTP's conflict with Pakistan was in Afghanistan's best interests, the member said. "Any attack from this side irks Pakistan, which creates problems for us with our neighbour and such incidents have international ramifications for the Islamic emirate", the member quoted Haqqani as saying, Dawn reported. Jirga's role is "very important" in view of tribal traditions that are respected by both sides, former governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Shaukatullah Khan had told Dawn. "We are hopeful our efforts will produce results," he said. Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmed said that Pakistan will continue taking steps, including engagement with interim Afghan authorities and others, to have peaceful and stable borders. Talking about the peace talks with TTP, he said that the objective of this exercise is peace, and "we hope that it leads to an outcome that ends violence by these groups". Meanwhile, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Friday welcomed the ceasefire extension by the outlawed TTP under the ongoing negotiations, which began in October 2021. (ANI)
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Social Security is an essential safety net for many Americans. Even if you haven't saved enough for retirement, you can still count on Social Security benefits in retirement.

Read: 14 Key Signs You Will Run Out of Money in Retirement

Learn: Best and Worst States for Pensions

However, with an average monthly benefit of just over $1,400, America's most expensive cities are far out of reach without another source of income. If you do have to rely on your Social Security benefits alone -- and still want to make the most of your golden years -- you'll need to live somewhere affordable that won't compromise your quality of life.

That's why GOBankingRates compiled a list of the 20 best cities to live off of just Social Security. The study factored in the cost of living, livability and median rent and -- after comparing the 143 largest cities in the U.S. -- combined the scores to determine where you really can get by on just your Social Security benefit.

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images

20. Lubbock, Texas

Cost of Living Score: 79.9

Livability Score: 68

Average Rent: $719

Lubbock is one of five Texas cities identified in the study as a good place to live just on Social Security. Its relatively low livability score and rent of more than $700 per month prevented it from moving up on the list.

Ron_Thomas / iStock.com

19. Toledo, Ohio

Cost of Living Score: 72.7

Livability Score: 62

Average Rent: $651

Toledo's cost of living indicates that you can expect to spend more than 25% less on your basic expenses than you would in the rest of the country, on average. What's more, Toledo is one of the cities where your money stretches the furthest, according to a separate GOBankingRates study.

Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto

18. Cleveland, Ohio

Cost of Living Score: 72.6

Livability Score: 60

Average Rent: $612

If you're younger and looking to avoid living off your Social Security check alone when you reach retirement, one of the best ways is to start saving early. However, even if it's too late to build the sort of nest egg you would like, a city like Cleveland -- which combines modest rent with a low cost of living -- should help you make the most of your Social Security benefits.

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17. Magnolia, Texas

Cost of Living Score: 104

Livability Score: 80

Average Rent: $773

Magnolia is about 45 miles northwest of Houston in fast-growing Montgomery County. Its popularity probably has led to the high rental rate in the city - eighth-highest on the list. It also has the second-highest cost of living in the study.

Art Wager / Getty Images/iStockphoto

16. Richmond, Texas

Cost of Living Score: 108.2

Livability Score: 82

Average Rent: $780

Also located in the Houston metropolitan area is Richmond, and it has the highest cost-of-living index in the study. It's livability score is among the biggest, too.

WilliamSherman / Getty Images/iStockphoto

15. Roanoke, Virginia

Cost of Living Score: 84.1

Livability Score: 75

Average Rent: $792

The average rent cost in Roanoke is the fourth-highest on the list, but its lower cost of living and high livability rates make it desirable for retirees. If you wanted supplement your Social Security earnings, Roanoke is a good place to do it. Another GOBankingRates study showed it's one of the top 20 cities for remote workers.

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14. Lincoln, Nebraska

Cost of Living Score: 89.8

Livability Score: 78

Average Rent: $806

The average rent in Lincoln of $806 is second-highest on the list, but overall, living in this college town still is 10% cheaper to live in than the rest of the United States.

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images

13. Grand Forks, North Dakota

Cost of Living Score: 88.2

Livability Score: 74

Average Rent: $733

Grand Forks is the northernmost city on the list, and one of two in North Dakota. At $733, rent in Grand Forks is at the midpoint, but it's still 11% less expensive to live here than elsewhere.

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images/iStockphoto

12. Odessa, Texas

Cost of Living Score: 88

Livability Score: 63

Average Rent: $504

The primary appeal of Odessa to retirees is the low cost of rent. At $504 per month, it's the cheapest in the study - and by a wide margin. But the livability score of 63 also is among the lowest, knocking Odessa to No. 12 on the list.

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images

11. Fargo, North Dakota

Cost of Living Score: 91.9

Livability Score: 77

Average Rent: $740

Fargo is one of the best cities to live in on a fixed income, another GOBankingRates study revealed. That should appeal to those relying on Social Security.

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10. Davenport, Iowa

Cost of Living Score: 81.7

Livability Score: 69

Average Rent: $644

It costs about 19% less to live in Davenport than the average American city, fueled by its average rent of $644 per month. Dragging it down is its livability score of just 69.

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images/iStockphoto

9. Abilene, Texas

Cost of Living Score: 78.1

Livability Score: 75

Average Rent: $780

The last of the five Texas cities on the list, Abilene has a cost of living that is about 22% below the national average - one of the lowest in the study. That makes the comparatively high apartment cost of $780 easier to bear.

Gau Meo / Shutterstock.com

8. Norman, Oklahoma

Cost of Living Score: 89.4

Livability Score: 76

Average Rent: $715

Norman is the home of the University of Oklahoma, and living surrounded by all of those college students will keep a retiree young. The average rent of $715 is the seventh-lowest among cities on the list.

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7. Lake Charles, Louisiana

Cost of Living Score: 83.4

Livability Score: 70

Average Rent: $622

For retirees interested in living near the water, with all of the recreational opportunities that brings - think fishing! - there's good news: Lake Charles has the third-lowest rent cost of the cities considered in this study.

benkrut / Getty Images/iStockphoto

6. Des Moines, Iowa

Cost of Living Score: 81.2

Livability Score: 75

Average Rent: $729

Des Moines scored high in two categories, livability and cost of living, which led to its No. 6 ranking on this list.

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5. Rochester, Minnesota

Cost of Living Score: 94.1

Livability Score: 84

Average Rent: $800

About 3 million people visit Rochester annually, many of them to visit with doctors at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic, which opened in the city in 1889. While rents are the third-highest in the study, its livability score is high, too, making it desirable for retirees.

ChrisBoswell / Getty Images/iStockphoto

4. Fort Wayne, Indiana

Cost of Living Score: 78.9

Livability Score: 75

Average Rent: $718

Fort Wayne is a little pricier than many of the other cities on this list, but it still is among one of the best cities in the nation to retire on $1,500 a month, found a separate GOBankingRates study.

Wikimedia Commons

3. St. Charles, Missouri

Cost of Living Score: 92.2

Livability Score: 86

Average Rent: $831

St. Charles has the highest rental cost in the study at $831 but it also has the highest livability score at 86. There's a lot for retirees to do there, from exploring historic Main Street to touring the local wine country.

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2. Lynchburg, Virginia

Cost of Living Score: 82.9

Livability Score: 81

Average Rent: $786

Lynchburg's relatively high livability score is the primary factor in pushing the city to No. 2 on this list, but its retiree-friendly cost of living is another major factor. The cost of living is about 17% below the U.S. average.

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1. Rock Springs, Wyoming

Cost of Living Score: 96.2

Livability Score: 83

Average Rent: $692

Outlaw Butch Cassidy once called Rock Springs, an outpost of the Old West, home. Today, it's a city welcoming to retirees, with a low average rent of $692 and a high livability score. An old mining town located in the high desert, Rock Springs is near the Killpecker Sand Dunes, which are the largest sand dunes in North America.

More From GOBankingRates

Joel Anderson contributed to the reporting for this article.

Methodology: GOBankingRates determined the best places to live on only a Social Security check based on the (1) average monthly benefit for retired workers, $1,518.97, sourced from Social Security Administration; (2) the overall cost of living in each city, sourced from Sperling's Best Places; (3) average 2021 rent for a one-bedroom apartment as sourced from ApartmentList,; and (4) Livability scores sourced from areavibes. Factors (2) through (4) were scored and combined with the lowest score being best. Factor (4) was weighted double in final calculations. All data was collected and is up to date as of Dec. 14, 2021.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 20 Best Places To Live on Only a Social Security Check
I lived just outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for most of my life.

In my time living near the city, I learned to love Philly's most iconic foods.

Here are the foods that I think everyone should try if they're ever in the Philadelphia area.

When I was growing up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, I tried many of the delicious foods and snacks unique to the region.

It's rare to see me in Philadelphia without some sort of sandwich nearby. Gabi Stevenson/Insider

Although I was a picky eater as a kid, it didn't take long for me to try some of Philadelphia's signature grub once I got older. Because I was raised so close to the City of Brotherly Love, a love of food also became part of my identity.

From lunchtime favorites like hoagies and roast pork sandwiches to sweet treats like water ice and Tastykake, these are the Philly foods everyone should try if they're in the area.

Philadelphians and tourists alike flock to cheesesteaks spots across the city for the iconic sandwich.

The cheesesteaks from Campo's Deli are also sold in Citizens Bank Park. Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Cheesesteaks are just one of the city's most iconic sandwiches but in my opinion, they're the food many out-of-towners are the most excited to try.

According to an oral history of the cheesesteak by Philadelphia Magazine in 2008, the cheesesteak was invented by Pat Olivieri in 1930, the same year he opened Pat's King of Steaks in South Philadelphia.

Since then, the sandwich has become a huge part of the culture in Philly. Even though Pat's and neighboring restaurant Geno's are historic, I think there are better spots to get a cheesesteak.

My favorite place to go is Jim's Steaks on South Street. Another popular cheesesteak spot is Campo's Deli, which even has a concession location at Citizens Bank Park where the Philadelphia Phillies play.

Water ice, Philadelphia's version of Italian ice, is a popular treat during the summers.

This cup of bright pink water-ice was the strawberry-lemonade flavor at Jimmy's Water Ice. Gabi Stevenson/Insider

You might hear locals call this frozen treat "wooder ice" because of the Philadelphia accent. Water ice lands somewhere in between chunky shaved ice and smooth Italian ice. It's cold, creamy, and distinctly Philadelphian.

The origins of the dessert date back a couple of thousand years to ancient Sicily, according to USA Today. The outlet reports that cities with high concentrations of Italian immigrants began making their own versions of "granita," a fruit and ice mixture. Water ice became the most popular take on the delicacy in Philadelphia and southern New Jersey.

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I grew up eating ice cream more than water ice, but I took the opportunity to visit some authentic water ice spots in recent years. I recommend Jimmy's Water Ice in South Philadelphia. It's a small stand with great prices, and the lemon and strawberry-lemonade flavors they sell are delicious.

One of the best things about water ice is how easy it is to eat while you explore. At Jimmy's, the small water ice is served in a paper cup with a spoon, making it very portable.

Some locals say that the city's real signature grub is a roast pork sandwich.

I like my roast pork sandwich with spinach and sharp provolone. Gabi Stevenson/Insider

Another beloved sandwich is the roast pork sandwich. In my experience, it's not as famous as the cheesesteak or the hoagie, but it's still available at tons of restaurants around the city.

Visit Philadelphia reports that the roast pork sandwich has roots in the Abruzzese region of Italy. Many people from the area emigrated to South Philadelphia, bringing their food and traditions with them. The outlet reports that John Bucci, Jr., the third-generation owner of John's Roast Pork in South Philadelphia, added provolone and spinach to the sandwich in 1987.

It's the same way I order my roast pork sandwich today, no matter where I buy it. I'm partial to Tommy DiNic's Roast Pork in the iconic Reading Terminal Market.

There are a lot of places you can find a warm soft pretzel in Philly.

Pretzels from Philly Pretzel Factory were staples at birthday parties and school events growing up. Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Philly soft pretzels have been a part of my life for a long time. When I was in middle school, every Friday I helped sell pretzels for 50 cents to kids at my school. I would get a free pretzel at the end of my shift, and I looked forward to it each time.

Visit Philadelphia writes that soft pretzels were introduced to the Philadelphia region centuries ago by German settlers. I've always purchased pretzels from one of the Philly Pretzel Factory's many locations or even Wawa, but there are a lot of other places to get them as well. Center City Pretzel Co. also serves up variations like pretzel braids.

Hoagies (no, not subs) are great because they're so customizable. Everyone in the city orders their sandwich differently.

The smell of this hoagie from Liberty Kitchen in Fishtown immediately filled up the room. Gabi Stevenson/Insider

I can't say I've ever met anyone from Philadelphia who orders their hoagie the exact same way as the next person. The sandwich can be served hot or cold and is usually sold with tons of options for meat, vegetables, and condiments.

Although the hoagie is similar to the subs, grinders, and heroes that are common in other parts of the country, Encyclopaedia Britannica writes that the word "hoagie" likely originated in Philadelphia during World War I. Italian immigrants who worked at the Hog Island shipyard made sandwiches called "hoggies," a name that later transformed into "hoagies."

Some places, like Liberty Kitchen in Fishtown, forgo the made-to-order option with their hoagies. Still, the menu at this small restaurant boasts classic Philadelphia flavors, like an Italian hoagie or a sandwich called the "Mortadelphia."

When leaving Philadelphia for a long trip, I would always stop at Wawa and get a hoagie for the road. When I eat a sandwich labeled a sub or a hero, it just doesn't feel the same.

Tastykake has a line of sweet snack foods that you can pick up at many convenience stores in the area.

The ACME market in the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia is stocked with Tastykake goodies. Gabi Stevenson/Insider

Tastykake has made pre-packaged baked goods for Philadelphians since 1914, according to the company's website. Among the variety of snacks are the Butterscotch Krimpets, the Swirly Chocolate Cupcakes, and my personal favorite, the Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes.

I've seen these snacks at many grocery stores and convenience stores across the city. The yummy snacks are always a nice contrast to a hoagie or cheesesteak if you want to try a local favorite.

Tomato pie is sold in other Northeast cities but also has a long history in the City of Brotherly Love.

Sometimes I crave a slice of tomato pie more than a slice of pizza. Goran Kosanovic for The Washington Post via Getty Images

I can only describe tomato pie as a distant cousin of pizza. It starts with a thick dough cooked in a large rectangle and is topped with an equally thick, almost gravy-like tomato sauce. A sprinkle of herbs and olive oil completes the pie before it's cut up and served in squares. In my opinion, it's one of the best alternatives to classic pizza out there.

Eater reports that Philadelphia's tomato pies have roots going back to Sicily. When Italian immigrants came to Philly at the beginning of the 20th century, they brought tomato pie along. Variations of the meal, sometimes with cheese, are also popular in cities like Utica, New York.

If you ever pass through Norristown, a town in Montgomery County near Philadelphia, you can try an authentic, flavorful tomato pie from Corropolese Bakery.

Read the original article on Insider
"How much more carnage are we willing to accept," President Biden said Thursday from the White House, "before we say 'enough'? Enough." (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

How do you gauge the effect of so many mass shootings on our psyches?

How can we tell whether we are becoming numb to the daily reports of gun murders at schools, churches, synagogues, grocery stores, massage parlors, theaters?

We think we maintain our sense of outrage and loss, but slowly, over time, the calluses are growing on our hearts.

Early reports about the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, said that two people had died. Do you know what my first thought was?

How horrible, but thank God its only two people.

That first report would prove wildly incomplete. By the time the attack was over, 19 fourth-graders and their two teachers had been slain by an 18-year-old armed with an assault weapon.

When I read about the medical building shooting in Tulsa, Okla., eight days later, again, my reaction was horror, outrage once more, and a tiny bit of relief that only four people had been killed. A man unhappy about his back surgery hunted down and killed his surgeon and three other people. Four people lost their lives. Only four.

Please do not think Im becoming inured. Im just relieved it wasnt worse.

How much more of this can we take before our elected leaders do something meaningful?

After Columbine, after Sandy Hook, after Charleston, after Orlando, after Las Vegas, after Parkland, nothing has been done, President Biden said Thursday from the White House. For Gods sake, how much more carnage are we willing to accept? How many more innocent American lives must be taken before we say, Enough? Enough.

He pleaded with Congress to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, or at least raise the minimum age to purchase them from 18 to 21, to strengthen background checks, pass "red flag" and safe-storage laws, repeal the immunity that protects gunmakers from liability lawsuits, and to address the mental health crisis that leads to gun violence.

Maybe, just maybe, this time around recalcitrant Republicans will be motivated to act. Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn, who was asked by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to represent him in bipartisan negotiations on possible gun legislation, offered a sliver of hope when he admitted that it will be embarrassing if the Senate cant get anything done on the issue.

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Thirty-one years ago, shortly after I was hired by The Times, I covered the aftermath of a hospital shooting in Sandy, Utah. It was a huge story at the time but the sort of news that would earn little coverage today. You see, only one person died. It was not, technically speaking, a mass shooting.

At the time, though, it was unthinkable.

This was four years before a domestic terrorist blew up a federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people, including babies in a day-care center. Eight years before two teenagers with guns massacred 12 students and a teacher at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. Ten years before terrorists flew planes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania, killing 2,977 people.

Three decades ago, we were far more easily shocked.

On Sept. 20, 1991, Richard Worthington, a 39-year-old devout Mormon and father of eight, drove to Alta View Hospital in Sandy. He stormed the hospital maternity ward with a handgun, a shotgun and a bomb made of 42 sticks of dynamite, powerful enough to blow up half a city block. His mission: to kill the doctor who had given his wife a tubal ligation two years earlier.

Although Worthington had grudgingly agreed to the procedure, over time hed decided that he had one more baby in heaven waiting to be born and that the physician had tied his wifes tubes without consent, while she slept.

The hospital siege lasted 18 hours; remember, this was before the FBI developed its active-shooter protocols, which instruct law enforcement to immediately confront a gunman. Worthington took seven hostages  five adults, including a woman who would soon deliver a baby, and two newborns. The doctor hid in an office and called police. When a courageous nurse named Karla Roth tried to disarm him, Worthington killed her.

Producers converged on Utah seeking to buy the rights to the story. It was a tragedy, yes, but also so dramatic that Hollywood's first instinct was to make it into a TV movie. The principals, including the gunman's wife, sold their rights to competing producers.

I remember the movie that aired on CBS in 1992, Deliver Them From Evil: The Taking of Alta View. It starred Harry Hamlin as Worthington and Teri Garr as one of the nurses. The made-for-TV movie was categorized as a thriller.

The Utah hospital siege was not a catalyzing event. At the time, it was so bizarre, so random that it did not spark widespread discussion about gun ownership or even about the dearth of mental health services for people like Worthington, who was in so much emotional distress, neighbors said, he claimed the doctor had raped his wife.

A month after Worthingtons hospital siege, a gunman in Texas crashed his truck into a Lubys Diner, emerged from the cab and shot 22 people dead before killing himself. (Another victim died later.)

At the time, it was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

And now, three decades later, it is merely the sixth.

Twenty-two of the countrys 30 deadliest mass shootings have taken place since 1991.

Sixteen of the 30 deadliest have taken place in the last 10 years. The trend is clear.

Will our Republican senators finally summon the political will to say, "Enough"?

@AbcarianLAT





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Communications Workers of America has filed an unfair labor practices complaint against Activision Blizzard, accusing the company of retaliating against workers over their unionization efforts. If you'll recall, the quality assurance workers at the Activision studio Raven Software announced their plans to unionize in January. That's after Activision cut 12 of its QA contractors despite, according to a Washington Post report from January, Raven departmental management asking for those workers to be kept on. Workers at the studio went on strike following the event, demanding that all contractors be hired as full-time employees.

In its complaint filed with the National Labor Relations Board, the CWA accused the company of violating federal law by terminating those QA workers. The group also pointed out that Activision reorganized the studio by disbanding the QA team and embedding testers in other departments just mere days after they requested union recognition. In addition, Activision Blizzard allegedly withheld pays and benefits in April in response to the workers' unionization efforts.

According to previous reports, the company also actively and strongly discouraged workers from voting to unionize. Union organizer Jessica Gonzalez revealed on Twitter back in January that Activision VP of QA Chris Arends posted a message on a locked Slack channel diminishing the benefits of unionization. "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," Arends wrote.

A piece by The Washington Post also said that company leadership held town meetings to dissuade workers from organizing and sent out emails with a message that says "Please vote no." Those efforts had failed, and CWA won the election to unionize at Raven with a vote of 19 to 3. Xbox head Phil Spencer reportedly said before the vote that he would recognize a Raven union once Microsoft's acquisition of the developer is complete.

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Game Workers Alliance/CWA organizing committee members Erin Hall, Lau Nebel-Malone and Marie Carroll said:

"The reorganization and withholding of pay raises and other benefits and the company's failure to rehire laid off QA testers were clearly attempts by Activision to intimidate us and interfere with our union election in violation of the National Labor Relations Act."

Meanwhile, an Activision spokesperson disputed the allegations in a statement sent to Bloomberg:

"We respect and believe in the right of all employees to decide whether or not to support or vote for a union, and retaliation of any kind is not tolerated."

As the news organization notes, complaints filed with the NLRB are investigation by regional offices. In case they're found to have merit and aren't settled, they can be prosecuted by the agency's general counsel.

Update, 6/6/22, 10AM ET: This story has been updated with additional citations for the claim that Activision Blizzard cut 12 QA contractors despite Raven departmental leadership requesting to keep those contractors employed.
Jun. 4A new Alaska business-aligned coalition says it's launched a six-figure advertising campaign to defeat a major proposed road that members fear could damage and disrupt fish and wildlife in the Susitna Valley, northwest of Anchorage.

The road's proponents, including Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy and the state agency advancing the project, say they're still gathering information and are analyzing the West Susitna Access Road's benefits in potential jobs and state revenue compared to costs to fish, wildlife and tourism.

But members of the Alaska Range Alliance aren't waiting for the results of that analysis to launch their $200,000 campaign, with the mission of blocking the $350 million project before it starts.

"The goal is absolutely to kill it. There's no question that none of us want a road out there," said alliance board member Steve Perrins, who runs the "rustic-luxury" Rainy Pass Lodge in the Susitna Valley backcountry  which he says is roughly 8 miles from where the proposed road would end. "We want this done and over, quick."

The 100-mile project would run through fish and wildlife habitat to an area that's attractive to mining companies, in the foothills of the Alaska Range west of the Susitna River. So far, there's no official guarantee of public access.

Dunleavy has backed the road project. But alliance members say their campaign, at least for now, is targeting the state agency advancing the plan, the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, or AIDEA.

AIDEA last month applied for a key Clean Water Act permit for the road, and the agency has previously been a target for environmental and conservation groups. Those groups have criticized the agency for pursuing what they deem to be marginal resource extraction projects in areas like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and the alliance, in its campaign announcement this week, called the Susitna road project an "AIDEA dumpster fire."

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[As federal permit review starts on road into West Susitna backcountry, public access remains priority]

Political leaders tend to be pro-development in the deeply conservative Matanuska-Susitna Borough, where the new road project would be located, and the local assembly has endorsed AIDEA's permitting process.

At least one business along the route, Skwentna Roadhouse, supports the proposal, and it has a lobbyist on a $55,000 contract whose work includes pushing the project.

But the borough assembly has also heard testimony from dozens of people opposed to the road, and its critics include some conservative business owners like Perrins, who is otherwise aligned with Dunleavy and once appeared in a campaign ad aimed at boosting Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan.

"We're businessmen that have to be able to bob and weave with things," said Perrins, who stars in the new TV ads opposing the road. "These mining companies will totally run you over."

Alan Weitzner, AIDEA's executive director, said the alliance's campaign itself will boost public awareness of the proposed development, "which I think is a good thing."

But in a phone interview, he disputed one argument made in the alliance's television ads: that AIDEA is trying to keep its plans for the road a secret.

"At every phase AIDEA's been involved in the road development, it has had public engagement," Weitzner said. "We are trying to make sure that there's awareness out there, and if there are ways we can be better about it, I'm interested in trying to understand how we can do that."

Conservation groups have previously announced their opposition to the West Susitna proposal. But the broadening of their coalition, to include conservatives and businessmen, is starting to echo the debate over the Pebble prospect in Southwest Alaska.

Indigenous activists, commercial fishing groups and wealthy lodge owners and clients banded together to wage that largely successful fight against the huge mine proposed in the headwaters of Bristol Bay, which hosts one of the world's largest salmon fisheries.

The Alaska Range Alliance, which launched its slick television, radio and digital ads this week, includes multiple veterans of the Pebble debate. Anders Gustafson, who led a key group opposed to Pebble, is the alliance's executive director.

Scott Kendall, a longtime attorney for Pebble opponents, is the alliance's legal counsel.

Other board members include fisherman and retired labor leader Vince Beltrami, the former owner of an Anchorage snowmachine dealership and Mike Overcast, a co-owner of Tordrillo Mountain Lodge. The lodge owners said they've raised money from both businesses and some of their customers.

Tordrillo Mountain Lodge, also co-owned by Olympic medal-winning skier Tommy Moe, sells heli-skiing and king salmon fishing trips in the area that would be traversed by the road. In a phone interview from the lodge, Overcast said his opposition is about protecting the region's salmon habitat, which draws tourists to Alaska from around the world.

"I'm not a political person, and I'm not interested in being in politics," Overcast said. "But when something comes so close to you, you don't have a choice to react."

As of February, AIDEA had spent roughly $625,000 developing the road proposal, with $8.5 million budgeted by the Legislature at Dunleavy's request.

The governor's office also recently hired a consulting firm, McKinley Research, to compare the economic impact of Susitna Valley tourism businesses with the potential value of development in the Yentna Mining District, where the road would end. The Clean Water Act permitting process, Weitzner said, should help draw out more information about the road's potential impacts.

"What we have seen with road development and access is when you're able to initiate and get the permitting in process, it becomes a little more real for the parties that would be investing resources and leading to that economic development," he said. "The permitting lets it prove out what that economic process and benefit can be. We're asking to give us that opportunity."

Perrins said he's worried the results of the economic analysis are a forgone conclusion, citing McKinley Research's work for the mining industry and the fact that one of the first questions he saw as part of the study was about potential benefits from the road.

"That doesn't sound nonpartisan to me," he said.
KATERYNA TISHCHENKO - SATURDAY, 4 JUNE, 2022, 7:50 P.M.

The Ukrainian military is taking steps to return Sievierodonetsk to the full control of Ukraine and is confident that "everything will work out."

Source: Oleksandr Striuk, head of the Sievierodonetsk Civil Military Administration, 24/7 national joint newscast

Striuk's quote on what percentage of the city is occupied: "I would not say that it is occupied. There was some military success on the part of the orcs, who managed to enter the city and capture a fairly significant part, almost dividing it in half  if we are talking about residential areas, where they can feel confident. But our military has managed to regroup [and] build a line of defence. And now all necessary measures are being taken to return the city to full control of Ukraine. The city remains Ukrainian."

"Our military is taking all appropriate measures to push the enemy out of the city, positional street battles are being waged. This is accompanied by constant artillery shelling. The situation is quite intense, but our armed forces have hope and confidence that everything will work out."

Details: According to the head of the civil military administration, about 13,000 people remained in Sievierodonetsk at the start of the assault.

"Considering that constant street fighting has been going on for a third day, the population that was here remains  with the exception of a small part [of the population] that the orcs managed to forcibly deport out of the city to the occupied territory," he said.

Background: On 3 June, the head of the Luhansk Oblast Military Administration, Serhii Haidai, reported that occupying troops had previously held roughly 70% of Sievierodonetsk, but the Armed Forces of Ukraine had reclaimed about 20% of the city.
Owiny Dollo. How does a chief judge function under a lawless regime? Photo: Twitter.

The constitutionally irrefragable responsibility of Ugandan judiciary to protect citizens against the unlawful or arbitrary acts of the Army and Police has dwindled and the honorable Chief Justice, Owiny Dollo Alphonse, owes us a reasonable explanation as to why he must not voluntarily bow out from his office rather than continuing to head an institution that is docile. The Ugandan judiciary is an institution that has unfortunately become acquiescent to external arm-twisting in total disregard of its Constitutionally mandated independence.

The long rumored invisible hand of the deep state in external subjugation is now visible and has unscrupulously nibbled away at the independence of the third arm of the government, and recently the barbarism of the state flourishes without being checked by the judiciary.

It is undoubtedly proven that only an independent judiciary can protect citizens from arbitrary state impunity and that doesnt require rocket science for any judicial officer to fathom. Conceivably, the problem is that these judicial officers may want to act in such a manner in order to be coddled by the deity that benefits from such an ensnared judiciary.

We, the citizens of Uganda, have nowhere to run to anymore when we are continuously enfolded in the states labyrinth of failure to honor its obligations as elucidated in the social contract.

The constitution of the Republic of Uganda 1995 as amended recognizes the tripartite structure and independence of state institutionsthe executive, judiciary and legislaturebut the judiciary has become another appurtenance of the executive.

Lately, there is this barbaric method that the state is using against the disgruntled citizens who blow off steam protesting the negligence and oppression. When we are violently kidnapped and bundled into waiting numberless drones, we are not taken to Cafe Javas to eat Pizza! We are driven into torture chambers where we are mutilated incommunicado in total disregard of the law. That is why they return us when we are half dead.

When we are then smuggled into these Courts after the inviolable 48-hour rule has elapsed, the magistrates fold hands and zip their mouths yet are supposed to enforce the human rights laws.

Myself, in February was smuggled into courtafter 14 days in illegal detentionoozing pus and swollen from torture, but Dr. Douglas Singiza gave my tormentors a platform to desecrate judicial independence in lieu of sacromentalizing the same, and when I complained to the service commission, my petition was never given a modicum of audience.

These magistrates have turned courts into adjuncts of the deep state to proliferate abuses against victims of such insufferable barbarism by denying them bail, or if they pretend to care, they give victims absolutely unaffordable bail in order to deter or demoralize other citizens from holding the government accountable.

Reference is made from the recent case in which Dr. Kizza Besigye was arrested from downtown and upon appearing before Buganda Road magistrate, was given a cash bail of 30 million Ugandan shillings, which is about $8,000 or 10 times the countrys per capita income, which he refused to pay and instructed his lawyers to seek judicial review. Such a cash bail for someone who is protesting against high prices of commodities? These magistrates are shameless chamchas!

Another scenario was when the deputy lord mayor of Kampala, Hon. Doreen Nyanjura and Soroti City Woman Member of Parliament, Anna Adeke Ebaju, were arrested while protesting the unlivable conditions and upon being produced to the Court, were denied bail because the magistrate needed a week to scrutinize the submitted LC letters of sureties. A whole week?

In the event that bail was meant to be punitive, then the whole concept of innocent until proven guiltywhich was coined by Sir William Garrow during a 1791 trial at the Old Baileywould be rather otiose.

One of the respected law scientists of the 21st century and former justice of the Constitutional Court of the Federal Republic of Germany, Prof. Dr Michael Eichberger, once noted that the independent courts can only exist in a state governed by the rule of law, and the rule of law is not possible without an independent judiciary.

When you listen to such legal aficionado individuals elucidating the role of the judiciary in enforcing human rights and rule of law, and then look back at our judicial officers in Uganda, you wonder when we shall ever extricate our country from the manacles of despicable injustice.

I reminisce that through my years in Law School, I never used any Ugandan constitutional case law as reference, because judicial decisions from Ugandaespecially since 2000are not decided with upright minds but corrupt and subservient psyches, and these individuals have the machismo to masquerade around as honorable judicial officers when their actions depict dishonorable toadying.

Judicial officers beating drums for the state's impunity to bloom have greatly pilloried the judiciary as an institution and pinned it to the citadel of bias for the entire world to witness learned people turn a respectable arm of government into something akin to a council of fools.

Rukirabashaija is Scholar on Writers in Exile Program of PEN-Zentrum Deutschland.

He is a survivor of torture at the hands of Ugandan dictator Gen. Yoweri Musevenis regime and his son Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

Full profile: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakwenza_Rukirabashaija
Anthony Kienlen in the 78th District Courtroom Friday.

Family and friends testified Friday to Anthony "Tony" Kienlen's good character and desire for treatment for service-related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but a prosecutor sought to make his marital issues a focus in the bail reduction hearing.

Anthony, who was an emergency room nurse, is accused of opening fire on law-enforcement officers during a standoff Oct. 13 at his rural home in the 5200 block of Turkey Ranch Road.

The 35-year-old was being held Friday in the Wichita County Law Enforcement Center on $1.435 million in bonds, according to online jail records.

More: Standoff suspect has bond reduced on attempted murder charges

He is charged with 14 counts of attempted capital murder of a peace officer or fireman, one count of deadly conduct and one count of felony criminal mischief, according to court records.

Army buddy testifies

After about four hours of testimony Friday afternoon, 78th District Judge Meredith Kennedy recessed the hearing until 9 a.m. June 24. Kennedy made no decision about reducing Anthony's bonds.

An Army buddy who served with him in the "Outlaw Platoon" in Afghanistan told the judge he nominated him to become the radio operator, who functions as the righthand man for the platoon leader.

They were in a light infantry rifle platoon, fighting in close combat on the eastern frontier of Afghanistan, testified Robert Pinholt, who left the Army in 2007 and joined the National Guard in 2009.

"We were under fire in some form or another almost every day. We were there for 16 months," Pinholt of Carrollton testified. "You can actually see the enemy. You can see them attempting to kill you."

Some soldiers struggled to deal with that, he told the judge.

"But guys like Tony never flinched," said Pinholt, chief executive officer of Claymore Operations, a nonprofit he co-founded to mentor military members.

Most soldiers in the platoon were wounded in some way, and a man who had lost weight so he could qualify for deployment was killed in August 2006 by a landmine, Pinholt told the judge.

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"We all heard it as he gasped for breath . . . as he died," Pinholt testified.

All the soldiers were affected by the stress and Pinholt suffers from PTSD and has a disability rating for it, he told the judge.

"I still have night terrors. I punched two holes in the wall while I was asleep," he testified.

Support for Anthony Kienlen

Pinholt told the judge that Anthony's character is impeccable.

A decorated veteran, Anthony left the military about 14 years ago and came back a changed man grappling with depression and PTSD, according to testimony from friends and family.

Around 20 people rallied in front of the Wichita County Courthouse before Friday's hearing and some wore T-shirts in court to support Anthony.

His mother, Cindy Kienlen of Oklahoma City, testified her son wants intensive treatment and will be at every counseling session if he is able to bail out of jail.

"I think that prison is not going to do a thing for him. Jail is doing nothing," she testified.

Anthony's wife, Abigail Kienlen, told the judge they don't have the financial means to come up with the approximately $140,000 needed to pay a bondsman.

Both she and her husband have been working as nurses at United Regional Health Care System, according to testimony.

His mental state

Abigail found out the morning of Oct. 13 that Anthony knew she had spoken with a former lover, she testified.

Anthony was suicidal that day, and she called 911 because she was concerned about him, she testified.

"I didn't want him to die, and I knew that was what his goal was," she testified.

More: Kienlen indicted on 14 counts of attempted murder of peace officers, firefighters

During testimony, Abigail described her husband as erratic when speaking with the 911 operator, saying one minute he wanted law enforcement officers to shoot him and the next that he didn't.

Marital issues

Wichita County Chief Felony Prosecutor Dobie Kosub drove Abigail to tears while questioning her.

She testified she didn't agree the events of Oct. 13 took place because Anthony was jealous of the former lover she had spoken to.

Abigail was involved with the man several years before getting together with her husband, she testified.

Kosub asked her if she had been unfaithful to her husband since he has been in jail.

She testified that she has been with one other man.

At first, Abigail testified she had not been unfaithful with a second man, who she drove out of town to meet.

A few questions later, she testified that she had committed infidelity with the second man and had not yet told her husband about it.

Kennedy cut off an intimate question from Kosub about something he contended Abigail told the other man. The judge said: "We're not at trial."

By then, Abigail was tearful on the stand.

Kosub raised the question of what Anthony might do in response to her having affairs when a standoff occurred because he'd learned she had been in contact with a former lover.

Defense attorney Dustin Nimz then asked Abigail how her marriage is now.

Abigail testified it's in a good place, and that Kienlen didn't react Friday to her testimony about other men.

Deputy testifies

Kosub called Wichita County sheriff's deputy Amanda Ward to the stand to discuss how the standoff has affected her and her family.

Ward was among those who responded to the standoff.

"I came home, and I sat at the dinner table and just tried to decompress," Ward testified. "I sat and thought about my day."

She told the judge it has been hard at her home since the standoff because the events of Oct.13 didn't just affect her.

Her teenage son told her that when he's at school and the principal or a teacher comes into class, he is afraid they are going to say she has been killed, Ward testified.

More: Standoff suspect has bond reduced on attempted murder charges

Bail lowered previously

Kennedy granted a prior bond reduction Jan. 25, reducing Anthony's bond from $500,000 each to $100,000 each for the 14 capital murder charges, court records show.

The judge also required him to wear a GPS ankle monitor, remain in Wichita or Archer counties, possess no weapons and meet other conditions to get out of jail, according to court documents.

Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News, covers education, courts, breaking news, politics and more. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Her Twitter handle is @Trishapedia.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Anthony Kienlen bond hearing focuses on PTSD
ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports

Perhaps the most significant development from Monday in the Deshaun Watson situation was no development at all. Specifically, the lack of a response from Watsons team to the 24th lawsuit could end up creating significant consequences for Watson with the league and/or the team. Attorney Rusty Hardin issued a statement on Monday indicating that hes [more]
African Union head Macky Sall on Friday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to take into account the suffering in African countries from food shortages caused by Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine.

Putin hosted Senegalese President Macky Sall, who chairs the African Union, at his Black Sea residence in Sochi on the 100th day of Moscow's offensive in Ukraine, with global food shortages and grain supplies stuck in Ukrainian ports high on the agenda.

Sall asked Putin to "become aware that our countries, even if they are far from the theatre (of action), are victims on an economic level" of the conflict.

He said it was important to work together so that "everything that concerns food, grain, fertiliser is actually outside" of Western sanctions imposed on Moscow after Putin sent troops to Ukraine on February 24.

Sall also said that due to Western sanctions "we no longer have access to grain from Russia and especially fertiliser" that is crucial for Africa's "already deficient" agriculture.

"That really creates serious threats to the food security of the continent," Sall added.

In his remarks in front of reporters, Putin did not mention grain supplies but said Russia was "always on Africa's side" and was now keen to ramp up cooperation.

"At the new stage of development, we place great importance on our relations with African countries, and I must say this has had a certain positive result," Putin added.

"Our turnover is growing," he added. "This year, even in the first months of this year, it has grown by more than 34 percent."

Washington and Brussels have imposed unprecedented sanctions against Moscow, pushing Putin to seek new markets and strengthen ties with countries in Africa and Asia.

- 'Exhaustive explanations' -

The Kremlin said the two leaders discussed expanding "political dialogue" between Russia and the African Union as well as economic and humanitarian cooperation.

Speaking to reporters earlier Friday, Putin's spokesman said Putin would explain the situation with grain supplies stuck in Ukrainian ports to Sall.

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"With a high degree of probability and confidence, I can assume that the president will give exhaustive explanations of his vision of the situation with Ukrainian grain," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

He said Putin will explain "the real state of affairs."

"No one is blocking these ports, at least not from the Russian side," Peskov added.

Putin has said Moscow is ready to look for ways to ship grain blocked in Ukrainian ports but has demanded the West lift sanctions.

Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine and a barrage of international sanctions on Russia have disrupted supplies of fertiliser, wheat and other commodities from both countries, pushing up prices for food and fuel, especially in developing nations.

Cereal prices in Africa, the world's poorest continent, have surged because of the slump in exports from Ukraine, sharpening the impact of conflict and climate change and sparking fears of social unrest.

Ships loaded with grain remain blocked in Ukraine, which before February was a leading exporter of corn and wheat and alone accounted for 50 percent of world trade in sunflower seeds and oil.

The UN has said Africa faces an "unprecedented" crisis caused by the conflict.

In 2019, Putin hosted dozens of African leaders in Sochi in a bid to reassert Russia's influence on the continent.

Though never a colonial power in Africa, Moscow was a crucial player on the continent in the Soviet era, backing independence movements and training a generation of African leaders.

Russia's ties with Africa declined with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and, in recent years, China has emerged as a key foreign power on the continent.

bur/kjm
A man has been arrested for trying to traffic cocaine through the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Homeland Security investigators told WSOC.

Authorities said Alexander Antonio Lopez-Morel was traveling from the Dominican Republic to Newark, New Jersey, when he stopped for a layover in Charlotte this week. Federal agents said that when he landed, they moved in.

According to Homeland Security officials, 11 kilograms of cocaine were found hidden in the seat of a motorized wheelchair. Federal agents said Lopez-Morel faked a disability trying to smuggle the drugs in the wheelchair.

Authorities at Charlotte Douglas International Airport show how cocaine was hidden in a motorized wheelchairs seat. About 11 kilograms, just over 24 pounds, of the drug were stuffed in the seat.

His answers didnt match up. His physical purported handicap did not match up. That was a tell-tale sign that there was something suspicious, said Mike Prado, HSI deputy special agent.

The cocaine was worth between $330,000 to $350,000 so there was no doubt the drug dealers hoping to sell it in the United States will feel that loss.

RELATED: Record-breaking year for guns found at Charlotte airport

Drug trafficking through Charlotte Douglas is such a concern that Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and local police launched a new border enforcement security task force in March.

Really taking the fight to the cartels and organizations profiting from putting this poison on the streets, Prado said.

Federal agents hope confiscating their drugs and money hits them had.

Alexander Antonio Lopez-Morel tried to smuggle the drugs in this motorized wheelchair at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, federal agents said. He was traveling from the Dominican Republic to Newark, N.J., but his flight had a layover in Charlotte.

Thats unbelievable. Thats crazy, passenger Richard Killian said. What I am really upset and concerned about are our young people being bombarded with drugs.

Investigators said the airport is a target for drug dealers because of Charlottes size and location on the East Coast, but the authorities believe theyre making a dent. Since 2021, they have seized $5.7 million and a lot of fentanyl, cocaine, meth and marijuana.
As a young military service member, Richard Kingsberry said he wasnt aware that two of the bases where he served had been named after Confederate leaders Braxton Bragg and Robert E. Lee.

That realization would happen later, but it helped sparked him to join the effort to see names on military boats, installations and other places removed, saying that they sent the wrong message about the nations history and ideals.

The effort to remove the namesakes of those who aligned themselves with the Confederacy hit a critical step as the Naming Commission recently put forth several names to replace military installations such as Fort Lee and Bragg that are named in honor of Confederate leaders.

In its place, installations may be named after women, people of African and Latino descent and other national leaders such as Dwight D. Eisenhower, a former president and general.

RELATED: American 'heroes' nominated to replace Confederate officers' names on Army bases

RELATED: Confederate names are being scrubbed from US military bases

RELATED: Capitol riot images showing Confederate flag a reminder of country's darkest past

I think it is the appropriate thing to do to rename these military bases that are named after Confederate individuals, said Kingsberry, commander of the National Association for Black Veterans.

He added: That's an honor that we don't believe that they should be bestowed upon them because of their actions in going against this country, and their actions to support the institution of slavery.

Related video: Marine Corps first to remove all public displays of confederate flag

Although Congress and the U.S. Department of Defense still must approve the names, many veterans of color, some of whom have served on the bases, are appreciative of the renaming process and hope that it is a sign of further changes, including more diversity in high-level promotions.

I think it is a sign that our military and our country are trying to get it right with regards to diversity, equity and inclusion, said Anthony Lowe, commander of Price-Anderson Post 341 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

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Old names, new times

As part of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2021, the Naming Commission was charged with recommending to Congress the removal or renaming of Defense Department assets such as bases, symbols and other assets commemorating the Confederate States of America or people who voluntarily served with the Confederacy, according to the commission. By October, the commission should have delivered a report identifying to Congress a list of places, the cost to remove or rename them and the ways that those assets were identified.

This list is but a first step in addressing Confederate symbolism in the U.S. military, a process that is more than symbolic, said Rep. Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington. This process has created a new opportunity to foster a more inclusive environment for our service members by remembering and acknowledging our countrys history while honoring the valor and sacrifice of our service members and their families.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III said the proposed name changes at the installations reflect the courage, values, sacrifices, and diversity of our military men and women.

Crews getting ready to remove one of the country's largest remaining monuments to the Confederacy, a towering statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue, on Sept. 8, 2021, in Richmond, Va.

Black Americans and Latino Americans each represent about 17% of active-duty service members, according to the Defense Department. Meanwhile, white Americans make up around 70% of active-duty service members, while Americans of Asian descent make up roughly 5%.

Last year, the commission received more than 34,000 submissions for renaming, including 3,670 unique names. Popular names included: Charles Young, who led the prestigious Buffalo Soldiers as superintendent of Sequoia National Park in California, the Army said.

On May 24, the commission whittled those renaming efforts down to the nine bases. The proposed changes come from Army installations across the South that had been part of the Confederacy  in Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Texas and Alabama.

The commission decided against renaming Fort Belvoir, which was originally named after U.S. Army Maj. General Andrew Humphreys but was renamed in 1935 after a Colonial-era plantation that was on the same property. The panel said in a statement that Fort Belvoir doesnt meet their renaming recommendations, but that it will recommend the Defense Department do a separate naming review.

Diversity among proposed name changes

But for now, Fort Bragg is proposed to be renamed Fort Liberty in honor of the national ideal. Louisianas Fort Polk, named after Confederate General Leonidas Polk, could be named after William Henry Johnson, a Black man who courageously fought against a German raiding party in World War I. Johnsons valor, the commission said, made him an icon on the home front and motivated more Black people to support WWI. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart in 1996 and the Medal of Honor in 2015.

Fort Hood, one of the largest bases in the country, would be named after Richard Cavazos, who successfully led a company of Puerto Rican soldiers in Korea. In Vietnam, he commanded an infantry battalion, often fighting from the front, the commission said. In 1982, he became the first Hispanic American to pin four stars.

Danny Vargas, an Air Force veteran and founder of the American Latino Veterans Association, said the addition of Cavazos, a long-admired figure of Mexican heritage, was a bright spot when he looked at the list. Gen. Cavazos is someone that is near and dear to all Latino vets, he said.

Yet, part of the work of his nascent group is ensuring that more young people of color and from different sexual orientations can reach those heights of someone such as Cavazos.

"I think women need to be more represented. I think the LGBTQ community needs to have a greater voice of representation, he said.

Three of the proposed military changes:

Fort Gordon in Georgia may be renamed after President and General of Army Dwight D. Eisenhower. He led ground, air, and sea forces on D-Day, helping to liberate Western Europe and defeat Nazi Germany. He was elected president twice, once in 1952 and in 1956.

Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia may be named Fort Walker in honor of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, who in 1863, became the Armys first female surgeon. During the Civil War, she would cross contested lines to treat wounded soldiers, leading to her being arrested by Confederates. Walker was a strong advocate for equality, including abolition and womens rights.

Fort Benning in Georgia may be named Fort Moore in honor of Hal and Julia Moore. In his more than three decades of service, Hal Moore served in Vietnam, taught at West Point, led the transition of armed forces to all-volunteer service and worked to quash racial strife among soldiers. On the home front, his wife, Julia, accompanied taxi drivers to deliver news that a soldier was dead or injured. Her complaints to the Pentagon would lead to the creation of casualty notification teams, along with survivor support networks.

One aspect of the renaming process that stood out for Andres Tijerina, a Vietnam Veteran and historian, was the addition of women, particularly Julia Moore, whose husband served in the military.

The spouses of service members, he said, all served the country, moving around from base to base with little housing stability. For those whose spouses were killed in a war or conflict, many did not remarry and did not get counseling services for their trauma.

They did not give them provisions for housing, he said. They did not give them counseling, anything. And so, our women had to go back, not only go back to wherever they could find a home, they had to find (and) rent houses.

Although he's pleased about the addition of Julia Moore, he hopes future renaming efforts will include more people of color, reflecting the dynamic nation.

The Naming Commission would late to change the name of Fort Hood Army Base in Texas from Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood to Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, a four-star general.

The fact that it took so long for the proposal to happen speaks to the nation's deep-seated view on race and color, he said.

So now, he said, you have a base named after a Confederate leader possibly being renamed for the descendent of an enslaved person. More personally, he said the change might mean that the Fort Hood base, where generations of his ancestors served, would be renamed after someone like Cavazos.

Culture changes, that's what this represents, he said. This represents a recognition of the fact that America today is not America of 1861, and so, you have a completely new look.

Tiffany Cusaac-Smith covers race and history for the USA TODAY. Click here for her latest stories. Follow her on Twitter @T_Cusaac.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Veterans of color on proposed ditching of Confederate names at 9 bases
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware  President Biden and first lady Jill Biden were transported to a safe location for about 30 minutes on Saturday after a small plane entered the secure airspace over the family's house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

The White House said in a statement that "a small private plane entered restricted airspace, all indications are by mistake, and precautionary measures were taken."

"There was no threat to the President or his family," the White House added.

The Bidens left the secure location at 1:29pm ET. The White House confirmed they went back to their residence by around 2:05 p.m. ET.

"The aircraft was immediately escorted out of the restricted airspace. Preliminary investigation reveals the pilot was not on the proper radio channel, was not following the NOTAMS (Notice to Airmen) that had been filed and was not following published flight guidance," the Secret Service said.

The Secret Service said they will be interviewing the pilot.

The aircraft was a single-engine Cessna 172 that entered the restricted air space with no flight plan and without communicating with air traffic control, according to North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

The Cessna was "intercepted" by two F-15 fighter jets and an MH-65 helicopter off the Cape May coastline, NORAD said.

The plane landed at Cape May Airport at 1:11 p.m. local time.

Officials at a local fire station said the Secret Service notified them around 12:48 p.m. that they would be arriving with the Bidens.

Rehoboth Beach resident Susan Lillard told CBS News she saw a small white plane flying near Cape Henlopen State Park, which is near the president's beach home. Lillard then said she saw two planes scramble into the air a few minutes later.

CBS News also saw these two jets flying low over the downtown area of the beach town.

Hundreds of onlookers gathered around the fire station about five blocks from a nearby beach because Secret Service officers were stopping all pedestrians and traffic.

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The motorcade arrived at 12:52 p.m. and the Bidens waited in an SUV inside the fire station for roughly 37 minutes, Rehoboth Beach Fire Department chief Chuck Snyder told CBS News.

Snyder told CBS News his fire department has previously practiced emergency response drills with the Secret Service.

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President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images; Hasan Bratic/picture alliance via Getty Images

Biden is expected to visit Saudi Arabia later this month to discuss the oil crisis linked to the war in Ukraine.

Foreign policy experts say this would effectively mean MBS got away with Khashoggi's murder.

Biden pledged to recalibrate US-Saudi relations but has struggled to make good on this promise.

President Joe Biden entered the White House vowing to recalibrate US relations with Saudi Arabia after years of President Donald Trump shielding Riyadh and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from punishment over the brutal murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Biden said Saudi Arabia would be made a "pariah" on the global stage and pledged to pursue a foreign policy centered on human rights  including by ending US support for the Saudi-led coalition in the Yemen conflict.

But with gas prices rising amid the war in Ukraine and midterms on the horizon, Biden is expected to visit Saudi Arabia later this month to discuss the escalating oil crisis. With the US and its European allies embargoing Russian oil over the war, the Biden administration is looking to Saudi Arabia to help blunt the impact of the sanctions on global markets.

The expected visit, which has been reported on by The New York Times and The Washington Post but has not been confirmed by the White House, is a sign that Biden has been forced into a corner and feels he has to prioritize business over ethics, foreign policy experts told Insider. By visiting the oil-rich country, the experts said Biden would effectively be declaring that maintaining friendly relations with Prince Mohammed  the de facto ruler of the kingdom who is often referred to as MBS  is more important than punishing him for Khashoggi's murder and other human rights abuses.

"A presidential trip to Saudi Arabia right now is going to be confirmation, validation not just that it's business as usual but that MBS got away with murder," Aaron David Miller, a former US diplomat who advised multiple secretaries of state on the Middle East, told Insider.

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Last year, the Biden administration released a declassified intelligence report that directly implicated MBS in Khashoggi's murder. Sanctions were slapped on a number of Saudis in concert with the release of the report, but MBS was not among them.

Biden has framed the war in Ukraine as part of a global battle between democracy and autocracy. Along these lines, Miller said he'd ask the president, as he fervently defends democracy in Ukraine, why is it a "good idea to meet with a man who's among the most repressive authoritarian leaders" in the region.

"I don't think there's any way to change that optic," Miller said, adding that Biden is sending a "pretty powerful signal that it's OK now to do business with MBS."

But Biden also seems "genuinely torn about this," Miller said, noting his desire to prioritize upholding democracy and human rights in his foreign policy. "Biden was being very aspirational," Miller said.

Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, told Insider that it's fair to say MBS is "getting away with murder." But he added it's not just the murder of Khashoggi, but the "murder of plenty of Yemeni children." MBS is the architect of the Yemen war, which has seen over 10,200 children killed or injured since Saudi Arabia first intervened in 2015, according to the UN.

'Serious mistake'

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 14, 2019. Alexey Nikolsky/Getty Images

Dalia Dassa Kaye, a senior fellow at UCLA Burkle Center on International Relations, told Insider that visiting Saudi Arabia would be a "serious mistake, and not just because of human rights concerns."

"It's just not clear what the return will be on any conceivable interest, whether oil, normalization with Israel, or great power competition with China and Russia. And what's unfortunate is there are alternatives to advancing these issues and maintaining a working relationship with Saudi Arabia without a presidential visit to Riyadh. This is a bad deal for Biden  he's risking his reputation and compromising on principles for modest returns," Kaye said.

But Hussein Ibish, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, DC, told Insider that a presidential visit to Saudi Arabia would not be particularly "unexpected" under the present circumstances.

The bottom line is that Biden is not doing anything that any responsible US president wouldn't have also done, Ibish said. "Statecraft often involves making difficult choices."

Ibish also underscored that it's not only the economic consequences of the Ukraine war that the administration has to take into consideration. The ongoing, indirect talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran are stalemated, and if the pact can't be revived, the US has to consider other ways "to help isolate, contain, and deter an Iranian regime that appears determined to get a nuclear weapon," Ibish said.

"The US-Saudi relationship is built on some pretty solid foundations of shared interests," Ibish said. "These are two status quo powers, and Saudi Arabia needs the United States to guarantee its fundamental security, whereas the United States needs a partner in the Gulf region to help secure the energy resources of our major trading partners and the global economy."

'It is a failure, but it is a failure by choice'

President Joe Biden speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on May 9, 2022. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

In remarks at an event marking the 100th anniversary of Foreign Affairs magazine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended the Biden administration's approach to relations with Riyadh. He said the administration had largely succeeded in both recalibrating and "preserving" ties with the kingdom, describing Saudi Arabia as a "critical partner" in confronting extremism in the region and in "dealing with the challenges posed by Iran."

Blinken added that energy was a "critical piece to this, too," emphasizing that the administration wants "to make sure that there is sufficient supplies of energy on world markets at a time that this is being increasingly challenged."

But Parsi said that the Biden administration could've avoided this situation if the president had returned to the Iran nuclear deal via an executive order during his first days in office. Parsi said that Saudi Arabia's influence over global oil prices has been "enhanced by the fact that the Iranian oil has been off the market." After former President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018, he reinstated sanctions on Iranian oil. Restoring the deal could see the US lift such sanctions.

"It is a failure, but it is a failure by choice," Parsi said of Biden's approach to Saudi Arabia, adding, "It is not a failure because his efforts were due to fail. He gave up and that's why it failed. And he made bad decisions along the way."

Biden "could have stood firm," Parsi said. "Instead, a year and a half into his presidency, he's essentially caving to MBS."

The president on Friday said he has "no direct plans" to visit Saudi Arabia at the moment, but he did not rule it out.

"I have been engaged in trying to work with how we can bring more stability and peace in the Middle East. And there is a possibility that I would be going to meet with both the Israelis and the Arabs. Some Arab countries at the time, including, I expect would be Saudi Arabia to be included in that if I did go," Biden told reporters at the White House.

Read the original article on Business Insider
As I was growing up, I liked to read anything and everything. I did not associate books with genres, so my reading was scattered across the board.

In college, one of my majors was literature, with the primary emphasis on American and English Literature. One influential college teacher hooked me on classics. Her advice to young literature majors was to read the classics almost exclusively until about age 25, then read whatever you darn please.

I more or less followed her advice. After about three years of teaching at the Watertown High School, I still read eclectically, but my interest centered on science fiction and fantasy.

Donus Roberts

That was when science fiction reading became respectable, with golden age authors like Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein and Ray Bradbury, among many others leading the way.

As time went on, I reduced my reading of science fiction and fantasy in favor of crime fiction and classics.

In 2009, I read the first crime novel by a young Canadian writer named Emily St. John Mandel. I was impressed and mentally ear-marked her. However, her third crime novel, enigmatically called "The Lola Quartet," begged my attention, and I prepared myself for a long series of good crime novels.

None came.

Instead, in 2014 Mandel published "Station Eleven." Not a crime novel but a haunting science-fiction dystopia that takes place in the Great Lakes region after a fictional swine flu epidemic, known as the Georgia Flu, has devastated the world, killing most of the population. Mandel's creation of characters to populate the novel was intoxicating. And in the past eight years, many other readers have agreed.

"Station Eleven" was a sensation, virtually unclassifiable in this genre-driven world. It won the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Crime Fiction Award and was nominated for the National Book Award. Then came "The Glass Hotel," a good novel but not as exceptional as "Station Eleven."

This year, Mandel has penned "Sea of Tranquility." Some of the characters from "The Glass House" are in this novel, but it is a stand-alone work of science fiction-fantasy genre with strong remnants of her first writing world, mystery.

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"Sea of Tranquility" by Emily St. John Mandel.

Science fiction-fantasy novels are challenging to review because the author creates an alternative universe. If the reviewer explains too much of the alternative universe, the book is compromised for the reader.

Hopefully, I won't mess up the book for potential readers because if you have a science fiction or fantasy gene in your DNA, you should read it.

The novel opens in 1912 with an east-to-west journey across Canada by Edwin St. Andrew. In the far reaches of a Vancouver forest, the young St. Andrew has an inexplicable vision, which is connected to meeting a man named Gaspary Roberts.

Travel to the 21st century, and there is another mysterious encounter in a forest, this time by a woman named Mirella Kessler and the same Gaspary Roberts. Fast forward two centuries with another similar vision with Gaspary Roberts.

By the way, this Roberts is no relation to me.

There is a mystery to be solved and a time-travel trip for the adventurous. Once again, this book is more about the descriptions than it is about the happenings.

One of the trips taken in the book is between Earth and Mars, which has become a refuge for earthlings.

I read this book in one day. There was a cosmic mystery that I had to discover. Also, there was page after page of conscious-building language.

However, this book is not for everyone. Mandell sets up scenarios that are not answered right away. It is also very possible that there is no one ending we take away from this book.

"Sea of Tranquility," by Emily St. John Mandel, Alfred A. Knopf, 2022, 255 pages, $25.

In July, I will examine "Extreme Weather" by Christopher C. Burt. With the weather changing more rapidly, it is interesting to examine how extreme it has been in the past.

Donus Roberts is a former teacher, current advisor to the ABC Book Club, an avid reader/collector of books, owner of ddrbooks, and he encourages readers to connect at ddrbooks@wat.midco.net.

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Time travel and mystery in sci-fi dystopia Sea of Tranquility
Authorities found a box with loaded firearms on a school campus in Parkland, Florida, this week.

The guns were found Thursday at Somerset Academy charter school by a Broward Sheriffs Office school resource officer, who then passed the discovery over to investigators, WSVN reported. The incident took place less than three miles from Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School, where a mass shooting in 2018 left 17 people dead and injured 17 others.

Following an investigation, the guns were determined to belong to the schools principal, Geyler Castro, officials said. It was not immediately clear why the administrator brought the weapons to the school.

The school did not issue an alert or notify the parents about the incident until 24 hours later, according to the report.

BUFFALO, UVALDE MASS SHOOTING SURVIVORS TO TESTIFY ON CAPITOL HILL

"Nothing is more important than the safety of our students, staff, and school community," the school said in its statement, WPLG reported. The school also said it "strives to maintain open lines of communication."

After the school day ended on Friday, parents were notified that the guns were found and that they belonged to the principal.

"What the heck? Oh, my God," parent Jincy Mathews told the outlet. "Its scary. What youre telling me is scary."

JURY CAN TOUR PARKLAND, FLORIDA SCHOOL WHERE SHOOTER KILLED 17, JUDGE RULES

No students at Somerset Academy came into contact with the loaded weapons, although the incident has prompted the States Attorneys Office to look into the matter. This could result in the principal facing disciplinary action or potential criminal charges.

The weapons were not intended to be carried into the school, the report said.

"No one intended to bring a weapon into the building. The box was among many items brought into the locked room from the principals vehicle," the school said, per WPLG.

TULSA HOSPITAL SHOOTING VICTIMS IDENTIFIED, ONE WAS GUNMAN'S SURGEON, POLICE SAY

The school said the loaded firearms were found in a locked room, WSVN reported.

Amid school shootings across the U.S., some lawmakers have called for teachers and administrators to be armed and to serve as first responders in the case of an emergency.
K-pop sensations BTS reportedly paid out of pocket for their trip to the White House to meet with President Biden to discuss anti-Asian hate.

Washington Post contributor Soo Youn posted the news on Twitter on Tuesday.

Oh, I asked if BTS paid for the trip or the WH paid and it was BTS. They paid their own way, this was something they wanted to do, per WH sources, she wrote.

Oh, I asked if BTS paid for the trip or the WH paid and it was BTS. They paid their own way, this was something they wanted to do, per WH sources. More from NextShark: Tzi Ma Leads Cast of Lifetimes First Asian American Holiday Movie  Soo Youn (@lalasoo) May 31, 2022

It came as no surprise to many netizens, who exclaimed the members were genuinely outstanding people.

More from NextShark: China Captain Accused of Copying Marvel Films, Features Chinese Folklore and Bruce Lee

Absolutely not surprising they turned the offer down. WH uses taxpayer money for everything and the group cares deeply about the issue they were asked to speak on and would pay for it themselves, one Twitter user wrote in a post that has garnered over 1,200 likes.

As expected! they have been doing this (not the first time) for trips/causes they genuinely care about, reiterated another netizen.

All seven members of BTS met with President Biden at the White House on Tuesday, the last day of AAPI Heritage Month, to discuss anti-Asian hate and issues of diversity and inclusion more broadly.

More from NextShark: Who asked for a Korean 50 Shades? Netflixs Love and Leashes dominates the countrys streaming charts

Netizens were thrilled by the fact that the Grammy-nominated boy band convinced Americas commander-in-chief to do a finger heart gesture during the landmark visit.

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BTS has been known to donate generously to charitable causes, giving millions to anti-violence and anti-bullying campaigns.

While BTS visit was based on invitation, it is unclear whether the White House offered accommodations or any financial compensation for the event.

Featured Image via Washington Post
A bumblebee is a fish under California law, a California court said in a ruling this week.

And thus, the bumblebee should be protected by the states endangered species ordinances, court documents show.

In the case, Almond Alliance of California v. Fish and Game Commission, the California State Appellate Court of the Third District said the "issue presented here is whether the bumblebee, a terrestrial invertebrate, falls within the definition of a fish," according to legal documents.

According to the judges, the bumblebee is classified as a fish as a liberal interpretation of the word "fish", as well as the states own legislative history, including non-aquatic life.

A dark earth bumblebee (Bombus Terrestris) sits on a blooming peppermint plant (Mentha x piperita) in Berlin, Germany, on Jugust 23, 2021. (Photo by Frank Hoensch/Getty Images) Photo by Frank Hoensch/Getty Images

The judges explained that "although the term fish is colloquially and commonly understood to refer to aquatic species," the law, as it is written, makes the legal "definition of fish not so limited," the court documents show.

CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER RELEASED ON $50K BAIL AFTER CONTACTING STUDENT WITH INTENT TO COMMIT CRIME

The court explained the "Endangered Species Act" has given classification authority to the Fish and Game Commission to determine what is and is not an endangered species, court documents show.

And, under the law, the commission is solely responsible for establishing "a list of endangered species and a list of threatened species." The court also found the commissions authority "was not limited to listing only aquatic invertebrates."

CALIFORNIA COUNTY REINSTATES INDOOR MASK MANDATE

The states own legislative history also supports this "liberal interpretation" to classify a non-aquatic bumblebee as a "fish" as under state law "the Commission may list any invertebrate as an endangered or threatened species."

24 March 2021, Hessen, Frankfurt/Main: A bumblebee has landed on a flower. Photo: Boris Roessler/dpa (Photo by Boris Roessler/picture alliance via Getty Images) Photo by Boris Roessler/picture alliance via Getty Images

Before 1969, the law defined fish as "wild fish, mollusks, or crustaceans, including any part, spawn or ova thereof." That same year, the Legislature amended a section that defined fish to add invertebrates and amphibia.

SAN FRANCISCO PROPOSES TO SPEND $6.5 MILLION TO END HOMELESSNESS FOR TRANSGENDER PEOPLE

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This section was changed only once, in 2015, when the state Legislature modified the definition to read "[f]ish means a wild fish, mollusk, crustacean, invertebrate, amphibian, or part, spawn, or ovum of any of those animals."

Fish are seen for sale in a harbourside restaurant next to Essaouira Harbour on August 1, 2007 in Essaouira, Morroco. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images) Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images

"We acknowledge the scope of the definition is ambiguous," the judges added, the court documents showed.

The court ultimately ruled Judge James P. Arguelles of the Sacramento County Superior Court "erred when [he] reached a contrary conclusion."
COLUMBUS, N.M. - Not even international borders stop the Mimbres River.

Ninety-one miles of melted snow and runoff from mountain ranges of Northern New Mexico, the small river flows through the Southern New Mexican desert, going underground beneath Deming, then Columbus, and surfacing again in the sparkling lakes of Puerto Palomas de Villa, a small tourist town of about 4,600 just across the border.

Thats the story of Columbus and Palomas, too: generations of unfettered connectivity binding the two communities above the ground and the Mimbres binding them beneath it. Many in Columbus have family homes in Palomas, and most people in Columbus frequent the less expensive shops and services available in their towns Mexican counterpart.

For generations, Mexican families in Palomas, mindful of future opportunities for their children, have come to Columbus to give birth, then return to Palomas with their American newborns to live a Mexican life. When these youngsters are ready for school, Columbus school buses retrieve them at the border, obliging their legal right for public education in this country.

Ezequiel Salas, mayor of the Village of Columbus, has battled his own bout of Covid and is leading the city in a campaign to beautify outdoor spaces for residents looking to gather more safely during the pandemic.

The border is an imaginary line in Columbus. Its a gray area, said Norma Gomez, a lifelong resident and an official for the local chamber of commerce.

When the news of the COVID-19 pandemic reached the village, it was viewed as a threat too distant to be alarming, and too abstract to distract residents from the welcomed stability of the small town. Some residents waved it off as a peculiar big-city affliction.

People were saying it can't happen here because we are just a small town. They were saying that it only happens in large communities, said Ezequiel Salas, the current mayor of Columbus. Then a few people died, and more people were getting sick, and a lot of people were getting seriously ill. Salas himself caught COVID and battled 106-degree fevers.

Soon the reality of the strange new disease set in, consuming the small town.

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It was painful and horrible, said Mario "Mars" Darby, as he rested against the handlebars of the mountain bike he had been riding down an unpaved Columbus road. My girlfriend, her mom and damn near all of my friends got COVID. Everybody was talking at first about how nobody was getting COVID and everybody was okay, and how we were isolated. But then there were large outbreaks and then people started dying.

But even as the changes sunk in, some things stayed the same, he said.

People never stopped having large parties, he said. We're social animals. What are we supposed to do? Self-quarantine is rough on humans.

Like much of the country, Columbus had those who were hesitant to believe that COVID was real, and saw no need to get vaccinated. In Luna County, where Columbus sits, 88.5 percent of people are fully vaccinated, slightly higher than the 71 percent of New Mexicans throughout the state and considerably higher than the national average of 67 percent. According to data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the zip code including Columbus had a 9 percent hesitance rate, based on how many people stated they would not take a COVID vaccine.

Columbus resident Maria Rutiaga lost her mother, Olga Rutiaga, to COVID last November. She had just turned 76, Rutiaga remembered. She did not have her shot. You know how old ladies are. She did not want to get her shot. She would say, No, you don't know what they're going to inject you with.

Then her mother, who was generally healthy, began losing her appetite. The close-knit Rutiaga family was concerned, but the last thing on their minds was COVID. She didnt have any other symptoms. We thought she was having a stroke or something. She was not having problems breathing or anything, said Rutiaga. They took her to El Paso, about two hours away, where she was diagnosed with COVID.

The family labored over what to do, and finally made the difficult decision to leave her in the hospital. For two weeks they waited for her to recover. But her medical problems compounded each day, and her oxygen level withered.

After 13 days they told us they had to disconnect her, said Rutiaga. It was terrible.

So far, 21.8 percent of Columbus residents  409 out of 1,873  have gotten COVID, according to the U.S. Census and New Mexico Department of Health numbers. Thats lower than the surrounding county, where 28 percent of residents have become infected, and the state, where 25 percent of people have.

Tracking COVID deaths in small communities like Columbus is more difficult. Those numbers are only available at the state and county level, New Mexico Department of Health Communications Manager Katy Diffendorfer stated in an email. Luna County has recorded 129 deaths as of May 9, and New Mexico has recorded 7,596 deaths as of May 12, according to a database maintained by the New York Times.

Columbus is a particularly hard place to track deaths, due to its close relationship with Palomas. A lot of them we don't know about, Salas said. They went to Palomas when they got sick, and their deaths remain uncounted.

His best estimate is about eight deaths, but he warned that was just a guess.

Cesar Sanchez, an employee of the Columbus Public Works who oversees cemetery burials, says COVID deaths are undercounted in the Columbus area because many Columbus residents were buried in Mexico.

Cesar Sanchez, an employee of the Columbus Public Works who oversees cemetery burials, agreed that COVID deaths are probably undercounted in the town.

Most of the people that did die, they took them to Mexico, he said. I think only one or two people were buried here because of COVID. But the rest of the people went to Mexico.

Pandemic Aid for Columbus

The pandemic brought other transformations to the town. While federal COVID relief was intended to help Americans survive, poor communities like Columbus, with a 42.5 percent unemployment rate and 34 percent poverty rate, may have actually gotten an economic boost from it.

This is one of those rare communities where our economy went up because of COVID, said Gomez of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. We had a lot of people on unemployment and people here don't usually get but $100 or $150 dollars on unemployment a week. And with those extra $300, and then in the summertime when it was $600, people made more money this year than they have in other years when they were working. It's crazy.

An SNMJC analysis of New Mexicos population shows that one in four New Mexicans live in small communities like Columbus, with less than 50,000 residents. The federal government recognizes 100 of these small communities in New Mexico, and they all shared $63 million in relief, according to an October 2021 report from the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee.

The village of Columbus received $201,743 and legal residents also benefited from the $5.5 billion in stimulus checks released to New Mexicans. Luna County received $4.6 million, which placed it 18th in the state for COVID funding, according to estimates from the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee.

New Mexico has received about $22 billion in federal funds, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, as well as New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee officials and documents.

Salas said the town tried to make the most of the federal assistance they received, tapping into grants and paid staff to create a culture of outdoor activity to help prevent the spread of COVID.

We are building trails around town, and were trying to just get people outside, he said. We worked on our parks so people could go out to our parks. We have built a lot of sidewalks here in our little plaza, weve done a lot of landscaping.

From left to right: Ruben Orozco, Gilberto Lujan and Juaquin Torres, three Columbus residents who say they are all vaccinated and get most of their COVID information from Spanish-language television.

The town is also investing in broadband infrastructure to connect its residents with the internet, and provide them access to government meetings. But for some  the older residents and those unfamiliar with internet technology  Columbus is still a digital desert.

Sure we have the internet. But we don't know how to use it, said Ruben Orozco with a hearty laugh. He sat on a park bench in the Columbus placita with his friends Gilberto Lujan and Juaquin Torres. All three men were older, past their 60s, and said they received most of their information from Spanish-language television news. Orozco, who said he caught COVID early in the pandemic, quarantined for 15 days and never developed serious symptoms. They visit Palomas frequently, and all said they were fully vaccinated.

They also repeated a sentiment heard often in the small town: Theres no way Id go to the hospital if I was sick. Thats where they kill you, said Torres. Well, thats how it is in Mexico and I would say that is how it is here.

Reyes Mata III reports for the Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative.

Others are reading:

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Look at how Columbus, New Mexico community reacted to COVID-19
Jun. 3Madison Williams has faced high water and storms as she's kayaked up the Minnesota River on the start of a 1,600-mile trip from the Twin Cities to Canada's Hudson Bay.

See the story in Sunday's edition.
The Richland County commissioners spent the better part of their meeting Thursday approving contracts and equipment purchases for several departments including the county engineer, wastewater, and Dayspring, the county's assisted living center. The largest dollar amount was for the Engineers Office for some summer road work.

Commissioners approved a $1,044,196 contract with Earthworm Construction of Iberia for cold constructed asphalt paving on 12.9 miles of roads in the northern part of the county. The project includes work on Olivesburg-Fitchville, Franklin Church and Adario West roads.

Richland County Engineer Adam Gove

County Engineer Adam Gove explained that cold constructed asphalt is a more open type of resurfacing because it is a little more pliable than regular asphalt paving. He said the emulsion is heated when you put it on, but its not heated up as a whole mixture.

Gove said the choice between using C-CAP and the usual chip and seal process depends on the condition of the road and the amount of traffic it carries.

Chip and seal surface is more of a maintenance treatment that you want to put down on a road that doesnt need a lot of repair work, he said. The C-CAP surface is going down on roads that are in pretty bad shape. We need to cover up some pretty bad imperfections with that and then put the chip and seal surface on top of the C-CAP.

Gove said the lone bid from Earthworm was $950,234, which was just within the 10% state limit for over estimate. He said the rising cost of petroleum-based products played a role in the increase but also pointed out that the C-CAP process is something a little out of the norm of the services provided by other local contractors.

Commissioners also voted to advertise for bids for a bridge replacement project on Ganges Five Points Road just north of Chesrown Road in Franklin Township. The estimated cost for the project is $372,273, which Gove said is about 14.5% higher than a similar project two years ago.

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Gove told the board that the completion date is set for late spring or early summer of 2023 so any potential contractor can get the work done this construction season or have enough time to get materials.

Commissioners reject generator bid

Commissioners also voted Thursday to reject the lone bid to install an emergency generator at a sewage lift station near the intersection of Ohio 39 and South Stewart Road that serves about 300 rural customers because the it was 38.4% over estimate. The board agreed to re-advertise the project and allocate additional American Rescue Plan Act funds to pay for it after Wastewater Treatment Director Amanda Miller said the design engineer increased the cost estimate to $110,000 because of material shortages and the availability of labor plaguing the construction industry.

I saw their memo indicates now, for material, their suppliers are only guaranteeing prices for hours  not days or weeks, but hours, said Commissioner Cliff Mears.

Regarding other equipment purchases, commissioners voted to advertise for bids for a larger trailer for a sewer cleaning pipe hunter sidekick easement machine that was bought last year and to accept a $49,767 quote from Schmidt Security Pro for new computerized fire suppression controls to replace a 20-year-old system at Dayspring. The board also accepted a $43,480 quote from Standard Plumbing and Heating for a new 200-gallon water heater and storage tank for the county jail.

Employment issues, active shooter training discussed

During the commissioners quarterly department heads meeting, Job and Family Services Director Sharlene Neumann briefly outlined a new Ohio Rise Medicaid program that is designed to reduce costs and out-of-county placements for children up to age 18 who have behavioral problems. She also said she is working on ways to attract and retain employees, noting that she is competing for workers not only with other county social service agencies but also with surrounding counties.

Some counties are doing recruitment bonuses and some counties are just pulling out all the stops trying to get employees, Neumann said. Competitive wage, with the price of gasoline and all the things that are happening in our community, thats something were going to have to deal with at JFS to keep people.

Both Neumann and Emergency Management Agency Director Joe Petrycki said they are either conducting or working to organize active shooter response training in light of recent mass shootings. Petrycki also told the board that he is working on ways to deal with unanticipated issues associated with a solar eclipse April 8, 2023, when Richland County will experience the totality.

Based on after actions from previous eclipses in other parts of the country that experienced totality, Petrycki said Richland County can expect four to five times the normal population for the event, which could potentially close I-71 and U.S. 30.

Its going to overwhelm our emergency response capability, Petrycki said. Your cell phones probably wont work due to the number of people overwhelming the towers. GPS may not work. Radios may not work. So we have a lot of things to look at.

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Richland County commissioners discuss contracts, purchases, and more
Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert complained things have gotten so bad for Republicans, that theyre suddenly expected to be honest with federal investigators and U.S. lawmakers.

The GOP congressman expressed his contempt for that sort of cancel culture during an appearance on the far-right media outlet Newsmax following the arrest of former Trump administration official Peter Navarro. Navarro is accused of ignoring a subpoena from the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol to stop Joe Biden from being certified as president.

If youre a Republican, you cant even lie to Congress or lie to an FBI agent or theyre coming after you, Gohmert grumbled Friday. Theyre gonna put ya in the D.C. jail, terrorize you, torture you and not live up to the Constitution there.

He appeared to be referencing right-wing extremists who are being held in jail while awaiting trial in connection with the 2020 insurrection. Gohmert also complained Hillary Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann was acquitted on charges hed lied to the FBI by a bunch of Hillary Clinton lovers on Tuesday.

Gohmerts unique perspective isnt limited to matters of legality. In June 2021, the 68-year-old Texas tried his hand at science, suggesting a new approach to fighting climate change.

Is there anything (the Bureau of Land Management) can do to change the course of the Moons orbit or the Earths orbit around the Sun, he asked Forest Services official Jennifer Eberlien. Obviously that would have a profound effects on our climate.

After Eberlien politely told Gohmert shed have to follow up on that inquiry, the lawmaker said if changing the way our universe operates would help, hes interested.
Getting engaged and married during a pandemic has its unique challenges. Thats what Deondra and Anderson Guy were faced with when they got married in April 2021. Although there were challenges, that didnt stop them from tying the knot in the city that brought them together  Memphis, Tennesse.

The Guys love traveling and while dating, ventured to destinations like Toronto, San Francisco and Jamaica, just to name a few.

So, when their first wedding anniversary was approaching, it was no surprise that they had to celebrate in a big way.

//www.instagram.com/embed.js

In April, the Guys embarked on an epic two-week European trip, where they visited the UK, France and Greece. They originally planned to honeymoon in Europe, but had to delay their trip due to the borders being closed.

We had to chance to chat with Deondra and Anderson about how they met, their Europan trip and where theyll be venturing to next.

TN: How did you two meet?

DG:Anderson and I met at Clayborn Temple (the headquarters for the Sanitation Worker Strike in 1968) in Memphis, Tennessee. I was managing Clayborns events and operations and Anderson was the project manager on the I Am A Man Plaza in Memphis. We met working on the same project!

TN: What impact does Memphis have on your relationship?

DG: Memphis is a huge reason why we connected. Im from Memphis but lived in Chicago and NYC for a total of 9 years. In 2016, I felt like my time was up in NYC and that I needed to move back to Memphis. I didnt move back to find love, but thats exactly what happened after meeting Anderson in 2017.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Deondra Guy (@deondraguy)

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TN: You got engaged and married during the pandemic, how was that experience?

DG: It was really interesting. The world was in a very difficult place and the world was still getting adjusted to this new normal. Anderson and I had just taken a big trip to Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando. When we came back home to Memphis, he proposed to me.

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It gave us something to look forward to. It was a very time for us and our families.

However, planning a wedding during a pandemic was ok because event planning is what I do. There were challenges because of COVID-19 restrictions. There were also changes and updates to venues and catering because of restrictions.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Deondra Guy (@deondraguy)

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AG: Getting engaged during the pandemic wasnt bad. There were just challenges coordinating family and friends to be a part of the engagement while we were in Orlando at Disney World.

The getting married part was difficult, like Deondra said because of the constant changes with COVID-19 restrictions.

TN: Why did you choose Europe to celebrate your first year of marriage?

DG: We chose Europe because we really wanted to go there for our honeymoon. Since the borders were closed at that time, we couldnt. Its always been a dream of mine to go to Greece when I got married. We decided if were going to go to Greece, why not also go to Paris? One of my closest friends lives in London and I havent seen her in years. She was supposed to be one of my bridesmaids, but couldnt because of COVID, so we had to go to London to see her!

Europe just felt like the right place to celebrate our first year as a married couple.

Deondra and Anderson Guy with Paula in London

AG: I planned out our Europe trip before the pandemic, because I knew Deondra wanted to go. Not being able to go for our honeymoon was disappointing, but we went to St. Maarten and that was nice. Waiting a year to go to Europe was well worth it.

I got to meet one of her bridesmaids, Paula, who wasnt able to attend the wedding. That was a plus because it was our first time meeting in person. I honestly think the world should meet Paula, lol!

TN: Which cities and countries did you visit?

Deondra and Anderson Guy in Santorini

We visited London, Paris, Athens, and Santorini. Athens was definitely our favorite.

TN: Which destination is the best for Black travelers?

DG: We didnt see a lot of Black tourists in the cities we visited. However, it did feel like Athens was more active with dancing and bars. There was also a pier with yachts and boats. It was really dope for millennials who want a balance between partying and adventure and resting.

Deondra and Anderson Guy in Athens

The food in Athens was AMAZING. It was the best city to us.

Paris was really amazing as well and rich is history. Its really hard to choose our favorite Black city as a Black traveler. They were all amazing.

Deondra and Anderson Guy in Paris

I feel like if youre a Black traveler, you get to see the world from a different perspective in Europe. In each country, we were shown nothing but love from locals and they accepted us for who we are.

TN: Where are you two off two next?

AG: We have a domestic trip planned to Houston! I really want to go to the Redwood Forest as well.

DG: Weve decided to take a big trip every year to celebrate our anniversary. Our European trip was for two weeks, so we would love for future trips to be at least 10 days. We want to go to Italy next year and South Africa.

TN: How can we keep up with your adventures?

DG: You can keep up with our adventures by following me at @deondraguy, Anderson at @_mcguyver_ and us together at @finallyguys!

Deondra and Anderson Guy

Related: This Couple Turned Their Travel Love Story Into A Black Love Tour In Ghana
Jun. 3A curious resident unearthed a 13-year-old suspended Glover Middle School student's plan to shoot staff, according to court documents filed Thursday.

The boy was arrested Wednesday afternoon by the FBI and Spokane Police Department on suspicion of three counts of felony harassment.

On Tuesday morning, a man was sitting outside a home he's renovating along with the homeowner when a teenage boy approached them, according to court documents.

The homeowner asked the boy why he wasn't in school, the tipster told police. The student replied that he had been expelled because he had buried a gun on school grounds.

The man, who lives in the house he's helping renovate, was concerned due to recent school shootings across the United States and asked the boy some more questions, according to court documents. The boy said he buried a Glock 19 at school because he had been threatened by several men in their 20s, and if they showed up he would shoot them.

Police spokesperson Julie Humphreys said she was unable to answer questions Thursday evening on whether a gun was located at the middle school or if the school was searched.

The boy then told the man that his younger cousin had told adults about his gun at school and that's why he was expelled. The 13-year-old said he was angry at the school for expelling him, so he was going to "blast some caps into the school," specifically targeting the "principal and staff," the tipster recounted to police.

The boy also told the man that his parents were largely absent in his life. Both used drugs, so he spent most of his time at his grandfather's home on North Lincoln Street.

At one point, the boy pulled out a pipe and smoked marijuana, the man told police. Later during the conversation, the 13-year-old pulled out a clear pipe and smoked what the man believed to be methamphetamine, he told police.

Later that day, the man who talked to the boy went to Glover Middle School and told Vice Principal Alyson Chamberlin about the threats.

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Chamberlin recognized the boy as having made numerous threats in the past and called 911, according to court documents.

When police responded to the school Wednesday afternoon, Chamberlin told police that she believed the boy was capable of carrying out his threat to shoot school staff. She also told police that the boy had threatened to stab a teacher in the neck and pull out their veins.

The boy had been seen on social media holding a Glock handgun and has access to drugs, she told police.

When interviewed by police Wednesday, Glover Middle School Principal Mark Lund agreed with Chamberlin's assessment that the boy was capable of carrying out his shooting threat. A school intervention specialist who worked with the boy also told police that she felt he was capable of bringing a gun to school and hurting staff and students, according to court documents.

The 13-year-old boy received detention in May 2021 for bullying another student. A month later, he was suspended, according to court documents. On Feb. 1 of this school year, the boy was suspended again; however, the reason for the suspension was not indicated in court documents.

On Feb. 18, the boy was suspended for threatening to slit another student's throat, according to court documents. In a voicemail, the boy detailed to a friend how he would stab a female student in the chest multiple times, according to school records obtained by police.

Police said Thursday evening they were unaware of any reports about the February threat.

Spokane Police Chief Craig Meidl has recently criticized Spokane Public Schools for failing to report violent threats and incidents in schools. The FBI has since begun looking into those claims.

Assistant Police Chief Justin Lundgren echoed that criticism Thursday.

"In today's environment, each threat involving a school must be taken seriously. When there are indicators that violence may occur at a school, officers have precious little time to assess and intervene before threats may materialize into potential violent actions," Lundgren wrote in an email. "Our opportunity to have a peaceful outcome hinges upon the prompt reporting of threats to law enforcement."

Spokane Public Schools did not immediately respond to request for comment Thursday evening.

Because school staff felt the most recent threat was credible and reported to police, officers were stationed at Glover Middle School throughout the day Wednesday.

Spokane Police along with the FBI located the student and arrested him at about noon Wednesday.

The boy's parents and grandfather told police they weren't aware of any firearms in their homes or in the 13-year-old's possession, according to court documents.

The boy made his first appearance in juvenile court Thursday and remains in Spokane County Juvenile Detention.

The incident comes less than two weeks after a student at Sunset Elementary School in Airway Heights brought a gun to school in a backpack, according to an email to parents by the school's principal. Airway Heights police did not respond to request for comment on the incident.

In March, police arrested a 12-year-old Willard Elementary School student for bringing a loaded revolver to school. Police have declined to provide any details on the incident because the investigation is on going.
In the official box score, Adley Rutschman finished without a hit Thursday and Friday for the Orioles, dropping his batting average to .149 after two weeks in the major leagues. But to manager Brandon Hyde, that official box score doesnt tell the full story  and paying too much attention to it distracts from the process.

The line drive Rutschman hit in the bottom of the 10th inning Thursday? It found a glove after being launched into the shift on the right side, a ball with a .960 expected batting average that turned into an out. The line drive down the left field line Friday night against Cleveland Guardians right-hander Shane Bieber? Another out, yet another positive takeaway for Hyde.

Those two balls fall, hes not struggling, according to the box score, Hyde said.

Both those knocks didnt help raise Rutschmans average. Nor did they take some of the weight off the shoulders of the top prospect in baseball whos learning how to compete at the major league level.

Its not an easy transition, no matter how highly touted the prospect might be.

Thats why I was downplaying it so much when he got here, or at least was trying to, Hyde said. Because I know how hard its gonna be and how difficult it is, and hes just going to kind of have to get over this early stage of being a major league player. Its not easy.

Its such a small sample right now. You cant worry about the results, Hyde continued. Its a tough level to break into. And hes gonna be just fine. We just need to be patient and stay positive and support him.

When Rutschman joined the Orioles on May 21, Hyde tried to temper expectations  both publicly to fans and privately to the top overall pick in the 2019 draft. He told Rutschman to relax  or try to  and pretend this was just another high school baseball game. It wasnt, of course, as Rutschman and Hyde both knew.

The spotlight has been fixated on Rutschman well before his debut, but it has hardly left him since. On Friday, before Bieber took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning, Rutschman and his teammates wore T-shirts welcoming the catcher to the big leagues. Hes the main attraction for many hoping to see the Orioles return to playoff contention, even as he scuffles to begin his career.

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Rutschman opened his account with a triple. Since his debut, hes hit one double and five singles while striking out 13 times in 11 games. He looks as if hes pressing at the plate, Hyde said, and glancing up at the scoreboard to see his sub-.200 average wont help.

When Im watching him swing the bat right now, Im watching a guy thats really trying, Hyde said. Instead of letting the game come to him a little bit. Trying to get the big hit.

Hyde watched Rutschmans batting practice session Friday, though, and came away encouraged. The swings were the best Ive seen so far from Rutschman, who sat out Saturday afternoons game against Cleveland. And when Hyde walked into the clubhouse earlier this week, he noticed veteran catcher Robinson Chirinos and Rutschman studying together for an hour.

Learning each pitcher is a process, too. Right-hander Jordan Lyles shook off Rutschman plenty of times during his start Thursday, but thats hardly unusual for the first time a battery is working together. After suffering a right tricep injury as major league spring training began, Rutschman missed out on time to learn the intricacies of the big league staff.

He has a lot to learn with what I want to do personally, alongside everyone else in this clubhouse, Lyles said. Its a work in progress. But he was great back there. I love how he frames pitches at the top of the zone.

The season is long. Rutschmans career wont be defined by the first 241 pitches hes seen as a major league player across 53 plate appearances. The early production from other recent top prospects to begin their careers this season didnt jump off the page, either.

Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson hit .206 in his first 12 games. Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez hit .136 in that time frame. Kansas City Royals infielder Bobby Witt Jr. hit .159.

Rutschman isnt alone. And like those players, the potential will likely shine through before long.

Hes got 400 more at-bats to go this season, Hyde said. Hes talented enough that the numbers are going to be there at the end of the year.
A state marshal has apprehended and jailed Nickola Cunha, the divorce lawyer who was disbarred after she made antisemitic claims about a conspiracy among judges and then was made the subject of an arrest order after failing to appear and provide an accounting of client funds.

Cunha was taken into custody at a restaurant in Wallingford on Friday night and transported to the state prison for women in East Lyme, where she was to be held for an appearance at Superior Court in Middletown on Monday morning.

She was dining with her husband, Luis, at Christos Restaurant and Bar at 7:30 p.m. when Wallingford police assisted the marshal with the civil arrest. Luis Cunha was charged with interfering with the arrest and later released on a $5,000 bond.

Cunha was disbarred in January, while representing a party in an exceptionally bitter divorce, for making antisemitic claims that a judge and lawyers were profiting from rulings and appointments to lucrative consulting positions in the case.

Judge Thomas Moukawsher, who disbarred Cunha, issued a civil order for her arrest in April after she failed to comply with his instructions to close her law practice and account for client funds in her custody. Among other things, Cunha allegedly withdrew $30,000 from a client account in violation of Moukawshers order.

Also last week, the state judicial office responsible for investigating complaints against lawyers filed papers in court saying that a limited audit of Cunhas office showed other alleged irregularities in the handling of client funds, including failing to distribute a settlement in a timely fashion and withdrawing client settlement money without authorization.

In telephone conversations in the week before her apprehension, Cunha denied holding antisemitic beliefs and said her handling of clients funds is proper and easily explained.

Im not saying anything against the Jewish religion, she said. I have a lot of friends who are Jewish. I shared office space with a husband and wife that are Jewish pretty much the majority of my career.

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But just like any other religion, if it was a Catholic judge and everyone was Catholic for the other side and all the decisions were being swayed in one way, I would point it out. Because it is a pattern of conduct. Now whether that is the driving factor, I dont know. And I told the court that I didnt know that. I never accused the Jewish faith of this, you know, corrupt theory.

Cunha said any withdrawals she made from client funds were to cover fees for legal work. And she said any client files she failed to submit to the court under Moukawshers instruction to close her office were withheld at the request of the clients.

She said she believes she is being unjustly punished for having made a charge of judicial corruption that she believes should be investigated.

I will continue on the path on which Ive been going and I will continue to expose the corruption in the judicial branch, which results in children and domestic violence victims continuing to be harmed, she said.

Enough is enough. These judges need to stop protecting each other. And what I litigated was 100 percent what I said it was. So judge Moukawsher could enter whatever memorandum of law that he wants to. But at the end of the day if anyone looked at the exhibits and the transcripts, it is very clear what happened, what was happening and why it happened.

I was set up, and I didnt see it coming. It was like I got hit by a Mack truck. So here I am after 22-and-one-half years of practice and I have been screwed over above and beyond.

Moukawsher issued a capias or civil arrest order for Cunha last month after she had not complied with his instruction to appear in court to explain her withdrawal of client funds and her failure to turn over client information to a trustee appointed to close her office.

It was unclear what will happen when Cunha is brought to court in Middletown on Monday.
Former reality star Josh Duggar is appealing his conviction after being sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for possession of child pornography.

Lawyers for Duggar filed the appeal Friday to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit. Duggar was convicted in December in an Arkansas court and sentenced to 151 months in prison late last month.

The day before sentencing, U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks denied Duggars request for acquittal or a new trial.

Duggars lawyers had argued that the government did not disclose its evidence against Duggar in a timely manner and that there was a lack of evidence that Duggar had viewed the pornography, but Brooks rejected those claims. Brooks said the evidence Duggars defense lawyers refer to was not material to the defense and that ample evidence overall exists.

Duggars conviction and subsequent sentencing came after the former 19 Kids and Counting cast member was arrested last April for possession of 200 or more images showing child sexual abuse.

The network TLC canceled the reality show in 2015 following allegations that Duggar had molested children, including his younger sisters.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
With an ongoing war in Europe, an ongoing public health crisis, and various social issues gripping America, corporate executives increasingly find themselves facing questions from employees about whether or not they plan to take a stand.

But if CEOs were to take a stand against this backdrop, according to Edelman CEO Richard Edelman, it shouldnt be representing the company.

They should speak out as citizens, but they shouldn't speak out as CEOs, Edelman recently told Yahoo Finance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland (video above). And the CEO position, again, this remit of issues can expand beyond the long length of my arm. And we better be careful here because there's starting to be a pushback against wokeness.

Disney (DIS) recently found itself in the crosshairs of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis after he signed that "Don't Say Gay" bill and Disney denounced the legislation after employee outcry.

Richard Edelman, President and CEO of the public relations company Edelman, attends a conference in Cannes, France, June 19, 2018. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

You have to put priority on those [issues] that are directly affecting your business, Edelman said. Again, supply chain or health of your employee base. But on ones where it's a matter of personal choice, leave that for your personal politics and donations to senators. But your mandate as the CEO is to stand up and speak up only on those issues where you actually can add value.

According to Edelmans 2022 Trust Barometer, more than 8 in 10 respondents want CEOs to be the face of change, leading on policy, not on politics. In the survey, business outscored government by 53 points on competence and 26 points on ethics.

Business became the most trusted institution two years ago, January, Edelman said. And that's continued in this study. And the most important fact, though, is the gap in competence between business and government is [over] 50 points. So when you think about why are businesses being asked to do so many new things, it has everything to do with competence. They get stuff done whereas government just leaves the ball.

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This became especially apparent after Russia invaded Ukraine: Nearly 1,000 companies, including from the U.S., pulled operations out of Russia in response to the unwarranted actions, including McDonalds (MCD), Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL), and PayPal (PYPL).

Business is the most trusted institution. (Chart: Edelman)

I think what's been clear is even McDonald's has gotten out, Edelman said. You see Allianz leaving. This is a continuing process of companies getting out of Russia. I think there are only something like 500 major companies left, 1,000 gone. So the change is significant because it's economic as a priority for business, 85%. But 78% say it's to do with societal issues. And then 60% say geopolitical issues in terms of order of business.

Edelman compared it to how it took 20 years to get 200 companies out of South Africa in response to the country's apartheid.

Here, it was 10 weeks and 1,000 companies out, he said. And it's because there was a huge expectation by both employees and customers that companies would act. In fact, in our trust study, we found that companies that got out, 31 point jump in trust. Companies that stayed in, 38 point drop in trust."



Adriana Belmonte is a reporter and editor covering politics and health care policy for Yahoo Finance. You can follow her on Twitter @adrianambells and reach her at adriana@yahoofinance.com.

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance

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For a third year, the Maine-based ElleVet Project will be returning to Stockton to provide free veterinary care, food and supplies to the pets of the homeless and street pets.

Were looking forward to coming back to Stockton, said Amanda Howland, co-founder of the ElleVet Project. Sometimes we see people that we saw in previous years, which is wonderful for us.

The ElleVet Projects RV, which will be filled with pet supplies and staffed by licensed veterinarians, will be stationed from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 13-15 at the Salvation Army at 1305 E. Weber Ave. in Stockton.

Certified veterinarian Darian Mosely, left, and veterinarian Dr. Gabrielle Rosa examine a 4-month-old dog named Baby at the Gospel Center Rescue Mission in south Stockton on July 22, 2021.

Howland said the ElleVet Project was founded in 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Because of the shelter-in-place order, the homeless had fewer resources than ever, Howland said. That kind of trickled down to the pets as well. There were no resources, or humane societies, or free clinics for them. Everything was shut down.

Howland said this prompted her and co-founder Christian Kjaer to buy a 38-foot RV, which they dubbed the ElleVan, and turn it into a mobile relief vehicle.

For the past two summers, the ElleVan has gone on a tour of vulnerable communities throughout California to provide relief to pets, from San Diego to San Francisco.

Howland said she and Kjaer selected California for their pilot program because of the states overwhelming number of homeless pet owners and street pets.

The need was incredible. There were long lines everywhere we went, Howland said.

Howland and Kjaer, along with their staff, were able to help 1,000 pets in 2020 and more than 3,000 pets in 2021.

Veterinarian Dr. Gabrielle Rosa, left, and certified veterinarian technician Darian Mosely clean the ears of a 4-month-old dog named Baby at the Gospel Center Rescue Mission in south Stockton on July 22, 2021.

Since then, weve been expanding the project, Howland said. Were adding different cities and states to the tour, but were also planning on going back to the areas where there is a great need.

In addition to Stockton, the ElleVet Project will travel to Fresno, Patterson, Modesto, Sacramento and San Francisco in June as part of its Northern California tour.

Traveling to different cities and meeting people from all walks of life has had a great impact on Howland.

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You dont often get a chance to have a meaningful conversation with somebody that is experiencing homelessness. Theres barriers on both sides, but animals are a bridge, Howland said. So when someone comes up to our table that we set up outside and we can say, Tell me about your cat, or Youre doing a great job taking care of your dog, it kind of removes those barriers and were able to have a really good conversation.

Howland said she has gotten to make connections with homeless individuals that she would have never imagined making.

Veterinarian Dr. Gabe Rosa, left, examines a dog held by ElleVet Sciences co-founder Amanda Howland at the Pets In Need event.

A lot of the time once we get talking, we end up sitting on the ground with them and their pet, and we hear their life story, Howland said. We hear about their pet and what their pet means to them, and we hear about how the bond between them and their pet has given them strength. Its very powerful.

Howland said that shes aiming to expand the ElleVet Project so she can make more of these connections, and help more pets of the homeless and street pets.

We currently have one van that we take all over the country. For example, were in California now. Then were going up to Washington, and then were going to Montana and Chicago before making our way back to the East Coast. It would be great for us to have more vans so that we can have them in different parts of the country, Howland said. Thats always been our goal.

For a full list of upcoming tour dates, visit ellevetproject.org/schedule.

Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: ElleVet Project bringing free vet care for vulnerable pets to Stockton
New Hampshire AG

Kayla Montgomery, the stepmom of missing child Harmony Montgomery, was arrested on perjury charges unrelated to Harmonys disappearance, Manchester police told WMUR News 9.

Police said Kayla was arrested in the Manchester Police Department lobby on Friday for lying about Harmony living with her from Dec. 2019 to June 2021 to collect food-stamp benefits, even though Kayla also claimed she hadnt physically seen the child since Nov. or Dec. 2019.

Kayla, who is from Manchester, New Hampshire, was charged with two counts of perjury for lying to a grand jury, as she collected more than $1,500 in benefits by claiming Harmony as a dependent, Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg said.

The arrest of Kayla Montgomery is another step in the investigation into the whereabouts of Harmony Montgomery, Aldenburg told WMUR News 9. We will continue to do everything in our power to bring this case to a resolution.

Stepmom of Missing 7-Year-Old Harmony Montgomery Used Her for Welfare, Cops Say

Kayla was indicted in March for welfare fraud, and a judge set her release on a $5,000 unsecured appearance bond, so she didnt have to pay immediately. She is now being held at the Valley Street Jail in Manchester, and her arraignment is on Monday, WMUR News 9 reports.

Seven-year-old Harmony has been missing since Oct. 2019, but police were not alerted until her mother, Crystal Sorey, called police in Nov. 2021 saying she hadnt seen the child for more than six months.

Harmony will be turning 8 on Tuesday, and police are still investigating as if she is still alive and missing.

Police set up a 24 hour hotline at 603-203-6060 for anyone to call or text tips related to Harmonys disappearance.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling at "The Place Beyond The Pines" premiere in Toronto Canada, on September 7, 2012. Sonia Recchia/Getty Images

Eva Mendes, 48, opened up about her family dynamic in an interview with Forbes published Thursday.

The star said that she's not a great cook, so her partner Ryan Gosling, 41, cooks for their family.

Mendes said she wants her daughters to know there are "no gender-specific roles" in their home.

Eva Mendes, 48, said she hopes her children will learn that there are "no gender-specific roles" by watching her partner Ryan Gosling, 41, cook for their family.

In an interview with Forbes' Jeff Conway published on Thursday to promote her cleaning company Skura Style, Mendes opened up about her family dynamic with partner Ryan Gosling. The couple, who began dating in 2011, share two daughters; Esmeralda, 7, and Amada, 6.

Mendes told Forbes that Gosling cooks for their household because she's not a fantastic cook, and she hopes it provides a valuable lesson for her daughters.

"Hopefully it's showing my girls that there are no gender-specific roles that one must take on and that we are partners in this and that we're all partners in this, not just Ryan and I, but our children as well," Mendes said. "It's a team effort everyday, so if they see him and I switching off doing certain things that again aren't specific to stereotypical gender things, I think that just creates balance and harmony."

Forbes reports that Mendes stepped back from social media a few years ago but recently returned to spread the word about Skura as the company's new co-owner and brand ambassador. She told Forbes she took a break from Instagram and Facebook because she "started feeling really phony" while constantly searching for content. Mendes said she's now back on social media with a purpose and that she loves connecting with people.

Mendes and Gosling keep their relationship and personal lives mostly private. The actress hasn't appeared on-screen since 2014 and during an interview with "The View" last month, Mendes said wouldn't take violent or sexual roles if she were to ever act again. In 2019, the star told USA Today that she pulled back on acting after meeting Gosling and having children.

"I felt a lack of ambition, if I can be honest," she said. "I feel more ambitious in the home right now than I do in the workplace."

Read the original article on Insider
Much like China, surveillance cameras are a way of life in public spaces in Britain.

Widely found in schools, community centres and prisons, as well as on public transit, they act as silent deterrents and as tools for authorities looking to prevent or investigate illicit activity from minor theft to acts of terrorism.

London itself is famously one of the most surveilled cities in the world, with 73 closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras for every 1,000 people living in the British capital. Only Taiyuan in Shanxi Province in northern China and Wuxi in Jiangsu Province in eastern China have more cameras per capita, according to an analysis by security researcher Comparitech.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

However, tensions are rising over the growing dominance in Britain of two of the world's biggest manufacturers of internet-protocol cameras - Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology and Zhejiang Dahua Technology - and their purported involvement in China's surveillance of ethnic Uygurs in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in northwest China.

"We shouldn't be using companies that are complicit in genocide. That should not be allowable at all," said Alicia Kearns, co-chair of the China Research Group and a Conservative member of Parliament. "On the other side of the coin, we are allowing China to build a tech totalitarian state and they're going to build it on the backs of data from the people of Britain and other countries ... We are essentially sending the facial and gait data of our children and people across the UK back to China and the [Chinese Communist Party] CCP."

The pressure on the UK to take a deeper look at the Chinese camera makers comes nearly three years after the US blacklisted both Hikvision and Dahua.

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The US added both companies to its so-called Entity List alongside a group of companies and public-security bureaus in China, with American officials saying they had been implicated in "human-rights violations and abuses" in Xinjiang.

The US, which had previously barred federal agencies from buying Hikvision and Dahua equipment over national-security concerns, is now reportedly considering additional harsh sanctions against Hikvison.

The British government has been outspoken about abuses in Xinjiang, but has been more reluctant to issue an outright ban on equipment from the Chinese camera makers.

However, a long-anticipated public-procurement bill making its way through Parliament, as well as a growing chorus of objections on human-rights and security grounds, could pave the way for a bar on new purchases, if not the removal of existing cameras.

If approved later this summer, the procurement bill would give the UK greater powers to block companies tied to human-rights abuses from bidding for local and national government contracts.

"Mass-surveillance systems have always been the handmaid of fascism," David Alton, a cross-bench peer, said in the House of Lords last week. "The government should come forward with a timetable to remove these cameras and technology from the public-sector supply chain, and campaign to encourage and support businesses in the private sector to do the same. We simply cannot allow the tools of genocide to continue to be used so readily in our daily lives."

Hikvision video surveillance cameras in use in Italy in 2018. Photo: Shutterstock alt=Hikvision video surveillance cameras in use in Italy in 2018. Photo: Shutterstock>

However, some critics have said the procurement bill does not go far enough.

"The government has promised that its new procurement bill will deal with this, but we've read it - it doesn't," Silkie Carlo, director of UK civil liberties group Big Brother Watch, said in a tweet. "The UK risks complicity in some of the most serious crimes against humanity in our lifetime."

The procurement bill is among a series of measures introduced in Parliament this year to counter foreign influence in the UK, including legislation to require reporting of foreign donations to and partnerships with British universities exceeding 50,000 (US$63,000) and to require mandatory registration of agents acting on behalf of foreign governments.

The bill comes as the UK government, which for years has encouraged investment by Chinese firms, takes a harder stance on China and its growing influence around the globe.

Britain has banned equipment made by Huawei Technologies from its 5G telecommunications network by 2027 and has announced reviews of several acquisitions of UK companies by Chinese firms in recent weeks - both on national-security grounds.

At the same time, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned in a speech in April that China must "play by the rules" on human rights and other international standards, or face consequences such as sanctions.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss arrives for an informal meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Berlin in May. Photo: DPA alt=British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss arrives for an informal meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Berlin in May. Photo: DPA>

"China needs trade with the G7," she said in her speech. "We represent half of the global economy. And we have choices. We have shown with Russia the kind of choices we're prepared to make when international rules are violated. And we've shown that we're prepared to prioritise security and respect for sovereignty over short-term economic gain."

Ending Britain's love affair with Chinese-made surveillance cameras may be harder than it looks, given how prevalent Hikvision and Dahua cameras are in the public and private sectors in Britain, particularly at the local level.

An estimated 1.3 million Hikvision cameras are in operation in the UK, or just over one camera per 50 persons in the nation.

Two-thirds of borough councils in London and the UK's 20 largest cities used technology manufactured by either Hikvision or Dahua for their public surveillance in 2020, according to a report by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Similar research by Top10VPN.com found that the council for the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham owned more than 1,700 Hikvision cameras at the end of 2020. The borough is home to three English football clubs - Chelsea, Fulham and Queens Park Rangers - and some of the most expensive residential properties in the country.

SCMP Graphics alt=SCMP Graphics>

The police force that protects Britain's nuclear power plants uses Hikvision cameras in its administrative buildings.

Hikvision devices also serve as electronic eyes for the UK Health Security Agency, which researches vaccines and deadly diseases, Bloomberg reported last month, citing people familiar with the matter.

Most infamously, a Hikvision camera reportedly caught then Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock in a romantic embrace with an aide last summer, prompting his resignation when images of the violation of government social-distancing rules appeared in a tabloid newspaper.

The Health Department has reportedly banned new purchases of Hikvision equipment, but has not forced the removal of existing cameras.

When approached by the Post, UK officials declined to discuss which equipment is used in government buildings, citing national security.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street in May. Photo: Agence France-Presse alt=Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street in May. Photo: Agence France-Presse>

"We take the security of our citizens, systems and establishments very seriously and have a range of measures in place to scrutinise the integrity of our arrangements," a government spokesperson said.

Hikvision said it has cooperated with prior government inquiries in Britain, and its business model in the UK is consistent with the security industry, in that it sells through distribution partners, rather than directly to end users like local councils.

"Hikvision takes all reports regarding ethical and security concerns very seriously and recognises our responsibility for protecting people and property," a Hikvision spokesperson said. "The company has been engaging with governments globally to clarify misunderstandings about the company [and] our business, and address their concerns."

Dahua said that it strongly supports procurement reform and that it fully complies with applicable laws and rules where it operates.

"With regard to the groundless human-rights allegations, we reaffirm what we have consistently and publicly stated: we have not been involved directly or indirectly in promoting human-rights violations in any country in which we operate," a Dahua spokesperson said. "We are proud of the fact that our products are contributing to the safety and security of citizens of the UK and people around the world. We respectfully ask the Parliament to judge us on this substantive basis."

The Foreign Affairs Select Committee first recommended last year that Hikvision and Dahua equipment not be allowed to operate in the UK because of human-rights abuses in Xinjiang. Hikvision called the claim that its cameras are used in internment camps in the region "unsubstantiated and not underpinned by evidence".

"The government should prohibit UK firms and public sector bodies from conducting business with, investing in, or entering into partnerships with such Chinese firms, to ensure that UK companies do not provide either blueprints or financing for further technology-enabled human-rights abuses," the committee wrote in a July 2021 report.

In response, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government said it is committed to helping British businesses engage with China "in a way that reflects the UK's values and takes account of national-security concerns".

"Last year, we published guidance to help cutting-edge UK firms negotiate the ethical, legal and commercial questions they may encounter in China or when working with Chinese businesses, supporting safe and appropriate UK-China collaboration in the digital and technology space," the government said in November.

In recent months, Fraser Sampson, the independent biometrics and surveillance camera commissioner, has called for a ban on Hikvision, saying the company has failed to answer his questions about its operations in Xinjiang, including acknowledging rights abuses are occurring in the region. He has posed similar questions to Dahua, but the company has yet to respond.

Sampson, who is not part of government but acts as an independent monitor of its surveillance-camera usage, wrote to the Cabinet Office in April to clarify the government's policy on using Hikvision equipment. This followed a media report that the Health Department had banned further equipment purchases from Hikvision over "ethical concerns".

A pedestrian passes the Houses of Parliament in October 2021. UK lawmakers are considering a new public procurement bill that would give the government greater powers to block companies tied to human rights abuses from bidding for contracts. Photo: Agence France-Presse alt=A pedestrian passes the Houses of Parliament in October 2021. UK lawmakers are considering a new public procurement bill that would give the government greater powers to block companies tied to human rights abuses from bidding for contracts. Photo: Agence France-Presse>

"It all comes back to accountability and governance," Sampson told the Post. "If you cannot get the most basic information from your surveillance partners, you cannot assure all of your other stakeholders, including citizens, that you've done your due diligence."

In his letter to the Cabinet Office, Sampson noted that modern surveillance equipment is built with maximum functionality, with the capability to be switched on remotely and with the ability to pick up sound or read license-plate numbers.

"The more surveillance that camera systems can do, the more important it will be to reassure people about what they are not doing, whether that is in our streets, our sports grounds or our schools," he said in his letter. "This is increasingly difficult to detect technically and requires transparency and due diligence by all concerned in public-space surveillance activity."

Sampson pulled out of an influential industry conference in Britain last month over Hikvision's involvement as a prominent sponsor.

For its part, Hikvision has offered to sit down with Sampson, but only if he keeps the details of their conversation from the media or "anti-China" groups. Sampson has declined such preconditions, saying keeping the information private "makes no sense".

However, Sampson may soon find himself out of a job as the government has proposed moving the functions of his office into the Information Commissioner's Office.

The rise of China and its concerning record on human rights is going to require the government to have a "real hard conversation" with the British public when it comes to everything from solar panels to day-to-day products made in China, said Kearns, the Conservative MP.

"You can't stand on your platform and say you believe in human rights," she said. "You have to actually make meaningful change and adjustment to it."

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2022 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2022. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Phil Noble - WPA Pool/Getty ImagesRoyalist is The Daily Beasts newsletter for all things royal and Royal Family. Subscribe here to get it in your inbox every Sunday.The queens enforcers reportedly told Harry and Meghan no chance when the couple asked for a photograph of the monarch meeting their child Lilibet for the first time.The revelation of the denied photograph emerged as Harry and Meghan issued their own picture of their daughter to celebrate her first birthday.In honor of their daugh
Jun. 3Two Hunt County fire departments are offering a wide variety of activities this weekend.

They are inviting the public to visit their headquarters and listen to music, check out some cool cars, take a chance on winning a firearm or mower, and maybe even have a meal.

And while there, maybe attendees can provide a donation to help keep them operating.

The Campbell and Wolfe City fire departments are each hosting fundraisers Saturday.

The Campbell Volunteer Fire Department is hosting a Fish Fry and All Vehicle Cruise In organized by Gear Heads 4 Christ, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the department, 111 W. Main St., in Campbell. In addition to the fish fry and cruise, there also will be a gun raffle, a 50/50 raffle, fire engine rides, a bounce house, cornhole games and fire safety activities. A donation is being requested for the food, and there will also be Campbell VFD Supporter T-shirts, bumper stickers and challenge coins available for purchase.

Additional information is available by calling 469-288-1613 or 903-413-4125.

The Wolfe City Volunteer Fire Department is hosting a crawfish, catfish and concert fundraiser. The all-you-can eat dinner begins serving at 6 p.m. in downtown Wolfe City. Advance tickets are $25 and tickets are $30 each at the door. Children age 10 and younger will be admitted for free. The evening will also feature a live concert from Sarah Hobbs, the 2019 Texas Female vocalist of the year.

There will also be a raffle for a Country Clipper Zero Turn Mower. Tickets are $10 each or three for $25. All tickets can be purchased from any Wolfe City Volunteer Fire Department member or the department's Facebook page.

The Hunt County Commissioners Court approved new fire protection agreements with the county's volunteer fire departments.

The new agreements went into effect on Feb. 1 and doubled the financial assistance for the county's volunteer fire departments.
(Photograph by Trevor Jackson / For The Times, Los Angeles Times photo illustration)

Gentrification has affected eviction rates and homelessness. As areas are gentrifying, families in poverty cannot afford rent, which pushes them into homelessness.

Frankly, homelessness is a fear of mine, but God teaches us not to have a spirit of fear. As the Apostle Paul wrote in II Timothy, Chapter 1, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

For my first three years of high school, I attended Loyola High, a very prestigious private Catholic school. Looking back, I can see that in my time there, the thought of attending college never really excited me. It wasn't until the second semester of my senior year at Dorsey that I realized what I can benefit from continuing my education at a college.

As an African American, 18-year-old male, I need all the advantages and equity I can get to be able to compete in the real world  not just to be able to survive, but to have enough to thrive and give back to my community.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Some fake GoFundMe campaigns claiming to help Amber Heard pay Johnny Depp $10.35 million after he won his defamation lawsuit have sprung up in the wake of a comment from Heards attorney that her client could not afford to pay him.

The contentious court battle over Heards Washington Post op-ed about experiencing domestic abuse came to an end Wednesday with Depp emerging victorious. Heard was ordered to pay her ex-husband $15 million in damages, although state rules limited it to $10.35 million. Depp was ordered to pay Heard $2 million for her claim of defamation against his lawyer.

Heard's lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, told the Today show Thursday that she will appeal the verdict, as Heard can absolutely not pay the damages.

After the verdict, some people created fake GoFundMe campaigns with titles like Justice for Amber Heard and Help Amber Heard Pay Off Johnny Depp.

I believe Amber, and social media protected the abuser, the description for the Justice for Amber Heard campaign read. If you can please help her. She will have direct access to the money. I also contacted her attorney so they can loop her in.

The campaign, created by a user named Kimberly Moore seeking to raise $1 million, was removed by GoFundMe before it could raise much money, TMZ reported.

In a statement to BuzzFeed News on Saturday, a GoFundMe spokesperson said, Our top priority is to keep our community safe and protect the generosity of our donors. GoFundMe will remove any fundraisers unless there's a direct connection and the fundraiser has been authorized by the recipient of the funds.

The spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about how many fake campaigns had been taken down so far. Heards team did not respond to requests for comment.

GoFundMe also removed the fake campaign titled Help Amber Heard Pay Off Johnny Depp, which had a goal of $15 million.

This is completely non profit and 100% will go to amber heard! Help a women who is suffering, the description read.

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During the weekslong trial, some users created troll campaigns favoring Depp, like SAVE AMBER HEARDS CAREER (asking for $50 million), Don't Support Amber Heard, Support Me (asking for $200,000), and Raising Awareness to Stop Woman Like Amber Heard (asking for $100,000), reflecting the frequently vile online discourse that dogged the case.

The pro-Depp fandom, which used the livestreamed trial to create viral memes and videos mocking and berating Heard, also created GoFundMe campaigns to unsuccessfully raise money for things like buying promoted posts and sponsored ads on social media" to "counter what has been done to Johnny and his family.

Other fans started campaigns to raise money so that they and other supporters of both Depp and Heard could travel to Virginia to attend the trial.

Bredehoft, Heards attorney, told Today that the vitriol on social media and relentless online discourse may have ultimately influenced the jury.

"There's no way they couldn't have been influenced by it, and it was horrible," she said. "It really, really was lopsided."

Bredehoft said that one of the first things Heard told her after the verdict was, "I'm sorry to all these women."

More on this
ISTANBUL (AP)  Greece's ambassador to Turkey was summoned to the Foreign Ministry over concerns about the activities of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party in his country, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.

Turkish officials complained to Ambassador Christodoulos Lazaris about the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, carrying out propaganda, financing and recruitment in Greece, Anadolu reported late Friday, citing diplomatic sources.

They also raised concerns about a recent demonstration near the Turkish Embassy in Athens by alleged PKK supporters and the safety of Turkish nationals in Greece.

The PKK has waged a 38-year insurgency against Turkey that has left tens of thousands dead. It is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S and the European Union.

The activities of groups in Sweden and Finland that Turkey considers to be terrorists is one of the main objections by Turkey to the Nordic states joining NATO. Ankaras concerns threaten to hold up their bid to join the alliance following Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Turkey and Greece are divided over a number of issues such as maritime borders in the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas.

On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara had broken off from high-level talks with Athens. The mechanism for resolving disputes between the traditional rivals was resumed last year after a five-year break.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussexs daughter will turn one on Saturday (Kirsty OConnor/PA) (PA Wire)

The Duke and Duchess of Sussexs daughter Lilibet is spending her first birthday in the UK as the Queens Platinum Jubilee celebrations continue.

Harry and Meghans second child, born at 11.40am on Friday 4 June 2021 at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in California, was named in honour of the Queen.

Lilibet, the Queens family nickname  was first used when Princess Elizabeth was just a toddler and unable to pronounce her own name properly.

Her grandfather, King George V, would affectionately call her Lilibet imitating her own attempts to say Elizabeth.

The sweet nickname stuck and she became Lilibet to her family from then on.

One-year-old Lilibet, known as Lili, has the middle name Diana, which was chosen in memory of her late grandmother.

Neither Lilibet, nor her older brother three-year-old Archie, have been seen in public at any of the Jubilee celebrations so far.

With the monarch not travelling to Epsom racecourse for the Derby on Saturday, it could be the perfect opportunity for the royal family to gather to celebrate the christening of Lilibet at Windsor Castle on the childs first birthday.

Royal commentator Omid Scobie speculated that Thursday was likely to have been the first moment or the first chance for her (the Queen) to meet her namesake.

The author of Finding Freedom told BBC Breakfast on Friday that Harry and Meghan want to be as low profile as possible during this trip.

The Sussexes were not on the Buckingham Palace balcony as Jubilee celebrations kicked off, but instead were seen only in a few photos, taken through a window at Horse Guards Parade during Trooping the Colour, showing them interacting with some of the royal children.

On Friday, they were present at a service of thanksgiving at St Pauls Cathedral but did not go to a reception afterwards at the Guildhall which was attended by most of the other royals.
PARK TWP.  Over a month after claiming she'd been stabbed during a home invasion turned violent, a Park Township woman has pleaded guilty to making the whole thing up.

On Monday, April 18, 22-year-old Marisa Zavala said she returned to her home on 160th Avenue with her young child and discovered an intruder in her bedroom, who then stabbed her in the abdomen during a "brief altercation" before fleeing on foot.

More: Suspect at large after home invasion, stabbing in Park Township

More: Ottawa County Sheriffs office says Park Township stabbing report unfounded

Several days later, police changed course, saying the claims were "unfounded."

Zavala was charged with filing a false police report of a felony, according to WZZM, on May 11. She was arraigned the following week and returned Friday, June 3, to the 58th District Court in Holland to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of filing a false police report of a misdemeanor.

Subscribe: Get all your breaking news and unlimited access to our local coverage

In exchange, the initial charge of filing a police report of a felony  which is a felony charge  was dropped, WZZM reported.

Zavala's sentence could carry up to 93 days in prison and a fine of up to $500. According to WZZM, she will be sentenced in July.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Holland woman pleads guilty to lying about home invasion, stabbing
Hong Kong authorities barred public commemorations of the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre for the third straight year.

Hong Kongs Victoria Park, the site of a traditional memorial to mark the Tiananmen crackdown, saw a large police presence on Saturday, the Associated Press and Reuters reported. The city government said on Friday that parts of the park would be closed on June 4, when Tiananmen square is usually commemorated, to prevent illegal activities.

While the Catholic Church in Hong Kong has previously marked the anniversary in special masses, this year the diocese canceled those services for the first time in three decades.

Police arrested 90-year-old Cardinal Joseph Zen, the former Bishop of Hong Kong who has criticized the Chinese Communist Party, in May of this year, subsequently releasing him on bail.

The Financial Times reported that at least one mass took place on Saturday to memorialize people who died for justice.

Public memorials may be gone this year, but what I remember in my heart, you cannot make it disappear, one of the congregants told the FT.

Large memorials were first banned in June 2020, with police saying the ban was instituted to minimize the risk of Covid. There were just five new cases of Covid recorded in Hong Kong in the week prior to June 4, the FT noted at the time.

The developments come after China applied a sweeping national security law to Hong Kong in June 2020, outlawing subversion of the government. The law was passed after massive pro-democracy protests rocked Hong Kong for much of 2019.

Hong Kong was a British colony prior to its return to China in 1997. The territory retained a level of autonomy that protected residents freedom of speech and assembly, however in May 2020 former secretary of state Mike Pompeo notified Congress that Hong Kong could no longer be considered autonomous.

More from National Review
IBM has partnered with Clack Atlanta University, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Specialisterne Foundation and other historically Black colleges and universities to tackle the talent shortage in the cybersecurity industry.

In 2020, Manpower Group found that the talent shortage in the U.S. had more than tripled over 10 years, with 69% of employers surveyed struggling to fill skilled positions, up from just 14% in 2010.

By September 2021, there were more than 1.2 million U.S. job vacancies in software-related professions, according to the National Foundation for American Policy.

Clark Atlanta University is one of six HBCUs selected to be part of the new education initiatives with the VA Specialisterne Foundation, to provide no-cost STEM job training to U.S. military veterans, neurodivergent learners worldwide and to university students from underrepresented communities in the U.S.

George T. French Jr., Ph.D., president of Clark Atlanta University made a statement on the collaboration Sunday. He said it is an amazing opportunity to prepare students.

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

Clark Atlanta University welcomes the partnership and the expanded collaboration with IBM to build a more diverse and innovative U.S. cyber workforce. This amazing opportunity prepares our students for the future in developing cutting edge technology to solve complex cybersecurity challenges that will better protect organizations in a challenging and uncertain global security environment, said French Jr.

A press release said these initiatives focus on providing STEM job training to traditionally underrepresented communities as part of the collaboration commitment to train 30 million people worldwide by 2030.

IBM wants to create equitable, inclusive economic opportunities while also addressing a longstanding STEM job skills shortage impacting the business community.

TRENDING STORIES:

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We believe that the most promising job candidates for todays demanding careers will come from communities that may have been historically overlooked or excluded due to outdated hiring policies and old-fashioned credentialing, said Justina Nixon-Saintil, vice president, IBM Corporate Social Responsibility and ESG (environmental, social and governance).

Michael Frueh, VAs principal deputy under secretary for benefits said the VA wants veterans to have as many pathways to career success as possible.

This is an urgent need and goes beyond hiring. This partnership will offer our veterans a unique opportunity to obtain skills and find job opportunities across companies and industries.

Steen Lohse, CEO and managing director of Specialisterne Foundation said it believes hiring diverse talent increases companies success.

Neurodivergent people across the world will have access to free, online courses from IBM SkillsBuild on disruptive technologies such as AI, cybersecurity and cloud computing, enabling meaningful employment for neurodivergent learners.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
In a speech Saturday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the U.S. of supporting recent protests in Iran sparked by price hikes and the slashing of subsidies by the government. (Associated Press)

Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei acknowledged Saturday that Iran took the oil from two Greek tankers last month in helicopter-launched raids in the Persian Gulf.

The confiscations were retaliation for Greeces role in the U.S. seizure of crude oil from an Iranian-flagged tanker the same week in the Mediterranean Sea over violating Washingtons sanctions on Tehran.

They steal Iranian oil off the Greek coast, then our brave men who dont fear death respond and seized the enemys oil tanker, Khamenei said during an 80-minute speech on the anniversary of the death of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. But they use their media empire and extensive propaganda to accuse Iran of piracy.

Who is the pirate? You stole our oil, we took it back from you. Taking back stolen property is not called stealing, he added.

The seizures ratcheted up tensions between Iran and the West already simmering over Irans tattered 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Tehran has been enriching more uranium, closer to weapons-grade levels than ever before, causing concern that negotiators wont find a way back to the accord.

Irans seizure of the tankers was the latest in a string of hijackings and explosions to roil a region that includes the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all traded oil passes. The incidents began after then-President Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the nuclear deal, which saw Tehran drastically limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

The U.S. Navy blamed Iran for a series of limpet mine attacks on vessels that damaged tankers in 2019, as well as for a fatal drone attack on an Israeli-linked oil tanker that killed two European crew members in 2021.

Iranian hijackers also stormed and briefly captured a Panama-flagged asphalt tanker off the United Arab Emirates last year and briefly seized and held a Vietnamese tanker in November.

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Tehran denies carrying out the attacks, but a wider shadow war between Iran and the West has played out in the regions volatile waters. Tanker seizures have been a part of it since 2019, when Iran seized the British-flagged Stena Impero after the United Kingdom detained an Iranian oil tanker off Gibraltar. Iran released the tanker months later as London also released the Iranian vessel.

Iran last year also seized and held a South Korean-flagged tanker for months amid a dispute over billions of dollars of frozen assets Seoul holds.

Satellite images analyzed by the AP on Wednesday confirmed that one of the two tankers remained off the coast of the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas. Planet Labs PBC images from Tuesday showed the Prudent Warrior between Bandar Abbas and Irans Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz.

It remained unclear where the second ship, the Delta Poseidon, was.

Talks in Vienna on the nuclear deal have been stalled since April. Since the deals collapse, Iran has run advanced centrifuges and has a rapidly growing stockpile of enriched uranium. Nonproliferation experts warn that Iran has enriched enough uranium up to 60% purity  a short technical step from the weapons-grade level of 90%  to make one nuclear weapon if it chooses.

Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes, though United Nations experts and Western intelligence agencies say Tehran had an organized military nuclear program through 2003.

Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, in his speech Saturday also accused the U.S. of supporting recent protests in Iran sparked by price hikes and the slashing of subsidies by the government. Teachers for weeks also demonstrated in favor of better pay and working conditions.

The value of the Iranian currency, the rial, has been weakening for years but recently tumbled to new lows, reflecting growing anxiety over Irans economy.

Khamenei criticized what he called the decades-long U.S. opposition to the nation and said Washington pins its hopes to such protests.

The octogenarian said Irans enemies try to pit Iranian citizens against the Islamic system through psychological warfare, the internet and financial support.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is considering attending a summit of leaders from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in late June to spur coordination with the West over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, sources familiar with the matter said.

The move would mark an unusually aggressive stance for a Japanese leader although Kishida has repeatedly condemned Russia over what he has described as a "war crime" against Ukraine.

Moscow has called its action a special operation.

In the past, Japanese leaders have maintained a careful line on their relations with Russia as the two countries have wrangled over decades-old territorial disputes.

A government spokesman said officials would be unable to comment on the matter, which was first reported by Kyodo news on Saturday.

The NATO summit takes place on June 29-30 in the Spanish capital Madrid, which would likely overlap with the campaign ahead of elections in Japan pencilled in for July 10.

Kishida will make a final decision later, taking into account the political situation before the upper house elections, Kyodo reported, citing government sources.

NATO has invited Japan to the summit, along with Australia, New Zealand and South Korea as its partners in the Asia-Pacific region.

Kishida plans to arrive in Madrid after attending a meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations in Germany, the sources, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.

Kishida's presence at the summit would be welcomed as delivering a strong message of international solidarity on the Ukraine crisis, Kyodo's sources were quoted as saying.

(Reporting by Yukiko Toyoda and Yoshifumi Takemoto, addtional reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Kirsten Donovan)
U.S actress Amber Heard speaks to her legal team as U.S actor Johnny Depp returns to the stand after a lunch recess during the 50 million US dollar Depp vs Heard defamation trial at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Virginia, U.S., April 21, 2022. Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool via REUTERS

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were both found liable of defamation following six weeks of bombshell testimony.

It remains to be seen how the actors will recover their public images in the wake of shocking revelations during the trial.

Heard was awarded far less in damages than Depp, and PR experts say the actress could lose out on much more career- and reputation-wise.

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were both found liable for defamation by a Virginia jury following six weeks of testimony during a trial that captured audiences across the nation.

Jurors in the case awarded Depp $15 million in damages, and the "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor said he felt "at peace" following the verdict.

"The best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun," Depp said.

Heard, however, was awarded far less in damages with $2 million, and she said the "disappointment" she felt in response to the jury's verdict was "beyond words."

"I am heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband," she said in a statement.

Apart from the monetary compensation from the case, public relations experts say it remains to be seen how Depp and Heard's public images and careers respectively will fare following the bombshell trial, which was filled with shocking revelations, audio recordings, photos, and video footage from their tumultuous years-long relationship.

Evan Nierman, CEO of the global crisis PR firm Red Banyan, said in an interview with Insider that the implications of the trial are "far-reaching, and I think we're going to see them for some time." Nierman, the author of the PR strategy playbook "Crisis Averted," noted that Heard has far more work cut out for her in recovering from the fallout of the trial.

"I actually think [Depp's] career probably would've survived pretty well," Nierman said. "Even if he hadn't taken this bold step of fighting her in court, he is on another level when it comes to celebrity  he's a star who has been the lead role in just so many iconic movies."

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"Amber Heard, on the other hand, was a virtual unknown until this trial, so this was hardly the introduction that she would've wanted in terms of continuing her career," he continued. "Johnny Depp was always gonna be fine. And I think now that the verdict has come out the way that it has, that's even more assured."

Fred Cook, director of the Center of Public Relations at the University of Southern California, also noted that Depp had a "stronger team in his corner in a lot of different respects," including public opinion and internet support. In early May, Heard dropped her PR team after the trial prompted backlash and a number of "bad headlines."

"The fact that she had to change horses midstream meant that there was something wrong there," Cook, who serves as chairman emeritus of PR firm Golin, told Insider. "It's just like in a political campaign when you change your staff, it means something's not happening the way you wanted to."

"[Depp] had some smart people working for him, and I think it paid off in the long run," Cook added. "He presented himself better, gained the sort of the moral support of the people around the court and the people watching, and [Heard] wasn't able to garner that empathy that he did."

Though both Depp and Heard gained popularity and infamy respectively throughout the course of the trial, Cook said the trial "was not a flattering portrayal of either one of them, particularly," but echoed Nierman's sentiment in that Heard's career could have been tarnished by the trial, at least in the short-term.

"Her career opportunities will be limited because of this, at least in the short term," Cook said. "She'll be much more famous, but I'm not sure that it's the type of fame that's gonna translate into big roles in important roles in films and TV."

Though Nierman acknowledged that the Depp-Heard trial was unique "in terms of its circumstances and the level of toxicity in the relationship," he said the public nature of the trial could prompt other celebrities and well-known figures to second-guess their own defamation case pursuits.

"I don't think any of us would've really understood the depths of depravity if we hadn't had a look into their lives through the course of this trial  all of the text messages and the surreptitious recordings, audio and video, it painted a really dark picture of both of them and their relationship," Nierman said.

He added: "I think a lot of celebrities who might have been inclined to step into the fray in the way that Amber did, they're gonna think twice about it unless they have the facts to back themselves up because otherwise they could end up doing irreparable harm to their reputation and their revenue long term."

Read the original article on Insider
Jonathan Scott can't hide his excitement about being a new uncle.

The "Property Brothers" star posted a sweet tribute Friday on Instagram to his newborn nephew, Parker. Scott shared a photo of Parker's tiny hand in the hands of his parents, Scott's twin brother (and co-star) Drew Scott and wife Linda Phan, alongside a heartfelt message about how fortunate Parker was to have them for a dad and mom.

"Parker James you dont know this yet but youre the luckiest kid in the world to have such an incredibly loving mommy and daddy in Drew & Linda," wrote Jonathan Scott.

"Get ready ... Im gonna spoil you, he added.

The black-and-white photo is the same one baby Parker's parents used Wednesday to announce his arrival.

Our lives are forever changed. Welcome to the world Parker James, Drew Scott wrote next to the image on Instagram. He added a second shot showing the gleeful first-time parents snuggling their little boy while he nursed.

Phan opened up about how thrilled she was to be a mom Wednesday on the couple's At Home podcast.

Other than pooped, I feel great, Phan said. Very happy that hes finally here and Im still in awe and in disbelief."

The couple announced last December that they were expecting after struggling with infertility.

"We hope as we grow through this, that even one of you reading this can also feel a little less lonely in whatever path youre on!" they wrote in joint messages on Instagram at the time.

In March, they followed up about their journey to parenthood in a candid blog post on the Scott Brothers website.

Its still kind of blurry, how we got from there to here, they wrote. It felt like a time warp, every month like Groundhog Day, but you keep going through the motions  the doctor appointments, the medications, the tests, the blood work, the pep talks  hoping for the best. And then, bam!

Meanwhile, life is also trucking along for Jonathan Scott and his girlfriend of more than two years, actor and TV personality Zooey Deschanel.

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In April, Jonathan Scott opened up to TODAY about the 1938 Georgian-style home the couple purchased together in Los Angeles late last year. Jonathan Scott and Deschanel, who share a love of real estate and design, consider the house their "forever home," said the HGTV personality.

We literally designed this house, so that  my hope is it will stay in the family forever, our kids will take it over, and then their kids will take it over, revealed Jonathan Scott.

I waited my whole life to find Zooey," he added, "and Ive now waited my whole life to have my dream home with someone like Zooey.
The Queens platinum jubilee concert, titled platinum Party at the Palace, kickstarted in heartwarming fashion.

As musicians including Alicia Keys and Georga Ezra prepared to perform at the BBC event, a pre-recorded segment was shown to viewers in which the Queen herself acted opposite Paddington Bear, voiced by Ben Whishsaw.

In a similar vein to the segment she filmed alongside Daniel Craigs James Bond for the Olympic opening ceremony in 2012, this clip saw the Queen showcase her acting skills opposite the CGI character.

The clip, which also included actor Simon Farnaby in character as Barry the Security Guard, saw Paddington have a lunch of marmalade sandwiches with Her Majesty in Buckingham Palace.

It ended with him wishing the Queen a happy jubilee and thanking her for everything.

Ok Her Maj and Paddington was surprisingly wonderful and I will not hear otherwise, one viewer wrote, with asnother calling it the cutest thing ever.

London 2012 may of had a James Bond skit with the Queen but THIS PADDINGTON ONE BEATS IT A MILE OFF, one viewer concluded.

Follow along with all the live updates from the event here.
Fans of Peep Show have reacted in bemusement after spotting one of its stars during the platinum jubilee celebrations.

Sophie Winkleman played Big Suze, the sometime girlfriend of Jeremy Usbourne (Robert Webb), on the popular Channel 4 sitcom.

However, many fans of the series were seemingly unaware of Winklemans other duties outside acting: she holds the title of Lady Frederick Windsor.

Her husband, prince Frederick Windsor, is a British financial analyst, and the son of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. He is currently 53rd in line to the throne.

As such, Winkelman was seen attending the jubilee event in her capacity as a minor royal.

Peep Show fans noticed the actor during the broadcast of the jubilee celebrations, with many expressing bafflement at her presence.

Sorry why is Big Suze from Peep Show at the Jubilee service? one person wrote.

Sorry why is Big Suze from peep show at the jubilee service  pic.twitter.com/Q4AfS3J4jy  conor  (@conor_bakhuizen) June 3, 2022

Still cant get me head around that being Big Suze, another wrote.

Big suze at the platty jubes???? someone else quipped, while another Peep Show fan wrote: Theres something very British about big Suze from the Peep Show being row 2 in a Royal gig at St Pauls.

You can follow live updates from the Jubilee concert here.
Then-President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting in the Oval Office with, from left, then-Vice President Mike Pence, then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, on July 20, 2020. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Kellyanne Conway in her new memoir criticized Mark Meadows' tenure as White House chief of staff.

Conway said Meadows "did not match the moment" during the earliest stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The president was being underserved, poorly advised, and, ironically, ignored by 'senior staff,'" she wrote.

In August 2020, then-White House counselor Kellyanne Conway was concerned about the guidance that then-President Donald Trump was receiving from some in his inner circle, notably Mark Meadows  the conservative ex-North Carolina congressman who had been chief of staff since March of that year.

Conway would soon be leaving her role in the White House, but she ruminated on the continued challenges stemming from the coronavirus pandemic and Trump's reelection matchup against then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

The veteran pollster didn't think Trump was being well-served by Meadows and didn't bite her tongue in laying out her frustrations him and several other top aides in the White House, which she detailed in her memoir, "Here's the Deal."

"Some of the staff egos were bigger than the enormous tasks confronting us. Others acted like adolescents in cliques or hungry sharks with agendas separate from that of the nation. People could not even agree on a mask policy. Most of them were insisting he would win reelection in a landslide before 'Sleepy Joe' ever awoke," she wrote.

She added: "Meadows, the self-described 'chief 's chief,' was the fourth person to serve in that role, and the only one during the most fraught time for the president and for the nation. The man did not match the moment. I could have been angry, but mostly I felt worried."

Conway went on to state that during such a tumultuous time  with thousands of Americans dying from the coronavirus and millions of people contracting the virus before vaccines were authorized for emergency use  Trump needed top-tier advisors who would steer him in a good direction.

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"Trump can be as good a listener as he is a talker, so quality of counsel and pureness of advice are imperative," she wrote. "Personnel could be a blind spot for him. Facing the twin challenges of COVID and a reelection campaign, he deserved the best and the brightest."

Kellyanne Conway and Donald Trump listen during a White House meeting on the opioid epidemic in 2019. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

In the book, she opined that Trump was "poorly advised" on many issues  including gay rights  pointing out that "senior staff" put a stop to a plan by the then-president and first lady Melania Trump to commemorate Pride Month in 2020.

"My eyes were already wide open. The president was being underserved, poorly advised, and, ironically, ignored by 'senior staff,'" she wrote.

She continued: "Like in June of that year, when the First Lady was finalizing a plan to light up the White House in the pride colors and send out a tweet that the president planned to retweet. All of a sudden when the day came, nothing happened  the whole plan had been blocked."

Conway took another dig at Meadows in the book, remarking that "he wanted to be the president's BFF," which "meant more important than the duly-elected vice president."

Insider reached out to Meadows for comment.

Last December, Meadows released his memoir, "The Chief's Chief," where he detailed his response to Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis and subsequent hospitalization, while also describing his loyalty to the then-president, writing that he would have "dressed in a giant penguin suit" to have him back in the Oval Office after the health-related ordeal.

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Photograph by Trevor Jackson / For The Times, Los Angeles Times photo illustration)

Throughout my high school career, I haven't felt completely comfortable. To understand what I mean, you have to know what it's like to be a Black gay male attending an inner-city school in Los Angeles.

Not just in high school, but since I entered middle school I've noticed how my existence was made to be the butt of some joke. Peers were calling each other "gay" or "queer," as if it's some insult.

The schools need to change. People need to change.

The needs of LGBTQ+ students must be more accommodated rather than forgotten and overshadowed by those of others. We need to feel safe on any campus we step foot onto. We need help learning about ourselves, and others need to learn about us too. To add to that, people need to learn not only to respect others, but also themselves.

Far too much time has passed for many schools to act blind to the needs of a whole community of LGBTQ+ students.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO  SATURDAY, 4 JUNE 2022, 16:17

Investigators have yet to identify more than 200 civilians killed by the Russians in the Kyiv region.

Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs

Quote: "Ukrainians who were shot and tortured by the Russians are still being found in Kyiv Oblast.

As of today, over 1,300 bodies of civilians have been exhumed. After investigations at the burial site had been completed, the bodies were sent to the morgue, where they underwent forensic examinations.

However, more than two hundred people have yet to be identified."

Background:

The Defence Forces of Ukraine liberated the Kyiv region from the Russian occupiers in early April. At the same time, the facts about numerous atrocities committed by the Russians began to come out.

Anatolii Fedoruk, the Mayor of Bucha, said at that time that there were mass graves in the city where nearly 300 people had been buried, and dozens of corpses were lying in the streets, some with their hands tied.

The bodies of civilians tortured by the Russians have been found in every settlement in the Kyiv region that was temporarily occupied by the invaders.

As of 3 June, the bodies of 1,314 locals killed by the Russian occupiers had been found in the Kyiv region.

Read more:

The Devil Wears a Russian Soldier's Uniform. How they tortured people in the Kyiv region

"Were basically peacekeepers. But you are all f*cked" 35 days of the Russian occupation of Obukhovychi village - from tragedy to farce
Kylie Jenner is a sight for sore eyes  in silver!

The Kylie Cosmetics mogul, 24, shared photos from her day out on the water with friend Victoria Villarroel. "Lake life," she captioned the Instagram post on Friday.

Kylie Jenner Stuns in Silver Swimsuit Amid 'Lake Life' Vacation https://www.instagram.com/p/CeWIvdqr1Or/?hl=en

Kylie Jenner/instagram

Jenner shared two other photo sets, both giving a better look at her shiny, one-piece swimsuit on the boat and showing her dip in the water with Villarroel.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"Brb went to mars," the Kylie Swim founder captioned a carousel of images.

The Kardashians star also posted videos via her Instagram Story showing her and several of her friends having fun as they went tubing on the water.

RELATED: Kylie Jenner Shares New Clip with Son in Mother's Day Video Celebrating Her Kids: 'Thank You God'

https://www.instagram.com/p/CeWYwxPJ1O8/?hl=en kyliejenner Verified angles  10h

kylie jenner/Instagram

Jenner and the rest of the Kardashian-Jenner family recently returned from their Portofino, Italy, trip celebrating sister Kourtney Kardashian at her wedding ceremony with Travis Barker.

RELATED: Kylie Jenner Pokes Fun at Kendall Jenner's Cucumber Cutting While at Kourtney Kardashian's Wedding

https://www.instagram.com/p/CeWwaX6PF_R/?hl=en kyliejenner Verified brb went to mars 7h

kylie jenner/Instagram

Jenner, who gave birth to her son in February, shared a collection of photos from their trip on Instagram last month featuring daughter Stormi, 4.

RELATED VIDEO: Kris Jenner Invests in the Restaurant Behind the 'Iconic Salads' the Kardashians Are Always Eating

The "Portofino dump" featured a sweet image of Stormi taking in the sights of Italy while standing on the port of a boat. Stormi, who looked too cute in a sleeveless white dress, stood barefoot on her tiptoes to get a good look across the water.

The Keeping Up with the Kardashians alum shares both of her children with rapper Travis Scott, who stayed behind in Los Angeles during the extravagant overseas wedding.
A bill to ban Louisiana women from receiving the medicine needed for a drug-induced abortion by mail won final legislative passage Friday.

Senate Bill 388 by Slidell Republican Sen. Sharon Hewitt would make it illegal for companies to provide the two drugs  mifepristone and misoprostol  through the mail with criminal penalties as consequences.

CRIMINALIZING ABORTION: Louisiana House passes bill to criminalize abortion with no exceptions for rape, incest

WOMEN SENATORS: Every woman senator in Louisiana opposes abortion rights

Hewitt has stressed criminal penalties won't apply to women who order or take the drugs, only to the companies that ship them. The bill doesn't outlaw emergency contraceptives such as what's known as the "morning after" pill.

Louisiana law already requires that the abortion drugs only be dispensed and taken in the physical presence of a doctor, but Hewitt said current law "isn't clear enough."

Hewitt and supporters said her bill is designed to protect pregnant women from "mail-order, do-it-yourself chemical abortions without oversight."

All five of Louisiana's women state senators oppose abortion rights. They lead an anti-abortion rally on the Louisiana Capitol steps Tuesday, May 10, 2022. Left to right are Sens. Sharon Hewitt, R-Slidell, Heather Cloud, R-Turkey Creek, Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge, Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton, and Katrina Jackson, D-Monroe.

The drugs now account for 54% of abortions, according to the pro-abortion rights Guttmacher Institute.

"We're targeting manufacturers and distributors who are taking advantage of women," Hewitt has said, saying the bill will "close a loophole."

During a committee hearing, Angie Thomas with the anti-abortion rights organization Louisiana Right to Life testified that during her own research she was able to order and receive the two drugs through the mail within days after ordering them online without any consultation or questions from the provider.

Louisiana is considered one of most restrictive abortion-rights states in the country.

Opponents of Hewitt's bill said they believe her legislation adding more restrictions will make abortion less safe and expressed concerns about women becoming targets of prosecution for seeking and having an abortion.

New Orleans abortion-rights attorney Ellie Schilling said the bill "criminalizes medical care from out-of-state providers."

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A nonsurgical medication abortion involves swallowing mifepristone, which causes an embryo to detach from the uterine wall. A second pill, misoprostol, is used two days later to cause contractions and push the embryo out of the uterus.

The drugs' use for abortions has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration since 2000.

Hewitt's bill now goes to Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards' desk and will become law Aug. 1 unless he vetoes the legislation.

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Louisiana Legislature passes bill to ban mail-order abortion drugs
French President Emmanuel Macron

Macron said that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin had made a "fundamental and historical mistake" for himself, his people and history, by launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

According to the French president, Putin is "isolated."

Read also: Macron refuses to describe Russian war crimes in Ukraine as genocide

"Isolating is one thing, but knowing how to get out of isolation is the hard way," Macron added.

The French president reiterated that Russia should not be "humiliated" so that "on the day when the fighting ends, we could find a way out through diplomacy."

Asked about a possible visit to Kyiv, Macron said he did not rule it out. He stressed that France wants to increase financial and military support for Ukraine and do everything possible to unblock the export of Ukrainian grain.

In an interview with Italian TV Station Rai 1 on May 13, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that French President Emanuel Macron had suggested Ukraine should compromise on its sovereignty in order to allow Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to save face.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the President's Office, said that similar statements had been made by other European politicians.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that the desire of some European politicians to "save Putin's face" was a "serious illness."

Read also: Macron suggested Ukraine give up some of its sovereignty to allow Putin to save face, says Zelensky

According to the Reuters news agency, at least three European countries, namely Italy, Hungary and Cyprus, suggested that the final text of the May 30-31 European Union summit should refer to peace talks with Russia and an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.

However, the proposal was not backed by other EU members.
Emmanuel Macron (right) and Vladimir Putin in Berlin in January 2020. Emmanuele Contini/Getty Images

French President Emmanuel Macron warned against humiliating Russia, he said on Saturday.

Humiliation should be avoided so "we can build an exit ramp" from diplomacy out of the war, he said.

France could mediate talks between Russia and Ukraine, Macron added.

French President Emmanuel Macron has warned against humiliating Russia, urging Western nations to keep the door open to diplomatic engagement.

"We must not humiliate Russia so that the day when the fighting stops we can build an exit ramp through diplomatic means," he said in an interview with French media published on Saturday.

Macron offered to lead the diplomatic talks between Russia and Ukraine, the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported.

"I am convinced that it is France's role to be a mediating power," he said, per Reuters.

Although the French leader said in the interview that he is seeking a diplomatic solution, he said Putin is making a "historic" mistake by continuing to wage war in Ukraine.

"I think, and I told [Putin], that he is making a historic and fundamental mistake for his people, for himself, and for history," Macron said, according to Deutsche Welle. The Russian leader has "isolated himself" on the world stage, he added.

Macron has previously urged Western nations not to humiliate Putin, telling reporters in Strasbourg on May 9 that peace would come with "Ukraine and Russia around the table" and not with "humiliation."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the comment at the time, telling Italy's RAI that Macron was looking "in vain" for a "way out of Russia."

Last week, Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Putin to hold "serious direct negotiations" with Ukraine. The European leaders asked Putin to find a "diplomatic solution to the conflict" during a phone call, Scholz's office said.

Putin responded by telling them that increasing arms supplies to Ukraine risks destabilizing the situation further, according to France 24.

France has already sent Caesar howitzers, MILAN anti-tank guided missiles, and Mistral anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine. In May, Macron told Zelenskyy that arms deliveries to the war-torn country would intensify.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A man died and a woman was injured after a shooting outside a Lexington church where people were gathered for a funeral Saturday afternoon.

Joseph Demetrius Richardson, 35, of Versailles, died after the shooting on Haggard Court, the Fayette County coroners office said in a news release. Richardson was pronounced dead of a gunshot wound at University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital at 2:42 p.m., according to the coroner.

A woman also sustained injuries in the shooting that were not thought to be life-threatening, said Lexington police Lt. Dillan Taylor. She was also taken to a local hospital.

Police were called to the Unity Worship Center at about 2 p.m. Saturday, Taylor said. The Fayette County Sheriffs Office, which provides escorts to the cemetery for funeral processions, was already at the scene and had requested police assistance, he said.

Police said sheriffs deputies provided first aid to the man and woman until paramedics arrived.

Taylor said police did not have any suspects as of about 4:30 p.m.

Funeral services for Malcolm Long, 29, who died after a shooting on Locust Avenue May 24, were scheduled to be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Unity Worship Center, according to the O.L. Hughes & Sons website.

No one has been charged in Longs death, which was the 18th homicide in Lexington this year, according to the police website.

Lexington police and Fayette County Sheriffs Department officers were on the scene of a shooting outside the Unity Worship Center in Lexington, Ky., Saturday.
VALENTYNA ROMANENKO - SATURDAY, 4 JUNE 2022, 10:56

Russian occupiers have started demolishing destroyed houses in temporarily occupied Mariupol without sorting through the rubble or removing the bodies of the dead.

Source: Petro Andriushchenko, adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, on Telegram

Details: According to Andriushchenko, after information was released about the bodies of those killed under the rubble, the occupiers began direct demolition of houses on 3 June without sorting through the rubble.

The first houses at 56-60 Unity Avenue were demolished under heavy guard with the involvement of "volunteers".

The Russians are destroying evidence without spending any more time searching for the dead in the wrecked houses, the mayor's adviser points out.

Quote from Andriushchenko: "It is impossible to obtain information on newly discovered bodies because everything is being taken to the Levoberezhny district landfill after demolition. If there are any corpses left in the buildings, they are dumped together with other rubbish at the landfill.

Their inhumane treatment, even of the dead, has reached unheard-of proportions."
Jun. 4When high school graduation rolls around, many students find themselves feeling nostalgic as they prepare to leave a building they've spent four long years in.

But for many Maryland School for the Deaf students, like Ciara Luttrell, graduation means leaving a place where they spent every stage of their childhood  from infancy through adolescence and up to the brink of adulthood.

Luttrell entered MSD when she was only 6 months old. On Friday morning, the now 18-year-old smiled nervously when asked how it felt to be saying goodbye.

"This has been my only school. It's been home," Luttrell said in American Sign Language as someone interpreted. "All of my memories were formed here."

MSD's Class of 2022 had 19 students. Some, like Luttrell, spent their whole lives at the school, while others had only been there a few years.

Regardless, at their ceremony Friday, the seniors reflected on their time at MSD and looked forward to the next chapter of their lives.

The students graduated at Benson Gym in Frederick, marking the first traditional event after two years of modified ceremonies. After each one received their diploma, they addressed the crowd before them, then turned their tassel, celebrated and walked off the stage triumphantly.

"It's a very special day for us," said senior Ethan Sheppeck. "We missed two years because of COVID ... but we made it. It's a very unique time in our lives."

Sheppeck, who played football, basketball and baseball, and ran track at MSD, will attend Gallaudet University in the fall, he said. He'll play football and basketball there.

Luttrell, who was honored as MSD's "top scholar," is also attending Gallaudet, where she'll study public health.

The seniors chose Renca Dunn as their commencement speaker, someone they described as "a celebrity in the Deaf community."

Dunn, a communication doctoral student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who is active on social media and sometimes reports for the Deaf news outlet The Daily Moth, flew across the country to address the class. She said she was humbled.

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Part of Dunn's speech focused on the hyphen between the birth and death dates that appear on a person's gravestone.

"Right now, they're in that hyphen," Dunn said of the graduates. "Our lives take place in the hyphen. ... We want that to be a thick and bold hyphen."

Some MSD students live in on-campus dorms during the week, while others commute to and from school every day. Several graduates said they'd miss the dorm life and appreciated the closeness it fostered between classmates.

Jennifer Yost Ortiz, the school's interim chief educational programs officer, said communities like MSD  which has another campus in Columbia  are vital for Deaf children. Families who are able often move or accept hourslong commutes to get their children enrolled.

More than 90 percent of Deaf kids are born to hearing parents, according to the National Institutes of Health. That can mean they miss out on a lot of "incidental learning," Yost Ortiz said, including the kind of language acquisition that occurs as a hearing child sits in the back seat of their parents' car and listens to conversations or absorbs the sounds around them at a busy restaurant.

Watching the class of 2022 thrive at MSD drove home how beneficial it is for all children to be surrounded by communication they can understand and participate in, Yost Ortiz said.

"It's a reminder of the importance of full access to language," she said. "They're successful students. They're fully able. They could be lawyers, they could be doctors, they could be teachers."

And though it was hard to see the seniors leave, Yost Ortiz said the school community would still be there for them.

"Remember, you're not alone on your journey," Yost Ortiz said as the ceremony began. "Please know you're welcome back home here to MSD any time."

Follow Jillian Atelsek on Twitter: @jillian_atelsek
Ivan Fedorov

NV: Within a day, Russian tanks were in Melitopol. In some of your interviews, you said you had nothing but shovels and garbage trucks against enemy tanks. How would you explain this lack of preparation for a full-scale invasion?

Read also: Resistance in Melitopol kills 100-plus invading Russian troops, half of residents have left city, says mayor

Fedorov: Russia was insidious in how it treated Ukraine. From the morning of Feb. 24, missiles were striking near residential areas across the country. In Melitopol, explosions were occurring 200 meters away from peoples homes.

Why we were caught off-guard? Because we were living our peaceful lives, working to build a European country, with European cities. Russia didnt declare war but instead launched the so-called special military operation, which really is the second stage of its war on Ukraine, which started in 2014.

The most hellish situation is at the front lines, where our heroic troops are defending our country and its territorial integrity. Next, come our occupied cities.

Our administration kept working for two weeks, after which I was abducted. Mass abductions then started across Melitopol  over 500 people. Our residents are being treated in the most horrific ways.

We were focused on making Ukraine into a European country. Russia attacked us suddenly, without a declaration of war.

NV: How would you describe what you and your co-workers felt on the first day?

Read also: Thousands are involved in the resistance movement in Ukraines occupied territories

Fedorov: We hoped it will end in a matter of hours, that the international community will put an end to the Russian aggression, to their brand of fascism. But that didnt pan out. First explosions rocked the city at 5 a.m., and by 4 p.m. armored convoys already were at Multipoles southern boundary.

Every day we worked towards the future of our country and city. (When the invasion began) there was much confusion. We didnt know exactly what to do, where to flee to, how to administer municipal affairs, or what should we tell locals. Despite the confusion, we decided to remain with our residents in Melitopol, doing everything in our power to help those who decided to stay.

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NV: From the very first day, the Russians started to circulate propaganda leaflets. Did they contact you at all, in those early days?

Fedorov: If I remember correctly, they contacted me for the first time on day three, maybe four. Their intent was simple: they attempted to sway me with the same propaganda they were barraging city residents with  that there is no other way than working to bring the Russian Federation to Melitopol.

Read also: Resistance growing in Russia-occupied areas of Ukraine, says General Staff

All of us realized there wont be a Russian Federation in the city. We saw what was going on in Crimea, in Donbas in the last eight years, so we didnt believe all this fluff. Russians wanted us to submit and assist them in every way possible.

NV: Theres much talk of Moscows plans for occupied territories. Many expect Russia wants to simply annex what it managed to snag. What do you think the Kremlin intends to do with our southern lands?

Fedorov: We shouldnt pay any attention to Russian plans, because they are worthless. Neither issuing fake passports nor switching to Russian phone numbers will make any difference. Their promises are similarly worthless.

Melitopol, Berdyansk, Kherson, Nova Kakhivka, Enerhodar  are all free cities of our democratic country, and we ought to do everything we can and more, to help our armed forces in liberating them. Our mission is to keep disrupting Russian plans.
ROME (AP)  Five European Union nations on the Mediterranean who fear possible waves of refugees driven by hunger out of Africa called Saturday for an end to the EU's voluntary solidarity on migrants and a better way to redistribute the burden of caring for them.

The Interior ministers from Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Malta and Spain wrapped up two days of talks in Venice amid worries that the blockade of Ukraine grain exports due to Russias invasion could see huge numbers of refugees from Africa flooding southern Europe.

Cypriot Interior Minister Nicos Nouris told reporters that robust, common EU policy is needed on migration. Solidarity is not a slogan, nor can it be void of substance, Nouris said.

Past EU policies in which member countries could offer to receive some of the hundreds of thousands of migrants landing in Italy, Greece and other southern shores proved grossly inadequate.

Many EU countries didn't step forward. Others, even with they did pledge to receive modest numbers of some of the hundreds of thousands of migrants rescued from smugglers' unseaworthy boats, didn't follow through.

"Solidarity in our mind cannot be voluntary,'' Nouris said.

He noted that after several years of Cyprus taking in migrants, now 5% of the eastern Mediterranean island nation's population consists of asylum-seekers.

The meeting did not address the millions of Ukrainian refugees who recently flooded into northern EU nations like Poland, Hungary and Romania.

How Europe handles large numbers of migrants takes on particular urgency now, amid fears that drought in Africa and surging food prices even before the war made shipping Ukrainian grain to Somalia, Egypt and other poor nations impossible could drive up the already alarmingly numbers of hungry people.

In the Sahel, the part of Africa just below the Sahara desert, an estimated 18 million people are facing severe hunger as farmers endure their worst production season in more than a decade.

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Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese cited the blocking of grain in Ukraine as just another reason for the EU to develop a adequate mechanism of distributing migrants among its members.

She also pressed for more repatriation agreements with countries whose people are seeking a better life in Europe but had their asylum bids rejected since they are fleeing poverty, not war or persecution.

Italy has an effective repatriation agreement with Tunisia, but not with most other countries in Africa or in Asia whose citizens take to smugglers' boats to try to reach southern European shores. As a result, even though their asylum applications fail, many migrants remain in Italy, often taking illegal jobs or resorting to begging.

Greece's interior minister expressed support for more legal paths for migration.

"We cannot let smugglers decide who comes to live in Europe,'' minister Notis Mitarachi told reporters.

___

Follow all AP developments on global migration at https://apnews.com/migration.
A Nashville judge has ordered the Tennessee Republican Party to reinstate Robby Starbuck to the 5th congressional Republican primary.

The ruling, issued Friday evening by Davidson County Chancellor Russell Perkins, stated the Tennessee Republican Party's executive committee violated the state open meetings act when it removed Starbuck from the ballot.

In April, the state party removed Starbuck, Morgan Ortagus and Baxter Lee from the 5th congressional district primary for not meeting its bonafide Republican requirements. The party decided the final ballot in a meeting that wasn't available to the public.

Republican fifth district congressional candidate Robby Starbuck responds to questions during a primary candidate forum hosted by The Tennessean at George Shinn Events Center on Lipscomb University's Campus Thursday, May 19, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn.

Perkins' ruling declared that because the decision was made in violation of the open meetings law, it was invalid, and Starbuck should be restored to the ballot.

Previously: Judge declines to place ousted GOP hopeful Robby Starbuck back on ballot

Related: Tennessee Republican Party sued over 5th Congressional primary candidate ouster

Starbuck had previously sued in federal court to put his name back on the Republican primary ballot. The federal court ruled against it.

The decision by Perkins, which is likely to be appealed, is running up against a June 10 deadline for the state to finalize ballots for the August primary.

Starbuck now joins a crowded field of candidates in the Republican Primary for the 5th congressional seat, which is a newly drawn district likely to favor the GOP.

Other candidates in the race include former state House Speaker Beth Harwell, Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles and retired Brig. Gen. Kurt Winstead.

How it played out in court

Starbuck's lawyers argued the party's executive board is subject to the Tennessee Open Meetings Act because it acts as the state's primary board, which must hold public meetings.

"We're not asking the court to decide if Mr. Starbuck is a bonafide Republican," said Eric Osborne, an attorney for Starbuck. "This is not about telling the party what to do. This is not a case about interparty squabbles."

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Joshua Mullen, the lawyer for the state Republican party, argued the court had no jurisdiction over the interparty dispute, and Starbuck's goal was through the suit to compel the party to affirm Starbuck as a bonafide Republican.

"Tennessee courts do not enter into inter-party disputes like this," Mullen said. "It is a purely private political decision."

Mullen added that it would be a First Amendment violation if the court ordered the party to allow Starbuck on the ballot, violating the party's rights to free speech and free association.

Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden didn't immediately respond to The Tennessean's request for comment.

Adam Friedman is The Tennesseans state government and politics reporter. Reach him by email at afriedman@tennessean.com.

Want to read more stories like this? A subscription to one of our Tennessee publications gets you unlimited access to all the latest politics news, plus newsletters, a personalized mobile experience and the ability to tap into stories, photos and videos from throughout the USA TODAY Network's daily sites.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Robby Starbuck restored to TN 5th congressional district GOP primary
Jun. 4SALEM, N.H.  Dr. Scott Dowd will spend at least 3- 1/2 years in New Hampshire state prison for a drunk driving crash in July 2021 that critically injured a 5-year-old girl inside her home.

Prosecutor Melissa Fales said in court Friday that Dowd's blood alcohol level after the crash was .34, quadruple the legal limit and a level at which medical experts say vital bodily functions begin to shut down.

Dowd pleaded guilty to aggravated DWI and three counts of reckless conduct in exchange for a lighter sentence. A first degree assault charge was dropped.

Judge Mark Attorri imposed a sentence of two to five years in state prison for the aggravated DWI charge, followed by 1- 1/2 to three years for a reckless conduct charge.

If Dowd is not on good behavior for a decade, he faces up to an additional 10 years behind bars. He will lose his driver's license for two years, the statutory maximum.

He also has seven years to complete 120 hours of community service, including 80 in a medical setting and 40 in an educational setting  such as talking to teenagers in driver's education courses.

He cannot have any contact whatsoever with the Tutrone family or witnesses Joyce Wong and Derek Coco.

On July 10. 2021, according to court documents, Dowd was driving at speeds up to 75 mph on Silverbrook Road when he lost control of his car and slammed into a granite post that had been holding up a mailbox. The force was so great it hurtled the post through the air like a projectile. It slammed into the Tutrones' home, hitting 5-year-old Giuliani, causing multiple, severe injuries.

During Friday's court hearing, Joseph Tutrone said that he and his daughter, now a first-grader, along with her brother, Dominic, all attend therapy. His wife and two other children were not home at the time, but they too have suffered severe emotional damage, he said.

Giuliana's jaw was broken and a lacerated vein had to be sewn to the left side of her neck in order to save the girl's life, according to court documents. She also had a muscle torn off the left side of her neck and a deep cut through which her skull could be seen.

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"We've never been the same since this happened," Tutrone told the judge. "We don't feel comfortable at our own home."

He credits two bystanders who jumped in to help  off-duty emergency room doctor Tim Chu, a neighbor, and Scott Demers, who was fixing a sprinkler system nearby.

"If it wasn't for the right people being there at the right time, she wouldn't be with us," Tutrone said.

Demers gave emotional testimony of that day, tearfully recalling how he thought the house exploded before he ran toward it.

"Those screams will never leave me," he said. "The damage done was done to a lot of people."

Joyce Wong, a witness to the accident, said she was walking on the side of the road in her residential neighborhood when Dowd came within inches of hitting her and her two children with his car.

Moments later, she heard a loud bang and cries for help.

Coco, meanwhile, told the judge he was driving with his two young daughters when Dowd swerved, nearly causing a head-on collision at an estimated 75 mph.

The resulting crash, he said, is "something that replays in my mind constantly."

Others testified on Dowd's behalf, expressing hope that he'll practice medicine again.

His brother, Peter Dowd Jr., said "the remorse he feels as a healer who has hurt another human being  a young innocent child  is agonizing."

Dowd's license to practice medicine has been suspended by the New Hampshire Board of Medicine since August 2021, a week after his arrest. It is unclear if it will ever be reinstated.
Illegally possessed firearms seized by authorities are displayed during a news conference Oct. 9, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

The young man in the jeans and sunglasses proudly shows off his gun in the YouTube video, then instructs his 1 million subscribers how to fit an extra clip in his gun belt, and offers a chilling observation.

Pretty cool for active shooter stuff, if you need extra mags.

Its a typical video, one of thousands teaching military-style training and tactics to civilian gun owners, offering instructions on silencers and grenade launchers, on shooting from vehicles or into buildings. Other websites sell "ghost gun" kits, gas masks and body armor.

You shouldnt be scared of the NRA. You should be scared of us, one online ghost gun dealer tweeted last week.

As Americans reel from repeated mass shootings, law enforcement officials and experts on extremism are taking increasing notice of the sprawling online space devoted to guns and gun rights: gun forums, tactical training videos, websites that sell unregistered gun kits and social media platforms where far-right gun owners swap practical tips with talk of dark plots to take their weapons.

Its an ecosystem rich with potential recruits for extremist groups exploiting the often blurry line separating traditional support for a constitutional right from militant antigovernment movements that champion racism and violence.

White supremacists have carried out most of the deadliest attacks on U.S. soil in the last five years, including a 2018 shooting inside a Pittsburgh synagogue and a 2019 rampage in which a gunman targeting Latinos inside a Texas Walmart killed 23 people.

The gunman who perpetrated last months rampage in Buffalo, N.Y., for example, claimed in a rambling racist diatribe that he was radicalized when pandemic boredom led him to far-right social media groups and tactical training videos he found online.

One of the companies specifically cited by the gunman sells firearm accessories and operates popular social media channels boasting hundreds of training videos. The videos cover topics like shooting from cars, assaulting a building, using gas masks while shooting, and night vision goggles.

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I think were going to see an increase in these kinds of attacks, said Kurt Braddock, a professor and extremism researcher at the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab at American University. Until were able to figure out a way to address this, this kind of disinformation is going to keep spreading, and with it the risk of increased radicalization and violence.

Elected leaders in some states are considering how to address the internet's role in radicalizing extremists. New York lawmakers, for example, recently introduced legislation to require social media companies to set policies on hateful conduct and to create mechanisms for users to report disturbing posts they may read.

New York Atty. Gen. Letitia James initiated an investigation into some of the platforms used by the Buffalo gunman, who streamed his attack on Twitch, which is owned by Amazon. Twitch pulled the livestream after about two minutes.

Federal authorities have also taken notice, increasing funding for investigations into domestic terrorism, a challenge that FBI Director Christopher Wray last year described as metastasizing. But there's little law enforcement can do but monitor as extremists use the threat of gun control to recruit new members.

Extremists paint any effort to regulate firearms as the prelude to widespread gun seizures, according to Callum Hood, director of research at the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a U.K.-based organization that researches online extremism and abuse.

The message quickly becomes the government is coming to take your guns and leave you undefended, Hood said. Thats despite the obvious political challenges that even modest attempts at gun control face in the U.S. Despite a long and growing list of mass shootings, gun rights have not been restricted in any significant way in the U.S. in decades.

Rather than be under threat, guns are flourishing. Since 2000, the year after the Columbine school shooting in Colorado, the number of firearms manufactured in the U.S. has tripled. There are now an estimated 400 million guns in the U.S.  more than one for everyone in the country  giving the nation the worlds highest gun ownership rate.

Gun manufacturers and industry groups like the National Rifle Assn. bear some responsibility for unfounded conspiracy theories about federal plots to seize Americans guns, according to Braddock.

Whats the first rule in salesmanship? Its to create the need for the item. We think about guns as something different  and they are because theyre instruments of violence  but theyre also commodities sold in huge quantities, Braddock said. Theyre creating the illusion of need.

Contacted by the Associated Press, one website selling ghost gun kits responded with a statement saying all questions" about regulating firearms amount to naked attempts to disarm traditional Americans, weaponize the government against them, and subject them to the ignorant and vicious tools of federal power.

Although some of the creators of tactical training videos posted on platforms like YouTube say their intended audience is law enforcement, others say their subscriber base is mostly those looking to arm themselves against the government.

Despite their alarm, law enforcement officials and experts on extremism caution there's little to do about the growing online spaces devoted to military-style weaponry unless they find evidence of illegal gun sales or other crimes.

For their part, tech companies and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter say they have rules to prohibit violent threats, hate speech and other content that poses a direct harm. Some platforms also prohibit the sale of firearms.

Further restrictions on content about guns or even extremism will only backfire anyway, according to Amy Cooter, an expert on militias. While efforts to ban users might be successful in the short term, theyre bound to fail as those users flee to other platforms with less moderation.

If we want to reduce the size of the movement, de-platforming is really effective, Cooter said. But If we want to de-radicalize it, it is not. The most extreme elements will find other ways to stay connected.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Pittsburgh Police are searching for a missing 13-year-old girl.

According to police, Dreemah Matthews is 52, weighs 100 pounds, and has black hair and brown eyes.

She was last seen on Thursday just before 7:45 a.m. getting on the school bus.

Police said she is known to spend time on the Northside.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call Pittsburgh police at (412)323-7141.

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ROMAN PETRENKO - SATURDAY, 4 JUNE, 2022, 12:46 p.m.

PHOTO BY NOVYNARNIA

Dmytro Krasylnykov, commander of the Pivnich (North) operational and tactical group, says Ukraine needs long-range anti-tank weapons to destroy Russian artillery units so that the infantry can carry out their tasks.

Source: Brigadier General Dmytro Krasylnykov, commander of the Pivnich (North) operational and tactical group, quoted by the General Staff

Quote: "It is very difficult to be under constant shelling

First of all, we need the types of weapons and ammunition that will allow us to seize the advantage, namely to inflict damage on long-range enemy artillery."

Details: He explained that Ukraine has enough short-range anti-tank weapons at present, but the Russians have a large amount of self-propelled artillery, and without long-range anti-tank weapons which can destroy it, the infantry will not be able to operate and will not complete their missions.

According to Krasylnykov, the sooner powerful weapons arrive, the more lives and land will be saved by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Previously: Sweden has announced a fourth aid package for Ukraine, which includes anti-ship missiles and anti-tank weapons.
NextShark

A man booted out of a Chinese restaurant in Flushing, Queens, for not wearing pants retaliated by smashing glass windows and doors at the establishment on Saturday. The incident at 4 Choices & A Soup on Roosevelt Avenue reportedly began at around 4:40 p.m. when the man showed up with a hammer after entering the restaurant with no pants earlier in the day and returning several times after. Restaurant staff described the man as a regular customer who had mental health issues.
Retired judge Craig Strong stands in the atrium of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit on Thursday, June 2, 2022. Strong's wardrobe is known across the city and country, as he has been photographed with many celebrities throughout the year. However, the charismatic Judge Strong has always had a serious side rooted in charity and service. In retirement, he remains committed to uplifting Detroit and one of his lifelong causes is the Charles H. Wright Museum.

Craig Strong takes pride in being a man of the people and he says when people see him they are looking at a reflection of his Detroit roots.

It would take a fashion expert to accurately describe Strongs legendary wardrobe, which has garnered more than a few oohs and aahs from friends and strangers alike through the years. However, the retired judge who wears the clothes  a son of Detroits old west side  calls his trademark suits and ensembles symbols of the great, prominent, successful and supportive neighborhood that molded him.

Even the way Strong gets around town, both by automobile  Cadillacs have been his vehicle of choice for more than 40 years  and on foot, with his head on a swivel and hands at the ready to embrace a friend he may encounter, are old west-side statements, too, he explains.

(Attorney and former Ford Motor Co. Vice President) Elliott Hall, (United States Circuit Judge) Damon Keith, (Motown founder) Berry Gordy, Congressman (John) Conyers, and so many lawyers, doctors, educators, athletes, entertainers and professionals in every field, they all lived in this small little area called the west side, said Strong, 74, fondly reflecting on an area of the city whose boundaries included Epworth to West Grand Boulevard; Tireman to Warren Avenue; Vinewood to Grand River; Buchanan to West Grand Boulevard, and American, Bryden and Central streets. Then we also had a lot of people from my neighborhood that went into law enforcement, which was a big deal at the time, and a lot of them became ranking police officers. It was just a great neighborhood where families of that generation believed in education, and a ton of west siders became prominent.

Retired judge Craig Strong, left, of Detroit, walks with his colleagues Barbara Mapson, of Detroit, and Khari Dickey, of Detroit, while heading to an exhibit to be photographed for the Detroit Free Press at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit on Thursday, June 2, 2022. Strong's wardrobe is known across the city and country, as he has been photographed with many celebrities throughout the years. However, the charismatic Judge Strong has always had a serious side rooted in charity and service. In retirement, he remains committed to uplifting Detroit and one of his lifelong causes is the Charles H. Wright Museum.

And prominent also is a description that applies to Strong, the pride of Sampson Elementary and Cass Technical High School (Class of 1965). At the time of his retirement from the bench, Strong was Wayne Countys longest-tenured judge (1978-2020). His trek began in Detroit Recorders Court and then in the county Circuit Court after Recorders Court merged with the Circuit Court.

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Strong, a past president of the Association of Black Judges of Michigan and the Wolverine Bar Association and a past chairman of the National Bar Associations Judicial Council, also is a retired commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, where he presided over court-martial proceedings as a military judge.

Everybody did something in my family, but whats important is where we started, said Strong, who proudly shared a story of attending his brother Douglas graduation ceremony from Howard University Medical School. That occasion, when Strong was a high school student at Cass Tech, led Strong to choose Howard for his undergraduate studies.

Im the grandson of a slave; my fathers mother was born into slavery. My father was the last of her 12 children, and then my parents would have their first four children, and almost 10 years later, Im born, so theres that big gap," Strong said. "At my swearing-in, my mother said she wished my grandmother could see this because heres a woman who had no rights with a grandson who is protecting peoples rights.

I teared up on that one.

A 30-year-old Craig Strong receives his robe from the late Judge Jesse Slaton in 1978, as Strong is sworn in at the old Wayne County Building as a referee in Traffic Court. Later that year Strong was elected a full judge of the Detroit Recorder's Court. While recalling the swearing-in ceremony, Strong, the grandson of a slave, recalls his mother Manila saying she "wished my grandmother could see this because here's a woman who had no rights with a grandson who is protecting people's rights."

For Strong, the tears shed during his swearing-in ceremony at the old Wayne County Building more than 40 years ago continue to feed his sense of purpose today. He says he wants his city to know that those tears represent his understanding and appreciation of the journey African Americans have traveled. To be clear, there is no denying the pride Strong takes in looking his best, with his dazzling wardrobe. Those clothes befit a man whose vast photo collection at his Indian Village home shows he has met some of the most well-known people to ever walk the planet. Among the A-listers with whom Strong is pictured: Muhammad Ali, Barack Obama, Rosa Parks, Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Jesse Jackson, Dick Gregory, Mike Tyson, James Brown, Magic Johnson and George H.W. Bush to name a few. Strong believes his collection might total 1,000 images if he were to ever count each piece.

But Strong says the number of pictures in his collection falls well short of the thousands of memberships he has helped the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History generate through his volunteer efforts. And that is a side of his persona that Strong also wants Detroiters to know for the betterment of the city he loves.

Retired judge Craig Strong, center, of Detroit, talks with colleagues Tyrone Davenport, of Detroit, left, Barbara K. Hughes Smith, of Detroit, Barbara Mapson, of Detroit, and Khari Dickey, of Detroit, as they gathered for a photo at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit on Thursday, June 2, 2022. Strong's wardrobe is known across the city and country, as he has been photographed with many celebrities throughout the years. However, the charismatic Judge Strong has always had a serious side rooted in charity and service. In retirement, he remains committed to uplifting Detroit and one of his lifelong causes is the Charles H. Wright Museum.

Wherever you see me, there is a membership drive taking place for the Charles H. Wright Museum, Strong said Thursday afternoon from the Museums Ford Freedom Rotunda. Ive been doing this for over 40 years and, without a doubt, weve done thousands of memberships. And we do more than memberships. Some of the people that were a part of our membership drives have ended up as museum board members.

"Other people involved with us, as they moved up in corporate America, were in positions where they made sizable donations from their corporations to the museum. And other organizations have established their own membership drives to support the museum because of what we have done.

The time Strong spent at the Wright Museum on Thursday was not a scheduled membership drive. Instead, he toured the museum with Tyrone Davenport, a former banking executive who served as the museum's COO, and a few other close friends that all truly mean something to him.

But in between entertaining his friends with stories while taking in museum attractions, including the 44: Portraits of a President exhibit celebrating Obama's historical significance, Strong managed to find his way over to a few people he did not know and quickly converted the strangers to friends.

Strong says the new friends he signed up for museum memberships on Thursday are no less important than the many celebrities with whom he has been photographed through the years.

Retired judge Craig Strong, of Detroit, talks with his colleagues (left to right) Tyrone Davenport, of Detroit, left, Barbara K. Hughes Smith, of Detroit, Sherman Eaton and Barbara Mapson, of Detroit, as they gathered for a photo at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit on Thursday, June 2, 2022. Strong's wardrobe is known across the city and country, as he has been photographed with many celebrities throughout the years. However, the charismatic Judge Strong has always had a serious side rooted in charity and service. In retirement, he remains committed to uplifting Detroit and one of his lifelong causes is the Charles H. Wright Museum.

Its not just a museum  the other two buildings we had before this one were museums  but this location (315 E. Warren Ave., opened in 1997) is a cultural center, and it encompasses so much for our community, explained Strong. I look at memberships as a way of ownership. If you get people to buy a membership, when they hear or talk about the museum, theyre going to feel a part of the museum because theyre members  theyre owners. I like the connections that membership brings, especially with young people, because young people when they join something  anything its a big deal.

And when Strong described how children can be positively impacted by the museum on Thursday afternoon, an expression came across his face that closely resembled a look he flashed the previous evening from the comfort of his home when he described the time he came face to face with a larger-than-life historical figure while stationed on neighborhood safety patrol.

I was leaving my post on the corner of Milford and Beechwood across from Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church and a man came out of the church and told me not to leave because Rev. Martin Luther King was on his way, Strong vividly recalled. In a matter of moments, a black Cadillac pulled up and a man escorted Dr. King out of the car and into the church. Right afterward, the man who told me not to leave, escorted me inside the same door that Dr. King had entered. They placed me on a step so that I could be close to the same level as Dr. King, and Dr. King talked to me for about 45 seconds about the importance of the work I was doing as a safety boy and how I was helping to protect other children. He not only spoke to me, but he also shook my hand and put his arm on my shoulder.

Strong revealed that a photo was taken, but ironically, the young man who would go on to be frequently photographed with heroes and icons never received that picture from his beloved old west-side neighborhood.

I never received the photo, but I still have that special memory and it was all made possible because of community service, Strong said. Good things happen through community service. I learned that day from Dr. King, that community service is really what makes people important.

Scott Talley is a native Detroiter, a proud product of Detroit Public Schools and lifelong lover of Detroit culture in all of its diverse forms. In his second tour with the Free Press, which he grew up reading as a child, he is excited and humbled to cover the citys neighborhoods and the many interesting people who define its various communities. Contact him at: stalley@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @STalleyfreep. Read more of Scott's stories at www.freep.com/mosaic/detroit-is/.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Judge Craig Strong's wardrobe is symbol of his neighborhood
Prince William, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and two of their children were all smiles during an appearance in Wales on Saturday, June 4.

William and the former Kate Middleton visited Cardiff Castle with their two eldest children Prince George, 8, and Princess Charlotte, 7. Prince Louis, 4, was not in attendance.

Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee 2022 - The Duke And Duchess Of Cambridge Visit Wales (Chris Jackson / Getty Images)

During the visit, the family met with the crew and performers who will be involved with the concert held at the castle on Saturday to celebrate Queen Elizabeth IIs Platinum Jubilee, which honors the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne.

William, George, and Charlotte all wore coordinating blue ensembles for the occasion. The father-son duo wore almost identical navy suits with a light blue button down sans a tie paired with brown shoes.

Underneath her navy coat, Charlotte wore a white and light blue printed dress, to match her white socks and blue Mary Jane style shoes.

Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee 2022 - The Duke And Duchess Of Cambridge Visit Wales (Chris Jackson / Getty Images)

The duchess took a similar approach, donning a navy blue dress with matching pointed toe pumps underneath her bright red long coat. The former Kate Middleton had her hair tied back into a ponytail, showing off her simple makeup and a pair of gold earrings.

Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee 2022 - The Duke And Duchess Of Cambridge Visit Wales (Mark Cuthbert / UK Press via Getty Images)

Over three decades ago, when William was Georges age, the prince had his first official royal engagement in Wales in March 1991 alongside his father, Charles, Prince of Wales, and his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

The queens Platinum Jubilee festivities began on Thursday, June 2 and will run through Sunday, June 5 to celebrate the milestone that no other British monarch has reached.

While there have been several celebrations already throughout 2022, the Platinum Jubilee kicked off on June 2 with the Trooping the Color, which is a ceremonial parade honoring the queens birthday. Though the queen actually turned 96 on April 21, it is tradition to celebrate an official birthday in the summer in case a monarchs birthday falls in the colder months.

The queen appeared on the balcony twice at Buckingham Palace during the parade, the second time with several working members of the royal family, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their three children who appeared in the parade as well, and Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

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On Friday, June 3 for the second day of festivities, a National Service of Thanksgiving was held at St. Pauls Cathedral in London for the queen, though she was not herself in attendance.

While the queen stayed at Windsor Castle to rest after the prior days activities, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex made an appearance at the celebration after they were absent from the balcony at Buckingham Palace due to stepping back from their royal duties as senior members of the royal family.

On Saturday, the first party of the Platinum Jubilee will take place in the evening with a star-studded concert that will include performances by Queen and Adam Lambert, Rod Stewart, Andrea Bocelli, and Diana Ross. On Sunday, the Queens Platinum Jubilee Pageant will take place, looking back at her seven decades on the throne.

Related:
Vietnam Airlines opens Nha Trang  Singapore route

A Vietnam Airlines flight carrying 160 passengers aboard on June 6 landed in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoas Nha Trang city from Singapore, marking the opening of the air route.









Passengers from Singapore arrive in Nha Trang (Photo: VNA)

With this route, Vietnam Airlines has become the first carrier in Vietnam linking the two destinations.



The airline schedules two flights per week, with those from Nha Trang departing on Tuesday and Sunday and from Singapore on Friday and Sunday.



This is the fifth route of the airline connecting the Southeast Asian country with Vietnams major cities. Earlier on June 1, it has launched routes linking the central coastal city of Da Nang and the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giangs Phu Quoc island to Singapore.



On July 1, Vietnam Airlines will begin operating flights between Nha Trang and the Republic of Koreas Seoul with one trip per day./.
Prince William and Kate Middleton made a surprise trip to Cardiff  the capital of Wales  during Queen Elizabeths Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The Epsom Derby was held during William and Middletons surprise trip. Princess Anne attended on behalf of Queen Elizabeth; the palace shared on Friday she would not be attending.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took two of their children: Prince George, 8 and Princess Charlotte, 7, on the visit. Their youngest son, Prince Louis, 4, was not present. The young royal recently made headlines by covering his ears and making funny faces during the Trooping the Colour ceremony on Thursday.

Kate Middleton, Prince William, Princess Charlotte and Prince George visit Cardiff Castle on June 04, 2022 in Cardiff, Wales. Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage

Kensington Palace shared that this marks the first visit for George and Charlotte to Wales.

QUEEN ELIZABETH THROUGH THE YEARS

Charlotte wore a navy blue coat, with blue Mary Jane shoes and white socks as she held on to Middletons hand as she waved to the people-filled streets.

Middleton wore a long red coat, which matches the red dragon seen in the Welsh flag. Both William and George looked dapper in navy suits with a light blue dress shirt underneath.

Kate Middleton holds a bouquet of flowers as she leaves Cardiff Castle on June 04, 2022 in Cardiff, Wales. Photo by Ashley Crowden - WPA Pool/Getty Images

William and Middleton took the trip to meet the performers involved in the Queens Platinum Jubilee concert, slated to take place on the castle grounds Saturday afternoon.

Performances will take place in honor of the Queens 70 years on the throne, including contributions from Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler, Aled Jones, Shan Cothi, Mike Peters, John Owen Jones, Owain Wyn Evans and the Pendyrus Male Voice Choir.

Kate Middleton, Princess Charlotte and Prince George visit Cardiff Castle during Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee. Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage

Like Wales, Buckingham Palace will hold its own concert in honor of Queen Elizabeth.

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"The Platinum Party at the Palace" is a star-studded concert event happening on the grounds of Buckingham Palace on Saturday night. Its expected to be the most high-profile event during the four-day weekend of festivities.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children speak to well wishers during a visit to Cardiff Castle in Wales. Photo by Ashley Crowden - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Some of the biggest names in music, including from rock, pop and classical, will take to the stage during the Platinum Jubilee. The three-stage setup will feature Diana Ross, Queen + Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Duran Duran, Rod Stewart, Andrea Bocelli and Nile Rodgers, among others. For Ross, it will be her first UK gig in 15 years.

Fox News' Mariah Haas contributed to this report.
Amy Beros and her family had never attended a gun violence prevention event until Saturday.

But mass shootings over the past three weeks at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, convinced Beros and her husband Adrian to bring their two school-age children to Raleighs John Chavis Memorial Park, where roughly 200 people gathered to express their frustrations and look for a solution to the continuing carnage.

After Buffalo and Uvalde, we cant just not do something anymore, she said. And we cant expect others to do it for us.

They live in Holly Springs, and their son Anderson, 10, and daughter Addison, 12, both go to schools with lockdown drills. Thats a safety measure unheard of a generation ago, but now a necessity. More than 330 schools have seen gun violence since two teenagers murdered 12 students and a teacher in Columbine High School in 1999, according to The Washington Post.

As the Beros family listened to speakers who talked about losing loved ones to gun violence, others lined up to speak at a faith-based summit in Durham to talk about gun violence and urge people to take action.

Ana Flores said she moved to Durham from Mexico when she was 4. She grew up in neighborhoods where sirens and gunfire were constant. Her parents told her not to open the door if someone knocks.

I feel like no one hears us, she said. So my question to you guys is, Where do we sign up to petition? Because I know everybody is saying enough is enough. How many lives are going to be taken away so people can take us seriously?

Several others at the summit of 10 churches, hosted by Covenant Presbyterian Church, said its long past time to vote out lawmakers who stand in the way of gun safety measures such as red flag laws, background checks, raising the gun ownership age to 21, and banning assault rifles.

The shooters in Buffalo and Uvalde were 18, and both used assault rifles they legally purchased.

Joe Harvard, a retired pastor of First Presbyterian Church, said both of North Carolinas senators  Richard Burr and Thom Tillis  have been part of the problem. He urged the roughly 60 people to contact them and other federal lawmakers to pass meaningful legislation in the days ahead.

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We have two senators who combined have received $12 million from the NRA, he said. Thats who they are responding to. They need to hear from us.

Earlier in the week, volunteers with Moms Demand Action, a national group advocating gun safety measures, dropped off petitions with 19,000 North Carolinians signatures to Burr and Tillis congressional offices, the Charlotte Observer and the Associated Press reported.

According to OpenSecrets.org, a national campaign finance watchdog, Burr and Tillis rank second and third on the list of U.S. senators who received the most financial help from the NRA during their political careers. The NRA spent nearly $7 million either for Burr or against his opponents, and spent $5.6 million in a similar fashion helping Tillis.

Neither Burr nor Tillis, both Republicans, have responded to questions regarding gun legislation from editorial staff with The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer in recent days. A spokesperson for Tillis told the Observer that he has joined a bipartisan effort in the Senate seeking to find common ground solutions to curb gun violence that also protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans.

The events in Raleigh and Durham took place a day after National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Now in its eighth year, it was started in memory of Hadiya Pendleton, 15, of Chicago, who was shot in the back and killed while standing with friends at a park.

Supporters of the movement wear orange to commemorate gun violence victims and survivors. Theyve chosen that color because thats what hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves.

Gov. Roy Cooper issued a proclamation for the day on Friday, and said the lights at the executive mansion would be lit orange through the weekend.
(Reuters) - Russia's defence ministry said on Saturday its forces shot down a Ukrainian military transport plane carrying weapons and munitions near the Black Sea port of Odesa.

The ministry said Russian missiles also struck an artillery training centre in Ukraine's Sumy region where foreign instructors worked. Another strike destroyed a "foreign mercenaries'" outpost in the Odesa region, it said.

Reuters could not independently verify the claims.

(Reporting by Reuters)
IRYNA BALACHUK  SATURDAY, 4 JUNE 2022, 07:59

Russian forces are continuing to storm Sievierodonetsk despite suffering losses. Fighting is continuing on the citys streets. Four people have been killed in the Russian shelling of Hirske hromada [amalgamated territorial community - ed.].

Source: Serhii Haidai, head of Luhansk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram

Quote: "There are casualties in Sievierodonetsk, where Russian troops have suffered losses, but are receiving reinforcements and continuing to assault the city. They have once again tried to cut off the city by shelling another bridge.

As for the situation on the frontlines  fighting is continuing on the streets of Sievierodonetsk. The Russians have received reinforcement from the mobilisation reserve of the 2nd Army Corps."

Telegram

Details: According to Haidai, on 3 June a mother and a daughter were killed in the Russian shelling of the city of Hirske; another civilian was killed in Zolote.

Another civilian was found dead in Hirske; he was killed three days ago.

Over the course of Friday, 3 June, Russian occupation forces damaged at least 6 high-rise apartment blocks in Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk, 8 houses in Hirske, 7 in Novoivanivka, and 6 in Vrubivka. Residential buildings have also been damaged in Metiolkine.

Russian troops attempted to advance on Ustynivka, but were not successful.

Over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have repulsed 9 Russian attacks and destroyed 1 tank, 1 artillery system, 6 armoured combat vehicles, 2 special armoured vehicles, and 3 motor vehicles belonging to the Russian forces.

Ukrainian Air Defence shot down 1 cruise missile, 1 Eleron reconnaissance drone, and 2 Orlan-10 UAVs.

telegram
Armed Forces of Ukraine

Read also: Russians offensive will culminate with battles for Severodonetsk, invader wont have strength for attacks in Donetsk Oblast, ISW says

"With the support of artillery, the enemy is storming the town of Severodonetsk, having strengthened the group at the expense of the mobilization reserve of the 2nd Army Corps, the General Staff said.

Fighting continues in the city."

The invaders also launched an offensive in the direction of the village of Ustynivka, but were repelled.

Read also: Three monks killed by Russian shelling of Sviatohirsk Lavra in Donbas

In the Bakhmut area, enemy troops were advancing with the support of artillery, but had to retreat after suffering the fire damage from Ukrainian units.

The Ukrainian military said that fighting continues in the Slobozhansky area. The movement of a column of equipment with fuel and ammunition was spotted moving in the direction of the settlement of Shypuvate. In the opposite direction, the evacuation of damaged weapons and military equipment (up to 100 units) is being carried out.

Read also: 100 days of full-scale Russian invasion in numbers

In the Kharkiv area, the main efforts of the invaders are focused on retaining control of occupied territory. Intense enemy fire continues on Ukrainian army units near the settlements of Hlyboke, Ruski Tyshky, Staryi Saltiv and Cherkaski Tyshky. The enemy also fired a missile at a transport infrastructure facility near the town of Mokhnach.

"In the Slovyansk area, in order to reduce the combat potential of our troops, the enemy carried out artillery shelling of the settlements of Hrushuvakha, Tetyanivka and Dibrivne," the General Staff said.

The enemy also carried out assault operations in the direction of the settlement of Bohorodychne, but failed. In addition, the invaders led an unsuccessful offensive in the direction of the village of Virnopillia, but suffered casualties.

In the Donetsk area, the enemy is firing at the positions of Ukrainian troops along the entire contact line with mortars, artillery and rockets, as well as using ground attack aircraft.

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Read also: Ukrainian patrol officer shares story of evacuation of 42,000 people from Luhansk Oblast

"In the Avdiyivka and Kurakhove directions, the enemy is conducting restraining and distracting actions," reads the report.

In the Lyman area, near the settlement of the Stary Karavan, the invaders are trying to take control of the left bank of the Siversky Donets River.

In the South Buh area, the enemy is conducting a positional defense and trying to inflict fire damage on Ukrainian units.
San Francisco Dist. Atty. Chesa Boudin, who was elected in 2019 as part of a movement to elect district attorneys who seek to reimagine public safety and the role of a prosecutor, faces a recall Tuesday. (Eric Risberg / Associated Press)

Hours after winning election as San Francisco district attorney in 2019, Chesa Boudin stood, beaming, inside a packed dive bar in the Mission District.

"What comes next is critical," said the then-39-year-old public defender, part of the nationwide movement to elect district attorneys who seek to reimagine public safety and redefine the role of a prosecutor. "In many ways, getting here today was the easy part."

Those words may have proved grimly prophetic for the newly minted D.A.

Boudin's 2-year tenure as San Francisco's top prosecutor has resembled the "knife fight in a phone booth" adage often used to describe Bay Area politics. He has weathered attacks from across the city's political spectrum; both the historically conservative police union and more moderate politicians such as Mayor London Breed have often criticized the would-be reformer.

His relationship with the city's police department has faltered, and dozens of his own prosecutors have quit  some to help oust Boudin from office.

That fight comes to a head Tuesday, when San Francisco's 500,000 registered voters will decide whether Boudin should keep his job.

The bitter, expensive recall election has turned into a referendum on some of San Francisco's most painful and protracted problems, including homelessness, drug addiction and property crime. The election has also become a test for a liberal city's appetite for continuing to pursue criminal justice reform.

Boudin described his 2019 victory as a sign of a "massive thirst for change." But polls suggest he may not survive the recall. His supporters now fear a result that could have a chilling effect on the nationwide effort to elect reform-minded district attorneys.

Boudin's predecessor, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascon, is also facing his second recall attempt in two years.

Boudin has sought to reshape a criminal justice system that he and his supporters see as profoundly unfair. He has refused to seek the death penalty or try juveniles as adults, significantly reduced the use of sentencing enhancements and sought to push people accused of low-level crimes fueled by drug addiction into treatment instead of a jail cell.

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But his message has lost traction among an electorate that has grown increasingly concerned about visible crime and homelessness. Boudin's background has made him an easy target for opponents who paint him as a fringe leader disconnected from his city.

Boudin is a Yale-educated Rhodes scholar who worked as a translator for Venezuelan socialist President Hugo Chavez. His parents were members of the radical left-wing group the Weather Underground. They went to prison when Boudin was a child for their roles in a 1981 armed robbery in New York that left three people dead, including two police officers. His mother, Kathy Boudin, was paroled in 2003 and died of cancer last month. Boudin's father, David Gilbert, received parole last year.

Three polls funded by the recall campaign and its backers earlier this year found a majority of San Francisco voters favored removing Boudin. Polling paid for by the anti-recall campaign last month painted a slightly rosier picture, with 48% of voters described as pro-recall, 38% opposed and 14% undecided.

Criminal justice experts say a prosecutor's policies are unlikely to cause immediate shifts in crime. Property and violent crimes fell in San Francisco during Boudin's first two years in office. Homicides have increased since 2019, when the city had its fewest killings in 50 years.

But recall supporters have told a simple, yet effective, story of a radical district attorney who has worsened many of the city's ills.

The campaign has highlighted shocking videos of smash-and-grab robberies from high-end retailers in Union Square and drug dealing in the city's troubled Tenderloin neighborhood. Some have been featured on Tucker Carlson's Fox News show and in other conservative media.

"Never would I put all this on Chesa's shoulders," said Brooke Jenkins, a former prosecutor in Boudin's office who is now a volunteer spokeswoman for the recall. "But citizens expect that their D.A. is going to try to serve as a deterrent to these criminals. ... He has never shown an interest in doing that  not verbally, and not in his actions."

The recall also has blamed Boudin for several high-profile crimes, including a 2020 New Year's Eve hit-and-run that killed two women. The defendant, Troy McAlister, was on parole for robbery and had been arrested several times in the months before the crash.

Boudin has said he did not charge McAlister in the earlier cases, instead referring them to parole officers in a move he believed was more likely to "protect the public and break this cycle of recidivism."

Boudin's supporters say he has taken meaningful steps to reduce mass incarceration and hold police accountable. A San Francisco police officer stood trial for excessive force this year for the first time in the city's history, though the officer, Terrance Stangle, was ultimately acquitted.

Jim Ross, a consultant for Boudin's anti-recall campaign, said the recall process puts the D.A. at a disadvantage. Unlike the recent attempt to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom, those challenging Boudin do not have to run a replacement candidate. Breed will appoint Boudin's successor if the recall is successful.

"Its an attempt to redo the 2019 election," Ross said. "But instead of making Chesa run against another candidate, where people have a contrast and they can see their records, they can see their policies, they're making him run against himself."

Reformers at the national level have pushed back on the idea that a Boudin loss would ripple beyond the Bay Area.

"It would be a mistake to view this as a stop sign to reform," said Miriam Krinsky, the executive director of Fair and Just Prosecution, a nonprofit that advocates for criminal justice reform.

Compared to other cities, San Francisco is atypical, Krinsky said: Fewer than 6% of city residents are Black, median home sales have topped $1.5 million, and the city has one of the world's highest number of billionaires per capita.

Krinsky also pointed to the recent reelections of Philadelphia Dist. Atty. Larry Krasner and Cook County State's Atty. Kim Foxx in Chicago after they faced similar criticisms as Boudin and Gascon.

The recall is one of the most expensive elections in San Francisco history, according to filings with the city's Ethics Commission. Spending has passed $10 million, with more than two-thirds of that  about $7.3 million  coming from recall backers, including a political action committee partly funded by billionaire hedge-fund manager William Oberndorf. Organizations backing Boudin, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, have spent about $3 million.

Oberndorf has given millions to Republican campaigns  including to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's fund for Republican Senate candidates  and to pro-charter school campaigns and candidates of both political parties.

Boudin's supporters have flooded neighborhoods with mailers that encourage voters to reject the "Republican-funded recall," telling voters that "conservative billionaires" want to "impose their radical conservative agenda in San Francisco."

If Boudin is recalled, Jenkins said, "it will be Democrats that vote him out." Just 6.7% of San Francisco voters are registered Republicans.

San Francisco is viewed nationally as a bastion of liberalism, but the reality is more complicated, said John Hamasaki, a defense attorney and former police commissioner who frequently tangles with recall supporters.

"You could call it the bluest city, but I don't know that it's the most progressive city," Hamasaki said. "It's a city that has become really inundated with tech wealth, and within tech and Silicon Valley there's always been a connection to center-right politics," including billionaires such as Peter Thiel and Elon Musk.

Janice Li, who lives in the city's Inner Richmond neighborhood and sits on the Bay Area Rapid Transit system board of directors, said housing was the top issue for San Francisco residents for years. But since the pandemic, she said, crime and public safety have jumped to the top of the list.

The flurry of campaign messaging has made it hard for residents to understand whether the city faces an actual crime wave, or a few anecdotes have been weaponized to whip up fear, she said.

"Whats been really hard about this recall is that most people don't really know what's happening," said Li, who is voting against the recall. "You can read articles, you can watch TV news, you can look at data. But it's really hard to understand who's at fault."

That's in part because both campaigns have been able to slice the crime data to tell the stories they want.

Property and violent crime both dropped by double-digit percentages from 2019 to 2021, city data show. But some types of crime have exploded in the same time frame. Burglaries are up 47%. Motor vehicle theft increased by 36%. Homicides have also increased since 2019  a national trend  but the city experienced its lowest number of killings in more than a half-century that year.

The rate at which the district attorney's office files charges has also remained relatively stable under Boudin. In Gascon's final two years in office, prosecutors filed approximately 56% of felonies presented by police and 36% of misdemeanors. Last year, prosecutors filed 57% of felonies presented and the share of misdemeanor cases prosecuted jumped to 46%.

Randy Shaw, director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, said the long-blighted neighborhood has gotten worse since Boudin took office. If crime is declining, he said, it's because people have stopped reporting it.

The Tenderloin has become an "open-air drug supermarket," said Shaw, and the district attorney doesn't seem to care. He cited an interview Boudin gave to the Washington Post in February, in which he said that Tenderloin residents "aren't particularly upset that there are drug sales happening." The quote later appeared on a billboard attacking Boudin.

Questions remain about police effectiveness during Boudin's tenure. The rate at which San Francisco police solve robberies, thefts and assaults has fallen from 2019 to 2021, though arrest and solve rates did dip for most police agencies during the pandemic.

Andy Solomon, a 43-year-old high school teacher who lives in Haight-Ashbury, said he decided to vote against the recall after listening to a recent Boudin interview. Crime has become a more tangible issue for the average San Franciscan, Solomon said  a gun fight left bullet holes in his car in October  but he questioned why those issues were not being blamed on the police.

Boudin's "hands are sort of tied on some of that stuff," Solomon said.

As of Friday, about 17% of voters had returned ballots, a far lower turnout rate than during the school board recall held in February. The participation rate was highest among the city's small slice of Republican voters, more than 22% of whom have cast ballots already, officials said.

"People are just fatigued," said Tinisch Hollins, executive director of Californians for Safety and Justice, a criminal justice reform organization. "If it's not about a tangible solution, or a tangible resource, it's not a priority for their attention. That's why this recall effort is hyperpoliticized. It's about people who have the money and have the time to make an issue of something that the majority of them are not affected by."

The city has had three recall elections in the last nine months, including the failed attempt to recall Newsom and the heated February election that unseated three of the seven members of San Francisco's scandal-plagued school board.

San Francisco's ranked-choice election system, in which voters rank the candidates in order of preference, may also have left Boudin vulnerable, said Joshua Spivak, a senior research fellow at UC Berkeley Law School's California Constitution Center.

Boudin was the first choice for 35.6% of voters in 2019. He eventually beat interim Dist. Atty. Suzy Loftus by 2,832 votes, a difference of about 1.66%. That means plenty of people "are opposed to you or not that interested in you and are susceptible to having their mind changed," Spivak said.

Regardless of the outcome of Tuesday's election, Hamasaki said the recall may already have changed how politicians seek to run on criminal justice reform platforms in San Francisco.

I think the impact locally has already happened," he said. "Democratic politicians in San Francisco are less vocal or are silent on police reform, police misconduct and criminal justice reform. ... The first school board recall really put progressive politicians on notice that 'Hey, we're a target.'"

Wiley reported from San Francisco and Nelson and Queally from Los Angeles.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Afghans who fled the Taliban takeover of their country stage a protest at Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo on Wednesday. (Muhammad Arif Sarwari / Associated Press)

For some Afghans who were evacuated as their country fell to the Taliban last summer, the journey to the United States has stalled, and perhaps ended, at a sunbaked cluster of tents and temporary housing on an American military base in the Balkans.

While more than 78,000 Afghans have arrived in the U.S. for resettlement since August, the future for those who have been flagged for additional security vetting and diverted to Camp Bondsteel, in the small nation of Kosovo, remains up in the air. The U.S. wont force the dozens there to return to Afghanistan, where they could face reprisals.

Their frustration is growing. Some Afghans at the base, which has been shrouded in secrecy, took the unusual step last week of staging a protest, holding up signs with messages such as we want justice, according to photos sent to the Associated Press.

They just keep repeating the same things, that it takes time and we must be patient, one of the Afghans, Muhammad Arif Sarwari, said in a text message from the base.

Their complaints open a window into an aspect of the evacuation and resettlement of Afghans that has gotten little attention because U.S. authorities, and the government of Kosovo, have been reluctant to say much about the people sent to Bondsteel.

The base houses a mix of adults and children. Sarwari, a former senior intelligence official with the Afghan government, said there are about 45 people there, representing about 20 or so individual visa cases, after a flight to the U.S. left with 27 of the refugees on Wednesday.

The Biden administration wont provide details, but acknowledges that some of the evacuees did not make it through what it calls a



a multilayered, rigorous screening and vetting process and wont be permitted to enter the U.S.

While the vast majority of Afghan evacuees have been cleared through this process, the small number of individuals who have been denied are examples of the system working exactly as it should, said Sean Savett, a spokesman for the National Security Council.

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In all, about 600 Afghans have passed through Bondsteel, according to the government of Kosovo, which initially authorized use of the base for evacuees for a year but recently agreed to extend that authorization until August 2023.

Kosovo, which gained independence from Serbia in 2008 with U.S. support, has provided little information about the Afghans at Bondsteel, citing the privacy of the refugees. Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a statement that the government is proud of its role providing temporary shelter to them.

Afghans are housed in a section of Bondsteel called Camp Liya, named for an Afghan child handed to the U.S. Marines over a fence at the airport in Kabul during the evacuation, according to a U.S. military publication.

It was the chaotic nature of that evacuation that led to the need for an overseas facility in the first place. As the Afghan government collapsed, thousands of people made it onto military transport planes with minimal screening before they arrived at one of several overseas transit points.

The people sent to Bondsteel were stopped and diverted for a host of reasons, including missing or flawed documents or security concerns that emerged during overseas vetting by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, officials have said.

At the same time, some in Congress have criticized the administration for what they say has been inadequate vetting of Afghans.

Sarwari made it to Kuwait from Afghanistan in early September with his wife and two of his daughters and says he doesnt know why hes been held up. He was a prominent figure in Afghanistan, serving as the director of intelligence after the U.S. invasion in 2001. Before that, he was a top official with the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance.

Both positions would make him a target of the Taliban if he were to return.

The vetting team keeps telling us, sorry, Washington is just deciding some political issues, he said.

Sarwari has applied for a special visa issued to people who worked for the U.S. government or its allies during the war. He has not received a response, according to his lawyer, Julie Sirrs.

In theory, he is free to leave, but its not clear where he could go, Sirrs said. He obviously cannot return to Afghanistan. Hes clearly in danger if he returns.

He and others live a circumscribed existence at Bondsteel. Although technically not detained, they cannot leave the arid, rocky base and have spent months in tents, which were adorned with handwritten signs during last weeks protest. One said, Unfair decision, while another said, Children are suffering.

The Biden administration says authorities have determined that some  it wont say how many  simply cannot be allowed to enter the U.S. It is working to find other countries that are willing to accept them for resettlement. No one will be forcibly returned to Afghanistan, the NSC spokesperson said.

Associated Press writer Llazar Semini contributed from Tirana, Albania.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska at a hearing on Capitol Hill on March 23, 2022. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Republican Sen. Ben Sasse gave a speech Thursday night largely criticizing his party.

Sasse said that using cable news to campaign to the "new angry octogenarian" may be ineffective.

He also claimed that "the loudest politicians and the media demagogues" still go viral.

Nebraska Republican Sen. Ben Sasse warned that his fellow GOP politicians rely too much on cable television.

Sasse's remarks were part of a nearly hour-long speech Thursday night at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute's "A Time for Choosing" speaker series. The series at the California presidential library centered on the future of the Republican party.

The Nebraska senator used the platform primarily to criticize his party for appealing too heavily to a small population of aging TV viewers, saying the strategy lacked longevity.

"Politicians who spend their days shouting in Congress, so they can spend their nights shouting on cable, are peddling crack  mostly to the already addicted, but also with glittery hopes of finding a new angry octogenarian out there," he said.

Sasse claims that less than 2% of the country watches cable on any given day.

"And this 2% is not remotely representative of the country. The median age of an MSNBC viewer is 68. CNN, basically the same," said the senator. Insider was unable to confirm that percentage. However, 2021 data from Neilson found that in 2021, the median age for both Fox and MSNBC viewers was 68 years old. The CNN median age was 64 so far this year, according to the Washington Post.

A February 2022 survey conducted by Statista, a data provider, found that 21% of US adults relied on cable to get their daily news, while 36% said that they never used cable news for news.

"Fox evening programming has an even more geriatric audience. Gen-Xers and Millennials and Zoomers (the generations that make up our entire future) are not listening to any of the fanservice media," he continued.

The Nebraska Senator also took issue with using social media to send out messages to the public. He brought up the topic again at the Thursday event, saying "Political Twitter isn't real."

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Sasse had previously spoken about the intersection between social media and politics while also calling out members of both parties, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Matt Gaetz, and Marjorie Taylor Greene.

"The vast majority of traffic on Twitter is driven by well under 2% of the public. And yet politicians  again, left and right are barely distinguishable  in seeking to cater to this tiny minority and the algorithms that drive addicted-engagement," the Republican claimed in his speech.

"Nonetheless, the loudest politicians and the media demagogues who enable and encourage them still daily go viral just by preaching to their little siloed choirs," he added.

Sasse also took a jab at President Biden's chief of staff, Ron Klain, for his Twitter usage.

Biden "immediately handed the staffing of his White House to far-left 20-somethings and a chief of staff who literally lives on Twitter," Sasse said in his Reagan Library speech. "That is Ron Klain's constituency."

Sasse did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Klain declined Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
TheBlast

On Tuesday morning, Lyssa Chapman told the world that she was officially married to her girlfriend, Leiana Evensen, who she calls Lei. Chapman is the daughter of Dog the Bounty Hunter, who didnt seem to be in attendance at a beautiful wedding ceremony in Hawaii. The two have been together for five years and finally []
Space is important to us and thats why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here.

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The Space Force and NASA separately announced contract selections for several different programs this week, confirming United Launch Alliance and SpaceX will launch the dozen-plus missions on top of already packed manifests.

The Space Force's Space Systems Command recently announced both companies were selected for a slate of national security missions, like intelligence-gathering satellites, scheduled to fly through 2024. Of the eight missions assigned, ULA won five and SpaceX was awarded three.

Most will launch from the Eastern Range, meaning Cape Canaveral Space Force Station or Kennedy Space Center. SpaceX operates a pad on both facilities, while ULA uses the Cape. Two missions will launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The Space Force selected the companies' two main products: SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and ULA's Vulcan Centaur. The latter is still in development and has not yet flown, but ULA is targeting late this year for Vulcan's premiere.

United Launch Alliance's upcoming Vulcan Centaur rocket, left, and SpaceX's Falcon 9, right, were chosen by the Space Force's Space Systems Command for eight national security missions through 2024.

Though sparse on details due to security, the Space Force missions include:

ULA: The seventh of 10 Global Positioning System satellites, GPS III-7, will fly from Cape Canaveral.

ULA: The last Wideband Global SatCom communications satellite, WGS-11, will also launch from the Cape.

ULA: Vulcan Centaur was selected for three more Cape missions, but the Space Force said nearly all details are classified.

SpaceX: USSF-124, also a classified payload, will launch from Vandenberg.

SpaceX: USSF-62, which includes an environmental and space weather satellite, will also fly from Vandenberg.

SpaceX: Finally, a Falcon 9 will launch the Space Development Agency's second batch of satellites to help build a large network for intelligence gathering and communications. Vandenberg will host.

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The selections build on an already rapid launch cadence at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral. Both companies have dozens of missions on their short-term manifests slated to fly in the near future, potentially pushing the Eastern Range toward its unofficial one-launch-a-week goal.

NASA adds to SpaceX contract

SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket are seen at Kennedy Space Center pad 39A just before the launch of Crew-3 astronauts on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021.

NASA this week also said it selected SpaceX to fly an additional five missions to the International Space Station, all of which would take astronauts to and from the outpost in low-Earth orbit.

The agency said the modification to SpaceX's existing contract was necessary after the ISS program was extended to 2030. The company has so far flown five crewed missions for NASA.

Phil McAllister, director of commercial space at NASA, said the decision comes on the heels of a successful flight by Boeing's Starliner capsule to and from the ISS in May. Starliner could fly its first batch of astronauts late this year or early next year, giving NASA two vehicles  along with SpaceX's Crew Dragon  to take astronauts to and from the ISS.

"However, we will need additional missions from SpaceX to implement our strategy of having each commercial provider flying alternating missions once per year," McAllister said in a release. "Our goal has always been to have multiple providers for crewed transportation to the space station. SpaceX has been reliably flying two NASA crewed missions per year, and now we must backfill those flights to help safely meet the agencys long-term needs."

NASA selected Boeing and SpaceX in 2014 under multibillion-dollar contracts to replace the space shuttle, which retired three years earlier. This week's announcement also comes after the agency selected SpaceX for three more missions  Crew-7, 8, and 9  that will begin flying in 2023.

"The current sole source modification does not preclude NASA from seeking additional contract modifications in the future for additional transportation services as needed," NASA said."

It remains to be seen if reports of a Russian cosmonaut flying on Crew Dragon, circulating since at least last year, will come to fruition at NASA. A recent report by Ars Technica quoted a NASA official as saying the option was still on the table, but required more work with Russia  in other words, not very soon.

The selection of SpaceX comes as founder Elon Musk this week took aim at work-from-home policies across his companies. He said employees of the automaker Tesla, whether working hands-on projects or not, will have to be in the office at least 40 hours a week or leave the company.

"Anyone who wishes to do remote work must be in the office for a minimum (and I mean minimum) of 40 hours per week or depart Tesla," he said in a leaked, all-hands email.

When asked about the email on Twitter, Musk said those employees "should pretend to work somewhere else."

The Space Coast's next launch, meanwhile, is on target for the late afternoon of Wednesday, June 8. A Falcon 9 rocket will launch an Egyptian communications satellite for operator NileSat from the Cape's Launch Complex 40 sometime between 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. EDT. The mission will fly east and include a drone ship landing.

For the latest, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.

Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @EmreKelly.

Launch Wednesday, June 8

Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9

Mission: NileSat-301 communications satellite

Launch Time: 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. EDT

Launch Complex: 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

Trajectory: East

Landing: Drone ship

Weather: Forecast expected Monday

Visit floridatoday.com/space at 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 8, for real-time updates and video.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Space Force and NASA order more than a dozen launches from ULA, SpaceX
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Finland and Sweden joining NATO would put Russia in a difficult military position in the Baltic Sea, top U.S. General Mark Milley said on Saturday during a visit to Stockholm ahead of a military exercise.

The two Nordic neighbours, which both have long borders on the Baltic Sea, applied last month to join the military alliance amid security concerns after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, although they face objections from Turkey.

Their joining would mean the Baltic Sea's coastline would, bar short strips around Russian cities Kaliningrad and St Petersburg, be encircled by NATO members.

"So from a Russian perspective that will be very problematic for them, militarily speaking, and it would be very advantageous to NATO," said Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"The Baltic (Sea is) very strategically important, it's one of the great seaways of the world," Milley added.

He was speaking at a joint news conference with his Swedish counterpart, the Swedish prime minister and the Swedish defence minister ahead of an annual NATO exercise in the Baltic Sea that Sweden and Finland take part in.

With Sweden and Finland's hopes to join NATO, the war in Ukraine has triggered the very kind of enlargement of the alliance on Russia's borders that President Vladimir Putin's invasion sought to prevent.

Putin said last month there was no threat to Russia if Sweden and Finland joined NATO, although he cautioned that Moscow would respond if the U.S.-led alliance bolstered military infrastructure in the new Nordic members.

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson described the U.S. military visit as a concrete demonstration of assurances President Joe Biden gave her and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto when they went to Washington in May.

"This is a strong signal to the world. And it also shows that the security assurances that President Biden was very outspoken on ... in the White House is actually also followed with concrete action," she said.

(Reporting by Anna Ringstrom and Johan Ahlander in Stockholm, and David Morgan in Washington; Editing by Frances Kerry)
It was the BMD-4 with the Thales-made Catherine FC thermal imaging camera that took part in the shelling of Ukrainian civilian cars in Bucha.

I saw a post by volunteers on a social network, and together with my fellow lawyers we launched our own probe into the French manufacturer's involvement in Russia's military aggression against Ukraine.

Oleksandr Dubilet,

Chairman of the Board of CB "PrivatBank" (1997-2016), Financial and banking expert

So-called exemplary company

In France, Thales is not just a public company. There are three arguments to support this assertion.

1) The company specializes in the manufacture of systems for military, aerospace and maritime purposes

2) The company's shares are listed on the Paris Stock Exchange

3) It is not so much the private shareholder (the Dassault family with its 24.62% share) that is important, but the French government and its 25.67% share. Simply put, a company that is more than a quarter controlled by the French government, exports components that kill Ukrainians.

Thales

According to open sources, Thales supplied Catherine FC thermal imaging cameras to Russia, which were used to manufacture the Essa, Plissa and Sosna-U thermal sighting systems. They enhance the combat capabilities of modified Russian T-80, T-90, T-72 tanks and other military vehicles.

Conscious violators

After photo and video evidence of "fruitful" cooperation between Thales and Russia appeared on the Internet thanks to volunteers, my fellow lawyers and I have found real evidence that Thales supplied these combat components after the imposition of sanctions related to Russia's annexation of the Crimea.

Since this model of equipment was created in 2016, foreign manufacturers had to supply components at least a year earlier. Consequently, Thales sold military goods and technologies to Russia after the introduction of the first wave of sanctions (Council Regulation (EU) No. 833/2014 of July 31, 2014).

Catherine FC

Are these sanctions significant? Undoubtedly. In 2015, Thales failed to sign a $1.3 billion deal to supply two helicopter carriers to Russia. Instead, both ships were sold to Egypt.

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I will also talk about a lesser-known episode of illegal but profitable cooperation between Thales and the aggressor state. The French company Sofradir, a subsidiary company of Thales, specializes in the manufacture of infrared detectors for military, space and commercial use.

According to NGO Disclose, in 2016, the company supplied 83 infrared detectors (S24) and 258 infrared detectors (S02) to Russia's CJSC TPK Linkos.

What is Linkos? According to the Arms of Russia information agency, Linkos specializes in the development and production of computers and communications equipment, optical, optical and electronic and microwave systems and complexes, night vision equipment and quantum electronics products.

In addition, Sofradir supplied 138 infrared detectors (S10) to JSC NPO GIPO, the Russian state institute of applied optics, which develops and manufactures optical and electronic systems. Since 2008, GIPO has been a part of the Rostekhnologii state corporation.

Mutually beneficial cooperation between this subsidiary of Thales and Russian military institutions is evidenced by two decisions (documents 1 and 2) of the 2016 Inter-ministerial Commission for the Study of Military Exports (CIEMMG) of France. According to the documents found by our team, French officials allowed Sofradir to supply military technology and goods despite the sanctions.

In 2019, Sofradir and Ulis merged and created a new company  Lynred. The well-known Thales is a 50% shareholder in Lynred.

The conclusion is simple: Sofradir actually misled the Inter-ministerial Commission by concluding an additional agreement "to fulfill the contract." The additional agreement extended the contract and aimed at circumventing sanctions for further supplies of military technology to Russia.

I and my colleagues found information that proves that Thales violated the sanctions in both the first (thermal imaging cameras) and the second (infrared detectors, through the subsidiary Sofradir) episodes, in the public domain (!). In my opinion, this illustrates the perception of sanctions very well. That is, the above French companies did not even bother to conceal evidence of their sanctions violations.

Demanding action

An EU Council decision bans the supply of dual-use goods and technology to Russia. However, you may be interested to know that this document has a loophole that reads as follows: the authorized state body may issue a license to supply such goods under contracts concluded before August 1, 2014.

And the French company Thales took full advantage of it, deliberately extending the old contracts through additional agreements and actually supplying military goods in 2015-2018.

My team of lawyers is working on each of two episodes of criminal cooperation between Thales and its subsidiary Sofradir with Russia. We have sent statements to the EU Council as the body that imposed the sanctions, as well as informing the law enforcement agencies, in particular, the French prosecutor's office. Our goal is to open criminal cases based on these statements.

Having revealed the corporate structure of Thales and identified the shareholders (in particular, the French government), we plan to address the shareholders of this company, French banks, secondary monitoring bodies and stock exchanges and demand that they take appropriate action against sanctions violators.

As in the case of our legal "hunt" for the Belgian company New Lachaussee, which supplied ammunition equipment for the Kalashnikov concern, the purpose of international lawsuits against Thales is to punish violators of sanctions and show the toxicity of any cooperation with the aggressor state.

At a time when Ukrainians are dying for European values, Europe must be completely on our side.
Spending time in a cemetery offers a unique window into the country's history, according to John Appell.

The owner of Atlas Preservation in Southington, Connecticut, is on a cross-country tour to aid in restoring an aspect of history that often goes overlooked: tombstones and cemetery monuments. On day 16 of his tour Thursday, Appell held a workshop at the historic St. Michael's Cemetery in Pensacola.

An expert in monument and historic masonry, Appell and his company specialize in the restoration and preservation of historic cemetery monuments. Appell is also credited with providing the most cemetery restoration training workshops in the United States.

Appell will be traveling to 48 states to visit 48 cemeteries, while hosting free educational and hands-on monument restoration workshops. The workshops include a "walk and talk" in which he educates participants on the geology of the stones, different deterioration mechanisms, the evolution of different styles of gravestones and the influences of different revival styles from Europe.

Previously: Want to learn how to restore old gravestones? Here's your chance!

You may be interested in: Infants' unmarked graves pepper this Florida cemetery. One woman set out to give them names

Following the lecture, attendants participate in cleaning the gravestones, utilizing the specialized materials and cleaning techniques taught by the expert.

Appell said Thursday that "most of the growth (on gravestones) is biological in origin," which includes algae, lichen, moss, fungus and mold. Lichens are the most visible and often easiest to remove, while mold is commonly underneath the lichens. D2 biological solution and synthetic soft-bristle or Tampico brushes are used to safely remove these microorganisms.

John Appell, owner of Atlas Preservation in Southington, Connecticut, teaches a group of volunteers nondestructive cleaning and restoration techniques for cleaning gravestones at the historic St. Michael's Cemetery on Thursday.

University of West Florida archaeologist Margo Stringfield, who contacted Appell through mutual friends, said working with him doesn't just help the cemetery; it also helps build the confidence of the volunteers.

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"He gives people confidence and knowledge of what they can do to be helpful," Stringfield said. "It's a wonderful educational tool. It makes people at ease when they're handling historic monuments."

Appell said he first came in contact with St. Michael's Cemetery during his 2021 regional tour, noting it is unique compared to other cemeteries in the state of Florida.

"It's bigger than it looks. It's unusual that a cemetery this big doesn't have some kind of road going through it," Appell said. "There has been a lot of work done here historically. It has an unusual history for this region due to the number of monuments, crypts, vaults and histories here."

Rachel Burt puts her newfound cleaning skills to the test at St. Michael's Cemetery in Pensacola on Thursday. Burt and other volunteers participated in a workshop at St. Michael's to learn non-destructive ways to clean grave markers.

St. Michael's Cemetery is an 8-acre green space in the heart of historic Pensacola, and it is believed the cemetery has been in use since the mid to late 18th century.

As Appell continues his national tour, he hopes to educate people on the proper guidelines for restoring gravestones and reminds his workshop participants that anyone can participate in this historic event.

"There are many ways to learn and I recommend people research how to handle tombstones because improper techniques can be harmful to historic structures. This carries beyond gravestones into buildings. It's all interrelated," Appell said.

To see more of Appell's restoration efforts and for future tour dates, visit 48statetour.com.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: St. Michaels Cemetery restoration in Pensacola gets national help
Even when a business is losing money, it's possible for shareholders to make money if they buy a good business at the right price. For example, although Amazon.com made losses for many years after listing, if you had bought and held the shares since 1999, you would have made a fortune. Nonetheless, only a fool would ignore the risk that a loss making company burns through its cash too quickly.

So should Prescient Therapeutics (ASX:PTX) shareholders be worried about its cash burn? In this report, we will consider the company's annual negative free cash flow, henceforth referring to it as the 'cash burn'. Let's start with an examination of the business' cash, relative to its cash burn.

Check out our latest analysis for Prescient Therapeutics

When Might Prescient Therapeutics Run Out Of Money?

A cash runway is defined as the length of time it would take a company to run out of money if it kept spending at its current rate of cash burn. In December 2021, Prescient Therapeutics had AU$15m in cash, and was debt-free. Importantly, its cash burn was AU$3.9m over the trailing twelve months. Therefore, from December 2021 it had 3.8 years of cash runway. A runway of this length affords the company the time and space it needs to develop the business. The image below shows how its cash balance has been changing over the last few years.

How Is Prescient Therapeutics' Cash Burn Changing Over Time?

Although Prescient Therapeutics reported revenue of AU$1.4m last year, it didn't actually have any revenue from operations. That means we consider it a pre-revenue business, and we will focus our growth analysis on cash burn, for now. With the cash burn rate up 12% in the last year, it seems that the company is ratcheting up investment in the business over time. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but investors should be mindful of the fact that will shorten the cash runway. Admittedly, we're a bit cautious of Prescient Therapeutics due to its lack of significant operating revenues. So we'd generally prefer stocks from this list of stocks that have analysts forecasting growth.

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Can Prescient Therapeutics Raise More Cash Easily?

Given its cash burn trajectory, Prescient Therapeutics shareholders may wish to consider how easily it could raise more cash, despite its solid cash runway. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. One of the main advantages held by publicly listed companies is that they can sell shares to investors to raise cash and fund growth. By comparing a company's annual cash burn to its total market capitalisation, we can estimate roughly how many shares it would have to issue in order to run the company for another year (at the same burn rate).

Prescient Therapeutics has a market capitalisation of AU$118m and burnt through AU$3.9m last year, which is 3.3% of the company's market value. Given that is a rather small percentage, it would probably be really easy for the company to fund another year's growth by issuing some new shares to investors, or even by taking out a loan.

How Risky Is Prescient Therapeutics' Cash Burn Situation?

It may already be apparent to you that we're relatively comfortable with the way Prescient Therapeutics is burning through its cash. In particular, we think its cash runway stands out as evidence that the company is well on top of its spending. Although its increasing cash burn does give us reason for pause, the other metrics we discussed in this article form a positive picture overall. Looking at all the measures in this article, together, we're not worried about its rate of cash burn; the company seems well on top of its medium-term spending needs. On another note, Prescient Therapeutics has 5 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit unpleasant) we think you should know about.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies insiders are buying, and this list of stocks growth stocks (according to analyst forecasts)

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Tunisian police used pepper spray Saturday to disperse protesters against President Kais Saied and a planned July referendum, nearly a year after he seized wide-ranging powers in what opponents decry as a coup.

The police blocked the protesters, who numbered around 100, as they attempted to reach the headquarters of the electoral commission, whose chief Saied replaced last month in a further extension of his control of state institutions.

Some at the protest in Tunis, organised by five small political parties, held up placards reading "the president's commission = fraud commission".

"The police... sprayed gas in our faces and attacked us," said Hamma Hammami, head of the Tunisian Workers' Party.

Saied on July 25 sacked the government and suspended parliament, which he later dissolved in moves that sparked fears for the only democracy to have emerged from the Arab Spring uprisings.

He has laid out plans for a referendum next month on a replacement of the 2014 constitution that had enshrined a mixed parliamentary-presidential system often plagued by deadlock and nepotism.

But the draft of the new constitution, which is to be put to the public in a simple yes/no vote, has not yet been published.

One placard at Saturday's protest read: "I don't need your referendum and I don't care about your constitution."

On April 22, Saied gave himself powers to appoint three of the seven members of the electoral commission, including the president.

Then last month he replaced commission chief Nabil Baffoun, a critic of the president's July power grab, appointing former commission member Farouk Bouasker to the position.

Saturday also marked the start of a national dialogue organised by Saied but boycotted by opponents, including the powerful UGTT trade union, on the grounds that it excludes key civil society actors and political parties.

Saied's opponents accuse him of moving towards an autocracy.

Some Tunisians however support his moves against a system they say achieved little in the decade since a 2011 revolt that toppled dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

par/dwo
The execution of a search warrant led to two known Merced gang members being arrested on suspicion of possessing a ghost gun and narcotics Friday morning, according to police.

An officer obtained information Jonathan Aguilar, 21, and Elijah Ervin, 22, were selling narcotics in the 500 block of Stratford Court in Merced.

Members of the Merced Police Departments Gang Violence Suppression Unit helped officers serve a search warrant for their residence, according to a news release.

Police located approximately 1 ounce of fentanyl pills, 14 grams of cocaine, and a 9mm ghost gun during the search of the home.

Both Ervin and Aguilar, who police say are known gang members, were booked into Merced County Jail on suspicion of sales of narcotics, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and gang enhancements.

Aguilars bond is set at $570,000 and Ervins bond is set at $185,000, according to jail records.

Merced police are asking anyone with any information regarding this crime to contact Officer Brian Laguna at 209-388-7709 or by email at LagunaB@CityofMerced.org.
DENYS KARLOVSKYI  FRIDAY, 3 JUNE 2022, 21:08

The Armed Forces of Ukraine have pushed Russian occupation forces back from Sievierodonetsk, reclaiming 20% of the city.

Source: Serhii Haidai, the head of the Luhansk Oblast Military Administration, during the 24/7 national newscast

Quote: "Before this, the situation was tense, and around 70% [of Sievierodonetsk - ed.] was captured; currently, they [the Russian occupation forces - ed.] have been pushed back by 20% [by the Ukrainian Armed Forces - ed.].

Of course, [the Russian forces] are trying to transfer troops to the area in order to capture Sievierodonetsk. But even the DPR [the self-declared Donetsk Peoples Republic - ed.] recruits are now refusing to fight for what they call the LPR [the Luhansk Peoples Republic - ed.]."

Details: According to Haidai, Russian occupation forces are suffering significant losses every day  in terms of both personnel and equipment  in the battle for Sievierodonetsk. He added that in the last couple of days there has been information about deaths among the Kadyrovites [the soldiers under the command of the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov - ed.]. He believes that this might mean that the Russian troops were forced to face the fact that their claims  that Sievierodonetsk was entirely under the control of the Russian army and that the Kadyrovites could safely roll in  were lies.

Haidai disagreed with the predictions of some of the Western experts, who suggest that Russian occupation forces will be able to establish full control over Sievierodonetsk over the course of the next two weeks. He said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have received reinforcements which significantly strengthen their efforts in preventing the Russian troops from capturing the city.

The head of the Luhansk Military Administration explained that the Russian occupiers first fire on Ukrainian positions from various types of weapons (artillery, tanks, mortars) and then mount infantry attacks. The advancing Russian troops are then killed under the fire of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and after that, the occupiers artillery resumes firing on various positions across Sievierodonetsk.

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Haidai insisted that the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be able to push the Russian artillery back as soon as long-range artillery reinforcements arrive at the frontline. In turn, if Ukrainian soldiers manage to destroy Russian artillery, the Russian infantry will flee.

Background:
Members of Congress, U.S. Navy brass and submarine manufacturing workers on Saturday celebrated the start of construction on the U.S. Navys next-generation Columbia-class nuclear ballistic submarine.

General Dynamics Electric Boat, the Connecticut- and Rhode Island-based manufacturer, organized a symbolic keel-laying ceremony, reminiscent of early shipbuilding when the central timber, the backbone of a ship, was put in place, marking the start of construction. The future USS District of Columbia was the focus of the gathering at Electric Boats Quonset Point, R.I., shipyard.

The Columbia is a top priority of the Navys and represents a critical piece of the U.S. nuclear deterrence and national security strategy, said Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2, and chairman of a House Armed Services subcommittee. It will replace 14 Ohio-class submarines due to begin to retire from service in 2027 following a more than 40-year run.

The District of Columbia is the first ship in the new class of ballistic missile submarines being built for the U.S. Navy by Electric Boat.

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington, D.C.s representative in the U.S. House of Representatives, reminded the audience that Washington, D.C., does not have voting representation in the House and no senators represent the districts more than 700,000 residents.

She said she was informed by the Navy in 2016 the Columbia would recognize residents of the District of Columbia with this great honor and in particular our service members and veterans who have fought in every American war since our nations founding, all without voting representation in Congress.

It is fitting that it recognizes the jurisdiction that will become the 51st state of the United States of America, Norton said to applause.

She later signed her initials that were welded onto a ceremonial plate.

U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the Quonset Point and Groton shipyards have grown over the past 30 years into massive complexes. A 200,000 square foot assembly building is going up at the Groton shipyard as part of an $850 million expansion to accommodate a significant increase in construction related to the Columbia and Virginia-class submarines.

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Electric Boat cant hire fast enough. It said in January it plans to hire more than 3,000 workers this year, a 20% increase over 2021 as U.S. military strategy faces rising threats in the North Atlantic from Russia and the South Pacific from China.

At 560 feet and displacing 20,810 tons, the District of Columbia will be the largest submarine ever built by the U.S., Electric Boat said. Its reactor will not require refueling during the lifetime of planned service, maximizing its time on deployment. In addition to the missiles the District of Columbia will carry, it will be armed with Mk 48 torpedoes and feature superior acoustic performance and state-of-the-art sensors to make it the most capable and quiet submarine ever built, according to Electric Boat.

The Navys fiscal year 2023 budget estimates the total cost of a 12-ship class of Columbia at $112.7 billion, according to an April report by the Congressional Research Service.

The research agency identified several risks, including a a delay in designing and building the lead Columbia-class boat that could jeopardize the Navys ability to have it ready for its first scheduled patrol in 2031, cost increases that could have an impact on funding of other Navy programs and potential supplier challenges related to building Columbia-class and Virginia-class submarines at the same time.

Stephen Singer can be reached at ssinger@courant.com.
Theres something unsettling about this flag-wielding, trifle-eating agenda (Getty Images)

Call me a killjoy, but I am anything but inspired by the jubilee spirit. In fact, the red white and blue mania that has swept the nation has me feeling a little sick to my stomach. The Union Jack bunting and the garish flags bearing the Queens face and the double-page spreads telling us how to make coronation chicken sandwiches all strike me as tone-deaf at best, and a sinister distraction at worst.

Even if you set aside personal opinions about the royal family, or the very notion of monarchy itself, theres something unsettling about this flag-wielding, trifle-eating agenda being thrust in our faces from all directions. Whilst were being told to roll out the bunting and spend the afternoon with neighbours we havent interacted with since those 8 oclock clapping sessions, what is being hidden from sight?

Were in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis so profound that every day two million adults cannot afford to eat, people are turning down vegetables at food banks because of the energy cost to cook them and children are becoming ill with food poisoning because their parents are unplugging fridges and freezers at night to save on the electricity bills. The poorest households are being plunged into a level of destitution that only looks to be getting worse with energy prices set to soar again in the autumn.

And all the while we have a prime minister who partied through the pandemic, a chancellor on the Sunday Times Rich List, and a whole host of MPs convinced that some cooking and budgeting lessons will stop thousands having to rely on food banks.

Given this is a time when the divide between rich and poor is greater than ever, it feels all the more crass to celebrate an institution that represents inherited, hoarded wealth and unaccountable privilege. When parents are skipping meals so their children can eat, why are we spending 28 million of the taxpayers money on an establishment that embodies elitism and imperialism?

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I know, I know. Some will say that if our nation is already gripped by the worst living conditions in decades, why not cheer everyone up with a four-day weekend and a little street party or two? But this weaponised nostalgia being churned out by the media and propelled by the government is not the work of plain patriotism  and its not there to give us all a jolly good time.

It is a deliberate distraction from the failings of the state, a dangerous nod towards nationalism  and it has us all eating right out of the Conservative Partys hands. The government might not have invented the jubilee, but they sure are using it to their advantage.

In the post-Brexit era where everything is a culture war threatening traditional British way of life, invoking the Blitz spirit works in the governments favour. Meaningless gestures like a return to imperial measurements evoke a nostalgia for a fictional bygone era of Britain and a senseless rejection of globalism: notions that spawned Brexit and appeal to a lot of Conservative voters.

The Tories rely on this idea of the good old days to keep these voters loyal and the rest of us less focused on current living conditions. Through this jubilee-induced wave of patriotism, Boris Johnson is reconfiguring himself from a Prime Minister who broke the law in office and is facing a potential coup by his own party, into a Churchill-type saviour bringing Britain back to her glory days, fighting against the naysayers and the woke.

Incumbent leaders always benefit from crises like wars but the truth is, if we are in a war then it is one of the governments own making, and it is a war against the most disadvantaged in our nation. This is no random war that has sprung out of nowhere threatening our shores, we are living the legacy of 12 years of Tory rule. This war is the result of over a decade of austerity, cuts to public services and slashes to state support for the most vulnerable.

To keep up to speed with all the latest opinions and comment sign up to our free weekly Voices Dispatches newsletter by clicking here

We are told that it is our patriotic duty to celebrate the jubilee. That Britishness constitutes rallying around our flag and monarch. For ethnic minority Brits like me, theres an extra layer of gratitude  we should be grateful to be here, apparently.

But I look around me and I see a country where pensioners are forced back into work to make ends meet and pawnbrokers are experiencing record demand as people sell off their most sentimental items just to get by. I see a country where child poverty is so dire that it is fuelling an increase in children entering the care system and where there are more food banks than branches of McDonalds . In the face of this, what is a street party and a slice of Victoria sponge except attempting to slap a Union-Jack-themed plaster over a huge gaping wound?
A drag performance set to be filmed Friday night in the small Utah town of St. George as part of an upcoming episode of HBO Max's We're Here will proceed despite opposition from local government officials, EW can confirm.

RuPaul's Drag Race alums Shangela, Bob the Drag Queen, and Eureka are expected to participate as planned in the show, which will be featured in the third season of the Emmy-nominated docuseries. The news comes after town officials raised concerns about the drag show filming near public children's spaces, like the St. George Children's Museum and the Town Square Park in the heart of the city.

"Like any show, we have challenges when it comes to production, but the challenges we have faced in St. George reveal the hidden forces that don't want LGBTQ people to be visible, to gather and to celebrate," co-creator Johnnie Ingram  who created the Emmy-nominated series alongside Stephen Warren  tells EW in a statement.

"Tonight's show will go on and is a step in the right direction for the community and we are proud that so many people came out to support us and our drag show," he continued. "We believe it's important to stand up for your rights and for what you believe in and to see the local community stand up for us and their right to exist and celebrate in such a majestic town is inspiring. That's the meaning of We're Here and we hope that our show is just the beginning of many, many more."

The shoot prompted council members to hold "emergency meetings" over permits to shoot in the town square, according to Southern Utah Pride Events Coordinator Morgan Barrick, who tells EW officials were up "in arms about having a drag show where children are able to come, even though it's a family drag show."

A source close to production says roughly 1,400 people RSVP'd to Friday's drag show, which will be featured in an episode chronicling the fallout from an LGBTQ-adjacent incident at school.

We're Here Eureka, Bob the Drag Queen, Shangela

Greg Endries /HBO 'We're Here' queens Eureka, Bob the Drag Queen, and Shangela.

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Councilwoman Michelle Tanner, the only council member to respond to EW's request for comment, denied holding emergency meetings, and maintained that her anti-show stance was not due to the program's LGBTQ content, but rather rooted in "protecting children in an appropriate location," away from a program that has been rated TV-MA (for mature audiences) by TV Parental Guidelines. (All 14 episodes of We're Here season 3 are rated TV-MA for strong language.)

Tanner says she did not formally call meetings to discuss revoking permits for the show but asked for a public hearing to discuss concerns over potential violations of city ordinances. "I conveyed that concern to the city manager. I did speak to other council members one-on-one and discussed concerns as well," explains Tanner, who also expressed dismay at the swiftness with which the permits were issued three days prior to Friday night's show.

A St. George spokesperson tells EW that "the permit process is administrative" and "handled by city staff," so, "if city staff denies a permit, the applicant may appeal the administrative decision to the City Council within five calendar days of the notice of the denial. Otherwise, the City Council is not involved in the permitting process."

Tanner insists "the LGBT was never part of my concern at all," adding, "I told several people I would go to the drag show, other than I don't feel it's appropriate in a children's location."

"I think when you are discussing more sexual related issues, at this point, I think we're seeing a lot of sexualization of children in general, so I don't feel like that's appropriate," she adds, later noting, "I've seen episodes where there are boobs shaken in the face. There's obviously mature content discussed, there are swear words, things like that."

Michelle Tanner

facebook Michelle Tanner posted about 'We're Here' filming permits in St. George, Utah.

Tanner caused concern among St. George's LGBT community,  who, according to local news, showed up in numbers to a council meeting Thursday to voice support for the drag show  when she shared a Facebook post on Thursday that included screen grabs of a letter she wrote to St. George's city manager Adam Lenhard, who did not respond to EW's request for comment.

"You can threaten me and try to discredit me all you want, I will not be silenced. There is a lot of misinformation in the community right now," Tanner wrote. "[The letter] may provide some clarification as to how an HBO, rated TV-MA drag show is being held outside our public children's museum and downtown children's play area/Town Square. Contrary to some of the messages I have been receiving labeling me a 'bigot' etc for requesting that a TV-MA HBO show be held in an appropriate mature venue (not a children's area), I actually support individual rights to live how you want to live. My brother is gay, I have friends who I love dearly who are gay and I have always supported them. Let's not confuse the issues here."

Per local news, a trans resident spoke up at Thursday's council meeting, urging officials to reconsider their opposition. "I understand that for you, being a city council member is a part-time job, but for me, being trans is something I have to deal with every goddamn day," August Carter said. "And I am terrified to stand in front of you and say that because there are people who want to erase people like me from this city, from this state, from this country, but like the HBO show says, we're here. We have always been here. There is no world where you wake up one day and queer people no longer exist."

The Rev. Craig Duke in 'We're Here'

Jakes Giles Netter/HBO The Rev. Craig Duke in 'We're Here'

We're Here previously made headlines when a pastor, Craig Duke, was relieved of his duties in 2021 after performing in drag on an episode set in rural Indiana. "You know, the church has always been a fickle place, faith has always been a challenging thing, but when you experience something that was such a high for our family and to have been accepted so widely by those that are either allies or in the LGBTQIA+ community, and then to be so rejected by those within the religious community and beyond, it was painful," he said on The Tamron Hall Show in April.

The We're Here production source tells EW that the show regularly has issues with booking venues for its drag performances in small towns around the country, as the queens visit their regions to perk up the spirits of local residents with drag makeovers that culminate in colorful performances near the end of the episode.

"Especially as Black people [and] as LGBTQIA+ people, we're still fighting for equality, we're fighting discrimination, we're fighting for acceptance and equal treatment for all people," Shangela previously told EW of a season 2 episode that saw the queens visiting the Edmund Pettus Bridge nearly 60 years after civil rights activists marched through the same spot in Selma, Ala. "Standing on that bridge as a Black gay person raised in the South, as someone who'd come to that town to help amplify the voices and find a community of support for the gays there, but also as a person that understood the significance of the moment, it was very powerful."

Subscribe to EW's BINGE podcast for full recaps of RuPaul's Drag Race, including weekly All Stars 7 recaps and reactions with the cast, special guests, and more.

Related content:
Chris Mathys, left, has attacked Republican Rep. David Valadao for voting to impeach then-President Donald Trump. (Photo: Getty Images/Facebook)

Chris Mathys, left, has attacked Republican Rep. David Valadao for voting to impeach then-President Donald Trump. (Photo: Getty Images/Facebook)

House Democrats most important super PAC is elevating an election-denying,Trump conservative on the television airwaves in a key House primary in central California.

The super PAC, House Majority PAC, is funding a 30-second TV advertisement promoting Chris Mathys, a right-wing challenger taking on Rep. David Valadao, a more moderate Republican running in Californias 22nd Congressional District. Mathys, a financier and rancher, has made Valadaos January vote to impeach then-President Donald Trump the centerpiece of his run.

Likening the two Republicans to cans of food with the same partisan label, House Majority PAC goes on to highlight differences in the candidates ideological ingredients in the hopes of turning right-leaning GOP primary voters against Valadao and toward Mathys.

David Valadao claims hes Republican  yet, David Valadao voted to impeach President Trump, the narrator says. Yeah, Valadao voted to impeach President Trump.

National Democrats, who see winning the Central Valley seat as a critical opportunity, would rather have Democrat Rudy Salas, a state assemblyman backed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, run against Mathys than a less-polarizing incumbent like Valadao. House Majority PAC, which is tied to House Democratic leaders, had spent more than $275,000 to help elect Salas as of Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Congressional Leadership Fund  House Majority PACs Republican counterpart  has invested in shoring up Valadao. The GOP group has spent nearly $500,000 trying to prevent Mathys from overtaking Valadao.

In Californias nonpartisan jungle primary election  due to conclude this Tuesday  the top two vote-getters from any political party proceed to the general election. As a result, Salas, Valadao, Mathys and other candidates are all vying for one of two slots on the November ballot.

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California Assemblyman Rudy Salas is Democrats' pick to flip a district in the Central Valley. (Photo: Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press)

California Assemblyman Rudy Salas is Democrats' pick to flip a district in the Central Valley. (Photo: Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press)

House Majority PACs intervention on Mathyss behalf is the latest example of Democrats trying to elevate ultra-MAGA Republicans in the hopes of making the most of an unfavorable national environment.

It mirrors the approach that Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro has taken in his Democratic run for governor. Facing a crowded field of potential GOP contenders, Shapiro chose to contrast himself with state Sen. Doug Mastriano, a right-wing election denier, emphasizing the Republicans ties to Trump.

Mastriano, who believes the 2020 presidential election was stolen and who entered the U.S. Capitol during the riot on Jan. 6, 2021, ended up winning the GOP gubernatorial nomination by a landslide.

Some Democrats worry, however, that in what is shaping up to be a Republican wave year, assisting figures like Mastriano is a gamble. If elected governor of a key swing state, Mastriano could overturn, or otherwise meddle with, the 2024 presidential election results.

Asked whether House Majority PACs effort to boost Mathys likewise risked clearing a path for Mathys to go to Washington, C.J. Warnke, a spokesperson for the super PAC, maintained in a statement that it did not.

Assemblymember Rudy Salas is the fighter Californians need in the 22nd district, and House Majority PAC feels strongly that come November, Salas will flip this district blue no matter who MAGA Republicans nominate on Tuesday, Warnke said.

Its not hard, however, to see why Democrats would prefer to face a more extreme Republican than Valadao.

Valadao has a record of distinguishing himself from the national Republican Party in the eyes of voters.

Democrats unseated him in 2018 only to have him retake his current seat, Californias 21st Congressional District, in 2020. Although President Joe Biden carried Californias 21st by more than 10 percentage points, Valadao still prevailed by a razor-thin margin.

Elevating Mathys is a smart decision, said Mike Mikus, a Pittsburgh-based Democratic strategist. In this type of environment, you have to take risks.

Whats more, Californias new 22nd District is slightly more Democratic than Valadaos current seat. That makes a general-election victory for Mathys quite unlikely. And as a member of Congress, rather than a governor, Mathys would have less influence over the administration of elections, Mikus noted.

If a crackpot wins a House seat in a district like this, in a Republican wave year, its not as damaging, Mikus said. Its one of 435 people.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
MONROE  Hundreds of people gathered Saturday for the Monacan Indian Nation Powwow, marking a return to the annual festival after a two-year break due to COVID-19.

Dancers took center stage in the middle of the day as several different groups played drums for a dancing competition. Vendors showed off traditional Monacan artwork, jewelry and clothing, and powwow attendees basked in the camaraderie that has been reduced within the tribe over the last two years in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chief Kenneth Branham said this was the first large gathering of any kind for the tribe since the previous powwow in 2019.

Its fantastic to be back out here, Branham said. The goal is to get people out here to see how native people celebrate, dance and just have a good time with family fun.

The two-day festival highlights the culture of Native American tribes, including the Monacans, showcasing dancing, regalia, and other traditions.

Attaquin Weeden, a dancer during the competition, traveled from Maine to take part in the powwow and has been working on his craft since he was a kid and was taught the art by his father.

Since I was a kid and could start walking, my father, I would just follow behind him and just watch his steps. After I started on my own, Id put a little more pep in my step and learn from other peoples moves, Weeden said.

Now, Weeden travels to powwows up and down the East Coast, dancing in competitions in his bright blue regalia, hoping to honor those came before him.

I was told when you wear bright colors, the ancestors can see you better and can watch over you, he said. So when Im out there I pray for my loved ones and the ones here with me, just to represent my family.

Several groups of drummers performed music for dancers such as Weeden. One group, Red Clay, is enjoying being back performing as a group at powwows.

Matthew Richardson, a drummer for Red Clay, which includes several different tribes from North Carolina, said we just appreciate the togetherness of being at something like this.

Pre-pandemic, we had a whole schedule, but that didnt happen, so were excited to travel again and just to be around the drum again.

Richardson said the group was excited to try out some new songs during the two-day event this weekend.

Prior to the two-year break, the tribe hosted the powwow every year, with the original location being on Elon Road in Monroe. With a new venue  at 225 Laurel Cliff Road in Monroe  and beautiful backdrop, according to Branham, the tribe is excited for a new era of the powwow.

This year, said Diane Shields, a historian of the tribe, marks the 28th Monacan Indian Nation Powwow, and it brought new life to the festivities.

Its like a new breath of fresh air. We just all needed this. Its like we lost part of our culture not being able to do this kind of thing, Shields said.

Shields said the family nature of the event is her favorite thing, allowing visitors to see people they usually dont get the opportunity to, and to see people grow up through the years.

With festivities continuing Sunday on the grounds, Branham said that the most exciting part of the entire show is the grand entry, as well as the retiring of the colors, which happens at the end of the days festivities.

I can remember back at Elon when we had like 60 dancers. I think theres 60 just Monacan dancers now. So weve had around 150 dancers today and I love it because you see all different types of dancers and people with kids of their own who used to be children themselves, she said.

The grand entry, which has become the highlight of the day for many powwow attendees, is at noon each day, when all of the dancers enter the area and are led by the head dancers and veterans of the tribe.

Branham said the camaraderie that comes from having casual dancers along with competitive dancers really helps the festival grow.

When we went to non-competition, little kids were behind the booths learning how to dance, and thats what we wanted, he said.

In past years, Branham and the tribe leadership wanted to emphasize education about Native Americans, specifically the Monacans. Events like the powwow give them the chance to put on a show for people who might not be knowledgeable about Native American culture.

We want to be good neighbors. And part of being good neighbors is doing things like this and educating and having the public there, Branham said.

The powwow will continue from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday with dancing, vendors and other traditional Monacan festivities. Tickets can be bought at the gate for $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 6-12. Children under age 5 get in free.

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As more people in Central Virginia begin to get outdoors to enjoy summertime activities, health officials from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) are beginning to notice a rise in COVID-19 cases in the region.

Cali Anderson, an epidemiologist with the VDH, said new cases over this years Memorial Day weekend were roughly five times higher in Central Virginia than they were at the same time last year, and new cases are continuing to trend upwards in the Central Virginia Health District.

The Central Virginia Health District consists of Lynchburg and the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford and Campbell.

According to VDH data, the Central Virginia Health District has experienced 62,317 total cases, 2,421 hospitalizations and 867 deaths since the pandemic began in March 2020.

Currently, VDH data shows roughly 500 new cases per week in the Central Virginia region as of Memorial Day weekend. At the same time last year, there were only roughly 100 new cases per week in the region.

That number dropped by mid-June 2021, according to Anderson, to 50 new cases per week, the lowest since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, that same drop isnt predicted by the VDHs University of Virginia COVID-19 model, which projects case counts of COVID-19 in the health district.

This, according to Anderson, is because of new subvariants of the omicron variant, which caused the highest peak of the pandemic this past January.

Anderson said the current strains of omicron that are prevalent in the Central Virginia region are the BA2 and BA2.12.1 strains, which have caused spikes in large U.S. cities including New York City and Chicago.

Data published recently by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the BA2 and BA2.12.1 strains are responsible for nearly 94% of new cases nationwide.

Anderson said the VDHs modeling data on the BA2.12.1 strain could potentially create some of the highest COVID numbers yet if mitigation strategies arent followed early enough.

This strain is even more transmissible than the last omicron variant that we saw in January, Anderson told The News & Advance.

The current course of the VDHs model projects that cases of just the BA2 variant could potentially return to January levels, which peaked at roughly 2,700 new cases per week.

If the model takes into account the BA2.12.1 strain, Anderson said at the upper end of the model there is potential for new cases to reach 4,400 per week in Central Virginia alone by late July.

Currently, Centra Healths COVID-19 dashboard shows as of June 1, there are 33 people hospitalized in the system  which consists of Lynchburg General, Bedford Memorial and Southside Community hospitals  with COVID, three of whom are in intensive care.

Centra spokesperson Stephanie McBride told The News & Advance that one year ago, on the first day of June 2021, Centra only had 20 people hospitalized across its system, with three in the ICU.

Just five months ago, right before the peak of the omicron variant, on Jan. 1, there were 124 total patients, 18 of whom were in the ICU.

Centras hospitals briefly had more than 200 hospitalized COVID patients, the all-time high for Centra, in mid-January.

Looking just two months ago, at the beginning of April, McBride said the hospital was nearly at zero patients in its facilities with COVID-19, missing that total by one or two persons at the time.

The jump in just two months from one or two patients to 33 has been a quick rise, and with the high end of the model projecting a nearly 63% increase in cases over the highest peak, another such increase could put significant strains on regional hospitals.

However, Anderson said there is room for optimism in regards to the two strains.

Research has shown the symptoms of the BA2 strain have been found to be milder than that of earlier strains of COVID-19. According to Anderson, early signs of the BA2.12.1 strain show it may be even milder than the BA2 strain.

But even with two relatively mild strains dominating infections, Anderson said mask-wearing should be reconsidered again for people in the Central Virginia Health District.

We take our masking recommendations off the CDC transmission levels web page, Anderson said, and at this point in time, both Appomattox County and Bedford County are in the highest transmission levels, which means masks are recommended for everyone no matter the vaccination status.

Anderson said that Amherst, Campbell and Lynchburg currently are at medium transmission levels, which means the immunocompromised, if youre older, or you get severe illness, you may want to wear a mask as well.

She noted that at the current rate of infection, soon all of the localities in the district could be in the high transmission level, meaning masks should be worn by everybody.

Testing will be an important step in the process again, noted Anderson. With the availability of at-home tests, its never been easier to get access. But with that easy access comes less reliable tests, Anderson said.

The epidemiologist recommends those who rely on an at-home test to determine if they have COVID-19 either follow up with another at-home test up to three days later, or follow up with a more in-depth PCR test, which must be done at a testing site.

In the meantime, health officials still are recommending vaccines, which are readily available through pharmacies, vaccine clinics or at the Health Department in Lynchburg on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Anderson said all individuals 18 and older are recommended to get the first two primary shots, followed up by one booster shot five months after the second primary shot.

Additional boosters are currently recommended for those age 50 and older or the immunocompromised, who may need another booster in addition to the first three shots.

Demand isnt where it used to be, Anderson said, so were not seeing our mass vaccination clinics that we used to have, but the vaccine is still definitely accessible.

Virginians can access more COVID-19 resources on the health departments website, vdh.virginia.gov.

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RICHMOND  Col. Wayne Huggins was grinning as he waited at the Capitol for the General Assembly to adopt a budget Wednesday.

For Huggins, the two-year, $165 billion budget culminates years of work on a new pay plan to raise starting salaries for sworn officers of the Virginia State Police while rewarding veterans whose pay has lagged behind new hires.

The budget includes $46.5 million to fund the new plan, which also will dovetail with across-the-board raises of 10% over two years for all state employees as Virginia tries to bolster its government workforce as it hopes to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Weve finally got the problem solved, said Huggins a former State Police superintendent and Fairfax County sheriff who is retiring as executive director of the Virginia State Police Association after 18 years. Were very pleased.

The new budget would increase annual starting salaries for state police officers from $47,843 to $51,500 ($64,383 in Northern Virginia because of the higher cost of living).

It also would fund a pay plan that ensures a 10% salary separation based on rank, so higher ranking officers dont earn less than those they supervise, while increasing pay by 1.4% per year of service.

State police were not the only group of law enforcement and public safety officers to receive targeted pay relief in the budget, which also boosted starting pay for correctional officers and local sheriffs deputies, while providing $47 million to local governments that operate police departments that often have been overlooked for state aid.

The budget coming out of public safety was one of the best budgets in a long time, said Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, who chairs the public safety subcommittee of Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee.

The budget includes almost $58.6 million for correctional officers to staunch an exodus of front-line staff at state prisons, as well as $7 million for probation and parole officers. Deputy sheriffs and officers at regional jails will receive $85.7 million. It also includes $1.9 million for a pay plan at the Division of Capitol Police.

The budget includes a 5% raise for state employees to take effect July 10 for the Aug. 1 paycheck. Law enforcement, public safety and other employee groups who receive targeted pay increases of 7.5% or more will get a 2.5% across-the-board raise the first year.

The money will boost starting pay for correctional officers and deputies to $42,000, an increase of about $7,000 per year, and will help them deal with salary compression, which results when compensation for veteran employees lags behind the market rates for new hires.

Its a big step, its a lot of money, and we appreciate it, said John Jones, executive director of the Virginia Sheriffs Association, whose members dont see the same level of local government support across the state.

The money helps, but wont fully solve the problems correctional officers face. A legislative study last year found more than a quarter of all correctional officer jobs were vacant, and one facility had a staff turnover rate of more than 50%.

Don Baylor, lobbyist for the National Coalition of Public Safety Officers, said the state lost more than 2,600 correctional officers last year alone, more than double the number in 2010, when the problem began to emerge during the Great Recession.

Its going to help to some extent, but its still not going to be enough to retain people, Baylor said.

The budget compromise before Gov. Glenn Youngkin includes about $29 million less for correctional officer pay than then-Gov. Ralph Northam proposed in the spending plan he introduced in December, while adding money for probation and parole officers.

The challenge goes beyond pay to working conditions, Baylor said, with mandatory overtime compensating for lack of adequate staffing in one of the toughest environments for employees.

Money isnt the only answer to this, he said.

Lucas said she recognizes the ongoing challenge of recruiting and retaining officers.

I couldnt fix it all in one budget cycle, she said, but Im not going to stop working on it, for sure.

Huggins can testify to the time it takes to address the problem of employee compensation, especially salary compression for veteran officers whose pay has lagged between raises that require General Assembly approval.

The legislature has addressed the salary compression issue for state police and law enforcement and public safety agencies in the budget six times, beginning in 2014. But salary compression has remained a challenge Huggins often has described as a crisis for state police, which has more than 300 vacancies in its more than 2,000 jobs for sworn officers.

A compensation study last year found the current pay structure made it harder to recruit new officers, retain veterans or promote them to higher positions that earned enough to offset the lost overtime.

Huggins and former Sen. Bill Carrico, R-Grayson, a retired senior state trooper from Southwest Virginia, tried unsuccessfully for several years to persuade the assembly to raise Virginias vehicle registration fee to generate a source of revenue dedicated to state police compensation.

Now, Carrico is succeeding Huggins as executive director of the association, with the battle appearing to be won. Wayne had worked so hard on it, he wanted it to come to fruition, said the former senator and delegate.

Said Huggins: Its just a way to pay people for their years of service that theyve dedicated to the commonwealth.
The shooting earlier this week that killed four people at a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has brought into sharp focus the threat of violence that health care workers face.

On Wednesday, a man who was unhappy with the results of his back surgery shot and killed his surgeon, another doctor, a patient and a receptionist at Tulsa's St. Francis Hospital before turning the gun on himself.

While nothing that extreme has happened at a Nebraska medical facility, officials say staff face abuse and violence daily from patients and their families, something that has gotten worse since the coronavirus pandemic started.

Lisa Vail, vice president of patient care services and system chief nursing officer at Bryan Health, said violence and abuse used to be confined to patients frustrated over their care and recovery.

"Now the people walk through the front door and they're angry," Vail said.

That anger usually is caused by hospital rules that require people to wear masks and at times have limited visitors, she said.

And the verbal and physical abuse has not been limited to medical staff, with Vail saying there have been instances of volunteers being assaulted after asking visitors to put on masks.

She said nearly 60% of incidents at Bryan in 2021 that resulted in staff injuries bad enough to require reporting to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were caused by patients or visitors.

Jeff Farmer, system director for public safety at Methodist Health System in Omaha, said assaults come in many forms -- both verbal and physical -- but they are almost always perpetrated by patients.

"I will tell you that 95% of the assaults that occur in our health system are patient on staff member," he said.

The problem is not just at large hospitals in Lincoln and Omaha, however.

Alex Wilkerson, emergency room clinical director at Great Plains Health in North Platte, said her hospital has 24/7 security, bulletproof front doors and windows, and security cameras throughout the facility.

She said the cameras can be very vital when it comes to assaults on staff, such as a recent incident where a jail inmate being treated in the hospital assaulted a nurse and had to be tasered twice by police officers.

Nicole Thorell, chief nursing officer of Lexington Regional Health Center, said her hospital recently decided to hire professional security to deal with an increase in aggression and violence.

"Violence against health care workers isn't an urban versus a rural problem," she said. "It's in every health care facility across the nation."

The four hospital officials spoke Friday during a news conference via Zoom organized by the Nebraska Hospital Association in connection to the annual Hospitals Against Violence Day.

NHA President Jeremy Nordquist said that as health care organizations prepared to recognize the day, "we had no idea we would face the tragedy of two hospital shootings just this week."

The other shooting Nordquist referenced also occurred on Wednesday, when a county jail inmate receiving treatment at a hospital in Dayton, Ohio, fatally shot a security guard before killing himself.

The NHA on Friday, along with the Nebraska Medical Association, released a joint letter calling for "commonsense, responsible gun violence prevention."

"Gun violence in our country is a true public health emergency that requires all of us to come together to put an end to the recent tragedies weve seen play out," the letter said. "Bottom line, we have seen enough carnage at our hospitals and clinics, whether from treating countless shooting victims or from caring for coworkers victimized by workplace violence. Enough is enough. The time is now for meaningful change."

Reach the writer at 402-473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LincolnBizBuzz.
Judy McClellen, a paraeducator at Thomas Jefferson High School, has been named Support Staff Member of the Year in Council Bluffs Community School District.

Judy sees each students possibilities and not their disabilities and is always encouraging her students, the person who nominated her wrote. Judy strives to build relationships with students and she learns the strengths of each one, as well as learning about all of their interests.

McClellen works with students in the Extended Learning Program, who are learning life skills and workplace skills while finishing their high school credits. She goes to classes with them and helps them understand their lessons.

You get to know what works with one kid doesnt work with another, she said. I take notes with them so I know what Im doing. I think that also helps them see if I can do it, they can do it.

The students also have ELP classes that focus on life skills and career readiness, McClellen said.

Last year, they made cookies for the staff, she said.

Many are also getting work experience at an employer in the community through a VODEC program, McClellen said.

We have several that have outside jobs, she said.

McClellen enjoys working with youth.

Its a blast, she said. Its fun when they latch on to something how excited they are. I feel like I can role model for the students, too. I love my job.

McClellen is currently taking sign language classes  mainly so she can communicate better with an adult she works with, but she thinks it will help her communicate with some of the students, too.

There are a lot of kids who understand sign language, she said. You can use that, too, to help them.

McClellen volunteers with the Helping Hive, which operates a food pantry for TJ students and also gives away clothes. The Hive offered goods for pickup Tuesday in the school parking lot, as it will on the last Tuesday of each month this summer.

We just had 282 people and 71 families, she said.

Said McClellens nominator, Judy is an integral part of the Helping Hive food program at TJ and she organizes the pantry, purchases items for the pantry  all for the TJ students. She is truly here for the kids and families and makes a positive impact every day.

McClellen grew up in Maxwell, Nebraska, where there were 14 in her graduating class. She earned an associate degree in general studies at what is now North Platte (Nebraska) Community College and worked with adults with developmental disabilities for 24 years in North Platte.

Six years ago, her sister, Lou McClellen, who teaches math at Thomas Jefferson, suggested she apply with the school district, so she did. Her brother, a retired Air Force officer, also lives in the area, so she was interested in moving here.

And I like Omaha, she said.

McClellen started working at TJ five years ago and still works with adults part time at Hands of the Heartland in Bellevue, Nebraska.

It was a phenomenal career in North Platte, she said. It was a good experience. It kind of helped me transition to working with students.

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Roadmap of Moroccan Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis Cultivation

The National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis Activities has unveiled, during its first meeting chaired by the Minister of the Interior, its roadmap to develop the industry of this plant for legal purposes.

During the meeting held this week in Rabat, the Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit expounded the states strategy for the regulation of cannabis, from its cultivation to its export, including its processing, saying that the implementation of this strategy has started and that it aims to lift approximately 600,000 people out of poverty and marginalization in the regions that used to produce the substance illegally.

The agenda of this first meeting of the National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis Activities (ANRAC) included several items, including the approval of the Agencys organization chart and the status of its staff, as well as the definition of its budget for the year 2022. The importation of cannabis products for medical, pharmaceutical and industrial purposes was also on the agenda.

The Ministry of the Interior said in a press release that this meeting took place in application of the provisions of Law 13-21 relating to the legal uses of cannabis. As a result, ANRAC is responsible for regulating, monitoring and controlling all operations relating to cannabis, as well as its legal use in accordance with the Kingdoms international commitments.

The Agency is also in charge of organizing and developing the different stages of this activity from the production of the seeds to the marketing of the finished product. Besides, the Agency will support research with the aim of developing the use of cannabis in the medical, cosmetic and industrial fields, while simplifying administrative procedures in coordination with the administrative authorities concerned.

ANRACs action plan covers several areas, including approval of the technical characteristics relating to the activities of cultivation, production, processing and industrialization of cannabis. It also covers the exploitation of cannabis seeds and plants, the marketing, exportation and importation of these products for industrial purposes.

In parallel, the Agency will launch the procedures for issuing authorizations to national and international operators in the medical and industrial cannabis industry, as well as to growers and seed companies.

Likewise, it will supervise the creation of cooperatives by local farmers to process and manufacture local products. The membership of farmers in cooperatives will allow them to benefit from support, advice and training.

ANRAC will seek to develop the circuits of medical and industrial use of cannabis and seize the opportunities offered by this market to attract international operators and to support investment in the processing and industrialization of products extracted from cannabis.

The regulation of cannabis cultivation aims, in its social component, to develop legal channels to gradually convert traditional farmers engaged in illicit crops to legal activities that are environmentally friendly and generating decent incomes.

As for the farmers who will not be able to join the legal cannabis program for reasons related to the size of the market at the beginning, the ANRAC will help them, in coordination with the departments and institutions concerned, develop alternative crops or non-agricultural activities, the aim being to put an end to illicit cannabis cultivation.

Besides, the measures on the regulation, monitoring and supervision of the entire cannabis chain will help to dry up the sources of mafia networks that feed drug addiction market.

Morocco aims to design and implement an integrated strategy for economic, social and environmental development in cannabis growing areas.

Al Hoceima, Chefchaouen and Taounate are the provinces authorized so far to produce and exploit cannabis. Other provinces may be added to the list depending on the interest shown by national and international investors in activities related to the cannabis production chain.
Construction activity is picking up at North Plattes District 177 as the former Platte River Malls $75 million transformation marked its first anniversary Wednesday.

New Generation Construction workers continued installing outer walls on the top floor of the shopping centers new four-story apartment-commercial building Friday.

And an excavation crew cleared away aged pavement for the future home of Freddys Frozen Custard & Steakburgers along North Dewey Street.

Another set of excavators dug into the ground where Nebraskaland Tire & Services new building will rise on District 177s south side. That building must be completed before Nebraskaland Tires current home  now abutting the four-story building  can be torn down.

The Dewey entrance to the 1972 malls north side has been closed for reconstruction, a project that began with removal of the sign that long advertised The Mall and then Platte River Mall. Local shoppers can reach the main malls remaining businesses off East Philip Avenue.

The Dewey entrance for Arbys and Nebraskaland Tire remains open, as does the East Francis Street entrance to Ashley HomeStore and Golden Ticket Cinemas.

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The 2022 Miss Nebraska Scholarship and Miss Nebraskas Outstanding Teen competitions begin with the introductions of the candidates at District 177 Sunday.

The Miss Nebraska program began in 1937 and has empowered young women to achieve their personal and professional goals. Six judges will make the decision on which candidate will represent the state for a year and who will compete at the 2022 Miss America competition in December.

The judges come from a wide variety of backgrounds and from across the U.S.

 Randy E. Pruett is senior vice president of Cooksey Communications, a Texas-based public relations firm where he counsels corporate executives on brand awareness, reputation management, crisis communications and public advocacy. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Texas Monthly, and on NPR, PBS and CNN.

Pruett has judged 25 different Miss America state competitions including Utah, Ohio, California, North Carolina, Kentucky, Maryland and Indiana.

 Myra Katherine Hale was Miss Nebraska 1995. She competed in the 75th Miss America Pageant where she was a non-finalist talent winner and second runner-up for the Quality of Life service award. She has judged a number of local pageants, as well as the Miss Arkansas and Miss Texas Pageants.

Hale is a native of Arkansas and has lived all over the Midwest, living for the past 10 years in Fremont. She and her husband, Mike Pruss, have six children, five grandchildren, and one on the way.

 Hannah Bohn was born and raised in the Chicago area and is a lifelong resident of Illinois.

For more than 25 years, she has trained in multiple styles of dance, including classical ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical and contemporary. Her career as a dancer includes instruction from various accomplished professionals, most notably from programs such as the American Ballet Theatre and Joffrey Ballet.

Bohn travels as a product specialist and presenter on the National Auto Show Circuit, as well as an emcee and judge for various touring dance competition companies. She has also been a published lifestyle and fitness model, working for clients like Adidas.

 Jaine Truex LeFebvre is a longtime volunteer in the Miss America and Miss Americas Outstanding Teen organizations. She served as president of the board of directors for the Miss Connecticut Organization where she specialized in fundraising and leadership training.

In 2007, she was recognized as a Fairy Godmother by the Miss Americas Outstanding Teen Organization for her help in developing the Princess Program. The business plan she wrote and published was used by many state organizations to develop and grow their own Princess Programs and fundraising efforts.

While working in Connecticut, LeFebvre received her MBA specializing in financial management and entrepreneurship from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

She has been married to her husband, Chris, for 28 years. Together they own their own business with real estate holdings. They have two children, TJ, 23, and Jaine Coann, 26, who at age 16 was first runner-up at the Miss Americas Outstanding Teen Pageant.

 Mike Golden of Raleigh, North Carolina, has been a volunteer with the Miss America program for more than 30 years, serving at the state and local levels. He served as head judge on the state panel that chose Nia Franklin as Miss New York 2018. Franklin went on to be crowned Miss America 2019.

He has also judged state competitions across the country including in Illinois, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, Virginia and Wisconsin. Golden is the vice president of the Miss North Carolina Organization board, where he previously served as field director for 10 years.

Golden has worked for Wells Fargo for 35 years. He is the regional president for Carolina East Region. He holds a bachelors degree in business administration/finance from the University of North Carolina and is married with two children.

 Roni Lewis has been the co-host of the morning lifestyle program NTVs Good Life for over a decade. The show focuses on cooking, parenting, health and everything that makes the Good Life state great. Her work also appears on NTVs Good Morning Nebraska.

Lewis has used her love for photography during her career in the media, from TV to print to podcast. Currently Lewis is in the production stages of a podcast highlighting all elements of Nebraska.

Lewis has a deep love and passion for small town America where she has served on many local boards. She is very active in her hometown church where she serves as worship leader. During the summer, she enjoys judging parades and barbecue competitions.
Debate over replacing SkyWest Airlines as North Plattes federally subsidized passenger airline will resume at a special North Platte Airport Authority board meeting Tuesday.

The five-member board May 23 delayed choosing a preferred Essential Air Service provider in order to seek more information from the three commuter airlines that have bid to link North Platte and Denver.

Tuesdays meeting, set for noon in the Lee Bird Field terminal conference room, will again take up the EAS bids. It also will follow a Friday meeting between airport officials and a fourth, unidentified airline.

SkyWest, which has provided North Plattes federally subsidized Denver service since February 2018, announced in March it was pulling out of Lee Bird and 28 other airports due to chronic pilot shortages.

The U.S. Department of Transportation then ordered SkyWest to keep serving North Platte until a new EAS carrier is chosen. The Utah-based airline otherwise would have quit flying to and from Denver next Friday.

Boutique Air, Southern Airways Express and Ravn Alaska all bid to link Lee Bird with Denver International Airport. Ravn Alaska is known officially as Northern Pacific Airways.

None of the three would fly the 50-seat Bombardier jets SkyWest has used and routinely filled the past four years.

Ravn Alaska would fly 50-seat Dash 8-300 turbo-prop aircraft, while Boutique and Southern would use nine-seat turbo-props with more flights to and from Denver each day.

Ravn Alaskas North Platte proposal also would originate its early-morning DIA flight at Kearney Regional Airport and terminate its late-night flight from Denver there.

North Plattes other daily Denver round trip would link only Lee Bird and DIA under Ravn Alaskas 14-flight-per-week bid.

SkyWest currently takes off from or lands in North Platte 12 times a week. Besides a direct midday Denver round trip Thursdays through Mondays, the airline offers a daily early-morning takeoff and evening arrival that stops in Scottsbluff in both directions.

The Western Nebraska Regional Airport board May 18 rejected EAS bids from Boutique and Southern, the only two carriers offering dedicated Scottsbluff-Denver service.

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Brittany DeBarros Ramos in Sunset Park and Max Rose on Staten Island in May. Photo: OK McCausland

Last summer on Staten Island, two combat veterans of the war in Afghanistan met for breakfast at the Kings Arm Diner, a local institution. Over eggs and coffee, Max Rose and Brittany Ramos DeBarros discussed the hasty U.S. exit unfolding before them, throwing into some doubt what they and thousands of others had sacrificed during the war. Rose, 35, and Ramos DeBarros, 33, were deployed the same year as lieutenants and both emerged from their service forever changed, but in profoundly different ways. Rose feels hed fought a righteous war, while Ramos DeBarros believes shed been duped into supporting a bloody quagmire. After both agreed on withdrawal, they swapped few details about their service. Im not big on war stories, personally, she says. Thats kind of a vet-bro thing.

Their conversation turned from the war overseas to a battle closer to home: the race for Roses old seat in Congress. Ramos DeBarros, a peace activist and democratic socialist who supported his first campaign, had come looking for his endorsement in the Democratic primary. Join with me and form a united front, she asked Rose, who lost in 2020 to a Republican after one term. Rose agreed to keep her posted. Soon after, he announced he was running, casting himself in the traditional mold of the veteran officeholder: independent, pragmatic, unafraid of military strength but careful to use it, reflecting a similarly old-school view that the military is fundamentally a force for good. Ramos DeBarros represents a different archetype  the veteran for peace  who reveals the dark truth about what she calls the many-legged monster of militarism that is strangling our ability to really invest in true justice and true peace.

As military service increasingly becomes a family business confined to certain communities, boroughs like Staten Island take on an outsize role in representing the voices of veterans and military families. Its the rare campaign between two veterans who embody the tension of what Americans think about the military  following the countrys longest war and in the citys most conservative borough, one with a history of military service and the accompanying scars to prove it.

Max Rose was feeling especially nostalgic about his service as he knocked on doors next to Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn on a cold weekday in March. Even when he hit conservative households, residents still heard him out because of his service. He spent some time for his country, said a Vietnam veteran named Julian. You know many guys who are doing that? Rose enlisted in the Army in 2010, coming from an affluent Park Slope family, carrying diplomas from Wesleyan and the London School of Economics and an elitist notion that somehow I was giving the military a gift, believing hed be the smartest one in the room. He quickly learned that war isnt an intellectual exercise. In 2013, his armored vehicle hit an improvised explosive device, wounding him in the face and knees. Ive seen people I love and I was entrusted with leading get hurt right in front of me, he says today. They got blown up right in front of my eyes.

After leaving active duty, Rose, by his own account, tried to outrun his trauma. He took on consuming jobs in health care and government, including at the Brooklyn district attorneys office, where he spearheaded a popular restorative-justice program called Begin Again. In 2018, he pursued his hardest challenge in civilian life: flipping the citys only Republican congressional seat into Democratic hands. Looking back on it today, Rose tells me he struggled to come off a war footing  that winning was the only option. Only recently has he calibrated to the reality that hes no longer dealing with matters of life and death.

On the trail, he could sound like an overzealous Army recruiter, telling the New York Times, for instance, that the Pentagon provides young people levels of empowerment that you could never find anywhere else. He told voters about the explosion that left him injured but spun it as a case study in bipartisan deal-making, because Congress made his vehicle far safer than when it first shipped out. Thanks to conservative Staten Islanders willing to vote for a Democrat with a Bronze Star and Purple Heart, he was elected to Congress in an upset.

Max Rose addressing a crowd at a rally for abortion rights on Staten Island on May 4. Photo: OK McCausland

Once in office, Rose stayed on-brand as an unflappable officer, serving on the homeland security and veterans affairs committees. He proved critical in moving the stalled 9/11 victims fund bill to the House floor and cut through red tape to arrange delivery of the three Staten Island ferries honoring Sergeant Michael Ollis, a borough native killed in Afghanistan while saving a Polish soldier from a suicide bomber. He also demonstrated a hawkish side, opposing his own partys efforts to curtail Donald Trumps war powers as the then-president was spoiling for a fight with Iran. In a sign of the shifting politics of the war in Afghanistan, he was initially reluctant for the U.S. to leave but became one of the few veterans in Congress to support an accelerated timetable for withdrawal.

In early 2020, as he was gearing up for reelection, Rose was deployed with his National Guard to transform a psychiatric hospital on Staten Island into a COVID sick ward during the citys brutal first wave. It reminded him of combat: He told Politico that the virus was like a bomb, both invisible threats that could be lurking anywhere. The human body isnt built to maintain that level of vigilance, he said. It wears on you in all different types of ways. That fall, he faced Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican assemblymember from Staten Island, who cast him as a Pelosi-loving, socialist cop-hater and likened him to Bill de Blasio, a borough pariah. She won easily, and for the first time in years, he had no consuming fight in front of him.

After leaving Congress, Rose worked as the Pentagons COVID adviser for a few months, but he was bottling too much up, he says, from the combined strain of the pandemic, losing reelection, and unaddressed war trauma. As signs of his internal struggles spilled out, his wife made him an appointment at the Brooklyn VA hospital, where he now receives care weekly. After the Biden administration proposed closing the Brooklyn VA, in March, Rose headlined a rally to defend the facility during which he thanked hospital staff for helping to heal his wounds. Im more accustomed to fighting for others, he later told me. And to actually be the beneficiary of these programs only re-instills in me how incredibly important they are. He is reticent to discuss a diagnosis, such as post-traumatic-stress disorder, and remains reserved when it comes to describing the worst details of his deployment, in part because hes only recently begun plumbing them himself. Youre not looking at a finished product, brother, he says.

Just as Rose hasnt completely overcome his trauma, Brittany Ramos DeBarros still struggles with hers, one she recalled standing next to one of Staten Islands two 9/11 memorials, on the boroughs northern tip overlooking Manhattan. The connection wasnt lost on her: Last September, on the 20th anniversary of the attacks, she spoke here to victims families grappling with their loss and, in some cases, for the ways that that loss has been politicized and weaponized to promote further violence.

Originally from Texas, Ramos DeBarros joined the Army in 2010 believing in the mission in Afghanistan, despite warnings from her mother, also a veteran. She decided to enlist because the militarys support would be the only way to fulfill her dreams of a college education. When she deployed to Afghanistan in 2012, the same year as Rose, her unit was focused chiefly on closing down Army outposts. Her unit was also tasked with building community relations, but she felt the Army was contributing to greater radicalization.

Once, she recalls, an Army commander became frustrated that Afghans werent cooperating, deeming them loyal to the Taliban, and was eager to organize a night raid of their small village. She reasoned that they were scared of the Taliban and unsure of the Armys desires. So she postered the village with pleas for information, which provided the Army useful intelligence, including the locations of IEDs that were killing American soldiers and Afghan civilians alike. The spirit of protecting Afghan people was so absent, she says, likening the soldiers she served with to cowboys eager to roleplay Call of Duty. On top of it all, she says she was sexually harassed and assaulted by a subordinate.

Brittany Ramos DeBarros with her support team of canvassers at a kick off event in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, on April 30. Photo: OK McCausland

Her first public turn against the war occured years later, when she was on the Armys payroll as a reservist. In 2018, she tweeted out a series of missives against the horror being carried out by our war machine for profit, remarks that sparked a Pentagon investigation. Then she was arrested for protesting the militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border. (In 2019, she danced burlesque at a fundraiser promoting peace, a performance the New York Post derided as a captain showing her privates.) Around that time, she became a leader inside the Poor Peoples Campaign, then served as executive director of About Face, an activist group of post-9/11 antiwar veterans. Shes quick to inveigh against Americas propping up the brutal Saudi-led war in Yemen, a direct appeal to the districts thousands of Arab speakers, many of them with Yemeni roots.

When it came to politics in her adoptive home of Staten Island, Ramos DeBarros initially bristled at Roses first campaign, which featured camo yard signs and what she calls other machismo military vibes. Even though his self-spun image was upsetting, she knocked on doors for him. When asked why, she answers that she felt that hed be a reliable Democrat. Today, though, she attacks him as an ally of Republicans, citing his initial opposition to Trumps second impeachment following the attack on the Capitol and his backing of the NYPD. Rose declines to speak much about her, saying he regrets wallowing in the mud of negative politics during his 2020 race against Malliotakis, but not before saying Ramos DeBarross unsparing brand of politics is out of touch with reality.

Ramos DeBarro believes the same about Roses rhetoric, seeing his trumpeting of the militarys building COVID field hospitals and vaccinating civilians as a negative consequence of starving other necessary government services. When it comes to public health infrastructure, the only option we have is the National Guard? she asks incredulously. Her more expansive view of government is shaped through the benefits shes received as a veteran, such as the low-interest VA loan used to purchase her home and the VAs universal health-care system that she wants to recreate with Medicare for All. Shes also pointed out that even though military veterans enjoy Americas most generous safety net, it remains insufficient. At a recent outreach event in Sunset Park, which is heavily Latino, she stressed her identity as an Afro-Latina who grew up poor and, in a booming but hoarse voice, she called on the government to starve the corporate war profiteers and invest in universal child care.

Both candidates have been running in whats practically been three different districts so far this year, after the map was redrawn twice for the 11th Congressional District covering Staten Island and a swath of southern Brooklyn. First, the Democrat-led legislature gerrymandered the district to be more blue, mostly by wedging Park Slope inside of it, in the hopes of dooming Malliotakis. That map was recently thrown out by a judge citing political bias and redrawn by a nonpartisan expert. The new lines are more liberal than the ones Rose worked with in 2020, but the districts heart is still Staten Island, which supported Donald Trump for president twice, but it counts more registered Democrats than Republicans and is quickly diversifying. It also has the highest union density in the city and the first organized Amazon warehouse in America.

War is far from the only issue on voters minds, but it is less distant on Staten Island, which endured a disproportionate toll on September 11  it has nearly 200 streets named in honor of first responders who died that day  and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Danny Sjursen, a retired U.S. Army major and antiwar scholar who supports Ramos DeBarros, recalls residents encouraging him years ago to kill one for me overseas. On Staten Island, he says, it always feels like September 12th.

While Ramos DeBarros has been organizing for many more months than Rose, she remains the underdog. Roses edge comes from his recognizable name, his hefty war chest, and a slew of endorsements, including from Pramila Jaypal, the chair of the House Progressive Caucus. Whoever wins the August primary will have an uphill climb against Malliotakis, a Republican incumbent in a Republican-leaning district in a tough year for Democrats, who like her opponents is also appealing directly to the boroughs veterans. President Bidens approval rating started crashing around the time of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan that allowed the Taliban to roll back into power, even though a majority of Americans supported the withdrawal, including Bob Ollis, a Vietnam veteran whose fallen sons name is now painted across the Staten Island ferry.

Ollis says he opposed the war before his son perished, largely because he saw in it echoes of the failed conflict in Vietnam hed fought in. War is near the bottom of the list for most voters and politicians, he says. They dont care because theyre not involved in it.
On Thursday afternoon, the Alabama Republican Party received paperwork contesting the results of the State Senate District 27 race.

Now candidates Jay Hovey and incumbent Tom Whatley wait for details about the process and to hear if there will be an official recount in the counties of Lee, Russell and Tallapoosa.

Hovey said he wasnt surprised to hear that the election results were contested as the two candidates are separated by a single vote.

Hovey clung to a four-vote lead over Whatley on election night after all the votes were tallied from the polling places in Lee, Russell and Tallapoosa. After the provisional ballots were counted on Tuesday, Hovey remained in the lead by just one vote.

I am satisfied and comfortable with the professionalism of all three counties and their election officials, so we have full confidence in the system and the process, Hovey said. Well let it play out as it may.

Hovey said the results were contested by Whatleys father, Charles Whatley, and Dr. Gary Hunt, a campaign contributor from Opelika.

We were able to review the official affidavits that accompany the filed contest and both Dr. Hunt and Charles Whatley did a very general contest that didnt specify any particular improprieties, Hovey said.

Early next week, Hovey expects to hear from the Republican state party about the plans for the contest and the timeline of the process.

As far as a possibility of a recount, Hovey said its up to the person who made the request and the Republican Party.

Were just playing it by ear, he said.

Jeannie Burniston, the Alabama Republican Party communications director, said she couldnt comment on whether there will be a recount because recounts are filed with the local county party organizations.

A contest means that they feel they have a case about something pertaining to the election and the way it was conducted  problems with the voting, anything like that, Burniston said. If its just a matter of a recount  we dont think that number is right  we recount the ballots.

The deadlines to file to contest the results or to request a recount were both at noon Thursday.

Peggy Blackshear, the Republican chairman of Russell County, said to her knowledge Russell County has not received a notice to recount the votes for this state senate race.

Im not sure what part Russell will play in this, but I have heard that there has been a suit filed, Blackshear said. I have not received anything legal to do with any of it.

As of Thursday, Elizabeth Ham, the Republican executive committee chair of Lee County, said she also had not heard anything about a recount yet. The Tallapoosa Republican chairman did not immediately respond to calls from the Opelika-Auburn News on Friday.

Burniston said more information about the process of contesting the election results will be released after the Republican Party holds a meeting to discuss the topic.

The winner of this race will run against Democrat candidate Sherri Reese of Opelika in the general election in November.

Recount v. Contest

Lee County Probate Judge Bill English explained that a recount is the mechanical rerunning of the ballots to make sure that the machine totaled the votes correctly.

It doesnt do anything about who should vote, who shouldnt vote, were the right people allowed to vote, was anybody prevented from voting, English said. It just says heres the ballots that were counted on election day and we recount them and the machine should add up to exactly the same thing.

In a general election, Alabama has an automatic recount law if the vote is within plus or minus half of 1%, or 0.5%, but this doesnt apply to a primary election like this race, English said.

In a primary election, a candidate may petition for a recount and they have to post what we call security costs, in other words, an estimate of how much the recount would cost in each county, English said.

In this case, the cost would be about $4,000 to request a recount. If the recount changes the outcome of the election, the county will pay the fee, but if the outcome remains the same, the candidate will pay it.

A contest, English said, is when someone alleges that something was done wrong.

The two most common allegations are legal votes were denied or illegal votes were allowed, he said.

To file a contest, an individual has to make a claim but does not have to give specifics at this point about who voted illegally or who was denied the right to vote.

English said the Whatley camp will present its argument for why Hoveys nomination should be revoked, while the Hovey camp will present its argument for why the nomination should stand. Then the State Republican Party Executive Committees candidate contest committee, made up of about 20 people, will make a decision after looking at the information and evidence presented.

The committee could decide that the nomination stands with Hovey as the winner, that the race is too close and needs to order a new election, or they could say Hoveys nomination was illegal and could choose to nominate Whatley or someone else, English said.

English said that, based on what he knows at this point, he would be surprised if a new election was ordered.
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Chicago police officers stand outside of MedVet veterinarian hospital in Chicago's Avondale neighborhood after reports of a U.S. marshal being shot in the hand and a K-9 dog being shot in the 5200 block of West Belmont Ave. on June 2, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

A 19-year-old man is accused of a shooting that wounded a police dog and an officer on the U.S. Marshals Service as he was being arrested Thursday afternoon on the Northwest Side, prosecutors said in court Saturday.

Tarrion Johnson appeared before Cook County Judge Kelly Marie McCarthy, who denied bail during a livestreamed hearing.

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Johnson, of the 4200 block of West Cullerton Avenue, was charged with five counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of attempted armed robbery and aggravated cruelty to animals, Chicago police said.

The shooting occurred at about 1:20 p.m. Thursday at a building in the 5200 block of West Belmont Avenue, where Chicago police and members of the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force were attempting to arrest Johnson on a warrant for attempted murder and attempted robbery, according to police and prosecutors.

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All the officers, including a police dog sporting a camouflage vest with K-9 written on both sides, were wearing marked clothing, displaying police and stars, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said officers were watching the building and saw Johnson leave out a back door, and then turn around and return inside.

A Chicago Police officer hoisting a shield approached the back door with several other officers and announced their office multiple times and called out Johnsons name before the door was breached by making a hole in it, prosecutors said.

The shield-wearing officer walked into a hallway, where he saw Johnson, who entered a bedroom and returned to the hallway with a gun, prosecutors said.

Screaming gun! the officer fired one shot as Johnson sprinted back into a bedroom and fired three shots outside a window - hitting the Marshal and the K-9 outside, prosecutors said.

Johnson went back to the hallway and fired two additional shots at the officers, who yelled: Put the gun down! as the shield-wearing officer returned fire, prosecutors said.

The U.S. Marshal was grazed in the hand and at least one shot pierced a bullet-resistant vest, placing stress on the officers chest while police dog was shot in the right shoulder, and the bullet lodged into it.

The dogs condition was critical at first, but has stabilized, though more surgeries may be needed, prosecutors said.

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Johnson was placed into custody as he left a side door with another person, a female, who was with him. Police recovered a ghost gun and found several spent casings, five of which were fired from the ghost gun, prosecutors said.

Johnson is a lifelong Cook County resident who lives with his girlfriend who is pregnant with their child, said an attorney representing him. He attended Chicagos Social Justice High School and makes music and art, according to the attorney.

Johnson has several juvenile adjudications, including a 2020 possession of a controlled substance, a 2017 aggravated vehicular hijacking and possession of a stolen motor vehicle and delivery of a controlled substance from 2016, prosecutors said.

Johnson is due back in court on Monday.

rsobol@chicagotribune.com
A New Approach: Going Beyond One Size Fits All PPE

Given the growing numbers of women in utility and electrical industries, the need for proper fitting PPE is at an all-time high.

For years, most women in the utility and electrical industries have had to shop for their protective apparel in the mens section, a frustrating search that usually results in ill-fitting PPE. Given the growing numbers of women in these industries, this problem is only getting worseand more dangerous. In a recent study, three in four survey participants believed the number of women who wear FR will increase in the coming years. As more women take on electrical and utility jobs, the need for womens PPE will continue to grow. Unfortunately, PPE has almost exclusively focused on men, not only alienating professional women, but also significantly compromising their access to critical safety equipment.

A one-size-fits-all mentality and a historic lack of womens PPE options increases risk in already hazardous fields. By wearing ill-fitting PPE designed specifically for men, women do not receive the same protection from their garments. Flame-resistant and arc-rated (FR/AR) garments that are too tight or too loose may expose the wearer to arc flashes up to 35,000 degrees Fahrenheit resulting in potentially life-altering burn injuries.

In todays work environments, women need access to the same level of PPE performance as men, without sacrificing fit, style and comfort. Outfitting women with properly-designed garments not only provide optimal protection, it also supports a more inclusive, welcoming workplace. When a potential employee knows that the clothing required for a new role will not fit her correctly, she may be less likely to accept the position. The availability of women-specific FR/AR garments broadens the spectrum of gear and professionals who can rely on it for their safety.

Beyond just convenient features, elements like well-applied stretch, carefully placed stitching and intentional pocket design add significant value to already critical decisions like fabric choice. Fabric is the single most important aspect of a garment when it comes to FR protection, so specifying FR/AR fabrics is crucial to ensuring workers safety. Considerations about body types and physical needs ensure those fabrics are translated into comfortable, well-fitting protective garments for all professionals.

More than just another shirt, women-specific PPE delivers more than just proper fit, comfort, mobility and safety, it also demonstrates that women can finally expect more from their PPE and their industry.

PPE manufacturing has come a long way since the first protective garments were engineered, but there is still substantial work to be done. Garment and fabric manufacturers, as well as safety managers and distributors, must continue to collaborate to address the needs of women in the industry. Focused on more deliberate designs and more inclusive specifications, product ranges and protective collections can finally reflect the women who are changing the face of the most dangerous industries in the world.

This article originally appeared in the June 2022 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.
The global electric battery market has expanded dramatically over the last year, as the push to shift from traditionally fuelled cars to electric alternatives has never been stronger. So, how will emerging battery markets overcome supply chain challenges to ensure that the future of electric battery development is secure? The global supply chain is still being hit hard by ongoing pandemic restrictions, the Covid spill-over effect, and, most recently, the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This means that renewable energy projects are seeing lengthy delays and the production of core components is being outweighed by the growing demand. But energy and manufacturing firms around the world are optimistic about raising battery production to meet consumer needs as demand increases over the next decade.

McKinsey estimates that the global battery market will grow by over 20 percent per year until 2030 to reach at least $360 billion, with upper-end estimates increasing to $410 billion. In addition, the development of one 30 to 40 GWh factory per year would create around 3,200 direct jobs.

Europe and North America are likely to see the biggest opportunities, with the potential for substantial growth in their largely underdeveloped battery markets over the next decade. However, China and South Korea already have well-established battery markets, which will continue to expand, presenting the main competition. Based on similar industries, McKinsey predicts that the global market will consolidate around ten to 15 battery cell manufacturing players, meaning that the time to develop competitive projects is quickly running out. Battery performance, the scale of production, and the competitiveness of costs will likely be the driving factors for competing companies.

With the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, it has become evident that Europe and North America must decrease their reliance on authoritarian powers to ensure the future stability of their major industries and energy supply. In addition, pandemic-related supply chain disruptions have already demonstrated European and U.S. dependence on Chinas manufactured goods for many industrial sectors. As the U.S. and Europe develop their battery manufacturing industries, this could be the chance for the two regions to overcome supply chain challenges and establish stronger energy security for the next decade.

However, emerging markets are already stumbling at the first hurdle. According to recent reports, the U.K. may fail to establish a strong electric car industry by the end of the decade  in line with its ban on the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030  if it cannot develop its battery manufacturing industry more rapidly. Automakers are ambitious in their rollout of several electric vehicle models over the coming years, expecting consumer demand to grow significantly as they switch away from traditionally fuelled cars.

However, the limit on the import of low-cost Asian batteries means that the U.K. will have to develop its battery manufacturing industry to meet demand. The main obstacle is the lack of suitable sites for the development of gigafactories, as well as the tendency to import batteries from other European countries.

Related: Why Russias Economy Hasnt Collapsed Under The Weight Of Sanctions

The U.K. government has pledged $1.2 billion in support of the countrys EV battery supply chain but is doing little to encourage greater battery plant development. At present, researchers Benchmark Mineral Intelligence estimate that the U.K. will require around 175 GWh of battery capacity by 2035 to supply around 3 million EVs. It is expected to achieve 56.9 GWh by 2030, based on current developments. Meanwhile, the rest of Europe is expected to reach an output of 821.3 GWh, with Germany leading the market.

And some say that others simply cannot replicate the success of China when it comes to lithium batteries, as it continues to dominate the global market. One reason is the significant head start that China has had over its competitors, many of which are currently searching for suitable locations for huge battery factories before they can even consider building them.

Despite its lack of lithium reserves, China has established itself as the worlds biggest lithium battery manufacturer, with around 72 percent of the battery market share in 2020, compared to 60 percent in 2018. Some estimates are even higher. Comparatively, the U.S. holds around 8.5 percent of the market share.

China has achieved its battery dominance by investing huge amounts of money in its EV market. The Chinese government has invested anywhere between $60 billion and $100 billion in subsiding the production of EVs to rapidly expand the market and create greater demand for lithium batteries. It has also been subsiding battery production costs to boost output. But the rest of the world simply cannot offer this type of financing, particularly at a time when countries are racing to secure their energy security in the face of major oil and gas shortages.

Another major obstacle for emerging battery manufacturers is the inevitable increase in raw material prices over the coming years. EV battery prices have been decreasing in recent years as the production scale has risen. Battery cells cost around $128 per kilowatt-hour at present. But prices could increase by 22 percent between 2023 and 2026 due to an increase in raw material costs, to reach $138 per kilowatt-hour.

Sam Jaffe, Vice President of battery solutions at E Source, stated The tsunami of demand is coming but I dont think the battery industry is ready for it. The global shortage of raw materials, such as lithium, has exposed the battery manufacturing industrys weakness and the need for much greater levels of mining to meet the growing global demand. This is just one more challenge that emerging manufacturing countries must face as they try to develop their battery manufacturing industries to compete with that of China.

As global demand for batteries increases, in line with growing EV demand, several countries around the world hold the potential to establish their battery manufacturing industries to compete with the dominant Chinese market. However, companies across Europe and North America must overcome significant challenges if they want to solidify their reputations as major global players in the battery market.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

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Cargo transshipment through Central Asia and the Caucasus will grow six times in 2022 compared to the previous year.

Europe-Asia cargo transportation through the Caucasus is growing manifold as international shippers seek to avoid Russia and hasten to set up new transit routes.

Cargo transshipment through Central Asia and the Caucasus will grow six times in 2022 compared to the previous year, to 3.2 million metric tons, according to the estimates of an association composed of the major state transportation companies in the region. This is due to the sharply increased demand for the [] route against the backdrop of recent events taking place in the world, the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route Association (TITR) wrote in a May 10 press release.

Russian Railways, which had played a major part in China-Europe cargo transportation, has fallen under American and European sanctions. On top of sanctions making it difficult to work with Russian companies, international shippers are uncertain about the current viability of that route. Others say they decided to ditch the route because of ethical considerations over Russian aggression against Ukraine.

In response, several international shippers have announced new initiatives in recent months redirecting transit to the south.

Danish shipping company Maersk in April launched a revamped rail service through the Middle Corridor, as the Central Asia-Caucasus route is often called. It said the route was launched in response to customers ever-changing supply chain needs in the current extraordinary times.



(TITR)

The first train to use the new service left Xian, China, on April 13, en route to Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and then across the Black Sea to Romania before arriving in Germany. In the current situation, this line is another alternative for logistics companies to stabilize exports, Gia Min, manager of the international logistics company Ruiang in Xi'an, told Azerbaijans state news agency Azertac.

Finnish firm Nurminen Logistics on May 10 began operating a container train from China to Central Europe via the trans-Caspian route after designing the route in two months from scratch. Its first train reached Baku on May 27, before heading through the Caucasus and across the Black Sea before going to Finland.

And there are plans to add more freight ships in the Caspian Sea this year, Gaidar Abdikerimov, the Secretary General of TITR Association, said during a panel discussion in April.

Regional states also have been trying to stimulate the new trade routes. On March 31, the governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Turkey signed a declaration on improving the transportation potential through the region. Georgias state railway company announced on May 25 that it was cooperating with companies from Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan to create a new shipping route using feeder vessels between ports in Georgias Poti and Constanta, in Romania.

The notion of using the trans-Caspian route as an alternative to Russia is not new. For decades, regional countries, along with the European Union, Turkey, and China have been trying to build up transportation routes throughout the region. The effort has continued to gain momentum with the rise of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative.

In 2017, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad was launched, and transportation volumes have been growing steadily since, in spite of pandemic-related slowdowns.

But its capacity remains limited. The corridor accounts for about 3-5 percent of the total capacity of northern routes, Cankat Yildiz, an official from transport company Middle Corridor Logistics, told a panel discussion in March. Its a serious option, but this doesnt mean that it can handle all the demand from the northern side. Thats clear.

Because the route features several more border crossings than the Russian route, as well as the need for multimodal transfers to cross the sea, it costs more and is slower.

The main problem with the corridor is that it involves slow and costly ferry legs to cross first the Caspian Sea and then the Black Sea from Georgia to the ports of Romania or Bulgaria or else utilizes an underdeveloped rail route through Turkey, according to a 2021 report by the Asian Development Bank Institute.

As demand now shifts to the Middle Corridor, there are concerns in the Caucasus that the regional infrastructure is underprepared to handle the potential transportation bonanza.

We, again, failed to prepare to meet all of this and, sadly, we are having some obstacles in this regard, Givi Chachanidze, Georgian sales manager at Cosco Shipping Lines, a Chinese transportation company, told Business Media Georgia on May 12.

Related: Citi: Oil Is Overvalued By $50 Per Barrel

Among major infrastructure challenges that need to be addressed, Chachanidze cited the absence of a deepwater port on the Black Sea, the need for better railways, and the fact that the countrys major east-west highway has been under construction for years. Recent transportation demand has surpassed the Georgian railways capacity and some orders have had to be canceled, he said.

We need to start this today, with every effort, this needs to become a national interest because our country is a country in need and this is like a gift that we need to grab, Chachanidze said.

A decade-long major modernization of Georgias railways is expected to be completed this year, which will double its freight transportation capacity. But the Georgian government also two years ago controversially canceled the contract for the Anaklia deepwater port, which had been expected to play a key role in intercontinental transit. Tbilisi still claims that building the port remains a priority.

A dramatic increase in truck waiting times also has been reported at Georgias border crossings: On May 19, the Revenue Service of the Georgian Finance Ministry said all customs points were operating under a special regime due to increased transportation freight turnover in the entire region.

For Georgia, which for decades has tried to prove its strategic role to the West, its rising role in east-west transit is already good news.

But with increased transportation of goods through the country, it also stands to gain by growing trade relations with other countries along the corridor and cheaper import costs for staple goods, such as wheat. High transport costs for such goods have left Georgia dependent on the strategically risky Russian market, a situation that could be ameliorated should growing freight volumes decrease import costs from countries like Kazakhstan.

This gives us a chance to attract, with the right moves, the volume of wheat through our corridor that could provide us with food security and become competitive with Russian wheat, Giorgi Jakhutashvili, the chairman of the Kazakh-Georgian Economic Union, told Business Formula in April.

Azerbaijan, too, has long been trying to take advantage of international interest in the Middle Corridor. President Ilham Aliyev, in an April 2 letter to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping marking the 30th anniversary of bilateral relations, singled out cooperation on transportation.

"Sitting at the crossroads of the east-west and north-south transportation corridors, Azerbaijan was among the first countries to support your Belt and Road initiative," Aliyev wrote. "The infrastructure projects implemented in our country in the transportation, transit and logistics areas and new corridors being made available usher excellent opportunities for our cooperation."

Among the key projects is a Chinese-funded, $1.5 billion industrial park at Azerbaijans new Port of Baku at Alat.

The government may now be seeking to expand the capacity of the Port of Baku, currently 15 million metric tons of cargo annually, given the rising demand occasioned by Russias isolation. Looking at the construction of Alat Economic Zone and other projects, these are attracting more international cargo shipping companies, analyst Fuad Shahbaz told Eurasianet.

A delegation from Kazakhstan that visited Azerbaijan in May also appeared aimed at redirecting transit away from Russia and through the Caucasus, Shahbaz said.

Despite Aliyevs warm words for Xi, however, there are several obstacles to Chinese transit through Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan has not yet fully committed to being a key part of Chinas land-based trade and energy network, the Carnegie Endowment wrote in 2021. There are currently no agreements on currency swaps, industrial transfer, or free trade between the two countries, though China has concluded such agreements with Georgia and Armenia. On top of that, Azerbaijan has not shown any great enthusiasm for upgrading its old and slow railway infrastructure.

By Eurasianet.org

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Nebraska hospital officials and health care workers spoke out Friday against the growing incidence of abuse, from name-calling to physical assaults, aimed at health care workers by patients, family members and visitors.

The occasion was the sixth annual Hospitals Against Violence Day, an day of awareness intended to focus on ending violence in hospitals and communities.

Violence is certainly one of our nations major public health crises and safety issues, both in our communities and inside our workplaces, said Jeremy Nordquist, president of the Nebraska Hospital Association.

But Nordquist said hospital officials had no idea as they prepared for the event that they would be dealing with the aftermath of two hospital shootings this week.

In the first, two orthopedic surgeons, a medical office staffer and a patient visitor were killed in a mass shooting Wednesday on the campus of St. Francis Health System in Tulsa. The gunman, police say, also killed himself.

St. Francis president and CEO is Dr. Cliff Robertson, who went to Tulsa in June 2021 after seven years in Omaha as president and CEO of CHI Health.

Also Wednesday, a jail inmate shot and killed a security guard in a hospital emergency room in Dayton, Ohio.

While these horrific events got the national attention they deserve, Nordquist said, violence against our health care workers is not uncommon or isolated to just a few incidents. More and more, our health care heroes are facing violence, both physical assaults and verbal threats, and more are reporting it.

A national study, he said, indicated that 44% of nurses experienced physical violence in the workplace during the pandemic, and 68% experienced verbal abuse. And 2018 data from the International Association of Health Care Safety and Security indicated that health care workers were five times more likely to face violence in the workplace than the average worker.

Lisa Vail, vice president of patient care services and system chief nursing officer with Lincolns Bryan Health, said almost 60% of employee-related incidents reported to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for lost work time were related to violence against health care workers, from verbal abuse to physical assault.

These events are increasing the emotional and physical toll on our staff, and that is causing some to leave the health care profession altogether, she said. We cant afford the loss of these skilled and compassionate caregivers ... if we want to continue to meet the health care needs of our community.

Vail said emergency department staff are most affected, particularly when caring for patients who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, experiencing mental illness or dealing with the health issue that brought them to the emergency room.

But such incidents happen throughout the hospital, including name-calling, spitting, kicking, inappropriate sexual comments and outright assault.

Violence against health care workers should not be tolerated, Vail said, and our staff should not have to accept this as part of the job.

Alex Wilkerson, emergency room clinical director for Great Plains Health in North Platte, said the verbal and physical abuse seems to have increased during and after the pandemic, with patients and family members fighting masking and vaccination requirements as well as visitor policies and other measures established for their safety.

Nicole Thorell, chief nursing officer with Lexington Regional Health Center in Lexington, said the problem is happening everywhere in the state, with increased stressors during the pandemic and decreased access to mental health services.

The angry, aggressive behavior, she said, now is being directed toward upfront staff, including those in billing, registration and front-door screening.

In the past, Vail said, much of the anger wed see on clinical units. Now, they walk through the door angry.

Thorell said she wants people to know that hospital staff are there to care for them and help them. But she also urged them to use grace and allow hospital staff to find the help they need.

The officials said their hospitals continue to take steps to prevent such incidents, from training staff in de-escalation tactics to providing security guards and surveillance.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  Teacher Jessica Salfia was putting up graduation balloons last month at her West Virginia high school when two of them popped, setting off panic in a crowded hallway between classes.

One student dropped to the floor. Two others lunged into open classrooms. Salfia quickly shouted, Its balloons! Balloons! and apologized as the teenagers realized the noise didnt come from gunshots.

The moment of terror at Spring Mills High School in Martinsburg, about 80 miles (124 kilometers) northwest of Washington happened May 23, the day before a gunman fatally shot 19 children and two teachers in a classroom in Uvalde, Texas. The reaction reflects the fear that pervades the nation's schools and taxes its teachers  even those who have never experienced such violence  and it comes on top of the strain imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Salfia has a more direct connection to gun threats than most. Her mother, also a West Virginia teacher, found herself staring down a student with a gun in her classroom seven years ago. After talking to him for some two hours, she was hailed for her role in helping bring the incident to a peaceful end.

For any teacher standing in front of a classroom in 21st century America, the job seems to ask the impossible. Already expected to be guidance counselors, social workers, surrogate parents and more to their students, teachers are sometimes called on to be protectors, too.

The U.S. public school landscape has changed markedly since the Columbine school shooting in Colorado in 1999, and Salfia said teachers think about the risks every day.

What would happen if we go into a lockdown? What would happen if I hear gunshots? she said. "What would happen if one of my students came to school armed that day? This is a constant thread of thought.

George Theoharis was a teacher and principal for a decade and has spent the past 18 years training teachers and school administrators at Syracuse University. He said teachers are stretched more now than ever  even more than last year, "when the pandemic was newer.

Were sort of left in this moment where we do expect teachers and schools to solve all our problems and do it quickly, he said.

Schools nationwide have been dealing with widespread episodes of misbehavior since the return to in-person learning, which has been accompanied by soaring student mental health needs. In growing numbers, teens have been turning to gun violence to resolve spur-of-the-moment conflicts, researchers say.

In Nashville, Tennessee, three Inglewood Elementary School staffers sprang into action last month to restrain a man who had hopped a fence. After children on the playground were directed inside, the man followed them, but he was tackled by kindergarten teacher Rachel Davis.

At one point, secretary Katrina Nikki Thomas held him in a headlock. They and school bookkeeper Shay Patton cornered the man, who didnt have a gun, inside the school until authorities arrived. All three employees were hurt.

For me, it was just like, these kids are innocent," Patton said. I just knew that they couldnt protect themselves, so it was on us to do it. And I didnt think twice.

The three employees watched in horror less than two weeks later as news of the Uvalde shooting unfolded.

In my head, immediately I thought, That could have been me and my kids,' Davis said. That could have been us out there on that playground with this ... guy if he had had a gun on him."

Adding to frustration for some educators was the scapegoating of a teacher initially blamed for propping open the door a gunman used to enter the Uvalde, Texas elementary school. Days later, officials said the teacher had closed the door, but it didn't lock.

Kindergarten teacher Ana Hernandez said Texas educators are anxious after a rough patch that has lasted years and shows no sign of ending. She and a group of colleagues from Dilley drove an hour to Uvalde to do all they could, delivering donated stuffed animals and cases of water. She said more is needed.

Changes have to be done for us to feel secure in a classroom as a teacher (and) for students also to feel secure and safe in a classroom, she said.

Tish Jennings, a University of Virginia education professor specializing in teacher stress and social-emotional learning, said teacher stress becomes contagious.

It interferes with their ability to function, and it also interferes with students ability to learn, Jennings said. So when things like this happen, the school shootings, it shuts everybody down. Its very hard to learn when youre afraid for your life.

Salfia says the load teachers carry is daunting.

"Youre a first responder. Youre a first reporter. If theres an issue in the home, you are sometimes the only chance a kid has at love, at getting food that day, at maybe getting a warm and safe place to be that day. The scope of the job is huge right now.

The pandemic added the challenge of remote learning, classroom sanitizing and finding enough substitute teachers to keep schools running.

There's also a sense that tragedies continue to happen, and politicians rarely do anything about it.

It is so hard to know that, at any moment, that reality could also be your reality, or the reality of your children," said Salfia, a mother of three students. My youngest is the same age as the kids who were killed in Texas. It sharpens everything, I think, especially when you're in a classroom.

In August 2015, the new school year had barely started for Salfia's mother, teacher Twila Smith, when a freshman entered Smith's world studies class at Philip Barbour High School and drew a gun he had taken from his home.

For about 45 minutes, Smith said, no one outside the room knew the class was being held hostage. She diverted his attention from other students and tried to keep him talking while she walked around the room with him.

Eventually, police persuaded the boy to let everyone go. After at least another hour and a half, his pastor helped convince the boy to surrender. A few months later, he was sentenced to a juvenile facility until he turns 21.

Smith, who has a background in dealing with students with behavior problems, was among those hailed as heroes, a label she deflected.

I think my training just came into play, Smith said. And then I had 29 freshmen sitting there looking at me, and I would have to say that they were the heroes. Because they did everything I told them to do, and they did everything he told them to do. And they stayed fairly calm."

Smith saw those freshmen through to graduation in 2019. Then she retired.

Back at Spring Mills High, one of Salfias former students now works in her department as a first-year English teacher. When asked what she tells others hoping to go into her field, Salfia repeated the ex-pupils description of what todays teachers go through: None of us are built for this." But their commitment to the profession is such that they are only built for it, and could scarcely consider any other career.

This is the only job I can imagine doing, Salfia said. But it is also the hardest job I can imagine doing.

After the balloons popped, kids were visibly rattled, she recalled. Some people were a little bit angry at me, I think, in reaction to that fear that everyone had experienced momentarily."

She knows that's the world she and her students live in now.

We are all, at any moment, prepared to run from that sound."

Associated Press writer Jonathan Mattise in Nashville, Tennessee, and Jay Reeves in Uvalde, Texas, contributed to this report.

The Associated Press education team receives support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

More on the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas: https://apnews.com/hub/uvalde-school-shooting

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DILI, East Timor (AP)  The foreign ministers of Australia and China were both making their final stops Friday on what has become an island-hopping diplomatic duel in the South Pacific.

Australias Foreign Minister Penny Wong arrived in Tonga where she met with Prime Minister Huakavameiliku and other officials including King Tupou VI. Her visit came just three days after Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi held similar meetings in Tonga.

Wong and the officials talked about climate change and rebuilding efforts after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit in January. Also on the agenda was the contentious issue of regional security.

We are not a government or a country that wants to come in and tell you what you should do, Wong said at a news conference in the capital, Nuku'alofa.

She said Australia considered itself part of the Pacific family.

We want regional security to be dealt with, to be the responsibility of the Pacific family, Wong said. And we will continue to engage with our friends, our partners in the region.

Huakavameiliku said Tonga was honored that Wong had decided to visit just two weeks after taking office, following an election in Australia.

This is a clear sign of the Australian governments strong commitment to strengthening our bilateral relations and engagement with our region, the prime minister said.

Meanwhile, Wang met in Papua New Guinea with Prime Minister James Marape and other officials before flying Friday afternoon to East Timor, the final stop on his eight-nation tour of the region and the first outside of the South Pacific. Wang is due to leave East Timor on Saturday.

Wang met his East Timorese counterpart Adaljiza Magno shortly after arriving in Dili, the capital.

The two countries have enjoyed strong relations over the past 20 years, Magno said, adding that her government was grateful for China's assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic and amid flooding last year that left dozens of people in Dili dead.

The two top diplomats signed agreements related to fisheries, water and sanitation. China also agreed to support the development of East Timor's healthcare system, including by building hospitals and sending medical teams there. And China pledged to help support East Timor's defense and education sectors.

During the visit, Wang held separate talks with East Timors Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak, who is looking to increase infrastructure investment from Australia, Japan and China.

Most government offices in the capital, including the presidential palace and the foreign and defense ministries, as well as major shopping centers, were built with Chinese investment. A commercial port built by a Chinese state-owned company is set to open later this year.

Before returning to Beijing on Saturday, Wang is scheduled to meet with East Timors newly elected President Jose Ramos-Horta and leaders of the countrys two largest political parties.

East Timor, Asias youngest country, just celebrated its 20th anniversary of independence from Indonesia, which invaded the former Portuguese colony in 1975. Its transition to a democracy has been rocky, with leaders battling massive poverty, unemployment and corruption as the country continues to struggle with the legacy of its bloody independence battle and bitter factional politics that have occasionally erupted into violence. Its economy is reliant on dwindling offshore oil revenues.

Wang had hoped to ink an ambitious multilateral deal with 10 South Pacific nations this week covering everything from security to fisheries. He couldnt find consensus on that deal but has been notching up smaller wins by signing bilateral agreements with many of the countries hes been visiting.

The diplomatic push by China, especially around Pacific security, has caused deep concern among some of the island nations as well as farther afield in Canberra and Washington. Since news of the proposed deal emerged, Wong has made two trips to the Pacific to shore up support for Australia.

Perry reported from Wellington, New Zealand.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Hundreds of thousands of students who attended the for-profit Corinthian Colleges chain will automatically get their federal student loans canceled, the Biden administration announced Wednesday, a move that aims to bring closure to one of the most notorious cases of fraud in American higher education.

Under the new action, anyone who attended the now-defunct chain from its founding in 1995 to its collapse in 2015 will get their federal student debt wiped clean. It will erase $5.8 billion in debt for more than 560,000 borrowers, the largest single loan discharge in Education Department history, according to the agency.

As of today, every student deceived, defrauded and driven into debt by Corinthian Colleges can rest assured that the Biden-Harris Administration has their back and will discharge their federal student loans, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said. For far too long, Corinthian engaged in the wholesale financial exploitation of students, misleading them into taking on more and more debt to pay for promises they would never keep."

Tens of thousands of former Corinthian students were already eligible for debt cancellation, but they had to file paperwork and navigate an application process that advocates say is confusing and not widely known about. Now, the relief will be made automatic and extended to additional borrowers.

Those who have a remaining balance on their Corinthian debt will also get refunds on payments they have already made, Education Department officials said. But the action does not apply to loans that have already been paid off in full.

At its peak, Corinthian was one of the nations largest for-profit college companies, with more than 100 campuses across the country and more than 110,000 students at its Everest, WyoTech and Heald schools.

But the company shut down in 2015 amid widespread findings of fraud. The Obama administration  working with Kamala Harris, who was then California attorney general and later became vice president  found that scores of campuses were falsifying data on the success of their graduates. In some cases, the schools reported that students had found jobs in their fields of study even though they were working at grocery stores or fast food chains.

Hundreds of students told investigators they were pressured to enroll with promises of lucrative employment, only to end up with huge sums of debt and few job prospects. Federal officials also found that the company falsely told students their course credits could be transferred to other colleges.

The case inspired a federal crackdown on for-profit colleges, and the Obama administration promised to forgive loans for Corinthian students whose programs lied about job placement rates. The administration went on to expand a process known as borrower defense to repayment, which allows any defrauded student to apply for debt cancellation.

But an explosion in applications for debt forgiveness, along with political battles over the process, created a years-long backlog in the process, leaving many former Corinthian students still awaiting relief.

As of December, the Education Department reported it had more than 109,000 pending applications from students alleging fraud by their colleges, including many Corinthian students. Borrowers and their advocates have been urging the government to erase all Corinthian debt, saying evidence of misconduct was so widespread that all the chains students were the victims of fraud.

The administration announced the action Wednesday as President Joe Biden considers broader student loan forgiveness for millions of Americans. As a candidate, Biden said he supports forgiving $10,000 in student loans for all borrowers. He later indicated that such action should come through Congress, but the White House has said he is considering whether to pursue it through executive action.

Advocates said the Biden administrations decision brings long-delayed justice.

"This is a tremendous student victory, and it belongs to the tens of thousands of borrowers who were cheated and abused by Corinthian Colleges, said Eileen Connor, director of the Project on Predatory Student Lending, which has represented Corinthian students in lawsuits. They never stopped fighting  over three administrations  for the justice they deserve under the law.

Libby DeBlasio Webster, senior counsel for the advocacy group Student Defense, said the news gives a fresh start to former Corinthian students, but she noted that many defrauded students from other for-profit colleges are still awaiting help.

We also hope todays news is a sign that other decisions are on the horizon for thousands of similarly situated students who are waiting for this kind of relief, she said.

The Associated Press education team receives support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
A juvenile was charged with disorderly conduct after she posted threatening pictures and messages about students at Coolidge Middle School on social media, the Cook County sheriffs office said Saturday.

The sheriffs office responded to a request by the Phoenix Police Department to check out a school threat at Coolidge Middle school Thursday after learning the girl had posted life-threatening images and messages on social media about students at the school, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said in a statement.

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The school, about 20 miles south of Chicagos Loop neighborhood, was placed on lockdown, during which the sheriffs office K-9 unit and community safety team searched the school and identified the girl who posted the threats.

She was taken to the Juvenile Detention Center and later charged.
The White House says a small private airplane entered restricted airspace near President Joe Bidens Delaware vacation home on Saturday, and that led to the brief evacuation of the president and first lady. The White House says there was no threat to Biden or his family and that precautionary measures were taken. After the situation was assessed, Biden and his wife, Jill, returned to their Rehoboth Beach home. The Secret Service said in a statement that the plane was immediately escorted from the restricted airspace after mistakenly entering a secured area. The agency said it would interview the pilot who, according to a preliminary investigation, was not on the proper radio channel and was not following published flight guidance.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  Democrats in the state Senate on Thursday pitched their proposal to give $200 tax rebates to motorists in North Carolina, who are dealing with historically high gas prices.

Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue and other Democrats held a news conference to urge Republicans to consider the gas tax rebate legislation. The bill would direct the windfall be given no later than Oct. 1 to everyone 18 years and older with a valid North Carolina drivers license, media outlets reported.

The money, which would come in the form of a check or debit card, could be used for any purpose. It's designed to provide near-term assistance to North Carolina residents and families struggling with higher prices for groceries and other necessities.

We want to put more money in their pockets now, Blue told reporters.

The tax rebate would cost $1.3 billion and come from the estimated $4.2 billion in revenue overcollections that the state predicts to have at the close of the fiscal year.

Republican leaders in the General Assembly also are looking at tax relief as part of their negotiations to adjust the second year of the two-year budget that begins July 1.

House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger said Thursday that the GOP might consider some kind of one-time rebate but that more permanent tax relief is preferred.

I would like to see something thats a little more broad-based and long-lasting as opposed to a temporary thing that may help with one tank of gas or two, Berger told reporters.

Republicans have mentioned a potential effort to reduce the individual income tax rate more quickly than was laid out in the two-year budget approved last November. That measure is incrementally decreasing the personal rate from 5.25% to 3.99% in 2027.

North Carolina's motor fuels tax is currently 38.5 cents per gallon.

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A shooting in South Omaha on Friday night left one person dead and injured three others.

The shooting occurred about 11:38 p.m. near 30th and T Streets, according to a Douglas County 911 dispatcher.

Pierre R. Hightower, 31, was declared dead at the scene, according to the Omaha Police Department.

Three people were taken to the Nebraska Medical Center with injuries that werent life threatening, according to police. They were identified as Paris S. Hightower, 30; Kaveh A. Ranson, 32; and Ryan T. Prince, 19.

The shooting remains under investigation.

Police urged anyone with information to contact the department at 402-444-5656 or Omaha Crime Stoppers at 402-444-STOP or at www.omahacrimestoppers.org. Tips also can be provided on the P3 Tips mobile app.

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The heyday of jazz on North 24th Street was long ago.

It feels almost like a myth, a tall tale, to Dana Murray.

But Murray plans to bring music back to the historic stretch of North Omaha with youth programming.

Murray outlined plans for North Omaha Music and Arts when he went before the Omaha Planning Board this week.

The program would operate out of the former Loves Jazz & Art Center near 24th and Lake Streets.

Murray, an accomplished musician, grew up in South Omaha, where he fostered a love of playing drums. But he found few opportunities to explore music and art.

I know what its like to grow up in an underserved community where there arent a lot of outlets in art, he told the Planning Board. My commitment is driven by what I would have wanted.

The 28,000-square-foot facility would include a state-of-the-art recording studio as well as a 450-seat music venue.

The facility, which would operate after school, would be open to all students, regardless of their skill level.

In an interview with The World-Herald, Murray said every student will go through piano lessons, dance lessons and other core curriculum. But they will have opportunities to take electives and explore areas theyre interested in.

Murray compared the program to a Boys & Girls Club. Think of it like Boys & Girls Club for the arts, he said.

Part of the groups mission is that students wont face economic barriers to participating. Financial logistics are still being ironed out, Murray said.

Murray, 51, who will serve as the organizations executive director, attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston before moving to New York City. A drummer, he has played with Wynton Marsalis, Jimmy Witherspoon and Norah Jones.

Murray moved back to Omaha in 2004 to raise his son. He has taught at Omaha Burke and Bellevue East High Schools and founded Dojo Percussion, an indoor percussive ensemble.

Murray said working with the high school students sparked his interest in creating the music and arts nonprofit.

Students will learn more than the basics of music through the program. Skills such as critical thinking, accountability, dedication and learning how to fail will benefit them in other avenues, too, Murray said.

We know the power of music and the power of really tapping into a young persons creativity, he said.

A handful of individuals, including one of Murrays former students, spoke in favor of the project before the Planning Board.

David Hawkins, who first met Murray while a student at Burke, said he gained a strong work ethic and critical thinking skills through music.

Music and arts programming arent always readily accessible in all parts of the city, he said. Putting the program in North Omaha removes barriers for many youths.

I think its really important that we do everything we can to support this, he told board members.

Other proponents commented on the opportunities the programming will give students and how it will continue the legacy of music in North Omaha.

The plan is headed to the Omaha City Council for final approval. In the meantime, Murray said NOMA will launch a capital campaign and hope to start offering programs by early August.

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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  Australia and China continued their tit-for-tat diplomatic rivalry in the Pacific on Thursday as the foreign ministers from each country paid separate visits to island nations.

In Samoa, Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced that her country would donate a patrol boat to replace a similar one that was wrecked after it ran aground last year.

Meanwhile, Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Papua New Guinea to meet with leaders there on the penultimate stop of an eight-nation regional tour.

Wang had hoped to ink an ambitious multilateral deal with 10 South Pacific nations this week covering everything from security to fisheries. He couldn't find consensus on that deal but has been notching up smaller wins by signing bilateral agreements with many of the countries hes been visiting.

The diplomatic push by China, especially around Pacific security, has caused deep concern among some of the island nations as well as farther afield in Canberra and Washington. Since news of the proposed deal emerged, Wong has made two trips to the Pacific to shore up support for Australia.

In Samoa, Wong met with Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa.

Wong told reporters that Australia respected the right of sovereign nations to make their own security decisions, but said those decisions "have the potential to affect the nature of the security arrangements of the region. So having a collective consideration of those matters is important."

Fiame said she wanted to make clear that while Samoa had signed some bilateral agreements with China, it hadn't favored inking the big multilateral deal  at least not right away. She said Samoa and the other nations needed to talk through the issues first.

Our position was that you cannot have regional agreement when the region hasn't met to discuss it, she said.

Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has been even more blunt, tweeting: The Pacific needs genuine partners, not superpowers that are super-focused on power.

Wang's visit to Papua New Guinea comes ahead of a national election there next month.

Wong will next visit Tonga while Wang plans to end his tour with a stop in East Timor.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
CHESTERFIELD, Va. (AP)  A 20-year-old man was fatally shot and seven other young people were injured after gunfire erupted during a graduation party in central Virginia, police said Saturday.

Two separate fights between attendees of the mostly outdoor party in Chester were reported shortly before police received a call about shots fired late Friday night, Chesterfield County Police Maj. Brad Badgerow said at a news conference.

It was not immediately clear whether the incident was a gunfight with multiple shooters, Badgerow said, though he noted officers had recovered more than 50 casings of four different calibers.

Whether that means it was four people shooting  I can't tell you that. But it looks like there were at least four different weapons that were fired, he said.

The department said when officers arrived at the scene, they discovered 20-year-old Taborri J. Carter of Petersburg suffering from a gunshot wound. Officers rendered aid, but he died at the scene. Five other shooting victims had already left the scene before police arrived, according to a news release that said their injuries appeared to be non-life-threatening.

Two other people were injured when they were struck by a vehicle as they fled the shooting, police said. Those injured ranged in age from 16 to 21 and were from Chesterfield or nearby localities. The party, which had been advertised on social media, drew about 50 to 100 people, Badgerow said.

An investigation is ongoing. No arrests or suspect information had been released as of Saturday afternoon.

The party took place in a residential area of Chester, which is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of Richmond.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
SEATTLE (AP)  When he was sentenced for killing three teenagers and gravely wounding another at a house party north of Seattle, Allen Ivanov said he was sorry and that he couldn't explain why he did it.

But he noted one factor that allowed him to carry out the shooting  the ease of acquiring a gun. The then-19-year-old bought the assault-style rifle a week earlier and was so unfamiliar with the weapon that he sat in his car outside the party and studied the owner's manual before opening fire on his ex-girlfriend and others.

That theme has repeated itself, yet again, in America's latest spate of mass shootings  in Buffalo, New York; Uvalde, Texas; and Tulsa, Oklahoma  which claimed 35 lives in a span of less than three weeks. It is renewing the debate over whether restrictions such as waiting periods and bans on young adults buying semiautomatic rifles could have saved lives.

If those had been in place, it would have made a difference, said Paul Kramer, who led a successful 2018 effort to impose a 10-day waiting period on semiautomatic rifle purchases in Washington state, as well as a ban on young adults buying such weapons, after his son Will was gravely wounded during Ivanov's shooting spree two years earlier. Those mass shootings would not have unfolded the way that they did, and very likely, lives would have been saved.

Just nine states and Washington, D.C., have explicit waiting periods before people can purchase at least some types of firearms. The restrictions can give authorities more time to conduct background checks and keep impulsive, emotional people from immediately accessing weapons they might use to kill themselves or others, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

The federal government has no waiting period. A bill that passed the Democrat-led U.S. House last year would extend the review period for background checks from three days to 10, but it's opposed by Republicans and is not part of current negotiations in the Senate over how Congress can respond to the recent massacres.

In Tulsa, authorities said the gunman who killed his surgeon, another doctor and two other people Wednesday bought an AR-style rifle just hours beforehand, as well as a handgun on May 29. The shooter, Michael Louis, 45, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, had recently had an operation and blamed his doctor for continuing back pain.

In Uvalde, Texas, the 18-year-old shooter who killed 21 people at Robb Elementary School had purchased two rifles in the preceding week.

California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia have waiting periods for purchases of all types of weapons, ranging from three to 14 days. Minnesota and Washington impose waiting periods for handguns and semiautomatic rifles, while Maryland and New Jersey have waiting periods only for handguns.

In addition, several other states, including Connecticut, Maryland and Massachusetts, require buyers of at least some types of guns to obtain permits first, sometimes including completion of safety classes. Those restrictions can function like waiting periods.

Oklahoma has no law mandating a waiting period, but some Democratic lawmakers called for a special session of the Legislature to address it among other gun violence measures after the Tulsa shooting.

Oklahoma students will be in school in two months, said House Minority Leader Emily Virgin. "If we fail to act before then, it will be because the Legislature has no will to do so. Thats something that I hope all Oklahomans are paying attention to.

They suggested a waiting period on firearms purchases, raising the states minimum age for purchasing weapons from 18 to 21, and a red flag law, allowing guns to be temporarily seized from people who might pose a danger to themselves or others. Those proposals are likely to go nowhere in a GOP-controlled Legislature that has for years pushed for loosening state gun laws.

Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, who is running for reelection, said last week after the Texas shooting that it was too soon to talk about firearms policy.

Florida stands out as a Republican-led state that imposed gun restrictions after a mass shooting. In 2018, after a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland left 14 students and three staff members dead, then-Gov. Rick Scott signed legislation that included a three-day waiting period and raising the minimum age to buy rifles from 18 to 21.

Scott, now a U.S. senator, "encourages all states to look at the action he took in Florida to determine what works best for their state, his communications director, McKinley Lewis, said in an email Friday.

Nationally, about one-third of mass shooters purchased a gun within a month of their crimes, said James Densley, co-founder of The Violence Project, a nonpartisan research group that tracks mass shootings dating back to 1966.

According to a 2017 Harvard Business School review, waiting period laws that delay the purchase of firearms by a few days reduce gun homicides by roughly 17%. But Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of California, called waiting periods an ineffective policy to try to affect gun crime.

The big concern we have is when people want to exercise their right to bear arms, especially when theyre a first-time gun user, theyre delayed in their ability to get the tools that they need to protect themselves, Paredes said.

Daniel Webster, co-director of the Center for Gun Violence Solutions at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said waiting periods are important, and it's obvious to him why more states dont require them: Many firearm laws, he said, are "written by people who sell guns.

Supporters say requiring several days or even a week or more between the purchase and delivery of a gun provides an important cooling off time for someone who is angry or contemplating suicide.

If you get, for whatever reason, a person who is purchasing the gun to use it to harm others, the fact that they cant get the gun in their hands immediately may give an opportunity for the circumstances to change by the time they do get it, assuming theyre entitled to get it in the first place, said Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha.

Giving law enforcement enough time to complete a thorough background check is another advantage of extending the waiting period, he said.

Hawaii has the longest waiting period in the U.S., at 14 days. Alan Beck, an attorney representing residents who are challenging various aspects of the states gun laws, said the two-week period seems arbitrary. If it's meant as a cooling off period for someone who is angry, he said it won't have an effect on potential gun buyers if they already own a firearm.

But state Sen. Karl Rhoads said he believes the waiting period combined with other strict gun control laws have worked, noting that Hawaii has a low homicide rate.

If youre really angry about something and you can go buy a gun and you can get it immediately, then you may act on your impulse, Rhoads said. If you have to wait a couple of weeks, you may calm down and think better of it."

Former Florida state Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat who represented Parkland in 2018 and is now running for Congress, said waiting periods alone aren't enough. Raising the purchase age, adopting red flag laws, increasing mental health spending and boosting school security are all essential, he said.

No one change is going to make a big difference," Moskowitz said. "But every change added together is."

Associated Press writers Anthony Izaguirre in Tallahassee, Florida; Jennifer Sinco Kelleher in Honolulu; Michael Kunzelman in College Park, Maryland; Jennifer McDermott in Providence, Rhode Island; Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City; Terry Spencer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Don Thompson in Sacramento, California, contributed to this report.

Follow the APs coverage of the mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, here:

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Nebraska Education Commissioner Matt Blomstedt publicly expressed frustration Friday over the way the Nebraska State Board of Education was handling the renewal of his employment contract, telling board members that he felt he was excluded from the process.

He commented during the monthly meeting of the board at the Nebraska Innovation Campus in Lincoln.

Its uncomfortable for me to sit here while you talk about me without me, Blomstedt said. I will say, and I do feel, as if Ive not been in the process at this point in time. So, you all are agreeing to an offer that I have yet to consider.

The comments were a rare display of emotion for Blomstedt, a self-deprecating consensus-builder with a steady demeanor.

Since taking the job in 2014, his contract renewals have been uneventful, punctuated with atta-boys from board members for a job well done.

This time, board members offered motions and counter motions over the proposed new contract that would have given him a pay raise and set performance goals. Unable to reach agreement when first brought up in the meeting, they postponed consideration until later in the meeting.

After completing other business items on the agenda, they adjourned to closed session for more than an hour to discuss it again.

They returned to open session to discuss it more. Then they rejected a motion to table it until their next meeting.

Finally, a motion to adopt the contract changes failed, 3-5.

Voting in favor were Deborah Neary, Robin Stevens and Jacquelyn Morrison. Against were Lisa Fricke, Maureen Nickels, Kirk Penner, Patti Gubbels and Patsy Koch Johns.

Because no action was taken, Blomstedt remains on his existing contract. That contract, approved last year, was for three years, running from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2024. His salary for the current fiscal year is $237,273. Under the current contract, that was already going to increase to $242,019 for the year starting July 1.

The proposed change would have raised it even more to $246,764.

It wasnt clear why board members struggled to come to agreement.

The money didnt appear to be the issue.

Rather, it appeared to be partly a disagreement over the set of performance goals but also a concern that the proposed contract terms were reached by a committee without input from other board members.

The committee proposed an eight-page list of performance standards, indicators and targets. The listed goals ranged from leading with dignity and respect to encouraging high expectations for student achievement.

Morrison expressed concern that not all board members had a chance to give input.

Right now, its not feeling like its very collaborative, she said.

She wanted more discussion, particularly on how the committee arrived at the proposal.

I would like to hear the thought process of how you got to that.

She questioned whether the goals were measurable and attainable.

Stevens made a motion to go forward with approval, but it went nowhere.

During the meeting, Blomstedt sat listening to several minutes of the back-and-forth about whether the agenda was worded properly on the proposal, jockeying over motions, clarification of motions, and whether an executive session was needed, before he weighed in with obvious frustration.

Im gonna be honest with you, he said. I dont think Im where I want to be with you, and I dont think were going to get there in this type of conversation.

He said it was difficult to sit here and watch the board struggle ... I dont want that. I actually feel guilty, like its my fault. Actually I dont think its my fault.

Blomstedt told board members that they didnt have to rush to approve a new contract. He said he would be willing to delay any changes until August while the board worked on a contract that he and the board could agree on.

He also said, Im not walking away from this job.

Im here for you, and Im here for the state of Nebraska, to do my job as effectively as I can, Blomstedt said. I cant do that ... unless you can figure out how to work with me on that very point.

When Blomstedt was done, Fricke responded, Thank you for your candor. That shows leadership.

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A school tip line that state officials say has successfully thwarted shootings in Nebraska will be funded for another year with federal COVID-19 aid.

But officials with the Nebraska Department of Education said Friday that they will eventually make a case to state lawmakers that its worth receiving state funding.

Members of the Nebraska State Board of Education voted Friday to approve a one-year, $809,445 contract with Boys Town to operate the Safe2Help line.

The money is coming from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund.

Brian Halstead, assistant Nebraska commissioner of education, said the law that created the program calls for collecting data and reporting back to the Legislature.

Well collect the data, Halstead said. We think we can show and justify why this is a wise investment for everyone to continue to fund this with state general funds.

Jolene Palmer, director of school safety with the Nebraska Department of Education, briefed the board on the program, which is already up and running.

She said the line has received 1,300 reports, including 41 for weapons in school and 59 for alleged attacks.

The anonymous line gives a voice to the voiceless, so that they can have somewhere to go with the information, Palmer said.

Legislative Bill 322, passed last year and signed by Gov. Pete Ricketts, expanded the reporting system statewide, giving students, staff and parents an anonymous way to make reports.

The reports can be made via phone, website or email.

The reports are fielded by trained crisis counselors, managed by Boys Town.

Reports are directed back to the local district or nonpublic school, where school-based threat assessment teams evaluate the report and, if necessary, take action.

If theres an immediate threat, then the crisis counselors can alert emergency services, law enforcement or child protective services directly.

The most common reports were about someone considering suicide, followed by bullying.

Other concerns reported were dating violence, and threats against people and property.

In more than 80% of violent school incidents someone leaked information before the actual incident. In other words, four of five times someone knew what was about to happen.

Our goal is to save lives, and our other goal is to make life better for kids, especially, like, if theyre being bullied, Palmer said.

She said theyre serving about 40% of the students in Nebraska.

Every week a couple of more schools join the program, she said.

We hope that we can get up to 100% in the very near future, she said.

Chad Denker, superintendent with David City Public Schools, said he was initially skeptical about joining the line. Now he thinks it was one of the districts best decisions.

He said his district took a leap of faith, assembled a threat assessment team to field the calls and trained students about the program.

He said theyve received reports about teachers providing vaping materials to kids and about kids harming themselves.

They were cutting themselves, he said. Weve had kids call in and say, My friend has been talking about committing suicide. And so weve been able to prevent some of the self-harm.

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A Disney vacation can be a trip of a lifetime. It can also be the most expensive trip of your lifetime.

For many, buying travel insurance should be just as essential as buying a churro as you cruise down Main Street. After all, were still in the midst of a pandemic. But thats not the only reason you might cancel. Maybe you booked a vacation but later lost your job; you might want to delay until you regain a stable income stream. Maybe your kid breaks his leg and you want to rebook when its healed.

Trip insurance can be purchased from a dedicated travel insurance company, or you might already have it by holding certain credit cards. Otherwise, you might buy it directly from Disney, which offers insurance as an add-on for vacation packages at its U.S. theme parks.

Is Disney travel insurance worth it, or are there better deals out there?

What Disney travel insurance covers

If youre heading to Walt Disney World in Florida or Disneyland in California and youve booked a vacation package (meaning a hotel and theme park tickets), youre eligible to purchase Disneys Travel Protection Plan. Underwritten by Arch Insurance Company, its available for purchase by U.S. residents and U.S. citizens living abroad who book through Disneys website.

Exact coverage and benefit availability varies based on where you live, but it typically includes:

Trip cancellation or interruption: Reimburses prepaid travel up to your total trip cost for covered reasons including illness, injury, job loss or military service.

Reimburses prepaid travel up to your total trip cost for covered reasons including illness, injury, job loss or military service. Trip delay: Reimburses eligible expenses of up to $200 per day ($600 per trip).

Reimburses eligible expenses of up to $200 per day ($600 per trip). Baggage loss: Reimburses up to $2,000 for lost, stolen or damaged luggage.

Reimburses up to $2,000 for lost, stolen or damaged luggage. Bag delay: Reimburses purchases of necessary items if your bags are delayed 12 or more hours.

Reimburses purchases of necessary items if your bags are delayed 12 or more hours. Emergency medical expenses: Provides up to $25,000 of coverage if you get ill or injured while traveling.

Provides up to $25,000 of coverage if you get ill or injured while traveling. Rental car damage: Reimburses repair costs up to $25,000 in the event of collision, theft, damage or vandalism.

How much is Disney travel insurance?

While Disney doesnt outright state its prices, a NerdWallet analysis of several travel packages found that it costs a flat rate of $82.50 per adult and $6 per child.

Flat-rate travel insurance can be good for ultra-expensive trips, but a bad deal for budget trips.

Take a seven-night stay during the week of Christmas 2022 for a family of four (two adults and two children) at Disneys opulent Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Book it alongside six-day theme park tickets with all the add-ons  like water park admission  and youd pay about $12,000. Adding on travel insurance would cost $177, which is 1.4% of your overall cost.

But say you instead planned a trip at the end of September when the kids are back at school. Two adults could stay at Disney's All-Star Movies Resort with basic, two-day tickets for just $850. Adding Disneys insurance would increase your package cost to over $1,000, which is an overall price increase of nearly 20%.

Travel insurance that nets out to just 1.4% of your overall trip cost is a deal, but 20% is far from it. After all, most travel insurance costs between 4% to 8% of the total trip, according to the U.S. Travel Insurance Association.

Reasons to get Disney travel insurance

Flat-rate travel insurance, as Disney offers, is pretty rare. Most policies are priced based on factors including the length of your trip, your destination and the age of the policyholder.

Heres why it might make a good deal:

Flat-rate pricing is better for more expensive trips: If a costly trip is going to result in equally costly travel insurance, opting for flat-rate pricing is smart. And its not just a fancy hotel and Disney theme park tickets with all the add-ons like front-of-theline passes. Factor in other nonrefundable trip elements, such as airfare and pre-paid rental cars. If youre flying first class, or youre a victim to rising rental car prices, then flat rate insurance is especially appealing.

Youre an older adult: Travel insurance costs are based on risk, and insurance is more expensive for older travelers, who are more likely to experience health problems, according to Allianz Travel Insurance.

Because Disneys only age differentiator is child versus adult, its plan might be cheaper for older adults versus going with an independent insurer.

Many other policies wont cover theme park tickets: Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney has required travelers to make advance reservations to enter its U.S. theme parks. The days of buying tickets first thing in the morning are gone. For popular days, youll often have to reserve your tickets months in advance. But while most policies cover cruises, airfare, lodging and tours, its tough to find policies that cover theme park tickets.

Because of the high cost of Disney tickets (and the fact that most Disney tickets are nontransferable and nonrefundable), you likely want to be covered for those too.

Reasons to skip Disney travel insurance

But most people would be better off skipping Disney insurance. Here are a few reasons why:

Maximum coverage is relatively low: Disneys insurance will pay out a maximum of $25,000 in the event of accidental death and dismemberment, while its common to find coverage of up to $500,000 elsewhere.

Similarly, Disneys policy covers up to $2,000 for lost baggage. That might be insufficient if youve packed a fancy camera. With other insurance policies, coverage of at least $3,000 is common.

And Disneys rental car coverage only reimburses repair costs of up to $25,000. Especially given rising car prices, that might not be enough for serious accidents.

Coverage is limited: Actually getting reimbursed with your Disney travel insurance can be tricky. Covered events are restricted to narrow situations, including injury, a family members death or jury duty. Plus, you must provide proof, like a court order or death certificate. Disneys insurance also wont cover pre-existing conditions.

You dont want to book a Disney hotel: Disneys insurance is only available to travelers staying at one of Disneys own (expensive) resorts. If youre going to Disney World on the cheap, staying off-property is almost always cheaper. Dont let eligibility to purchase Disney insurance persuade you to book a Disney resort thats outside of your ideal budget.

Better alternatives to Disney travel insurance

Before your Disney trip, compare travel insurance quotes from multiple providers. And dont overlook these other types of travel insurance:

Cancel For Any Reason coverage

Perhaps an uptick in COVID-19 cases has you considering travel. Or maybe an injury is preventing you from travel, but you dont have a doctors note to prove it. Given the limited number of reasons that qualify for coverage, you might be better off with Cancel For Any Reason coverage, which covers you no matter why you cancel.

Look to your credit card

Some credit cards offer travel insurance as a benefit, as long as you purchased the trip on that card. Given the high cost of travel insurance, this benefit alone can often be worth the often-high annual fees these cards charge.

Check with your bank to see whats covered. For example, the insurance offered via many Chase credit cards explicitly wont cover theme park tickets.

When is Disney travel insurance worth it?

Given the uncertainty of travel these days, even a quick weekend getaway should have some degree of insurance. But you might not need to pay for Disneys travel insurance.

As long as youre OK with your theme park tickets not being insured, the travel insurance offered through many credit cards is likely a better bet, and might not cost you anything once you hold the card. If you really want to ensure coverage, paying for a Cancel For Any Reason might be even better.

Photo courtesy of Disneyland Resort.

Sally French writes for NerdWallet. Email: sfrench@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @SAFmedia.

The article Is Disney Travel Insurance Worth the Cost? originally appeared on NerdWallet.
At a glance, the choice between Pete DiCianni and Greg Hart to become the Republican nominee for DuPage County Board chair later this month might seem like a coin flip.

Each is already a member of the County Board. Each says hes tough on crime, fiscally responsible and compassionate toward people afflicted by drug addiction. Each has racked up dozens of endorsements and hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign cash while expressing similar goals for the office.

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But their seemingly minimal policy differences havent blunted the saltiness of the primary race, with each candidate questioning his opponents Republican bona fides.

DiCianni points to Hart contributors who are tied into Chicagos Democratic power structure, such as business owner Fred Barbara, whose companies did work in the citys notorious Hired Truck program, developer Elzie Higginbottom and former Chicago Public Schools President Gery Chico.

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Hart, meanwhile, highlights work that a printing company and campaign marketing firm owned by DiCianni have done for Democratic candidates and political groups. They include the Coalition for Better Government, a group associated with the Daley machine whose treasurer, Dominic Longo, was once convicted of vote fraud, and state Rep. Deb Conroy, the Democratic candidate for board chair (DiCianni printed $822 worth of T-shirts in 2018 for Conroy, whom he calls a friend).

Greg Hart, a Republican primary candidate for DuPage County Board chairman, campaigns on May 31, 2022, in Hinsdale. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

DiCianni said while his work for Democrats is just business, it shows he can reach across party lines. Hart gave a similar answer about his campaign contributions, though he said theres a difference between accepting a donation and working for a candidate.

Pete DiCiannis business choices show the direction he would lead our community, he said.

Whoever wins on June 28 will likely face a stiff challenge from Conroy in the general election, which could prove to be a signal about the countys political future.

Thats because DuPage County, long known as one of the most Republican jurisdictions in the nation, has in recent years seen Democrats take control. They now hold all of the countys congressional seats, most of the state legislative offices and a majority of the 18 County Board seats.

But College of DuPage political science professor Melissa Mouritsen thinks the board might again be up for grabs.

Governing is different than simply winning, she said. Now that (Democrats) are governing, they dont seem to be able to make the policies the same way they promised they would. Theres been a lot of fighting, a lot of disagreement, a lot of rookie mistakes.  Theyre going to have to answer for that, and I think its going to be a close race.

Hart, 34, is a management consultant from Hinsdale. With less than five years in elective office, he has a shorter political resume than DiCianni, but hes still the choice of the countys Republican establishment: The sheriff, coroner and current board chairman have all endorsed him.

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Hes got great people skills and works hard, said Dan Cronin, who is stepping down as chairman after 12 years in the post. I feel really good about him. Hes the future of DuPage County.

Hart was appointed to the board in 2017 and won his first election in 2018. He said his signature accomplishments have been consolidating the countys psychiatric services, helping to create a small business loan program and leading the HOPE Task Force, formed to combat the countys opioid crisis.

Weve managed to create programs that have connected people to expanded treatment, expanded Narcan availability to save lives and reverse overdoses and connected people with employment opportunities who are showing success in drug treatment, he said.

If elected to the top job, he said, he wants to keep taxes flat, make it easier for companies owned by women, minorities and veterans to do business with the county and ensure the sheriff and states attorney get what they need to combat rising crime.

DiCianni, 55, is a former mayor of Elmhurst who has helped to get several state laws passed, including a measure that requires insurers to cover autism treatment and one that allows police to track cognitively impaired people through GPS wristbands if they go missing.

He said he was moved to run for the County Board in 2012 after flooding problems in Elmhurst convinced him a higher office could more effectively address the problem. He originally intended to keep his mayoral job while on the board, but relinquished the post after a fusillade of criticism.

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He said hes proud of getting federal money for stormwater relief and of pushing for a state law, prompted by the death of an Elmhurst teen, that allows first responders to carry epinephrine auto-injectors to treat anaphylactic shock.

Pete DiCianni, left, a Republican running in the June primary to become DuPage County Board chairman, speaks with former Woodridge Mayor Bill Murphy, while campaigning at Woodridge Horizon, on May 26, 2022. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

He wants to continue such altruistic works as county chairman  Unlike a lot of Republicans, I have a huge heart, he said  while keeping taxes in check, spurring economic development and making sure the sheriffs office has an ample budget.

Public safety is a central issue in the campaign, with both candidates pointing to the Dec. 23, 2021, shootout at the Oakbrook Center mall, for which two Chicago men have been charged, as a warning that big city crime is encroaching into the county.

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DiCianni cites his 2017 vote against cutting positions in the sheriffs office as proof of his dedication. Hart, along with a majority of his colleagues, voted for the measure.

If Im chairman, I will fully fund the budget, get the head count back where it should be and make sure that we keep our county safe, DiCianni said.

Hart responded that the vote was about fiscal responsibility after former Sheriff John Zaruba chose not to fill some budgeted positions. Current Sheriff James Mendrick is endorsing Hart, calling him an ardent and effective advocate for law enforcement.

Mendrick added that DeCianni has a harder ability to get along with people. Hes definitely more aggressive and I dont necessarily think thats always a good thing.

That sharp edge was evident two years ago when DiCianni confronted people demonstrating against a pro-police rally in Elmhurst, then sent a crude email to a resident who criticized him. He apologized and resigned under pressure as chair of the boards Health and Human Services Committee.

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DiCianni told the Tribune he wasnt perfect in my response but was unapologetic about supporting his hometown police force.

We need to move on and I would hope that one slight indiscretion does not affect all the good that Pete DiCianni has done, he said.

One of his backers, Woodridge Mayor Gina Cunningham, put a positive spin on his temperament.

I really think Ive found in Pete someone who is passionate, and I cant question someones passion, she said. "  I just know the great works Pete has done and continues to do.

jkeilman@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @JohnKeilman
BLOOMINGTON  Katie Stelle-Mardis knew nothing about the dam in a detention pond behind her childcare business in Normal.

She didnt know anything about it until her assistant administrator, who lives in a nearby subdivision, showed her a letter from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources notifying residents that they could provide a statement on the dam owners attempt to obtain a maintenance and operation permit.

The letter is dated April 6, but Stelle-Mardis said her assistant administrator received it about two days ahead of the April 29 deadline to submit a statement.

Stelle-Mardis, owner of Katies Kids Learning Center at 2003 Jacobssen Drive in Normal, did not get a public notice letter. The pond nearly touches the backyard playground area of her business, but she likely did not receive a letter because her business is not downstream from the dam and, therefore, would not be impacted by a dam failure, according to the dams most recent inspection in November 2020.

She later learned that the dams hazardous potential, if it failed, is classified as high by a federal database of dams.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Inventory of Dams categorize dams by the hazard they pose if they were to fail  from low to significant to high.

A high-hazard dam is likely to result in the loss of at least one human life if it were to fail. The failure of a significant hazard dam is likely to result in economic or environmental losses, but not the loss of human life. Damage from the failure of a low-hazard dam is less severe and often contained to the owners property.

The areas downstream from four dams in McLean County could see fatal consequences in the event of a dam failure, according to the database.

McLean Countys other three high-hazardous dams are the Miller Park Lake Dam at Miller Park in Bloomington, the Moraine View Dam at Moraine View State Park in LeRoy, and the North Pointe Lake Dam near Northpoint Elementary School in Bloomington.

The likelihood of dam failures, however, remains low and the inspection reports for each of the county's high-hazardous dams do not spell out any emergency conditions that would lead to a dam failure or require immediate repairs.

Further, the low-to-high hazard classification has nothing to do with the physical dams structure and the ratings are indirectly related to dam upgrades, IDNR Dam Safety Section Manager Paul Mauer said.

Its about what would happen if the dam failed catastrophically, Mauer said.

The four high-hazardous dams in McLean County are earth embankment dams, which is artificially constructed as a mound of soil or rock and usually covered with grass.

McLean County has two dams classified as a significant hazard  the Lake Bloomington dam and the Brian Lake dam in Downs. There are 10 dams in the county classified as a low hazard.

McLean County dam inspections

Owners of significant and high hazardous dams are required to have a permit from IDNR to operate and maintain the dam. Annual inspections and submitting inspection reports to the state are required under the IDNR Office of Water Resources permit program.

The water stored behind a dam represents potential energy which can create a hazard to lives and property located downstream of it, guidelines for inspections in the states dam safety program state. To minimize the risk associated with the storage of water a dam must be properly designed, constructed, operated, and maintained.

There are about 1,900 dams in the states inventory, but only about 700 permitted dams.

Private owners of permitted dams are required to hire an engineer to inspect the dam, who then submits an inspection report to the state.

The letter sent to Stelle-Mardis administrative assistant was an IDNR notice to all interested parties that an application has been received from Country Acres Land Corp. for a permit authorizing the operation and maintenance of the Fort Jesse Detention Pond dam.

Most high hazardous dams also have an emergency action plan; however, the dam adjacent to Stelle-Mardis business is the only dam in McLean County that is classified as high hazardous and is without an emergency action plan.

Country Acres Land Corporation could not be reached for comment. A company phone line has been disconnected.

This is all new information to me, so we have not put anything specifically in place in regards to it, Stelle-Mardis said about whether her business knew about the dam or if they had taken precautions to safeguard their property.

But she said the roughly 40 employees and 120 children who are inside the building each weekday are capable of evacuating on short notice in an emergency.

This is interesting to me, but I definitely want to make sure that Im advocating for my property and for the area, Stelle-Mardis said. We dont want a dam failure and that to affect my business.

Eighteen occupied homes, two commercial buildings and two roads or bridges are within the dams affected floodplain, all of which is at most a quarter of a mile downstream, according to its inspection report.

Engineers outlined six deficiencies to the Fort Jesse Detention Pond dam in its November 2020 inspection that require minor maintenance. They include some erosion on the dams upstream embankment, which engineers could fix by adding upstream face slope protection such as fabric or layers of rock riprap.

Other minor deficiencies to the dam include mole mounds on the south and west sides of the dam, woody vegetation on the dams embankment face and its inside face.

The Miller Park Lake dam, constructed in 1896, underwent a repair in 2011 to fix two small seepage leaks on its west side, causing water to run onto Morris Avenue.

Bloomington Public Works Director Kevin Kothe said repairs for the citys dams require a low budget and that funding is adequate.

Other than just routine maintenance to keep it mowed and if theres anything along the shoreline thats kind of eroding sometimes we have to add more riprap or shoreline protection, but in general theres not a lot to do with it, Kothe said.

Miller Park Lake Dam is considered high hazardous because if it were to fail, a massive amount of water would spill onto Morris Avenue, toward Goose Creek and into a residential area. Miller Park Zoo and areas north of the lake are not at risk, Kothe said.

Twelve occupied homes, a mobile home court, an agriculture building, a commercial building and a road or bridge are in Miller Park Lake Dams downstream affected floodplain, all of which is about a mile away from the dam, according to its latest inspection report.

The Miller Park Lake Dam possesses a control structure to regulate the lakes water level. It is essentially a hole in the west side of the lake where water flows into if the lakes water level rises. It also has an emergency spillway  a steep embankment where water would rush down in the case of a dam failure  on the northwest end of the lake near the Miller Park parking lot.

A March 2021 inspection of Miller Park Lake Dam made recommendations for two minor deficiencies identified: regular observations on seepage around a siphon pipe, to apply fertilizer and mow the dam regularly due to high weed content and bare spots throughout the dam.

The inspection report recommended to "monitor possible seepage around siphon pipe," but said there was no visible evidence of seepage on the Miller Park Lake Dam.

Mauer said the Moraine View Dam, which IDNR owns, also doesnt require many repairs and there are no pending upgrades.

A November 2020 inspection report notes some leakage through joints in the concrete drop structure of the spillway which has caused some concrete damage at the joint  "the equivalent of a pothole in the road," Mauer said.

Mauer said the leakage and concrete damage does not impact safety at this point.

"The water is leaking into a space designed to transfer water through the dam. If the damage gets to the point that it may cause the structure to collapse, plugging the spillway conduit through the dam, it becomes a safety issue," Mauer said. "The rate of progression here is too slow for it to be considered a safety issue now. We will follow the annual reporting to determine when it needs to be addressed for safety."

He added that the next most likely result is that it will start to leak enough water that the lake does not stay full, which would pose issues for the park's recreation opportunities before it becomes a safety issue.

The North Pointe Lake Dam received two recommendations in its May 2021 inspection.

Private inspectors said minor maintenance is needed on the dam's embankment and abutment slopes because of erosion occurring in isolated areas. Minor maintenance also is recommended on the dam's vegetative cover because there are several bare spots where erosion is occurring, engineers wrote.

Nationwide increase in high-hazardous dams

An Associated Press analysis 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 higher, although its unclear because a couple of states dont track such data and many federal agencies refuse to release details about their dams conditions or the dangers they pose.

There are a variety of reasons for the rising number of troubled dams: A heightened emphasis by some state regulators has turned up new concerns. Deferred maintenance has resulted in worsened conditions. Dams that were built decades ago now often pose more of a hazard than originally envisioned because homes, businesses and highways have cropped up below them.

Mauer said owners of high-hazard dams do lend themselves to be pressed harder by IDNR to keep the dam properly repaired and sometimes improved.

The $1 trillion infrastructure bill signed last year by President Joe Biden will provide about $3 billion for dam-related projects, but thats just a fraction of whats needed for safety upgrades and repairs to the thousands of dams across the country.

A changing climate also plays a role. A warming atmosphere can bring stronger storms with heavier rainfall that can overwhelm older dams lacking adequately sized spillway outlets.

Mauer said there are unanswered questions that the IDNR and others in his position are posing to the federal government.

We need a scientific study to look at what climate change has done, is doing and potentially will do to how much it can rain, Mauer said. Not how often it rains hard, not whether those typical heavy rainstorms are increasing  we kind of know that already.

What remains unknown is how much water the atmosphere can hold and how much water it can unload in a storm.

The state has dams that are designed to withhold catastrophic storms, but even those would need improvements if it is revealed that the sizes of catastrophic storms are increasing, he said.

The question that really is at hand is, how much water can the atmosphere hold and does a constantly warming atmosphere hold significantly more water? Mauer said. Thats the question were asking them to give us the answer to. That will then work its way down into all of the things we do on the (question of), what would the results of a catastrophic failure be?

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This is a developing story that will be updated.

SHIRLEY  Two people were killed and three were seriously hurt in a major crash on Interstate 55 in McLean County, authorities said Saturday.

The five-vehicle crash took place shortly before 4 p.m. Friday near mile marker 151, south of Shirley, according to Illinois State Police.

One person suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, and another was pronounced dead at a hospital after being transported from the scene by medical helicopter, police said.

Three other people were hospitalized with what police described as life-threatening injuries.

I-55 southbound was closed during the emergency response and investigation, with vehicles directed off at Exit 154. A reporter at the scene observed traffic backed up for at least two miles about 45 minutes after the crash.

All lanes were reopened at 12:39 a.m. Saturday, police said.

Authorities did not release any additional information.

Contact Brendan Denison at (309) 820-3238. Follow Brendan Denison on Twitter: @BrendanDenison

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NORMAL  Over 100 people wearing orange T-shirts recognized National Gun Violence Awareness Day and launched the Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) Center Saturday morning at Anderson Park in Normal.

McLean County Moms Demand Action, a nonprofit that advocates for gun law reforms, organized the event, which also included the YWCA, Western Avenue Community Center and the West Market Street Council. The VIP Center will offer a space for youth in the community to have conversations about gun violence and conflict in their lives.

Dameca Kirkwood will lead the VIP Center in a pop-up format this June and July. Kirkwood's son, Trevonte, was killed by gun violence in 2018.

"This has been so exhilarating and sad," she said. "And, if I'm being honest, I hate it."

Kirkwood explained that she never wanted to have to be an advocate for gun violence. She said, as a mother, she had to be an advocate for peace.

"I'm not going anywhere," she said, "and I'm not going to stop."

Tameka Love of Peoria recently lost her son, Kanye Stowers, to gun violence in Bloomington. She said that people showing up and supporting gun law reform honors victims of gun violence.

"They meant something," Love said.

Karyn Smith of the Normal Town Council spoke and presented the VIP Center and Moms Demand Action with a mayor's proclamation.

"It pains me to be a member of the political class that for so long has done so little," Smith said. "I'm asking you to reach out to your representatives, especially those in the Senate."

Smith shared her personal relationship to gun violence when she lived in Georgia. She urged the community to "keep pushing" and to "counter the volume (of the gun lobby)."

Laurie Bell of the West Market Street Council sang a song she wrote, titled "Mourn and Organize," which calls for political action to end gun violence.

After guests and dignitaries had finished speaking, Moms Demand Action led the group in a remembrance walk around Anderson Park.

Bloomington Police Chief Jamal Simington attended the event to support the families affected by gun violence.

"It's the right message to everyone in the community that you're bringing people together to solve a problem," he said.

Simington spent time talking to a young boy who lost his father to gun violence.

"I've been in his shoes," Simington said. He said the VIP Center is "one of the ways to prevent (violence) at the end of the day."

Eileen Thomas drove from Peoria to attend the event. She said she was motivated by recent violence nationwide.

"That last school shooting in Texas knocked my feet out from under me," she said. "(You) feel so helpless when you see that on TV. That's the least I could do is put an orange shirt on."

Kirkwood called the community to action to fight gun violence.

"As a community, let's lessen this," she said.

She continued, "I know the feeling of pain, of endless pain. And I don't want anyone to feel that."

Bell said they are working to have a permanent VIP Center in the future.

The VIP Center can be contacted via email at vipofblono@gmail.com or by phone at 309-362-0114.

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100 years ago

June 4, 1922: The Illinois River Valley Beekeepers' Association meeting held at the apiary of Mr. W.H. Williams in Pekin was "one of the most successful meetings of its kind ever held in this section of the country." Over 100 beekeepers from Mason, Logan, Peoria, Fulton and Tazewell counties attended.

75 years ago

June 4, 1947: John Bartosik, 40, was jailed after police said they found his 7-month-old daughter abandoned in a cabin near McLean. Deputies reportedly found the child after Bartosik's initial arrest on charges of drunk and disorderly conduct. Authorities were searching for the child's mother, who was also believed to have been drinking heavily.

50 years ago

June 4, 1972: Firefighters quickly brought under control a basement blaze at 611 N. Main St., the site of "Pegasus," an unoccupied teenage club. The fire was apparently caused by a cigarette tossed into a window well from Main Street in front of the building. Damage was estimated at $1,000.

25 years ago

June 4, 1997: Construction continues on Veterans Parkway. Rowe Construction has begun the six-month process of widening the road from four to six lanes from Eastland to Clearwater Avenue. City officials plan to study the extent to which the ongoing work has caused traffic backups on nearby side roads.

Compiled by Pantagraph staff
STERLING  For the past couple of months, a sign outside East Jordan Methodist Church has welcomed anyone passing by to stop and take one or more of the white crosses set nearby.

The Rev. Jim Miller said church members started making crosses when Russia launched its invasion of the Ukraine.

"We decided we wanted to do something," Miller said.

The crosses, which are meant to be placed in a yard, are free. Each comes with a one-page printout that includes a prayer for Ukraine and a brief story about an incident in Frankenmuth, Michigan, where people rallied around the Christian cross.

"People want to rally around something in Ukraine," Miller said. "We don't want to wane away from the responsibility we all have to one another."

East Jordan Methodist Church Administrative Council Board Chairperson Kevin Deets is the one who cuts the wood for the crosses. Others then help assemble them.

"We're very surprised at the amount of crosses we've been able to give out," said Deets, who uses leftover wood he has from his woodworking business. "I've got a sense that the work we put in is not for nothing. I don't mind doing work if it's fruitful, and it seems to be, so I'm happy to do it."

More than 300 crosses have been picked up, Miller said. They plan to continue making and offering the crosses "until people get tired of taking them," he said.

"It's like feeding the hungry and tired," Miller said. "You feed until the hungry is gone."

East Jordan Methodist Church is at 22027 Polo Road, Sterling. It's at the corner of Polo and Pilgrim roads.

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. . . .Supports Thought-Leadership On AfCTA





Universal Merchant Bank (UMB), a leading indigenous Ghanaian bank, today announced its collaboration with the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (G.A.A.S) Public Forum for 2022.



The 3-day forum, on the topic The African Continental Free Trade Area- Challenges and Prospects has been structured by GAAS to offer an expert academic analysis on the challenges and prospects of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), with a specific assessment of its impact on economics and the law.



The 2022 edition is headlined by eminent speakers including Dr. Ernest Addison  Governor of the Bank of Ghana; Prof. Appiagyei-Atua  UG; and Mrs . Beatrice Chytor AfCTA and other leading luminaries from academia.



AfCFTA is a trade agreement by 54 of the 55 African Union states which has created the largest free trade area in the world. This agreement covers a market of 1.2 billion Africans with a combined GDP of US$2.5 trillion and has the potential of increasing intra-African trade by up to 52.3%. Ghana scored a diplomatic coup in July 22, 2019 when it secured the establishment of the AfCTA Headquaters in Accra.



The GAAS, established in 1959, is a strictly learned society, charged with the advancement of knowledge in Ghana. Its public forums are designed to bridge the gap between the Academy and the general public, through joint deliberations on topical issues in society.



Speaking on the collaboration, Nana Dwemoh Benneh, CEO of UMB said, UMB was initiated as a policy bank by the State of Ghana in 1972. I daresay it is these sort of deliberations that laid the conceptual foundation for the establishment of our Bank. Therefore, we have always been interested in supporting the basic research and thought leadership, especially in banking, finance and economics in Ghana. This sponsorship continues in a long line of thought leadership activity, including the Merchant Bank -ISSER Policy Dialogues in the early 2000s. 



Adding to the explanations offered by the CEO, Madam Belinda Boamah, Executive Director -Strategy at the Bank said  Our sponsorship of the event is part of the events to mark our 50th Anniversary.



As we mark this milestone, we are looking forward to the next frontiers of growth for ourselves and the industry. AfCTA presents these opportunities and as an indigenous bank, we are eager to learn from experts on a viable path forward in reaching new markets and potential. A good example here would be on the question of trans-Africa payments 

The GAAS Public Forum 2022 - https://gaas-gh.org/fellowship/public-forum/ is scheduled from the 6th of June, 2022 through to the 8th of June, 2022.



UMB is a leading indigenous bank reputed for bringing a uniquely Ghanaian perspective to banking, since 1972. Headquartered in Accra and licensed by the Bank of Ghana, the bank operates out of 35 branches across Ghana. Its strategic aspiration is to become a digital 1st, SME focused bank. The bank has pioneered several innovations in this market, including SPEEDAPP, one of the best performing agnostic banking apps in the sub-region.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Dr. Smart Sarpong, a Senior Research Fellow of the Kumasi Technical University, has advised Ghana Police and the relevant security agencies not to take the June 4 demonstration for granted as the letter written by the organizers is of grave concern to Ghanaians.



The organizers of the demonstration, Captain Smart, Okatakyie Afrifa and the FixtheCountry Movement leader, Oliver Baker-Vormawor expressed intention to embark on a protest in the capital city on Saturday, 4th June and ahead of their demonstration, they wrote to the Police making demands.



They requested permit to use private security instead of Police guard and also demanded they should be allowed to wield guns.



Letter



Excerpts of the letter read; "We will bring our own security company to provide protection to demonstrators. All weapons held by demonstrators or by the contracted security personal will be for personal protection only; and all weapons will be duly permitted in accordance with the Arms and Ammunitions Act, 1972 (NRCD 9) e) Proposed route and destination: We expect that the Demonstrators will gather at Circle.



"The procession will move from Circle to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, where the Protestors will make a demand a slot on GTV to speak directly to the Nation and lay out our grievances, in accordance with Article 55(11), which guarantees fair opportunity to Ghanaians to present their programmes to the public through equal access to the state-owned media."



Confusion Rocks June 4 Demo



However, some of the leaders of the Movement have backtracked as they tell Ghanaians they have nothing to do with the letter.



Also in a statement, issued on Thursday, June 2, 2022, the FixtheCountry Movement seemingly rendered an apology describing their approach to be flawed.



We unreservedly apologize to the public, especially our supporters. We wish to reiterate that #Fixthecountry is a movement committed to peaceful democratic accountability, the conveners wrote.



In this moment of clarity, we wish to recommit to actively ensuring that our activities and all attendees will be kept safe. We also recommit to continue fighting for victims of Police brutality who we intend to keep at the centre of our work, they added.



Stay On Alert



Dr. Smart Sarpong takes the organizers' apology with a pinch of salt and admonishes the Police not to grant them the right to stage their protest just because they have retreated from their earlier position.



He noted that, although it's a constitutional right for people to embark on demonstrations, it is however incumbent on the Police to block any kind of protest that seeks to undermine Ghana's democracy.



"We should not be allowed to do things the way we want. When granting the rights, grant it carefully and make sure that everyone falls within the remit of the law."



"They should carefully grant some of these rights. Even if you are granting rights without guns and they even promise that they won't take guns along with them, the fact that they sent that signal, you should go to sleep and think we have settled with them not to bring guns; so we are granting . . . Still be on the alert. Who knows? One or two people might ignore the warnings and bring along their guns . . . We have to be very, very careful in granting that right to demonstrate. We are not saying we should cancel it but if we are granting, we should grant it careful, especially from a group like Fix The Country," he said while speaking on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" programme.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/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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Chun Li will serve as adviser to Lazada Group Chairman Jiang Fan and remain on Lazadas board of directors. (PHOTO: Wei Leng Tay/Bloomberg)

By Yoolim Lee and Olivia Poh

(Bloomberg) Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. replaced Lazada Group Chief Executive Officer Chun Li with the head of its Thailand business and one-time business assistant to Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang as competition in Southeast Asia intensifies.

James Dong, 42, is taking the reins of Lazada, Alibabas Southeast Asian arm, with immediate effect while Li will serve as adviser to Lazada Group Chairman Jiang Fan and remain on Lazadas board of directors, the company said Friday in a statement, confirming an earlier Bloomberg News report.

The leadership change comes as the battle for supremacy in Southeast Asias internet arena intensifies. Lazada is locked in fierce competition with Sea Ltd.s Shopee, which has been expanding in Latin America, as well as Tokopedia, part of GoTo Group, which went public in April.

Dong, a former associate partner at McKinsey & Co., served as the head of globalisation strategy and corporate development at Alibaba Group and a business assistant to group CEO Zhang before joining Lazada as its CEO for Thailand in 2018, according to the companys website.

The following year, he took on the additional role of CEO for Vietnam, where he oversaw a push to bolster logistics and improve operations to cope with rising orders at the height of the pandemic. Between June and August of 2021, at the peak of the fourth wave of Covid-19 in the country, Lazadas orders quadrupled from a year earlier, Vietnam-based CafeF reported, quoting Dong.

The number of shoppers on Lazada Vietnam doubled in the third quarter of 2021 from the previous year, while its mall offering recorded its highest revenue with a growth rate of more than four times, according to a report by the company in 2021.

Since James joined Lazada in 2018, he has quickly delivered success in his various roles, the company said in its statement.

Dong has since passed on the Vietnam top role to Kaya Qin and had continued on as CEO for Thailand, where he led the launch of a new social commerce platform. He has an MBA from Cambridge University.

Li, a veteran technologist, is stepping down after two years as Lazada Group CEO. He took over from Pierre Poignant, who co-founded Lazada for Rocket Internet in 2012. Since being absorbed by Alibaba, the Singapore-based company has had four CEOs before Dong and frequent management shuffles.

 2022 Bloomberg L.P.
This series of images from a navigation camera aboard NASAs Perseverance rover shows a gust of wind sweeping dust across the Martian plain beyond the rovers tracks on June 18, 2021 (the 117th sol, or Martian day, of the mission). The dust cloud in this GIF was estimated to be 1.5 square miles (4 square kilometers) in size; it was the first such Martian wind-lifted dust cloud of this scale ever captured in images. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI

During its first couple hundred days in Jezero Crater, NASA's Perseverance Mars rover saw some of the most intense dust activity ever witnessed by a mission sent to the Red Planet's surface. Not only did the rover detect hundreds of dust-bearing whirlwinds called dust devils, Perseverance captured the first video ever recorded of wind gusts lifting a massive Martian dust cloud.

A paper recently published in Science Advances chronicles the trove of weather phenomena observed in the first 216 Martian days, or sols. The new findings enable scientists to better understand dust processes on Mars and contribute to a body of knowledge that could one day help them predict the dust storms that Mars is famous forand that pose a threat to future robotic and human explorers.

"Every time we land in a new place on Mars, it's an opportunity to better understand the planet's weather," said the paper's lead author, Claire Newman of Aeolis Research, a research company focused on planetary atmospheres. She added there may be more exciting weather on the way: "We had a regional dust storm right on top of us in January, but we're still in the middle of dust season, so we're very likely to see more dust storms."

Perseverance made these observations primarily with the rover's cameras and a suite of sensors belonging to the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA), a science instrument led by Spain's Centro de Astrobiologia in collaboration with the Finnish Meteorological Institute and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. MEDA includes wind sensors, light sensors that can detect whirlwinds as they scatter sunlight around the rover, and a sky-facing camera for capturing images of dust and clouds.

"Jezero Crater may be in one of the most active sources of dust on the planet," said Manuel de la Torre Juarez, MEDA's deputy principal investigator at JPL. "Everything new we learn about dust will be helpful for future missions."

Frequent Whirlwinds

The study authors found that at least four whirlwinds pass Perseverance on a typical Martian day and that more than one per hour passes by during a peak hourlong period just after noon.

The rover's cameras also documented three occasions in which wind gusts lifted large dust clouds, something the scientists call "gust-lifting events." The biggest of these created a massive cloud covering 1.5 square miles (4 square kilometers). The paper estimated that these wind gusts may collectively lift as much or more dust as the whirlwinds that far outnumber them.

NASAs Perseverance Mars rover used its navigation camera to capture these dust devils swirling across Jezero Crater on July 20, 2021, the 148th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI

"We think these gust-liftings are infrequent but could be responsible for a large fraction of the background dust that hovers all the time in the Martian atmosphere," Newman said.

Why Is Jezero Different?

While wind and dust are prevalent all over Mars, what the researchers are finding seems to set Jezero apart. This greater activity may be linked to the crater being near what Newman describes as a "dust storm track" that runs north to south across the planet, often lifting dust during the dust storm season.

Newman added that the greater activity in Jezero could be due to factors such as the roughness of its surface, which can make it easier for the wind to lift dust. That could be one explanation why NASA's InSight landerin Elysium Planitia, about 2,145 miles (3,452 kilometers) away from Jezero Crateris still waiting for a whirlwind to clear its dust-laden solar panels, while Perseverance has already measured nearby surface dust removal by several passing whirlwinds.

"Perseverance is nuclear-powered, but if we had solar panels instead, we probably wouldn't have to worry about dust buildup," Newman said. "There's generally just more dust lifting in Jezero Crater, though average wind speeds are lower there and peak wind speeds and whirlwind activity are comparable to Elysium Planitia."

In fact, Jezero's dust lifting has been more intense than the team would have wanted: Sand carried in whirlwinds damaged MEDA's two wind sensors. The team suspects the sand grains harmed the thin wiring on the wind sensors, which stick out from Perseverance's mast. These sensors are particularly vulnerable because they must remain exposed to the wind in order to measure it correctly. Sand grains blown in the wind, and likely carried in whirlwinds, also damaged one of the Curiosity rover's wind sensors (Curiosity's other wind sensor was damaged by debris churned up during its landing in Gale Crater).

With Curiosity's damage in mind, the Perseverance team provided an additional protective coating to MEDA's wires. Yet Jezero's weather still got the better of them. De la Torre Juarez said the team is testing software changes that should allow the wind sensors to keep working.

"We collected a lot of great science data," de la Torre Juarez said. "The wind sensors are seriously impacted, ironically, because we got what we wanted to measure."

Explore further Dust devils and daytime upslope winds explain Mars's constant haze

More information: Claire E. Newman et al, The dynamic atmospheric and aeolian environment of Jezero crater, Mars, Science Advances (2022). Journal information: Science Advances Claire E. Newman et al, The dynamic atmospheric and aeolian environment of Jezero crater, Mars,(2022). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn3783
KINGSBURY  The Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES has announced that Turina Parker will be its new district superintendent and chief executive officer.

Parker is currently assistant superintendent for educational and support programs at BOCES.

The WSWHE BOCES is expected to appoint Parker at its June 8 meeting. She is set to begin her new duties on Aug. 16.

Dr. Parker has demonstrated the ability to lead and work cooperatively across the region, WSWHE BOCES President John Rieger said in a news release. We are confident that Dr. Parker will build on our successes, fulfill our strategic plans, and provide a vision that will take the organization to the next level and provide even stronger support and opportunities for the education of our children and the school districts that we serve.

Parker has been in the education field for 20 years. Her experience includes serving as director of day treatment and principal at St. Catherines R. & E. May School in Albany. She also served as coordinator for curriculum and assistant principal.

Parker has served in numerous capacities for BOCES over the past 14 years including principal for special programs, executive principal and executive director for educational and support programs. Her leadership experience includes directing the Early College Career Academy, as well as support services, personnel development and employment training for adult divisions of WSWHE BOCES.

She also serves as a member of the Saratoga-Warren-Washington Workforce Development Board, and has maintained responsibilities for supporting students and leading principals, central office administrators and instructional personnel and classified staff.

Additionally, Parker teaches graduate students as an adjunct instructor a SUNY Plattsburgh.

Parker says the work of BOCES is critically important, and she looks forward to helping every child in this region have the best chance they can to become successful.

I am honored to serve the BOCES in this new capacity. As district superintendent, I plan to nurture our valued partnerships with the component school districts and the community to provide opportunities for student success and local workforce development, she said in a news release.

Parker will replace District Superintendent of Schools James Dexter, who is retiring in August after 12 years of service to WSWHE BOCES.

Parker earned her bachelors degree in English and masters degrees in educational administration and curriculum development and instructional technology  both from the University at Albany.

She earned her doctoral degree in educational leadership from Walden University. Parker participated in the New York state Superintendent Development program through SUNY Oswego.

She lives in Ballston Lake with her husband and has two daughters.

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Whipping up furious sprays of water, dragon boat crews and their helmsmen faced off against one another, paddling in rhythm to the constant beating of drums in the finals of the two-day 2022 Cross-Straits Dragon Boat Race held in Xiamen, Fujian province.



The race, which ended on Friday, coinciding with this year's Dragon Boat Festival, attracted 24 dragon boat teams from the mainland and 17 from Taiwan, and served as a platform for people on both sides of the Straits to take part in exchanges.

The men's and women's teams of Jimei Street, Xiamen, took the top spot in the final of the 300-meter race.

The Taiwan contingent were those who are studying or working in Fujian, and for many it was the first time they'd paddled a dragon boat. And as for many Chinese, it's an indelible way to celebrate the annual festival, which belongs to the shared culture across the Straits.

"I'm very excited to try my hand at dragon boat racing for the first time," said paddler Masha, 32, from Pingtung, Taiwan.

"As an absolute amateur, I've often had an aching back and bum after training. But I've gradually improved my technique."

After visiting Xiamen in August, her first visit to the mainland, she decided to start up her own business in the city.

"Xiamen's local culture is much the same as that of Taiwan. The locals are very hospitable, especially when they find out that I'm from Taiwan," she said.

She shares her daily life in Xiamen and her visits to other cities in Fujian province on short-video platform Douyin, introducing the local food and scenic areas.

Masha also talks about her personal feelings on the culture across the Straits in her short videos.

Back in her hometown, each year she either watches dragon boat racing with her parents on television or attends events in person. She said that in Pingtung, paddlers have to grab a flag when they reach the finish line to decide the winning team.

"I enjoy the festive atmosphere of the Dragon Boat Festival here," said Chan Bing-xi, 32, from Taipei. "It's my first time to paddle a dragon boat and now I really realize the spirit of the sport is that unity is strength."

He's from a dragon boat team consisting of those from Taiwan working in Fuzhou, Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou.

"I've worked in Zhangzhou for five years and often feel connected because of the shared culture across the Straits," he said.

Lai Shu-jen, together with three others from Taiwan working in Xiamen, not only participated in the dragon boat racing, but also performed a pair of songs on stage as part of the festive event.

In an original song created by Lai, they recited lyrics and rapped in the southern Fujian dialect of Hokkien.

"We want to communicate across the Straits with music, and promote Chinese culture in a way that mixes both Chinese and Western styles," she said.

The Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet from the State of Chu during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC).

Tang Yonghong, deputy director of the Taiwan Research Center at Xiamen University, said the essence of the Dragon Boat Festival is one's devotion to family and country.

"It's important for people from across the Straits to communicate with each other to enhance mutual understanding and build a common spiritual home," he said.
ALBANY  New York smokers could soon find slim pickings when it comes to finding places to light up.

The Senate this week overwhelmingly approved a measure banning smoking in public parks operated by municipalities or the state. The Assembly embraced the same legislation earlier. The stage is now set for the bill to go to the desk of Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The measure would also ban smoking and vaping cannabis products in public parks.

Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz, D-the Bronx, said he has been working to get the legislation passed for 11 years. Minor adjustments were made to deal with reservations, allowing the bill to hit the fast track this year.

I want as little smoking as possible to take place, Dinowitz told CNHI. I want there to be fewer places for people to smoke, and I want to save lives. Its as simple as that.

The measure calls for a $50 fine for violators.

The legislation exempts the Adirondack and Catskill parks. It also exempts parking lots, sidewalks adjoining parks and any portion of a park that is not used for park purposes.

Patrick Phelan, executive director of the New York State Police Chiefs Association, said he had concerns last year when lawmakers legalized marijuana that it could expose families with children to marijuana use in parks.The fact that the ban covers both tobacco and marijuana will bring uniformity to the approach and keeps the regulations in alignment, he added.

But one unwelcome aspect of the legislation is it could create additional demands on police officers to respond to complaints involving relatively minor matters, he suggested.

Once the legislation is enacted, Phelan said, it will be beneficial to have a public education campaign to explain the prohibition, and thus lessen the potential for confrontations.

Dinowitz said hes hopeful smokers and non-smokers will adjust to a ban in parks, but agreed that government messaging could help explain the changes at hand.

Ive passed several no-smoking bills over the years  no smoking in schools, no smoking near libraries  and they have been huge successes, the lawmaker said. And now fewer and fewer people smoke. And thats good not only for the health of the people who arent smoking but the heath of the people who arent having to breathe in the second hand smoke.

New Yorks Clean Indoor Air Act prohibits smoking and vaping in almost all public and private indoor workplaces, including restaurants and bars, according to the state Health Department.

The new legislation argues there will be less litter in parks when the ban kicks in. It notes that while tobacco is biodegradable, the cellulose acetate filters can persist in the environment for many years.

Smokers around the globe, the bill states, toss an estimated 4.5 trillion cigarette butts each year.

Clean Slate Act not passed

The Legislature ended its session without passing what advocates have called the Clean Slate Act.

Progressive groups have been urging lawmakers to adopt a measure, which would seal felony conviction records seven years after the person found guilty completed a sentence. Misdemeanor records would be sealed three years after the sentence.

But the bill hit a significant speed bump in the state Assembly when the state Education Department raised objections, pointing to the difficulties it would create for screening job applicants.

The agency said its ability to conduct background checks would be limited unless its Office of School Personnel Review and Accountability and Office of the Professions were added to the list of qualified agencies that could access criminal history information related to applicants for certification and licensing.

The current version of the bill does not address these concerns for the purposes of background checks for prospective school employees and certification of teachers and administrators and does not fully address these concerns for other professions, the education agency said in a statement.

Hochul has identified the Clean Slate legislation as a major priority this year.

After Senate Democrats passed the bill Wednesday, Sen. Tom OMara, R-Big Flats, argued the legislation is the latest in a line of Democratic measures that offer relief to violent felons while failing to address the states public safety needs.

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Crest Coastal Comb was presented weekly last year. Starting June 21, it will take place twice a week, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, starting at the Rambler Road beach. Plans are for the program to run through Aug. 25.

Participants will walk to different areas of the beach to explore the seaside environment.

The program is free and begins with a presentation on marine science from Danielle DeJesse, an ocean literacy educator who goes by Miss Ocean. Crest officials say she aims to inspire awe and ownership of the blue heart of our planet.

A graduate of Penn State University with bachelors degrees in biology/marine science and psychology, DeJesse has more than 15 years of experience in marine science work and education.

Her experiences include training dolphins, seals, sea lions, sharks and stingrays; feeding orcas and sharks; caring for sea otters, sea turtles, terrapins and mangrove sea snakes; and the studies of copepods from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico and blue whales in the wild. Copepods are small crustaceans found in fresh and salt water.

Goal is to shrink Gulf dead zone, but that's not happening The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is forecasting an average oxygen-depleted dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico this summer. But that average is still nearly triple a goal for reducing the area where theres too little oxygen each summer for marine animals to survive. NOAA said in a news release Thursday that combining models developed by five universities resulted in a forecast of about 5,364 square miles. That's a hair lower than the five-year average measured size of 5,380 square miles. Last year's was about 6,334 square miles. A federal-state task force has set a long-term goal of reducing the dead zone to 1,900 square miles.

There is a lot to cover on the Crest beach as well.

The Crest Coastal Comb program will search for specimens of sea life brought in by the tide; identify species and their natural histories, including anatomy and physiology, habitats, predator-prey relationships, conservation status and adaptations; discuss sea life found in the ocean off New Jersey, from tiny plankton to dolphins, sharks and whales; examine the color of the ocean, the natural topography of the Wildwood Crest and Jersey Shore coastline; discuss how humans can affect the sand and dunes and other anthropogenic aspects of the ocean; and much more, reads a statement from the borough announcing the program.

Pre-registration is not necessary.

For more information, call the Wildwood Crest Recreation Department at 609-523-0202.

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The question on Americans' minds: Could it happen here?

In all-too-common nightmare scenarios, gunmen have killed dozens in shootings in Buffalo, Uvalde and now Ames, in recent days.

Quad-Cities police agencies and school districts say they stand by prepared, planning for the worst and hoping for the best.

Here's a look at how police and schools say they'd respond in the event of an active shooter:

Law enforcement

In Bettendorf, members of the police departments tactical team train with the National Tactical Officers Association  a group that keeps current on the best practices for dealing with an active shooter, Bettendorf Police Chief Keith T. Kimball said.

Those officers come back, then we train internally, Kimball said.

The goal is to ensure the departments officers know what to do, Kimball said. They may be the first on the scene of a mass shooting and the first to attempt stopping the attack.

We dont have time to wait for a SWAT team, the chief said.

The East Moline Police Department conducts active shooter training often, East Moline Police Chief Jeff Ramsey said. He, however, declined to provide any details to avoid the risk of compromising the tactics used by East Moline officers.

This type of training is and has always been a priority at the East Moline Police Department, Ramsey said.

Cross-training goes beyond the department, Kimball said. The different area law enforcement agencies work together to prepare for mass-casualty shootings.

Should a fellow agency need help, the training is meant to be uniform so the officers and deputies who might suddenly find themselves thrown together all have the same foundation from which to work, Scott County Sheriffs Office Deputy Ken Koehler said.

We have an agreement with law enforcement on the Illinois side of the Quad-Cities to cross the bridge and assist if a large scale critical incident occurred in Scott County, Koehler said. Over the years we have worked with the Illinois agencies in training on large-scale mass-casualty events.

We actually have another large-scale active-shooter training event we have been planning for months this summer which will involve around 15 agencies on the Iowa and Illinois side of the river, Koehler said.

Responding to a large-scale event like a mass shooting can involve a lot of tasks, Kimball said. Responding law enforcement can find themselves searching the targeted building to ensure a threat is over, helping evacuate people who are in danger and assisting in treating the wounded.

Law enforcement agencies in the Quad-Cities also work with school districts to help them prepare, police said. That includes training, planning and security reviews.

We work with the schools and have a great relationship with them regarding this issue, Ramsey said.

All Scott County deputies are taken through the different schools in the county to see the layout of the buildings and are given maps of all the schools interior plans, Koehler said.

We probably meet at least four times a year with the school districts, Kimball said.

School districts

Quad-Cities area school districts also described strong working relationships with the law enforcement agencies.

Over the years, the Pleasant Valley Community School District has had a very close working relationship with the Scott County Sheriff's Office to employ two school-based resource officers, Pleasant Valley Superintendent Brian Strusz said. Both organizations look to hire resource officers who are student-focused and will promote a safe and supportive learning environment.

The district also works with the LeClaire and Bettendorf police, Strusz said.

We have made arrangements with these agencies that ensures in the event of an emergency they will have the ability to enter our buildings without undue delay, Strusz said.

Members of law enforcement agencies serve on the Bettendorf Community School Districts safety committee, reviewing safety plans and initiatives in the district, the district said. They offer guidance on operations and planning and are essential partners in school safety.

The Rock Island-Milan School Districts safety manager oversees processes, procedures and drills, district Superintendent Reginald Lawrence said. The safety manager is also the districts link to the Rock Island Police Department and works regularly with the citys officers.

The district does not use SROs, instead using its own safety personnel, but officers are not absent from the district or its activities, Lawrence said.

We always have support from the Rock Island Police Department, Lawrence said.

The Davenport Community School District has a district security supervisor  Andy Neyrinck  who solely focuses on school safety protocols, Davenport Community School District Superintendent TJ Schneckloth said. He is constantly reviewing and training with staff to prepare for a mass casualty shooting.

The district has a plan in place should an attack occur, but Schneckloth declined to provide further details about it.

The district has four full-time school resource officers and a police liaison who work with it, Neyrinck, who is a retired Davenport officer, said.

We have a great relationship with Davenport Police Department, Neyrinck said.

Districts interviewed for this article, when they chose to provide information about their planned response to active shooter scenarios said they use either the ALICE system, (an acronym for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) or Run, Hide, Fight as the basis of their plans.

Both encourage dynamic responses to an attacker depending on the circumstances. They include escaping, hiding or, as a last resort, resisting the assailant.

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Alan Weets, a Republican candidate for Senate District 41, which covers Cedar County and northwest Scott County, said he'd support higher taxes on out-of-state property owners, an unusual position for a Republican in Iowa, where the GOP passed major income tax reductions in the past two years and favored attracting business.

Weets is one of two farmers and first-time Republican candidates vying for the seat that lacks an incumbent. Kerry Gruenhagen, of Walcott, is his primary opponent.

The winner will go on to face one of two Democrats competing for the nomination  first-time candidates Nikole Tutton, of Mechanicsville and Deb VanderGaast, of Tipton. Because of decennial legislative redistricting, no incumbent is running for the district. Sen. Jim Lykam and Sen. Roby Smith have both opted not to run.

"I would like to see us change our property tax code to have an in-state and out-of-state one," Weets said. "That way, if you live outside of the state and let's say you own ag land, you own housing, you own something of that nature that is vital to our economy and to our culture, I think that I would classify that as an investment."

Gruenhagen, in an email, wrote that if elected, he wants "to prioritize tax relief for hard-working Iowans and controlling government spending with responsible, conservative budgets."

Gruenhagen farms in Scott and Muscatine counties and has investments in Davenport and was endorsed by the Iowa chapter of Americans For Prosperity, a libertarian conservative political advocacy group founded by David and Charles Koch.

Weets pointed to his relative youth  he's 33, and doesn't yet have a family, so he could dedicate a lot of time to being a lawmaker.

On education, Gruenhagen and Weets both said they support the concept of taxpayer-funded savings accounts for 10,000 students to switch to private schools, a key sticking point in the Iowa Legislature this past session.

Weets said, however, he wanted to expand it beyond 10,000 students.

Gruenhagen wrote: "While public schools are important for our communities and educating the next generation, they are not the solution for every child. Education Savings Accounts offer a flexible option of tutoring, learning materials, or even a voucher for those students who are struggling."

Gruenhagen said his daughter found a local tutor that taught the Barton Reading System after struggling with an individual education plan and within two years she was reading at grade level.

Weets also said one of his top priorities is preventing Iowa teachers from "indoctrinating" Iowa students.

Some Senate Republicans, most notably Sen. Jake Chapman, R-Adel, pushed a measure that would've charged teachers with felonies who distributed books deemed to be "obscene." Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law in 2021 a measure that prevents schools from teaching "divisive concepts," including that Iowa or the U.S. are fundamentally racist. Some educators say the new bill has caused confusion on what they can teach, and chilled discussion.

Weets said he'd support criminalizing "indoctrination" by Iowa teachers though later said he didn't want to "tie teachers hands" or make them feel like they can't teach history subjects like the Civil War or World War 2. He added he thought most teachers have good intentions.

Weets also said he also wanted to set older age limits for talking about sex education and sexual orientation with children.

"If we have someone that is indoctrinating children, whether it be they are pushing, indoctrination as far as economics, as far as cultural values, as far as religion, as far as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, whatever it is... I think that's wrong," Weets said. "And I think that needs to be a criminal offense, yes. And at the same time, I would also like to see our our administration I would like to see it held accountable on that end, because they're allowing it to happen."

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The wife of an inmate at Thomson prison is speaking out a day after lawmakers called for a federal investigation into the facility.

U.S. Sens Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.; Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; and U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Moline; have asked the Department of Justice to investigate allegations of rampant prisoner abuse, made public this week in a joint investigation by NPR and the Marshall Project, a nonprofit working on criminal justice issues. In a joint letter sent Wednesday to U.S. Inspector General Michael Horowitz, the lawmakers demanded immediate action.

Meanwhile, Shawanna Edwards hasn't spoken to her husband, Jackie Edwards, since April 13.

Jackie Edwards, 61, is an inmate at USP Thomson, serving the remainder of a five-year sentence for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

"On April 14, I got a phone call from another inmate telling me I need to get an attorney and get (to Thomson) as soon as possible because the correctional officers had assaulted Jackie," Shawanna Edwards said.

Randilee Giamusso, spokesperson with the Federal Bureau of Prisons Office of Public Affairs and Information, said Friday for privacy, safety and security reasons, the BOP "does not discuss information on an individual inmate's conditions of confinement to include housing quarters or whether a particular inmate is the subject of allegations, investigations or sanctions in prison."

"However, we can share the BOP is committed to accommodating the needs of federal offenders and ensuring the safety and security of all inmates in our population, our staff, and the public," Giamusso said.

Jackie Edwards was transferred to USP Thomson on Feb. 28 from Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago. As a nonviolent offender with good behavior, he was sent to Thomson's satellite minimum-security camp.

The federal prison in Thomson currently houses 929 inmates: 797 in the maximum-security facility and 132 at the adjacent minimum-security camp.

During a May 4 phone call with another inmate, Shawanna Edwards heard her husband was being mistreated by guards.

"They accused him of resisting and put him in restraints; handcuffed to the back, restraints around the legs and waist restraints," Jackie Edwards said. "They placed him in the interrogation room. They assaulted him in the interrogation room and took him to solitary confinement. As of today, he's been in the hole for 50 days.

"No one has seen him physically in person. I had a pastor go to the prison and (prison staff) said he wasn't on the (visitor's) list," Shawanna Edwards said. "I called the prison ministry to send someone to speak with Jackie, and they said he had to request (a pastor) himself. I've sent numerous emails and made calls with regard to having an attorney visit with him, and the prison will not call my attorney back.

"We don't know anything about his care, his well-being, his health or his situation," Shawanna Edwards said. "It's my understanding he wasn't walking when he was taken from the interrogation room to solitary confinement, which is in another building."

The Bureau of Prisons spokesperson declined to comment on the Edwards' case.

"All inmates are continually encouraged to maintain contact with loved ones, friends and outside resources," Giamusso said. "All inmates are afforded communication privileges with written communication being the preferred form of communication. It is highly recommended (Jackie Edwards') family continue to communicate and help him stay connected to his family and outside resources. If he does not reach out to them on his own, we would suggest they write him a letter and inform him of their concerns."

Giamusso said the BOP had an administrative remedy program for inmates to seek a formal review of almost any concern they had regarding their incarceration.

Shawanna Edwards says she's had to learn about her husband solely from second-hand contact with people on the inside. She was told her husband also was allegedly charged with assault of a correctional officer during his interrogation.

"It's unheard of; how could you assault anybody when you are in handcuffs, waistcuffs and restraints on your legs? It doesn't make any sense," she said. "I'm trying to get a visual on him. I want somebody to see him, but the prison is not complying. I've emailed numerous times; I've called numerous times.

"I spoke with the inmate (again) on May 26, and my husband was still in segregation," she said. "That was the last conversation I had with anyone at the prison. The prison has not given the family any information on (Jackie). Thomson Prison is violating his constitutional rights as well as his civil rights."

Jackie Edwards' official release date is May 2, 2023, but under compassionate release terms, he was eligible for early release May 29. The First Step Act of 2018 allows inmates over 60 years old who have served two-thirds of their terms to be released early to home detention. But May 29 has come and gone and Shawanna Edwards said prison officials will not respond to her calls and emails.

She also has made the three-hour drive from her home in Richton Park, Ill., to Thomson three times in an effort to see her husband in person. Her visits have been denied.

"I've asked to talk to the warden to get some information on my husband. No one is willing to talk to me. No one will speak to me about the situation."

Shawanna Edwards is grateful that lawmakers are demanding an investigation into allegations of abuse at Thomson.

"These are human beings; they're not just inmate numbers. They should be treated accordingly," she said. "They should have someone from outside the prison come in and investigate. These incidents happen all too often  more than what we hear about.

"It's alarming when you get a phone call about your loved one being assaulted, abused and mistreated."

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NAPERVILLE  A suburban Chicago police officer fatally shot a man who came at the officer with a hatchet during a traffic stop Friday, authorities said.

The officer was conducting a traffic stop at 11 a.m. when an unrelated vehicle pulled up next to the vehicle the officer had pulled over, the Naperville Police Department said. A man exited the second vehicle and charged the officer with a hatchet in his hand, it said.

The officer fired their gun, striking the man, police said. The man, a white male in his 20s, was transported to an hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The man's name was withheld pending notification of family.

The officer, a 22-year-veteran of the Naperville Police Department, was not injured.

The DuPage County Metropolitan Emergency Response and Investigative Team and the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office were notified and are conducting the independent investigation into this incident, police said.

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SPRINGFIELD  The Illinois State Police announced Friday that all sexual assault evidence is being processed within the 180-day timeframe outlined in state law  bringing to zero the number of legally backlogged cases that rose as high as 1,815 in March 2019.

Its the first time all such evidence is being processed within 180 days as required by a 2010 law, according to the governors office.

We have finally reached this mark that the General Assembly put down, this mark of 180 days, over a decade ago. Complying with that, and finally getting under 180 days, is just the first phase of that enterprise and we are going to be holding ourselves accountable to reaching the 90-day mark in the next phase, Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said at a news conference.

Pritzker joined Kelly and local elected officials in Belleville, where ISP is establishing the Illinois State Police Forensic Science Institute to house a portion of the ISP forensic science training program.

The governors office said over the past two years, ISP reduced its total forensic backlog by 72%, while the backlog in drug chemistry evidence processing decreased by 90% from Febra 2019 to the end of 2021.

Kelly said ISP has a goal of bringing a sense of closure to crime victims by processing the evidence that may lead to an arrest.

That's why I'm pleased to report in the forensic discipline of trace chemistry, 2021 ended with the lowest backlog in eight years, Kelly said. In biology, the lowest backlog in 11 years. In toxicology with the lowest backlog in 15 years. Firearms with the lowest backlog in 18 years. Footwear with the lowest backlog in 20 years. Chemistry with the lowest backlog in 28 years, and latent prints with the lowest backlog in 31 years.

Carrie Ward, executive director of the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, praised significant progress from ISP.

She said when ICASA first became part of a task force addressing the backlogs, the horror stories of evidence collection backlogs were numerous.

Kits were found untested across the state. The wait time for results from kits that were tested stretched into years instead of months or weeks, she said. Today we can acknowledge substantial progress.

But our work here isn't done, she added. We must continue to address the barriers both internal and external that prompt us to recognize six months, or 180 days, as cause for celebration, because six months is still a long time for survivors to wait. We cannot be complacent with our progress.

The Rebuild Illinois capital infrastructure plan signed in 2019 included $76.6 million for a new combined crime laboratory and administrative facility in Joliet. This years budget also included $5.4 million for increased staffing and equipment at a new ISP forensic lab in Decatur.

Highway cameras

The governor also signed a pair of bills Friday that expand the states highway camera monitoring program.

House Bill 4481 expands a Cook County roadway camera pilot program to state highways and expressways in the counties of Boone, Bureau, Champaign, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Henry, Kane, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, Macon, Madison, McHenry, Morgan, Peoria, Rock Island, Sangamon, St. Clair, Will and Winnebago.

Previously, ISP received a $12.5 million grant to bring the number of cameras on Chicago expressways to 300, starting on the Dan Ryan expressway.

While an added 6,300 miles of roadway  on top of about 230 miles in the pilot program  will be eligible for cameras under the expanded program, the new legislation contains no guidance for which roadways would receive them.

The budget contains $20 million from the Road Fund for the expansion.

House Bill 260 allows police to use camera footage to also investigate hijacking and forcible felonies such as murder, criminal sexual assault, robbery, burglary, arson, kidnapping and aggravated battery.

Previous law only allowed the footage to be used to investigate firearm offenses and to monitor roadway conditions.

The expansion also gives the attorney generals office authority to prosecute forcible felony, gunrunning and firearms offenses on camera-monitored expressways.

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To help fight gun crime in the Quad-Cities, the Moline Police Department is trying a tool other departments around the country have used to get guns off the street.

Cash.

As gun violence continues to be an epidemic in the Quad-Cities and across the country, with recent mass shootings in New York, Texas and Oklahoma, local law enforcement is trying to block the path of legally owned firearms going into circulation as "criminal commerce."

The Moline Police Department, along with Crime Stoppers of the Quad Cities, will host a gun buyback event at the end of June. Participants will receive $100 cash for a qualifying handgun or shotgun and $200 cash for a qualifying semi-automatic rifle that uses a magazine. The exchanges will be no questions asked and no identification needed.

Through the event, the department is trying to stop lawfully owned guns that are no longer wanted from getting into the wrong hands, Moline Police Detective Michael Griffin said.

Unwanted guns left unsecured and unwatched often are used in crimes, police said. The goal of the event is to reduce gun crimes by taking such firearms out of circulation.

Were trying to do our part to prevent further violence  gun violence  by eliminating opportunities for criminals to obtain firearms through burglary and theft, Griffin said.

He and Bettendorf Police Chief Keith Kimball said the guns Quad-Cities police departments confiscated during criminal investigations were commonly stolen  frequently from vehicles  and quickly traded on the street for drugs, money or another firearm.

After a guns been used in a crime, the person who used it might want to get rid of it, Griffin said.

Sometimes people will trade gun for gun, he said.

Guns collected during the June buyback event will be screened to see if they have been reported stolen or used in a crime, Griffin said. If reported stolen, the department will arrange for the guns return to its lawful owner. If used in a crime, the department will investigate as it would normally. Otherwise, the firearms bought during the gun buyback will be rendered safe and melted down, Griffin said.

The money that will be used to buy the guns was raised by private donations, Griffin said. He declined to release the amount but said no taxpayer money was involved.

Gun buybacks: What the research says

Gun buybacks have been around in the U.S. since at least the 1970s, according to a 2020 article published by The Journalists Resource, an initiative of the Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center and the Carnegie-Knight Initiative. In 1974, Baltimore bought guns back at $50 apiece. The city purchased more than 13,000 firearms over three months.

There had been more than 100 municipal gun buyback events by the late 1990s in the United States, according to the Resource article.

Griffin said he thought the last time the Moline Policce Department and Crime Stoppers held a similar event was in the early 1990s.

Its been done all over the United States, Griffin said. It started gaining popularity a few years ago, and we just thought we would jump on board.

A summary of the research reviewed by the Journalists Resource, much of it from the 1990s, found buybacks did not lessen gun violence, but more recent studies indicate they are more impactful when part of wider efforts to reduce gun violence. In that context, they can influence public perception of efforts to address gun violence and provide avenues for educating the public about how gun violence can be reduced, the article states.

The Quad-Cities has witnessed a surge in gun crimes in recent years.

Some area police departments, including Moline, have developed units whose efforts include targeting gun and drug crimes. Area law enforcement agencies also work together to test guns and shell casings recovered during investigations using a shared analysis system based in the Davenport Police Department.

Davenport is also launching a citywide strategy designed to reduce gun violence. That effort is designed to use the combined efforts of community members, social services and law enforcement to make contact with those most at-risk of committing or being victims of violence and offer support services and emphasize the consequences of engaging in violence.

Keeping guns out of the wrong hands

While planning and organizing the event have been underway for months, Griffin said, Moline's buyback event comes on the heels of an impassioned prime-time address by President Joe Biden imploring Congress to take action against gun violence after mass shootings he said had turned schools and other everyday places into killing fields."

Biden called on lawmakers to restore limits on the sale of assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines after a string of mass shootings in the country.

The Thursday night address coincided with bipartisan talks that are intensifying among a core group of senators discussing modest gun policy changes. Democrats hope Biden's remarks will drive up pressure on Congress to pass stricter laws, though such efforts failed in the wake of past violence.

Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley told a roomful of Eastern Iowa law enforcement on Wednesday in Davenport that he's hopeful the U.S. Senate will reach a bipartisan compromise on gun restrictions.

Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks urged to Grassley to support so-called red-flag laws. The measures allow local law enforcement with a court order to temporarily prevent someone deemed as a threat from buying or possessing firearms. Maybanks said such laws could be a vital tool to keep law enforcement safe and blunt a rise in gun violence nationwide.

Grassley didn't rule out support for red-flag legislation but worried such measures could result in guns can be confiscated without due process.

He called the Second Amendment "very, very important part of personal protection."

Davenport Police Chief Paul Sikorski, who participated in Wednesday's roundtable, said keeping guns out of people's hands could make Davenport safer but that he would leave it up to the federal lawmakers to bring a compromise together.

"I know that there are people out there in my community that if we could keep guns out of their hands, it would make our community safer," Sikorski told reporters. "So if our federal partners and legislators can do that ... it would benefit us in our community."

Reporter Sarah Watson and the Associated Press contributed to this article

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Alan Weets, a Republican candidate for Senate District 41, which covers Cedar County and northwest Scott County, said he'd support higher taxes on out-of-state property owners, an unusual position for a Republican in Iowa, where the GOP passed major income tax reductions in the past two years and favored attracting business.

Weets is one of two farmers and first-time Republican candidates vying for the seat that lacks an incumbent. Kerry Gruenhagen, of Walcott, is his primary opponent.

The winner will go on to face one of two Democrats competing for the nomination  first-time candidates Nikole Tutton, of Mechanicsville and Deb VanderGaast, of Tipton. Because of decennial legislative redistricting, no incumbent is running for the district. Sen. Jim Lykam and Sen. Roby Smith have both opted not to run.

"I would like to see us change our property tax code to have an in-state and out-of-state one," Weets said. "That way, if you live outside of the state and let's say you own ag land, you own housing, you own something of that nature that is vital to our economy and to our culture, I think that I would classify that as an investment."

Gruenhagen, in an email, wrote that if elected, he wants "to prioritize tax relief for hard-working Iowans and controlling government spending with responsible, conservative budgets."

Gruenhagen farms in Scott and Muscatine counties and has investments in Davenport and was endorsed by the Iowa chapter of Americans For Prosperity, a libertarian conservative political advocacy group founded by David and Charles Koch.

Weets pointed to his relative youth  he's 33, and doesn't yet have a family, so he could dedicate a lot of time to being a lawmaker.

On education, Gruenhagen and Weets both said they support the concept of taxpayer-funded savings accounts for 10,000 students to switch to private schools, a key sticking point in the Iowa Legislature this past session.

Weets said, however, he wanted to expand it beyond 10,000 students.

Gruenhagen wrote: "While public schools are important for our communities and educating the next generation, they are not the solution for every child. Education Savings Accounts offer a flexible option of tutoring, learning materials, or even a voucher for those students who are struggling."

Gruenhagen said his daughter found a local tutor that taught the Barton Reading System after struggling with an individual education plan and within two years she was reading at grade level.

Weets also said one of his top priorities is preventing Iowa teachers from "indoctrinating" Iowa students.

Some Senate Republicans, most notably Sen. Jake Chapman, R-Adel, pushed a measure that would've charged teachers with felonies who distributed books deemed to be "obscene." Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law in 2021 a measure that prevents schools from teaching "divisive concepts," including that Iowa or the U.S. are fundamentally racist. Some educators say the new bill has caused confusion on what they can teach, and chilled discussion.

Weets said he'd support criminalizing "indoctrination" by Iowa teachers though later said he didn't want to "tie teachers hands" or make them feel like they can't teach history subjects like the Civil War or World War 2. He added he thought most teachers have good intentions.

Weets also said he also wanted to set older age limits for talking about sex education and sexual orientation with children.

"If we have someone that is indoctrinating children, whether it be they are pushing, indoctrination as far as economics, as far as cultural values, as far as religion, as far as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, whatever it is... I think that's wrong," Weets said. "And I think that needs to be a criminal offense, yes. And at the same time, I would also like to see our our administration I would like to see it held accountable on that end, because they're allowing it to happen."

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Quad Cities Boots on the Ground is calling all Quad-City men to attend a meeting with Quad-City school officials and police on Saturday, June 25, to discuss issues affecting the community and ways to help.

The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. and will be held at Quad Cities New Life Kingdom Ministries located at 817 24th St., Rock Island. A light breakfast and a lunch will be served.

Pastor Daniel C. Teague Jr. said the meeting would be with Quad-City school officials and police departments to hear firsthand whats going on in our communities, and would include a discussion of ways people can engage and help.

Issues to be discussed include behavioral problems in the schools and crime, among others.

For more information, contact Teague at 309-203-6600.

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AMES, Iowa  Authorities planned to release more details Friday about a shooting outside an Iowa church in which a man fatally shot two women before apparently killing himself.

The shooting happened just before 7 p.m. Thursday in the parking lot of the Cornerstone Church, a megachurch on the outskirts of Ames. Sheriffs Capt. Nicholas Lennie declined early Friday to give the ages and names of those killed, but confirmed that they were adults.

The shooter appeared to have shot himself after shooting the women, but details would not be released until a planned news conference outside the church, Lennie said. The church is located near Interstate 35, about 30 miles north of Des Moines.

Cornerstone Church released a statement confirming that the women killed were young members of our community," but did not give other details about the victims or shooter, citing the ongoing police investigation.

Our hearts break for all involved, and we are praying for everyone affected, especially the family of the victims, the church said in the statement. The church also planned to hold a prayer service for the victims Friday.

The shooting follows mass shootings across the nation in recent weeks that have roiled the country. Those include last weeks shooting by an 18-year-old gunman, who killed 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and an attack Wednesday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where a gunman killed his surgeon and three other people at a Tulsa medical office. On May 14 in Buffalo, New York, a white man carried out what officials say was a racially-motivated attack on a supermarket in a predominantly Black neighborhood, killing 10 people.

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Editor's note: This is the first in a four-part series talking with former Rapid City Daily Journal employees and what they remember from their perspective covering the 1972 flood.

Fresh out of college and less than two weeks since he was hired to be an obituary writer, Harold Higgins was about as green of a reporter as one could be.

Higgins moved to Rapid City where he had rented an apartment on the bottom floor of a house in between Fifth and Sixth streets, just on the north side of Rapid Creek.

Higgins was so new to Rapid City, he hardly knew the streets. He said he figured out how to get from his apartment to work. But that was about it.

I was broke. It took me a couple of days, just kind of sponging off friends until I could get an apartment It was a basement apartment, very nice little basement apartment in the basement in a house right up against Rapid Creek, the back you walked out of the backyard, and there was a creek, Higgins said.

While at home the night the rain began to come down, Higgins said he recalled the warnings scroll across the KOTA television station about heavy rains and possible flooding along Rapid Creek.

I thought well, OK, two things. Number one, I'm a reporter, I need to grab my camera and get out there and see if I can get some pictures, he said. As well as I'll be able to get a handle on how high the creek is near my house. And just whatever the situation is.

With his camera bag in hand, Higgins walked across his neighbors' yards to avoid the water which was already beginning to fill the streets.

As he made his way over toward the Fifth Street bridge, he could see the water was rising faster than he thought.

Not only was it pitch black in the rain, I couldn't see where I could get out of the water. So I thought I better get up that bridge, Higgins said. So I just got up to the bridge and that must have been when the dam broke or just before because that's when that big wave came down the road.

Higgins said a split-second decision to grab onto a mailbox to pull himself out of the water to reach the bridge probably saved his life, as he was able to prevent himself from being swept away by the current and managed to cross the bridge before it went underwater.

I thought, OK, well, what do I do now? And, of course, I was the young cub reporter, I thought, Well, I guess I better start reporting on this, he said.

Being new to the Journal and the area, Higgins was unsure of the police departments location but knew the fire department was just around the corner from the Journal as he passed it on his way to work  the few days he had been on the job.

Not knowing if anyone was at the Journal, Higgins wanted to see if they had any assignments for him to cover  only to find the newsroom empty at the time. So he decided to head back over to the fire department.

Higgins said most of the fire trucks were already out except for one that was stuck because one of the doors in the front didnt fully open. Whether it was the power outage or the door had come off the track, Higgins wasnt sure.

Eventually the truck got out. Then, Rapid City Fire Chief Ken Johnson asked for volunteers to help in rescue operations. Higgins immediately volunteered.

I thought if there's going to be any news or photographs. Maybe this is where it's going to be for me, he said.

As the truck got out, Higgins was joined by four other men from Ellsworth Air Force Base. The men in the fire truck headed out looking for people.

There were people who needed help but sometimes there was no way we could get to them. There were a couple instances where we did kind of the human chain thing and helped pull some people out of the water who were kind of floundering out there, Higgins said. I don't even remember how long it went on. I'm sure it went on for hours but it seemed like in my memories like in minutes.

All throughout the night, they pulled people from partially submerged vehicles.

With power out, the fire department was using a portable radio from a pickup truck they had taken for communication. As they were investigating a report of children stranded on top of a house trailer, they all went down a safety line along railroad tracks shouting and using flashlights producing no results. So they headed back to the truck.

Once back at the truck, faint shouts were heard from the location they had just been, so they all went back down the safety line again with a fireman shouting, "Everybody hold onto the damn rope, I don't want to see anybody let go of it."

They found a middle-aged man who appeared to be in shock as the source of the shouts. They were able to carry him out of the water and back to the truck.

Despite numerous buildings on fire throughout the night, Johnson had already established rescuing people was more important than any burning buildings.

As it got to be daylight, Higgins headed back to the Journals building where he found some of his bosses and coworkers now hard at work gathering and writing news stories of the nights event.

Friday nights power outage forced the Journal to miss printing of their Saturday edition entirely, leaving Sunday as the first edition since the flood.

Soaking wet, covered in mud, the Journal's Wire Editor Jerry Mashek told Higgins to write up something brief to put across the AP wire as he was one of the first reporters to provide firsthand reports of what happened.

They had already sent a couple of (para)graphs about the flood and that there was a flood in Rapid City, but of course at that point we didn't know the death toll or how much damage there was, Higgins said.

For the remainder of the day, Higgins said he stayed in the office making calls, helping out the other reporters, doing cut lines for the Journals staff photographer Don Polovich and helping out where he could.

I spent most of the time trying to get information and generally being stumped most of the time, Higgins said.

Nearly a full 24 hours since he first left his apartment, Higgins finally headed back home.

Where I crossed the bridge to see where my house was. It was completely obliterated. There was nothing, zero, nothing standing there, he said. Somebody else told me and I don't remember exactly when, but somebody in the area told me that the house had caught on fire and just burned down and just disintegrated.

With nothing but the clothes on his back, and his mud-clogged camera, Higgins stayed with fellow Journal reporter Ron Bender for the next few nights.

Literally my shoes started just kind of falling apart and the seams started coming apart on my blue jeans as well, he said. I went to the Red Cross. And they gave me a complete new outfit of clothes, jeans and shirts.

And you know, one outfit such as one pair of jeans and a shirt and I forgot there's a voucher token or something that I could go to. I think I went into the Red Wing Shoe Store to get a new pair of boots. They had to replace my clothes so quite literally all I had  zero, nothing.

For the next few weeks, it was an all-hands-on-deck situation in the newsroom with everyone doing their part to cover the news.

It was obviously a big event, everybody was pumped up about trying to get the paper out because we knew we had a public service, Higgins said. Not only the stories so that people could get the context to what had happened, but we also want to start to get the public service information out about where to get water, where to get help... We were starting to get the names of people who had died in the flood so we were starting to collect those names as well as the missing.

Higgins said he spent a couple more weeks as a reporter before returning to his post as an obituary writer.

One particular story that always stuck with him was reporting on the identification of victims and the grief that family and friends felt in receiving the bad news.

People are anxious. When people are grieving or they're worried about a missing person they think surely there must be a mistake. Surely they've found my relative and they've made a mistake of some sort, but I don't believe that was the case, Higgins said.

Searchers would collect the bodies, where they were transported to one central funeral home in hopes of being identified quickly. Bodies were laid out pending identification, before being stored in refrigerated trailers.

But for many, it wasnt as easy as finding a drivers license or other easily accessible pieces of identification. Not only were the victims treated rough by the flood, but quite often bodies had sat out for several days.

Higgins said the task of helping to identify the victims went to Bernie Christenson, with the Division of Criminal Investigation.

It's hard for people to realize the conditions and the trauma of what went on in that water in that creek. I think those guys were being as careful as they could, Higgins said.

Higgins went on to have a long career in newspapers including stints in Aberdeen, California, Colorado and eventually as the publisher of the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press before retiring. He currently resides in the Denver metropolitan area.

I had a long career in the newspaper business and was in a lot of cities, Higgins said. I remember people from those other jobs, those other newspapers, those other cities, but not as vividly as I remember them  the people I was in the newsroom with at the Journal.

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Surviving the 72 Flood tells of many tragic losses that occurred on June 9, 1972, but its stories and photos also document Rapid City residents survival, luck, cleanup, heroism and hope.

Award-winning journalist Seth Tupper and award-winning photographer Johnny Sundby, both of Rapid City, produced a new book Surviving the 72 Flood: Eyewitness Accounts from One of the Nations Deadliest Disasters.

Through personal interviews, photos and research from historical documents, the book recounts 27 survivors harrowing experiences. Text on the books back cover explains factors that contributed to the disaster:

A line of thunderstorms hovered over the Black Hills of South Dakota and dumped up to 15 inches of rain in some locations over a span of only six hours. Thousands of people in Rapid City lived and worked along the banks of Rapid Creek, at the foot of the Black Hills. When a flood surge struck the city that night, many people in the floodplain were unprepared for the scale of the disaster.

Tupper and Sundby initially planned about a dozen interviews and photos but kept finding more flood survivors willing to share their stories, Sundby said. Almost all the interviews and photo shoots took place at the locations where disaster struck on June 9, 1972.

We have had some people say, Why would you want to make people relive this painful event? Tupper said. Some wont want to. It is still too painful to relive the flood, but really we did the book to preserve the history. By the 75th anniversary, a lot of survivors will be gone. Every story not recorded is one lost.

Tupper and Sundby both said preserving the flood history is vital to help new generations  and newcomers to Rapid City who dont know about the flood  understand the importance of keeping the floodplain open and preventing development there.

When you hear some of the firsthand accounts of what people went through, that gives you a whole new perspective, Tupper said. When survivors say, We dont ever want this to happen again, its very affecting, and that history should be preserved so that when those debates open in the future, people have things to reflect back on to see how terrible this really was.

Many of the survivors in the book were young adults in their teens and early 20s at the time of the flood, and theyre now in their 60s or older. Ozzie Osheim, now 95, tells of working in a funeral home inundated with flood victims and encountering families who sometimes came back day after day searching for missing loved ones.

History has to be preserved, Sundby said. All these stories have to be recorded in part so people respect Rapid Creek and respect the laws of the city to establish the greenway. I think thats one of the most important things. A lot of people are wanting to develop things in the greenway and the less they know about the flood, the more they will want to do that into the future.

Sundby was born and raised in Rapid City. His fifth birthday was June 10, 1972. His family lived near Pinedale Elementary School, so their home wasnt flooded. He recalls that his aunt and uncles home was lost, so they brought their belongings and took refuge at Sundby's house. He said that he, like others in the city whose homes were farther from the path of destruction, didnt realize until days later how devastating the flood had been.

Its important to realize how much power can be unleashed from Rapid Creek after a big rain storm, Sundby said.

For those who lost homes and loved ones in the flood, Tupper said the pain is still evident. Two interviews that affected him most deeply were with Mike Faust and Kay Schriever. On the night of the flood, they were two teenagers who didnt know each other well but happened to be in the same car cruising through the city.

It was a Friday night and they got caught in rising water near the Rushmore Building on West Main. The water was rising so fast. Kay got out and ran to the fire escape and all the others got stuck in the water, Tupper said.

There were six teenagers in the car. Three lived and three died. One of those who died was Schrievers friend Gayle Nemeti, 17. She got out of the car and was near the Payless building when a back wall blew out. Her body was found among the debris. Schriever was asked to identify Nemetis body at an overwhelmed funeral home.

Sundby photographed Schriever for the book on the fire escape where she took refuge from flood waters.

Her emotions were very raw, Tupper said. To stand there and hear her tell that story, you start to (understand) the terrible toll it took, the way theyve had to carry that pain and suffering the rest of their lives.

Hearing her talk about her friend, the pain was just as fresh as maybe it happened yesterday. It was a real eye-opener, he said.

Conducting the interviews and photo shoots at the locations where tragedy struck was the right decision, Sundby said, because it seemed to aid survivors in remembering details as they talked about their experiences.

People were so open about sharing their stories, Sundby said. The environmental portraits say a lot about how the city has changed.

While Surviving the 72 Flood is a series of historical and cautionary tales, its also a testament to peoples resilience.

Theres so many people that saw it happen, actually saw their loves ones swept away. Its terrible, but I was amazed at the way they were able to pick up and carry on and live productive lives, Tupper said.

South Dakota Public Broadcasting has created a companion documentary and podcast, Surviving the 72 Flood. Those can be found at sdpb.org/flood along with other content about the 1972 flood.

The documentary will premiere at 6:30 p.m. June 8 as part of special programming at The Journey Museum to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1972 flood. Tupper and Sundby will be signing copies of their book.

Surviving the 72 Flood: Eyewitness Accounts from One of the Nations Deadliest Disasters can be purchased in Rapid City at Books A Million, Found by Weathered Vane, Prairie Edge, Mitzis Books, the Hotel Alex Johnson Mercantile, The Journey Museum, and at Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center in Lead, Jennys Floral in Custer, Stage Stop Leather & Gifts in Hill City, and at Mount Rushmore Societys three outlets  830 Main St. in Rapid City, a bookstore at Mount Rushmore, and at the Rapid City Airport. The book also can be ordered by contacting Sundby at johnnysundby.com or Tupper at sethtupper.com/.

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An owner of the Grand Gateway Hotel who was arrested on three counts of simple assault was released the same day using a program funded by a grant from the MacArthur Foundation, which she has been publicly against.

Rapid City police officers arrested Connie Uhre, 75, May 27 for assaulting three demonstrators outside the Grand Gateway Hotel. In multiple videos from demonstrators at the NDN Collective picket line boycott event, Uhre could be seen getting out of her vehicle and spraying at least three demonstrators with Pledge, a cleaning spray. At least one was sprayed directly in the face.

NDN Collective began boycotting the Uhre businesses following racist remarks from Uhre on social media where she said Native Americans would be banned from the hotel's property.

Helene Duhamel, spokesperson for the Pennington County Sheriff's Office, said Wednesday that Uhre was released using a program funded from the MacArthur Foundation grant. The program uses what's called a Public Safety Assessment.

Duhamel said the assessment is a strategy with the grant to make sure the office is using jail space wisely.

"Just so we're not keeping someone incarcerated that shouldn't be," she said. "(Uhre) was charged with a low-level offense."

The Pennington County Sheriff's Office and the Seventh Judicial Circuit were awarded $4.1 million between 2015 and 2021 from the MacArthur Foundation, including five grants in criminal justice. The office participates in the Safety and Justice Challenge Network, which aims to address over-incarceration by reducing jail misuse and overuse and disparities in jail usage, according to the foundation website.

According to data provided by the sheriff's office, between June 2018 and December 2021, an average of 9% of individuals booked into the jail were released using the Public Safety Assessment program.

The assessment looks at the flight risk for someone charged with a crime. The jail looks at pending criminal charges, prior convictions, violent crimes and failures to appear in court. It also weighs the risk someone poses to the community rather than the nature of their charge.

Duhamel said prior to using the assessment, those arrested on low-level offenses would have to post a cash bond to be released. She said the jail moved away from cash bonds for low-level offenses and low-risk offenders so that people without money wouldn't be placed at a disadvantage over those who could afford to pay a cash bond.

"Over the last several years we've incorporated the best practices to use our jail space wisely," she said.

Uhre and her son, Nick, have made public statements against the MacArthur grant.

In a presentation with more than 50 slides sent to Rapid City hotel owners and to South Dakota Citizens for Liberty, Nick blamed the MacArthur grants for what he described as an increase in crime. He also blamed the rising crime rate on police inaction and Native Americans, presenting the idea that a "race war" was on its way.

 Contact Siandhara Bonnet at siandhara.bonnet@rapidcityjournal.com 

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Both school and Rapid City administrators need to brag about the retirement benefits, not just pay. The South Dakota State Retirement plan is one of the best in the nation. Pay may be low but the retirement benefit more than makes up for it.

After the flood in 1972 they created the greenway through the center of Rapid City which is a great thing. Why did they build a high school and the civic center right in the middle of the floodway?

When Joe Biden says: "Tough Times Ahead" and a transition is coming, that's 'code' for 'recession.' It's deliberate, believe me when I tell you.

Taxpayers should not have to pay for the kind of books as described in the Journal. It is simply pornographic material. The entire class should be dropped. Somehow I was able to be well educated and a productive member of society without being taught this kind of subject matter in high school.

It seems like there is no end to the grants coming out of DC, but you do understand I hope, that grants are not free money, it's money taken from you by the IRS from your income tax.

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The Rapid City Fire Department celebrated the graduation of three new firefighters from the fire academy on Friday.

The three graduates: Styles Inmon, 35, Dayton Butler, 33, and Austin Goddard, 25, ran with 16 other firefighters from Fire Station 1 on Main Street to Seventh Street and looped back to the station via St. Joseph Street in the morning for the celebratory graduation run. The official graduation for friends and family was held at 2 p.m. at the Journey Museum.

The recruits were hired to help with the departments increasing call volume, as well as to help fill vacancies, according to a RCFD press release. Shift operations will start on Sunday, June 5.

Training instructor Lt. Scott Jungck said the firefighters who joined the graduates on the run chose to participate off-duty because the event was important to them.

It brings the new recruits and it brings the firefighters on the floor together in a little bit of camaraderie, physical camaraderie, Jungck said. There were some people that have been here for a year, and there are people here that have been here for 24 years.

The 8-12 week fire academy trains recruits on structural fires, wildland firefighting, hazmat basics, rescue basics, and emergency medical services to state standards requirements and National Pro Board Standards, which certifies firefighters nationwide for structural firefighting and hazmat operations.

If they ever decide to take another career somewhere else, that's got reciprocity nationwide, Jungck said.

Jungck said trainees also learn the specifics of working at RCFD and what, how, and why the department follows certain procedures.

Every town is unique, every city is unique, every districts unique, he said. The main thing is we have a huge wildland urban interface, so thats houses in the woods, woods in the city, so thats one of the unique factors of Rapid City we teach them about.

For this particular group of graduates  one of the smallest groups the department put through the academy  what stood out to Jungck through training was their ability to take direction.

It makes me feel like I'm a good instructor so that I dont have to keep repeating myself five, six, seven times. If you think about our job, we dont have the time to do that. We give you an assignment, you need to do that assignment to the best of your ability, he said. That's why I'm looking forward to these three graduating, to see that go forward and to see them grow up and be leaders in this fire department.

Inmon, Butler and Goddard all started at volunteer departments, so the training was a continuation rather than a starting line.

Styles Inmon

Inmons experience in the military as a combat engineer who was deployed to Afghanistan drew him to firefighting.

One of the things you dont get in everyday work life is the camaraderie, the brotherhood, the sense of purpose and belonging to something bigger than yourself. Service gives me purpose, Inmon said.

He volunteered for the last two and a half years at the Black Hawk Fire Department and worked part time for about a year with the Box Elder Fire Department. Inmon said while volunteer departments still train as much as they can with the resources available, there can be constraints that paid departments dont have.

Here in a career paid department, our job is to train to be ready, so thats our profession. Unfortunately, sometimes funding with volunteer departments isnt there for some of the good training. People work everyday jobs, and sometimes the training is scarce just because of time, Inmon said.

Through the training, Inmon said he learned the way RCFD operates.

Its definitely right in line with all the standards of NFPA, he said.

Dayton Butler

Butler volunteered at a northeast volunteer fire department for two years before the fire academy at RCFD. He had planned to join the military, but that ended up not working out. After working as a retail manager and then safety personal in the oilfields of North Dakota, he made the decision to look elsewhere.

I started exploring other options. I found out my grandfather was in the fire service down in Texas, so I am following in his footsteps, Butler said. Once I got on the volunteer department and started seeing what the job was, I learned how rewarding it was. It was a lot of hard work, but its definitely rewarding being a part of that.

Butler said the training at RCFD's fire academy was more in-depth than his time at a volunteer department.

When you get all day to do it, you get a lot of repetition and you learn your skills, and you can execute them blindfolded basically, he said.

Even though the groups first shift is Sunday, theyre not done learning yet.

We are still in training. We have a probationary period of one year, and throughout that year, we will still be learning and knowing what the trucks do. We are trained to do firefighting but knowing where the tools are and everything else comes with time, he said.

Austin Goddard

Goddard, the youngest of the group, is also the newest to the firefighting profession.

I volunteer in Spearfish, Goddard said. I started seven months ago.

Originally from Arizona, Goddard worked as a whitewater guide in Cody, Wyoming and then worked ski patrol at Terry Peak before fire caught his eye.

Its an awesome opportunity, a very cool job, so pretty excited about that. I did have a couple other individuals that I know that have been in this profession, and they only had great things to say about it, so thats what got me interested, Goddard said.

Goddard echoed his colleagues that the training is more in-depth.

Shout out to the people that volunteer, they work just as hard, but now were able to kind of get a little bit more in-depth with technique and with learning how to properly do everything, he said. With volunteer, they give you the basics, and its kind of up to you to take it to that next step if you want, but here its always hands on. Theyre always helping you. Theyre always trying to get you to that next step.

The department will be opening another application process this fall for 15 positions. Jungck said that anyone who is interested should apply. Applicants need to be 18, have a drivers license and a clean record.

This is a great job. Its got great benefits, Jungck said. You get to do really cool stuff all day, all night. And you help the community save lives. What better job could you want? Its serving the community, helping others. If you want that kind of job, please, please, please apply. Go to the city website. Apply there. If you apply, we will contact you. 

 Contact Shalom Baer Gee at sgee@rapidcityjournal.com 

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Across Montanas vast rural miles cowboy up culture persists, and so does mental illness, even if no one is talking about it. Its a fact that fascinates Maclayn Clark, 14, who has struggled with depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts from the time he was in second grade.

(Mental illness) happens everywhere. It happens every age and it happens everywhere on earth. Its not just like it happens in big cities, Clark said.

Miles City resident Gabe Peaslee, 16, speaks from experience when he says his Eastern Montana home has few therapists who could provide the level of support he needed in his darkest hour. For years, his family has committed to the nearly 300-mile round trip to Billings on a weekly basis to get the skilled care he needs.

The two Montana boys have grown up battling mental illness, in a state where adolescent suicide occurs at a rate twice the national average. After years of work, both made the decision to share their stories with the world through a Ken Burns production called "Hiding In Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness" that will premiere at the Alberta Bair Theater on June 27 and 28.

Their therapist, Kee Dunning, also appears throughout the documentary as an expert voice on youth mental illness, a crisis that was declared a national emergency in October 2021 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

As the pandemic unleashed a menagerie of stress and anxiety throughout the world, emergency departments saw a substantial increase in mental health emergencies and demand for counselors skyrocketed.

The two-part documentary presents an unusually frank discussion about mental illness in Americas youth, and includes 23 voices of people harrowed by mental illness. The subjects range in age from 11 to 27, with Clark being the youngest subject, reflecting on his experience at only 11 years old. Peaslee was 13.

With Montana ranking in the top five for suicide in the nation for 30 years, its no surprise that filmmakers Erik and Christopher Loren Ewers zeroed in on Montana.

Both the Peaslee family and the Clark family have been Dunnings patients for years and continue to see her regularly. When talking about their progress and their participation in the film, Dunning was brought to tears within minutes.

People dont get what theyve been throughNow when I look at that on film, this is what it does to me, the magnitude of it, Dunning said, gesturing to the tears in her eyes. This will change peoples lives.

The Peaslees

There are still days when Gabe Peaslee gets angry. While it no longer manifests as hurling objects across the room, breaking things or hitting, managing his mental health in Eastern Montana continues to be a daily struggle for him and his family.

The Peaslee residence sits tucked into the corner of a Miles City neighborhood. Its red paint and white trim look fresh against a green lawn where two dogs happily wag their tails at passersby. Its a cozy, middle class home, and the inhabitants have endured the turbulence of mental illness in a place well-known for a lack of services.

Gabe was nearly 2 years old when he went to live with his adoptive parents, Darla and Ray Peaslee, who had two biological children about a decade before adopting Gabe and his sister. Though Gabe was removed from a poor situation early on, during his initial months of life he experienced tremendous trauma.

Even now he can recall blurry memories of his time at his birth mothers home, enduring neglect and physical abuse. And as he grew up, his anger grew.

A bad day when he was young was me holding (him) down physically. Wrap him up, hold him down so he wasnt hurting himself, he wasnt hurting anyone else, said Ray Peaslee.

A fit of anger once sent Gabe tearing books from a bookshelf and hurling them across the room while home alone with his older sister. Not knowing what else to do, his sister threatened to call the cops, even dialing 911 before Gabe collapsed in his bed, exhausted from the emotion.

He was checked into two institutions as his mental illness grew to be more than his parents could handle. At the first facility, specialists worked with him to administer the nurturing he never received as an infant. The therapy was impactful, but within a month of returning home he had resorted back to his old habits.

Children hospitalized for mental health conditions in rural settings have been found to have a shorter stay and higher risk of re-admission compared to children admitted to facilities in metropolitan areas. One study suggests that re-admission is tied to a lack of quality mental health providers both in the patients community and at the rural hospital.

Montana has been designated a mental health care shortage area for years in part due to the rural miles that stretch between urban areas. Recent data from Kaiser Family Foundation says the state is meeting only 25% of its needs when it comes to mental health professionals, and it needs 68 more counselors to meet the demand.

Gabes parents reached out to the handful of therapists in Miles City and spent hours on the phone trying to access services for their son. He ended up on a plethora of medications, some with negative side effects.

It felt like we didnt know how to parent anymore, Ray said.

When they finally found Dunning, who specializes in family therapy, Ray and Darla had their first experiences with mental health counselors.

We have to learn how to have these really critical conversations that are very hardso this is a safe place to learn, so then I hope they do it when they go into the wild, Dunning said in her Billings office.

But family therapy is hard to find, with few therapists willing to take on the rodeo, Dunning said. For new patients, Dunnings waitlist is about six months even with seeing about 10 families a day.

Listening and validation is the most powerful tool youll ever haveeveryone wants to be heard. Kids want to be seen, Dunning said. Everyone needs a purpose, a place to belong.

The Clarks

When Maclayn Clark was in third grade he started asking his parents disconcerting questions.

He would always say things like I dont think I should be here because I dont know what my purpose is, said Joe Clark, Maclayns father.

It indicated that Maclayn was considering suicide, but his parents didnt recognize the signs.

Joe and Mary Clark grew up in Montana where mental illness was stigmatized. Emotions werent discussed, and mental illness wasnt something you took medication for, they said.

They were in the dark when it came to Maclayns struggles with anxiety and depression, and suicide was a topic never discussed. Until one day the school counselor determined that Maclayn needed to go to the emergency department. At the time, Maclayn was only 10-years-old.

Its been five years since the trio started family therapy with Dunning, and though all have come a long way, theyre all still a work in progress.

Its not just one and done. That really needs to be made abundantly clear, because our insurance companiesthose people think that a person should only have so many sessions, Dunning said. I get that its expensive, but so are ER visits. Or out-of-home placements.

Maclayn has grown up in the Catholic Church and attended Catholic schools nearly all his life. He and his parents have also always known that he is gay.

In the past, the juxtaposition of the two identities has been a triggering factor in his anxiety and depression. But Maclayn clarified that he does not have a mental illness because he is gay. His sexuality is simply part of who he is just as being Catholic is a part of him as well.

God doesnt make mistakes, Maclayn said.

The film

Dunning has raised money to make sure tickets to the premiere are free for the public.

And soon she hopes to attend a viewing at the White House to advocate for more funding to go to mental illness awareness and funding to expand services.

(The film) brings a light to a really invisible and unwanted subject. It brings an opportunity to look forward to a greater respect for all people and ability to love all people, Dunning said. My hope is that for people to see that children are resilient, children are strong, but childrenthey can only take so much. And its up to us as adults to see people differently.

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Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise again in Montana, a reminder that the pandemic is not over though for many life has gone back to the way it looked before the virus arrived.

The state health department reported Friday that cases in Montana rose 1,501 over the previous week, or an average of nearly 215 new cases added each day. The department started reporting cases weekly instead of every weekday about a month ago, citing lower case counts and less strain on hospitals.

The state also reported 23 new deaths since last Friday, though some of those deaths could have occurred earlier and just been counted now. A total of 3,423 Montanans have died from COVID-19.

Cases have been increasing over the past couple weeks. The week before last, the state Department of Public Health and Human Services reported 1,464 new cases, a 25% jump over the week prior, and 42 hospitalizations, a 17% increase. And the preceding week, Montana added 1,164 new cases, a 35% increase. Hospitalizations rose 33% that week.

Statewide hospitalizations hovered around a dozen a day until the end of late April, when they began to rise. They're still well below the peaks of the fall of 2021 and last winter, however, as is capacity in intensive care units.

Several communities around the state have reported high community transmission, a designation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that comes with the recommendation of wearing a face covering indoors and avoiding any non-essential activities for those who are immunocompromised or at high-risk or have someone in their household who is. The recommendation also calls for things like enhanced protection measures in high-risk congregate settings like correctional facilities and nursing homes.

In 2021 state lawmakers passed bills to dramatically limit public health officials ability to implement measures locally like mask requirements in the case of rising cases. Gov. Greg Gianforte lifted a statewide mask mandate and ended other measures like capacity limits at businesses last year, too.

The counties in Montana reporting high transmission are Beaverhead, Silver Bow, Deer Lodge, Lewis and Clark, Glacier, Meagher, Park, Golden Valley, Pondera, Garfield, Prairie, Custer, Fallon, Powder River and Carter.

Several more are reporting moderate transmission levels: Toole, Teton, Choteau, Cascade, Judith Basis, Broadwater, Jefferson, Gallatin, Blaine, Sweetgrass and Sheridan.

In Gallatin Countys weekly report updated Friday, the local health department noted the rolling seven-day average for the percent of tests coming back positive was 21.1%, a 20.57% increase from the week prior. Any rate over 10% may mean more testing is necessary in order to avoid missing a significant number of cases in the community, the report noted. In Missoula, the positivity rate is 15.38%

On May 25, wastewater testing in Helena marked 86,300 genomes per liter of the virus, a level not seen since late September 2021. That had dropped to 26,500 by June 1, which is still elevated from earlier in the spring. Wastewater testing can be an early indicator of how relevant the disease is in the community.

Vaccination still proves a challenge in Montana, with about 55% of the eligible population vaccinated compared to about 67% nationally. Last week the state reported administering just shy of 500 first vaccine doses and said 460 people joined the ranks of the fully vaccinated. Since boosters became available, they quickly accounted for the most shots administered in any week.

Those ages 5 and up are eligible for vaccination and information about getting vaccinated can be found at https://dphhs.mt.gov/covid19vaccine/ or by talking to a doctor.

Data from the state illustrates how effective vaccinations are in preventing severe disease and death from COVID-19. In an analysis of deaths between April 1, 2021 and May 27 of this year, 79% of Montanans who were hospitalized and 76% of those who died were unvaccinated at the time of infection, according to the state.

The state health department has detected 4,371 cases of omicron variants, though not all positive tests are checked for variants. The BA.2 variant, or stealth omicron, was first detected in the state Jan. 30, the BA.2.12.1 was dedicated April 19 and BA.4 was detected May 4.

A total of 25 cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C, have been reported in Montana children, and so far there have been no documented deaths.

Recently cases in long-term care facilities have spiked, with the most recent state health department report showing 63 facilities with an outbreak, a 75% increase over the week prior. Since the start of the pandemic, 4% of all cases statewide have been tied to long-term care facilities, along with 19% of deaths.

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Former U.S. Postal employee Gerald Groff sued his employer, claiming it failed to provide him a reasonable accommodation for his religious beliefs. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees whose sincerely held religious beliefs conflict with a work rule unless doing so would create an undue hardship.

The Third Circuit affirmed a lower court ruling that the exemption from Sunday work caused an undue hardship on USPS.

Groffs religious beliefs dictated that he observe the Sabbath on Sunday, thus reserving Sundays for worship and rest, not work.

Groff worked as a rural carrier associate (RCA), providing coverage for absent employees. The job was akin to an on-call position, and he was expected to work as needed. At the time of Groffs employment, there was a shortage of RCAs in his region.

USPS began delivering Sunday packages for Amazon in 2013, a year after Groff was hired. According to the case, The success of Amazon Sunday delivery was critical to USPS.

When Groff informed his employer he would not be reporting to work on Sundays, USPS offered several proposed accommodations to include Groff coming to work on Sundays after morning services or seeking out others to take his shift. During the 2017 peak season, other employees had to work all Sunday shifts. Groff acknowledged that his fellow RCA had to bear the burden of Amazon Sundays alone during the 2017 peak season, according to the case.

According to the case, To accommodate Groff during the 2018 peak season, the Holtwood Postmaster again attempted to find coverage for each Sunday that Groff was scheduled to work. The Holtwood Postmaster described finding coverage for Groff as not always easy, . . . time consuming, and [that] it added to [his] workload and those of other postmasters.

The impact of Groff not working Sundays also caused the postmaster himself to deliver mail on Sundays. USPS also alleged, Groffs refusal to report on Sundays created a tense atmosphere among the other RCAs, as they had to work more Sundays to cover Groffs absences as well as resentment toward management.

Other carriers were called into work more frequently due to Groffs absences, which resulted in other employees do[ing] more than their share of burdensome work, and other carriers had to deliver more mail than they otherwise would have on Sundays.

All of this understandably caused morale problems.

On more than 20 Sundays, Groff didnt work, and no coworker could swap shifts with him. Groff was disciplined and then resigned.

In dismissing the lawsuit, the District Court held that USPS offered reasonable accommodations to include shift swaps despite the fact that Groff was not happy with it. The court found that Groff working no Sundays was an undue hardship, in part because It required the only other RCA to work every single Sunday without a break.

The appellate court took a slightly different view, concluding that the accommodation offered to Groff was not reasonable because it did not eliminate the conflict. Of the 24 Sundays he was scheduled to work, USPS could not find a volunteer and, therefore, Groff was disciplined. The appellate court held, Thus, even though shift swapping can be a reasonable means of accommodating a conflicting religious practice, here it did not constitute an accommodation as contemplated by Title VII because it did not successfully eliminate the conflict.

However, the court concluded the accommodation was an undue hardship, stating, An employer is not required to accommodate at all costs. It stated, An undue hardship is one that results in more than a de minimis cost to the employer.

The court held, Groffs proposed accommodation of being exempted from Sunday work would cause an undue hardship. Exempting Groff from working on Sundays caused more than a de minimis cost on USPS because it actually imposed on his coworkers, disrupted the workplace and workflow, and diminished employee morale at the facilities. The court noted that other employees had to cover his shifts and give up their family time, their ability to attend church services if they would have liked to, and these additional demands created a tense atmosphere with the other RCAs.

The court also noted the impact the absences had on operations and morale, so much so that another employee filed a grievance over delivering extra mail.

Employers need to consider every request for a religious accommodation and engage in the interactive discussion to determine if accommodations can be provided. Demonstrating a good faith effort to accommodate employees is essential, but the accommodation provided to the employee should not negatively impact other workers or operations.
Pops Market on Grace officially closed last week to begin converting to the owners third Buttermilk + Honey location.

Husband-and-wife team Kimberly Love-Lindsey and Mike Lindsey  who own Lillie Pearl up the street  bought Pops Market from Josh and Patti Wright last year. The feel-good, mom-and-pop market at 415 E. Grace St. sold everything from homemade linguine to classic Cuban sandwiches.

Its just a hot corner, Lindsey said. I think itll add to whats happening downtown and create another avenue for a great guest experience while being downtown.

The couple had already been looking for a location for their third Buttermilk + Honey location when they decided to convert Pops Market, Lindsey said. Being across the street from Secret Sandwich Society, a bustling sandwich and burger concept, impacted the traffic at Pops. Lunch, especially, was not sustainable for profit for both the previous and current owners, he said.

Once the new Buttermilk + Honey spot opens, it would add to their Short Pump and Hatch Local Food Hall locations.

The couple said the key to Buttermilk + Honeys success was putting an emphasis on what they called chicken love.

I think a lot of people have great chicken sandwiches in Richmond, great chicken sandwiches all over the United States, he said, but I think what we bring  with those nine to 10 different sandwiches  is just a consistency in the taste that no one else has.

The new location will have some equipment rearranged and additional staff hired before tentatively opening during the last week of June, he said. Lindsey said the couple is looking to expand to Midlothian or Chesterfield with hopes to eventually have spots all over Central Virginia.

The best part is that fried chicken speaks to so many different demographics, Love-Lindsey said.

It kind of just appeals to everyone, which I think is super cool, she said. Were not just stuck with one age group or one demographic that were reaching. Fried chicken is just a good thing to have, so its definitely that comfort food that speaks to a lot of people.

In addition to the Buttermilk + Honey locations, the couple owns Lillie Pearl at 416 E. Grace St., Jubilee at 1303 Hull St., Bully Burger located in Hatch Local Food Hall and ML Steak Modern Chophouse which will open at 326 E. Broad St., all of which fall under Lindsey Food Group.

The team said theyre looking forward to the growth and development of Richmonds food scene, Love-Lindsey said.

Were really excited about just seeing that growth and the great representation of what Richmond really is, she said. I think theres a lot of growth and potential. People are saying that Richmond is becoming a very big food city, and I think it can only get better at this point.
 Flash

The sound relations between China and Papua New Guinea (PNG) will boost regional peace and development, visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Friday.

Wang, who held talks here with Soroi Eoe, minister of foreign affairs and international trade of PNG, said such relations will not only bring enormous benefits to the two countries and peoples, but also conduce to upgrading China's overall ties with Pacific island countries that have diplomatic relations with it, so as to safeguard unity among developing countries and advance regional peace and development.

PNG is China's key strategic cooperation partner in the South Pacific region, and China is willing to work with the PNG side to extend their cooperation to more areas, enhance strategic planning, boost strategic mutual trust, and build China-PNG relations into a "locomotive" that helps advance China's ties with Pacific island countries, Wang said.

Wang noted that China appreciates PGN for firmly upholding the one-China principle and supporting China's legitimate proposals, and China also gives steadfast support for PNG in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and seeking a path of self-development for national prosperity.

He pointed out that PNG is China's biggest trade partner, investment destination and market of contracted projects in the South Pacific region, and the results of bilateral cooperation can be seen everywhere in the country, which has produced tangible benefits for the PNG people.

China stands ready to further upgrade the bilateral cooperation to achieve a scale effect that will generate more dividends, and share with PNG its own development experience and technology, so as to create more landmark cooperation projects, said Wang.

Eoe said the visit by the Chinese delegation not only helps boost cooperation between China and Pacific island countries, but also supports the Pacific island nations' efforts in accelerating their development and safeguarding their common interests.

Eoe said Papua New Guinea will continue to adhere to the one-China principle, which is the foundation of bilateral relations, and unswervingly support China's just position on its internal affairs including Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang issues. PNG is willing to enhance pragmatic cooperation with China in various fields, Eoe said.

During the meeting, the two sides agreed to enhance synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Connect PNG infrastructure development strategy, complete a feasibility study on a free trade agreement between the two countries at an early date, and expand cooperation in areas including energy, fisheries, communication and healthcare.

The two countries also planned to explore cooperation potential in law enforcement and at local level, and strengthen cooperation in agriculture, forestry and fisheries processing industries, so as to help Papua New Guinea accelerate the industrialization process and improve its capability of self-development.

Following the meeting, Eoe and Wang attended a signing ceremony of cooperation documents on anti-pandemic, disaster prevention and mitigation, and green development, among others.

They also attended an inauguration ceremony of a new surgical center at Port Moresby built with China's assistance, and jointly met the press.
The Youngkin administrations 90-day Virginia Department of Education report, required as part of the governors first executive order banning divisive concepts in schools, outlines recent testing trends for our students and a blueprint for moving forward. In substance and purpose, the 90-day report harkens back to a damaging 1983 Reagan administration document.

A Nation at Risk sounded alarm over the state of the countrys public school system. Presenting test scores without important context like the rapid expansion of educational access for historically un- or underserved groups, the report warned of a rising tide of mediocrity in our schools. It also marked a paradigm shift for U.S. education policy.

In the decades since A Nation at Risk was published, we have witnessed bipartisan retrenchment on school desegregation and other efforts to increase opportunities for all children to experience a well-resourced K-12 education. Instead of focusing on public school system inputs like funding and strong teachers, A Nation at Risk and its progeny center attention on outputs like standardized test scores.

Focusing narrowly on student test scores has constricted our vision for public education. Established during Reconstruction to prepare future citizens for informed participation in Virginias new  and, given the ensuing white backlash, short-lived  multiracial democracy, our states public schools serve collective as well as individual goals.

Integrated public schools can strengthen a backsliding, diversifying democracy by reducing social inequality and prejudice. They can forge collective understanding and bonds between children, providing them with tools to navigate increasingly complex challenges together. And public schools can advance the learning of individual students. Yet only the latter can (partly) be measured by a standardized test score.

Understanding how individual students perform on tests over time offers useful information for educators and families, highlighting areas of strength and opportunities for growth. But the uncertainties of test reliability and validity  layered onto racially separate and unequal K-12 schooling, and increasingly inequitable access to learning before kindergarten and outside of the school day  raise serious questions about decisions made on the basis of student test scores alone. Too often, those issues have been set aside in favor of a punitive school accountability regime.

The high stakes attached to test performance under the regime dominating U.S. education policy since A Nation at Risk stigmatizes and further segregates schools. A vicious cycle ensues when labels like failing or lacks accreditation are disproportionately applied to schools serving students with concentrated, unmet needs.

Absent crucial background like burgeoning, historically racialized educational inequities, accountability labels offer stakeholders a way to talk about schools in simplistic terms that blame students and schools for poor performance, without acknowledging the systems surrounding them.

The same labels also have shaped housing markets, used by school ratings and real estate companies to define communities and schools with lower scores as less desirable. Advantaged families avoid lower-performing schools, which fuels stratification  even as promised resources for struggling schools too often have failed to materialize.

High-stakes accountability does more than stigmatize students and schools for poor test performance; it also sanctions them with the threat of restructuring, takeover or closure. Punitive sanctions make it more difficult to attract and retain experienced educators in environments shaped by shame, instability and reductive teaching to the test.

For all of these reasons, Virginia policymakers have reached across the aisle in recent years to decrease the number of tests taken and to better understand student achievement growth. Proposed legislation and fledgling experiments point to even more alternatives.

Legislative ideas from North Carolina include holding schools accountable for racial and economic segregation, along with associated gaps in opportunity. Experimental ideas from the Massachusetts Consortium for Innovative Education Assessment include multiple measures of school quality, with input from family and student surveys, as well as holistic portraits of student performance.

We could innovate in the direction of better communicating and addressing the complicated constellation of factors that influence student learning in public schools. We also could more closely examine the context for and claims made by A Nation at Risk and Gov. Glenn Youngkins 90-day report.

Each was written at the request of leaders committed to privatizing public schools, and each distorted real test trends with inappropriate data comparisons and ahistorical conclusions. What if the goal was not how to best assess public school performance but how to best erode confidence in public schools?

A way forward is to do both. We should question the cynical premise of reports designed to discredit public education, even as we strive to deeply comprehend how schools have fallen short as sites of learning, mobility and citizenship preparation. And then, for the sake of Virginias contemporary version of a multiracial democracy, we should commit to improving rather than dismantling our public system of education.
In 1967, as an infectious diseases trainee, I lived in what now is Bangladesh. While caring for hundreds of cases of cholera, I also saw victims of smallpox while on rounds at a specialized hospital in Dacca.

I recall walking into the dimly lit room of a man in his mid-20s  my age at the time. He was covered with infectious blisters that all were the same size and shape  unlike chickenpox, which presents scabs and blisters of varying sizes.

He had a sad look of resignation on his face, standing in a cement room that looked more like a cell. There was a single opening in the wall to the outside, with no glass or screen cover. Fortunately, he was recovering.

Seeing the mans lesions, I briefly wondered if I had that important local skin reaction at the site of my most recent smallpox vaccination prior to travel. This would have indicated an immune response had begun (otherwise known as the vaccine take).

I later read about occasional adverse reactions to the live smallpox virus vaccine  inflammation of the brain and heart, and life-threatening disseminated infections in some immune-suppressed recipients. The good news was with vaccination, effective protection could occur up to five days after exposure.

An estimated 300 million smallpox-related deaths occurred in the 20th century from the highly transmissible pathogen. However, in 1980, the World Health Organization declared smallpox was eliminated, an epic public health triumph we still should celebrate.

In 2002, as the United States prepared for the Iraq War amid concerns of biological terrorism, President George W. Bush exhorted all health care workers to get the smallpox vaccine. I was at Virginia Commonwealth University at the time.

With awareness of the adverse effects of the vaccine, the lack of a documented case since the late 1970s, the ability to offer vaccines days after exposure, the emergence of the immune-suppressing HIV pandemic and the increasing use of a variety of immune-suppressing drugs, I instead suggested VCU prepare for but not administer any vaccine  unless at least one confirmed case was identified in the world. The university planned to vaccinate all 6,000 personnel within 24 hours if needed.

VCU became the first medical center in the country to decline the administrations vaccine program. Members of the national media were quick to deliver unflattering responses, framing our decision as unpatriotic, not one of risk-benefit analysis. Soon, however, more than 100 hospitals followed the VCU plan. A year later, the Institute of Medicine praised our cautious approach.

Monkeypox first was discovered in 1958 among primates housed for research in Copenhagen, Denmark. The first human case was identified in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The virus remains endemic in central and western Africa.

However, a small cluster of monkeypox cases was identified in the U.S. in 2003, traced to exposure to African species of Gambian rats and wild squirrels. The virus subsequently was found to infect prairie dogs, which were popular pets back then. No patients died of monkeypox  a much milder and less transmissible infection than smallpox.

In recent weeks, monkeypox has emerged as the worlds latest pandemic. As of June 3, there were 866 confirmed cases in 29 countries. Many of the infections occurred in men who have sex with men, but so far, it is not clear if close contact alone or sexual transmission occurred.

Currently, several important uncertainties exist:

How exactly did infections initially occur outside of endemic areas, and how exactly does person-to-person spread occur?

Are the infections all from the same strain, or do some contain mutations that confer greater transmissibility? Genetic analyses will offer insights.

What is the risk that the virus will establish itself in small animals in countries outside of Africa, becoming an endemic reservoir for subsequent cases?

How extensive will the pandemic become before it is contained?

It is thought the smallpox vaccine will prevent monkeypox infections. Both are members of the same poxvirus family. However, for prevention, only a single monkeypox vaccine has Food and Drug Administration approval: Jynneos, which is made by Bavarian Nordic.

The monkeypox vaccine is nonreplicating, meaning it should confer greater safety than the smallpox vaccine, even for immune-suppressed patients. It is administered subcutaneously, so no local immunological vaccine take occurs. Analogous to findings with the smallpox vaccine, it appears it can be given after exposure to monkeypox and still be effective.

As our country prepares to respond to monkeypox, lessons from COVID-19 should prevail:

Ongoing surveillance and testing should be countrywide, up to date and validated.

Messaging from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and national health advisers, should be crisp and consistent. It always should include what we know, what we dont know and what assumptions guide current policy.

Vaccine production and supply lines must be examined for efficiency, even if widespread use is not needed.

Efforts to counter misinformation and avoid politicization of any aspects of public health policies should be strongly supported.

Recognition that pandemics are a natural part of life on a small planet, shared with animals carrying their own flora of bacteria and viruses that can become human pathogens, is important.

Support of public health infrastructure needs to be propped up to meet any known and unknown challenges.
Maria Lightfoot fell in love with the property the moment she saw it. The 2,800-square-foot Colonial Revival at 912 South Gaskins Road in western Henrico County was cozy and inviting, and it sat on a bucolic 2-acre lot that included a pond and sweeping views of meadows and old-growth trees.

Every view was gorgeous, she said.

Even so, she knew shed want to make changes to the house, if she and her husband, Mark Lightfoot, bought the property. She envisioned expanding it with a substantial Modern-style addition that offered an open floorplan and lots of floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto the pastoral setting.

I said, This is beautiful, and I want to live inside/outside, Lightfoot said. It was my dream.

The Modern twist wasnt surprising. Lightfoot grew up in Midcentury Modern houses designed by her father, the Austrian-born architect Leopold Bruno Boeckl, and her own work as an interior designer favored the Modern aesthetic. The problem was finding the right architect to help bring her vision to life. Id planned on working with my father, but he had a stroke, she said.

After buying the property in 2018, they hired Dan Ensminger, principal of Henrico-based Ensminger Architecture, to help bring their vision to life. Dan understood what I wanted to build, Lightfoot said.

Ensmingers design for the two-story addition would add 2,000 square feet to the house, with a multipurpose room and a two-car garage on the first floor and an open living and dining area on the second.

We added a two-story glass box onto a bucolic cottage, in essence, Ensminger said.

A house with an unexpected history

This is not the first time the property was dramatically altered. The structure was built in the early 1800s and served as a 2-story horse barn on a thoroughbred racehorse farm owned by John Wickham, the lawyer who defended Aaron Burr during his trial for treason. Before that, the land was part of the Tuckahoe Plantation, said Ralph Higgins, whose great-aunt, Ellen Harvie Smith, bought a 50-acre portion of the horse farm roughly 80 years ago.

The horse barn was unstable by the late 1940s, so Smith had all but the lower level dismantled. She stored the bricks onsite, though, so when Higginss sister moved to Virginia from Florida in the early 1990s, he suggested she use the bricks to build a house atop the surviving portion of the barn.

We took the original brick and built it up 2 stories, like the barn, said Higgins, a landscape architect whose projects include working on the masterplan for the Innsbrook Corporate Center.

Later, Higginss sister added a wing onto the house that increased the propertys number of bedrooms from two to three.

Modern, but warm

Ensminger and Lightfoot spent six months tweaking the design, and it took another year to build the addition. Work wrapped up in 2020.

Today, the addition is filled with sunlight, and the views of the meadows and trees are impressive  just as Lightfoot envisioned. Its also an interestingly aggressive blending of old and new. While the additions building materials are primarily Modern, Ensminger used aged bricks for some of the construction as a way to tie together the old and new.

Inside, the furnishings are eclectic, with family heirlooms, art and furniture mixed in with Modern and Contemporary pieces. Among the older items: paintings by Lightfoots grandfather, Herbert Boekl; a sewing machine once owned by Lightfoots mother; and a Biedermeier cabinet that had to be restored after the Nazis destroyed it in World War II.

Its Modern, but its warm, Lightfoot said.

Open house

Interested in seeing the Lightfoots house in person? Youre in luck. Modern Richmond, a nonprofit organization that organizes tours of Modern-style residential and commercial buildings, will host a tour of the property on June 15.

Modern Richmonds goal is to share high-quality Modern design with the Greater Richmond community, and this house is striking, said Mimi Sadler, an historical architect and Modern Richmonds program director. Dan is quite talented, and I love the way his design combines the old and the new.

For more information, visit modernrichmond.org.
PEMBROKE  A Rich Creek woman died after being injured in a Memorial Day weekend auto collision that caused the vehicle in which she was a passenger to crash into a creek.

Virginia State Police said the May 27 wreck occurred around 7:30 p.m. when a 2012 Chevrolet Impala traveling east on U.S. 460 (Virginia Avenue) attempted to make a left turn onto Virginia 623 (Cascade Drive) and struck a 2019 Ford F150 that was traveling west on 460.

The impact caused the Ford to run off the right side of the road and overturn in Millrace Creek, which was swollen from recent heavy rain.

First responders from the Giles County Sheriffs Department, the town of Pembroke police and the Pembroke Volunteer Fire Department worked to free the trapped occupants and lift them from the stream bed.

CPR was performed by a fire department member on one of the victims, according to the organizations Facebook page.

Two of the victims were evacuated by helicopter to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, while an ambulance transported the third to LewisGale Giles Memorial Hospital.

Shireen K. Henson, 71, of Rich Creek, died May 30 at the Roanoke hospital, according to the state police. She was the only one of the Fords occupants who was wearing a seatbelt.

The Fords driver, Richard L. Morton, 66, of Princeton, West Virginia, sustained minor injuries, state police said. A passenger, Debra D. Morton, 67, sustained what state police described as serious injuries.

The driver of the Impala, Ronald W. Hobbs Sr., 79, of Pembroke, received minor injuries. He was not wearing a seatbelt.

Hobbs was charged with reckless driving, state police said. The crash remains under investigation.
A 10-year-old student is to face juvenile petitions for threats made Wednesday against Preston Park Elementary School staff and students, Roanoke police said Friday.

Police have sought petitions against the child for threats to harm others at school, a Class 6 felony when charged against an adult, and for threats to damage a school building, a Class 1 misdemeanor.

The petitions will be served pending the juveniles release from psychiatric medical care, police said in a news release.

Roanoke has seen two shootings and two threats made involving city schools in the last three days.

Our country has had a rough time in the past couple of weeks. And our city is no different than that, Police Chief Sam Roman said during a news conference at the police station Friday afternoon.

Roman said the police department, the sheriffs office and the school system work in concert to ensure safety.

It is our duty to make sure that every day that the citizens of our city, our kids are safe, Sheriff Antonio Hash said. As an agency, we get up every morning and put this uniform on to always do what were called to do. And thats to protect and serve. Our kids are a part of that priority.

City police said the credibility of the threats against Preston Park are still under investigation. Superintendent of Schools Verletta White said disciplinary action against the student suspected of making the threats is pending.

We do have a student code of conduct. We have a discipline handbook, White said. Depending on the threat, the nature of the threat, the ability to act on that threat, and what category it falls in, we follow through with those disciplinary procedures, and we will follow through.

On Friday, a second threat was made on social media involving William Fleming High School. The threat was investigated by police, who determined it was not credible.

Roanoke school officials took to social media and issued a recorded phone call to parents in an attempt to quell rumors about the threat. Some parents responded to the school divisions Facebook post by calling for school leaders to end the school year early. The last day of classes for city students is June 9. Graduation is June 10.

Police have not determined who was involved in making that second threat.

Caitlyn Cline, the departments public information officer, said after the news conference that the departments understanding of the threat changed about 16 times throughout the day Friday.

Roman said every threat is credible until the police department can prove otherwise.

And there are so many different ways in which we could do that, the police chief said, to include ensuring we find the source and have a conversation with the source. That is the most likely way that we can either verify or dispel any threats that may come into the schools.

Several fearful parents and guardians pulled their students out of school Friday, but White said the citys public schools are safe places.

I know that were living in a time where theres high angst, as there should be, based on the fear thats out there that we all have, White said. Can we guarantee that nothing will happen? I dont think any of us can make that guarantee. But I can say that our staff is one that does everything that we can to make sure that our students and our staff members stay safe. And were committed to that.

As rumors of threats at Fleming were circulating Friday, a man was shot a few miles away at the intersection of Fleming Avenue and Williamson Road Northwest.

The shooting took place near James Breckinridge Middle School. Police said schools near the incident were placed on hold and secure as a precaution, but were not directly affected. Preston Park Elementary is also near the shooting site.

Roman confirmed the Fleming Avenue shooting and the threat made involving William Fleming High School were unrelated.

At this point, I can confirm that these are two separate incidents, the chief said. The two are not connected in any way.

White said RCPS wants to give parents and guardians information, but the school division is limited when an investigation is ongoing or when information is related to a juveniles record.

Were limited by law in what we can say and what we can do. But we give as much as we can, White said. If there was any real kind of threat or danger, we would communicate that accordingly.

Roman said safety precautions will be put in place at graduation ceremonies as the school year comes to a close. One year ago, a student was wounded in the parking lot of the Berglund Center as William Fleming students were inside for a graduation rehearsal.

When we have incidents across our country, and even here in our city, we will take additional steps to ensure that everyone involved is safe, with specific emphasis on our children, Roman said.

Were looking forward to graduation this year, White said. Were not going to allow anyone to take away this moment for our children that they so deserve.

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There were 112 artists at this years 64th Annual Sidewalk Art Show on Saturday and Sunday around the Roanoke City Market.

All of the artists at the show went through a selection process before being accepted to put their works on display. Mediums included jewelry, fine art, photography, painting, fine craft, sculpture, mixed media, drawing and original printmaking.

The show  organized by the Taubman Museum of Art, with sponsorship support from Blue Ridge Beverage Company, Grand Home Furnishings and LinDor Arts  featured artists from as close as Roanoke and as far away as Maine and Miami.

Guest juror and principal at Experience Art and Exhibitions Corwyn Garman spent most of Saturday meeting with each artist before selecting the winners of this years awards.

Richmond resident Nickolai Walko won the best in show award for his mixed media work, while the second prize went to Black Gore and third place went to John Shoemaker.

LinDor Arts-sponsored merit awards went to Brook Ludy, Marlee Kauffman, Shelly LaTreill, David Blanchard and Phillip Barret Jr.

Meanwhile, Cathy Vaugh won the J. Gail Geer Sculpture Award, Leah Thompson received the Allen Ingles Palmer Award, Z.L. Feng took the Micki Kagey Watercolor Award and the Paul Ostaseski Memorial Award went to Veronica Vale.

The show continues Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

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RICHMOND  Former House Speaker Kirk Cox will return to Capitol Square in a new role for an old cause  the advancement of higher education and its relationship with the needs of Virginias business community.

Cox, who retired from politics last year after 32 years in the House of Delegates and an unsuccessful bid for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, will become president of the Virginia Business Higher Education Council on July 1, following the retirement of longtime leader Donald J. Finley.

The council has become an influential partner of politicians and business leaders over the past 25 years under Finley, who served as education secretary under Gov. Gerald Baliles and has worked in state higher education policy for more than 50 years.

As president of VBHEC since its founding, Don Finley has served with extraordinary dedication, foresight, energy and grace, Council Chairman Dennis Treacy said this week. His work has improved the lives of all Virginians who serve in, or benefit from, our top-ranked public higher education system.

Cox should be an easy fit with the council. A retired high school government teacher, he led a series of major legislative initiatives to boost Virginias colleges and universities, encouraging them to expand degree and credential programs to fill the needs of a fast-changing workforce, but also to moderate tuition increases to make higher education affordable.

This is where the business community rightly wanted to go for a long time, he said in an interview on Thursday.

Cox, 64, sponsored only one piece of legislation in 2019 during his term as speaker, creating individual performance agreements for colleges and universities to focus on producing degrees for students in fields where business needs skilled talent.

The legislation also boosted the Innovative Internship Fund, now known as the Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership, which awards grants to colleges and universities to work with businesses to offer internships to students looking for pathways to careers in Virginia.

The partnership will receive $13 million as part of a $33 million package of programs in the newly adopted state budget to focus on higher educations role in workforce development.

Thats a really good way to jump-start the program, Cox said.

The budget includes almost $1 billion in new funding for colleges and universities, including money to hold tuition increases at no more than 3% a year, increase financial aid for needy students, and the states share of 10% raises for college faculty and employees over two years.

Those investments align with the business councils Growth4VA initiative, which pushed last fall for $880 million in new state investments in higher education, both to expand access for students to attend colleges and universities and to create opportunities for them to develop the right skills for careers in high-demand fields.

This ought to be a major step forward for college access, Finley said in an interview on Thursday.

We are extremely pleased with the budget, he added.

Finley also is happy with the choice of Cox as his successor.

In the last 10 to 15 years, hes been a champion for higher education, Finley said. Hes a great find for the organization. He has relationships that are much more current.

Among those relationships is Makola Abdullah, president of Virginia State University in Coxs old House district, chairman of the Council of Presidents for state higher education institutions and a member of the business councils board of directors.

Former Speaker Cox has dedicated his life to teaching and public service, Abdullah said in a statement. His personal leadership on major legislative and budget actions for well over a decade shows his deep commitment to higher education and to preparing all of Virginias young people for excellent job opportunities and fulfilling lives.

On a personal note, I have long appreciated the dedication, positive spirit, and collaborative approach that Kirk Cox brings to the educational mission, he added. He was the delegate representing Virginia State University for a number of years, and I worked closely with him to bring additional resources to our campus and keep college affordable for our students.

For Cox, it was a relatively short retirement from public life, but hes enthusiastic about the business councils mission.

I love policy, he said. I really wanted something that was policy-oriented.
RICHMOND  Gov. Glenn Youngkin is lagging his own deadline for reviewing requests by state employees to work remotely, as the administration scrambles to process teleworking applications a month before the new policy takes effect.

Chief of Staff Jeff Goettman, who must approve any request for an employee to telework more than two days a week under the new policy, said Friday that the administration wouldnt complete its review by the deadline it had set for that day.

While we continue working through the telework requests as expeditiously as possible, we are informing you we will not have all of them returned to agencies by the June 3 date as previously anticipated, Goettman told the leaders of executive branch agencies covered by the new policy the administration announced on May 5.

Every effort is being made to process the requests in a timely manner and anticipate completion of this step in the process by early next week, he said in a memo copied to Cabinet secretaries, who are responsible under the new policy for approving any request to telework two days a week.

Youngkin recently made clear publicly that he is not backing off his plan to put the new policy into effect on July 5, but an organization representing state employees plans to request a delay in implementation until Sept. 12, after the Labor Day holiday.

The Virginia Governmental Employees Association plans to formally request the delay in a meeting scheduled next week with Secretary of Administration Lyn McDermid, who is overseeing the process for the governor.

We were a little concerned over the quick turnaround time, VGEA lobbyist Dylan Bishop said on Friday.

The Youngkin administration has no count yet on how many telework applications eligible state employees have submitted under the policy, which applies to more than 65 executive branch agencies employing at least 55,000 of the states 122,000 workers. It does not apply to legislative or judicial employees, independent agencies or many employees at higher education institutions.

Under the governors new policy, agency heads can approve one day of telework a week for employees, but the applicable Cabinet secretary or the governors chief of staff must review requests for more. The administration has not estimated how many such requests it has received.

The Department of Human Resource Management does not know how many state employees have been working remotely since the COVID-19 pandemic began 27 months ago. A provision of the state budget lawmakers adopted this week would require the agency to submit a report on how many employees have been working remotely, as well as how many are requesting permission to telework under the new policy.

The two-year budget and revisions to this years spending plan are awaiting action by Youngkin, who will have seven days after receiving them to veto items or propose amendments.

The VGEA said last week that it had received many calls and emails with concerns and frustrations about the new telework policy, and asked its members about their experiences with it.

We want to be able to share as many concerns as possible with the administration so that we can continue to ensure that they are aware of and working to resolve the specific and wide-ranging concerns and challenges of our state employees, the association said in a statement emailed to members and posted on social media.

Bishop said the association has received hundreds of responses, which it plans to share with McDermid.

Were in the process of compiling and sorting it out right now, he said.
China Focus: Chinese study reveals evolution of giraffe's long necks

Xinhua) 16:02, June 03, 2022

BEIJING, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese researchers offered a new explanation for the evolutionary mystery of giraffes' long necks: They were elongated by head-bashing combat in competition for mates.

The study published in the journal Science on Friday revealed that the tallest land animal on Earth used its two-to-three-meter-long swinging necks as a weapon in the male courtship competition.

It is commonly believed that competition for food stretched the giraffe's neck, allowing giraffes to browse for treetop leaves in the African Savannah woodlands that were well outside the reach of other ruminant species.

In 1996, two zoologists proposed the "necks-for-sex" hypothesis instead of the "necks-for-food," causing controversy.

In the same year, a team from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences discovered a 17-million-year-old fossil in the vast Gobi wilderness in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The fossil features disk-shaped headgear equipped with a helmet-like horny cap, and particularly complex head and neck joints.

It is named "Discokeryx xiezhi" since its single ossicone recalls the xiezhi, a one-horned creature from ancient Chinese mythology.

Wang Shiqi with IVPP and his colleague revealed in the new study that the strange beast's horns could serve as a cushion in the collision and the joints between the skull and cervical vertebrae could effectively protect the neck from breaking in the violent collisions.

Then, they analyzed the beast's inner ear structures, finding them distinct from the ox and the deer, and instead consistent with the extant giraffe.

"Both living giraffes and Discokeryx xiezhi belong to the Giraffoidea, a superfamily," said Wang, the paper's first author. "Although their skull and neck morphologies differ greatly, both are associated with male courtship struggles."

The researchers said that Discokeryx xiezhi, an ancestor of the giraffe, lived in a drier grassland at a time when the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to the south had been rising dramatically, blocking the transfer of water vapor.

For animals of the time, the grassland environment was more barren and less comfortable than the forest environment, forcing Discokeryx xiezhi to take violent fighting behavior for survival, the researchers said.

It is similar to the East African Plateau about 7 million years ago when a forest environment degenerated into open grassland, prompting the giraffe ancestors to adapt to the new environment and become taller.

It is the courtship struggle that led to the rapid neck elongation over a period of 2 million years, and by dint of that advantage, giraffes occupied a relatively marginal, but rewarding ecological niche -- feeding on high foliage out of reach of zebras and various antelopes, according to the study.

"Feeding may be an evolutionary outcome, and sex may be the pathway that leads to this outcome," said Wang.

(Web editor: Zhao Tong, Bianji)
 Flash

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Friday congratulated the leader of Cuba's socialist revolution Raul Castro on his 91st birthday.

"Congratulations, my Army General on your 91st (birthday). Thank you for your teachings, example, confidence and optimism. With you at the forefront, a certainty always emerges: Yes, we can," he wrote on Twitter.

"Cuba embraces you and wishes you good health on your 91st birthday," he added.

Born on June 3, 1931, Castro is the youngest brother of the late Cuban Revolution leader Fidel Castro. A guerrilla fighter along with his brother, Raul Castro has served as a military and political leader since the triumph of the revolution in 1959.

He became president of Cuba's Council of State and Ministers in 2008 and was re-elected in 2013. He was also elected first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee in 2011, succeeding his brother.

Diaz-Canel was elected president of Cuba's Council of State and Ministers in 2018, and was elected Cuban president in 2019.


" " Expedition 65 flight engineers Thomas Pesquet and Megan McArthur are pictured inside BEAM, the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module. Some companies allow you to experience space travel like this right from Earth. NASA

While the space race of the 1950s and 1960s was an exciting time to be alive, humanity has never lived through a more fast-paced period of space exploration and human spaceflight. It seems almost impossible to catch up on the news without seeing a headline about a new Mars Rover, space telescope or astronomical event  and the public clamors for all of it.

We're finally on the cusp of a huge leap in space exploration: commercial spaceflight, also known as space tourism. But advances in space tourism are mostly due to billionaires and private development, and tickets have been primarily bought by the ultra-wealthy  for instance, it costs $250,000 to book a seat on Virgin Galactic for a trip to space. And when NASA said in 2019 that it would allow private citizens to fly to the International Space Station (ISS), it put the cost to stay there at $35,000 a night, and the price to get there at around $50 million.

However, while we wait for prices to come down, there are still ways to experience space tourism on Earth. These earthly adventures cover the range of experiences you could have in space, while still fitting the budget many people have for other "bucket list" travel, like visiting Antarctica.

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1. Take a Zero-G Flight

If there's one constant force on Earth, it's gravity. Our measure of gravity on Earth forms the basis for our understanding of gravity elsewhere in the solar system. But gravity doesn't feel the same everywhere. The experience changes whether you're traveling through space (zero Gs) or visiting another celestial body like Mars (one-third of the gravity on Earth) or the moon (one-sixth the gravity). To simulate the differences in gravity, there are two companies that offer "zero-G" flights.

These companies, including American Zero-G and AirZeroG in Europe, use modified planes to simulate different gravitational forces through a series of parabolic flights. Over the course of a flight, the pilots take the plane through maneuvers that simulate Martian gravity, lunar gravity and zero gravity. Of course, this isn't really zero gravity  it's actually weightlessness as you fall back toward Earth. But try not to think about that too much as it's a bit disconcerting to imagine!

Zero-G flights range in cost from $6,700 to $9,500. Flights are offered in different states and cities throughout the year.

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2. Visit Mars in Spain

Ever wondered what life on Mars is really like? Astroland can answer that question. As one might expect, this is a more challenging mission  physically and psychologically. Astroland is similar to the NASA HI-SEAS program, but is aimed at a wider tourist base. The company operating Astroland is based in Spain, expanding the access in space tourism on Earth to more of Europe.

The main experience at Astroland is Ares Station, a realistic habitat built into a cave to simulate one possible settlement plan for Mars. While details on how to join an Astroland mission are currently limited, the idea is that each person will pay for a place on a team; you'll then go through advanced training to determine your role on the team. Following that, you'll spend a designated time in Ares Station living and working full time  including conducting research projects and providing data about the psychological impact of living in isolation.

Initial pricing for Astroland was reported in the range of 6,000 euros ($7,000) for a month of training plus a three-day, three-night stay in Ares Station.

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3. Go to Space Camp

If you'd rather keep your feet firmly on planet Earth but still experience a bit of outer space, there's nowhere quite like space camp. Made famous by the "Space Camp" family film of the 1980s, children have been attending space camp in Huntsville, Alabama, for generations. There's also a program for adults  both for those who went as kids and those who missed out.

" " The entrance to the space camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Ke4roh via Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 2.0

The weekend-long Adult Astronaut Training program gives grown-ups the chance to get hands-on learning about planetary science, orbital mechanics and NASA missions past, present and future. Space camp is housed at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, part of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, and all programming is designed in coordination with actual NASA missions. This means you can spend time in simulations piloting the Orion Capsule, working in mission control, and doing a "spacewalk" to work on International Space Station modules. And before or after your adult space camp, you can add on training as an underwater astronaut!

Cost is $199-$299 per person for space camp and $150 per person for the underwater program.

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4. Train Like an Astronaut in Star City

You can follow in the footsteps of real astronauts and cosmonauts by participating in astronaut training through a company called Space Adventures, which offers space tourism experiences ranging from watching rocket launches in Kazakhstan to actually launching tourists to the International Space Station.

But let's get back to learning how to be an astronaut for real. Spaceflight training through Space Adventures takes place in Star City, Russia, outside of Moscow. During the experience, participants learn how to fly Russian Soyuz spacecraft through a simulator, get to try spacewalk training, and ride the centrifuge to get a better understanding of the gravitational forces experienced during launch and landing. This experience offers a different perspective than others on this list as it focuses on the Russian space program, Roscosmos, rather than NASA.

Space Adventures' Spaceflight Training is a bespoke experience, and pricing is available on request.

Now That's Interesting China also has a Mars base simulator, called Mars Base 1 Camp (not to be confused with the student-oriented experience by the same name offered through NASA). The huge complex is located in China's Gobi Desert in the Gansu province and is aimed at inspiring students to prepare for future Mars missions and may eventually be used for Mars mission training. Unfortunately, at this point Mars Base 1 Camp is only open to Chinese citizens.
HARTSVILLE, S.C.  On June 3, 1952, Hartsville High School had a graduating class of 92 students.

Seventy years later those students celebrated their 70th class reunion at Mr. Bs Restaurant and Catering in Hartsville.

Ann Jordan Rider, who helped organize the event, said the Class of 52 will always make an effort to reunite to celebrate each others success, reminisce on their time at Hartsville High School and, she joked, provide comfort to each other as they age and cope with the loss of everything. She is a member of the class.

Its just fun being back together again, Rider said. It feels good to talk about the old days, the old school teachers, and old classmates. It means so much to us. We have lost 66 class members and other than that we are sticking together.

Rider joked that the last person to die in the class would be the one to cut the light out for the Class of 52.

A running joke between Billy Galloway and Mildred Purvis is still alive and well. They made an agreement to never say anything bad about each other.

I wouldnt say anything bad about her and she wouldnt say anything bad about me, Galloway said.  I threw an eraser out of the classroom onto the roof of another building and nobody knows that I did it, until today.

Joan Lee said that loss is difficult, but it is something we all must deal with. She said meeting with the class makes things a little easier.

I have enjoyed the fellowship with these people for many years, Lee said. I lost my husband on April 12th and it has been rather difficult. I have learned that you have to deal with things as they come and you have to deal with life as it comes. I have three wonderful children that have helped me with my problems and everyone has them. We all just have to get along and do our best. It has been very delightful to be here today.

Mildred Purvis said celebrating the 70th class anniversary meant that she was old.

Seventy years. That is old. It was great to see everyone and I am doing fine. I loved school and I loved the people. One of my best friends during high school is here today. Hartsville is great and I am really pleased to be in Hartsville. I lived 50 years in the Upstate, but nothing is like Hartsville.

Twenty-six class members remain. Seventeen class members were in attendance. Many could not attend because of illness, inability to drive, or other reasons.

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LAKE CITY, S.C.  Lake City High School held its commencement ceremony on Friday night with 145 graduates, including eight adult education graduates.

The weather outside was stormy, but inside the atmosphere was one of celebration, accomplishment and promise of a bright future.

Our students are college or career ready, said Superintendent Laura Hickson in her remarks to the Class of 2022.

She said Lake City High School students have already been awarded $1,618,284 in scholarships with potential for more. Eleven students have received full scholarships for all four years of college. Forty-four students were awarded Life Scholarships and 20 Hope Scholarships.

Three students who are embarking on a military career, two in the United States Army, one in the United States Navy, were recognized. Others have earned dual degrees.

Julianna Itehua was class valedictorian and Destiny Baxley, salutatorian.

Twelve students graduated with Distinguished Honors: Christopher Jayden Barr, Destiny Michelle Baxley, Mion Katlyn Frierson, Zyra Cosmilla Fulton, Preston Lewis Gray, Juliana Quiahua Itehua, Acacia Nasiriya Johnson, De`Nyjhia Shonkeivia Prince, Sayelcy Mejia Rivera, Makayla Leighann Sheppard, Crystal Dominquez Toledo and StaAsia Sania Vu.

Barr led the pledge of allegiance. Sheppard gave the welcome, and Prince gave the benediction.

Thirteen students graduated with Honors. They were Destinee Hope Alexander, Arianna Janai Barr, Conner Richard Belin, Shamontae Jeremiah Burgess, Jewel Kyasia Graham, Ethan Hunter Gray, Zyanna Quashade McFadden, Ramon Merlos, Elijah Ezekiel Montgomery, Michael Nicholas Parrot, Tyrese Samdavion Scott, Khai Samarion Singletary and Chelsey Nicole Wilkes.

Itehua drew on her faith for her words to the graduating Class of 2022 at Lake City High School. She said God had a purpose for her when she received the honor of graduating first in her class. It was something hard for her to imagine as she started her high school career. Itehua was born in Veracruz. Mexico. She will be attending Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, where she will be majoring in civil engineering.

She thanked all who helped her achieve this goal for their support, love, guidance and encouragement.

She told her classmates to navigate through life step by step and let God light their way.

She said dont be afraid to take the next step as long as you have God with you.

She ended by telling her classmates to trust in the Lord with all of your heart.

Baxley took a look back at her time in high school in her salutatorian address. She was in the dual-enrollment program at Francis Marion University, had a job and maintained good grades. Since November 2021, she has managed both school and her manager position at Freddys in Florence. After high school, she will be attending the University of South Carolina in Columbia, where she will major in psychology.

Hickson told the students in the Class of 2022 that education is the most powerful weapon you can use in changing your life and the world.

She told the students that an education is something no one can take away from them.

You can use it to change the world, she said.

She said the Class of 2022 has persevered and met the challenges that came with COVID.

She told them it is now time for them to forge their own path in life.

Do your jobs well, Hickson said.

She said make good choices, work hard, never give up, and when you get down, get up and keep moving, go forth and do great things.

Fred P. Moore, principal, awarded diplomas, assisted by Hickson; Carol Hill, adult education director; Charm Eaddy, assistant principal; and Cheryl Moore-Qualls, assistant principal. Then Moore instructed the Class of 2022 to turn their tassels.

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Police said the pictured car is suspected of being involved in at least two "jugging" crimes in recent months in Seguin.
Seguin, TX (78155)

Today

Partly cloudy skies. Near record high temperatures. High 102F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear early, then a few clouds later on. Low 73F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.
 "Explaining the Past and Projecting Future Crime Rates" | Main | "Transparency in Plea Bargaining" 

October 1, 2020

Lots and lots of notable (and very consequential?) new criminal justice reforms now law in California

California has long been a very big and very interesting and very complicated state when it comes to criminal justice and sentencing reform. This fascinating state story continued with a lot of new bills being signed yesterday by Gov Gavin Newsom. This local article (which somewhat tracks this official document from the Governors office) provides some of the details and provides especially helpful links to the underlying legislation. Here are excerpts focused on criminal justice reforms with my bolding added for follow-up comments:

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed landmark bills into law on Wednesday, the last day available for the governor to sign legislation. The docket included racial justice, criminal justice, and policing reform, as well as legislation related to cannabis, rental housing, and banning hazardous chemicals and ingredients in cosmetics. AB 3121 and AB 3070 by Assemblymember Shirley N. Weber, PhD (D-San Diego) will establish anti-discrimination jury selection and "will advance the conversation of Reparations and develop ideas for how to overcome implementation challenges," respectively, according to the CA State Assembly Democratic Caucus. AB 2542, also known as the California Racial Justice Act, by Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) prohibits the use of race, ethnicity or national origin to seek or obtain convictions or sentences.... Newsom signed bills related to criminal justice and police reform as well on Wednesday. AB 1185 authorizes counties to establish a sheriff oversight board. AB 1196 bans police use of chokeholds. AB 1506 creates a division within the Department of Justice to review the use-of-force policy of the agency and make recommendations, as well as require a state prosecutor to investigate officer involved shootings. AB 901 will make sure youth are referred to community programs rather than placing them on probation or having them be a "ward of the court." SB 203 establishes stronger protections for minors who are interrogated by police. AB 2542 requires judges to reconsider convictions and sentences if defense attorneys were able to prove that people who share the defendants race, ethnicity or national origin were routinely charged with a more serious offense, or sentenced more harshly, than defendants of other races.... SB 1290 will expand on earlier efforts to decrease fines and fees on youth and families involved with the justice system. SB 203 ups the age of right to legal counsel for youth aged 15 and younger to youth aged 17 and younger. SB 480 standardizes police uniforms, making specific mention that police cannot wear a uniform with a camouflage print or other patterned material that closely resembles an army or state active militia uniform.... SB 823 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review takes the first, formal step of closing the Division of Juvenile Justice, which will help to provide youth rehabilitative services closer to home. AB 901 by Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson), which will end the practice of referring youth who are having problems at school to probation programs. AB 1950 by Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager (D-Los Angeles), which caps probation terms to a maximum of one year for misdemeanor offenses and two years for felonies.... Newsom also signed the following bills:... AB 732 by Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Alameda)  County jails: prisons: incarcerated pregnant persons....

AB 1304 by Assemblymember Marie Waldron (R-Escondido)  California MAT Re-Entry Incentive Program.

AB 1775 by Assemblymember Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer, Sr. (D-Los Angeles)  False reports and harassment.

AB 2321 by Assemblymember Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer, Sr. (D-Los Angeles)  Juvenile court records: access.

AB 2425 by Assemblymember Mark Stone (D-Scotts Valley)  Juvenile police records.

AB 2512 by Assemblymember Mark Stone (D-Scotts Valley)  Death penalty: person with an intellectual disability.

AB 2606 by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside)  Criminal justice: supervised release file.

AB 3043 by Assemblymember Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer, Sr. (D-Los Angeles)  Corrections: confidential calls.

AB 3234 by Assemblymember Philip Ting (D-San Francisco)  Public Safety.

SB 1126 by Senator Brian W. Jones (R-Santee)  Juvenile court records.

This long list of signed bills has my head spinning, and the title of this post highlights that I am particularly curious and particularly uncertain about how consequential all these bills are likely to be. I have bolded the two bills that, as a sentencing fan, strike me as particularly intriguing and potentially very consequential.

AB 1950, which caps the duration of probation terms, has been described by REFORM Alliance as the "most transformative probation reform bill in the country." This new Fox News article, headlined "Jay-Z, Meek Mill's REFORM Alliance celebrate 'major victory' with Calif. Gov. Newsom passing probation bill," talks about this new bill and the efforts and people behind making it law. Here is a snippet:

On Wednesday, REFORM announced on Instagram it was celebrating a "MAJOR REFORM VICTORY." Through its verified Instagram account, the alliance thanked California Gov. Gavin Newsom for signing AB 1950 into law. "This bill will help put hundreds of thousands of Californians on probation in positions to succeed and exit the criminal justice system for good. Thank you @GavinNewsom!" the Instagram post reads. In a follow-up post, the organization wrote, "This is just the beginning. This is how we #fightdifferent."... REFORM's CEO Van Jones explained in a video statement that the law will essentially "make people be on probation for much less time" and will "give people a much better shot at getting out of that system, getting what they need and getting on their way." The premise is to reduce the number of probation violations.

AB 2542, which provides for a California Racial Justice Act, seems to be the biggest and broadest racial justice act ever passed by any state because it seems to apply to all convictions and sentences and not just death sentences as did comparable Racial Justice Act passed in Kentucky and North Carolina years ago. Notably, Michelle Alexander wrote this op-ed last week endorsing this bill and explaining its reach this way (with my emphasis added):

The new law will make it possible for a person charged or convicted of a crime to challenge racial, ethnic, and national-origin bias in their case through relevant evidence, including:  Explicit racial bias by an attorney, judge, law enforcement officer, expert witness, or juror involved in the case.  Use of racially discriminatory language in court and during the criminal proceedings, whether or not intentional.  Racial bias in jury selection, such as removing all or nearly all Black, brown, Native, Indigenous and people of color from the jury.  Statistical disparities in charging and convictions  that is, evidence that people of one race are disproportionately charged or convicted of a specific crime or enhancement.  Statistical disparities in sentencing  that is, evidence that people of one race receive longer or more severe sentences, including the death penalty or life without parole.

I believe that the new California Racial Justice Act only applies prospectively, and so we will not see extensive litigation over past sentences as we did in North Carolina (and which led to the repeal of that state's Racial Justice Act). But even as just a prospective measure, I am inclined to predict that this new statute could prove highly consequential in all sorts of ways.

I am hopeful that smart folks who focus on the California criminal justice system might soon blog about to these bills and their potential impacts. And, of course, another wave of reform in California might not be far away: as this article highlights under the headline "Three ballot measures test attitudes on crime in California," a set of criminal justice initiatives being put to California voters next month will add to this remarkable 2020 reform chapter in the Golden State.

October 1, 2020 at 01:32 PM | Permalink

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 What following the science might mean in when it comes to the actual laboratories of criminal justice | Main | Another example of "old law" federal prisoners not getting compassionate release equal treatment 

June 4, 2022

Notable (Pyrrhic?) victory under California Racial Justice Act for double murderer getting LWOP

A couple of years ago in this post, I noted the enactment of the California Racial Justice Act and suggested it could have a significant impact depending upon how it was applied by judges in the state. I have not followed closely subsequent litigation over the CRJA's application, but this week I did see this local report on a notable ruling under the headline "O.C. district attorney violated Racial Justice Act in double murder case, judge finds." Here are the basics:

An Orange County Superior Court judge ruled Friday that Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer violated the Racial Justice Act when he made comments about the dating habits of Black men while discussing a double murder case. However, Judge Gregg Prickett stopped short of imposing any sanctions that would have reduced Jamon Buggs sentence. The appropriate remedy in the case  seeking life without the possibility of parole rather than the death penalty  had already been applied by the district attorneys office, Prickett said. The Racial Justice Act, passed in 2020, prohibits prosecutors from seeking or obtaining a criminal conviction or imposing a sentence based on race, ethnicity or national origin. The defendant has received what the statute would say was the appropriate remedy for the violation, Prickett said. The court does not find that it would be in the interest of justice to dismiss enhancements, special circumstances or reduce charges. Buggs, who was convicted of murder in May for fatally shooting a man and woman inside a Newport Beach condominium, allegedly in a jealous rage, was sentenced by Prickett to life in prison without the possibility of parole.... During a roughly two-week trial, Buggs attorneys argued that he killed Darren Partch, 38, and Wendi Miller, 48, in the heat of passion, fueled by what they described as a toxic relationship between Buggs and his ex-girlfriend, Samantha Brewers.... The case had been mired in controversy since Spitzer made racist comments about the dating habits of Black men during an October staff meeting on whether to pursue the death penalty against Buggs. At the meeting, Spitzer told prosecutors that he knows many Black people who get themselves out of their bad circumstances and bad situations by only dating white women, according to a memo written by then-prosecutor Ebrahim Baytieh, who attended the meeting. Spitzer has said allegations of any racial animus or bias against the defendant are baseless and quite frankly offensive. Buggs is Black, while Buggs ex-girlfriend and Miller are both white. Spitzer has alleged that Baytieh wrote the memo in retaliation because Spitzer had initiated an investigation of him related to another murder case.... Prosecutors argued in court Friday that the defense failed to provide a preponderance of evidence that Spitzers comments negatively affected Buggs case. Denise Gragg, one of Buggs defense attorneys, said Spitzers comments were an example of the oldest bias that exists regarding Black men and white women. She added that Spitzer has not acknowledged his comments as biased. If you cant even recognize that is a bias, how can you assure yourself or us that there were not decisions made in this case or not made in this case that were influenced by that bias? she asked. Justice is not just done from the jury box, she added. Its done from the back halls; its done in chambers. That is the place where this case was damaged.

A quick Google search did not turn up any reports or data on how the California Racial Justice Act has been applied or adjudicated so far. I continue to suspect the CJRA could have a variety of notable impacts (especially if it were to ever be made retroactive). But the accurate statement that many criminal justice decisions get made in "back halls," and the broader challenge of identifying and crafting remedies for problematic discretionary decision-making, necessarily means the impact of the CJRA may prove hard to fully gauge or assess.

June 4, 2022 at 12:46 PM | Permalink

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It's really not up to prosecutors (or any other lawyers) to be commenting in court on the "dating practices" of blacks or whites or anyone else. What could be less relevant or more diversionary? Just stick to the facts of the case, guys.

P.S. I wish the unappetizing character of remarks like this had been borne in mind two or three weeks ago when liberals were tearing into the putative ethical lapses of Justice Thomas in view of the conservative advocacy of his wife (who, they always managed to sneak in, is white).

Posted by: Bill Otis | Jun 4, 2022 4:59:34 PM

Mr. Otis,



Well, there you go again (said in my best 'Ronald Reagan voice'). In regards to your final comment that liberals always manage to "sneak in a comment that Mrs. Thomas is white", one can only conclude that this yet another of your attempts to "troll" those NOT on the right. These oft-repeated attempts to troll liberals and independents, are in my opinion considerably beneath a man of your stature, intelligence and reputation.

However...since I'm a bit bored and have a few spare moments, I'll take the time to bite on your fishing lure, take a deep dive and address why I believe you to be wrong yet again.

For those who have paid attention, it is glaringly obvious that (almost) every comment by liberals and independents (in respect to the Thomas marriage) were to highlight the historically racist American laws restricting interracial marriages, dating back to the 1600's. As you well know, laws prohibiting "miscegenation" were common in many states until 1967, when the Supreme Court ruled on the issue in Loving v. Virginia, concluding that Virginias miscegenation laws were unconstitutional. So the comments attributed to liberals and independents were NOT AT ALL critical of an interracial marriage (as you have overtly inferred), but rather were intended to highlight the infuriating hypocrisy of those on the right who would now seek to return to the States the power and authority to re-impose miscegenation laws throughout our country (please see the rationale expressed by your beloved Justice Alito in the leaked 'Roe v Wade' opinion...which some have speculated may have been leaked by Mrs. Thomas herself). Best regards!!

Posted by: SG | Jun 4, 2022 8:49:12 PM

SG --

-- You are of course free to characterize as "trolling" my disagreement with the liberals who dominate these precincts, but it's still just disagreeing, and I'm still going to do it, since disagreement is the beginning of debate.

-- The race of Justice Thomas's wife is nobody's business, and the reason it gets mentioned is that those who insist on bringing it up think it's somehow a negative. I don't, and I think poking at it is unworthy if not disgusting.

-- The main point of the Alito draft opinion is that things not mentioned in the Constitution are left to the electoral process. Abortion is not mentioned. Equal protection assuredly is, and therefore miscegenation laws have nothing to fear should the draft opinion become the opinion of the Court. That line is just a less convincing version of The Big Parade of Horribles.

-- Speaking of trolling, how would you characterize this factually unmoored line: "...the leaked 'Roe v Wade' opinion...which some have speculated may have been leaked by Mrs. Thomas herself."

Yes, and "some have speculated" that the moon landing was staged in a Burbank studio. The phrase is nothing more than the calling card of innuendo.

Posted by: Bill Otis | Jun 4, 2022 11:10:02 PM

There have been a few other more interesting RJA developments. For example, last week in Young v. Superior Court the First District Court of appeal ruled in favor of the defendant, reversing and remanding a trial court order denying discovery. This is the first appellate RJA decision. It is still very early days, and with COVID litigation is moving very slowly.

Posted by: AS | Jun 6, 2022 1:26:40 PM

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Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed political, trade and economic cooperation, as well as the impact of Western sanctions with the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) and Senegalese President Macky Sall in the southern Russian city of Sochi on Friday.

Putin and Sall addressed a wide range of cooperation issues, including the importance of enhancing political dialogue as well as economic and humanitarian cooperation between Russia and African countries, the Kremlin said.

Putin said that Russia was ready to develop humanitarian ties with African countries, mentioning Russia's strong interest in African culture.

The Russian president said that from a political perspective, Africa's influence in the international arena has grown, adding that Moscow was dedicated to further developing its long-standing friendly relations with the continent as a whole.

Sall in turn expressed willingness to foster cooperation between Russia and Africa.

Sall also noted the influence of Western sanctions on Russia, adding that many African countries were directly affected by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

"Sanctions against Russia have further exacerbated this situation, and we currently have no access to grains from Russia, especially wheat ... most importantly, we do not have access to fertilizers ... and this has consequences for food security in Africa," Sall was cited by the Kremlin as saying.
 "'Tough Talking' Sacramento District Attorney Presides Over Homicide And Violence Surge While 'Liberal' San Francisco Enjoys Major Decreases" | Main | Notable (Pyrrhic?) victory under California Racial Justice Act for double murderer getting LWOP 

This interesting new Hill commentary, authored by Michael Kusluski and headlined "An easy win for criminal justice reform: Independent crime labs," highlights just one not so sexy, but still very important frontier for criminal justice reform. I recommend the full piece, and here are excerpts:

The 2009 National Academy of Sciences report on crime labs identified 13 areas for improvement. While significant progress has been made, action on one recommendation has languished: to remove all public forensic laboratories and facilities from the administrative control of law enforcement agencies or prosecutors offices.

Most crime labs still operate under law enforcement control. Discussions of potential bias, however, distract from the larger problem: that police and prosecutors offices are simply not qualified to operate forensic laboratories.

The real issue is not bias but the delivery of good science. Most publicly funded forensic laboratories (even those with a civilian lab director) ultimately report to individuals with no background in science. This control may be as simple as setting budgets and priorities, but often involves setting policies and procedures. In many jurisdictions, reserving crime scene (or even laboratory) positions for police personnel  no science degree required  still exists. While some critics worry that forensic scientists could have their opinion swayed in one case or another, decisions are being made by nonscientists who influence millions of cases annually....

There is precedent for independent crime labs. Medical examiners laboratories have always operated separately from the police. The state forensic laboratories in Virginia and Alabama have been independent for decades. A number of quasi-governmental and private (mostly DNA) forensic labs operate around the country, processing backlogged or specialty evidence.

The independent public crime labs that do exist typically enjoy department-level status rather than the bureau- or division-level status they would have under police departments. Several jurisdictions (mostly municipalities) have opted to transition their police labs to independent agencies in recent years. Unfortunately, they have often waited until the crime lab was in trouble or the jurisdiction was strapped for cash.

Because most forensic analyses take place at the state and local level, these changes will largely depend on state legislators, who may be reluctant to appear anti-police. But the American National Standards Institute-National Accreditation Board (ANAB), which accredits most crime labs in the United States could require labs to move toward independence, forcing legislators to act. Similarly, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) could withhold future funding for labs that are not independent. Since forensic labs have become accustomed to federal funding for overtime and backlog reduction, this would be an effective incentive for change.
(AFP via Getty Images)

Sadio Mane has remarked that he will follow the will of the Senegalese people - and quit Liverpool.

Bayern Munich have been strongly linked with the winger as he prepares to enter the final year of his contract at Anfield.

Ahead of the Champions League final, Mane insisted he will deliver a definitive update after Liverpools clash with Real Madrid.

Still yet to make such an announcement, the player gave a clear indication of his thoughts in a press conference for his national team on Friday.

He said: Like everyone else, I'm on social media and I see the comments.

Isn't it between 60 to 70 per cent of Senegalese want me to leave Liverpool? I will do what they want. We will see soon. Don't be in a hurry because we will see this together.

Former Liverpool player Steve Nicol has led the queries over Manes statements, which he believes are focused on inducing a pay rise out of the Reds or Bayern.

Oh, its money, Nicol told ESPN. Absolutely its about money.

From a professional point of view, why would you leave Liverpool? They are almost the best team in the land, so you arent moving for professional reasons.

Its definitely about money. If it is, then dont give us some story about looking for a new challenge nonsense. Just say, I want a new contract and the one I want they arent going to give me it, which is fine. I have won everything I can and so I will move on.
DEAR MONTY: I purchased a home after a home inspection was done. The seller would not allow me to bring in the inspector my agent and I chose. My agent advised me that the seller's inspector was a licensed state inspector and would be fine. Two months after closing, I walked on the deck beside the pool and fell through two rotted deck boards. A day laborer found that 70% of the deck was completely rotted. The new deck boards concealed the rotted areas. Lifting one or two of the deck boards to inspect underneath would have only taken five minutes. Therefore, the owners were covering a hazard, and a lack of due diligence on the inspector's part allowed this to occur. I filed a complaint with the state regulators, and they would not investigate due to insufficient evidence. I am not going to let this matter die. I intend to put an end to this fraud. Why didn't the inspector let me know the deck was a hazard in his report?

MONTY'S ANSWER: I have not seen the inspection agreement you signed. Did you read the inspection report contract? Most inspection contracts exclude unobservable defects. The contract likely states that he does not have an obligation to lift boards, conduct testing or move items obstructing his view. An inspection is a visual inspection only. The visual-only clause is likely why the regulators dismissed the complaint.

A SECOND OPINION

Unfortunately, the regulators gave you a broad answer in rejecting your complaint. It is very possible the inspector was unaware of the rot. Consider seeking legal advice if you have the financial resources and strongly feel that you can win. Based on the information you provided, a competent attorney may tell you that you won't have a strong case against the inspector unless you can prove he was in cahoots with the seller.

THE MISSING LINK

I am curious as to why you are not upset with your real estate agent as well. Perhaps you hired a friend you trusted and did not realize they may be complicit here. Maybe the agent is not a friend. What other conversations did you have with the agent? Does the seller condition report mention decks, porches or patios?

Why would you proceed with the sellers demanding you use their inspector? This request was a big red flag. Did your agent suggest you could, or should, pass on buying the house? Or insist you have a right to your inspector? Your agent could have or should have explained that the seller and the inspector could have some hidden conflict of interest. If the agent did not explain, could it be because they have a conflict of interest? I have no idea what an attorney would tell you concerning your agent and the agent's broker. This open question is a reason to consider seeking a legal opinion.

DO A COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS

You did not mention what it will cost to repair the deck. That is another consideration. If it is a small deck and the cost is about 500 dollars, with added legal costs, you may be better off absorbing the cost and moving on.

Richard Montgomery is the author of "House Money: An Insider's Secrets to Saving Thousands When You Buy or Sell a Home." He advocates industry reform and offers readers unbiased real estate advice. Follow him on Twitter at @dearmonty, or at DearMonty.com.

COPYRIGHT 2022 CREATORS.COM

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A Larchwood, Iowa man could see up to 30 years in federal prison if convicted of the charge of production of child pornography.

According to a release from the United States Attorney's Office for the District of South Dakota, Shane Allan Nelson, 36, was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 3, 2022 because he allegedly "employed, used, persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced a minor female to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct, knowing that such depictions would be transported in interstate or foreign commerce or mailed."

Per the release, the incidents occurred between March 13, 2020 and March 18, 2020. On June 1, 2022, Nelson pled not guilty to the indictment.

While the maximum penalty for a conviction would be up to 30 years in federal prison, punishment could also include: a $250,000 fine, a "life of supervised release" and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Jared McNett is an online editor and reporter for the Sioux City Journal. You can reach him at 712-293-4234 and follow him on Twitter @TwoHeadedBoy98.

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Two Northwest Iowans who have no previous experience in elected office are competing for the Republican nomination for House District 13.

The newly-drawn district covers all of Monona County, most of central and northern Woodbury County, southern and eastern Plymouth County and portions of western Cherokee County. Major cities within the district include Onawa, Mapleton, Kingsley, Remsen, Moville, Correctionville and Marcus.

With no incumbent living in the district, Ken Carlson, 71, of Onawa, and Mark Peters, 26, of Cleghorn are vying for the GOP nomination. No Democratic candidate filed papers for the district, where registered Republican voters hold a big majority.

Carlson is a recently retired farmer, and Peters is a self-employed farmer and truck driver. Both men are active in their respective communities.

Carlson, who taught public schools for 12 years, listed education as a key issue, particularly taxpayer dollars following students outside public schools. Abortion and eminent domain for CO2 pipelines also are major issues, he said.

"I am pro-life: a new human life begins at conception," Carlson said in an email. "I am a constitutionalist. The constitution provides for areas of jurisdiction and it is the Legislature's responsibility to stay inside the lines. I am a conservative, personal responsibility, self-reliance and equal opportunity (not outcomes)."

Carlson said he also supports getting the state's roads and bridges, especially in rural areas, in safe and efficient shape, and protecting the future of biofuels.

Peters, who was a volunteer for U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstras 2020 campaign, lists improving rural public schools and combatting government acquisition of farmland as among his top issues.

"Ill bring a young, fresh, conservative perspective to the Statehouse," Peters said in an email. "Im not looking to make a lifelong career in politics. I just hope to give some good proper representation with knowing Ill be living around the rural Siouxland area for the rest of my life, and hopefully encourage others from the next generation on to get involved. "

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Teachers after Texas attack: None of us are built for this'

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  When graduation balloons popped inside a West Virginia high school, a teacher had to reassure students who ducked for cover that the noise did not come from gunfire. Their reaction showed how the world has changed in recent years  even for teachers who never experienced school shootings firsthand. The teacher was Jessica Salfia, whose mother is also a West Virginia teacher and found herself staring down a student with a gun in her own classroom seven years ago. She was hailed for her role in helping bring the incident to a peaceful end. Already asked to be guidance counselors, social workers and surrogate parents, teachers are sometimes called on to be protectors, too.

American spy agencies review their misses on Ukraine, Russia

WASHINGTON (AP)  U.S. intelligence agencies have begun a review of how they judge the will and ability of foreign governments to fight. American spy services underestimated Ukraine's will to fight while overestimating Russia's ability to overrun its neighbor, even as those agencies accurately predicted Russian President Vladimir Putin would order an invasion. The agencies now face bipartisan pressure to review what they got wrong beforehand, especially after their mistakes in judging Afghanistan last year. U.S. intelligence continues to have a critical role in Ukraine, and as the White House ramps up weapons deliveries to Ukraine, officials are trying to predict what Putin might see as escalatory and the U.S. is seeking to avoid a direct war with Russia.

As Ukraine loses troops, how long can it keep up the fight?

ZHYTOMYR, Ukraine (AP)  President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine is losing 60 to 100 soldiers each day in combat. Just short of 50 American soldiers died per day on average in 1968, during the Vietnam Wars deadliest year for U.S. forces. Concentrations of Russian artillery are causing many of the casualties in the eastern regions that Moscow has focused on since its invading troops failed to take Kyiv early in the war. Retired U.S. Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges describes the Russian strategy as a medieval attrition approach and says such casualties will continue until Ukraine gets weapons to destroy and disrupt Russian batteries.

Mystery solved: UK Queen shares secret with Paddington

LONDON (AP)  Now we know what is in Queen Elizabeth IIs handbag. The long-time mystery was solved Saturday when the British monarch made the second star turn of her career, appearing in a mini-movie to kick off a concert celebrating her 70 years on the throne. The sketch featured the queen having a cream tea with British national treasure Paddington Bear at Buckingham Palace. After drinking all the tea and destroying the cakes, the duffle-coat wearing bear from deepest Peru told Elizabeth how he always had a reserve supply of marmalade sandwiches with him, lifting up his red hat to reveal his favorite treat. So do I, the queen responded before opening her bag and declaring: I keep mine in here.

Shootings expose divisions on gun issue in faith communities

The recent surge of mass shootings in America has led to debates in faith communities over what is pro-life. Those advocating for more gun regulation are challenging conservative Christians pushing to abolish abortion and grant unlimited access to guns. Those who disagree insist the nation doesnt have a gun problem but a sin problem. The partisan divides on abortion and gun rights are even starker after the recent mass shootings in New York, California and Texas. The U.S. Supreme Court is also expected to issue a ruling that could overturn legal abortion at the federal level.

Online pro-gun extremism: 'Cool for active shooter stuff'

As Americans reel from mass shootings, law enforcement officials and experts on extremism are taking increasing notice of the sprawling online space devoted to guns and gun rights. That includes gun forums, tactical training videos, websites that sell unregistered gun kits and social media platforms where far-right gun owners swap practical tips and talk of dark plots to take their weapons. Its an ecosystem rich with potential recruits for extremist groups exploiting the often blurry line separating traditional support for a Constitutional right from militant anti-government movements that embrace racism and violence.

Woman buoyed by support after viral pastor confrontation

An Indiana woman says she has felt "overwhelming support" from people all over the world after she confronted her pastor. She says he started a years-long sexual relationship with her when she was 16 and he was in his late 30s. The video of her May 22 confrontation has been viewed on Facebook nearly a million times. Pastor John B. Lowe II resigned from New Life Christian Church & World Outreach in Warsaw, Indiana. He had confessed to adultery at the May 22 service. She then took the microphone and said it began when she was a teen and that she carried the secret shame for years until now.

Source: Whitmer, McConnell, Evers on Wisconsin gunman's list

A gunman suspected of fatally shooting a retired county judge at a Wisconsin home had a list that included Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers. That's according to Whitmers office and a law enforcement source. The Wisconsin Department of Justice said Saturday that 56-year-old Douglas K. Uhde, who has not been charged, is suspected of killing retired Juneau County Judge John Roemer at Roemers house in New Lisbon on Friday. Uhde was found in the basement of the home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He's hospitalized in critical condition. Uhde has an extensive criminal record dating back two decades, including a case when he was sentenced by Roemer to prison.

Tiger King star Doc Antle to face money laundering charges

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP)  Tiger King star Bhagavan Doc Antle was arrested by the FBI and expected to appear in court Monday to face federal money laundering charges. That's according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on Saturday. FBI agents arrested him Friday and he was taken to the J. Reuben Long Detention Center in Conway, South Carolina. The charges against him were expected to be formally announced during a court proceeding Monday afternoon in Florence, South Carolina. The person familiar with the matter says the charges relate to allegations of money laundering. Antle, 62, has been a controversial figure among animal rights advocates who have accused the owner of Myrtle Beach Safari of mistreating lions and other wildlife.

Celtics add their voices to those asking for Griner's return

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  Brittney Griner hasnt been forgotten at the NBA Finals. The WNBA star has been detained in Russia for more than 100 days  wrongfully so, U.S. officials insist  and some members of the Boston Celtics are using their platform at the NBAs title series to add their voices to the chorus of those demanding she be allowed to come home. Several players wore black T-shirts with We Are BG on the front in orange letters for their practice session at the NBA Finals on Saturday. Game 2 of the title series between the Celtics and Golden State Warriors is Sunday.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Zambia on Friday officially commissioned three state-of-the-art milling plants funded by China.

The three industrial milling plants, with a combined capacity to produce 520 tons of mealie meals per day, are expected to enhance food security and reduce the price of mealie meals used in preparing the country's staple food.

The commissioning ceremony was attended by Du Xiaohui, the Chinese Ambassador to Zambia and Ambrose Lufuma, Zambia's Defense Minister.

In his remarks, the Chinese envoy said the commissioning of the project was yet another milestone in enhancing the cordial bilateral relations between the two countries.

He said the project will go a long way in enhancing food security and stabilizing the price of mealie meals in the country.

According to him, China has always shown keen interest in supporting Zambia's agriculture development and food security in various forms.

He cited the China-supported Demonstration Center which has supported the cultivation of high-yielding crops as well as provided technical training to about 5,000 people in recent years.

China was open to other proposals aimed at tapping the potential of agriculture cooperation with Zambia, he said.

On his part, the Zambian minister expressed gratitude to China for the support, saying it will go a long way in not only boosting agricultural production but reducing the price of mealie meals.

Lufuma said Zambia will forever be grateful to China for the support rendered over the years, adding that China has been a reliable partner and has been ready to step in and support when called upon.

According to him, the project has not only provided jobs during the construction stage but about 300 additional jobs have been created by the project while local people will be imparted with technical skills on how to run the milling plans.

The milling plant project is under the Presidential Milling Plants Initiative. Previously, over 1,000 solar-powered milling plants have been installed in various parts of the southern African nation since 2015.


HOUSTON (AP)  Residents of Centerville had become more vigilant over the past three weeks as authorities searched for a murderer who had killed on behalf of Mexican drug cartels and who stabbed and injured the driver of a prison transport bus last month when he escaped custody not far from their small Texas town.

The search for Gonzalo Lopez, 46, ended late Thursday in a shootout about 220 miles (350 kilometers) away. He led officers on a brief chase in a stolen truck before he was gunned down.

Authorities believe while Lopez roamed free, he killed a man and his four grandsons, then stole an AR-15-style rifle and a pistol from their ranch near Centerville, as well as the truck he drove to Atascosa County, south of San Antonio, where he was fatally shot by officers.

"This is something that you cant imagine ever to happen in a small community like this, said Tuffy Loftin, 61, a pastor in Centerville who knew the family.

Centerville residents had been worried ever since May 12, when Lopez overpowered the officer who was driving him and 15 other prisoners near their community between Dallas and Houston. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is still investigating how Lopez broke free from his restraints and escaped a caged area of the bus where he had been held.

Following his escape, law enforcement vigorously patrolled Highway 7 and other roads in Centerville, escorting many of the citys nearly 1,000 residents to their homes to ensure they felt safe.

Jean Davis, 70, who owns a feed and fertilizer store on the east side of town, said her husband wanted her to take a rifle and pistol to work, but she refused.

The town has really been on edge, especially that first 10 days when he was out missing and nobody knew where he was, said Davis, who lives about 15 miles (24 kilometers) away in Buffalo.

State troopers, Texas Department of Criminal Justice officers, the U.S. Marshals service and sheriff's deputies from Leon County  which includes Centerville  searched the area for Lopez for weeks with no luck.

Concerns over his whereabouts were justified: Lopez's long criminal history included convictions for capital murder, attempted capital murder, kidnapping and aggravated assault. Authorities said he belonged to the Mexican Mafia, which is a prison gang, and was a contract killer for at least two drug cartels.

In a confession to authorities, Lopez said he had been on his way to Laredo to kill a restaurant and bar owner for the Mileno drug cartel from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, in 2004 when he became embroiled in a shootout with deputies who tried to stop his vehicle.

Lopez escaped to Mexico with the help of the Mexican Mafia.

In March 2005, Lopez said he was contracted by La Mana drug cartel from Tamaulipas, Mexico, to kidnap a man named Lupe Ramirez from Weslaco in South Texas because he owed the cartel $40,000, according to court records.

Lopez and another person kidnapped Ramirez and left him hog tied in an outside room of my moms residence as they went to pick up money and marijuana that Ramirezs family had left for them, according to court records. Lopez later bludgeoned Ramirez's head with a pickaxe and buried his body in a desert.

Lopez had been serving a life sentence for capital murder for Ramirezs death and a life sentence for attempted capital murder for the 2004 shootout with deputies, when he escaped from the prison bus.

Authorities maintained nearly 40 roving patrols, believing he remained in the area around Centerville, possibly entering unoccupied structures to look for food, water and clothing, said Jason Clark, spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

At around 6 p.m. on Thursday, authorities went to a home near Centerville for a welfare check and discovered five bodies. In a statement, their family identified the dead as 66-year-old Mark Collins, and his four grandsons: Waylon Collins, 18; Carson Collins, 16; Hudson Collins, 11; and Bryson Collins, 11. Waylon, Carson and Hudson were brothers and Bryson was their cousin.

These precious people who loved and were loved by so many, will never be forgotten, the Collins family said in a statement. Steve Bezner, the familys pastor, described the Houston area family as having the greatest character, the deepest faith and unrelenting kindness and love.

At a Friday afternoon news conference, Andy Kahan, the director of victim services and advocacy for Crime Stoppers of Houston, called the familys killing absolutely one of the most gut-wrenching scenarios that Ive dealt with and Ive seen a lot and been through a lot.

The Tomball school district in suburban Houston said Friday that the grandchildren were students in its district.

Loftin, a pastor at the Cowboy Church of Leon County, said he used to go to the familys ranch, which also features a beautiful fishing lake and a pier, to help with cattle management. He called them good, salt of the earth people.

Authorities believe Lopez confronted the family on Thursday. The Leon County Sheriffs Office has not specified how they were killed.

Authorities say Lopez took several firearms from the home as well as the familys white Chevy truck and fled. Law enforcement spotted him just before 10 p.m. in Atascosa County.

Officers with Jourdanton police used spike strips to flatten the trucks tires, but Lopez kept driving, firing the rifle through a truck window before hitting two telephone poles and a fence, said Atascosa County Sheriff David Soward.

Lopez exited the stolen pickup truck armed with a rifle and handgun and reportedly fired at officers, Soward said. Four officers returned fire, killing Lopez.

Sainz reported from Memphis, Tennessee. Associated Press writer Jamie Stengle in Dallas contributed this report.

Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter at www.twitter.com/juanlozano70

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

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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  Mike Durant, the Black Hawk Down pilot who finished third in Alabama's Republican Senate primary, said he will not make an endorsement in the upcoming runoff.

Durant said he will not endorse either of the remaining candidates for the GOP nomination for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby. The June 21 runoff pits Katie Britt, Shelbys former chief of staff and former leader of a state business group, against U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, who resurrected his campaign after losing former President Donald Trumps backing.

Durant said the choices are a candidate that has been in the public office for 40 years and another he called really not qualified and accused of running an ethically challenged campaign that distorted his views.

Thats what people have to decide. Unfortunately, its not a great option, Durant said.

Durant is the owner of an aerospace company but best known as the helicopter pilot who was held captive in Somalia during the 1993 battle chronicled in Black Hawk Down." With his military background, Durant entered the race with a splash but ultimately ended in third place.

He said his first foray into politics was a disenchanting one and will also be his last. He blamed his campaign's demise on a bombardment of negative ads he called blatant" mistruths.

If people say, well, thats just politics. Well, then dont complain about what we have in Washington. Thats not politics. Wrong is wrong, he said.

Super PACS spent more than $20 million to influence the Alabama primary, with ads being run against all three candidates.

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

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FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP)  An open-records case led to rare agreement Friday between the Kentucky Democratic Party and the state's Republican attorney general, Daniel Cameron, in a legal dispute fraught with undertones related to next years governors race.

Cameron's office concluded that the state Department of Agriculture violated Kentucky's open records law by failing to respond to a request for records from the Democratic Party. The decision involved likely opponents in the 2023 race for governor  which already has threatened to overshadow this year's U.S. Senate and congressional contests.

The agriculture department is run by Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles, who formally entered the race for governor this week. His campaign rivals include Cameron, who filed paperwork last month signaling his bid for governor in what's shaping up as a crowded GOP primary for the state's top political job. The Democratic Party is a frequent critic of Quarles and Cameron, both of whom want to unseat Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.

On Friday, at least, Democrats were trumpeting the open-records decision by Cameron's office. They made no mention of their obvious interest in a contentious Republican gubernatorial primary, which could benefit Beshear when he encounters the winner in a general election bid for a second term.

The agriculture department said Friday night that it does not intend to appeal the ruling, and a Quarles spokesman said the Democrats' pursuit of information was politically motivated, confirming" that the agriculture commissioner is their greatest threat in 2023.

The case stems from a request for records sought by Democrats related to litigation involving Quarles or the agriculture department. The request, which sought emails and text messages generated or sent on government-owned email accounts and cellphones as well as those on non-government email accounts and cellphones, was made by state Democratic Party executive director Sebastian Kitchen.

His initial request was made in February. The agriculture department said it would not provide records protected by attorney-client privilege. It asked that Kitchen clarify which litigation he was referring to in his request. Kitchen refused and submitted a new request April 20.

The Democratic executive sought emails and text messages related to any litigation involving the department during Quarles' tenure as agriculture commissioner. The department did not respond to the follow-up request, and the Democratic Party appealed to the attorney general's office.

The AG's decision, dated Thursday, said the department violated the state's open records law by failing to respond to the April 20 request for records. The ruling also said the department did not commit a violation when it sought clarification of the initial February request.

The Democratic Party responded with a news release touting the AG's opinion and slamming Quarles. The release said Cameron agreed with the party that the agriculture department had violated the open records law.

The public has a right to know how Ryan Quarles is spending their tax dollars and why hes in court," Kitchen said in a follow-up statement.

Offering a starkly different assessment, the agriculture department said the AG's decision showed that politically motivated cronies can't file vague, imprecise and baseless requests.

Under state law, opinions issued by the attorney general on open-records and open-meetings issues carry the weight of law unless appealed in circuit court.

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)  Reinforced Russian troops backed by airstrikes pummeled a portion of eastern Ukraine on Saturday, blowing up bridges and shelling apartment buildings as they fought to capture two cities that would put a contested province under Moscow's control, Ukrainian officials said.

Russian and Ukrainian forces battled street-by-street in Sievierodonetsk and neighboring Lysychansk, regional governor Serhiy Haidai said. Russian strikes killed four people, including a mother and child, in the nearby village of Hirske, Haidai said.

The cities are the last major areas of Luhansk province still held by Ukraine. The Russian attacks are central to the Kremlin's reduced wartime goal of seizing the entire Donbas region, where Moscow-backed separatists have fought Ukrainian forces for eight years and established self-proclaimed republics.

Russia also escalated attacks in Donetsk, the other province that makes up the Donbas, the Ukrainian military said as the war reached its 101st day.

Reflecting the close combat, Russian and Ukrainian military officers blamed each other for a fire that destroyed a 1912 wooden church at the Sviatohirsk monastery, one of Ukraine's holiest Orthodox Christian sites. The sprawling, 16th-century monastery, which sits on the bank of the Siverskiy Donets River, has been hit several times previously during the war, most recently on Wednesday, when three monks were killed.

In his nightly video address Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of deliberately and systematically destroying Ukrainian culture and its historical heritage, along with social infrastructure like housing and everything needed for normal life.

Zelenskyy said 113 churches have been damaged or destroyed during the invasion, including some that survived the battles of World War II.

In recent days Russian forces have focused on capturing Sievierodonetsk, which had a prewar population of about 100,000. At one point they held 90% of the city, but Ukrainian soldiers clawed back some ground, Haidai reported Friday. Zelenskyy described the citys situation as extremely difficult on Saturday.

Western military analysts said Russia was devoting significant troop strength and firepower to what British officials called a creeping advance in the Donbas.

The combined use of air and artillery strikes has been a key factor in Russias recent tactical successes in the region, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said in a Saturday assessment. The ministry warned that after launching so many guided missiles, Russia was employing unguided missiles that have almost certainly caused substantial collateral damage and civilian casualties.

The Ukrainian military reported that it repulsed nine attacks in the Donbas over 24 hours. The claim could not be independently verified.

While Russian forces are concentrated on the Donbas, Ukraine has staged counterattacks to try to regain territory in the south.

After seizing most of the Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk regions, as well as the port city of Mariupol, Moscow has installed local administrators, offered residents Russian passports and taken other steps to consolidate its hold on occupied areas.

Russian shelling killed at least three civilians in the Black Sea port city of Mykolaiv, Mayor Oleksandr Senkevich said Saturday.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said Russian-installed officials and troops face growing resistance among the local population and an increase in partisan activity in southern Ukraine.

The institute cited accounts on Russian Telegram channels of threats against locals who received Russian passports.

The Ukrainian Center for National Resistance, which established a website to advise people on sabotage and other techniques, said Kherson residents were encouraged to burn down a Russian passport center.

The Ukrainian military noted with approval the trouble that occupation authorities were encountering, saying Russian-installed leaders in Kherson were wearing bulletproof vests and traveling in armored vehicles.

In other developments:

 Ukraines foreign minister denounced Frances president for saying the West shouldnt humiliate Russian President Vladimir Putin. French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with French newspapers Friday that Putin made a historic error in invading but world powers shouldnt "humiliate Russia, so that when the fighting stops, we can build a way out together via diplomatic paths. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted in response: Calls to avoid humiliation of Russia can only humiliate France and every other country that would call for it. ... We all better focus on how to put Russia in its place. This will bring peace and save lives.

 The bodies of more than 1,300 civilians have been exhumed so far in the region around Ukraine's capital following Russias military retreat from the area, Ukraines Interior Ministry reported Saturday. The bodies were sent to morgues for forensic examination, and some 200 of the victims have not been identified, ministry spokeswoman Alyona Matveyeva said. Since Russian forces left the region in early April, Ukrainian authorities have been collecting the dead, exhuming bodies from mass graves and collecting evidence for possible war crimes investigations and prosecutions.

 A Russian rocket hit an agricultural site Saturday in the Odesa region, wounding two people, according to a regional military chief. A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said a missile attack destroyed a base of foreign mercenaries. Odesa is home to Ukraine's largest seaport and therefore vital to the country's ability to ship grain and other commodities. The attack came hours after Kuleba, the foreign minister, tweeted: Ukraine is ready to create necessary conditions to resume exports from the port of Odesa. The question is how to make sure that Russia doesnt abuse the trade route to attack the city."

 Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said in an interview published Saturday that Russia is suffering significantly fewer military casualties compared with the first six weeks of the war. The lower figures might make Russian commanders think that they are fighting successfully, the website Meduza quoted Podolyak as saying. Speaking on Ukrainian television, he expressed optimism that new Western-supplied weaponry could change the mathematics of the war.

 Pope Francis said he needs to wait for the right moment to go to Ukraine. A Ukrainian refugee who was in a group of children visiting the Vatican asked the pontiff if he would go to his homeland. Francis told the boy he thinks a lot about the children in Ukraine and has a desire to go there. He said its not easy to take a decision that could do more harm to all the world than good. I must find the right moment to do it. The pope said he would discuss the issue next week when Ukrainian government representatives visit the Vatican.

Varenytsia and Rosa reported from Sloviansk, Ukraine.

Follow AP's coverage of the Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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TRONA, Calif. (AP)  A Navy fighter jet crashed Friday in the Southern California desert, killing the pilot, authorities said.

An F/A-18E Super Hornet based at Naval Air Station Lemoore went down at about 2:30 p.m. in the area of Trona, an unincorporated Mojave Desert community in San Bernardino County, the Navy announced in a statement.

Nobody on the ground was hurt.

The identity of the pilot and details of the crash weren't immediately released.

Trona is about 236 miles (380 kilometers) southeast of the air station, which is in the Central Valley.

Lemoore is home to Commander Strike Fighter Wing Pacific and Commander Joint Strike Fighter Wing and hosts 16 operational Strike Fighter squadrons, according to its website.

In 2019, a Navy Super Hornet crashed in Death Valley National Park during a routine training mission, killing the pilot and slightly injuring seven park visitors who were struck by debris. They had gathered at a scenic overlook where aviation enthusiasts watch military pilots speeding low through a chasm dubbed Star Wars Canyon, officials said.

Last October, a Navy Super Hornet from Naval Air Station China Lake also crashed, and in 2020 another from Lemoore went down, both during training missions. The pilots safely ejected, one in a remote southern area of Death Valley National Park near the Nevada border and the other in the Mojave Desert.

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SEATTLE (AP)  When he was sentenced for killing three teenagers and gravely wounding another at a house party north of Seattle, Allen Ivanov said he was sorry and that he couldn't explain why he did it.

But he noted one factor that allowed him to carry out the shooting  the ease of acquiring a gun. The then-19-year-old bought the assault-style rifle a week earlier and was so unfamiliar with the weapon that he sat in his car outside the party and studied the owner's manual before opening fire on his ex-girlfriend and others.

That theme has repeated itself, yet again, in America's latest spate of mass shootings  in Buffalo, New York; Uvalde, Texas; and Tulsa, Oklahoma  which claimed 35 lives in a span of less than three weeks. It is renewing the debate over whether restrictions such as waiting periods and bans on young adults buying semiautomatic rifles could have saved lives.

If those had been in place, it would have made a difference, said Paul Kramer, who led a successful 2018 effort to impose a 10-day waiting period on semiautomatic rifle purchases in Washington state, as well as a ban on young adults buying such weapons, after his son Will was gravely wounded during Ivanov's shooting spree two years earlier. Those mass shootings would not have unfolded the way that they did, and very likely, lives would have been saved.

Just nine states and Washington, D.C., have explicit waiting periods before people can purchase at least some types of firearms. The restrictions can give authorities more time to conduct background checks and keep impulsive, emotional people from immediately accessing weapons they might use to kill themselves or others, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

The federal government has no waiting period. A bill that passed the Democrat-led U.S. House last year would extend the review period for background checks from three days to 10, but it's opposed by Republicans and is not part of current negotiations in the Senate over how Congress can respond to the recent massacres.

In Tulsa, authorities said the gunman who killed his surgeon, another doctor and two other people Wednesday bought an AR-style rifle just hours beforehand, as well as a handgun on May 29. The shooter, Michael Louis, 45, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, had recently had an operation and blamed his doctor for continuing back pain.

In Uvalde, Texas, the 18-year-old shooter who killed 21 people at Robb Elementary School had purchased two rifles in the preceding week.

California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia have waiting periods for purchases of all types of weapons, ranging from three to 14 days. Minnesota and Washington impose waiting periods for handguns and semiautomatic rifles, while Maryland and New Jersey have waiting periods only for handguns.

In addition, several other states, including Connecticut, Maryland and Massachusetts, require buyers of at least some types of guns to obtain permits first, sometimes including completion of safety classes. Those restrictions can function like waiting periods.

Oklahoma has no law mandating a waiting period, but some Democratic lawmakers called for a special session of the Legislature to address it among other gun violence measures after the Tulsa shooting.

Oklahoma students will be in school in two months, said House Minority Leader Emily Virgin. "If we fail to act before then, it will be because the Legislature has no will to do so. Thats something that I hope all Oklahomans are paying attention to.

They suggested a waiting period on firearms purchases, raising the states minimum age for purchasing weapons from 18 to 21, and a red flag law, allowing guns to be temporarily seized from people who might pose a danger to themselves or others. Those proposals are likely to go nowhere in a GOP-controlled Legislature that has for years pushed for loosening state gun laws.

Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, who is running for reelection, said last week after the Texas shooting that it was too soon to talk about firearms policy.

Florida stands out as a Republican-led state that imposed gun restrictions after a mass shooting. In 2018, after a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland left 14 students and three staff members dead, then-Gov. Rick Scott signed legislation that included a three-day waiting period and raising the minimum age to buy rifles from 18 to 21.

Scott, now a U.S. senator, "encourages all states to look at the action he took in Florida to determine what works best for their state, his communications director, McKinley Lewis, said in an email Friday.

Nationally, about one-third of mass shooters purchased a gun within a month of their crimes, said James Densley, co-founder of The Violence Project, a nonpartisan research group that tracks mass shootings dating back to 1966.

According to a 2017 Harvard Business School review, waiting period laws that delay the purchase of firearms by a few days reduce gun homicides by roughly 17%. But Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of California, called waiting periods an ineffective policy to try to affect gun crime.

The big concern we have is when people want to exercise their right to bear arms, especially when theyre a first-time gun user, theyre delayed in their ability to get the tools that they need to protect themselves, Paredes said.

Daniel Webster, co-director of the Center for Gun Violence Solutions at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said waiting periods are important, and it's obvious to him why more states dont require them: Many firearm laws, he said, are "written by people who sell guns.

Supporters say requiring several days or even a week or more between the purchase and delivery of a gun provides an important cooling off time for someone who is angry or contemplating suicide.

If you get, for whatever reason, a person who is purchasing the gun to use it to harm others, the fact that they cant get the gun in their hands immediately may give an opportunity for the circumstances to change by the time they do get it, assuming theyre entitled to get it in the first place, said Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha.

Giving law enforcement enough time to complete a thorough background check is another advantage of extending the waiting period, he said.

Hawaii has the longest waiting period in the U.S., at 14 days. Alan Beck, an attorney representing residents who are challenging various aspects of the states gun laws, said the two-week period seems arbitrary. If it's meant as a cooling off period for someone who is angry, he said it won't have an effect on potential gun buyers if they already own a firearm.

But state Sen. Karl Rhoads said he believes the waiting period combined with other strict gun control laws have worked, noting that Hawaii has a low homicide rate.

If youre really angry about something and you can go buy a gun and you can get it immediately, then you may act on your impulse, Rhoads said. If you have to wait a couple of weeks, you may calm down and think better of it."

Former Florida state Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat who represented Parkland in 2018 and is now running for Congress, said waiting periods alone aren't enough. Raising the purchase age, adopting red flag laws, increasing mental health spending and boosting school security are all essential, he said.

No one change is going to make a big difference," Moskowitz said. "But every change added together is."

Associated Press writers Anthony Izaguirre in Tallahassee, Florida; Jennifer Sinco Kelleher in Honolulu; Michael Kunzelman in College Park, Maryland; Jennifer McDermott in Providence, Rhode Island; Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City; Terry Spencer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Don Thompson in Sacramento, California, contributed to this report.

Follow the APs coverage of the mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, here:

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

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BIRCH RIVER, W.Va. (AP)  A West Virginia sheriffs deputy was killed, another was injured and a surviving suspect has been charged with murder after a shootout at a residence.

The Nicholas County deputy sheriff, Tom Baker, was killed Friday night while responding to a domestic disturbance in the Birch River area around 5 p.m., Sheriff William Nunley said Saturday. Baker was struck in the back by a bullet.

The area is about an hour east of the state capitol, Charleston.

Police arrived at a camper and made contact with two men who came and talked with the deputies, but at some point the suspects became agitated and ran back inside, Nunley said in a media release.

The deputies pursued them and discharged a taser. The two men began firing at police and officers backed out of the camper, Nunley said.

Baker was shot and another deputy, Corporal J. Ellison, was hit in the leg. Ellison was treated and released from a hospital.

One of the two suspects, 36-year-old Ritchie Holcomb, was fatally shot. The other man, 28-year-old Brent Tyler Kelly, was taken into custody after a short standoff, Nunley said.

Kelly has been charged with first-degree murder, according to WCHS-TV.

West Virginia state police are investigating the incident.

Gov. Jim Justice announced the death of the deputy Friday night. Justice said in a social media post that first responders are heroes. They run to the fire to keep us safe, and we should never forget their service.

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

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A ladybug crawls on a paloverde flower in Joshua Tree National Park, California. Hannah Schwalbe, NPS/Flickr

As spring phases into summer in North America, with trees flowering and birds migrating, nature seems abundant. In fact, however, the Earth is losing animals, birds, reptiles and other living things so fast that some scientists believe the planet is entering the sixth mass extinction in its history.

This fall, the United Nations will convene governments from around the world in Kunming, China, to establish new goals for protecting Earths ecosystems and their biodiversity  the variety of life at all levels, from genes to ecosystems.

Some people, cultures and nations believe biodiversity is worth conserving because ecosystems provide many services that support human prosperity, health and well-being. Others assert that all living things have a right to exist, regardless of their usefulness to humans. Today, theres also growing understanding that nature enriches our lives by providing opportunities for us to connect with each other and the places we care about.

As a conservation biologist, Ive been part of the effort to value biodiversity for years. Heres how thinking in this field has evolved, and why Ive come to believe that there are many equally valid reasons for protecting nature.

Defending every species

Conservation biology is a scientific field with a mission: protecting and restoring biodiversity around the world. It came of age in the 1980s, as humans impact on the Earth was becoming alarmingly clear.

In a 1985 essay, Michael Soule, one of the fields founders, described what he saw as the core principles of conservation biology. Soule argued that biological diversity is inherently good and should be conserved because it has intrinsic value. He also proposed that conservation biologists should act to save biodiversity even if sound science isnt available to inform decisions.

To critics, Soules principles sounded more like environmental activism than science. Whats more, not everyone agreed then or now that biodiversity is inherently good.

The most recent IUCN Red List update brought the number of known animals, fungi and plants at risk of #extinction to over 40,000 for the first time https://t.co/7sRCkkPx3x pic.twitter.com/7HsaIaWcYN  IUCN Red List (@IUCNRedList) February 9, 2022

Valuing natures services

Soules essay spurred many researchers to push for a more science-driven approach to conservation. They sought to directly quantify the value of ecosystems and the roles species played in them. Some scholars focused on calculating the value of ecosystems to humans.

They reached a preliminary conclusion that the total economic value of the worlds ecosystems was worth an average US$33 trillion per year in 1997 dollars. At the time, this was nearly twice the global value of the entire worlds financial markets.

This estimate included services such as predators controlling pests that would otherwise ruin crops; pollinators helping to produce fruits and vegetables; wetlands, mangroves and other natural systems buffering coasts against storms and flooding; oceans providing fish for food; and forests providing lumber and other building materials.

Researchers have refined their estimates of what these benefits are worth, but their central conclusion remains the same: Nature has shockingly high economic value that existing financial markets dont account for.

A second group began to quantify the non-monetary value of nature for human health, happiness and well-being. Studies typically had people take part in outdoor activities, such as strolling through a green space, hiking in the woods or canoeing on a lake. Later, they measured the subjects physical or emotional health.

This research found that spending time in nature tended to reduce blood pressure, lower hormones related to stress and anxiety, decrease the probability of depression and improve cognitive function and certain immune functions. People exposed to nature fared better than others who took part in similar activities in non-natural settings, such as walking through a city.

Losing species weakens ecosystems

A third line of research asked a different question: When ecosystems lose species, can they still function and provide services? This work was driven mainly by experiments where researchers directly manipulated the diversity of different types of organisms in settings ranging from laboratory cultures to greenhouses, plots in fields, forests and coastal areas.

By 2010, scientists had published more than 600 experiments, manipulating over 500 groups of organisms in freshwater, marine and land ecosystems. In a 2012 review of these experiments, colleagues and I found unequivocal evidence that when ecosystems lose biodiversity, they become less efficient, less productive and less stable. And they are less able to deliver many of the services that underlie human well-being.

For example, we found strong evidence that loss of genetic diversity reduced crop yields, and loss of tree diversity reduced the amount of wood that forests produced. We also found evidence that oceans with fewer fish species produced less-reliable catches, and that ecosystems with lower plant diversity were more prone to invasive pests and diseases.

Converting forested land for agriculture, as on this soy plantation in Para, Brazil, is a top cause of biodiversity loss. Ricardo Beliel/Brazil Photos/LightRocket via Getty Images

We also showed that it was possible to develop robust mathematical models that could predict reasonably well how biodiversity loss would affect certain types of valuable services from ecosystems.

Many motives for protecting nature

For years, I believed that this work had established the value of ecosystems and quantified how biodiversity provided ecosystem services. But Ive come to realize that other arguments for protecting nature are just as valid, and often more convincing for many people.

I have worked with many people who donate money or land to support conservation. But Ive never heard anyone say they were doing it because of the economic value of biodiversity or its role in sustaining ecosystem services.

Instead, theyve shared stories about how they grew up fishing with their father, held family gatherings at a cabin or canoed with someone who was important to them. They wanted to pass on those experiences to their children and grandchildren to preserve familial relationships. Researchers increasingly recognize that such relational values  connections to communities and to specific places  are one of the most common reasons why people choose to conserve nature.

I also know many people who hold deep religious beliefs and are rarely swayed by scientific arguments for conservation. But when Pope Francis published his 2015 encyclical Laudato si: On Care for Our Common Home and said Gods followers had a moral responsibility to care for his creation, my religious relatives, friends and colleagues suddenly wanted to know about biodiversity loss and what they might do about it.

God, help us in our work to protect the world, that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.This Sunday's prayer for creation is an excerpt from A Prayer for Our Earth in #LaudatoSi. pic.twitter.com/nO6DZRAovV  Catholic Climate (@CatholicClimate) February 6, 2022

Surveys show that 85% of the worlds population identifies with a major religion. Leaders of every major religion have published declarations similar to Pope Francis encyclical, calling on their followers to be better stewards of Earth. Undoubtedly, a large portion of humanity assigns moral value to nature.

Research clearly shows that nature provides humanity with enormous value. But some people simply believe that other species have a right to exist, or that their religion tells them to be good stewards of Earth. As I see it, embracing these diverse perspectives is the best way to get global buy-in for conserving Earths ecosystems and living creatures for the good of all.

___

Bradley J. Cardinale receives funding from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He is affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Ecological Society of America, the American Institute of Biological Sciences, the Society for Conservation Biology, the Society for Freshwater Science, and the Midwest's Environmental Law and Policy Center.

___

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The mask mandates were lifted months ago, and most of Nebraska has moved forward, realizing that COVID-19 might always be with us, but we've learned how to manage a virus that caused so much harm for two years.

Unfortunately, there are still many feeling the post-COVID financial strain, an affliction that is causing too many industries continued struggles.

Among them is the child care industry.

COVID, though it lingers with a new strain of the virus that has caused case numbers to soar in recent weeks, was a 24-month ordeal. But its impact will be felt for many years to come.

Many child care centers in Nebraska have reported difficulties hiring and retaining staff, paying sufficient wages and preventing the spread of COVID-19, according to a survey released late last month by the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska.

Journal Star education reporter Zach Hammack wrote that the survey, conducted in February, paints a sobering picture of a field still feeling the aftershocks of a worldwide public health crisis. The survey is the institute's third report on the state of early child care and education during the pandemic.

Of providers who employ staff, nine in 10 said they had difficulty filling open positions because of a lack of applicants or inability to offer sufficient pay or benefits, the 35-page report said.

Most of the surveyed providers reported "experiencing symptoms of stress, including changes in sleep and eating," while many said they've felt anxiety, depression, sadness and had difficulty concentrating. That's troubling, said Alexandra Daro, report co-author, because it has a direct effect on children.

"In order for children to be well and thriving, we need a workforce that is well and thriving," she said.

Make no mistake, this all comes down to the wellbeing of our younger generation, which will be feeling the effects of COVID for many years to come.

Finding a way to give them the care they need that keeps them safe and is affordable to their families is a topic that that has never been more pressing.

Child care is an industry that is essential because it has a trickle-down effect to filling jobs in other industries as well. Without affordable and reliable child care, a number of parents -- mostly mothers -- are being forced to stay out of the workforce to tend to their children.

Keeping our child care facilities afloat during this challenging time should be near the top of the list of priorities for state lawmakers to address in the next session.

It's a problem in need of an immediate and lasting fix.

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Meteorologist Todd Dankers monitors weather patterns in Boulder, Colorado, Oct. 24, 2018. Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post via Getty Images

A century ago, English mathematician Lewis Fry Richardson proposed a startling idea for that time: constructing a systematic process based on math for predicting the weather. In his 1922 book, Weather Prediction By Numerical Process, Richardson tried to write an equation that he could use to solve the dynamics of the atmosphere based on hand calculations.

It didnt work because not enough was known about the science of the atmosphere at that time. Perhaps some day in the dim future it will be possible to advance the computations faster than the weather advances and at a cost less than the saving to mankind due to the information gained. But that is a dream, Richardson concluded.

A century later, modern weather forecasts are based on the kind of complex computations that Richardson imagined  and theyve become more accurate than anything he envisioned. Especially in recent decades, steady progress in research, data and computing has enabled a quiet revolution of numerical weather prediction.

For example, a forecast of heavy rainfall two days in advance is now as good as a same-day forecast was in the mid-1990s. Errors in the predicted tracks of hurricanes have been cut in half in the last 30 years.

There still are major challenges. Thunderstorms that produce tornadoes, large hail or heavy rain remain difficult to predict. And then theres chaos, often described as the butterfly effect  the fact that small changes in complex processes make weather less predictable. Chaos limits our ability to make precise forecasts beyond about 10 days.

As in many other scientific fields, the proliferation of tools like artificial intelligence and machine learning holds great promise for weather prediction. We have seen some of whats possible in our research on applying machine learning to forecasts of high-impact weather. But we also believe that while these tools open up new possibilities for better forecasts, many parts of the job are handled more skillfully by experienced people.

Australian meteorologist Dean Narramore explains why its hard to forecast large thunderstorms.

Predictions based on storm history

Today, weather forecasters primary tools are numerical weather prediction models. These models use observations of the current state of the atmosphere from sources such as weather stations, weather balloons and satellites, and solve equations that govern the motion of air.

These models are outstanding at predicting most weather systems, but the smaller a weather event is, the more difficult it is to predict. As an example, think of a thunderstorm that dumps heavy rain on one side of town and nothing on the other side. Furthermore, experienced forecasters are remarkably good at synthesizing the huge amounts of weather information they have to consider each day, but their memories and bandwidth are not infinite.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning can help with some of these challenges. Forecasters are using these tools in several ways now, including making predictions of high-impact weather that the models cant provide.

In a project that started in 2017 and was reported in a 2021 paper, we focused on heavy rainfall. Of course, part of the problem is defining heavy: Two inches of rain in New Orleans may mean something very different than in Phoenix. We accounted for this by using observations of unusually large rain accumulations for each location across the country, along with a history of forecasts from a numerical weather prediction model.

We plugged that information into a machine learning method known as random forests, which uses many decision trees to split a mass of data and predict the likelihood of different outcomes. The result is a tool that forecasts the probability that rains heavy enough to generate flash flooding will occur.

We have since applied similar methods to forecasting of tornadoes, large hail and severe thunderstorm winds. Other research groups are developing similar tools. National Weather Service forecasters are using some of these tools to better assess the likelihood of hazardous weather on a given day.

An excessive rainfall forecast from the Colorado State University-Machine Learning Probabilities system for the extreme rainfall associated with the remnants of Hurricane Ida in the mid-Atlantic states in September 2021. The left panel shows the forecast probability of excessive rainfall, available on the morning of Aug. 31, more than 24 hours ahead of the event. The right panel shows the resulting observations of excessive rainfall. The machine learning program correctly highlighted the corridor where widespread heavy rain and flooding would occur. Russ Schumacher and Aaron Hill, CC BY-ND

Researchers also are embedding machine learning within numerical weather prediction models to speed up tasks that can be intensive to compute, such as predicting how water vapor gets converted to rain, snow or hail.

Its possible that machine learning models could eventually replace traditional numerical weather prediction models altogether. Instead of solving a set of complex physical equations as the models do, these systems instead would process thousands of past weather maps to learn how weather systems tend to behave. Then, using current weather data, they would make weather predictions based on what theyve learned from the past.

Some studies have shown that machine learning-based forecast systems can predict general weather patterns as well as numerical weather prediction models while using only a fraction of the computing power the models require. These new tools dont yet forecast the details of local weather that people care about, but with many researchers carefully testing them and inventing new methods, there is promise for the future.

A forecast from the Colorado State University-Machine Learning Probabilities system for the severe weather outbreak on Dec. 15, 2021, in the U.S. Midwest. The panels illustrate the progression of the forecast from eight days in advance (lower right) to three days in advance (upper left), along with reports of severe weather (tornadoes in red, hail in green, damaging wind in blue). Russ Schumacher and Aaron Hill, CC BY-ND

The role of human expertise

There are also reasons for caution. Unlike numerical weather prediction models, forecast systems that use machine learning are not constrained by the physical laws that govern the atmosphere. So its possible that they could produce unrealistic results  for example, forecasting temperature extremes beyond the bounds of nature. And it is unclear how they will perform during highly unusual or unprecedented weather phenomena.

And relying on AI tools can raise ethical concerns. For instance, locations with relatively few weather observations with which to train a machine learning system may not benefit from forecast improvements that are seen in other areas.

Another central question is how best to incorporate these new advances into forecasting. Finding the right balance between automated tools and the knowledge of expert human forecasters has long been a challenge in meteorology. Rapid technological advances will only make it more complicated.

Ideally, AI and machine learning will allow human forecasters to do their jobs more efficiently, spending less time on generating routine forecasts and more on communicating forecasts implications and impacts to the public  or, for private forecasters, to their clients. We believe that careful collaboration between scientists, forecasters and forecast users is the best way to achieve these goals and build trust in machine-generated weather forecasts.

Russ Schumacher receives funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for research on applying machine learning to improve forecasts of high-impact weather.

Aaron Hill receives funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to research machine learning applications that improve high-impact weather forecasts.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

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The night of the verdict in the Johnny DeppAmber Heard trial, I went out for a drink with a friend. Over a cocktail, we sighed heavily. It was a birthday celebration, so we tried to talk about cheerier things, but the conversation kept drifting back to the trial. She defamed him? His lawyers also defamed her? But a British court already ruled a newspaper could print that Depp abused her? What does this mean for Evan Rachel Wood? What does this mean for average people, our friends, ourselves, who experience abuse?

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Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the bartender pantomiming a bump of coke and laughing with their colleagues. She didnt even TRY to hide it, they said. My brain immediately knew whom they were talking about: Amber Heard. And I knew this because my TikTok For You page has been overrun for the last month with trial coveragespecifically, anti-Heard trial coverage. Body language experts. So-called lawyers giving their professional opinions. Lance Bass of NSYNC lip-syncing to her testimony. True crime nuts and gaming streamers who pivoted to covering the trial, probably after realizing, like so many other creators, that it could be an audience growth hack and a potential financial boon.

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The most incredibly stupid theory these videos proffered was that while on the stand, Heard snorted cocaine concealed in a tissue she was using to blow her nose. I will not link you to a video, but if you must search for one, you will find an abundance of them. I cant say for certain where that bartender found this particular conspiracy theory, but if I were a betting woman, Id say it wasnt from watching the trial live feed in real time. More likely, it came from social mediaYouTube, Facebook, or probably TikTok.

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During this trial, listening to the ways people I follow online and even know in real life talked about Amber Heard and Johnny Depp felt kind of like reading Facebook posts from my Newsmax-pilled aunt. The way certain rhetoric gets repeated but never scrutinized. Accepted as fact because it was delivered in a confident tone from a source who promised not to lie to you like a traditional media outlet. Meanwhile, Vice, a traditional media outlet, found that the Daily Wire, an ultraconservative site founded by Ben Shapiro, pumped thousands of dollars into promoting antiAmber Heard propaganda online, specifically on Instagram and Facebook.

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You wouldnt know any of these forces were at play if you opened TikTok. Instead, youd have found an absolute deluge of pro-Depp videos and, until the eleventh hour of the six-week trial, effectively no pro-Heard content. Videos with the hashtag #IStandWithJohnnyDepp have been viewed over 500 million times. The same hashtag with Heards name has just 25 million. At some point, public opinion became a numbers game. Heard had no fair shot at winning.

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The jury for this trial was not sequestered. Which means they, like me and you, were free to open up apps like TikTok and get an internet vibe check day after day after day. They could watch videos of Heard snorting coke. Or people making wild claims about all the reasons she was lying, from the words she chose to the makeup kit she allegedly used to cover bruising.

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It would be disingenuous for me to write this and act like I too didnt, to a small degree, get got by the pernicious way TikToks algorithm seized on this moment. For my own well-being, I tried to avoid trial content on the app. I chose to focus solely on how this particular case might affect survivors seeking justice in the future, and found myself mentally echoing lines like two people can be bad, mostly in an attempt to punt on having an unwinnable debate on the internet. Still, the TikToks found me. If they found you too, I empathize. Reminding yourself as you see a video followed by another video followed by a dozen more to critically consider everything youre being shown? That takes a lot more effort and energy than most of us put into scrolling through our feeds as we lay in bed at night.

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Objectively, its true: Two people can be bad. Two people can be bad in deeply unequal measure. And in a just world, one where silent forces from ad dollars to algorithms arent manipulating the way we get our information and survivors are allowed to be imperfect, you might be able to say something like that and not have it get lost in translation as a pseudo-feminist cop-out for just saying I dont believe Amber Heard. Heards suffering was a successful implementation of the way the internet was designed. Social media is not built for nuance.

Most of us watching this play out online dont know Johnny Depp or Amber Heard. We only know what we know. If we were to actually have that debate, the factual points of argument would be limited to decisions in court. A British court ruled Heard was within her rights to call her ex-husband a wife beater. (That very same court has denied Depps appeal.) And an American jury ruled that two sentences in a #MeToo opinion piece that did not even name Depp were defamatory and worth millions in compensation. But this isnt a fair debate. TikToks algorithmic thumb on the scale helped make sure of that.

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During the same weeks as the trial, a foundation from a new company called Jones Road was also going viral. It was inescapable, thanks in part to undisclosed paid ads on TikTok. When I asked the companys founder, Bobbi Brown, if TikTok had always been part of the marketing plan, she said no, describing her initial impressions of the app as a place for teenagers doing dances. Which, to be fair, TikTok does have a lot of that. What else would Jimmy Fallon have to talk about on The Tonight Show? But this sentimentwhich is still widely heldhas finally, definitively been shown to be a harmful fantasy. In a moment where an app like TikTok appears to have held so much sway over a very public trial with potentially far-reaching implications, we ignore its true power at our peril.

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This isnt news to anybody who works in social media or even just considers themselves particularly internet-savvy. The kinds of people who have been shouting take TikTok seriously for years when it comes to everything from marketing to political campaigns. But the thing this trial has shown is that this group isnt the majority. Not even close. Seek out TikToks about the trial, and youll suddenly be drowning in videos telling lies about how Amber Heard could go to jail and fully misrepresenting the basis of the case. (Once more, this trial was about defamation.) I looked for those videos because I wanted to be in the true muck of it. But those videos, as the numbers demonstrate, found millions of other eyeballs organically. Eyeballs connected to brains, many of which believed what they were being shown.

TikTok can show you dancing teens, sure. But it can also manipulate courtrooms and public opinion with brutal efficiency. If that freaks you out  good. It should.
On Tuesday a California court ruled that, under some circumstances, a bee can be a fish. The decision was veritable chum to libertarians who like to poke fun at Californias environmentalism. And at first, I thought they might have a point thereit does seem like a bizarre decision to just throw the rules of taxonomy out the window. But then I fell down a rabbit hole trying to understand whats happening thereand its a lot more complicated that you might think.

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In 2018, the Center for Food Safety, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, and the Defenders of Wildlife petitioned the California Fish and Game Commission to include four species of bumblebees in the list of endangered species protected by the California Endangered Species Act. At the heart of their argument was Section 45 of the California Endangered Species Act, which defines a fish as a wild fish, mollusk, crustacean, invertebrate, amphibian, or part, spawn, or ovum of any of those animals. They successfully argued that the inclusion of the word invertebrate technically allows the act to cover all invertebrates, not just aquatic ones.

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Seven agricultural groups, including the Almond Alliance of California, quickly filed suit to overturn this decision, and the California Superior Court in Sacramento ruled in their favor in 2020, removing protections for the bees. But on Tuesday, the California 3rd District Court of Appeals reversed that decision, allowing endangered bees to qualify as fish in order to protect them.

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Bees are not the only species to be reidentified as fish on a technicality; in the 17th century, the Catholic Church allowed residents of what is now Quebec to eat beaver meat during Lent. The semiaquatic rodent was considered a fish because it lives part of its life in the sea, which has medieval precedent. Sure, thats a religious matter rather than a legal one. But the United States Supreme Court has also asserted what could be a questionable taxonomy opinion. In 1893, Nix v. Hedden determined that a tomato was a vegetable despite John Nix, a grocer looking to avoid a vegetable tax, arguing that it was a fruit, thus sparking a pedantic debate that continues to this day. (For the record, a tomato is a fruit botanically, because it is a ripened flower ovary that contains seeds. But from a culinary standpoint, its a vegetable, or the edible part of a plant, because it has no business being added to a fruit salad. Vegetable is not a botany term.)

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Back to the bee case. Soon after the verdict began to make the rounds, University of Virginia law professor Lawrence Solum published a fascinating Twitter thread on the matter. I reached out to ask him a few questions about the rulingin particular, how one court could say that the law covered bees while another didnt.

Solum explained to me that the different decisions of the 2020 appeal and the 2022 appeal come down to the approach the judges use to interpret a law. The fundamental split in judiciary interpretations separates judges into textualists and purposivists. A textualist interpretation, such as the 2020 decision, looks at the full context in which a word is used, while a purpositivist interpretation tries to figure out what the overall goal of the statute was. The definition of fish in this act is an example of what he calls semantic availability, which allows a judge to decide in a textualist or a purposivist manner.

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Because the definition of fish in this statute includes fish, crustaceans, and amphibians, a textualist would read invertebrate and come to the conclusion that the statute implied aquatic or marine invertebrates. This involves a branch of semantics known as pragmatism. Solum gave some examples of how native speakers of a language usually inherently understand words that are left out of a sentence because of the context. If I tell you in the morning I havent had breakfast, you would understand I mean I havent had breakfast yet today, not that I have never had breakfast. The statute would have to be amended to include insects or terrestrial invertebrates in order to cover bees.

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But a purposivist would argue that because this was a statute about protecting endangered species, and another section of the act includes native species or subspecies of a bird, mammal, fish, amphibian, reptile, or plant, then the act should be broadly interpreted to protect any endangered species. And the semantic availability of invertebrates allows them to interpret it broadly, because Section 45 does not specify aquatic invertebrates.

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If that were not enough, the defendants came prepared with proof that a terrestrial mollusk has been protected under the CESA since 1980: the Trinity bristle snail. Not only does this prove that aquatic is not implied in the definition of fish, its also proof that the CESA is already protecting terrestrial invertebrates (mollusks are invertebrates) and therefore should extend protections to the endangered bee species.

Its unclear whether this is a permanent victory, as the agricultural groups may decide to take the case to the California Supreme Court. So far, they have not released a statement in response to the ruling. But if the precedent of the bristle snail holds, this is good news for the beesand good news for our stomachs, too. In a press release celebrating Tuesdays ruling, Rebecca Spector, west coast director at Center for Food Safety, states that one out of every three bites of food we eat [comes] from a crop pollinated by bees. And with more than one-quarter of all North American bumblebees at risk of extinction, our crops will need all the support they can get. So move over, beavers (and muskrats, and capybaras): Bees are fish too.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Culpeper County Public Schools last month celebrated 46 seniors who made commitments to the military or a career at the 2022 Career and Technical Education Signing Day.

Signing Day gives students the opportunity to profess intentions for their future, according to a release from school division spokeswoman Laura Hoover. The event May 12 at Culpeper Technical Education Center is similar to signing days for college athletes.

Students joined parents, employers and recruiters to sign a letter outlining the expectations of each to help ensure success, representing the investment of all parties in the development of the teens futures.

By signing the letter of intent, students agreed to graduate high school in good standing, attend school and work each day on time, pass certification tests associated with their curriculum, and continue to be a model student/employee/recruit.

Culpeper County Public Schools is proud of the success of its students in and outside of the classroom and is excited to see where their new careers take them, Hoover said.
The Bedford County Courthouse clock tower bell will chime 20 times on Monday to honor those who died during the June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion in Normandy, France, officials said.

Bedford County and Bedford town officials said in a news release the effort is part of Freedom Rings Global, an event to commemorate the anniversary of D-Day by ringing bells in localities across the world.

Freedom Rings Global began in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic halted many in-person D-Day anniversary events, the release states.

Churches in the Bedford area also plan to ring their bells, the news release states.

The 20 rings represent the local men who died that day; 19 were from Company A and one was from Company F.

Prior to ringing the bells, the Bedford Boys Tribute Center will host a wreath-laying event at 6:15 p.m. in front of the courthouse.

 From staff reports

 From staff reports
After five years of blood, sweat and tears, the Culpeper Battlefields State Park is on the verge of being born.

The proposal gained the backing Wednesday of the Virginia Senate and the House of Delegates, atop Gov. Glenn Youngkins earlier support for the preserve first proposed in 2016.

The General Assemblys approved budget would create a 1,700-acre state park in Culpeper, focused on the countys Brandy Station and Cedar Mountain battlefields, from land preserved over decades by the American Battlefield Trust. Now, the budget requires only Youngkins signature, expected later this month.

The protection of Culpeper Countys historic battlefields has been among the great success stories of the American Battlefield Trust over the past 35 years, and we celebrate the General Assembly vote unreservedly, Trust President David Duncan said Thursday. The creation of a state park from these protected landscapes is the culmination of a tremendous vision shared by the preservation community, local residents and elected officials from across the commonwealth.

Close to the commonwealths most populous regions, Culpepers battlefields illustrate the sweep of the Civil War in Virginia, from Confederate troops mobilization in 1861 through the Gettysburg and Wilderness campaigns of 1863 and 1864.

The federal Civil War Sites Advisory Commission, created by Congress, ranked Cedar Mountain and Brandy Station higher in national historical significance and priority for preservation than Virginias Sailors Creek, High Bridge and Staunton River battlefields. Those three state parks in Southwest Virginia are tied to the wars final campaigns.

The Culpeper state-park idea gained steam in 2016 when the county Board of Supervisors and the Culpeper Town Council endorsed it. A bipartisan coalition of state legislators, national and local preservation groups, and Virginia residents advocated for the proposal.

As awe-inspiring as these preserved lands are, we came to realize the wherewithal and marketing muscle of the Virginia State Park System was needed to make the battlefields into a genuine heritage tourism destination and economic engine for the community, recalled Jim Campi, the trusts chief policy and communications officer.

Later, state Sen. Emmett Hanger, a budget conferee, aided by Sen. Bryce Reeves and Del. Michael Webert, secured budget language mandating a state-agency study of the park. The effort was reinvigorated this year, when Youngkin supported the park, leading to its inclusion in the states two-year budget.

I am excited to see that the budget conferees included Governor Youngkins proposal to create the Culpeper Battlefields State Park, Reeves said Thursday. This is an initiative I worked on for many years and convinced the new administration to make a priority. This park will be a great resource for the people of Culpeper County and will bring in impactful tourism dollars. I want to thank the great team at the American Battlefield Trust for their consistent efforts to get us across the finish line.

State Sen. Chap Petersen, who chairs the Senate Agriculture Committees subcommittee on agriculture, conservation and natural resources, was another strong proponent.

If you look at how our state parks are spread out, they are very heavy west of the Blue Ridge, running down to Southwest Virginia, and heavy on the Bay side, east of Richmond, the Fairfax County Democrat told the Culpeper Star-Exponent earlier this year. But theres a gap in the corridor from Washington, D.C., down U.S. 29 to Charlottesvillea huge population corridor. ... The bottom line is, this could be a very popular state park within a 45-minute drive of Northern Virginia.

Culpepers location between Manassas National Battlefield Park and Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park will boost visitation to the state park, supporters say.

The General Assemblys compromise budget includes a $3 million appropriation to enable the Battlefield Trust to acquire up to 800 additional acres to enhance the new park. The national nonprofit will donate its 1,700-acre holdings to create the state preserve. Its land is mainly at Brandy Station and Cedar Mountain, but also includes parts of the battlefields at Kellys Ford and Rappahannock Station and a Union winter encampment on Hansbroughs Ridge near Stevensburg.

The state park will be created on July 1, 2024, according to the General Assemblys budget. Many of its sites are now open to the public, stewarded by the American Battlefield Trust, Friends of Cedar Mountain or the Brandy Station Foundation.

The trust will continue to maintain its former lands for a few years while the state park hires staff and mobilizes to assume management of the properties, Campi said.

The trust said Culpeper Battlefields State Park would not be so close to reality without the dedication of many elected and appointed officials.

The group, which protects sites from the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War, expressed its thanks to Youngkin, Reeves, Petersen, Hanger, Webert, Rep. Barry Knight, Del. Robert Bloxom Jr., Del. Alfonso Lopez, Sen. David Marsden, Del. Daniel Marshall and Andrew Wheeler, senior advisor to Gov. Youngkin.

Nestled in the Virginia Piedmont next to the Blue Ridge, Culpeper County is known for its rolling green landscapes, natural beauty and abundant history, the trust noted.

During the Civil War, Culpepers setting between the Rappahannock and Rapidan rivers made it strategically important to the Union and the Confederacy. Thousands of enslaved people crossed its rivers northward to freedom at the first opportunity. As free men enlisted in the U.S. army, some later returned to fight for their country on the same ground.

Both battles fought in Culpeper affected the progress of the nations deadliest conflict.

In the Battle of Cedar Mountain, waged on Aug. 9, 1862, Confederate Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson repelled Union forces that marched into Culpeper intent on capturing Gordonsvilles critical rail junction.

The Battle of Brandy Station, fought June 9, 1863, opened Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lees Gettysburg campaign, his second invasion of the North. The biggest cavalry engagement in the Western hemisphere, it was the first time Union troopers held their own against the Confederacy.

The American Battlefield Trust, which educates the public about what happened on the nations hallowed battlegrounds and why it matters today, has protected more than 55,000 acres from the three major wars waged on U.S. soil. Learn more at www.battlefields.org.

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Envigo, the Cumberland County breeder that a federal judge lambasted for its torturous abuse of dogs and puppies, has relinquished 446 beagles that authorities seized last month after finding them in acute distress.

The disclosure is in a new joint filing by federal officials and Envigo. It seeks to extend Judge Norman Moons temporary restraining order for 14 days so the parties can work out a settlement to satisfy issues raised by the judge and federal prosecutors.

The Parties have determined that the best path forward is to work together toward a settlement to address the issues raised in the Complaint and temporary restraining order, the joint motion says.

The Parties respectfully request a short extension of time to work out the details of their settlement, which will include non-governmental organizations and other third parties.

Agents had already seized 145 dogs as of May 19, when Chris Kavanaugh, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia, filed a federal enforcement action against Envigo, asking the judge to halt the breeders violations of federal animal welfare laws and regulations.

Two days later, the judge, finding extraordinary relief is warranted, issued a temporary restraining order against Envigos Cumberland breeding facility in an effort to halt its torturous mistreatment of beagle dogs and puppies.

Moon ordered Envigo to immediately cease breeding, selling, or otherwise dealing in beagles at the Cumberland Facility, until in full compliance with his order, which requires a long list of corrective actions, including that Envigo provide its dogs quality food, water, shelter and veterinary care.

The judge also halted Envigo from euthanizing any beagle at the Cumberland site without the consent of the U.S. Attorneys Office, or a court order if the federal prosecutor does not consent.

The new joint motion asked the judge to hold off on a hearing on the preliminary injunction that was slated for Thursday.

Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., hailed the news that authorities had rescued nearly 450 beagles from Envigo.

Weve spent months pressing the Department of Agriculture to take action against Envigo following its persistent and egregious abuses of animal welfare laws, and are glad to see enforcement efforts come to fruition, the senators said in a joint statement.

We will continue to follow this case closely and do everything in our power to prevent Envigo from causing further harm to innocent animals.

Envigo had said in a May statement that while it was fully cooperating with federal authorities at the facility, it denies the allegations in the complaint and will vigorously defend against the lawsuit.

Daphna Nachminovitch, a senior vice president at PETA, said in a statement: These docile, long-neglected dogs will be spared untold suffering in cruel and deadly experiments, and they can leave behind Envigos relentless stress, sweltering sheds, barren cages, and chronic deprivation of their basic needs.

PETA is celebrating a new beginning for these dogs and what we hope will be the end of Envigos horrific hell on Earth for thousands of dogs.

On April 4, Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed legislation to protect dogs and cats at breeding facilitiesa bipartisan legislative effort that stemmed from dozens of animal welfare violations at the Cumberland beagle mill.
Within days of accepting the job, the new president of James Madisons Montpelier reinstated the professional staff members fired and suspended by the Virginia historic sites former executive, the home of the fourth U.S. president revealed Friday.

Interim President and CEO Elizabeth Chew shared the news Friday afternoon with Montpeliers friends and supporters via email.

The last few months at Montpelier have presented many challenges, Chew wrote. We know it has been difficult for our supporters to watch Montpelier receive negative media attention and lose valued members of the team.

Today, I am happy to report that following the establishment of structural parity between The Montpelier Foundation Board and the Montpelier Descendant Committee (MDC), our recently terminated and suspended colleagues are back onsite doing their jobs.

Dr. Chew, who took office May 25, swiftly reinstated four staff members who on April 18 were terminated or suspended by the previous administration. She herself had been terminated from her former role as the plantations executive vice president and chief curator.

Backed by The Montpelier Foundations new board of directors, Chew lifted the suspension of Dr. Mary Furlong Minkoff, assistant director of archaeology and curator of archaeological collections, and field director Chris Pasch, on Thursday, May 26.

Dr. Matt Reeves, director of archaeology and landscape restoration, and communications director Christy Moriarty were rehired effective Monday, May 30, according to a post on montpelier.org, website of the Madison familys Orange County seat.

Now committed to an equitable relationship with the Montpelier Descendants Committee, Montpelier is poised to offer the public a more expansive history, the historic site declared Friday.

The staff members reinstatements follow The Montpelier Foundations accomplishment of a historic milestoneinstitutional empowerment of those descended from the plantations enslaved community, it said.

I am so excited to be back at Montpelier working with the people and artifacts that I love! said Furlong-Minkoff, who joined Montpelier as its curator of archaeological collections in 2015. I cant wait to work with the descendants, the board, my colleagues and our amazing archaeology volunteers to find new and innovative ways to tell the stories of the over 3 million artifacts in our collection.

Im delighted for the opportunity to rejoin the Montpelier communityand it truly is a community in every sense of the word because I received so much support during the weeks I was gone, said Moriarty, who began her career at Montpelier in 2013 as tourism coordinator. There is much work to be done, and Im eager to collaborate with my colleagues and the new board to move Montpelier forward into the next chapter.

Chew expressed optimism that Montpelier will recover from recent controversy over how the home of the Madisons and several hundred of their enslaved workers would, or would not, share governance with the slaves descendants.

The foundation board promised equal power-sharing with the MDCa first for any presidential siteon June 16, 2021, withdrew the commitment on March 27 of this year, and finally kept its pledge on May 16.

Im so appreciative that after all that has happened, Chris, Christy, Mary, and Matt were willing to come back right away to continue the important work they have been doing, Chew wrote. The entire staff has been through so much these past few months, and their return has done much to boost morale and generate hope that as an organization, Montpelier will continue in the right direction.

With the boards inspiration and guidance, a productive partnership with the MDC, and the hard work of our exceptional staff, we can move forward as an example to the nation and the world of a new model for museums and cultural institutions, she added.

James French, the foundations newly elected board chair, expressed similar thoughts.

The board has the utmost respect for, and confidence in, these dedicated staff members who have worked for so many years to ensure that at Montpelier, we are telling whole-truth history, French said. We are grateful for their devotion to this mission and, more recently, for their support of the foundations commitment to achieving structural parity between the foundation board and the MDC.

Chew and French are working to restore the foundations reputation and repair its relationships with the community.

I am sure some of you have questions regarding Montpeliers future, Chew wrote supporters Friday. While I want to be clear that we have a long road of recovery ahead of us, we have a lot going in our favor: public excitement around structural parity, the unparalleled expertise of our new board members, the return of staff, and the support of our professional communities.

With the new board, our partners in the MDC, the hard work of our exceptional staff, and your support, I am confident that we can get our financial house in order, she wrote. We can then move forward as an example to the nation and the world of a new model for museums and cultural institutions.

On May 16, the foundation board achieved parity by appointing 11 new directors identified by the Montpelier Descendant Community to join its three previous MDC appointees.

On May 25 in a special meeting, the new TMF board appointed Chew as interim president and CEO and accepted the resignation of her predecessor, Roy F. Young II, which took effect that day.

In March, Chew told the Culpeper Star-Exponent that after more than 20 years of partnership with descendants, staff members repeatedly had been threatened with firing since 2020 for engaging with Montpeliers enslaved community.

2020 is when Young and former foundation chairman Gene Hickok assumed their leadership posts.

In mid-May of this year, after serving four terms, Hickok stepped down from the foundations board.

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Two Marines who served on active duty for a combined 56 yearsand continue to travel the world to bring home remains of missing service memberswill undertake a different mission, starting Monday.

Justin JD LeHew and Coleman Rocky Kinzer are both retired Marine Corps sergeant majors who are hitting The Long Road, a cross-country journey that will span 3,365 miles across 12 states. The two are hiking from one coast to another to raise money for efforts to recover the remains of those missing and killed in action.

LeHew, 52, is the CEO of History Flight, a nonprofit based in Fredericksburg that has brought home the remains of more than 130 missing service members since 2003. Kinzer, 44, lives in Kailua, Hawaii, but serves as assistant operations manager and team leader for History Flight missions.

History Flight and the cross-country walk espouse the motto of both the Corps and the two decorated combat veterans.

It is truly semper fidelis in action, always faithful, LeHew said in a 2020 story in The Free LanceStar.

The cross-country journey also will bring support to Gold Star families who have lost a loved one in military service, and highlight other charitable causes, according to a press release.

The two chose to travel along U.S. Route 20 for a number of reasons. Its Americas longest road, and it highlights the long journey home that over 81,000 missing U.S. service members have been trying to make since World War II, said the press release. It also represents Americas longest wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the men and women who fought there.

Highway 20 is our tribute to all those who served and sacrificed so much in the service of this nation, both past and present, according to a press release.

The route begins at the USS Constitution Museum in Boston Harbor to honor the countrys naval traditions and Marine service. The two Marines are carrying rucksacks to represent the heavy burden carried by generations of warriors who have served since 1775 and as a reminder that we will never surrender and never leave a fallen comrade behind, according to a press release.

LeHew and Kinzer chose to take on the challenge together, rather than individually, to reinforce the military buddy system as well as the principle that You are not in this alone. As he hiked around Fredericksburg-area military parks to prepare for the trip, LeHew responded to questions about how others can help.

He wrote that theyre relying on crowdsourcing and the general goodness of humanity to show that people can indeed come together from all walks of life for a common greater good. Actually, [its] a pretty cool concept when you think about it.

The retired Marines will chronicle their journey at The Long Road Facebook Group.

Donations to support their journey and History Flights mission can be made through PayPal or sent to History Flight/Team Long Road, 317 William St., Suite 1, Fredericksburg, VA 22401.
The Legacy of the Plains Museum welcomed numerous new arrivals in the last few weeks, and these museum exhibits are far cuter than visitors might expect.

Several calves were born to the museums herd of Longhorn cattle over the last two weeks. Theyll be shown off for education and tourism and will then be sold off as a fundraising project in January.

The babies were born when the purebred Texas Longhorns were crossbred with a Hereford bull. Each of the babies is chocolate brown with a near-identical white marking on the face.

This is the first time theyve all looked the same, Dave Wolf, the museums executive director, said. Usually we have a white one, a black one, a brown one ... theyre just a huge attraction.

Gary Warner, a volunteer with the museum, takes care of the calves and their mothers. Hes worked with the museums cattle since 2007. He repairs fences, feeds the animals and helps move them when they need a new pasture.

Theyre pretty shy, Wolf said.

Theyre still rather dangerous just with their horns ... even just being close to them, they turn their head real quick, and that horn will get you.

Harold and Barb Minge, who owned a nearby ranch, donated Longhorns to the museum more than a decade ago, though those animals are long gone. These new calves are part of yet another generation.

The Longhorn breed is kind of a unique breed. Longhorns were originally brought over by the Spanish and as they escaped, they became feral, Wolf said. Theres a lot of genetic diversity, whereas most other cattle are probably streamlined with their genetics.

In the next few weeks, the cows will be moved to a field of grass adjacent to Highway 92. That way, tourists will see them as they drive by and might be more likely to stop by the museum.

The babies arent the museums only new arrivals. A trio of goats, a 4-H project of Wolfs daughter, also live on museum property. The three-month-old animals arrived two weeks ago.

Since the Wolfs live in town and cant keep the goats on their property, the museum was kind enough to house them.

There are two male goats and one female goat. The female is named Flower and the smaller of the males is named Skunky. Wolf said the museum will hold a naming contest for the other male. The rules for the contest are to be decided shortly; people can submit their ideas via social media or email. Museum staff will narrow the selections down to three and Wolfs daughter will pick her favorite from those.

Wolf said the animals are a fixture of the museum just to have the farm aspect of it. Your farms typically always had a couple cows, whether it be for milk or for meat, then for meat you had goats, pigs, chickens because you were self-sufficient and grew your own food. So its trying to demonstrate that and help some 4-H kids out in the same process.

Having them featured in exhibits will allow summer school groups or anyone interested in farm life to learn more about the animals themselves and the different aspects of raising them.

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Nebraska residents now have access to a free, potentially lifesaving medication at Regional Wests Community Pharmacy that can help reverse opioid overdoses.

Community Pharmacy is a participating pharmacy with Stop Overdose Nebraska, a program that educates Nebraskans about opioid addiction resources and distributes NARCAN, a fast-acting nasal spray that can help reverse the effects of an opioid overdose in minutes. Anyone who is a Nebraska resident can obtain NARCAN for free, no prescription required, at Community Pharmacy.

NARCAN is needle-free, easy to use, and doesnt require medical training, so family, friends, and caregivers can administer it, said Michelle Smith, RPh, operations manager at Community Pharmacy. Many accidental overdoses can occur in the home setting, so its important to be prepared in case of an emergency.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 136 people in the U.S. die every day from an opioid overdose. Though Nebraskas numbers are lower, roughly 35% of the states 209 overdose-related deaths in 2020 were opioid-related. The CDC reports synthetic opioids, particularly those involving fentanyl, have contributed to a rise in opioid overdose deaths.

To learn more about obtaining NARCAN at Regional Wests Community Pharmacy, call 308-630-1900. For more information about Stop Overdose Nebraska, visit https://stopodne.com.

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The Knights of Columbus Council #2681 will be hosting their last breakfast buffet until September on Sunday, June 5. Doors will open at 8 a.m. and will close at noon. The breakfast is located at 1719 First Ave. in Scottsbluff and is an all you eat buffet.

Breakfast includes pancakes, French toast, sausage, eggs, biscuits and gravy, and much more. Adults are $8 per person and children are $4 each. Carry out is available. Everyone is welcomed to attend.

Proceeds from the breakfasts go to help several charities in the valley including Camp Scott, Buckboard Riding Academy, local veterans groups, St. Agnes School and many others.

Contact Robert Wolf at 308-631-6170 or bbwolf1955@gmail.com for more information.

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Several university students will travel across Nebraska this summer to give aid to rural communities and further their own educations. Several of them will help out Scotts Bluff County and the Panhandle as a whole.

These interns are the newest cohort of the Rural Fellows program, an experiential learning class organized by the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources Rural Prosperity Nebraska initiative.

Students filled out applications for consideration. They were interviewed about their skills and what attracted them to the Rural Fellows program. Later on, they received letters accepting them to the program and detailing their assignments.

In total, 26 students from four countries were selected to be this years class of Rural Fellows. A dozen of them were sent to the Panhandle, including six students specifically tasked with aiding Scotts Bluff County.

Two students, Ashtyn Humphreys, of Odell, and Murengezi Atali Benimana, from Kigali, Rwanda, were assigned to the Scotts Bluff County Area Visitors Bureau.

Esther Ingabiribyishaka, also of Kigali, and Lauren Campbell, of Kearney, will serve internships to help out the cities of Gering and Scottsbluff.

Nebraskan Arden Tyree Kimme and Texan Alexandra Salinas were sent to aid Empowering Families, a civic engagement organization. Salinas, who attends Texas Tech University, was the only student outside the University of Nebraska system to be selected as a fellow.

I decided to join the Rural Fellows program just as a good opportunity to get that hands-on experience before finding a job outside of college, Humphreys said. Also, to help me decide what path I exactly want to follow when I get to that point.

She said she had wanted to explore a new part of the state, having spent most of her life in southeastern Nebraska.

Humphreys and Benimana have so far worked on finding new things to post on social media for the Legacy of the Plains museum. They will later create a tourism marketing survey.

Campbell and Ingabiribyishaka will work on a business database in Scottsbluff and a highway beautification plan in Gering.

Kimme and Salinas will put together a bilingual candidate information packet for the November primary elections. They will interview candidates and place their responses in a brochure.

Part-time executive director Valeria Rodriguez said the organization cannot promote any candidate over others, but they can provide information about them so potential voters will know more about their platforms.

Kimme said she had done much of her work as an online student and wanted to complete an internship where shed be able to interact with others.

Part of what I wanted to do with Rural Fellows was that I wanted to have something that was in person, to go out and actually meet the community and talk to people, she said. There were other opportunities that also would have been from a distance but, like I said, that was the rest of my program.

Scottsbluff seemed like a great fit for her, she said. She had only visited the area before to go camping.

Benimanas friends recommended the program after taking it in the past.

They were saying its a great opportunity, going into rural communities, experiencing new people, seeing new faces and seeing how people in the community interact with each other, he said.

The fellows wont just work with one group. Kimme will work with the Panhandle Public Health District. Salinas will spend time with the countys 4-H program. Benimana and Humphreys said theyd also help out at the Scotts Bluff County Fair and the Scotts Bluff National Monument.

They said they looked forward to seeing what they accomplish with the various organizations.

Its a lot of learning how to serve different people no matter where they come from and creating opportunities for every single person every single day, Salinas said. ...Being able to connect both Empowering Families and the ag industry in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, is very exciting to think about.

Working as a Rural Fellow will help improve the students networking skills as well, something Benimana said is one of his goals for the summer.

I would just encourage people to visit rural communities, he said. Theres always something going on and its always fun.

The fellows will be introduced to the community at a Meet the Rural Fellows lunch at the Weborg 21 Centre on June 7.

The fellows will work in Scotts Bluff County until Aug. 5. Theyll live in the dorms at Western Nebraska Community College for the duration of their internships.

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Nebraska has joined an effort to urge the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that states can't use public accommodation laws to force business owners to act contrary to their religious beliefs.

Attorney General Doug Peterson said Thursday he had filed an amicus brief as part of a 20-state coalition in the case 303 Creative v. Elenis.

Lorie Smith, who owns 303 Creative in Colorado, is a graphic artist and website designer. Smith wants to expand her business into wedding websites, but she says her religious beliefs prohibit her from promoting same-sex weddings.

Under Colorados anti-discrimination law, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals said that if Smith designs websites for opposite-sex weddings, she is required to create websites for same-sex weddings. Smith sued, alleging that Colorados law violates her rights under the First Amendment.

Other states besides Nebraska who are part of the coalition are Arizona, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia. All have Republican attorneys general.

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Mitchell Community College recently honored its 2020, 2021 and 2022 retirees. These retiring employees have contributed a combined total of more than 300 years of service to Mitchell Community College.

A crowd of individuals including Dr. Tim Brewer, president of Mitchell Community College, and members of the College Council gathered to celebrate Mitchells recent retirees at a reception hosted on campus in a jovial environment where memories were shared, laughs were had and appreciation was expressed by all for retiring Mitchell employees.

Mitchell Community College retirees recognized at the reception include:

2019-2020 retirees

Jeff Benfield began working at Mitchell on July 13, 1999. At the time of his retirement, his position title was chief information technology officer. He also served as director of institutional technology during his employment at Mitchell. Retiring in January 2020, Benfield was a member of the Mitchell team for more than 20 years.

Tina Fleming began working at Mitchell Community College on Aug. 7, 2006, as a BLET Instructor. She initially started out part time from June 2, 1995, through Aug. 6, 2006, as a BLET Instructor and worked as a part-time Fire/Rescue instructor from Sept. 12, 2011, through Dec. 31, 2019. Fleming was a part of the Mitchell family for more than 24 years.

Marcella James began working at Mitchell Community College on March 1, 2003, as a facilities technician. Retiring in June 2019, James was a part of the Mitchell family for more than 16 years.

Dr. Sandra Landry began working at Mitchell on Aug. 1, 2009. At the time of her retirement, her position title was director of student academic success. She also served as director of developmental education and assistant director of developmental education and academic support during her employment. Retiring in December 2019, Landry was a part of the Mitchell family for more than 10 years.

Catherine LeRoy began working at Mitchell Community College on Aug. 11, 2008, in the position of salon office specialist. On Dec. 2, 2013, she transitioned to an administrative assistant. Following that position, she took a receptionist II-HRD position on July 1, 2018, until her retirement on Dec. 31, 2019. LeRoy was a part of the Mitchell team for a little more than 11 years.

Al Lofland has worked for Mitchell from Feb. 3, 2009, through Sept. 9, 2012, as a part-time welding instructor. He began working full time at Mitchell on Sept. 10, 2012, through June 30, 2013, as an instructor. He worked part time, again, from July 1, 2013, through Aug. 31, 2014, and returned to full-time status as the advanced manufacturing instructor; a position he held from Sept. 1, 2014, until Sept. 30, 2019. Lofland was a part of the Mitchell team for more than 10 years.

Barbara Myers began working at Mitchell Community College on Jan. 9, 2014. At the time of retirement, her position title was student services academic adviser. She also served as a full-time academic adviser and counselor. She worked part time as a MIND Center tutor from Sept. 18, 2011, through Jan. 8, 2014, and part time as an adult basic skills instructor from Jan. 9, 2012, through April 30, 2020. Myers was a part of the Mitchell family for more than eight years.

Joyce Roseberry began working at Mitchell Community College on Aug. 29, 1988, as a GroupWise coordinator/assistant system administrator in the Information Technology Department. At the time of her retirement, her position title was assistant systems administrator. Retiring in December 2019, Roseberry was a member of the Mitchell family for more than 31 years.

2020-2021 retirees

Nancy Fields began her career at Mitchell Community College on Sept. 6, 1988. She held the position of student records technician until her retirement on Oct. 31, 2020. She was part of the Mitchell family for a little more than 32 years.

Susan Kulenkamp (in memoriam) began working at Mitchell on July 1, 2006, as a part-time financial aid receptionist. She transitioned to a full-time receptionist at the Mooresville Campus on July 2011. She retired in August 2020 and was a part of the Mitchell family for more than16 years. Kulenkamp passed away in December 2021.

Mary Marks began working full time at Mitchell Community College on Sept. 8, 1997. She held the position of medical assistant instructor until her retirement on Dec. 31, 2020. Marks was a part of the Mitchell family for more than 23 years.

Barbara Salamon began working full time at Mitchell on Aug. 1, 2011, as a full-time math instructor. Retiring in January 2021, Salamon was a part of the Mitchell team for more than nine years.

Betty Scipione began working full time at Mitchell on Sept. 5, 2005. She held the position of director of new and expanding industries until her retirement on Aug. 31, 2020. Scipione was a part of the Mitchell team for 14 years and 11 months.

Charles Shuford began working at Mitchell on Oct. 25, 2004, as a facilities technician. Retiring in June 2021, Shuford was a part of the Mitchell family for 16 years and 8 months.

Loraine Watt began working at Mitchell Community College on Nov. 11, 2002, as a part-time Mind Center tutor. On Jan. 2, 2004, she transitioned into a full-time position working as an information systems instructor. She held that role until her retirement on May 31, 2021. Watt was a part of the Mitchell family for more than 18 years.

2021-2022 retirees

Angie Goodman began working full time for Mitchell on Aug. 1, 2003. She held the position of administrative assistant until her retirement on Sept. 30, 2021. Goodman was a part of the Mitchell family for more than 18 years.

Robert Leslie started working at Mitchell on Sept. 5, 2018. While employed, he served in the following roles: executive director of the Mooresville Campus, dean of the Mooresville Campus and dean of business services. Retiring in February 2022, Leslie was a part of the Mitchell team for three years.

Pam Rowe began her career at Mitchell on July 1, 2013, as a part-time accounting technician. She worked part time until Sept. 4, 2018, when she transitioned into a full-time position as a payroll assistant. She held that title until her retirement on Dec. 31, 2021. Rowe was a part of the Mitchell team for more than eight years.

John Smith began working full time at Mitchell on Jan. 3, 2017. He held the position of maintenance mechanic until his retirement on Jan. 4, 2022. Smith was a part of the Mitchell family for five years.

Bruce Sowers began working at Mitchell on May 12, 2003, as a part-time facilities technician. He transitioned into a full-time position on July 1, 2003, and reclassified to grounds/housekeeping on July 1, 2008. Retiring in August 2021, Sowers was a part of the Mitchell family for more than 18 years.
The Cowlitz County Coroner's Office has a new volunteer team member  a cadaver dog to help find missing people or their bodies.

Ember, a 2-year-old German shepherd rescue, and handler Rebecca Fieken, recently received certification for several tracking and searching skills, according to a coroner's office press release.

Fieken, a coroner investigator, covered the full cost of training and certification and volunteers Ember's skills to the coroner's office with no cost to the taxpayer, said Cowlitz County Coroner Tim Davidson.

Cowlitz County's long-awaited new morgue provides needed space Since moving into the new Cowlitz County morgue, Coroner Tim Davidson no longer has to shut down the office during autopsies.

A cadaver dog is similar to a police K9 but is specifically trained in tracking and locating human remains, Davidson said.

Fieken, who has worked at the coroner's office for five years, began training Ember off duty, according to the press release.

"Rebecca has always had a desire to work with dogs, and the development and training of cadaver K9 follows her professional pursuits within the coroners office," Davidson said. "She also saw the need to have an immediate searching response for those rural areas within our county."

Harry Oakes, founder of International K9 Search and Rescue, assisted in Ember's training, according to the coroner's office.

The team received certification for air scenting in land and water, tracking and trailing, article searching, basic water searching and cadaver searching on land and water, according to the press release. Ember's training is ongoing.

The coroners office, often working with law enforcement, could use Ember to help locate missing people and their remains, as well as for evidence, according to the press release.

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A Cowlitz County District Court judge, who is running for re-election and was charged in 2020 for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, has been reprimanded by a state judicial ethics committee.

Cowlitz County District Court Judge M. James Imboden was censured by the Washington state Commission on Judicial Conduct in April following his guilty plea for reckless driving, stemming from the 2020 DUI charge.

A censure is the highest reprimand the commission can impose, but the committee did not recommend Imboden be suspended or removed from office.

Instead, the commission asked Imboden to complete his probation terms, review the states Code of Judicial Conduct and make public presentations related to his stipulated misconduct, according to commission records.

J. Reiko Callner, executive director with the Washington state Commission on Judicial Conduct, said other censured judges have given presentations on the prevention of their convicted crimes, like encouraging people not to drink and drive at a local service club.

Election

Cowlitz County District Court Judge Debra Burchett was also recently censured by the same commission and recommended to be suspended from the bench for 10 days and to not seek re-election without the commissions permission.

Burchett is not running for re-election, though her term ends in January. Imboden is running unopposed in the August primary election and November General Election and aims to create confidence in his courtroom during his next term.

My hope for my next term is to provide the citizens of Cowlitz County a fair and responsive system of justice while protecting their rights and liberties, upholding the law and resolving disputes fairly and effectively, all while seeking the highest possible understanding, trust and confidence, he said in an email to The Daily News.

Agreement

According to commission records, the commission and Imboden agreed he broke judicial conduct rules, including committing a criminal offense and appearing to be impartial.

Imboden served on the bench as an elected judge for about 15 months before his arrest in April 2020 in Kelso. A police officer said Imboden referenced his position as judge when he was arrested, according to a commission report. Imboden maintains he was not trying to use his power for influence, but understands how his response could seem that way, states the report.

District Court covers matters such as misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor cases, including DUIs and reckless driving. Imbodens case was sent to Clark County, instead of Cowlitz County.

Imboden is the Cowlitz County District Court presiding judge, meaning in addition to hearing cases, he oversees the courts administrative and financial services and acts as the courts spokesperson, according to the state.

Imboden told The Daily News he accepts the commissions sanction.

This has been a very humbling experience of which I intend to learn from as I continue to serve our community, he said in an email.

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Burchett's statement

"First of all, being a District Court Judge and representing Cowlitz County as a District Court Judge has been an incredible honor. Cowlitz County citizens are amazing and I was so motivated to listen to their needs and desires and to implement Community Court and to obtain $260,000 in funding for a follow-up Therapeutic Court. My passion has always been for equal access to justice but in my current position, I have been thwarted and marginalized at every turn. Regretfully, I have decided, on my own volition, to not run for reelection even though many citizens came forward to ask me to run for re-election. My decision came after great thought and in-depth conversations with my family. The effect on me personally these past three and a half years and on my family has been extremely detrimental. Let me be clear, my decision had nothing to do with the CJC but had everything to do with my health and well-being and the stress that my family has experienced.

As far as any mistakes that I have made during my tenure, they have been novice mistakes that a new Judge might make. I am not a victim and I did make mistakes, but none of them were illegal nor intentional.

Furthermore, I have a pending lawsuit against Cowlitz County and the specific details will become apparent shortly and for any other questions, I would refer them to my attorney, Henderson Law Group."
A bus route between Cowlitz County and Lewis County may launch later this summer.

A partnership being worked out between the local RiverCities Transit and Twin Transit, based in Centralia and Chehalis, would fill one of the final gaps for public transit along the entirety of Washingtons Interstate 5 corridor.

Both transit agencies are planning to create a new route into Castle Rock in August and coordinate the times of bus drivers to provide public transportation from Centralia to Kelso and back.

The Cowlitz Transit Authority Board is holding a public hearing Wednesday before making a decision to approve RiverCities side of the expansion. The route needs the board approval because the proposed path goes outside the public transportation district boundaries.

The cooperation was proposed by Twin Transit and talked out over the last year through the Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Planning Organization, a subgroup of transit agencies overseen by the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments.

The biggest gap in the region is the area between Castle Rock and south Lewis County. This will address it, Council of Governments executive director Bill Fashing said.

The agencies see potential demand for the route in both directions. Workers from Cowlitz County will receive an alternative way to get to the growing industrial parks around Winlock and Toledo. Residents of southern Lewis County will get an easier trip to medical offices and other businesses in Longview and Kelso.

I-5 transportation

Twin Transit expanded north a few years ago, providing a highway route to Olympia to fill another interstate gap. Twin Transit Director Joseph Clark said the route had slowly built up popularity to now serve dozens of riders a day and the agency is considering adding a weekend trip.

The Olympia route has proven for us that people need transit and more and more are using it to get between these I-5 corridor cities, Clark said.

The newest proposal isnt the first attempt to provide public transit on this stretch of I-5. Lower Columbia CAP launched an interstate transit service in the mid-2000s to connect rural residents with the public transit agencies at multiple stops between Vancouver and Chehalis. CAP stopped running the northern section of the service after a few years.

The route

On the new proposed route, Twin Transit buses would arrive at the Castle Rock Park & Ride, off Huntington Avenue North, on weekdays at about 7 a.m., 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.

RiverCities Transit Director Jim Seeks said that on the Cowlitz County side, the route would go from Castle Rock directly to the Three Rivers Mall in Kelso before returning straight back to minimize the waiting time for Twin Transits bus. Once the next bus leaves for Lewis County, Seeks said the RiverCities bus could make additional stops in Castle Rock if there was interest.

Route maps, fee proposals and exact starting dates for the service are expected to be released in July.

Clark said if the RiverCities piece is not approved, Twin Transits side of the route will still go forward and could expand all the way into Kelso. Twin Transit plans to apply for regional mobility grants to support the route, similarly to how it funded the expansion to Olympia.

It would help to get that but if not, we have the reserves to continue it, Clark said. Its very important to put this in place now because of the growth in south Lewis County.

Seeks said RiverCities has the funds to support the route for a two-year pilot program. If the new service proved successful, the company could ask Castle Rock residents to vote on officially joining the public transportation benefit area.

We will see after the first year of development and demand; if they want more trips and different times and what does the interest look like, Seeks said.

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A disease in elk that causes deformed hooves and eventually leads to lameness and death is also associated with abnormal, asymmetrical antlers, a Washington State University-led study of hunter reports has found.

The researchers examined hunter harvest reports for nearly 1,700 adult male elk provided by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and found bull elk with hoof abnormalities were more likely to have asymmetrical antlers. The findings, published in The Journal of Wildlife Management, could give wildlife officials and researchers an additional way to identify the disease that poses a risk of decimating elk herds, according to a WSU news release.

Hunters reported seeing more elk with abnormal antlers in areas where there was a lot of hoof disease and they just kept asking the question: What is going on here? said the studys lead author, Margaret Wild, a WSU wildlife veterinarian in the release. What we saw in these harvest reports was confirmation that if the elk had foot abnormalities, they were much more likely to have asymmetrical antlers.

Treponeme-associated hoof disease, commonly known as elk hoof disease, causes sores on the feet and deformed, overgrown, broken or sloughed hooves. Affected elk are often observed limping or holding up a foot, and in severe cases often starve due to their inability to walk. There is no vaccine to prevent the disease or any proven treatments for infected animals, although research at WSU is investigating the disease to learn how to minimize impacts on elk populations.

Wild, who leads the Washington Legislature-funded elk hoof disease research program in the WSU Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology Department, collaborated with Glen Sargeant, a research biologist with the United States Geological Survey, to examine hunter harvest reports for adult male elk harvested from 2016 to 2018 in southwestern Washington, where elk hoof disease is common. Hunters reported hoof abnormalities in more than 35% of the elk, suggesting the animals were infected with the disease.

On average, antler asymmetry was 16 percentage points greater in bull elk with hoof abnormalities. For example, 65% of bull elk with six points on one side had asymmetrical antlers when hoof abnormalities were present. Wild said impacts probably were greater than reported because some animals with antler asymmetry likely had minor hoof abnormalities not detected by hunters.

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NASA will be launching its mission to Venus later this decade which will carry an instrument built by students. What is it? How will it help scientists? Check details here.

NASA is all set for its mission to Venus at the end of this decade to explore the mysteries of the planet. The new development comes from the space agency Venus Oxygen Fugacity (VfOx), a small, button-sized sensor which will be designed, fabricated, tested, operated, and analyzed by students aboard NASA's DAVINCI Mission. These students will be undergraduates and graduates who will join the mission team under the Student Collaboration Experiment. This will allow students to build the VfOx device, analyze the data collected by it after returning from Venus, and also, participate in science activities with the DAVINCI science team. NASA explained the role of this VfOx device in uncovering unknown facts of Venus. Also Read: NASA Hubble Space Telescope spots Hidden Galaxy behind Milky Way Galaxy!

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What is the DAVINCI mission by NASA

The DAVINCI mission, short for - Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging, is planned to launch in 2029. NASA explained that the mission plans to deploy a spacecraft and a probe to Venus to examine the planet's many unanswered mysteries. The spacecraft will fly by Venus twice before dropping its descent probe into the planet's atmosphere, taking measurements of clouds and UV absorption on the planet's day side and heat coming from the planet's surface on the planet's night side. The mission's probe, known as the Descent Sphere, will enter Venus' atmosphere two years after launch, absorbing and analysing atmospheric gases while capturing photos as it descends to the planet's surface in the Alpha Regio region. Also Read: Why Uranus and Neptune colours are different: NASA's Hubble Telescope has the answer

Students built instrument to help NASAs scientists in making great discoveries

The instrument that will be designed by the students, named VfOx will be mounted on top of the Descent Sphere. It will measure the partial pressure of the oxygen in the deep atmosphere beneath Venus clouds. This instrument will work just like the oxygen sensor in many automobile engines, which measures the amount of oxygen in the fuel system relative to other components of the fuel, NASA explained. For the first time, scientists will identify what minerals are most stable at the surface of Venus in the highlands using the data collected by VfOx. These studies will be further linked to the formation of rocks to the recent modification histories.

This will study the balance of how much oxygen is present in the atmosphere of the planet in comparison to the amount of oxygen captured in the rocks of Venus. This will help the scientists to understand the surface minerals in a mountainous region of Venus that has been unexplored by a spacecraft.
When Jody Benedict left Bryan to go to Austin for a heart transplant, her school nutrition family in the Bryan school district did not expect to be celebrating her life this month.

When the districts School Nutrition Services department gathered for its end-of-the-year awards May 31, they planned to present Benedict with a T-shirt quilt to honor the 27 years she spent in the district. Now that quilt, which was publicly displayed for the first time at the awards luncheon, will be presented to her family at a memorial service at 3 p.m. Tuesday at A&M United Methodist Church in College Station.

The quilt includes T-shirts from every campus in the Bryan school district, fabric that represented her role in the department and her love of baking, and a dedication square with the date and heart pattern stitching. Each of the T-shirts are signed by the people she considered family.

Its sort of a gift from our heart for the love and all that she had shared with us, Sandra Baxter, assistant director in the school nutrition department, said.

Benedict, who moved to Bryan from Illinois, served as an assistant director overseeing equipment purchases  especially small equipment  needed for the department.

Her whole heart was in her job, Sundy Fryrear, director of the districts school nutrition department, said. I mean, thats what she lived for and looked forward to, and, you know, thats pretty much probably what kept her fighting for so long.

Without kids or a spouse and with her immediate family in Illinois, Fryrear said, Benedicts colleagues automatically became her family.

Benedict was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy 20 years ago and defied her doctors expectations for how long she would live, Baxter said.

She waited for a heart transplant and received it at the end of September. However, there was a problem with one of the valves of her new heart, Baxter said. She said Benedict was back in the hospital for the next six months before she died May 12 at the age of 53.

Throughout her time in the hospital, Baxter said people would check in on her and her family and share updates and prayer requests.

The idea to create a quilt for her came in March when they learned Benedict would not return to the district after what they hoped would be her recovery.

We felt like this way she would be wrapped in the love of everybody here, Baxter said. And that way, this would be something that she could take with her if she moved back home to Illinois. The hope was that she would recover and come back here.

Lois Robinson, cafeteria manager for Rudder High School, is sorry Benedict couldnt receive the quilt herself, but said the quilt means a lot.

The department took a group picture around the quilt, some choosing to touch it and pray over it.

Im going to miss her, Robinson said.

Many of her colleagues remembered Benedict as a calming presence and a kind person.

She was an angel, Robinson said. She was a good example. Just the way she carried herself. I never saw her get mad. Of course she would get concerned about stuff, but her demeanor was always the same.  She always would say, Hang in there. That was her favorite thing to say: Hang in there. She always told us that. You could go to her for anything. She loved the kids. And she loved us as cafeteria managers.

Robinson said Benedict always had a smile on her face and helped encourage others, calling her a sweet person, sweet soul. She described Benedict as a soldier, saying she was dedicated and had enough love for everyone.

She just had a heart of gold. If we had more Jodys in the world, the world would be just wonderful, Robinson said.

Rebecca Smith, who worked in the school nutrition services administration office with Benedict, said she never met a kinder, more gentle person.

I dont care how hectic everything got, she always had time to say Well, hows it going? Or, Is everything OK? Smith recalled. She just brought a ray of sunlight into your day, regardless of how dark it might be  and there were some dark ones. Shes really going to be missed. I mean, she was a part of the school district. Now, its like theres a little piece missing there.

Baxter said Benedict set a precedent of being kind, taking care of others and making work her home.

Treat everybody like they live in your home, like theyre part of your home, that theyre part of your family, she said, saying that included making sure people did their best not just for themselves but for others in the district also.

Debbie Olexey, cafeteria manager at Mary Branch Elementary who was trained under Benedict, said beyond the adults in the district, her own children were saddened to hear the news as well. Olexey said Benedict would make time out of the day to eat lunch with her son and other children she came to know through her school nutrition family.

I think all the kids were her kids, Olexey said. She was just a positive influence, just so sweet and friendly. You couldnt be around her without feeling better.

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The call came Thursday, only a day after the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard verdict, to a free legal clinic for domestic violence victims in Athens, Georgia. The woman wanted to pursue her abuse claims, but she was worried.

The fear was that shed be seen to be a liar like Amber Heard, clinic director Christine Scartz said of the woman  the first caller to directly mention the verdict. People do not want to give the most intimate details of their personal life and then be called a liar.

Scartz is among advocates and legal experts who fear that the case  unique as it was for its celebrity lineup, sordid revelations, mutual claims of abuse and relentless misogyny on social media  will have a real-world chilling effect on women coming forward with abuse claims. The jury, with five men and two women, mostly sided with Depp in the dueling defamation case, ordering Heard to pay him $10 million to the $2 million he must give her.

Although jurors were considering civil libel claims and not criminal abuse charges, the verdict largely vindicated Depps allegations that Heard lied about abusing her. During testimony, Heard detailed dozens of instances of assault, and Depp emphatically denied ever abusing her. In 2020, a U.K. judge in a civil libel case found that Depp assaulted Heard on a dozen occasions.

For Scartz, who directs the clinic at the University of Georgias law school, the concern is about the assumptions some will make that women are lying. She fears abusers may be newly emboldened to paint their accusers as liars in retaliation for them coming forward.

During the trial, users of TikTok and Twitter vilified Heard in memes and videos, some using court footage. The social media content, viewed billions of times, blasted her as a liar, an abuser, and a fake crier. #AmberIsALiar and other hashtags became popular search terms.

TikTok has tallied nearly 20 billion views for the hashtag #JusticeForJohnnyDepp, compared with some 78 million for #JusticeForAmberHeard. That amounts to more than 250 posts supporting Depp for each one supporting Heard.

The organization metoo.International  launched by Tarana Burke, who coined the phrase decades ago through her work with survivors of sexual violence  has rejected efforts to connect the Depp-Heard trial and the movement.

The way in which #MeToo has been co-opted and manipulated during the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial is a toxic catastrophe and one of the biggest defamations of the movement we have ever seen, the group said in a statement issued before the verdict. What we experienced in the Depp-Heard trial was a public retelling of intimate partner violence between two privileged white celebrities, it said, while also decrying the public humiliation and harassment heaped onto Heard.

While the jury deliberated, the streets outside the Fairfax, Virginia, courtroom became a pro-Depp carnival. The spectacle included a retired detective sporting a pirate hat to pay homage to his Jack Sparrow character and the arrival of a flatbed truck bearing a Pirates of the Caribbean vessel.

Washington lawyer Joseph Cammarata, who represented seven women in a successful defamation suit against Bill Cosby, and Paula Jones in a lawsuit against President Bill Clinton that included a defamation claim, closely followed the courtroom action. He said he understands sex assault victims are increasingly concerned they could be sued if they come forward. But he believes the truth can still prevail.

The trial pitting Heard against Depp, he said, reflected only their relationship and doesnt mean that in all cases, the accused now has an advantage.

It is a story of these two people, he said of the trial. A public story about their private life. And a woman who feels aggrieved, should have an opportunity ... to have her day in court. Her case will be judged on the facts of that case, not on Johnny Depps case, not on any other case, but on her case.
UVALDE  Lauren Bohn and Michele Williams quietly walked through the crowd at a fragrant memorial of crosses and roses days after the worst school shooting in a decade.

Their message: There can be triumph over tragedy for you as an individual. And we are here with you. You are not alone.

They are survivors. The pair lived through Columbine, the 1999 shooting at a Colorado school that would become shorthand for savage massacres of innocent people.

Today, in Uvalde, many have locked arms in support of a largely Mexican American community of nearly 16,000, coping with the deaths of 19 students and two teachers. Trauma experts say the road ahead will be rough. A big worry is the shortage of therapists in a rural area about 85 miles west of San Antonio and 60 miles from the Rio Grande.

Bohn was 15 and Williams 17 when two teens began shooting on April 20, 1999, killing 12 fellow students and a teacher. They became ministers at Red Rocks Church in Colorado and specialists in a trauma that snaps childhoods in two  with the tragedy defining life before and after.

At a downtown plaza last week, Bohn, now 39, and Williams, 41, told their stories to people gathered to mourn. They gently introduced themselves and started conversations about what they went through in Colorado. Clusters of young people responded. Some cried. There were group hugs beneath the live oaks tied with baby blue and violet ribbons.

Bohn and Williams tried to be optimistic. They carried hand-lettered signs that read: We are Columbine. We are Robb. We are with you.

The women wanted people to lean on each other  and many were.

Find your tribe, your people that you can be honest with in the dark days, and you yourself will be holding up someone in their moments, Bohn said. There is hope for tomorrow. Life will never be normal. Its a new normal now.

Uvalde residents said they welcome those who come from outside their city to help.

I feel extremely overwhelmed by the show of support from everybody in the nation, just to our community, said Trish Magdaleno, 49, who wore a burgundy T-shirt that read Uvalde Strong. From everywhere, from law enforcement, to kids coming. I mean, its just everything, not just money, just the physical, the physical, coming down and saying, Were here for you.

San Antonio-based psychologist Amanda Weteman-Romine came from San Antonio to talk to people at the downtown memorial plaza, an epicenter for mourners where one can feel the grief as they approach.

Crosses a few feet high with each victims name are stacked with bouquets and teddy bears and unicorns.

The biggest hurdle will be time. It takes time to work through the trauma, Weteman-Romine said. It is going to be a lifelong work, she said.

At the Uvalde plaza, Weteman-Romine handed out booklets, prepared by another San Antonio-based therapist, Amanda Duran. Its for journaling through grief.

The grieving process will be different for different people. Journaling can be cathartic, especially for those uncomfortable with talking, she said. But grieving is hard for everyone, said Weteman-Romine, who graduated from Uvalde High School.

She worried about children, but also men because they are socialized to not show feelings.

She also worried about triggers, such as loud sounds. The brain holds on to painful memories, Weteman-Romine said, because its trying to protect us and make sure that that painful thing does not happen again.

Those with post-traumatic stress may be overly sensitive to anything that recalls the trauma, she said, but therapy can provide tools to help them cope. What helps is checking the facts, recognizing that theyre actually safe and that brings down the anxiety level, she said.

Sometimes we dont prioritize mental health treatment, especially in this state, and we end up waiting until you know we are really really struggling, Weteman-Romine said.

There have been increasing calls for the state to do more to make sure people in places like Uvalde have access to the care they need.

After a news conference Friday with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a state senator representing Uvalde was focused on mental health and furious about the lack of resources dedicated to it.

Give $2 million to the community health clinic, said state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, a Democrat.

By Tuesday, Abbott, a Republican up for reelection, announced he had made a disaster declaration for the city of Uvalde  a move that speeds resources to state and local health agencies. A spokeswoman said the declaration was actually issued Friday.

Texas ranked last in access to mental health care, according to a recent report by the nonprofit Mental Health America. It measured insurance rates to students who suffered an emotional disturbance and received care.

Catholic Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller said he, too, worried about how stretched the counselors had become. Garcia-Siller, who has a degree in psychology, said he can see the fatigue in the faces of exhausted counselors at the Sacred Heart Catholic School in Uvalde. There the counselors are speaking with children about what happened. Garcia-Siller has told them they must start taking shifts, and then rest.The memorial at the downtown plaza continues to draw hundreds of people each day in acts of solidarity. It plays to all the senses. A gurgling fountain of water is at its center. There are candles with images of the Virgin of Guadalupe, an icon of the Latino Catholic church. Some have left favorite foods of loved ones, a tradition in Mexican altars during Dia de los Muertos. A big bag of spicy Takis chips and cups of noodles peek out in nests of flowers.

A message on the cross for teacher Eva Mireles, who died trying to save her students, reads: Ill miss you forever my beautiful momma  Addy. She punctuated that with a little heart.

Another says: Oraciones por un mundo mejor para tu familia. Prayers for a better world for your family.

A cross for 10-year-old Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez carried multiple rosaries in red, green, yellow, blue, violet and maroon. God is with you, reads one inscription.

Handlers of comfort dogs made the rounds around the green grass of the plaza, as small children ran up to pet and hug the furry creatures.

For those moments, they were free to be children again.
After 13 years of coordinating volunteers for the Nebraska State Fair, the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce is transitioning the volunteer program to the Nebraska State Fair office year-round.

The two organizations entered into a partnership in coordinating Fair volunteers when the Nebraska State Fair began its move from Lincoln to Grand Island in 2009. To relieve the Fair of additional duties while channeling a long history of community relationships, the Grand Island Chamber spearheaded volunteer initiatives that brought forth hundreds of volunteers to the Fair each year, said a news release.

At the programs height, more than 1,000 individuals came out to donate their time and talents to the communitys largest event, yielding upwards of 16,000 hours of manpower annually.

The volunteer program was set to go in-house at the Nebraska State Fair following the Fair in 2019. Unrelated concerns of the Fair board and the hiring of a new executive director led to the decision to maintain the volunteer coordinator program with the Chamber for an additional two years.

The reason for the Chambers involvement all these years was support  support for the Fair and to also ensure that there was both stability and reliability with this very successful and unique program. This allowed the Nebraska State Fair staff to focus on the many other facets of hosting a successful event, Grand Island Chamber of Commerce President Cindy Johnson said in the release.

The relocation of the Nebraska State Fair to Grand Island has proven to be a good decision for the sustainability of the State Fair and mutually beneficial for the University of Nebraska, Grand Island and all of Nebraska. The Fairs success in Grand Island is largely due to the willing support of the community and particularly the leadership provided by the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce, Bill Ogg, executive director of the Nebraska State Fair, said in the release. While I would genuinely welcome the Chamber to coordinate this important Volunteer Program forever, I respect that staffs full time focus on Chamber priorities will better serve the Chamber Mission.

The Nebraska State Fair recently hired Haley Roush, a Grand Island native, as the new volunteer coordinator for the Fair. Roush will shadow current coordinator Courtney Glock until the end of the year. Glock believes it will be a seamless transition with an abundance of positive impacts to follow.

I cannot say enough how much I loved getting to coordinate the volunteers for the Nebraska State Fair over the last five years  fostering relationships, building ambassadors and growing our reach. But I know the program will be best-served under the roof of the Nebraska State Fair, where it was intended to be from the beginning, Glock said.

The Nebraska State Fair is indebted to the Chamber and to Courtney as she has been a tremendous asset to the Fair in this role. I know she will facilitate this transition with Haley to smoothly maintain an ongoing successful Fair Volunteer Program. We applaud Courtneys commitment and appreciate she will always be an engaged Fair ambassador, Ogg said.

Glock recognizes it has been a tough three years of recruitment, overcoming historical flooding and a global pandemic, the news release said. She is looking forward to one last year of coordinating volunteers with hopes of a strong ending to a great run for the Grand Island Chamber.

Grand Island is beyond grateful to be the host community for our states greatest event. Though the Chambers involvement will look a bit different, we anticipate many more years of collaboration with the Fair, Glock said. For now, we are focused on rebuilding our volunteer base and ensuring the Fair has all the helping hands they need come August.

Plenty of volunteer opportunities are still open, especially for afternoon, evening and weekend shifts. To see what opportunities are available or to sign up, visit statefairvolunteer.org or contact Glock at cglock@gichamber.com or 308-382-9211.
MURPHYSBORO  Southern Illinois Airport hosted an open house to celebrate completion of a $26 million dollar expansion and building project.

Steven Burroughs, chairman of the airport board, told the around 200 people gathered for the celebration that the airport opened in 1950 on 160 acres with one hangar and 10 employees.

Today, the airport encompasses 12,000 acres and has three all-weather runways, one that can land a Boeing 757. It is the third-busiest airport in Illinois 104 busiest in the U.S. and generates $122 million dollars per year.

Besides being home to SIU flight, aviation management and automotive technology programs, the airport is home to numerous businesses.

Gary Shafer, airport director, has spent 43 years working at Southern Illinois Airport. He commended the numerous board members who have served during his tenure.

Im thrilled to be part of the airport, Shafer said.

The project they celebrated Friday afternoon drew $26 million over the past three years. That includes $12 million in state and local grants, $10 million in private investment from the airports tenants and $4 million from First Southern Bank and First Bank and Trust.

As a result, the airport has five new buildings. Two buildings added an additional 110,000 square feet to the airport campus. Four tenants have expanded their businesses, and four new tenants have located at the airport.

Shafer thanked the tenants of the airports and the people who have helped with the expansion. Those include White and Borgognoni Architects, designers Asaturian, Eaton and Associates and builders Samron Midwest Contracting and H.E. Mitchell.

Nothing at this scale can be completed in isolation, Shafer said.

He acknowledged tenants, including the National Guard, Aviation Insurance, SIH disaster response team, Code 1 Aviation, Crucial MRO, Air Methods, Enhanced Aero, Yates Awning, GRNE Solar, ISEO marijuana cultivators, and St. Nicholas Brewing Co.

We are the only airport in the United States that brews beer and grows pot, and were proud of it, Shafer said.

Other speakers included State Sen. Terri Bryant, State Sen. Dale Fowler, State Rep. Paul Jacobs, USDA State Director Betsy Dirksen Londrigan, Illinois Representative of the EDA Emily Rhodes and Illinois Designee of the Delta Regional Authority Brandi Bradley.

Bryant joked that it doesnt go unnoticed in Springfield that this evangelical representative has beer, pot, wine and gambling in her district, and is glad to have them. She said it does go unnoticed in Southern Illinois how many good-paying jobs are at the airport.

Were very happy to have each and every one of them, Bryant said.

Fowler said the atmosphere at the airport will draw people to join the 20 tenants currently on the airport campus.

In addition to being an optometrist and state representative, Jacobs is a pilot and has been a tenant at the airport. He credited Shafer for bringing the things businesses need to the airport, like airport police and others who provide safety to pilots and aviation businesses.

Thanks, Gary Shafer. Ive seen him for 43 years building and building here, Jacobs said.

During the celebration, Marc Burton of Crucial MRO signed an agreement to expand with the airport board. He said Crucial MRO has drawn attention from major airlines. They will build two new hangers that will provide aircraft aircraft maintenance and repair for Allegiant Airlines and Deltas regional airline.

Shafer said the airport will announce three new tenants in the next few weeks.

The event ended with tours of the grounds and a party.

Southern Illinois Airport is located between Carbondale and Murphysboro.

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SPRINGFIELD  Just weeks before the primary election, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said he is "worried" about the unity of the state's Democratic Party as competing factions battle for control of the party apparatus.

Durbin expressed his concern in an interview with Lee Enterprises after voting early Saturday morning in Springfield alongside congressional candidate Nikki Budzinski.

"I am worried about it," Durbin said. "We should be together as a party and we ought to say to Robin Kelly, 'job well done, you deserve another term.' I wish all the elected officials could say that to her and put this behind us."

Kelly, a congresswoman from south suburban Matteson, was elected party chair by the Illinois Democratic State Central Committee in early 2021 following the resignation of longtime chair Michael Madigan.

Kelly won 51.65% of the weighted votes of the 36-member committee compared to 48.35% for Chicago Ald. Michelle Harris.

Kelly was endorsed by Durbin, while Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Sen. Tammy Duckworth backed Harris.

Kelly, the first woman and first Black state party chair, announced last month that she is running for a full four-year term. The party chair is elected via a weighted voted of the party's state central committee, whose members will be elected in this month's primary election. A vote would likely come soon after.

"We should be unified behind her leadership because she's done the job," Durbin said. "She worked hard, she achieved things we haven't seen in decades in the state party."

Kelly is currently the only announced candidate.

However, concerns have lingered over Kelly's ability to serve effectively in the role. As a federal officeholder, she is barred from raising or controlling soft money used in state and local races.

Pritzker, when asked earlier this week, would not say if he backed Kelly's bid, but insisted that Democrats "are unified" heading into November.

"My focus is on electing Democrats up and down the ticket, not only making sure on June 28 that we have our incumbents re-elected but also in November," Pritzker said.

Beyond the November election, party unity will be crucial moving forward given Chicago's bid to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention and the effort to make Illinois among the influential early presidential primary states that year and beyond.

However, some signs of division linger.

In the 15th Congressional District, Pritzker appears to be backing lobbyist Liz Brown-Reeves' bid for the state central committee. He donated $20,000 to her campaign last week.

The Sangamon County Democratic Party, chaired by Durbin ally Bill Houlihan, endorsed Adams County Democratic Party Chair Katherine Daniels for the slot. An attempt to rescind the endorsement last week was unsuccessful.

Though the party's committeepeople, one man and one woman from each congressional district, need to be elected first, Durbin said he hoped Pritzker would support Kelly when the vote eventually comes up.

"I wish he would support her," Durbin said. "He of course has to make his own decision. But, a unified party is in the best interest not only of the state, but in the best interest of his re-election."

One candidate Durbin and Pritzker undoubtedly agree on his Budzinski, the Democrat running in the central and southern Illinois-based 13th Congressional District.

Budzinski, a former senior adviser to Pritzker's campaign who later held the same title in his administration, was endorsed by her former boss on Wednesday.

Durbin, an early backer of Budzinski, attended an early voting event her campaign put on Saturday morning. About 30 people attended.

"This is a really big day for our campaign, not just because this is the first time I'm getting the chance to vote for myself for Congress, which is really exciting, but we're kicking off canvasses and weekends of action  so just a lot of field activity," Budzinski said.

Budzinski faces Champaign financial planner David Palmer in the Democratic primary. Four Republicans are running for the seat as well.

Asked about the crisis of mass shootings in the United States, Budzinski said she would support universal background checks, red flag laws and increased funding for mental health services.

"Mental health gets talked about a lot, but I think we need to stop paying just lip service to that and really put meaningful investment behind that," Budzinski said.

Budzinski said she would seek to find consensus on the topic despite acknowledging the difficulty in attaining it.

"So I think we need to take a step back, we need to find the issues where we are in consensus where the majority of Americans support these issues and really meaningfully address gun violence," she said. "We do need to be doing that."

Durbin, the majority whip in a 50/50 Senate, said any package "is likely to be limited" since it would require at least 10 Republican votes to get past the 60-vote filibuster threshold.

But, he "thinks we are reaching a tipping point in this country" on the issue.

"When we've reached the point where it is not safe to be in a hospital, where it's not safe to send your kids to school or it's not safe to go grocery shopping on a Saturday ... you say to yourself, 'this is out of control,'" Durbin said.

"I hope that even if we don't get a lot done now, we can set the stage for a more serious conversation after the election," he said.

Contact Brenden Moore at 217-421-7984. Follow him on Twitter: @brendenmoore13

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BAMBERG  Palmetto Care Connections, Southeastern Housing and Community Development and Clemson Rural Health partnered to host a Telehealth Kick-Off Community Event at the Bamberg Villas housing development at 40 Hawk Court in Bamberg on May 19 from noon to 4 p.m.

The event included telehealth demonstrations provided by PCC, health screenings provided by Clemson Rural Health, health education, digital literacy education, distribution of Food Share boxes, exhibits by local health care providers and community resources, DJ, free food, treats for kids and gift card drawings.

Palmetto Care Connections has installed telehealth equipment in the Bamberg Villas office so that their residents and surrounding neighborhoods can access their health care providers virtually using telehealth, PCC Chief Executive Officer Kathy Schwarting said. Its kind of like a modern version of the old days when doctors would make house calls.

I believe this is the first collaboration of its kind in the state and the first time that a telehealth access site has been established in an affordable housing development in South Carolina, Schwarting said.

Schwarting added, We want to help people connect to their existing health care providers as much as possible, but if their provider doesnt offer telehealth or if they dont have a primary care provider, Clemson Rural Health has agreed to provide virtual care.

Schwarting said that the cost of a telehealth consult is similar to an in-person doctors office visit, and a patients health insurance company will be billed for telehealth care.

Clemson University professor and Director of Clemson Rural Health Dr. Ron Gimbel said, "Clemson Rural Health is thrilled to be a part of increasing access to health care at Bamberg Villas for residents and neighbors. The integration of patient-centered care for underserved populations with innovative solutions makes this an ideal partnership to fulfill our mission to promote prevention and healthy behaviors."

Southeastern Housing and Community Development Executive Director Robert Thomas said, We are a nonprofit organization that fosters self-sufficiency and community development by providing housing, social and economic opportunities for individuals and families. By engaging a holistic approach to community transformation, we create possibilities for lasting change. We believe that telehealth can make a positive impact on the health of our communities.

Thomas said that initially telehealth services will be available at the Bamberg Villas office on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. He said that plans call for offering more telehealth opportunities in the future.

S.C. Rep. Justin Bamberg attended the event.

This Telehealth Kick-Off has been very positive, informative and it is very needed. People need to know what their options are  especially in rural areas like Bamberg. This was very well received by members of the community. Thank you, Palmetto Care Connections, Southeastern Housing and Community Development and Clemson Rural Health for collaborating to bring telehealth to Bamberg Villas. Telehealth is the future for rural South Carolina, he said.

Bamberg Villa resident Tynesha Garrick said, Telehealth is a great way to see your doctor. My baby had a liver transplant in 2020 and she has to go to the doctor in Charleston. With telehealth, we wont have to travel so far for all her appointments.

Her friend Lapaicha Banks agreed.

I have to walk a long way to get to my doctors office from here. This will be good for me too.

Exhibitors included Absolute Total Care; Bamberg County Department of Social Services; Bamberg Family Practice; Bamberg Job Corps; Bamberg Legal; Clemson Rural Health; Dominion Energy; Ehrhardt Pharmacy; Family Health Centers; Family Solutions; Financial Resource Center; FoodShare Bamberg; Hope Health; Humana; Low Country Health Care System; Palmetto Care Connections; Regional Medical Center; Saltcatcher Farms; Save the Children; SC Housing Authority #3; SC Thrive; Select Health; Southeastern Housing and Community Development; and Tri-County Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.

Established in 2010, PCC is a non-profit organization that provides technology, broadband, and telehealth support services to health care providers in rural and underserved areas in S.C. PCC co-chairs the South Carolina Telehealth Alliance, along with the Medical University of South Carolina, serving as an advocate for rural providers and partnering with organizations to improve health care access and delivery for all South Carolinians. PCCs Digital Inclusion Program provides a digital device, digital literacy training and assistance with obtaining low-cost internet service for residents of rural and underserved S.C. communities.

PCC Chief Executive Officer Kathy Schwarting received South Carolinas 2021 Community Star award presented by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health for her leadership as a champion for rural health care and broadband access. The National Cooperative of Health Networks Association named Palmetto Care Connections as the 2021 Outstanding Health Network of the Year.

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Orangeburg resident and U.S. Army Vietnam veteran Timothy C. Brown recalls when danger was a constant companion during his 10 months in a combat zone.

"When they had the air strikes, we would have to go into the bunker," said Brown, who was a truck driver with the U.S. Army 318 Engineer Unit stationed in Pleiku, the central highlands of Vietnam. "They had the mortar attacks and we were getting hit. It never hit our barracks."

"When I went over, I am thinking they are gonna put me in the kitchen," Brown said, adding that during basic training he served as a cook. "Well, they didn't. They needed a truck driver. They had plenty of cooks in the unit they assigned me to."

Brown's responsibility was to haul food and water from the U.S. Air Force base in Pleiku back to the U.S. Army base.

The mortar rounds were a constant.

"It was kind of rough as far as the fear of the next time they hit, it will be us," Brown said. "The sergeant kept telling us, 'Okay, they called the enemy Charlie.' He would always say every other day or so, 'Hey, Charlie is coming tonight.'"

Brown said the enemy would often try to penetrate the perimeter, which was feet from Brown's barracks.

"They never made it all the way through because they got blown away," Brown said. "Whenever they penetrated, we would still have to hit the bunker. We were constantly hitting that bunker to keep from getting blown away."

Brown said the barracks where he was staying was pinned between the perimeter and the helicopter pad.

"The number one target they tried to always hit was the helicopter pad," Brown said. "In order to hit the helicopter pad, they have to come right across our barracks. That is what made it so fearful. That hey, tonight or tomorrow night, it is going to be us."

"A lot of times, you don't have time to get in a bunker," Brown said. "They had fox holes too, but we would always use the bunker."

Brown said sleeping with his M14 rifle was common.

"You hugged it every night in the bed," he said.

Another constant companion was landmines.

"One my buddies, he hit one, and of course, he lost his life," Brown said. "The Lord fixed it where I just never hit one in all the 10 months I was driving a truck."

Brown said he thinks the road he traveled did not not have many landmines due to it being heavily traveled.

"Plus, they were running patrol to the point where it was kind of hard to plant a landmine and you taking the chance of getting blown away yourself," Brown said.

The experience left Brown with post-traumatic stress disorder.

"Right now, whenever I walk out in the back yard and a helicopter passes, I am looking because it makes a noise," he said. "Everybody that was in a combat zone over there, including me, they ended up with PTSD. On top of that, they had Agent Orange that we actually inhaled. It is a wonder that we did not catch lung cancer."

Brown is currently drawing some disability for damage caused by Agent Orange.

"There was no way for you to be there and not inhale it because it was in the air," Brown said. "You could smell it, just like ammonia. We didn't know the name of it at the time, but we knew, 'Hey, there is something in this air.'"

Brown said there was always a glimmer of hope in Vietnam, and this was called rest and recuperation times. These times were something everyone looked forward to.

"That keeps you going," Brown said.

He got two-week-long vacations and chose to use the time to go to Bangkok, Thailand, and Tokyo, Japan.

Another thing that kept him going was the bonding he made with his "buddies."

"We helped each other mentally," he said.

Brown said one of his brothers in his unit was a cook from Chicago and would keep all laughing all the time.

"Then you had this thing called, 'I'm short,'" Brown said. "I'm getting short, which means I only got a few days left. You looked forward to getting short, especially after that second R&R. You know you are getting short."

Born May 1, 1945, in La Grange, Texas, before ending up in Los Angeles to be closer to his brother and sister, Brown was drafted Nov. 9, 1965.

"I never was attracted to the Army or going into the military," he said. "When you get drafted at that time, you had to go down and sign up when you turn 18. It was against the law not to sign it. They called me. They drafted me along with everybody else."

"I was a person and still am who wants to abide by the law," Brown said. "When they say you have to go down and sign, I said, okay, where is the door. I am a citizen and this is a good country. You appreciate the country to the point where you want to do what they say to do."

Brown was the only one of six boys in his family to serve. He said the draft was not in force when his older and younger brothers were of age.

Brown went to basic training at Fort Hood in Texas and Fort Polk, Louisiana, for advanced infantry training.

He was then sent back to Fort Hood.

"Even though I was born and raised in Texas, Fort Hood was like around 200 miles from where I was born and raised," Brown said. "It was kind of like sitting on the edge of the Texas desert. I wasn't used to that."

"They had a little town outside the gate called Killeen," Brown said. "The only thing they had there was tattoo shops, one movie and prostitutes. You had your pick. I got very bored and I want to say depressed from being there and nowhere else to go."

"I went to my sergeant and I told him, 'Sarge, I got to go out. This is not working for me.'"

"He said, 'Brown, the only place where you can go that we are giving transfers to is Vietnam,'" Brown said. "I said, 'Okay, where are the papers for me to sign?' That is how I ended up in Vietnam."

Brown said about 90 days before he got out of Vietnam in November 1967, he was given an opportunity for a promotion if he chose to re-enlist.

"I gave him a nod, he gave me the E5, but when he came back with the papers to sign, I told him that I had slept with my M14 long enough," Brown said.

About two months after he left, the Army base he was in was hit during the Tet Offensive and destroyed, leaving few alive.

After leaving Vietnam, Brown went to back to his Watts (a Los Angeles neighborhood) home he had lived in before leaving to serve.

To his dismay, he had to continue to sleep with his M14 due to rampant gang activity, specifically the Crips and the Bloods.

"When is going to stop?" Brown said.

Brown said when he looks at young men today killing each other, he is hurt.

"Is this what we fought for?" he said. "We went through all these civil rights movements and marching. Is this what we did that for?"

"Hey, man, I had to miss something, but this is not it. This is not what we did all this for," Brown continued. "The military is constantly out there busting their butts to keep us safe. Hey, man. You don't appreciate that? You don't appreciate nothing. Come on, man?"

Brown said when he got back home from Vietnam, he did not encounter protests like many of his brothers in combat did.

"I am glad that I was able to serve and be one of the people who can say, "Okay, I did my part. I did my part and what they asked me to do," Brown said.

Now that he's out of the service, Brown does demolition work occasionally and belongs to the Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter on Amelia Street.

Brown was able to graduate from South Carolina State University May 6 with a degree in drama.

Brown has been married to Helen for 46 years. The couple has two children between the two of them. He ended up in South Carolina. Helen's family is from Santee.

In his spare time, Brown enjoys fishing.

"I can fish every day of the year if I had a chance," he said.

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The extravaganza, in its third day Saturday, marks Elizabeths 70 years on the throne. Here's a look at the events and the royals.
Dogs and puppies

 King, a 1-year-old black male Boxer-mix, needs the warm embrace of safety with you (case 0328).

 Cyndi Lou, a 3-year-old black-and-white female Lab-mix, is no Grinch to be around (case 0361).

 Ollie, a 1-year-old spotted white-and-black male Lab-mix, will only have eyes for you (case 0542).

 Nosey, 2-year-old tan female Shepherd-mix, needs someone to love just as much as she does (case 0001).

 Bandi, a 4-5 year-old white female Lab-mix, needs love she has never been shown (case 0051).

 Petunia, a 2-3 year-old brindle female Boxer-mix, will cuddle with you all day long (case 0137).

 Diesel, a 14-month-old black male Boston Terrier-mix, is that fire you need in life (case 0242).

 Rusty, a 9-month-old black-and-brown male Huskey/Rottweiler-mix, will make you feel brand new (case 0274).

 Rex, a 1-year-old brindle male Boxer-mix, is more than the average mans best friend (case 0261).

 Timmy, a 1-year-old tan male Mountain Curr-mix, needs someone to show him a loving touch (case 0159).

 Starlight, a 3-year-old gray female Lab/Boxer mix, will give you all of her love (case 0422).

 Sampson, a 2-year-old black male Boston Terrier-mix, is searching for his Delilah (case 0034).

 Dick, a 7-month-old gray brindle male Pointer-mix, wants a Batman for his Robin (case 0281).

 Smoke, a 11-month-old brindle male Boston Terrier-mix, will light a fire in your heart (case 0023).

 Bruce, a 16-month-old black male Lab, will always be there to save the day (case 0028).

 Sawyer, a 2-year-old white-and-orange male Lab-mix, needs a good country girl in his life (case 0026).

 Rambo, an 18-month-old white-and-black male Lab-mix, will go on any adventure with you (case 0014).

 Benny, a 11-month-old tan-and-white male Pyrenees/Mountain Curr-mix, will replace your favorite teddy bear (case 0050).

 Hope, a 3-year-old tan female Boxer-mix, will fill your heart with love (case 0051).

 Archer, a 4-year-old tan-and-white male Lab/Pointer-mix, will always point his love in your direction (case 0022).

 Apollo, a 3-month-old tan male Lab-mix, is like music to your ears (case 0036).

 Albert, a 1-year-old tan male Lab/Boxer-mix, will love you more than himself (case 0045).

 Glimmer, a 4-month-old black female Boxer/Lab-mix, will bring sparkle into your life (case 0048).

 Shera, a 4-month-old red female Boxer/Lab-mix, will rescue you (case 0047).

 Fred, a 5-year-old white-and-tan male Carolina-mix, is patiently waiting for his Wilma (case 0052).

 Henry, a 6-month-old chocolate male Lab, would go to the end of the Earth for you (case 0068).

 Reba, a 3-month-old tri-color female Beagle-mix, has the bark of an angel (case 0068).

 Judd, a 3-month-old tri-color male Beagle-mix, needs a new riding partner (case 0069).

 Artemis, a 5-month-old tan-and-black male Lab/Shepherd-mix, cures the blues with his licks (case 0082).

Cats and kittens

 Penelope, 2-year-old tabby female, will turn your sour in to sweet (case 0331).

 June, an 18-month-old black female Bombay-mix, who makes it feel like summer all year long (case 0178).

 Dotty, a 2-year-old tabby female DSH, will make your heart skip a beat (case 0548).

 Freda, an 11-year-old tri-color female calico, knows cuddles are the best medicine (case 0075).

 Missy, a 7-month-old female tortoise shell, who needs someone classy in her life (case 0229).

 Cynthia, a 1-year-old female diluted calico, is the best couch surfer (case 0132).

 Sunshine, an 18-month-old orange-and-white female tabby DSH, will show brighten your day (case 0185).

 Meow, an 11-month-old female tortoise shell, knows purrs are the way to your heart (case 0260).

 Gomez, a 6-month-old black male DSH, needs a Morticia in his life (case 0031).

 Mingo, a 2-year-old grey tabby male Persian-mix, is the handsome gentleman youve been searching for (case 0029).

 Captain, a 7-month-old gray-and-white Siamese-mix, needs a new ship to call home (case 0071).

 Pumpkin, a 6-week-old orange female DSH, is a year round treat (case 0073).

 Briggs, an 8-week-old black male DSH, will go on any adventure with you (case 0087).

 Nico, an 8-week-old black male DSH, has a way with purrs (case 0090).

 Opal, an 8-week-old black female DSH, shines as bright as a rare gem (case 0089).

The Orangeburg SPCA will be limiting the number of people inside its facility at this time. Hours of operation are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the first and third Saturdays. The SPCA is located at 225 Ruf Road and the phone number is 803-536-3918. Check out available adoptions on the internet at orangeburgspca.petfinder.com, the interactive website at www.OrangeburgSPCA.org and Facebook page at Orangeburg SPCA. Email any questions to adopt@orangeburgspca.org.

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BEIRUT  Lebanon's central bank governor and his brother are suing the state over what they say were "grave mistakes" made by a public prosecutor in his investigation of whether they had embezzled public funds, according to a copy of the lawsuit.

Their claim has led to concerns that the public probe into the two brothers could stall, after similar lawsuits paralyzed an investigation into the devastating 2020 explosion at Beirut's port.

Public prosecutor Jean Tannous has been investigating allegations of embezzlement and other misconduct at the central bank involving $300 million in gains made by a company owned by Raja Salameh, brother of Lebanese Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh.

The brothers have denied the accusations.

This week, they filed a suit against the Lebanese state accusing Tannous of committing "grave mistakes" through the course of his probe, according to a copy of the lawsuit seen by Reuters on Friday.

Tannous declined a Reuters request for comment while Riad Salameh did not immediately respond to a similar request.

The document alleges that Tannous is biased and lacks the legal authority to access bank information, arguing that only the central bank's special investigation commission has that prerogative.

The commission is typically headed by the central bank governor. Salameh told Reuters earlier this year he stepped back from presiding over it as far as it pertains to his case, "so there is no conflict of interest."

The lawsuit also claims that Tannous's attempt to obtain account information from commercial banks in January as part of the probe violated banking secrecy laws. It also accuses Tannous of circumventing official channels to coordinate directly with judiciaries abroad on the probe.

Riad Salameh is facing judicial probes in at least five European nations over the same accusations of embezzlement and money-laundering.

In May, French investigative judge Aude Buresi traveled to Beirut and met with Tannous, Lebanon's top prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat, and other judges.

During her visit, the central bank's special investigation commission handed over account information on Raja Salameh from nine Lebanese banks to Oueidat, in the first known case of such information-sharing.

Nizar Saghieh, the head of rights watchdog Legal Agenda, said the lawsuit could "freeze the case indefinitely" as it was filed to a public court whose members have yet to be named.

Similar lawsuits filed to this body have managed to stall another state investigation into the causes behind the Beirut port blast, which killed more than 215 people.
Louis Bloomsfield inspects the kegs of beer at his brewery in north London, eagerly awaiting June, when he will get an extra day off every week.

The 36-year-old brewer plans to use the time to get involved in charity work, start a long-overdue course in particle physics, and spend more time with family.

He and colleagues at the Pressure Drop brewery are taking part in a six-month trial of a four-day working week, with 3,000 others from 60 UK companies.

The pilot -- touted as the world's biggest so far -- aims to help companies shorten their working hours without cutting salaries or sacrificing revenues.

Similar trials have also taken place in Spain, Iceland, the United States and Canada. Australia and New Zealand are scheduled to start theirs in August.

Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, a programme manager at 4 Day Week Global, the campaign group behind the trial, said it will give firms "more time" to work through challenges, experiment with new practices and gather data.

Smaller organisations should find it easier to adapt, as they can make big changes more readily, he told AFP.

Pressure Drop, based in Tottenham Hale, is hoping the experiment will not only improve their employees' productivity but also their well-being.

At the same time, it will reduce their carbon footprint.

The Royal Society of Biology, another participant in the trial, says it wants to give employees "more autonomy over their time and working patterns".

Both hope a shorter working week could help them retain employees, at a time when UK businesses are confronted with severe staff shortages, and job vacancies hitting a record 1.3 million.

- Not all rosy -

Pressure Drop brewery's co-founder Sam Smith said the new way of working would be a learning process.

Bosses at the brewery hope it will improve employees' productivity as well as their well-being /  AFP

"It will be difficult for a company like us which needs to be kept running all the time, but that's what we will experiment with in this trial," he said.

Smith is mulling giving different days off in the week to his employees and deploying them into two teams to keep the brewery functioning throughout.

When Unilever trialled a shorter working week for its 81 employees in New Zealand, it was able to do so only because no manufacturing takes place in its Auckland office and all staff work in sales or marketing.

The service industry plays a huge role in the UK economy, contributing 80 percent to the country's GDP.

A shorter working week is therefore easier to adopt, said Jonathan Boys, a labour economist at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

But for sectors such as retail, food and beverage, healthcare and education, it's more problematic.

Boys said the biggest challenge will be how to measure productivity, especially in an economy where a lot of work is qualitative, as opposed to that in a factory.

The trial will involve some reorganisation of rotas to keep the brewery functioning /  AFP

Indeed, since salaries will stay the same in this trial, for a company to not lose out, employees will have to be as productive in four days as they are five.

Yet Aidan Harper, author of "The Case for a Four Day Week", said countries working fewer hours tend to have higher productivity.

"Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands work fewer hours than the UK, yet have higher levels of productivity," he told AFP.

"Within Europe, Greece works more hours than anyone, and yet have the lowest levels of productivity."

- 'Hiring superpower' -

Employees in the UK work roughly 36.5 hours every week, against counterparts in Greece who clock in upwards of 40 hours, according to database company Statista.

Phil McParlane, founder of Glasgow-based recruitment company 4dayweek.io, says offering a shorter workweek is a win-win, and even calls it "a hiring superpower".

His company only advertises four-day week and flexible jobs.

They have seen the number of companies looking to hire through the platform rise from 30 to 120 in the past two years, as many workers reconsidered their priorities and work-life balance in the pandemic.
Welcome to the weekend! Friday marks Neighbour Day in Luxembourg, so time to get the street together for a little party. But there's plenty more, too!

1. Go to KLEIN.'s album release party

What: Feast for jazz and electronica fans

Where: Kulturfabrik, 116 Rue de Luxembourg, 4221 Esch-sur-Alzette - Google Maps

When: Saturday, 21 May at 7.30pm - info & tickets

KLEIN. is the project of Luxembourg multi-instrumentalist Jerome Klein, who intertwines pop with jazz and electronica. He shares the stage with Niels Engel, Pol Belardi and Charles Stoltz, three incredible musicians (and multi-instrumentalists) in their own right. This weekend he is presenting his new album Sonder at Kulturfabrik, a show that guarantees an explosive energy, deep melancholic tones and plenty of live musicianship. Really worth it, according to this editor.

2. Geek out at geek fair

What: Pay homage to the 80s and 90s

Where: Rotondes, 3 Place des Rotondes, 2448 Luxemburg - Google Maps

When: Saturday, 21 May as of 12pm and Sunday, 22 May as of 10am - more info



Remember those weekend mornings spent reading or watching cartoons? Playing Super Mario on the NES? Meeting friends for an afternoon game of Risk, or discovering films like ET, Star Wars or Back to the Future for the first time? All these memories are about to be revived at the Geek Fair! Find the video and board games that you've been missing (or regret selling decades ago), discover cartoons you missed out on or even have your old Game Boy repaired! Folks, it's time to be a child again at Rotondes this weekend - nobody will judge.

3. Hear talk about Europe and its future



What: Hosted by Pierre Werner Institute

Where: Neimenster, 28 Rue Munster, 2160 Luxembourg - Google Maps

When: Friday, 20 May at 7pm - info & registration

Faced with the current challenges  war in Europe, climate change, populism and misinformation  European citizens are asking more questions than ever about their relationship with Europe. What place and role does/should the European Union occupy in the world? How can we define European democracy today? How to respond to the climate and energy challenges in the world? These are the questions that guests will try to answer during this Nuit des idees (Night of Ideas) in Luxembourg. Just a head's up that the talk will mostly be in French and German.

4. Discover outdoor adventures and activity centres



What: Tree climbing, skydiving, horse-riding and more...

Where: Various locations

When: As preferred - article here



Whether it's a canoe trip on the Sure, soaring skyward in a hot air balloon, or hitting the high ropes at an activity centre, Luxembourg has you covered. Last year, our colleague Brendan put together an epic list of outdoor adventure activities in the Grand Duchy (or close by). Find the full list here.

5. Watch Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness



What: Sci-fi fantasy

Where: Kinepolis, 45 Avenue J-F Kennedy, 1855 Luxembourg - Google Maps

When: Times vary this weekend - info and film programme

This 2022 Marvel superhero film tells the story of Dr Stephen Strange, who casts a forbidden spell that opens a portal to the multiverse. However, a threat emerges that may be too big for his team to handle. Great if you're looking for some action combined with fantasy.

6. See contemporary art at LuxExpo

What: Art from Luxembourg and surroundings

Where: LuxExpo, 10 Circuit de La Foire Internationale, 1347 Luxembourg - Google Maps

When: Friday, 20 May - Sunday, 22 May, times vary - more info



The Luxembourg Art Fair opens its doors again this weekend after a pandemic-induced break of two years. More than 80 galleries and 3,000 works are exhibited, including paintings, sculptures, photography and more. Whether you're looking for an addition to your living room design, or just want to take in contemporary art without a purchase, this can be a nice afternoon event on either Friday (open til 10pm), Saturday (11am-8pm) or Sunday (11am-7pm).

 Frank Elsen

7. Celebrate your neighbours

What: Nopeschfest 2022

Where: In your local area

When: Friday, 20 May or over the weekend - more info here

This Friday marks Neighbour Festival! Who keeps a watchful eye on your house when you're away, takes out the trash or empties the mailbox? Or do you have neighbours who play loud dubstep music at 4am on a Tuesday night? Ok, then maybe not, but on this day it's time to celebrate each other's neighbours. Organise a little gathering in the street this weekend, using press material from the Luxembourg Association of Local Solidarity. Check with your municipality, as they may even set up traffic barriers so you can use your street freely. 44 Luxembourg municipalities support the Nopeschfest 2022 already, so if yours is one of them, a gathering may already have been organised - full list here.

Have we missed anything? Let us know at contenttoday@rtl.lu
According to the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (STATEC), workers in Luxembourg are among the most satisfied in Europe. But not everyone is on an equal footing.

How can you ensure the well-being of over 500,000 people in a fast-paced economy for up to eight hours a day and 40 hours a week? According to a STATEC report, only one out of every seven workers in Luxembourg is dissatisfied with their job. This percentage is "very low," according to the institute's 'PIBien-Etre' ("GDP-Wellbeing") report. With a score of 7.7 out of ten, the Grand Duchy ranks among the best in Europe in terms of worker satisfaction.

But what does cause Luxembourg's residents to be dissatisfied with their employment situation? It all depends on the characteristics of the job, age, and nationality, according to STATEC.

Overtime, shift work, and age are  in that order  the three factors that are most likely to adversely affect job satisfaction. "Employees who work overtime are the most dissatisfied, at 19%," STATEC explains. Those who do not work more hours than their contract requires are generally happier.

Men tend to be slightly less satisfied with their jobs than women. Similarly, young people (15-34) are not as content as older workers.

Luxembourg nationals are more likely to be happy with their jobs than employees of other nationalities. This is especially true for civil servants, who are more satisfied than private sector employees. Obviously, income is a factor: the highest-paid employees are less likely to complain about their working conditions.

Home office increases job satisfaction

STATEC concludes that there is "no difference in dissatisfaction based on the type of contract (fixed-term or open-ended), the degree of self-defined work (full-time versus part-time), and marital status (living with spouse or not)". Although mentioned above, the gender gap is considered insignificant. So are education levels and travel time to work.

On the other hand, the report states that 'those who cannot work from home and those who work 32 hours or more per week are more frequently dissatisfied'. Employees who are able to work from home are less likely to be dissatisfied.

You can download the full Statec report here.
Environmental researcher Jeff Da Costa lost his job at RSS-Hydro last year following several media appearances criticising the government's handling of the 2021 floods.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Da Costa had been fired from his role at RSS-Hydro in Dudelange following fears the company and his former colleagues could be subjected to political pressure.

The government has now responded to the allegations in written form. Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said his government was explicitly committed to freedom of opinion and research, in an exceptionally quick response to a parliamentary question on the matter posed by the Pirate Party's Sven Clement two days ago.

He added that it was common practice for scientists and researchers to critically examine the work of the government. It was a normal process and not forbidden or undesirable in any way.

Bettel concluded that a government minister would never have put pressure on Da Costa or his employer at the time.

Clement's question was raised following the news of Da Costa's dismissal last autumn, after his employer Guy Schumann was said to have wanted to prevent his other six employees from being subjected to "political pressure".

The Chamber will discuss the matter in two commissions on Friday afternoon.
Emine Dzhaparova, the Ukrainian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, addressed the Chamber of Deputies in Luxembourg this week, pleading for further support for Ukraine and stressing the country's desire for membership of the EU.

91 per cent of the Ukrainian population is in favour of EU candidacy and many believe it is the only way to escape the Russian regime.

Dzhaparova said that EU candidacy is the reason why Ukrainians are still resisting. They are fighting not only for Ukraine, but also to defend European values.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky himself also addressed the Chamber and the government via video conference on Thursday. He thanked the Chamber for Luxembourg's support and reiterated that his country needed more weapons to fight Russian troops.

 SIP/Julien Warnand  SIP/Julien Warnand  SIP/Julien Warnand The photos published on this site are subject to copyright and may not be copied, modified, or sold without the prior permission of the owner of the site in question.

In the Chamber, Dzhaparova thanked Prime Minister Bettel for Luxembourg's support of Ukraine's military and its European ambitions. Dzhaparova ended on the note that she would return home feeling enormously supported by Luxembourg.

Weve got your back  https://t.co/MxBq0RsKXD  Xavier Bettel (@Xavier_Bettel) June 2, 2022

Dzhaparova also met with Francois Bausch to discuss the military support already provided, the current needs of the Ukrainian armed forces and the planned transfer of equipment by the Luxembourg Defence.

In a further meeting with Jean Asselborn, the humanitarian crisis taking place in Ukraine was addressed. Dzhaparova raised the genocide-like actions of the Russians, as well as the famines, imprisonments, and deportations, which remind her of Stalinism.

Asselborn assured Dzhaparova of Luxembourg's support for international justice and for bringing to justice those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law. He also stressed that Luxembourg continues to receive Ukrainian refugees, having granted 4,000 refugees a temporary protection status.

It has now been over 100 days since Russia attacked Ukraine - 100 days of horror, Dzhaparova underlined.
The bathing season is about to start again in Luxembourg, and the municipality of Esch-sur-Sure has confirmed that the online booking system for the Upper Sure Lake has been scrapped.

Bookings were introduced during the pandemic to gain a better overview of visitor numbers. After two years, the council of Esch-sur-Sure has decided to scrap this, meaning that bathing enthusiasts can return to the lake without having to register in advance.

However, the car parks near the lake will be more expensive: the price will increase to 3 euros per hour. Residents of the municipality can park their cars free of charge and fishermen or divers can receive a season ticket for 75 euros.

The local authorities are calling on the public to use public transport or to use the car parks around the site.

Visitors are also reminded not to leave rubbish behind, as authorities continue to find trash discarded all around the lake.

All official information can be found on Visit Luxembourg.
Contractors in Tobago, who are owed millions of dollars from the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), had a meeting with Chief Secretary Farley Augustine and Division of Infrastructure Secretary Trevor James, on Monday.

The meeting was held at the Division of Finance headquarters in Scarborough.

This was confirmed by one contractor who spoke to the Express following the meeting.
Wondrous Xinjiang: Rural livestock bazaar in Xinjiang brings fortune to locals

Xinhua) 16:04, June 03, 2022

URUMQI, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Pervaded with an overpowering smell of animal feces, the "flocks and herds" bazaar in a small village in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region started receiving traders and buyers in the early morning.

Every Tuesday, nearly 10,000 people, some from outside Xinjiang, gather at the bazaar in Shule County of Kashgar to trade cattle and sheep. Other livestock like horses, camels and donkeys are also traded in designated areas.

"Around 4,000 cattle are sold in a day, along with deals of sheep and other stock. The trading volume on a single day is up to 80 million yuan (about 11.9 million U.S. dollars)," said Memettursun Abdurehim, a bazaar manager.

The bazaar now occupies an area of 6.3 hectares, some 20 times its original size when the business started in 2015.

In southern Xinjiang, the bazaar has gained wide fame for its diversified variety of cattle. "Some quality cattle can fetch a price up to 50,000 yuan, while a normal breed sells at around 10,000 to 20,000 yuan," Memettursun Abdurehim said.

Qasim Obul, a countryman from Akto County, came to the bazaar early in the morning. Through a five-hour screening, he spent 27,400 yuan on a Simmental cow.

Qasim Obul makes a living by farming and doing manual work while his wife feeds cattle. They earn an annual household income of over 100,000 yuan.

After the purchase, Qasim Obul spent an extra 30 yuan on a physical examination service from the livestock veterinarian station at the bazaar to make sure his new stock is already pregnant.

According to the head of the station, only healthy livestock are allowed to be traded at the bazaar. Besides setting the checkpoint at the entrance, the station also sends staff to patrol and conduct random checks.

The bazaar has also established business connections with other regions. Guo Fuqiang, 62, first came to the bazaar from central China's Hubei Province in the 1990s as a broker.

"I bring calves from Hubei here and then transport the adult cattle back to my hometown," said Guo. His family of three settled near the bazaar five years ago.

At the end of the day, fleets of trucks stuffed with stock departed from the bazaar, while nearby barbecue restaurants bustled with herders, farmers and retailers.

(Web editor: Zhao Tong, Bianji)
Ghost vaccination policy: Umar Abdullah, leader of the First Wave Movement, joins workers outside Kenson Operational Services Ltd at Lady Hailes Avenue, San Fernando, on Wednesday to bring awareness to practices at the company. Photo: TREVOR WATSON
THE State has just one more witness to call against Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Deputy Ch
School fights are not new. For as far back as anyone can remember, the schoolyard has been a place where teenagers, in particular, settle scores.

What is new is the magnifying of school violence through camera phones and video posts on social media, which add an entirely different and more dangerous dynamic to the traditional school fights.
Borderwallapalooza  thats the name of an event that vigilantes on the Southern Arizona border are planning for Fourth of July weekend in a national refuge, which seems to be legal as long as it stays on federal land within 60 feet of the border.

The small group of men recently were camping along the border wall near Sasabe. They are promoting what theyre calling a social gathering to bring awareness to the exploitation of trafficked immigrant children, in Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, from July 1-4.

The men, some of whom were recently written about in the New York Times, promote QAnon and a number of other conspiracy theories.

A website dedicated to the event says musicians and vendors are to be announced and that attendees should bring anything you would want to be comfortable to camp out.

Its official please help get it out so we can raise as much awareness as we can and get a few thousand people here to shine light on these kids that are being trafficed (sic) through the border, an organizer posted on social media.

The place where the men had been camped, before recently leaving but saying they would be back, is in the refuge but actually on the Roosevelt Reservation, federal land that runs along much of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Camping is allowed on most federal lands as long as it does not conflict with other authorized uses or in areas posted closed to camping, according to the Bureau of Land Management.

Although Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge laws and regulations say people are only allowed to camp in designated spots, both the BLM and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversees the refuge, said the 60-foot-wide strip of land along the border in the refuge is managed under jurisdiction of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Customs and Border Protection would only say it is aware of the event, along with a boilerplate response that it encourages people planning activities in remote areas or locations where illegal cross-border activity occurs to let CBP know what theyre doing.

Certain types of interactions with migrants could result in prosecution, the agency said, such as providing transportation or other assistance to migrants that may be viewed as furtherance of illegal entry.

Videos posted on social media show the men talking to migrants who crossed the border through a gap in the wall where the men were camping. The men speak with authority in the videos to groups that are mostly children and teens. Often knowing only a few words in Spanish, the men tell the migrants to speak into the camera and to give their name, age, country of origin, the state theyre traveling to and the phone number of their U.S. sponsor. They tell children wearing masks to remove them.

Most migrants intending to seek asylum have a family member or friend in the U.S. who becomes their sponsor when they enter the country.

Humanitarian aid workers say the men have collected hundreds of these phone numbers and they are concerned what they plan to do with the information.

The men were calling Border Patrol after collecting information from the migrants and sometimes giving them food, bibles and other small items.

In the past, humanitarian aid workers have been arrested and prosecuted for various crimes they were later acquitted of after providing migrants with supplies such as blankets and water.

Whether what the men are doing is legal is a complicated question, said Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, a professor at George Mason University, whose areas of expertise include Mexico-U.S. relations, organized crime, border security and human trafficking.

The legality of asking questions of and publicizing the personal information of vulnerable children would be a question for the courts, she said.

I have the right to ask questions of other people, and you have the right to respond or not, Correa-Cabrera said. But they are doing this with children who are in a vulnerable situation, who are asylum seekers, and that makes the decision in this regard, or the analysis, much more complex.

Also, publicizing that personal information when there is a portion of the population with anti-immigrant sentiments could put the children and sponsors at risk, she said.

As far as whether children coming across the border are being sex trafficked, which is what the men claim, Correa-Cabrera said that is a concern though there hasnt been enough research done to produce evidence.

Typically when migrant children go to a sponsor in the U.S., post-relief services are provided for a short period of time and then theres no follow-up, she said.

Theres not a very transparent mechanism to prevent trafficking, Correa-Cabrera said.

Researching and dealing with trafficking of minors should not be done by people who dont have the training and tools to do that work without victimizing the minors, she said.

Contact reporter Danyelle Khmara at dkhmara@tucson.com or 573-4223 . On Twitter: @DanyelleKhmara

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Their story started in rural Nayarit, where a girl named Benita scratched for leftover beans in harvested fields and scraped the thin layer of fruit off discarded banana peels.

It wound through so many places  among them, San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora; Salinas and El Monte, California; Yuma.

Now its winding down, comfortably and without hunger, in suburban Tucson.

Dr. Julio Garcia, who saw patients for 12 1/2 years at Oro Valley Family Practice, and the grandmother who raised him, Benita Ibarra, 87, are together again, for the duration.

Their story is like so many others  a grandparent raising their grandchild, a middle-aged person caring for an older family member. But so unique to them.

I learned from a young age  I dont know when  that my situation was different, Garcia said. And I learned that my grandmothers circumstances, coming from abuse and coming from all that stuff, were different.

Ibarras own mother died in childbirth when Ibarra was 6, living on a rancho just south of the Sinaloa border. That made her upbringing rough.

We were hungry, Ibarra said in Spanish when I interviewed her and her grandson last month. My sister and I would walk the streets and if we saw banana peels, wed clean them off. Half for me, half for her.

She left as a teen and ended up in San Luis Rio Colorado, eventually having five children of her own. Once she got a visa to spend 72 hours in the border zone of the United States, and she overstayed, going to Los Angeles and then north to Salinas where she worked in the fields.

Potatoes, chiles, grapes, oranges, strawberries. With that, the family eventually got established in the United States and over time gained citizenship, but it remained a tough life, with sometimes rocky relationships with her children.

From that time forward, he was mine

Garcia was born in an unhappy circumstance, to Ibarras youngest daughter when she was a teen.

He was about 2 months old when she left, Ibarra said. I bought a cradle, I gave him his bottle and put on his Pampers. I bought him a velvet monkey.

From that time forward, he was mine.

Life in El Monte, a suburb of Los Angeles, was not easy for Garcia as he grew into boyhood.

The reason we had to leave is I was getting jumped by gang kids, he said. I was hiding it from her, but one time I showed up and I couldnt hide it from her.

So the two of them moved to Yuma, where family members lived, when he was 11. They were able to buy a rudimentary 700-square-foot house in part thanks to a divorce settlement from a man she was married to in El Monte. At first it had no working plumbing or cooling  in Yuma.

They went to work, as a team, to make ends meet. Ibarra couldnt do physical labor anymore because the stooping in the fields had ruined her back, but they would go to San Luis Rio Colorado to buy candy and gum and Mexican sodas, then sell them door to door in their Yuma neighborhood.

They also made tamales  green corn, pork, beef, chicken  and sold them for just five dollars a dozen. Garcia would work the cast-iron grinder, one of many jobs he worked from the age of 12.

We paid a lot of bills this way, Garcia said. To this day I dont eat corn tamales.

We battled hard, the two of us, Ibarra said. We battled hard.

Garcia found his classes at Yuma High School easy, but his own plans were just to find a job after graduation. Instead, people suggested he apply to college. He was accepted at the University of Arizona.

People could sense that my grandma raised me

The experience was up and down, Garcia said. He started well, then descended.

I dont remember what the number was, but my grade point average was in the 2 point something (range), he said. I got a letter from the school saying I was in trouble.

Then a friend recommended nutrition and anatomy classes. A switch flipped for him. It took seven years, but he got bachelors degrees in nutritional science and psychology, then moved on to medical school, accepted on his second try.

Medical school was no easy ride either. Garcia had injured his back while sledding on Mount Lemmon in earlier years, and while in medical school he needed two spinal surgeries for it, causing him to miss a year, he said. Eventually, though, he earned his degree and went into family practice.

At the Oro Valley clinic, he happened to inherit a slate of older patients, and he found that matched the skills he had developed growing up with his grandma.

Over the years, people could sense that my grandma raised me, and so I ended up being in geriatrics for the most part, he said.

David and Kathy Peters of Catalina were referred to him by their neighbor and were patients of Garcia for almost his whole time there.

He was probably the best (doctor) we ever had, said David Peters, 91. He was always on top of everything.

Hes always been good with me

Garcia was also keeping tabs on the woman who raised him. Ibarra, in Yuma, had of course felt lonely since he left for Tucson.

He never abandoned me though, she said. He was always going there to Yuma.

That relationship became tricky as Ibarra aged, especially during the pandemic. Last year, she fell in February and broke her hip. Garcia thought she was getting better, but late last year he realized she was fading.

At one point I called her in December and she sounded bad, he said. I was like Whats going on? She said she fell again. I was talking to my wife and she said, Just go get her. 

Garcia and his wife, Lisa, had bought a home in Oro Valley in May, anticipating moving Ibarra out, but had been renting it as an AirBnb. Now they put it to use.

At the same time, Garcia said, his own back injury was making it impossible for him to fulfill his obligations at the practice by seeing patients for a full day. So he quit the practice to dedicate his time to the grandmother who raised him, while working a much-reduced schedule elsewhere.

And heres the magical thing: Ibarra got better. Since she moved to Oro Valley, her blood pressure has gone down. She hasnt fallen once. She likes going out in the backyard and enjoying the breezes off nearby Pusch Ridge.

There I felt like I was dying because I felt terrible, Ibarra said of her old Yuma home. I fell down five times.

Im so content, and they never leave me alone, she said. Hes always been good with me.

Of course, the same is true of her. Theyve always been a team.

Contact columnist Tim Steller at tsteller@tucson.com or 520-807-7789. On Twitter: @senyorreporter

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Teachers after Texas attack: None of us are built for this'

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  When graduation balloons popped inside a West Virginia high school, a teacher had to reassure students who ducked for cover that the noise did not come from gunfire. Their reaction showed how the world has changed in recent years  even for teachers who never experienced school shootings firsthand. The teacher was Jessica Salfia, whose mother is also a West Virginia teacher and found herself staring down a student with a gun in her own classroom seven years ago. She was hailed for her role in helping bring the incident to a peaceful end. Already asked to be guidance counselors, social workers and surrogate parents, teachers are sometimes called on to be protectors, too.

American spy agencies review their misses on Ukraine, Russia

WASHINGTON (AP)  U.S. intelligence agencies have begun a review of how they judge the will and ability of foreign governments to fight. American spy services underestimated Ukraine's will to fight while overestimating Russia's ability to overrun its neighbor, even as those agencies accurately predicted Russian President Vladimir Putin would order an invasion. The agencies now face bipartisan pressure to review what they got wrong beforehand, especially after their mistakes in judging Afghanistan last year. U.S. intelligence continues to have a critical role in Ukraine, and as the White House ramps up weapons deliveries to Ukraine, officials are trying to predict what Putin might see as escalatory and the U.S. is seeking to avoid a direct war with Russia.

As Ukraine loses troops, how long can it keep up the fight?

ZHYTOMYR, Ukraine (AP)  President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine is losing 60 to 100 soldiers each day in combat. Just short of 50 American soldiers died per day on average in 1968, during the Vietnam Wars deadliest year for U.S. forces. Concentrations of Russian artillery are causing many of the casualties in the eastern regions that Moscow has focused on since its invading troops failed to take Kyiv early in the war. Retired U.S. Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges describes the Russian strategy as a medieval attrition approach and says such casualties will continue until Ukraine gets weapons to destroy and disrupt Russian batteries.

Mystery solved: UK Queen shares secret with Paddington

LONDON (AP)  Now we know what is in Queen Elizabeth IIs handbag. The long-time mystery was solved Saturday when the British monarch made the second star turn of her career, appearing in a mini-movie to kick off a concert celebrating her 70 years on the throne. The sketch featured the queen having a cream tea with British national treasure Paddington Bear at Buckingham Palace. After drinking all the tea and destroying the cakes, the duffle-coat wearing bear from deepest Peru told Elizabeth how he always had a reserve supply of marmalade sandwiches with him, lifting up his red hat to reveal his favorite treat. So do I, the queen responded before opening her bag and declaring: I keep mine in here.

Shootings expose divisions on gun issue in faith communities

The recent surge of mass shootings in America has led to debates in faith communities over what is pro-life. Those advocating for more gun regulation are challenging conservative Christians pushing to abolish abortion and grant unlimited access to guns. Those who disagree insist the nation doesnt have a gun problem but a sin problem. The partisan divides on abortion and gun rights are even starker after the recent mass shootings in New York, California and Texas. The U.S. Supreme Court is also expected to issue a ruling that could overturn legal abortion at the federal level.

Online pro-gun extremism: 'Cool for active shooter stuff'

As Americans reel from mass shootings, law enforcement officials and experts on extremism are taking increasing notice of the sprawling online space devoted to guns and gun rights. That includes gun forums, tactical training videos, websites that sell unregistered gun kits and social media platforms where far-right gun owners swap practical tips and talk of dark plots to take their weapons. Its an ecosystem rich with potential recruits for extremist groups exploiting the often blurry line separating traditional support for a Constitutional right from militant anti-government movements that embrace racism and violence.

Woman buoyed by support after viral pastor confrontation

An Indiana woman says she has felt "overwhelming support" from people all over the world after she confronted her pastor. She says he started a years-long sexual relationship with her when she was 16 and he was in his late 30s. The video of her May 22 confrontation has been viewed on Facebook nearly a million times. Pastor John B. Lowe II resigned from New Life Christian Church & World Outreach in Warsaw, Indiana. He had confessed to adultery at the May 22 service. She then took the microphone and said it began when she was a teen and that she carried the secret shame for years until now.

Source: Whitmer, McConnell, Evers on Wisconsin gunman's list

A gunman suspected of fatally shooting a retired county judge at a Wisconsin home had a list that included Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers. That's according to Whitmers office and a law enforcement source. The Wisconsin Department of Justice said Saturday that 56-year-old Douglas K. Uhde, who has not been charged, is suspected of killing retired Juneau County Judge John Roemer at Roemers house in New Lisbon on Friday. Uhde was found in the basement of the home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He's hospitalized in critical condition. Uhde has an extensive criminal record dating back two decades, including a case when he was sentenced by Roemer to prison.

Tiger King star Doc Antle to face money laundering charges

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP)  Tiger King star Bhagavan Doc Antle was arrested by the FBI and expected to appear in court Monday to face federal money laundering charges. That's according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on Saturday. FBI agents arrested him Friday and he was taken to the J. Reuben Long Detention Center in Conway, South Carolina. The charges against him were expected to be formally announced during a court proceeding Monday afternoon in Florence, South Carolina. The person familiar with the matter says the charges relate to allegations of money laundering. Antle, 62, has been a controversial figure among animal rights advocates who have accused the owner of Myrtle Beach Safari of mistreating lions and other wildlife.

Celtics add their voices to those asking for Griner's return

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  Brittney Griner hasnt been forgotten at the NBA Finals. The WNBA star has been detained in Russia for more than 100 days  wrongfully so, U.S. officials insist  and some members of the Boston Celtics are using their platform at the NBAs title series to add their voices to the chorus of those demanding she be allowed to come home. Several players wore black T-shirts with We Are BG on the front in orange letters for their practice session at the NBA Finals on Saturday. Game 2 of the title series between the Celtics and Golden State Warriors is Sunday.

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A familiar face will soon be leading Skiatook Public Schools.

On Thursday, Skiatook Public Schools Board of Education announced its decision to hire Melissa Bush as the districts next superintendent.

Bush will succeed outgoing Superintendent Rick Thomas starting July 1. Thomas announced his retirement this spring after 39 years in public education, including more than a decade with Skiatook Public Schools.

In an open letter to Skiatook parents announcing Bush as the new superintendent, the board thanked Thomas for his service to the district.

We are tremendously grateful for Mr. Thomas leadership and guidance throughout the years and we wish him well in his next endeavors, the letter says.

An alumna of Skiatook High School, Bush completed her undergraduate and masters degrees at Northeastern State University and her doctorate at Oral Roberts University. She has been with the district since 2008, joining first as a secondary science teacher. She was promoted to director of curriculum and federal programs in 2013 and was named Skiatooks assistant superintendent in 2017.

Bush has also taught at Sperry, Putnam City, NSU and ORU and had a stint with the Osage County Interlocal Cooperative, a collaborative work group of school districts at least partially within Osage County.

Skiatook is the third Tulsa-area school district to hire a new superintendent from within its own ranks in the past month.

On May 9, Owasso Public Schools Board of Education unanimously approved naming interim Superintendent Margaret Coates the districts permanent leader. Stillwater Public Schools announced May 26 that Stillwater High School Principal Uwe Gordon will take the Payne County districts top job starting July 1.

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A man was fatally shot at his home in Wisconsin on Friday and a suspect was discovered in the basement with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in what appeared to be a plan to target people connected to the judicial system, Wisconsins attorney general said.

Attorney General Josh Kaul refused to name the victim or the suspect, but said the shooting appeared to be a targeted act" and that the gunman had selected targets who were "part of the judicial system. They were found in a residence that a neighbor and public records said belonged to a retired county judge.

Investigators don't believe any one else is at risk any longer, but an investigation involving the FBI and the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation is ongoing, Kaul said during a news conference.

The information that's been gathered indicated that it was a targeted act and that the targeting was based on some sort of court case or court cases, Kaul said.

The Juneau County Sheriff's Office received a call that two shots were fired at a home in New Lisbon at approximately 6:30 a.m. Friday, according to the Division of Criminal Investigation. The caller had fled the home where the gunman had entered and made the call from another nearby home.

Donna Voss, a neighbor, told The Associated Press local police on Friday morning instructed her to stay in her home. She said she heard law enforcement on a loudspeaker telling the man to surrender and leave the home.

The Division of Criminal Investigation said in a news release that law enforcement officers outside tried to negotiate with the gunman, but after that failed they entered the home shortly after 10 a.m. The Juneau County Special Tactics and Response Team found the 68-year-old homeowner dead and a 56-year-old man in the basement with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was taken to a medical facility.

Kaul said the man is in critical condition.

For Voss, the shooting came as a shock in a usually quiet neighborhood where houses sit alongside farmland and wooded lots, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of Madison.

Its unbelievable and really freaky, she said.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
JIUQUAN, June 4 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming Shenzhou-14 crewed space mission will complete the construction of the Tiangong space station, with a basic three-module structure consisting of the core module Tianhe and the lab modules Wentian and Mengtian, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Saturday.

The mission will build the space station into a national space laboratory, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA, at a press conference held at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. 
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The shooter was armed with a rifle and handgun and has been confirmed among the dead. His wound was self-inflicted, police said.
About 40 Tulsans gathered Friday evening at the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park in a tribute to Dr. Preston Phillips, a member of the John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation board who was among those killed in Wednesdays mass shooting in a south Tulsa medical building, and about 100 more gathered at LaFortune Park in memory of the victims.

Phillips, 59, performed back surgery on the shooter, 45-year-old Michael Louis of Muskogee, on May 19 and saw him at his office in the Natalie Building on the Saint Francis Hospital campus the day before the shooting for a follow-up visit. Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin said police found a letter from Louis making clear that his intent was to kill Phillips for ongoing pain following his surgery and he would shoot anyone else who got in his way.

Louis killed Phillips; Dr. Stephanie Husen, 48; receptionist Amanda Glenn, 40; and William Love, 73, of Mannford; before killing himself in Phillips office.

At the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park, a handful of ministers stood against a wall adjacent to photos of the four victims and the words peace be still. The Rev. Gerald Davis of the Church of the Restoration Unitarian Universalist recalled the events of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre as Tulsans circled the Tower of Reconciliation and grieved another tragedy.

Davis said Tulsa lost awesome people because guns were available and emotions were high, and he said he hopes residents will let their anger and hurt compel them to be their best, just as Black Tulsans did 101 years ago in the aftermath of the massacre.

Fellowship Lutheran Church Pastor Kara Farrow said she was angry that, in the past weeks, her sermons have ended in prayer for victims of different mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas; Buffalo, New York; and Taft. This Sunday, her congregation will pray again, but she said she would rather scream.

Id really rather just  yell into the heavens, Really, Jesus? Anything we ask, youre going to do it? Because nothing is happening. Its not stopping. When will the madness stop? Farrow said.

Saint Francis nurse Christina Nelson said that in 2000, Phillips encouraged her to pursue nursing school despite the challenges of doing so as a single mother. She described him as a gentle giant who would always check in with her about school, and she said he made her feel celebrated when she graduated.

Nelson said shes shocked that someone could take his life but is thankful that she and others got to know him when he was alive.

At LaFortune Park, just three minutes away from the Natalie Building, a sea of Tulsans in pink shirts  the prominent color on Saint Francis Hospitals main building  held candles while Oklahoma native Carrie Underwoods Amazing Grace played. Ministers prayed for grace and comfort for the families of each victim, and the events organizer, Shannyn Geurin-Burdess, called each attendee a member of the Saint Francis community.

The hospital where lives were taken is a place where many lives have begun, have been saved and have ended. Geurin-Burdess said she is alive because of Saint Francis, and she called on the crowd to show appreciation to first responders and health care workers.

As the event came to a close, Geurin-Burdess told the Tulsa World that she was floored by the number of people in attendance. An event that started small exploded in less than 12 hours, and she thanked those who chose to mourn and celebrate the lives of those lost.

To the victims families, Geurin-Burdess said the communitys care will not end this week or this month  it will endure.

We will be here for them throughout time, she said.

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Many enterprises in the fisheries sector reported handsome profits in the first five months of this year and expect huge gains for the whole year as Vietnams seafood exports surge.

Vietnam exported some US$4.5 billion worth of seafood products in January-May, soaring 44.5 percent over the same period last year, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

The export revenue from tra fish (pangasius) and shrimp reached around $2.8 billion.

In addition, seafood stocks have captured the spotlight on the market over the past week. Their prices are continuously rising.

Despite facing many significant global volatilities, the fisheries sector has grown strongly, raising investors' expectations for these stocks in the sector.

On the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), three out of the 10 stocks with the highest rise over the past week were seafood stocks.

ANV of Nam Viet Corporation (Navico), the second-largest producer and exporter of tra fish in the world, recorded the highest growth, at 24.4 percent.

The two other seafood stocks in the top 10 were IDI of I.D.I International Development & Investment Corporation, and ACL of Cuu Long Fish Joint Stock Company with a respective growth rates of 21.4 percent and 17 percent.

Many other stocks in the fisheries sector are trading in large volumes, such as VHC of Vinh Hoan Corporation, FMC of Sao Ta Foods Joint Stock Company, and CMX of Camimex Group Joint Stock Company.

Most listed seafood firms made a profit in the first quarter and hold potential to generate high gains this year.

In the newly-released financial report for the first quarter of 2022, Navico informed that it earned revenue of nearly VND1.22 trillion ($52.3 million), surging nearly 73 percent year on year.

After deducting costs, the corporation had an after-tax profit of some VND207 billion ($8.9 million), 3.2 times higher than the figure recorded in the same period last year.

Amid the growth of the tra fish sector, Navico set a target of generating a turnover of VND4.9 trillion ($210 million) this year and a pre-tax profit of VND720 billion ($30.9 million), rocketing 40 percent and 377 percent, respectively, year on year.

As an outstanding stock, VHC of Vinh Hoan Corporation has been appraised at the highest level in the fisheries industry, at VND102,500 ($4.4) per share.

The business results of the firm, led by 'tra fish queen' Truong Thi Le Khanh, were also positive.

The corporation earned a net profit of nearly VND550 billion ($23.6 million) in the first quarter, a fourfold increase over the preceding year, according to its financial report.

In the first four months of the year, its revenue reached some VND4.92 trillion ($211.2 million), up 88 percent year on year.

We are optimistic and glad about the markets growth thanks to the shortage of supplies," Vinh Hoan chairwoman Khanh said at the companys shareholder meeting in 2022.

"The companys order number has been high to serve post-pandemic demand.

In addition, exports to Europe and the U.S. have been positive.

The firms profit target this year has been revised to VND1.6 trillion ($68.6 million) from VND1.5 trillion ($64.3 million).

In January-March, I.D.I International Development & Investment Corporation yielded a net profit of VND199 billion ($8.5 million), rising 10 times over the same period last year and meeting 22 percent of the full-year target.

This was I.D.I's best quarterly business performance since its listing.

This year, the corporation expected its revenue to reach VND8.3 trillion ($355.9 million), surging 45 percent, and its after-tax profit to hit VND900 billion ($38.6 million), 6.3 times higher than the figure last year.

If the revenue target is achieved, the firm will record the highest business results in its history.

In the first quarter of this year, Sao Ta Foods JSC fetched net revenue of over VND1.3 trillion ($55.7 million), up 37 percent, and the parent companys after-tax profit was VND41 billion ($1.8 million), increasing 36.6 percent year on year.

In a document sent to HoSE and stakeholders explaining the stock price volatility, Pham Hoang Viet, general director of Sao Ta, said the Vietnamese economy is recovering well.

As the shrimp farming, processing, and exports are favorable, the firms profit target this quarter was expected to increase at least 20 percent over the same period last year to reach VND98 billion ($4.2 million).

This year, Sao Ta looked to earn VND5.29 trillion ($226.9 million) in revenue and VND320 billion ($13.7 million) in pre-tax profits, up 11.3 percent and 10.7 percent, respectively, versus last year.

Cuu Long An Giang Fish JSC also recorded a strong expansion.

According to its financial report, the company's after-tax profit neared VND63 billion ($2.7 million) in the January-March period of this year, nearly six times higher than the figure recorded in the same time span last year.

The company's first-quarter profit was even higher than the total gain last year, at VND43 billion ($1.8 million).

At its annual shareholder meeting, Tran Thi Van Loan, chairwoman of the firm, affirmed its profit target of VND200 billion ($8.6 million) this year was attainable.

If the situation remains favorable, the profit will be even higher, she said.

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Japan recorded a record low number of births in 2021, prompting the biggest ever natural decline in the population, government data showed on Friday.

There were 811,604 births last year, the fewest in health ministry data going back to 1899. Deaths climbed to 1,439,809, leading to an overall drop of 628,205 in the population.

The overall fertility rate -- the average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime -- slid for a sixth straight year, to 1.3.

Japan has one of the fastest aging populations on earth, and the country's closed borders over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic have hastened the shrinkage of its workforce.
Hundreds of passengers were stuck at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City as departing flights were delayed due to bad weather and system errors on Friday night.

Giang, a passenger who purchased an air ticket for flight VJ150 from the southern city to Hanoi that was originally set to depart at 6:00 pm on Friday, said her flight and many others were several hours behind schedule.

Passengers of those delayed flights had to sit on the floor as all seats in Tan Son Nhats waiting lounges were fully occupied.

Some of those flights were resumed by 10:00 pm the same night while many others remained grounded, according to Giang.

I dont know what happened, Giang said.

Were informed that the cause was some kind of error during the process of flight operation."

Passengers are stuck at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, June 3, 2022. Photo: Cong Trung / Tuoi Tre

While there have yet to be specific statistics on the number of delayed flights, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper was able to find out that bad weather caused the back-to-back late departures.

In addition, a check-in error in budget carrier Vietjets system was to blame for the incident.

The operators of Tan Son Nhat International Airport later explained that Vietjets check-in system using a server located in Canada encountered a problem, forcing the airlines ground employees to process check-ins manually.

They thus provided a backup server system for the carrier to continue the check-in procedure automatically.

Although the check-in process was still sluggish afterward, more flights were able to depart by 1:00 am on Saturday.

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Director of the Hanoi Department of Construction Vo Nguyen Phong has proposed the construction of an underground rainwater reservoir to curb flooding in the citys downtown area.

During a meeting organized by the municipal administration on Thursday, the construction official suggested that the Peoples Committee in Hoan Kiem District consider building an underground rainwater reservoir at Bat Dan-Duong Thanh Intersection, situated in the Old Quarter, to mitigate flooding in the area.

A similar reservoir was previously built underneath Nguyen Khuyen Street in Dong Da District, Phong stated, adding that the severity of inundation at the location in 2021 reduced by 70 percent compared to the previous year.

In order to ease the flooding in the inner city and some surrounding areas, the construction department will coordinate with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, drainage units, and irrigation companies in developing both short- and long-term solutions.

These solutions may include pumping stations, water storage tanks in low-lying areas, and upgrading of the drainage systems in areas near the Nhue and Red Rivers, the official elaborated.

Director of the Hanoi Department of Construction Vo Nguyen Phong speaks at a meeting on June 2, 2022. Photo: Hanoi Peoples Committee

It is also necessary to add an urban drainage system along Thang Long Avenue and come up with flood control measures for local road tunnels, he added.

In 2021, Hanoi was able to eliminate flooding from five hotspots on Thanh Dam, Truong Chinh, Giai Phong, Doi Can, and Pham Van Dong Streets, the construction department reported.

Inundation was also curbed along such roads as Thuy Khue, Minh Khai, Hoa Bang, Ngoc Lam, and Hoang Nhu Tiep.

However, the problem has yet to improve at Phan Boi Chau - Ly Thuong Kiet Intersection, Bat Dan - Phung Hung Intersection, Cao Ba Quat Street, Nguyen Chinh Street, and Thang Long Avenue.

Hanoi has been repeatedly lashed by unusual torrential rains brought about by a trough in the past week, which resulted in severe flooding in multiple areas.

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Police in Can Gio District, Ho Chi Minh City recently broke up a prostitution ring that had been concealing their illegal operation as a beer and karaoke parlor to rake in money from fishermen.

The Can Gio police department is keeping 62-year-old Vo Thi Ban, the owner of the Yen Loan parlor in the island districts An Thoi Dong Commune, in custody for the investigation of prostitution brokerage, a source told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Saturday.

Seafaring fishermen and sand barge crews were frequent clients at the parlor, according to the investigative agency taking charge of the case.

After a period of spying, the agency determined that the business establishment provided prostitution, which is banned in Vietnam, besides drinks and karaoke services while Ban pimped about ten prostitutes.

At around 12:00 pm on June 1, agents followed 12 men, most of whom are fishermen, riding motorbikes to the Yen Loan parlor.

After being served beer by some hostesses, the male clients asked for the prostitution service before Ban bargained for the mens further spending on the beer to reach a VND3-million (US$129) milestone.

After the men met the condition, the hostesses discussed the prostitution service price before going with them to Truc Quynh Hotel in Binh Khanh Commune in the same district.

The agents then caught three men and the hostesses red-handed in three hotel rooms at the hotel.

Each prostitute earned VND1.2 million ($52) for each time she provided the service and had to pay Ban VND200,000 ($8.62) of that amount, according to the womens accounts.

Ban admitted all acts of brokering and organizing prostitution later at the police station.

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More than 200 elementary school students in Ho Chi Minh City experienced numbness in their lips as well as an itchy throat after having lunch at their school on Friday.

The students of Tan Huong Elementary School in Tan Phu District ate a soup made from giant elephant ear (Colocasia gigantea) stems during their lunch, according to principal Le Thi Thanh Thuy.

After the meal, 238 students felt numbness in their lips and had an itchy throat.

The school management board promptly contacted the local medical station and authorities for help for the students.

Two of them were rushed to Tan Phu District Hospital for tiredness and anxiety while the board called their parents to pick up the remaining 236 children and all the other students from school earlier than usual.

My childs homeroom teacher asked me to take him home early today, said a parent interviewed by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper outside the school at around 3:00 pm on Friday.

The parent added that his kid, who did not eat the giant elephant ear stem soup, was in normal health.

Functional forces took samples of the foods served during Fridays lunch at Tan Huong Elementary School to work out the cause, according to principal Thuy.

For the time being, the school will temporarily stop giving students the giant elephant ear stem soup, Thuy said.

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On Million Dollar Murders this week retired Detective Superintendent Deborah Wallace delves into an unsolved 1997 murder in NSW.

Twenty years can pass in the blink of an eye for some, but for Peter and Robyn Stace, they have felt every single day.

Because every day that goes by is another 24 hours, they dont have justice for their teenage daughter Lee Ellen Stace, whose murder in 1997 remains unsolved.

On the day the blonde, beach-loving 16-year-old was last seen alive its understood she was hoping to hitch-hike home to Brooms Head, NSW, after finishing work at a supermarket, a job she had started two weeks earlier. MDM has discovered new information that indicates Lee knew her killer or killers, and there are people keeping secrets and have told lies, about her murder.

NSW Police, the Stace family and Lees friends hope this new information and a one Million Dollar reward will finally crack the veil of silence surrounding this case.

9pm Monday on Nine.
by Xinhua writer Yuan Quan

JIUQUAN, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Which is the most difficult, becoming a mother of two, earning a doctoral degree, or flying into space? Taikonaut Liu Yang has already set an example of women who can have it all -- a fulfilling career and family.

As China's Shenzhou-14 spaceship is slated to lift off on June 5, Liu is ready for a new height in her career -- her second space mission. She will stay in space for six months, working with two male colleagues to complete the construction of China's space station.

"My girl and boy asked me to take more photos of the universe so that they could share them with their classmates. I will also write my blessings to them 'in the stars' during the space trip," Liu said in an interview before her new mission.

"I will do what I promised them."

Liu became China's first woman taikonaut in 2012, spending 13 days in the Shenzhou-9. After that, she pursued further study at university and raised two children while carrying on training.

"I feel more confident and relaxed," Liu told the media on Saturday ahead of the launch of Shenzhou-14. In the limelight, the slender space heroine with an ear-length haircut exhibited a calm and controlled quality, just as she did during her first space mission a decade ago.

Her two colleagues are Chen Dong and Cai Xuzhe this time.

Her second mission will allow Liu to prove her mettle again. Tasks that await the Shenzhou-14 crew include extravehicular activities, mechanical arm tests, and experiments in lab modules.

During the Shenzhou-9 mission, Liu was in charge of performing scientific experiments. She also assisted two other taikonauts in conducting the manned docking of the spacecraft with the experimental space lab Tiangong-1.

Liu trained 15 years before turning into China's first woman taikonaut.

Liu didn't aspire to be a taikonaut as a child. Born in 1978, she was a pupil chess champion in her hometown, Zhengzhou City in Henan Province. She once dreamed of being a lawyer, a bus conductress, or an office lady before the People's Liberation Army Air Force came to her city to recruit pilots when she was in her final year in senior high.

She was selected into China's taikonaut candidates pool in 2010 after having a record of 1,680 hours of safe flights for 13 years as a transport aircraft pilot in the Air Force.

Liu spent the next two years taking intensive astronautics courses and arduous physical training. One of the most challenging exercises was the rotating chair, which stimulates the sense of balance to help reduce side effects on the human body due to space zero gravity. It takes 15 minutes to get full marks, but Liu was dizzy and sick in five minutes when she first started the training. She told herself to persist, trying every method to divert her attention from the giddy feeling, and finally made it.

She never went shopping or saw a movie to disengage her from training in the two years. Her hard work singled her out in the final test before the Shenzhou-9 mission.

Since she joined the Air Force in 1997, Liu has been known for her hard work. "When Chairman Mao Zedong met our country's first female pilots, he encouraged them to be fighters, not performers. His words have been my motto since I began flying aircraft," Liu said.

She won fame in 2003 for making a safe emergency landing after birds struck one engine of the plane she was piloting.

Echoing a famous Chairman Mao quote, a spokesperson for China's manned space program said after her first mission: "Women hold up half the sky. Human space missions without women are incomplete."

The "first woman taikonaut" title has given Liu many accolades and responsibilities: she became a role model, a deputy to China's top legislature, and the vice-chairperson of the All-China Women's Federation.

However, her two distinguished achievements as a career woman might be her two children, born during the decade after her first space mission, and a doctoral degree in sociology from the prestigious Tsinghua University while mothering the two.

While behind every successful man is a woman. For Liu, it's appropriate, and vice versa.

Liu's husband, Zhang Hua, takes all the housework and looks after their children during her absence. He can fully understand her work as he used to be a staff member at the ground command center for the Chinese space program.

The couple, whose wedding anniversary happens to be on China's Space Day, will be apart again for a while, but as Zhang once told his wife, "Even if you're in space, I can see you longer than anyone else on Earth." 
Australian Minjee Lee and American Mina Harigae are tied for the lead at nine under after two rounds of the U.S. Women's Open played at Pine Needles.

Harigae was tied for the lead after Thursday's first round, and followed up her 64 with a solid 69, while Lee posted a 67 on Thursday and then followed it with Friday's second-best round of the day, shooting a 66.

The actual round of the day went to South Korea's Choi Hye-jin, who shot a seven-under 64 after entering the day at even par to sit in a tie for third heading into the weekend.

She is tied two shots back from the lead at seven under with Sweden's Anna Nordqvist, one shot ahead of fellow Swede, amateur Ingrid Lindblad, who posted a one under score on Friday after setting the U.S. Women's Open record for lowest score by an amateur with her opening round 65.

Lindblad is tied with world number one Ko Jin-young at six under, with South Korea's Kim Sei-young and Thailand's Moriya Jatanugarn one stroke back at five under.

Rounding out the top-10 are the American trio of Ryann O'Toole, Megan Khang and Andrea Lee, along with England's Bronte Law and South Korea's Park Sung-hyun, tied for ninth at four under.
By Renee Maltezou

ASTYPALEA, Greece (Reuters) - Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis says Greece, an entry point for natural gas for the eastern Mediterranean, could play a key role in helping Europe achieve energy autonomy given its location and investments such as a new northern LNG terminal.

Following the war in Ukraine, the European Union has been looking for new natural gas routes and alternative energy resources as it seeks to cut reliance on Russian gas due to soaring energy prices.

"When it comes to gas from the eastern Mediterranean, I think we need to look at all options and we need to find the most cost-effective way of transferring the gas that exists in Cyprus or Israel to the European market," Mitsotakis told Reuters in an interview.

"Whatever solution one can envision it will certainly involve Greece," he said on the Aegean island of Astypalea.

Greece has one liquefied natural gas terminal and is planning to build another two LNG facilities, one of them a floating facility off the northern city of Alexandroupolis.

It has been expanding its power grid to be able to tap more into renewable energy. A gas link with Bulgaria is also expected to be ready next month, he said.

Several European countries have said they are seeking ways to expand LNG imports and storage since the war erupted, as well as importing gas from other markets and speeding up the transission to renewable energy sources.

Mitsotakis travelled to Astypalea, also called the butterfly of the Aegean due to its shape, to supervise a project launched by the government and Germany's Volkswagen a year ago to replace all vehicles on the island with electric cars.

FUTURE

"What you see here is a glimpse into the future," he said on the backtrop of a hill dotted with traditional whitewashed windmills.

The conservative premier has said that natural gas is only a transition fuel and has pledged to boost the use of renewable energy. He hopes that Astypalea, slowly turning into a green island, could become a model for all Greek islands.

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"The wind and the sun that we have here produces the cheapest possible electricity and its abundant, and its ours. We dont need to rely on anybody else," he said.

Mitsotakis said he was confident Greece would not face any power shortages during the summer, its peak tourism season, when electricity demand for cooling systems picks up. How the sector, a quarter of Greece's output, fares is crucial for a country which is still emerging from a debt crisis.

Renewables, both wind turbines and solar panels, will be working at full capacity, he said, and Greece, which has been moving away from coal, still has some operating coal plants for back-up and sufficient gas supplies for power generation.

With a large share of Greece's power generation mix coming from gas, Athens has adopted measures worth about 7 billion euros to help consumers cope with ballooning power bills. But Mitsotakis has been pushing for an EU-wide response.

"I'm afraid this won't be enough unless we have a more drastic and permanent solution," he said, acknowledging that charting a common European path "has not always been easy".

Mitsotakis also visited Kos and Pserimos islands, just a few miles off Turkey.

Tensions between the two NATO allies, who are also at odds over energy exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean, have rekindled. Mitsotakis said this week that the last thing the region needs is another source of tension.

Asked whether relations could improve, he said:

"I think it's up to Turkey to change its behaviour. We have never been the ones pushing the boundaries in terms of aggressiveness," he said.

(Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Vassilis Triandafyllou; Editing by Alison Williams)
The erosion of the image of the royal family goes deeper than the need to make them accessible (PA Wire)

Oh God, Save the Queen! Recently, while delivering a lecture, I asked students how relevant they thought the monarchy was.

What do they do for us? one answered. I just dont see the point of a royal family, another chimed in. A poll conducted by YouGov revealed that 41 per cent of people aged 18 to 24 say Britain should have an elected head of state while only 31 per cent would like to see the monarchy continue.

Younger people who predominantly hold these views are said to be less rooted in tradition and requital of Britains colonial past.

Whether or not the platinum jubilee will be the last of the monarchy, it does not change the increasingly indifferent perception of the royal family. Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridges controversial tour of former British colonies in the Caribbean led to a widespread backlash as protesters saw it as a way to maintain the Queen as the head of state in Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas. The visit reinforced images of royals being held aloft by black subjects. Commonwealth member Barbados ditched the queen as a head of state in 2021.

Tensions over the monarchy and the jubilee came to me in an odd observation in my hometown Croydon, south London, when I overheard an eccentric busker shout at a passer-by: I am not perfect, all I am doing out here is spreading some joy  we all know even the Queen has skeletons in her closet.

In the space of a few weeks my observations, conversations and interactions all started to feel like London was speaking to me as I became more attentive to people around me. I was able to grasp sentiments that were felt and continued to be expressed. In hindsight, the modern Britain we have today is one that seems to be gearing towards change when it comes to different aspects of society, including the monarchy.

The erosion of the image of the royal family goes deeper than the need to make them accessible. It poses deeper questions about whether past events, such as the allegations against Prince Andrew for sexual abuse, can ever allow members of the public to trust the royals again.

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The Meghan and Harry interview with Oprah in 2021, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex beaconed further claims of racism and discrimination, showed how much the royal family needs to revise its pre-existing values that have been maintained over time.

To keep up to speed with all the latest opinions and comment, sign up to our free weekly Voices Dispatches newsletter by clicking here

The future of the monarchy rests on the shoulders of the next in line to the throne. Its not clear if Prince Charles, who will be taking the throne once his mother dies or decides to give it up, can pull it off? It will be tough considering the growing change in widespread opinions about the royals.

As one of the longest-lasting institutions in Europe, its hard to imagine the UK without a monarchy, although efforts have been made by Prince William and Kate, who are said to be pushing towards a modernised version, including being addressed by their first names Will and Kate. After spending years in a pandemic coupled with lockdown, this generations long-lingering debate of their relevance remains a real-life episode of the crown that we all have to see unravel.

For now, the jubilee celebration offers us an opportunity to come together as a nation, however we may choose to mark it. For however long she continues to reign over us, God save the Queen.
Timor-Leste's Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak meets with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Dili, Timor-Leste, June 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

DILI, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Timor-Leste's Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak and visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi agreed to cement bilateral ties and expand pragmatic cooperation to support Timor-Leste's economic recovery here on Friday.

Ruak said since the establishment of diplomatic ties, Timor-Leste and China have been conducting mutually beneficial cooperation in a broad range of fields. He expressed gratitude to China for its support to his country in safeguarding security, coping with disasters, fighting epidemics, and for standing up for Timor-Leste on the international arena and backing it to integrate into the international system.

Timor-Leste will firmly adhere to the one-China policy, expand friendly cooperation, and open up new prospects for the development of bilateral relations, Ruak added.

For his part, Wang said the Chinese side also supports Timor-Leste in its efforts to safeguard sovereignty, independence and national dignity, choose a development path and governance model of its own, and play a bigger role in regional and international affairs.

He said China is willing to work with the Timor-Leste side to draw successful experiences of bilateral exchanges to work out a joint plan for the development of bilateral ties in the next two decades.

Wang said both sides signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and the "one network", "one expressway" and "one port" projects have been undertaken by Chinese enterprises in Timor-Leste, which have greatly improved the infrastructure and people's livelihood in the country.

The Chinese-built projects include the Timor-Leste State Grid, the Suai-Beaco Highway, the country's first expressway, and the Tibar Bay Port.

China is ready to work with Timor-Leste to map out a BRI cooperation plan and determine key areas, so as to inject new impetus into Timor-Leste's post-pandemic economic recovery as well as its mid- and long-term development, he added.

In 2021, Timor-Leste's export to China increased by more than 90 times, fully demonstrating the huge potential of bilateral economic and trade cooperation, Wang said.

China welcomes Timor-Leste to make full use of the opportunities provided by China's super-large market and encourages Chinese enterprises to invest in Timor Leste to support its economic development, he said.

China will continue to send medical teams to Timor-Leste to support its fight against COVID-19, Wang added.

Ruak said Timor-Leste looks forward to seizing vast development opportunities brought by China to expand bilateral practical cooperation in economic and trade investment, infrastructure, education and tourism, speed up self-development and bring more benefits to the Timor-Leste people.

Wang said China stands ready to strengthen cooperation with other developing countries, adhere to independence, speed up respective development and achieve common prosperity. 
Federal prosecutors have added new charges against a local man who was arrested in the wake of the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot. He now faces a maximum sentence of 39 years in prison if convicted.

Christopher Ray Grider, 40, is the co-owner of Kissing Tree Vineyards in Bruceville-Eddy. He was named in a superseding indictment Wednesday charging him with three felonies and six misdemeanors for his alleged role in the riots that took place on Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol.

The new indictment adds a felony charge of civil disorder, increasing the maximum potential prison term by six years compared to Griders original indictment.

Brent Mayr, Griders attorney, said his client is not guilty of the charges listed in the indictment. He said he believes the government is trying to file as many charges as possible against Grider.

Were going to stand our ground, and were going to fight those felony charges, Mayr said. This is more of the same, which is the government trying to fit a square peg into a round hole with these criminal charges. This is not based on any new evidence. Theyre just trying to find as many laws as they think that his conduct violates and theyre trying to throw it into the indictment.

Mayr said he believes his clients case is being treated differently than others accused of participating in the insurrection. Mayr said others engaged in worse conduct, such as threatening to kill House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and smoking marijuana in senators offices, and yet received lesser charges than Grider. Mayr also said in some cases felony charges have been dropped as part of plea deals.

Theres really no rhyme or reason as to why theyre charging some people with misdemeanors and other people like Chris with these felony offenses, Mayr said. Weve all seen hundreds of people that have pled guilty to misdemeanor charges, people who have only been charged with misdemeanor charges or people who have been charged with felonies similar to Chris, but the government as part of a plea bargain has agreed to drop those charges and let people plead to misdemeanors. Why theyre not doing that in Chris case is a big mystery.

Mayr said during a hearing Thursday, he rejected a plea deal that would have required Grider to plead guilty to a felony charge of obstruction of an official proceeding.

Mayr also said many people took to Facebook following the riots to brag about entering the Capitol, whereas Grider was not proud of what happened at the Capitol.

A lot of these people that are getting misdemeanors after January 6, theyre on Facebook, and theyre bragging and theyre boastful and theyre proud of what they did, Mayr said. If you watch Chris interview with Rissa Shaw from that night of January 6, you can listen to Chriss words. You can see that he is not proud, he is not happy, he is not rejoicing at what has taken place. He is devastated by what he has seen.

Grider did an interview with the KWTX-TV reporter the day of the riots. He discussed entering the Capitol and witnessing the fatal shooting of Ashli Babbit by Capitol Police.

Grider was recorded at the Capitol wearing a red Make America Great Again hat and a yellow Dont Tread On Me flag, and was seen in a video handing a helmet to a man who used it to break a glass window in a doorway, according to charging documents. Moments later, Babbit was shot and killed by police as she attempted to climb through that same window.

According to charging documents, the doorway led to a lobby immediately outside the House Chambers, where members of Congress were at the time.

Grider turned himself in to authorities Jan. 21, 2021, and remained in custody for a month before he was allowed to bond out with an ankle monitor.

The nine counts Grider has been charged with in the indictment are as follows:

Count 1: Civil Disorder, a felony

Count 2: Obstruction of an Official Proceeding and Aiding and Abetting, a felony

Count 3: Destruction of Government Property, a felony

Count 4: Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds, a misdemeanor

Count 5: Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds, a misdemeanor

Count 6: Engaging in Physical Violence in a Restricted Building or Grounds, a misdemeanor

Count 7: Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building, a misdemeanor

Count 8: Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings, a misdemeanor

Count 9: Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building, a misdemeanor.

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Prosper Waco is raising money for a new title-clearing program aimed at helping low income Waco residents whose homes are not legally their own.

When a homeowner passes away, a surviving family member might continue living in the home without formally updating the houses title, meaning the wealth the home represents is not passed on but the costs of upkeep are.

Prosper Wacos three-phase program will set people up with a broker to help them navigate the title-clearing process, and then help them make home repairs and renovations. The third phase involves helping the homeowner with estate planning and writing a will, so the cycle does not repeat when they pass away.

Prosper Waco Chief of Staff Dexter Hall said he became aware of the issue when he and his mother realized the East Waco home she lived in was still titled to his great grandmother.

Really, the end goal is to ensure that were able to continue to build generational wealth within our community, and in particular, within our low to moderate income community, Hall said.

In 2019 the city of Waco worked with the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund to commission an economic security study that identified areas where the city could improve. Correcting titles stood out as a way to help Waco residents build assets and generational wealth.

One of the things I began to realize is that this was not just an issue for my mother, who was a child of East Waco, but it was also for many of our neighbors and other individuals within our community, Hall said.

Residents who live in the home but are not on the deed cannot use the houses equity to take out loans for home improvements or other necessary maintenance. That can lead to houses falling into disrepair and becoming uninhabitable.

Oftentimes, folks moved into homes not looking to own the home, but to take care of her grandma, or mom, Hall said. When the individual passes away, they continue to live there and pay taxes, but in actuality the wealth is not theirs.

Hall said Prosper Waco reviewed 70,000 McLennan County Appraisal District records from the last 15 years, which revealed 413 homes with tangled titles of some kind. He said that represents about $71 million in wealth that is not being passed down to its rightful heirs.

Prosper Waco CEO Suzii Paynter March said the program will offset legal costs and appoint someone to help families navigate the title clearing process.

Our goal is to work over time to reduce the cost in every way, and if weve got groups that want to do things pro bono, that would be great too, but were not depending on that, March said.

March said the program will boost the number of homeowners in Waco.

Home ownership is one pathway to a kind of stability in a neighborhood, and that stability is good for the family and good for the city as well, March said.

She said the program is based on a successful one created by Philadelphia VIP, a nonprofit that focuses on legal services. Prosper Waco announced the program formally in an event Thursday, inviting title companies, lawyers, real estate agents, and government and community leaders to to talk about the need for the program. Hall said Prosper Waco plans to soft-launch the program by the end of the year.

An out-of-date title can also prevent residents from qualifying for home repair programs offered through the city of Waco, such as the citys lead abatement program.

The same goes for local home-repair nonprofits for low-income people.

Grassroots Waco Director Mike Stone said out-of-date titles represent a problem for older neighborhoods like those surrounding his office on Colcord Avenue with aging pipes and electrical wiring.

About one in 15 homeowners applying for a Grassroots Waco roof repair program cannot proceed because their name is not on the deed and the listed owner is long dead, Stone said.

Most of the time the family knows whos supposed to have the house, but they just never did the paperwork, Stone said.

He said he usually refers those families to Greater Waco Legal Services or other low-cost legal services. The process can take longer if the family does not agree on who should own the home.

They have to get all potential owners to sign documents, and sometimes its tricky. It can be very complex, Stone said. The worst lot I saw had like 17 (potential) owners, and none of them lived in Texas.

Stone said Grassroots has tried to detangle the titles of vacant lots the organization wished to buy in the past, but chasing down living relatives was too cumbersome, so the nonprofit typically waits until a property goes through the foreclosure process.

Its a common problem all over Waco, with homes and land, Stone said.

He said he likes the approach Prosper Waco has proposed.

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UVALDE, Texas (AP)  The state agency investigating the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde has determined that the commander facing criticism for the slow police response was not carrying a radio as the massacre unfolded, a Texas state senator said Friday.

Sen. Roland Gutierrez told The Associated Press in a brief telephone interview that a Texas Department of Public Safety official told him school district police Chief Pete Arredondo was without a radio during the May 24 attack by a lone gunman at Robb Elementary School that left 19 students and two teachers dead. Seventeen more people were injured.

Authorities have not said how Arredondo was communicating with other law enforcement officials at the scene, including the more than a dozen officers who were at one point waiting outside the classroom where the gunman was holed up. Arredondo heads the districts small department and was in charge of the multi-agency response to the shooting.

He has not responded to multiple interview requests from AP since the attack, including a telephone message left with district police Friday.

The apparently missing radio is the latest detail to underscore concerns about how police handled the shooting and why they didn't confront the gunman faster, even as anguished parents outside the school urged officers to go inside. The Justice Department has said it will review the law enforcement response.

Focus has turned to the chief in recent days after Steven McCraw, the head of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said Arredondo believed the active shooting had turned into a hostage situation, and that he made the wrong decision to not order officers to breach the classroom more quickly to confront the gunman.

Gutierrez, who represents Uvalde, complained Thursday that Arredondo was not informed of panicked 911 calls coming from students trapped inside a classroom where the gunman had holed up. The Democrat called it a system failure.

Police radios are a crucial source of real-time communication during an emergency and, according to experts, often how information from 911 calls is relayed to officers on the ground. Its unclear who at the scene was aware of the calls. Uvalde police did not respond to questions about the calls Thursday.

The news emerged amid tensions between state and local authorities over how police handled the shooting and communicated what happened to the public.

The gunman in Uvalde, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, spent roughly 80 minutes inside the school, and more than an hour passed from when the first officers followed him into the building and when he was killed by law enforcement, according to an official timeline.

Ramos slipped through an unlocked door into adjoining fourth-grade classrooms at 11:33, authorities said. He rapidly fired off more than 100 rounds.

Officers entered minutes later, exchanging fire with Ramos, and by 12:03 there were as many as 19 officers in the hallway outside the classroom, McCraw said. Authorities have not said where Arredondo was during this period.

Officers from other agencies urged the school police chief to let them move in because children were in danger, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they had not been authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.

A U.S. Border Patrol tactical team used a school employees key to unlock the classroom door and kill the gunman around 12:50 p.m., McCraw said.

Law enforcement and state officials have struggled to present an accurate timeline and details of the shooting and how police responded, sometimes providing conflicting information or withdrawing statements hours later. State police have said some accounts were preliminary and may change as more witnesses are interviewed.

Gutierrez said Friday that a Texas Department of Public Safety official told him that the Uvalde-area district attorney, Christina Mitchell Busbee, a Republican, had directed the agency to not release more information about the shooting investigation to the senator or the public.

The Department of Public Safety on Friday referred all questions about the shooting investigation to Busbee, who has not returned telephone and text messages seeking comment.

Gutierrez said Thursday that many people should shoulder some blame in the Uvalde shooting, including the Texas governor.

There was error at every level, including the legislative level. Greg Abbott has plenty of blame in all of this, he said.

More on the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas: https://apnews.com/hub/uvalde-school-shooting

Coronado reported from Austin, Texas. Associated Press writers Jake Bleiberg in Dallas; Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas; and Mike Balsamo in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
A district court judge denied a request for a lower bond amount from a Beatrice man accused of sexually assaulting a Beatrice State Developmental Center resident.

Allen Evans, 30, appeared in Gage County District Court Thursday. He has been jailed since his April arrest on a $500,000 bond with a $50,000 deposit required for his release.

This week his attorney, Kelly Breen, requested a lower bond of $75,000, saying his client has family in the area, no criminal history other than traffic offenses and employment opportunities that make him a low risk to abscond if hes able to post bond.

District Court Judge Rick Schreiner denied the request, saying the seriousness of the offense justified the bond amount.

Evans was an employee at BSDC at the time of the alleged sexual assault, and following the investigation was arrested for first-degree sexual assault, tampering with physical evidence and abuse of a vulnerable adult.

In October 2021 investigators with the State Patrol were notified of allegations that Evans had sexually assaulted a 34-year-old resident.

The Department of Health and Human Services previously declined to say what Evans role was at BSDC, though the arrest warrant refers to him as a supervisor.

The victim told a worker at BSDC that Evans had raped her and did something to her in the bathroom. The worker took the victim to Beatrice Community Hospital, and eventually Bryan Health West in Lincoln.

The warrant states the State Patrol investigator was told by a sexual assault nurse examiner that the injuries were amongst the worst she had ever observed and included vaginal and anal trauma.

Evans was interviewed at BSDC and denied sexual contact between the two.
I am Russian soul

Top video is YouTube and could be blocked at anytime. The second is a copy on the server, just in case

Babushka with Red Flag of Russia, says take your food!

It is no longer 2022 it is now 20ZZ. The start of a new era

I call it, The year of ZOV!

Z.O.V. letters are the three main army groups

Song, I am Russian soul

WtR
Berlusconi declared the West isolated because of the situation in Ukraine.

The Wests response was unanimous, but what do we mean by the West? The USA, Europe and some countries in the Pacific region that have traditional ties with the USA, among them Australia and Japan. And from other countries of the world? Almost nothing, the former Italian prime minister wrote in an article for Giornale.

He singled out Turkey, which, despite its important role in NATO, refused anti-Russian sanctions.

What the Ukrainian crisis has shown us is an alarming sign for the present and especially for the future. Russia is isolated from the West, but the West is isolated from the rest of the world, Berlusconi concluded.
Briefing by Russian Defence Ministry

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation in Ukraine.

High-precision air-based missiles have hit an AFU artillery training centre near Stetskovka, Sumy Region.

The foreign trainers who had arrived in the centre held practical exercises for Ukrainian servicemen related to using and firing control of M777 155-mm howitzers.

In addition, a missile attack has resulted in destroying a permanent base of foreign mercenaries near Dachnoye, Odessa Region.

Moreover, 27 areas of Ukrainian manpower and military equipment concentration, 2 command posts of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, 6 missile, artillery weapons, ammunition and fuel depots have been destroyed near Vesyoloye, Bakhmut (Donetsk Peoples Republic), Spornoye, Podlesnoye and Loskutovka (Lugansk Peoples Republic).

Operational-tactical, army and unmanned aviation have hit 54 areas of Ukrainian manpower and military equipment concentration.

In total, the aviation attacks have resulted in the elimination of more than 400 nationalists, 20 tanks and armoured vehicles, 4 BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers, 9 artillery mounts and 29 miscellaneous vehicles.

Russian air defence means have shot down a military transport airplane of the Ukrainian Air Force that was transporting armament and ammunition near Odessa.

In addition, 17 unmanned aerial vehicles have been destroyed near Popasnaya, Varvarovka, Stakhanov (Lugansk Peoples Republic), Dementyevka, Volkhov Yar, Mospanovo, Novaya Gnilitsa, Doslipnoye, Bolshiye Prokhody, Kapitolovka (Kharkov Region), Novoaleksandrovka (Nikolayev Region) over the past 24 hours.

The abovementioned includes 2 Bayraktar-TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles hit by Russian air defence means near Kamenka, Nikolayev Region.

Missile troops and artillery have hit 33 command posts, 131 firing positions of AFU artillery units, as well as 542 manpower and military equipment concentration areas.

In total, 187 airplanes and 129 helicopters, 1,104 unmanned aerial vehicles, 328 anti-aircraft missile systems, 3,406 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 466 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,769 field artillery and mortars, as well as 3,405 units of special military vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed during the operation.

#MoD #Russia #Ukraine #Briefing

@mod_russia_enjoy

WtR
 Indian foreign minister reminded Europeans that their problems are not the problems of the whole world.

The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was charged with buying Russian oil, to which he replied: We do not send anyone to dig Russian oil. We are simply looking for the best deal on the market. I wouldnt mix it with politics.

 It is time for Europe to abandon the attitude: My problems are the problems of the whole world, and the problems of the whole world are not my problems. If you are in trouble, then you are in trouble, and if I am in trouble, then we are in trouble, the Foreign Minister also said.

WtR
BAGHDAD, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Back in 2003 during the U.S-led invasion of Iraq, Bakr Farouq, an Iraqi veterinarian, managed to save 16 rare purebred Arabian horses owned by former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

Farouq, now the head of Arabian Horse Care Department in Baghdad's al-Zawraa Park, then risked his life in evacuating the horses, owned by Hussein's Arabian Knight Club, from the presidential palace to the Iraqi Equestrian Club in the al-Ameriyah neighborhood in the capital Baghdad.

Farouq concealed the documentation of the horses in his house to protect them from looting, after the American soldiers reached Baghdad and ousted Saddam's regime.

"Most of the horses were killed, starved, stolen, or smuggled and sold abroad," he recalled.

Farouq, helped by the director of al-Zawraa Park, saved only 16 of more than 100 horses from the Arabian Knight Club with the assistance of security forces.

There were offers from both inside and outside Iraq for buying the 16 horses with offers reaching up to 50 million U.S. dollars, "but we rejected all of these offers because we believe the horses are the country's wealth," Farouq said.

With the 16 horses, the Iraqi government later opened a horse care department in the al-Zawraa Park to preserve the horses' bloodlines. The horses later produced more foals, bringing the total number of purebred Arabian horses in the park to 48 now.

Arabian horses serve as a link to thousands of years of equine history in the Middle East, which is intertwined with the region's Arab heritage.

Arabian horses were bred by the Bedouins, a nomadic people who valued their horses and carefully chose breeds. They are beautiful, friendly, and devoted to their owners, as well as robust and agile, qualities that make them suitable for tough desert circumstances and wars.

Baghdad's once-thriving horse racing industry was one of the most successful in the Middle East, attracting the city's elite to the old location in the capital's upscale Mansour area.

However, three wars beginning in the 1980s, 13 years of economic sanctions, and more than 30 years of international horse racing bans due to Iraq's failure to meet the conditions set by the World Organization for Animal Health have left the country's horse racing in shambles, with many breeders leaving and many horses dying.

In the Iraqi Equestrian Club in western Baghdad, a few dozen men gathered in groups either at a makeshift spectator stand or in a nearby hall overlooking one end of the dusty track, watching the jockeys in white pants and colorful silky shirts racing to the finish line.

Jamal Rasheed, 55, a veterinarian and director of the Iraqi Equestrian Club's Arabian Horse Registration Department, told Xinhua that UN sanctions and wars in Iraq had a severe impact on the club and horse breeding.

"We still have a lot of work to do to rehabilitate the horse racing," Rasheed said, adding that the club lacks a stadium and other infrastructure, including a good racing track.

There is also a need to support the breeders, many of whom are using the club's stables, according to Rasheed. The club has 146 stables, each with 16 stalls.

Being a self-supporting and independent organization, the club's capacities were limited, he said, adding he hoped that the Iraqi government would support the club, allowing it to contribute to the restoration of a part of Iraq's national heritage.

"Horses have long been associated with the Iraqi society, and Iraqis have cared for their horses since ancient times. They have a fondness for horses and even named them after their sons and daughters in the past," said Kadhim Mohammad Ali, director of the Iraqi Central School for Equestrian Education.

"Sometimes horse breeders are more concerned with feeding their horses than feeding their sons," he noted, adding that such passion even leads to conflicts in horse lovers' families.

Farouq, who has been working hard over the past years to preserve the purebred Arabian horses, hoped his efforts to preserve and revive the horse industry in Iraq will not be in vain.

"All of our horses are purebred Arabian horses registered with the World Arabian Horse Organization in the United Kingdom, and they are now up to both international and Iraqi standards," Farouq said. 
Kadyrov (The Warlord) is a good man and a great leader. He and his people under him have shown who and what they are in this Ukraine war. Chechaians are a proud people and having them on your side is a plus!

I call them, The Unleashed Dogs of War!

On Thursday, as part of my working visit to Moscow, I had a very fruitful meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. We substantively discussed the issues of conducting a special operation for denazification and demilitarization in Ukraine, and identified further ways of interaction.

Sergei Kuzhugetovich identified new tasks that imply the improvement of further tactics. The measures taken will make it possible to significantly increase the effectiveness of offensive maneuvers, which contributes to the conduct of the special operation at a faster pace. The minister also asked to convey sincere words of gratitude to our fighters for their significant contribution to the fight against nationalist and Bandera formations.

I thanked Sergei Kuzhugetovich for the high appraisal of the work of our special forces. We feel the full support of the Russian Ministry of Defense from the first days of the start of the special operation in Ukraine. I am confident that our further cooperation will significantly improve the efficiency of solving the tasks set by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

Like Lukashenko of Belarus, Kadyrov of Chechen are intricate part of this SMO of Russias

WtR
Ukraine demanded that Germany provide it with submarines

Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk pointed out a similar need in Kyiv during a meeting with German Defense Minister Christina Lambrecht.

I do not rule out receiving submarines from Germany, because we are ready to become the defensive eastern border of all of Europe. And this cooperation will be mutually beneficial both at this stage and in the future, the website of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine quotes Stefanchuk as saying.

It is not reported what the head of the German Defense Ministry, a country that has been unable to supply Ukraine with a dozen howitzers for three months, answered Stefanchuk on such a statement.

By the way, at the beginning of the week, German Vice-Chancellor Robert Habek quite definitely stated that Germany was not going to fulfill all the wishes of Kyiv regarding the supply of weapons.

I wonder if they got any lakes they can put them in?

WtR
  The largest Orthodox wooden church in Ukraine is burning  the Wooden All Saints Skete of the Svyatogorsk Lavra of the Moscow Patriarchate, opened in the 16th century was attacked by Ukrainian militants

Why? Because it is a Moscow, Russia Orthodox Church

Ukraine shelled it. Why? Because they are Nazi

This is why Ukraine will never get the lands back. Ever never and they keep this stuff up. They will loose the whole country

Update: by MoD of Russia

Retreating Ukrainian nationalists set fire to the monastery of All Saints of the Land of the Russian Holy Assumption Svyatogorsk Lavra  Russian Defense Ministry

The department noted that the wooden walls of the domed space were shot with incendiary cartridges from a machine gun mounted on a Ukrainian Kozak armored car. After that, the servicemen of the 79th Airborne Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine quickly left in a southerly direction to the side controlled by Ukrainian troops, local residents reported.

The units of the Russian Armed Forces located north of Svyatogorsk are not conducting combat operations in this area and are not shelling the territory of the Svyatogorsk Historical and Architectural Reserve, the ministry said.

Update Again.

On June 4, during the withdrawal of the units of 79th Air Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Svyatogorsk, Donetsk Peoples Republic, the Ukrainian nationalists set fire to All Saints of the Russian Land wooden skete the Svyatogorsk Lavra.

According to the local residents, the wooden walls under the dome were shelled by incendiary munitions from a high-caliber machine gun mounted on a Kozak Ukrainian armoured vehicle.

After commiting the arson, the Ukrainian nationalists headed southbound at a high speed, towards a Ukrainian troops-contolled locality of Sviridovo.

Units of the Russian Armed Forces that were to the north of Svyatogorsk do not carry out any combat operations in this area and do not shell the territory of the historical and architecture reserve of Svyatogorsk.

 The All Saints of the Russian Land wooden skete in Svyatogorsk was built in 2009 instead of the exploded one in 1947.

#MoD #Russia #Ukraine

@mod_russia_en

WtR
Weather Alert

...Heating Up This Week, Then Increasing Winds This Weekend... * Summer's first multi-day period of heat is projected Thursday through Saturday. Highs well into the 90s in Western Nevada and into the 80s for Sierra communities are expected, with potential for some records on Friday. There is a chance of cities such as Reno (15%) and Fallon (50%) of hitting 100 degrees on Friday. Heat health impacts are possible, especially for vulnerable populations and those outdoors for extended periods. Now is a good time to ensure cooling systems are in good working order. For more information, please see the Heat Advisory. * Winds are expected to increase for the upcoming weekend, with Sunday looking to be the windiest day. While not a major wind event, widespread gusts on the order of 30-40 mph are possible Saturday afternoon with gusts 40-50 mph Sunday. This would cause rough water on lakes, tricky travel for high profile vehicles, and increased turbulence for aviation. With dry air expected, these winds could also cause increased concern for rapid fire spread in vegetation that dries out due to the upcoming heat. * The hot temperatures will also result in minor rises on creeks and streams in the Sierra from snowmelt. Slightly higher flows of cold water could impact recreation and camping near streams, however levels will be well short of any flood stages.

...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM TO 8 PM PDT FRIDAY... * WHAT...High temperatures Friday 95 to 100. * WHERE...Lower elevations of Lassen-Eastern Plumas-Eastern Sierra Counties including Susanville, Greater Reno-Carson City-Minden Area and Northern Washoe County around Gerlach. * WHEN...From 10 AM to 8 PM PDT Friday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and sunny skies may cause heat illnesses to occur, especially for those sensitive to heat and outdoors for extended periods of time. Since this is the first heat event of the summer season, many people are not yet acclimatized to heat and may be impacted more than normal. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...These are potentially record setting highs for the date, and unusually early to be so close to 100 degrees. The average first 100 degrees for Reno isn't until July 10th. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Now is the time to prepare and ensure your cooling systems are in good working order. On the day of, drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air- conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. &&
BEIJING, June 4 (Xinhua) -- "Long as the way is, I will keep on searching high and low." This line, excerpted from the popular ancient poem "Li Sao," has deeply resonated with President Xi Jinping.

While addressing a ceremony marking the 95th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2016, Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, quoted the line to boost the morale of all Party members to stay true to the founding mission of the Party and to continue marching forward.

The poem written by Qu Yuan, a well-known Chinese patriotic poet from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), depicts the poet's concern for the country and people. For thousands of years, the aforementioned line has inspired generations of patriots of high ideals to pursue the truth.

Imbibing the spirit of patriotism from the line, Xi has on multiple occasions emphasized the pursuit of happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, while stressing the importance of forging ahead.

The CPC has achieved an outstanding result in its historic test. However, this test is by no means over, and it is continuing right now, Xi has said.

Under the leadership of the CPC, China has achieved the miracles of rapid economic growth and long-term social stability, and the Chinese nation has undergone a tremendous transformation from obtaining independence and becoming prosperous to growing in strength.

In the new era, the Party is rallying and leading the Chinese people to forge ahead on the new journey toward realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

Xi has called on the entire Party to maintain its modesty and prudence and avoid arrogance and impetuosity, while preserving its tradition of hard work, having the courage to change and innovate, and ensuring that it never becomes rigid or stagnant.

The Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation has to be achieved, and will definitely be achieved, Xi has vowed. "The road ahead is long; striving is the only way forward." 
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

The New Mexico Public Education Department announced Thursday that it has bumped up its assessment results timeline, based on feedback from the Legislative Finance Committee during a meeting in mid-May.

Now, results for the SAT, which is the standardized test for juniors, are expected in early June instead of the original timeline of August, according to a memo from the PED.

End-of-year Measures of Student Success & Achievement (MSSA) results, which measure third through eighth graders achievement in reading and math, are expected in late August or early September, the memo stated.

PED spokeswoman Judy Robinson said the contractor that processes assessment results, Cognia Inc., originally estimated those results would come sometime in November.

(They) began with what worked for them, and we told them that doesnt work for us, she said.

The PED will stick to its timeline for a process known as standard setting, which will involve gathering over 100 New Mexico educators to help set new baselines for assessments, according to the department. Thats set to happen over a week in July.

Cognias turnaround time, Robinson said, is being accelerated, which is how the new timeline for results is being pushed up.

The MSSA assessments are relatively new, and the PED has said the delays are only expected for this year. Next spring, the department said, schools can expect to get reports back around 10 days after testing windows close in mid to late May.

Testing was waived in 2020, according to the PED, because of the pandemic. That came after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham nixed the states previous testing system in favor of the current MSSA tests, which were set to be rolled out that spring.

In 2021, the state allowed the tests to be voluntary, but Education Secretary Kurt Steinhaus promised to get assessments in place by the end of fiscal year 2022 last fall, officials said during the meeting.
Anybody who lives in Albuquerque knows (or will soon find out) about the thieves who roam the city after midnight burglarizing vehicles.

Its not enough to lock your car 364 nights in a year. If you forget even once, youre likely to find it ransacked by morning.

If the thieves spot something valuable inside a locked vehicle, theyll break a window to get it. Thats why you so frequently see shattered glass on our quiet residential streets.

And thats what happened at the William McKinley house in Four Hills around 4 a.m. on the day after Christmas, 2015.

The thieves were Tyler Hernandez and Craig Whited. They parked Whiteds Jeep at the bottom of McKinleys driveway, then smashed the window of McKinleys truck to get at the tools inside.

McKinley rushed out of the house to protect his property.

Whited later gave a statement to police, summarized in a Journal article, in which he claimed he was already busy burglarizing another car next door when he realized Hernandez and McKinley were fighting in the driveway.

Struggling for possession of the tools, they ended up inside Whiteds Jeep, where Hernandez produced a knife and stabbed McKinley.

McKinley died. The two criminals were quickly caught. Whited pled guilty to larceny and related charges while Hernandez was convicted of murder.

Longtime readers may have guessed by now that this is another column about automobile insurance.

Less than three years ago, I wrote about a newly decided case in which a man was shot inside an uninsured car, then claimed uninsured motorist benefits from his own insurance company.

The McKinley family similarly claimed uninsured motorist benefits because William was stabbed inside a vehicle that was either uninsured or minimally insured (the recent Court of Appeals opinion says both things).

The fact that our Court of Appeals had to devote resources to two cases with such similar facts within such a short time frame flags a problem in the law.

New Mexicos appellate courts issue few decisions in civil cases because most cases settle. They settle because its generally too expensive and too risky to pursue an appeal to the end.

In New Mexico, the appellate process is agonizingly slow, which imposes costs in itself, both direct (the accrual of interest) and indirect (carrying debt on the books).

The pressure to settle is increased by the shortage of precedent. We just dont have many business law cases on our books. That makes it difficult for lawyers to extrapolate from past practice to predict how the courts will rule in the future.

The lack of precedent creates a climate of uncertainty that discourages civil litigants from pursuing the appeals that would set guidepost precedents. And so the vicious circle keeps spinning.

Compounding the uncertainty is the low respect for precedent that characterizes New Mexicos judicial culture. Waiting for a New Mexico appellate court to rule is like placing a bet on a roll of dice.

That kind of bet makes business sense for one type of company. Insurers need to know what the law requires of them in order to calculate an appropriate premium. Moreover, as large national corporations, they have the resources to wait out the protracted appellate process.

Twice in recent years insurance companies have asked New Mexicos appellate courts to explain whether intentional violent acts committed inside an uninsured vehicle are covered by uninsured motorist policies. Twice New Mexicos courts have answered, Well, it depends.

McKinleys uninsured motorist policy, like most such policies, covered accidents arising from another persons use of an uninsured or under-insured vehicle.

By ordinary definition, a shooting or stabbing is the opposite of an accident, as conveyed by the familiar phrase, That was no accident!

But in another usage, accident can mean any unexpected event, as in the phrase, We met by accident. From the victims point of view, being stabbed or shot is always unexpected. Thus an intentional attack is an accident. Right?

The argument is mere wordplay, but its been accepted by numerous courts around the country, including the New Mexico Supreme Court in 1995.

By indulging in word games, the Supreme Court needlessly complicated a straightforward inquiry. The result is a series of cases raising similar but not quite identical claims, which must be litigated one by one.

Starting from the premise that the stabbing of William McKinley qualified as an accident, our Court of Appeals held that coverage depended on whether use of the uninsured car caused it. The court held that, on the contrary, the cause was Hernandezs intentional act of stabbing his victim.

With this roundabout rationale, our court denied coverage. The accident, you see, wasnt accidental.

Joel Jacobsen is an author who in 2015 retired from a 29-year legal career. If there are topics you would like to see covered in future columns, please write him at legal.column.tips@gmail.com.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

About 20 local, state and federal agencies around New Mexico conducted a 90-day operation targeting the growing fentanyl threat and suspects in violent crimes.

Operation Blue Crush, which wrapped up Thursday, netted 310 arrests  60% of which were related to fentanyl  and the seizure of 100 firearms and 130 kilograms of drugs, authorities announced at a news conference Friday. The operation was led and coordinated by New Mexico's High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program. The national initiative was created in the 1980s to reduce drug trafficking and production.

Law enforcement leaders who gathered at Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office headquarters described a spike in fentanyl use and overdoses in the past several years, and said the opioid, brought in from Mexico, is being disguised in different pills or laced into other drugs. Last year, about 290 Americans died every day from an overdose, and about 66% of those deaths were caused by such synthetic opioids as fentanyl.

Greg Millard, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's El Paso division, said that, to his knowledge, no other state has conducted an operation specifically targeting fentanyl traffickers.

What is kind of a one of a kind is a statewide operation focused on fentanyl traffickers, he said. These aren't fentanyl users; we were very clear to the enforcement initiatives we're not going after users. We're going after the dealers.

New Mexico State Police Deputy Chief Troy Weisler said of the 130 kilograms of drugs seized during the operation, 54 kilograms were fentanyl.

(It) would have caused untold numbers of overdoses and deaths in our community had it made it to the street, Weisler said. The value of that fentanyl  this is just the fentanyl  $5.4 million.

Officials could not provide a list of the people who have been charged, but said the majority face either drug possession or trafficking charges, or charges related to violent crimes. Most will be tried in state court, although some could face federal charges.

Sonya Chavez, the U.S. Marshal for New Mexico, said six of the people who were arrested have not yet been charged, while agents continue to investigate.

The majority of the arrests and seizures were in such larger metropolitan areas as Las Cruces and Albuquerque, as well as such southeastern New Mexico cities as Carlsbad.

Part of the beauty of being able to do something like this is we have a lot of flexibility to go to Lea County and talk to the sheriff or Eddy County  (and ask) 'What are your threats?' 'What do you need from us?'  Chavez said. So this situation is very different than Dona Ana County, or San Juan County, and very different from Bernalillo County.
Enterprise Bank & Trust has announced three promotions.

Jessica Kuhn has been promoted to senior vice president and team lead. Kuhn will report to Enterprise President, Southwest Region Jeff Friesen to support the banks continued growth efforts in New Mexico. Kuhn came to Enterprise in 2019 with more than 15 years of commercial banking experience. With this advancement, she will be responsible for leading the commercial banking team, working to maintain their high level of customer service.

Rebecca Lujan has been promoted to vice president and relationship manager. Lujan brings more than 16 years of industry experience and is well-versed in construction and commercial and industrial lending and has been an involved member of CREW, the Home Builder Association and Albuquerque Future Fund for several years. She is passionate about supporting her community and sharing her knowledge in order to assist her colleagues and valued clients with their financial needs.

Crystal Patterson has been promoted to client advocate at Enterprise Bank & Trust. Patterson will work to cultivate and support both new and existing client relationships. She came to Enterprise in 2016 with more than a decade of experience fostering key relationships in a variety of industries including finance, event planning, transportation and more.
Anna Mallory Cody McNallen Prev 1 of 2 Next

Yellowstone Landscape West Region has announced two promotions.

Anna Mallory, business development associate, has been promoted to the head of the estimating and design team. In her new role, Mallory will be supervising the designers and estimators as they create both residential and commercial landscape plans. Mallory has been with the company since 2015, and has held a variety of positions, including working in business development, web development and design, and other marketing projects and the Plant Health Care program.

Cody McNallen has been promoted as the business development manager. In this role McNallen will continue meeting with clients, contractors, developers and architects to create and review designs and budgets. Hes been with the company since 2012, when he started as a design associate, then moved into a business development role. His degree from Texas Tech is in landscape architecture.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

Outgoing New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas is endorsing his friend and colleague Brian Colon in a big way in the final days of the Democratic AG primary campaign, contributing $100,000 from his past campaign coffers for television ads in which he is the narrator and co-star.

Colon, who is current State Auditor, is in a highly contested race with Bernalillo County District Attorney Raul Torrez for the nomination in Tuesdays primary election. Up until now, Balderas, who is term limited, hasnt expressed his support so publicly.

He is listed as the sole contributor via his candidates AG campaign to a PAC called Protecting NM Families, which was formed May 23, according to campaign finance reports filed Thursday.

Torrezs campaign, meanwhile, is benefiting from a different political action committee that has collected about $90,000 for commercials as of Thursdays finance report filings.

That PAC, RNML (Real New Mexico Leadership), was formed in early May and so far has funded at least one advertisement slamming Colon without mentioning Torrez. The PAC has been funded by several high-powered New Mexicans, including personal injury attorney Bertrand Parnall and PNM Resources Chairman and chief executive officer Pat Vincent-Collawn, according to Secretary of State records. Parnall, who contributed $20,000, was one of more than a half-dozen lawyers who contributed to the PAC. Vincent-Collawn donated $10,000.

While Colon is backed by Balderas, Torrez is endorsed by U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., who announced his support more than a year ago on a social media post. With only days before Tuesdays primary, Heinrich appeared with Torrez this week at a campaign event in Las Cruces.

As leading New Mexico Democrats, Heinrich and Balderas faced off as candidates for the Democratic nomination for the open U.S. Senate seat in 2012. Heinrich won the nomination with nearly 59% of the vote and was elected to the U.S. Senate seat in the general election that fall.

In this campaign season for AG, both Colon and Torrez have relied on personal appearances and television commercials to gain statewide exposure. Many of the ads have been critical of each others experience, record and qualifications for the $95,000-a-year job as the states top attorney and law enforcement officer.

The focus has been on crime fighting, with Torrez touting his experience as a criminal prosecutor in the states largest DAs office. Colon, former state Democratic Party chair, has emphasized his broad range of experience in civil and consumer issues and has labeled Torrez a failed prosecutor.

Under state law, independent expenditures by political committees for the purposes of advertising are permitted. Though there are no caps on the amounts that can be contributed, donors must be identified.

Using the Protecting New Mexico Families campaign theme adopted by Balderas in his last AG campaign in 2018, the new PAC with the same name received $75,000 on May 27, and another $25,000 on May 31 of this year, finance reports show. The reports show the contributions came from Balderas through his campaign fund, and his occupation is listed as a candidate.

Secretary of State records show Balderass campaign from his last AG race had a balance of $661,034 as of April 11 of this year.

In his commercial for Colon, Balderas does a voice over while he is shown smiling while walking with Colon. He also appears speaking with law enforcement officers and others.

A prominent political figure in northern New Mexico Democratic circles and elsewhere, Balderas was elected to the state House of Representatives at age 29, and served two terms as State Auditor before running for AG in 2014.

Torrez, in campaigning for the nomination, has been critical of Balderas, claiming he has been steering lucrative AG legal work to a prominent Albuquerque law firm  Robles, Rael & Anaya. Both Balderas and Colon previously worked at the firm before assuming elected office.

Torrez contends that Colon is on track to continue that practice and Colon hasnt ruled that out on the campaign trail.

Colon counters that transparency and hiring the best legal talent is key to obtaining maximum results for New Mexicans.

The winner of Tuesdays election will face Republican attorney Jeremy Gay of Gallup in the fall general election.

In the most recently filed campaign finance reports, Gay reported total contributions of $120,456, with expenditures of $79,044 as of June 2.

The last campaign finance reports to be filed before the primary election show Torrez reported receiving $146,614 between May 3 and June 2. His total contributions as of June 2 were $1,226,431, with expenditures of $1,154,392, according to the Secretary of State.

Colons campaign reported a total of $1,593,798 in contributions, receiving $83,732 since May 3. His total expenditures were $1,308,639.
LOS LUNAS  Two previously suspended Los Lunas Board of Education members have been reinstated to their elected seats after a procedural error.

First Judicial District Judge Maria Sanchez-Gagne said in her ruling last month that the state statute the New Mexico Public Education Department used to indefinitely  and later permanently  suspend the entire Los Lunas Board of Education was not contrary to the New Mexico Constitution.

The judge also concluded PED acted both within its scope of authority and did not act fraudulently, arbitrarily, or capriciously.

However, since the secretary of education failed to consult with the state Public Education Commission and the decision of the Public Education Department is not supported by substantial evidence as to appellants Eloy Giron and Bryan Smith, both Smith and Giron were reinstated to the Los Lunas Board of Education.

We plan to follow the judges order. Any decisions about next steps are currently under consideration, state Education Secretary Kurt Steinhaus said in a statement.

The Public Education Commission is the authorization and oversight board for New Mexico charter schools.

Smith and Giron praised the ruling.

Its been a rough two years, and I guess the roughest part has been knowing that I didnt do anything, yet the accusations kept coming, Smith told the News-Bulletin. The thing that gets me the most is that they are the same accusations just over and over and over. I am very, very, very much relieved of the findings the judge found. She has actually restored my faith that the facts  and only the facts  are and should be relevant.

As he finishes the remainder of his term, Smith said he plans to increase communication between individuals within the district so they can move toward their goal of serving and teaching the children of Los Lunas.

For his part, Giron said he isnt holding any grudges.

Im going forward, he told the News-Bulletin. The community needs some stability. Teachers, the parents, the staff, the community, the taxpayers, they need to move forward  thats what they want us to do.

PEDs initial reasoning for the suspension cited credible evidence that certain board members have persistently violated procurement and public access laws, the state Public School Code, and professional ethical standards.

Appointed board members Sonya CMoya, District 2, and Ragon Espinoza, District 4, have been informed of Giron and Smiths reinstatement, and will not be returning to the Los Lunas Board of Education.

Im honored to have been selected as a board appointee by PED, said CMoya, who was serving as board president since January. Basically, I truly appreciate serving again on the board of education. I also appreciate the support of the entire staff of Los Lunas Schools with their strength and tenacity going through everything  COVID and everything.

Of the other suspended board members, David Vickers, District 3, was reelected to his seat in November 2021, and started a new four-year term in January.

Former member Steven Otero, District 5, also ran for his board seat in November, but lost to Los Lunas Schools Governing Council appointee Bruce Bennett.

Otero is also facing two misdemeanor counts of criminal violation of ethical principles of public service in connection with his time on the Los Lunas Board of Education. He has a pretrial conference scheduled for June 23, at the 13th Judicial District Court.

Neither Otero, Vickers nor Frank Otero, the suspended board member from District 1, appealed the departments decision and therefore were not reinstated along with Giron and Smith.

Both Smith and Giron took their seats for the regular board of education meeting on May 24, and a special meeting to reorganize the board held earlier in the evening.

Tina Garcia, the only appointee left on the board, was unanimously voted president. Vickers was elected vice president on a 3-2 vote, with Giron and Smith voting against, and Garcia, Bennett and Vickers voting yes.

Neither Smith nor Giron were assigned to the finance or audit committees.

I came here fully expecting to be a board member, and you made the comment earlier that we are going to work together as a board, Smith said to Garcia following her committee assignments. Based on your assignments to these two committees, it seems to me like were well on our way. You have excluded two board members intentionally. So, I hope there is some level of accountability with three board members overseeing two committees.
Albuquerque resident Kev Lister, center, welcomes back husband, veteran and Honor Flight participant Don Lister at the Albuquerque International Sunport on Friday. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal) Stephen Mahnke Sr., an Air Force Vietnam veteran, hugs his granddaughter, 8-year-old Ari Medoro, while his daughter, Amy Thatcher, looks on. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal) The Honor Flight is welcomed to the Sunport with a water cannon salute on Friday. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal) Prev 1 of 3 Next

A crowd gathered at the Albuquerque International Sunport on Friday to welcome back 25 veterans of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War as they returned from a trip to Washington, D.C., sponsored by Honor Flight of Northern New Mexico.

The organization honors veterans and gives them closure with guided tours to the various veteran and war memorials around the nations capital.

The tribute included a water cannon salute over the arriving airplane as it made its way to the terminal gate.
ZHYTOMYR, Ukraine  As soon as they had finished burying a veteran colonel killed by Russian shelling, the cemetery workers readied the next hole. Inevitably, given how quickly death is felling Ukrainian troops on the front lines, the empty grave wont stay that way for long.

Col. Oleksandr Makhachek left behind a widow, Elena, and their daughters Olena and Myroslava-Oleksandra. In the first 100 days of war, his grave was the 40th dug in the military cemetery in Zhytomyr, 90 miles (140 kilometers) west of the capital, Kyiv.

He was killed May 30 in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine where the fighting is raging. Nearby, the burial notice on the also freshly dug grave of Viacheslav Dvornitskyi says he died May 27. Other graves also showed soldiers killed within days of each other  on May 10, 9th, 7th and 5th. And this is just one cemetery, in just one of Ukraines cities, towns and villages laying soldiers to rest.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week that Ukraine is now losing 60 to 100 soldiers each day in combat. By way of comparison, just short of 50 American soldiers died per day on average in 1968 during the Vietnam Wars deadliest year for U.S. forces.

Among the comrades-in-arms who paid respects to the 49-year-old Makhachek at his funeral on Friday was Gen. Viktor Muzhenko, the Ukrainian Armed Forces chief of general staff until 2019. He warned that losses could worsen.

This is one of the critical moments in the war, but it is not the peak, Muzhenko told The Associated Press. This is the most significant conflict in Europe since World War II. That explains why the losses are so great. In order to reduce losses, Ukraine now needs powerful weapons that match or even surpass Russian weaponry. This would enable Ukraine to respond in kind.

Concentrations of Russian artillery are causing many of the casualties in the eastern regions that Moscow has focused on since its initial invasion launched Feb. 24 failed to take Kyiv.

Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the former commanding general of U.S. Army forces in Europe, described the Russian strategy as a medieval attrition approach and said that until Ukraine gets promised deliveries of U.S., British and other weapons to destroy and disrupt Russian batteries, these kinds of casualties are going to continue.

This battlefield is so much more lethal than what we all became accustomed to over the 20 years of Iraq and Afghanistan, where we didnt have numbers like this, he said in an AP phone interview.

That level of attrition would include leaders, sergeants, he added. They are a lot of the brunt of casualties because they are the more exposed, constantly moving around trying to do things.

Makhachek, a military engineer, led a detachment that laid minefields and other defenses, said Col. Ruslan Shutov, who attended the funeral of his friend of more than 30 years.

Once the shelling began, he and a group hid in a shelter. There were four people in his group, and he told them to hide in the dugout. He hid in another. Unfortunately, an artillery shell hit the dugout where he was hiding.

Ukraine had about 250,000 men and women in uniform before the war and was in the process of adding another 100,000. The government hasnt said how many have died in more than 14 weeks of fighting.

Nobody really knows the number of Ukrainian civilians who have been killed or how many combatants have died on either side. Claims of casualties by government officials  who may sometimes exaggerate or lowball their figures for public relations reasons  are all but impossible to verify.

Western analysts estimate far higher Russian military casualties, in the many thousands. Still, as Ukraines losses mount, the grim mathematics of war require that it find replacements. With a population of 43 million, it has manpower.

The problem is recruiting, training and getting them on the front line, said retired U.S. Marine Col. Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

If the war is now moving into a long-term attrition struggle, then you have to build systems to get replacements, he said. This has been a difficult moment for every army in combat.

Muzhenko, the Ukrainian general, said Zelenskyys admission of high casualties would further galvanize Ukrainian morale and that more Western weaponry would help turn the tide.

The more Ukrainians know about what is happening at the front, the more the will to resist will grow, he said. Yes, the losses are significant. But with the help of our allies, we can minimize and reduce them and move on to successful offensives. This will require powerful weapons.

___

Yuras Karmanau contributed to this report from Lviv.

___

Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
James Fulton Zimmerman was president of the University of New Mexico for 17 years. ((Courtesy of the University of New Mexico) Students walk in front of the Zimmerman Library on the University of New Mexico campus. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Journal) A postcard of Zimmerman Library shortly after it was built in the 1930s. (Courtesy of Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico) The old reference desk at the library sits outside one of the reading rooms. (Courtesy of Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico ) Zimmerman Library in about 1965 when the first addition was being added to the 1938 building. (Courtesy Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico) Prev 1 of 5 Next

Editors note: The Journal continues Whats in a Name?, a once a month column in which writer Elaine Briseno will give a short history of how places in New Mexico got their names.

Most people who have visited the University of New Mexico are no stranger to the name Zimmerman.

It graces one of the most architecturally stunning and most-used buildings on the 133-year-old campus. Its the name of the main library at UNM where thousands of students flock every year to do research, study with friends, check out materials, attend lectures and even grab a coffee.

What many might not know is that the library was named for the schools seventh president, James Fulton Zimmerman, who presided over the university for 17 years. The library was built during his tenure in 1938 and named after him in 1961.

Zimmerman came to UNM in 1925 as an associate professor of political science and was named president just two years later. He served in that role until his death in October 1944. Although it was his first time living in the Southwest, Zimmerman fell in love with New Mexico. It was he who fought to make sure the universitys architecture reflected the culture of the state, which was not a popular choice at the time.

Zimmerman Library is designed in the Spanish Pueblo Revival style that was popular in New Mexico during the earlier part of the 20th century. Spanish Pueblo Revival designs are a mash-up of two cultural styles  the Spanish and Pueblo Indians. Architects drew a little from each to create a style that has come to symbolize New Mexico. Features include flat roofs, the walls with rounded corners, vigas, irregular parapets. Several UNM buildings already existed that had adopted the style when Zimmerman Library was built, including the remodel of Hodgin Hall seen today.

Its fitting that the library was named after him because it was Zimmerman who unified the campus architecture into one style.

University of New Mexico president William G. Tight, who served from 1902 to 1909, had dreamed of a pueblo on the mesa and wanted the school to adopt the Spanish Pueblo style for all of its buildings. But his efforts were not well received, according to a 2013 documentary about the library. There was push back, with racist undertones, from the regents who didnt understand the allure or respect the architecture used by local Native Americans. They wanted the style to mimic what was being done on the East Coast. Tight resigned without ever seeing his dream realized.

When Zimmerman became president, he did not shy away from embracing the style. He unapologetically set out to create the campus Tight had envisioned. Although Zimmerman was born in Missouri and earned his bachelors and masters degree at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee, and a Ph.D. from Columbia University in New York, he did not want UNM to emulate East Coast or any other college campuses. He wanted the school to create an identity that represented the culture of New Mexico and its history.

Zimmerman worked with university architect John Gaw Meem, who was an expert in the style, to expand the university in the manner which Tight had envisioned. Federal money made available with the New Deal gave Meem and Zimmerman the means to design and build a library of grandeur.

The large reading rooms on the first floor feature tall windows and high ceilings with long wooden tables. Hand-crafted, carved vigas were done by local artists. The tower of the library can be seen from different vantage points on campus.

The library was occupied for the first time on Monday, March 21, 1938. The previous Saturday, the university band led students and faculty as they paraded, library books in hand, from the old to the new building.

Zimmerman was also praised for turning a scholarly eye toward the importance of New Spain and colonization to New Mexico history. He knew that what was considered American history did not necessarily apply to the people of New Mexico. Their story was that of the Native people who lived here for centuries and the Spanish Empire who colonized the area.

The library, from the start, began collecting materials relevant to the states own story. The Center for Southwest Research and Zimmerman Library house some of the finest collections of Hispano history in the world.

Zimmermans career in education began in 1905 when he took a teaching position at the public schools of Bollinger County, Missouri. He went on to become a teacher, administrator and college instructor in Tennessee.

Zimmerman was only 57 when heart problems took his life. His legacy now lives on in the rooms of the library he ushered into existence.

Curious about how a town, street or building got its name? Email writer Elaine Briseno at elainebriseno@gmail.com.
TEHRAN, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Saturday welcomed the two-month renewal of the nationwide truce between Yemen's warring parties under the UN auspices.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said it is hoped that Yemen's siege would be fully lifted, a lasting cease-fire secured and a political solution achieved, according to the ministry's website.

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg announced on Thursday that the warring sides have agreed to extend the truce for another two months, hours before the initial truce was set to expire.

Khatibzadeh said Iran has always promoted a political solution to the Yemeni conflict and has "used its entire capacity" to find a "just peace" based on Yemen's own realities.

Yemen's warring parties entered a two-month cease-fire on April 2, which includes allowing commercial flights to and from Houthi-held capital Sanaa and the entry of fuel ships into the Houthi-held port of Hodeidah, and lifting the siege of the government-held Taiz city. 
The New Mexico Philharmonics new season embraces Russian romance, Brazilian guitar and Scheherazade in a program of classics and concertos.

The festivities kick off with a three-day Tchaikovsky festival on Oct. 15, 16 and 22 with pianists Olga Kern and Sylvia Thereza.

Kern will play the composers Concerto No. 1, while Thereza will perform his Concerto No. 2. The concerts take place at 6 p.m. on Saturdays and at 3 p.m. Sunday.

We had great success with our Beethoven festival last season, music director Roberto Minczuk said.

The decision to produce a Tchaikovsky festival is the beginning of a trend, he said. The philharmonic will continue to produce annual festivals focusing on a single composer each season.

On Oct. 29, the musicians will present the three finalists of the Olga Kern International Piano Competition with more than $30,000 in cash prizes to the winners, along with concert dates throughout the U.S. and Europe.

On Nov. 5 Brazilian guitarist Yamandu Costa will play two original concertos on his seven-string guitar.

Yamandu comes from the south of Brazil, Minczuk said. And hes self-taught, but hes like a force of nature. I met him when he was playing at a jazz bar. I had never seen such virtuosity on the guitar.

Richard Strauss Don Juan welcomes the New Year on Jan. 14.

Beethoven dominates the Feb. 11 concert with his nearly 200-year-old Ninth Symphony. The program will open with a piece by the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ellen Reid. The Philharmonic commissioned the work with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.

March 18 will mark Romanian cellist Andrei Ionita,winner of the 2015 International Tchaikovsky Competition, performing Dvoraks Cello Concerto, followed by Ravels Suites from Daphnis et Chloe, written for the ballet.

The classics series will end with violin virtuoso Jennifer Frautschi performing as the soloist in Mozarts Violin Concerto No. 5, nicknamed Turkish. The concert will end with Mahlers Symphony No. 1.

Ive decided were going to do all of the Mahler symphonies over the next seasons, Minczuk said. Mahler is the composer that explored the symphony orchestra like no other composer. His music is monumental. Its like climbing Mount Everest.

All concerts take place at Popejoy Hall on the University of New Mexico campus. All performances are at 6 p.m., except for the Tchaikovsky Festival concerts, and are preceded by a free preconcert talk at 5 p.m. Single tickets are $22-$90 at nmphil.org.
Albuquerque Gerdy is the latest childrens book from Santa Fes Sandi Wright.

Gerdy, a roadrunner, announces that shes searching for something to eat for lunch.

That search leads her to explore some of well-known places in Albuquerque.

The exploration is prompted by Gerdy finding a treasure map thats caught on a strand of barbed wire. She imagines the map taking her to a treasure chest filled with gems, gold, and gooey grasshoppers.

On closer inspection of the map, Gerdy sees a series of 10 clues each marked with an X. She thinks the clues will lead to a hidden treasure. Maybe not what she anticipates.

And so begins Gerdys exciting quest. Readers can follow along with her activities and learn what she learns.

Theres an X for Ancient Bones. To Gerdy, that means checking out the dinosaurs at the Albuquerque Natural History and Science Museum.

The next X stands for Children Explore. Gerdy visits the Explora Science Center and Childrens Museum across the street. Then she ambles over to Old Town (The clue is listed two ways, as Early Settlement or Ancient Settlement).

Other clues include an X for Desert Oasis, representing the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park, an X for Sea Creatures at the ABQ BioPark Aquarium and an X for Sky Floaters, the Balloon Fiesta Park.

Gerdy gets a ride on a hot air balloon. From a distance, she gazes at the Sandia Mountains and recalls that theres an X on the map for Red Mountains. The balloonist drops Gerdy off at the Sandia Crest.

Still not finding the longed-for treasure of minerals and food, Gerdy hops on top of the tram on its ride down the mountain. She loses her balance and goes into a free fall. Just then a soaring hawk reminds Gerdy that shes a bird and can fly. Good advice. Gerdy glides safely to the ground, quite a feat for low-flying roadrunners.

After her travels, Gerdy declares that the true treasure is the city of Albuquerque.

Gerdys adventures actually start at Petroglyph National Monument before she spots the treasure map. The clue Ancient Art has an X on the map, representing the monument.

Albuquerque Gerdy is the fourth book in a series aimed at readers age 5 to 9. Wright said she imagined Gerdy as a roadrunner because she had seen one while visiting the monument.

It seems that every time I go to Albuquerque I see a roadrunner. Theyre attractive and fascinating birds, she said in a phone interview.

Each book in the series, the author said, has to have a story line with educational value and a moral.

For Albuquerque Gerdy, the moral is to look past what is on the outside, and understand what we are really seeing. We shouldnt miss out on whats lovely and beautiful, she said.

The lower right corner of the cover states Books that come to life  Try me!!

Its an invitation to a special feature on the page behind the front cover. Using cutting-edge augmented reality technology, readers can follow steps to bring a group of images from the book to life.

At the back of the book is a page devoted to facts about the roadrunner.

(Did you know the roadrunner is the state bird of New Mexico, that it is found only in the American Southwest, and that it rarely flies more than 10 feet off the ground?)

The next page lists facts about Albuquerque.

Wrights earlier books in the series are The Adventures of Santa Fe Sam, the bilingual (English-Spanish) The Adventures of Santa Fe Sam/Las aventuras de Santa Fe Sam and Sedonas Search.

 n n

Sandi Wright will read, discuss and sign copies of Albuquerque Gerdy from, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, June 25 at the Rattlesnake Museum, 202 San Felipe NW, Suite A, Old Town.
Vicente Telles, "La Malinche," 2018. Jorge Gonzalez Camarena, "La pareja (The couple)," 1964 Alfredo Arregun, La Malinche ) (Malinche with Tlaloc), 1993. Santa Barraza, "La Malinche," 1991 Jess Helguera, "La Malinche," 1941. Prev 1 of 5 Next

Both revered and reviled, La Malinche was an enigmatic figure whose legacy has inspired controversy, legend and adulation since the 16th century.

Depending on your point of view, the Indigenous woman who became the Spanish Conquistador Hernan Cortes translator and mistress was a survivor, traitor, sinner or saint.

Beginning Saturday, June 11, The Albuquerque Museum will present the first comprehensive exhibit examining the historical and cultural context of the woman at the heart of the Spanish Conquest of Mexico in a traveling show from the Denver Art Museum. The exhibition includes 68 artworks by 38 artists, several of them from New Mexico.

No one knows La Malinches real name.

In 1519, Cortes landed along the Gulf coast of Mexico with a small expedition. As he and his men fought with the Maya and the Nahuatl-speaking people, language became a nearly insurmountable barrier.

When they reached the present-day state of Tabasco, a ruler gave Cortes 20 young Indigenous women. One of them was a teenaged girl referred to as Malina/li and later, Malinche.

Although her origins remain obscure, she was fluent in both Nahuatl and Maya. She skillfully leveraged those linguistic gifts in order to survive. Over the next two years, as the Spanish suffered setbacks before their final triumph over the Aztecs in 1521, Malinche would become Cortes translator and cultural interpreter.

The exhibition organizes her impact through five distinct archetypes or metaphors: the Interpreter, the Indigenous Woman, the Mother of a Mixed-Race, The Traitor and Chicana: Contemporary Reclamations.

We know of La Malinche from both Indigenous and Spanish chronicles, said Victoria Lyall, Denver Art Museum curator.

Shes mentioned twice by Cortes in his letters to King Charles V.

Even though she is an historic figure, we dont know a lot about her  her birth, death and her real name, independent curator Terezita Romo added. That left a big gap.

Photographer Delilah Montoya, who has taught at the University of New Mexico, summed up the contradictions orbiting La Malinche in her portrait of a young girl wearing a communion dress. A hazy brothel background looms behind a drape. The scene sums up the dichotomy of the promiscuous traitor enmeshed within the chaste Christian.

Its this idea of the ambiguous look she has of being a good woman and a bad woman, Romo said.

La Malinche gave birth to a son named Martin, who, because of his gilded parentage, came to represent the birth of mestizos in the New World. La Malinche later married a Spaniard named Juan Jaramillo and gave birth to a daughter.

(La Malinche) was probably snatched during a battle, Lyall said. She was sold into slavery and raised among a Mayan-speaking community. She was baptized and given the name Marina by the Spaniards.

Her mythology exploded after the Mexican Revolution, where politicians invoked La Malinches name to try to bring unity and develop the concept of a cosmic Mexican race. The ensuing chaos produced the legend that she gave birth to the first mestizo, a myth Lyall crushed.

The Spanish had already been there for 36 months before she met Cortes, she said.

Today, calling someone a La Malinche in Mexico remains an insult.

It basically says she is the main protagonist of the fall of the (Indigenous) empire, Romo said. She was a spiritual traitor. If someone is a La Malinche, you turn your back on your own people.

New Mexico santero Vicente Telles oil painting of La Malinche takes a gentler approach to its subject. Telles designed his portrait using the composition of a retablo reflecting the Virgin of Guadalupe.

He was living in California when he made that work, Romo said. In his family, the people who were powerful, who got ahead and studied were the women. He identifies as a mestizo. He sees her as the mother mestizo.

The works four medallions contain scenes from La Malinches life.

Texas-based artist Santa Barrazas painting of her also contains symbolic echoes of retablos. La Malinche gazes down at a fetus curled on a plant while Cortes stands behind her. Above them hang shadows of the brutality of the conquest, including a hanging.

Barraza is saying We are the product of that, but it wasnt always romantic or consensual, Romo said.

The Chicana section carries Malinches story into the 20th and 21st centuries, when artists began reclaiming Malinche as a survivor and inspiration for Chicana and Mexican artists.

The Los Angeles-based artist Mercedes Gertz portrayed Malinche as a bride framed by legs sprouting black stilettos like swords.

That is (Gertzs) face on her mothers body, Lyall said. Shes addressing the dichotomy of the virgin as pure and Malinche as profane. Shes taking the format of the Virgin of Guadalupe, but you have a woman in a white dress surrounded by the black stilettos. Shes saying a woman is neither one or the other.

Were living in a time when people are questioning the history weve been told, Lyall added. I had people crying in the gallery. I had people tell me it was the first time they saw themselves in a gallery.
Dhrubajyoti Choudhury is a Senior Customer Success Manager, India at Integral Ad Science (IAS). He is also a digital marketing and advertising enthusiast, with a strong inclination towards customer/ client servicing. A client advocate, with 7+ years across the client servicing and currently in the advertising technology industry, working to ensure excellent service to my stakeholders and maximising the impact of their advertising spend.

In conversation with Adgully, Dhrubajyoti Choudhury, Senior Customer Success Manager, India, Integral Ad Science (IAS), speaks about his vision and mission for future, his journey with IAS, long-term career in digital marketing and more.

What particular skill sets do you think you bring to the table?

I work for Integral Ad Science (IAS), a global leader in digital media quality. Our mission is to be the global benchmark for trust and transparency in digital media quality for the worlds leading brands, publishers, and platforms. I am helping Indian advertisers measure, protect and optimise their digital media buys. The key skill sets that help me deliver and grow in the industry include strategic thinking, collaboration, communication skills and empathy. I believe in upskilling, and I am also working on finessing some other skills. Things have changed so much in the past few years; one simply has to keep up with changing times.

How did you join your current organisation?

One evening I was going through open roles on LinkedIn before calling it a day when I came across this job post for my current role at IAS. I had previously worked with IAS in some capacity in my previous position; hence, I knew the IAS solution very well. I applied for the role, but was unsure if I would get a callback. A few weeks later, when I got a call from HR, my excitement knew no bounds, and I had no second thoughts. Interviews started, and here I am today!

Icons in this field whom you look up to and how they have influenced you and your work?

I have worked with some great leaders, and I have learned a lot from them. I find Jay Nathan very inspiring and his talks about Customer Success and SAAS positively influence a lot of CSM practitioners such as myself. I recently started following him on LinkedIn too. If you want to go the fictional way  it has to be Don Draper from Mad Men, an iconic character in many ways.

What are the five most productive things you do in your everyday routine?

A few things I follow in my daily routine are:

Early riser: Once a night owl (professional reasons) for most parts of my career, its been a year since I started practising waking up early, and I can say with conviction it has helped increase my productivity levels. Work off a priority list: I learned this in my previous organisation, and I still practice it; I will recommend others to do it as well. Making notes about your to-dos for the day (first thing in the morning) helps keep things organised and get the most out of the day. Stretch: I try to squeeze in some exercise during the day Knowhow: I try to make time in the week to upgrade my adtech knowledge through our internal learning platforms constantly. Cook: It is essential to eat healthily and make time for things you love

Do you think a career in this field is viable long-term?

A resounding YES! The digital ecosystem, notably ad tech, is ever-evolving, dynamic, and fast-paced. Digital advertising will continue to grow and the threat of ad fraud, brand risk and viewability. Brands will continue to protect, measure and optimise their digital campaigns and find efficiencies in their supply paths. A career path in adtech is definitely exciting, lucrative and viable long-term.

What does it take to succeed in a career?

There are many. However, three which stand out to me and I feel are very critical:

Hard work and Persistence: There simply cant be an alternative to hard work, and persistence is important because failure is an inevitable part of our journey Self-belief: Doubts will creep in from time to time, but make sure they don't stick Work Ethics: One of the most important aspects to focus on for any professional. Good work ethics reflect in your work, and stakeholders take notice

What would be your advice to youngsters planning to enter this industry?

Do not chase after salary and titles. Look for what allows you to grow as a professional and develop skills. Keep learning; practice makes it perfect.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Since the start of my career, I have been working in a client servicing role, and my graduation had its roots in the Hospitality industry. With the onset of the Digital Era and the emergence of so many new technologies, I believe client servicing, consultation, and training for stakeholders will be an integral part of every organisation. I see myself or will at least try to be in a position to set benchmarks around these practices and keep delivering value.

Is there any organisation that you would like to work with in the future?

I have never associated my future with any organisation; I would instead associate it with my scope of work and the difference I will be able to make.

An exception would be that I would love to work with World Wrestling Entertainment, at least in some capacity, as I am an avid fan of WWE.
Google announced today that it will merge Duo and Meet, two of its video-calling apps, into a single platform. Soon, Google Meet will be the sole calling app consumers will need for almost everything in their lives, and Google hopes it will be that app.



Google hopes that by combining the two, it will be able to address some of the issues that plague modern communication systems.

Meet has evolved into a robust platform for meetings and group conversations of all kinds in recent years, whereas Duo has remained primarily a messaging software. Google claims it will bring all of Duo's capabilities to Meet in the future, and it appears to believe it can provide the best of both worlds.
To celebrate 75 years of the Independence, and Swarnim Vijay Varsh, and also to support vision 2030 of clean energy and foster adventure spirit among youths, a total of 15 riders, including 10 Indian Army personnel are taking part in the expedition that will cover 393 kms of distance on Ola S1 Pro scooters. The ride aims to spread awareness amongst the populace on clean energy and will showcase the spirit of adventure.

Bhavish Aggarwal, CEO, Ola said Its a proud moment for all of us at Ola Electric to have partnered with the Indian Army. Together, our brave soldiers and Ola riders have set out for an incredible & electrifying journey across the highest peaks and toughest terrains spanning in Himachal Pradesh. This ride shows the confidence that India has in electric mobility and marks the beginning of a new chapter in Indias leap towards Mission Electric.
ACCRA, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) gathered in Accra, the Ghanaian capital, Saturday, hoping to find a solution to the political situations in Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso.

Opening ECOWAS' 6th Extraordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government, Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said he hoped ECOWAS would find a lasting solution to the emerging political instability occurring in the subregion.

"In dealing with these unfortunate matters, our objective has always been to find ways to help those countries return to constitutional order," said Akufo-Addo, who is the current chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State.

He stressed that the return to constitutional governance in these three countries would help deal better with their prevailing security and humanitarian challenges.

"This should be in line with our resolute commitment to upholding democratic government and democratic institutions in the ECOWAS space, as enshrined in our protocol on good governance," Akufo-Addo said.

He said the summit would, therefore, reexamine and assess the situation in Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso in light of recent developments within the regional and global contexts which affect the subregion, and take the necessary decisions. 
Today, leading Australian wine brand, Jacobs Creek announced the launch of Unvined, a non-alcoholic wine with less than 0.5% alcohol, available in two varietals - Riesling and Shiraz. Unvined, a modern expression of winemaking, is the perfect answer to occasions when one wants to enjoy a glass of wine without the alcohol content yet retaining the true character of the original styles and flavors.

The winemakers at Jacobs Creek use sophisticated technology which removes alcohol whilst capturing most of the original aromas and flavours of the wine. The Unvined range has 50% less calories than regular wine of the same varietal, catering to the evolved consumer base looking for varied options to suit their preferences and mood. With the introduction of these two new varietals under non-alcoholic wine category, Jacobs Creek truly delivers on a coveted portfolio of wines that everyone around the table will want to reach for.

Kartik Mohindra, Chief Marketing Officer, Pernod Ricard India, said, Non-alcoholic wine may sound counterintuitive and something out of the ordinary, however sometimes its exactly what the evening calls for. The idea behind creation of Unvined was to ensure that everyone is able to celebrate important life moments with their friends and family in a way that fits with their lifestyle. Given Jacobs Creeks vast expertise in winemaking, we have created a product that has a perfect balance of taste while preserving the natural grape profile. We are proud to release Unvined in India. It is an exceptional product with less than 0.5% alcohol and a faithful expression of premium wines from Australia.

Unvined Riesling offers attractive citrus, lime and floral notes that are typical of Australian Riesling. The light bodied palate of the non-alcoholic wine with refreshing fruit notes is balanced by a crisp acidity on the finish. While Unvined Shiraz has appealing plum, blackberry and spice notes distinctive to a South Australian Shiraz. Its medium bodied palate delivers sweet fruit and light toasty oak flavour supported by soft ripe tannins. Unvined can be readily enjoyed with a wide selection of foods. For the Riesling white meat, seafood dishes and salads make for a perfect companion. For the Shiraz, lighter style curries go perfectly well.

Unvined Riesling and Shiraz are available in select retail outlets in Delhi and Mumbai and pan-India through Amazon India at INR 900/-.
by Nurul Fitri Ramadhan

JAKARTA, June 4 (Xinhua) -- In the past two weeks, the Indonesian government has been intensively wooing a number of potential investors to finance the construction of its new capital, the Capital City of Nusantara (IKN).

The mega project has been targeted to be completed by 2045.

While the current capital Jakarta is located in Java, the country's most populous island, the new capital will be built in an area covering 256,142 hectares of land of Kalimantan.

On Thursday, head of the IKN authority Bambang Susantono, met with British former Prime Minister Tony Blair in Jakarta, hoping that Britain "can help develop the new capital as it offers a lot of potential for investors."

Susantono invited Blair to visit Kalimantan to see the construction process of the IKN project in September this year.

On Tuesday, Indonesian Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources Arifin Tasrif paid a visit to German-based energy company Siemens Energy AG in Munich. He said that the company is interested in developing the renewable energy sector in the IKN, including building education facilities to support human resource improvement in the region.

On Monday, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan invited the Dutch government and business players to invest in the IKN during his visit to Den Haag, the Netherland.

He also met with Mark Harbers, the Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, asking for green economy investment in the IKN through a blended-finance program.

"Indonesia and the Netherlands have long historical connections, thus this (more investment) will strengthen our bilateral cooperation," Pandjaitan said in a press statement released early Friday.

Indonesia's IKN mega project requires funds of at least 501.56 trillion rupiahs (about 35 billion U.S. dollars), according to the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas). The first phase of the project development will be carried out until 2024.

Previously, Japan's SoftBank Group was reportedly ready to invest no less than 30 billion U.S. dollars for the construction of the new capital but pulled out from the plan in March.

Pandjaitan said he had already approached Saudi Arabia, saying that the country "will invest a very big amount."

He also said that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government had prepared 20 billion U.S. dollars through the Indonesian Investment Fund for the IKN construction.

Separately, Indonesian Minister of Investment Bahlil Lahadalia talked with Singaporean Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, in Jakarta about possible investments from Singapore to develop smart city, green industry and digital economy in the IKN.

Last week, Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko met with Ann-Mari Kemell, Finnish State Secretary to the Minister of Economic Affairs, in Jakarta, saying that Finland had stated its interest in helping Indonesia build IKN to be a green and environmentally-friendly city.

Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati explained recently that there were two options of investment schemes for IKN projects that foreign investors could choose.

"First, the investors can join as shareholders. Second, the investors can be creditors and only lend us the money. All future investors can freely choose one of the options they think can benefit them the most," the minister told reporters.

Indrawati emphasized how important the foreign investors are in helping build the IKN, because Indonesia could not afford it with only its own state budget.

"Our state budget will mainly go to infrastructure construction, such as bridges and roads," she said. 
Thursday nights news programs were dominated by the story of President Bidens speech earlier in the evening, in which he pressed for more stringent gun control measures. If I were to pick apart his remarksand, believe me, there is fertile ground on which to do so!I might zero in on his claim that ...the Second Amendment...is not absolute. It was Justice Scalia who wrote, and I quote: Like most rights, the right Second Amendment  the rights granted by the Second Amendment are not unlimited. Not unlimited. It never has been.

Really? The right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed sounds pretty absolute to me. But thats just me. What matters more is that Bidens supposed quote from the late Antonin Scalia isnt quite accurate. Indeed, it changes a word that is critical to understanding the nature of the rights that the Founders enumerated in our Bill of Rights.

Its true that, in the Supreme Courts District of Columbia v. Heller decision, the learned Justice Scalia did raise questions of limitations to the nature of weaponry covered. What Scalia wrote contrasts with remarks from Tench Coxe (1755-1824), a political economist and a delegate from Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress, who emphatically stated that the weaponry referred to by the Second Amendment comprised every terrible implement of the soldier. Nevertheless, on the core issue, Scalia got it right and Biden misquoted him. Thus, Scalia did not refer to the rights granted by the Second Amendment; rather, he referred to the right secured by the Second Amendment....

This distinction is lost on far too many Americans, including (perhaps deliberately) President Biden and his fellow Democrats. Our Founders, in their wisdom, believed that rights such as those enumerated in the first ten amendments to the Constitution were not granted by a beneficent government, but were God-given rights that the Constitution pledged to protect.

When it comes to inaccuracies, its also important to zero in on Bidens call for Repeal of the immunity that protects gun manufacturers from liability. This repeats a theme he brought up in his State of the Union address, one that sees him advocating for the repeal of the liability shield that makes gun manufacturers the only industry in America that cannot be sued. The only one. That was wrong then and it was wrong Thursday night.

The truth is that the firearms industry is far from the only industry that enjoys liability protections. Those liability protections are the same ones that keep you from suing General Motors just because the driver who smashed into your car happened to be driving a Chevy. Manufacturers are liable for badly made products, not for well-made products that are used badly.

To give context to the fundamental errors in Bidens speech, overnight another, seemingly unrelated news story surfaced. It tells of the end of a manhunt for a convicted murderer who had escaped from a prison bus in Texas on May 12.

The fugitive, Gonzalo Lopez, was killed in a shootout with Texas lawmen late Thursday night after he crashed the truck he had presumably stolen from a residence in Centerville, Texas. An adult and four children were found dead in that residence.

Image: Gonzalo Lopez.

So far, none of the stories Ive seen about this incident indicate how the family was slain, or whether Lopez, who had been on the run for three weeks, already had a gun when he broke into their vacation cabin. Some reports say that, in addition to the pickup truck, Lopez had stolen firearms from the home, but this belief has not been confirmed.

I doubt that too many more details of this story will be forthcoming. In fact, I predict that this story will fade away in short order. Its an inconvenient story, coming as it does on the heels of Bidens appeal for stricter limits on gun ownership and on the type of firearms that citizens should be permitted to keep and bear.

Reading the minimalist facts about that familys tragic demise makes me wonder if the family actually had access to a firearm to defend against an escaped convicted murderer breaking into their residence. I wonder if they called 9-1-1. Presumably, the police arrived just in the nick of time to draw chalk outlines around their lifeless bodies.

And if they did have a weapon, I wonder if they implemented Joe Bidens now-often-quoted advice that, to protect your home, you should get a shotgun...and fire two blasts outside the house.... After all, he promised that doing so would frighten away anyone trying to get in.

I wonder if the family had guns that were, as Biden advocated Thursday night, responsibly secured with trigger locks. If so, I guess they didnt manage to get them unlocked in time.

But whether or not there was a gun or guns in the home, and whether the family might have had at least a fighting chance against this violent criminal, the incident seems to prove something thats especially unhelpful to those who claim that proposals for more restrictive gun laws are not about taking away anyones rights but are, instead, about protecting children... about protecting families...about protecting whole communities. One might even say that the incident shoots holes in the gun control narrative.

What this incident proves is that, no matter how many laws are passed to restrict innocent people from having the means to defend themselves, criminals will always find ways to have guns, because criminals, by their very nature, neither respect nor follow the law. And it also proves that when seconds count, the police are just minutes away.

Authors Note: Stu Tarlowe has, since 2010, contributed well over 150 pieces to American Thinker. For some 15 years, he was the personal editor for the late Barry Farber; more recently he was employed as a staff writer for a magazine forecasting political, financial, and societal trends, but when he had to be hospitalized for COVID, he was replaced. Now recovered, he writes on a variety of topics (political and personal) in his newsletter at https://stutarlowe.substack.com and is seeking another gig as a writer/editor/proofreader.
On February 24, President Vladimir Putin of Russia ordered an invasion of Ukraine. Russian forces attacked on multiple fronts, only to meet fierce resistance. In response, the Russian Army has shifted gears. It is now advancing slowly and methodically, executing a war of attrition against the Ukrainian Army. The outlook for Ukraine is grim. Russia seems certain to achieve victory, albeit with heavy losses and with massive damage to Ukraine's infrastructure and population.

Meanwhile, the West has not been idle. Russia is now the most sanctioned country on earth. Ukrainian troops are training in NATO facilities in Germany. America regularly passes on intelligence to the Ukrainian military. There are persistent rumors of NATO advisers operating with Ukrainian troops in combat. The Biden administration has also provided billions of dollars in military assistance, culminating in a $40-billion aid package.

Even so, NATO support is unlikely to prevent a Russian victory. As a result, there is mounting pressure for an American-led intervention. Numerous elected officials, academics, and former military officers across the Western world have called for the imposition of a no-fly zone or for the deployment of troops to Ukraine. The initiation of hostilities between Russia and NATO is now a real possibility.

There is just one problem with this proposal. A successful NATO intervention in Ukraine is a military impossibility. War would result in catastrophic damage to NATO infrastructure across Europe and the deaths of thousands of allied soldiers. Washington would quickly be faced with the temptation to use nuclear weapons to restore the situation in its favor.

Although this reading of the military situation may seem apocalyptic, it is supported by the facts on the ground. The balance of forces in Eastern Europe overwhelmingly favors the Kremlin, despite months of fighting in Ukraine. NATO ground troops are not postured to intervene. While in theory there are around 100,000 American soldiers in Europe, they are scattered across 19 countries from Portugal to Lithuania. A large fraction is lightly armed paratroopers, support personnel, or motorized infantry who could do little in the face of Russia's huge army. In any case, it would take months to reposition them for war. On paper, our NATO allies possess thousands of troops, tanks, and artillery, but their professionalism in many cases is questionable. Moreover, the necessary large-scale joint training has not occurred in decades. NATO officers commanding huge formations of allied troops would be forced to improvise their operational procedures  a recipe for disaster under any circumstances, let alone in a great power conflict.

It would take years to build up NATO's arsenal to the point at which it could successfully challenge Russia on its own terrain. Even then, victory would not be assured. It is doubtful that NATO could achieve air superiority over Eastern Europe. The combat record of older Soviet-era air defenses against Western cruise missiles in Syria has been impressive. More recently, the S400 air defense system has been successfully employed in Ukraine to destroy aircraft at ranges in excess of 100 miles. Russia's top-line S550 has successfully destroyed targets at ranges up to 300 miles in testing and is allegedly capable of intercepting intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Russia, therefore, possesses the capacity to interdict the air space over a vast swath of Eastern Europe. Any aerial campaign over Ukraine would turn into a bloodbath for allied pilots. Lacking air superiority, NATO would be forced to achieve victory against the Russian Army in ground combat. That would involve sending tens of thousands of soldiers into a meat grinder in which the odds favor the Kremlin. It is uncertain how allied troops would perform in an environment without air superiority, a situation that the United States has not faced since the early days of the Korean War. In any case, at each echelon from the battalion upwards, the Russian Army possesses complete tactical superiority over its allied equivalents in military assets, from electronic warfare to signals to mechanization to fires, especially howitzers and rocket artillery.

Russia's superiority over NATO in fires is worth remarking on. Artillery plays a defining role in Russian military doctrine. Each Battalion Tactical Group (BTG)  the Russian Army's basic maneuver unit, roughly equivalent to a reduced-size mechanized infantry brigade in the U.S. Army  possesses a battery of howitzers. (Around 80 BTGs are currently fighting in Ukraine, compared to just three American brigades permanently stationed across the entire European continent.) The Russian Army maintains entire divisions of rocket artillery along its frontier, dwarfing the assets available to any combination of NATO forces in Europe. At every echelon, the sheer quantity of artillery available to Russian commanders greatly exceeds that available to their NATO counterparts.

Nor does Russia possess the advantage in quantity alone. The quality of Russian artillery in training, integration with ground forces, and weapons performance also vastly exceeds that of NATO, according to a 2017 RAND report. Russian artillery in every class far outranges its American equivalents, across all classes of howitzers and rocket artillery. Meanwhile, the United States Army has never conducted the kind of integrated campaign with rocket artillery that the Russian Army is successfully executing in Ukraine. American rocket artillery assets in Europe consist of a few batteries falling under a division that exists purely on paper. The U.S. Army in Europe possesses a few dozen MLRS systems compared to several thousand in the Russian Army. Nor is there any indication that the Pentagon has conducted any kind of preparation to counter Russian tactical superiority in fires. The assets to do so simply do not exist, placing allied troops at a serious disadvantage if war breaks out.

NATO is courting disaster by considering a military intervention under these conditions, let alone escalating tensions by pouring weapons and money into a doomed cause. This is not to say that NATO's arsenal is worthless. The Ukrainians alone have inflicted thousands of casualties. Yet Western officials must recognize that the enemy has a vote. The Russian response to hostilities will be devastating. We can expect them to target NATO infrastructure across the world  almost certainly including the American homeland  with their arsenal of hypersonic missiles. The loss of life will be immense. The damage to allied military assets and decision-making centers would take years to repair.

Meanwhile, even if NATO brigades and divisions managed to reach the front lines, they would face the real prospect of annihilation at the hands of the Russian Army. We simply do not know how Western governments will react to the loss of thousands of soldiers. Political instability in the United States, Germany, Great Britain, and Italy, among many other places, does not bode well for the outbreak of war. Under these circumstances, the possibility that the White House would choose to reverse any initial setbacks by using nuclear weapons cannot be ruled out.

Russia and NATO stand at the precipice of an existential trap. A NATO victory in any kind of war with Russia in Europe is unlikely without recourse to nuclear weapons. Total defeat for the alliance at the hands of the Russians is highly probable. The United States must do everything it can to avoid this possibility by disavowing any intention of engaging in hostilities, desisting from arming Ukraine, and encouraging both sides to negotiate a peace deal.

Jesus said, "Agree with thine adversary quickly." We are running out of time to forestall the worst crisis in human history since the Second World War.

Image via U.S. Army.
Under the guise of caring and concern, the Left continues its assault on Black people, aka People of Color.

First, it began with substandard education for Black children and the control of the school systems by the teachers unions, who shill for the Democrat party.

Not surprisingly, these very children could not compete academically because they were never given the basic tools to do so. But the seed was planted fostering the implicit bias that Blacks were simply not capable of doing well.

So, the next step was to institute affirmative action. After 60 years, it has been discovered, for example, that while these very students could have done well in second-tier law schools, far too many could not compete in the elite schools and dropped out.

The chaos that now describes American education has created ignorance of a magnitude that is terrifying. Of course, it has affected the Caucasian students, but it has only worsened things for the Black students.

Obama speeded up the process of victimology when he decided that disparate discipline measures needed to be addressed. Thus, if a childs melanin level met the standards, that was all that mattered. Behavioral problems, misdemeanors, and felonies were simply glossed over as the misdeeds of these students were attributed to racism in America.

And now, the low expectations of soft bigotry rear their ugly head again as race-based grading systems will now be implemented in Illinois schools. Of course, it is a natural outgrowth of the Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity programs that the Left has insinuated into school systems across the country. Achievement and merit have been eliminated but race rules the roost.

Thus, administrators in Oak Park and River Forest [OPRF] High School in Illinois will require teachers next school year to adjust their classroom grading scales to account for the skin color or ethnicity of its students. The plan is called Transformative Education Professional Development & Grading [.]

In an effort to equalize test scores among racial groups, OPRF will order its teachers to exclude from their grading assessments variables it says disproportionally hurt the grades of black students. They can no longer be docked for missing class, misbehaving in school or failing to turn in their assignments, according to the plan. Traditional grading practices perpetuate inequities and intensify the opportunity gap, reads a slide in the PowerPoint deck outlining its rationale and goals. It calls for what OPRF leaders describe as competency-based grading, eliminating zeros from the grade book encouraging and rewarding growth over time. Teachers are being instructed how to measure student growth while keeping the school leaders' political ideology in mind.

In fact, one of the books studied by the administrators and teachers is Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman.

Statistics from the Illinois State Board of Education show that 38 percent of sophomore students from OPRF failed the SAT test.

The OPRF failure rate was 77 percent for black students, 49 percent for Hispanics, 27 percent for Asians and 25 percent for whites. Advocates for so-called equity based grading practices, which seek to raise the grade point averages of black students and lower scores of higher-achieving Asian, white and Hispanic ones, say new grading criteria are necessary to further school districts' mission of DEIJ, or Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice. By training teachers to remove the non-academic factors from their grading practices and recognize when personal biases manifest, districts can proactively signal a clear commitment toward DEIJ, [.]

Apparently grading based on traditional classroom testing and homework performance [are] outdated practices and foster unconscious biases.

Teachers may unintentionally let non-academic factors -- like student behavior or whether a student showed up to virtual class -- interfere with their final evaluation of students [.] The Left never ceases to inculcate their ideas and as such school districts across the U.S. are experimenting with getting rid of zero-to-100-point scales and other strategies to keep missed assignments from dramatically bringing down overall grades [.]

Moreover, students will be allowed to retake tests and turn in late work without any consequences.

As a result, the diminution of education in America continues all under the guise of concern for children of color.

What used to be understood as raw racism has now morphed into a continuing devaluation of Black childrens abilities to succeed. The acronym DIE (Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity) is an apt one because it is the death of a childs spirit, self-esteem, and potential.

Repeatedly, the leftists use and abuse Black people in order to eviscerate the foundations of the West.

Dennis Prager has written [if] the left cared about blacks, leftists would work to raise blacks to universal academic standards, not lower and abolish standards as they have done for decades, most recently in abolishing the SAT exam at the University of California.

If the left cared about blacks, leftists would work to elevate all people, including blacks, not only to universal academic standards but also to universal personal/moral standards. Perhaps the most obvious of these is that women should marry before having children, and men should stay in the lives of children they conceived -- ideally as the husband of their mothers, but at least as a father, mentor and breadwinner. But when University of Pennsylvania Law School professor Amy Wax wrote a column advocating such middle-class, bourgeois standards, leftists denounced her as a white supremacist (as if those are white values -- a racist view if there ever was one) and racist. Nearly half her Penn Law colleagues denounced her.

The left-wing mantra of "America is racist" has little to do with caring for blacks; rather, it is indispensable to bringing America down.

Jason Riley states that liberals make it harder for Blacks to succeed and quotes economist Thomas Sowell who has asserted that the net effect of the preferential treatment, which is preferential in intention more so than in results, is that those blacks who are particularly disadvantaged have fallen further behind under these policies.

In this short YouTube interview, Riley makes salient points.

In fact, no matter its original meaning or intent, affirmative action in practice today is racial discrimination.

Candace Owens has long asserted that the Democrats represent black America like plantation owners represented slaves.

The Democrats were the slave-masters, and they understand the system better than anybody else because they wrote it. It is it is the fabric of the Democrat Party. What better way to ensure that than to pretend that you're educating Black Americans, but instead you're filling our minds with absolute filth, making us see the world in Black and White?

Consequently, race-based grading systems will engender more racial division in addition to dummying down the population. Is it not the perfect plan for the Left to gain control of the next generation and cause division and hatred in America?

Eileen can be reached at middlemarch18@gmail.com

Image: Library of Congress
The Democrats have made it plenty clear over the years that they don't like the Constitution as written. They hate free speech, a free press, religion that is free from government intervention, and most of all the Second Amendment and its clear recognition of every citizen's inherent right to bear arms. Unable to change these principles, they opt for imaginary rights (e.g., abortion, same-sex "marriage") and dream of packing the Supreme Court to circumvent the intentionally cumbersome amendment process. But they always pay lip service to the Constitution  that is, until Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) spoke openly about his contempt. He is to be praised for his honesty.

The occasion for Cicilline's outburst was debate about the Democrats' latest effort to use ordinary legislation (as opposed to the amendment process) to curtail Americans' Second Amendment rights. More specifically, Cicilline was outraged that anybody would think there was a constitutional problem with proposed federal red flag laws.

The way red flag laws work (and many states have them) is that anyone may go before a court to say that someone else is a danger and should be disarmed  without providing notice or the opportunity for a hearing to the person whose guns will be seized. Indeed, the laws are fraught with potential problems, especially at the federal level, none of which Democrats seem inclined to address:

That said, the right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental constitutional right, and any deprivation of that right  even temporarily and for compelling reasons  requires the highest standards of due process. [snip] Any "true" federal red flag law  one that enables red flag petitions to be filed through the federal court system  would likely suffer from a serious constitutional flaw. The federal government, unlike state governments, lacks general "police powers" and cannot broadly regulate the public safety, except in those limited scenarios specified by the Constitution. [snip] As for a federal bill that attaches federal funding to the adoption of state red flag laws, that raises its own concerns. It's very unlikely that any set of minimal federal standards would compel states to provide either adequate due process protections or the sort of comprehensive, detailed approach necessary to avoid objection. That's especially true if the Justice Department's recently issued "model red flag law" is any indication of where federal advocates stand on this issue. The model law contains numerous nonstarters, including allowing a defendant's rights to be revoked at one-sided, ex parte hearings based on nothing more than "reasonable cause," an incredibly low burden of proof when dealing with fundamental constitutional rights.

As a reminder, the Second Amendment isn't for deer hunting or trap shooting. It exists to protect individuals from their government  and, as I never tire of reminding people, nothing is more dangerous than a government that turns on its people. Just ask those on the wrong side of the Nazis, the Soviets, the Chinese Communist Party, Pol Pot's Cambodian government, Castro's government, the Kim family in North Korea, etc.

In the trade-offs that life always demands, the deeply tragic, yet statistically inconsequential number of school shootings does not justify abandoning the Second Amendment. Instead, shootings should be met through different, lesser means  all of which the Democrats refuse to try. They want to seize your guns because, as is true for all political entities that want to control you, your guns stand in their way.

And Cicilline, with admirable honesty, said the quiet part out loud:

Democrat Representative David Cicilline explains his partys position on Second Amendment rights: Spare me the bullshit about constitutional rights. pic.twitter.com/u6tzPLsyAz  Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) June 3, 2022

Incidentally, Cicilline supports 100% the right to an abortion, which seven White men found by searching through the penumbras and emanations of the Constitution. Cicilline also supports 100% same-sex "marriage," another imaginary constitutional right.

One more thing: Cicilline has never objected to the free armed protection he gets from the Capitol Police, nor was he complaining when 25,000 National Guard troops protected him from equally imaginary deadly enemies in early 2021. He wants to take the guns that protect you, not the guns that protect him.

Thanks, Rep. Cicilline, for letting us know where you stand. You want unfettered power and aren't shy about it.

Image: Rep. David Cicilline. Twitter screen grab.
After thousands of American health care workers lost their jobs due to vaccine mandates, health care companies apparently see an opportunity to profit from it by replacing these newly unemployed workers with immigrants.

AMN Healthcare is the largest health care staffing organization in the United States and staffs more hospitals with temporary and full-time workers than any other company in the U.S. Nearly every major hospital system in the country uses AMN Healthcare or another medical staffing company similar to it. Hospitals use these companies because there is seasonality to health care, and it's cheaper to temporarily increase staff during spikes like "flu season" than to employ all staff throughout the year. That's how the travel nursing industry was born, and AMN Healthcare is the biggest player in the business.

Despite "AMN" being an acronym for "American Mobile Nurses," there is hardly anything pro-American about AMN Healthcare. They could be more accurately described as another corporation leveraging the immigration system to replace American workers and fatten its pocketbook.

During its quarterly earnings call, one of AMN Healthcare's division presidents, Landry Seedig, shared his thoughts on recent legislation and how more lax immigration policies can advance their replacement strategy for fired American workers:

[O]ver the last year and a half there were a couple of challenges. One of those would have been some travel bans that were in place. ... More recently, we've seen some more positive legislation. So, kind of at that state department level we've seen the states prioritize employment visas to the top. So that way we bring in international nurses as well as their families into the United States. It's probably not enough. ... [T]hings like making more visas available would be a good legislative change that would help bringing in even more supply to the United States.

Biden's vaccine mandate costing thousands of healthcare workers their jobs and shutting down hospitals added additional stress to an already strained supply of qualified healthcare professionals in the labor market. Now the largest health care staffing company in the U.S. is devising solutions to replace those workers with immigrants by actively working with state and federal governments to roll back immigration restrictions that may limit its ability to import replacement workers.

Like holders of H-1B visas, immigrant health care workers are cheaper and have far less negotiating power since their immigration status requires employment. And while companies like AMN Healthcare hide behind the "temporary" status of these immigrants, they must realize that these replacement workers are here to stay. As Seedig explains, these employment contracts are, "typically, two-to-three-year contracts and then very high rates where those nurses actually stay firm at those jobs. So, a really good solution for them."

The multi-year contracts and "temporary" status help get them in the country, but many, if not most, "stay firm at those jobs" permanently. Medical school graduates have already lobbied the government to stop importing foreign health care workers, who make it more difficult for Americans to gain residencies. In 2020, over 5,700 doctors went unmatched for residencies as the U.S. "keeps importing thousands of foreign doctors on H-1B and J-1 visas to fill residency spots." But this initiative for more immigrant health care workers is not wishful thinking. Just weeks ago, AMN Healthcare announced the acquisition of Connectics USA, a company that"

specializes in nursing and allied direct hire placements and helps candidates through the immigration and licensure processes to their arrival in the United States. ... AMN is committed to helping healthcare organizations address the extreme and growing shortages of healthcare professionals by bringing in more qualified clinicians to the United States.

AMN Healthcare expressed no concern about the "growing shortages of health care professionals" when Biden's vaccine mandate laid off thousands of health care workers. That's because AMN Healthcare is already quite cozy with Uncle Sam. Last year, AMN Healthcare raked in millions of dollars through a government contract with FEMA to staff vaccine and testing centers. It helped the company achieve record revenue in 2021. This year, AMN Healthcare seeks another favor from Uncle Sam: cheaper labor.

For years, many Americans complained about immigrant labor stealing American jobs and lowering the wages of others, but importing cheaper labor is no longer limited to your local construction site or Nancy Pelosi's housekeepers. Big tech companies regularly lobby to allow more immigrants to take American jobs. Many state governors also advocate for more immigrant workers. Every year, America brings in over 1.4 million immigrants to take American jobs.

Feel free to ask "American Mobile Nurses" what exactly is "American" about their replacement strategy.

Bode Lang is a conservative blogger who produces conservative videos on YouTube but is hoping you'll move with him to Rumble.

Image: Bru-nO via Pixabay, Pixabay License.
COLOMBO, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has instructed officials to identify all underutilized lands owned by plantation companies and use them for farming, the President's Media Division (PMD) said on Saturday.

The president has taken the decision following warnings that Sri Lanka will face food shortages in the coming months.

"Plantation companies own more than 9,000 hectares of uncultivated land," the PMD said.

Sri Lanka decided to ban the use of chemical fertilizer in April 2021, following which the agricultural output has declined sharply.

The ban on chemical fertilizer has been lifted and the cabinet of ministers has said that it is in discussion with several countries to procure adequate amounts of fertilizer for the coming farming season. 
Recently, the Iranian opposition group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), through resistance units within the regime's organs, obtained internal documents that reveal the horrific magnitude of Irans persecution of its people.

The statistics, from June 20, 1981, to May 4, 2020, include the number of prisoners, prison officials, interrogators, torturers, and execution officials, as well as the number of political prisoners and the number of people sentenced to death.

The lists come from the Iranian Prisons Organization, which controls all Iranian prisons and is considered one of the repressive regimes most essential agencies. The data give an accurate picture of the severity of oppression in Iran.

According to these leaked documents, 5,197 people are awaiting execution and punishment ("Qessas" in the term of the fundamentalists is the same as execution). Some 107 people have been sentenced to amputation. In 2020 alone, 51 people were stoned to death, including 23 women. Sixty of those executed in 2020 were under the age of 18.

The prisons themselves are revealed to be archaic and inhumanemany of Irans prisons were built 50 years ago and are very dilapidated. According to 100 photos and other documents, Irans prisons are chronically overcrowded, creating physical and psychological suffering to the prisoners.

12 million prisoners

One of the most important documents obtained by NCRI is the list of 12 million people imprisoned since 1981. These staggering numbers are compiled by the Prisons Organization itselfand they are incomplete: They do not include another 2,273 political prisoners from 2000 to 2010, as well as the 30,000 political prisoners executed in 1988, who were held by the Revolutionary Guards and the regime's Ministry of Intelligence and Prosecution Office.

Some 571,000 women were named on the list of 12 million prisoners.

According to a confidential and classified report dated August 2015 and prepared for former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's cabinet, "about 600,000 people are imprisoned every year" and "2.4 million families face numerous dangers and problems."

Clearly, the Iranian regime has been using its police state and terror, torture, and death to maintain its survival. Amnesty International stated in its latest release that in 2021, 54% of the worlds executions took place in Iran.

Resistance units

Irans regime is born out of medieval religious dogmas and cannot meet the modern economic, political, and cultural needs of the Iranian people. Around 80% of the population currently lives below the poverty line and prices of basic products have recently quadrupled.

The regime responds to protests with bullets and imprisonment and uses terrorism, belligerence, and hostage-taking abroad as a cover for its internal repression.

Beginning in 2016, a network of resistance units has been formed throughout Iran to push back on the regime and break through the regimes wall of terror. Since December 2017, according to the leaked documents, more than 8,700 prisoners have been accused of insulting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei or other crimes, such as participating in riots, burning and destroying banners and billboards of the authorities and repressive bodies.

But despite pursuit by the regime, the resistance units are multiplyingIrans people cheer when they see others tear down photos of current and former Supreme Leaders or burn a statue of the late Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was feared and hated for his brutal attacks on people inside and out of Iran.

Irans regime has recently taken steps to strengthen its iron fist over its restless and unhappy population. In addition to Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the national army, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has elevated the forces of order, i.e., the police, to the level of the army and the IRGC. This means Khamenei has three armies to suppress demonstrations and maintain his punitive system. Khamenei further has three security and intelligence agenciesthe Ministry of Intelligence, the IRGC, and the Police Force Intelligence Organization.

European and Western policy

Inexplicably, the worlds response to Irans savagery has been appeasement and support for Irans mullahs. This global silence in the face of brutal internal repression and aggressive militancy in the region has only encouraged Irans regime to keep working towards its goal to create nuclear weapons to threaten the world.

Doesn't Ukraines resistance to Russias invasion show the world that it should end three decades of the West's appeasement policy toward the mullahs?

Is it not time, as the NATO secretary-general says, to prioritize freedom over free tradeand to support the democratic Iranian opposition of the NCRI, which calls for the separation of religion and state and gender equality?

Image: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty video screen shot, via YouTube
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary Alejandro Mayorkas took a trip to the border at the Rio Grande Valley last month, not to solve the crisis his department has created, but to feign concern over it.

Amid collapsing approval ratings, the Biden administration is attempting to toughen its message at the border, but not its policies. During his trip, Mayorkas posed with Border Patrol agents and vowed to enforce immigration law.

"The United States continues to enforce its immigration laws, and restrictions at our Southwest border have not changed," Mayorkas said. "The bottom line is that U.S. borders are not open."

Officials throughout the administration, including Mayorkas, have said the border is not open and that illegal aliens are subject to deportation, but their actions don't match their words. Deportations have plummeted under Joe Biden's leadership, with just over 59,000 deportations reported during the last fiscal year, compared to over 180,000 deportations that were reported during the final year of the Trump administration.

One million illegal aliens were admitted into the country during the Biden administration's first year, according to a study from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). The surge in illegal immigration over the past year and a half has been caused by Biden's campaign promises to provide mass amnesty for illegal aliens and to dismantle the nation's border security, as well as the actions taken by his administration that have backed up those promises.

Mayorkas's visit also came right before the expected end of the Trump-era Title 42 order that allowed agents to swiftly return large numbers of border crossers. Biden's move is expected to further intensify the border crisis, with some estimating that 18,000 illegal aliens will begin crossing the border every day.

The Biden administration has been bailed out of its own incompetence for the time being thanks to a ruling from district court judge Robert Summerhays, who recently entered an injunction to prevent the White House from ending the use of Title 42 at the border for now. But the Biden administration is appealing that ruling, and eventually, the use of Title 42 at the border will come to an end.

Having announced the end of the use of Title 42 at the border in early April, this administration has had plenty of time to develop a plan to deal with the coming influx of illegal aliens at the border, and it has offered nothing but empty rhetoric. Biden's people have continued to support amnesty for illegal aliens while billing taxpayers millions of dollars on a daily basis for a border wall that they refuse to build.

Mayorkas is now pretending to stand with the men and women of the Border Patrol, but when those men and women needed him to have their backs in the face of bad-faith political attacks last year, he threw them under the bus and ran them over with it.

After initially defending Border Patrol agents falsely accused of whipping Haitian migrants, Mayorkas joined in on the White House's smear campaign and allowed the falsely accused agents to be subjected to a punishing investigation. The falsely accused agents have had their careers upended and have been relegated to desk duty for almost nine months now.

The agents still may be fired, and there still has been no apology from the White House or the DHS. So, when Mayorkas poses for a photo with Border Patrol agents and pretends to support their work, it is nothing but partisan political hypocrisy.

Ultimately, Mayorkas is going to have to do more than take photo ops at the border and send stern tweets to stop the catastrophe that is coming. If Biden and Mayorkas were serious about securing the border, they could fully implement the court-ordered Remain in Mexico policy, finish the border wall, and keep the Title 42 order in place for the near future. But they won't, because they're not serious. Despite a recent shift in tone, the Biden administration remains as committed to its anti-borders project as ever.

William J. Davis is a communications associate for the Immigration Reform Law Institute, a public interest law firm working to defend the rights and interests of the American people from the negative effects of mass migration.

Image: Screen shot from KSAT/ABC12 News, video on YouTube.
The arrest of Peter Navarro by the FBI, shock troops of the radical Democrat party, should make clear to the most hidebound Republican member of Congress that the anti-Constitution cabal is confident it will maintain power after the November 8 elections, and the presidency for decades to come.

As Breitbart pointed out, the June 3 arrest of the freedom-loving Navarro came one day after he predicted that, following the midterms, the impeachment of Biden will take place by the GOP. He was arrested for defying the assault on liberty that is the January 6 House Inquisition panel.

Clearly, Biden's handlers, likely including Attorney General Merrick Garland, are confident that the anti-Constitution party will succeed in destroying the Republican Party prior to November 8, 2022. This observer will go so far as to assume that the anti-Constitution party is confident that Liz Cheney will defeat Harriet Hageman in the GOP primary for the Wyoming House seat, on August 16, notwithstanding current polls showing Cheney to be far behind Ms. Hageman. Indeed, if Cheney is declared the winner, with the anti-Constitution media declaring that it is a lie to claim that Hageman defeated Cheney, the American people will have proof enough that our elections, after the Trump win in 2016, are travesties  successfully manipulated by the Deep State to serve its liberty-loathing interests.

Josh Hawley, Rand Paul, and Ted Cruz in the Senate working with Jim Jordan, Scott Perry, and Marjorie Taylor Greene in the House, must act now to rally the people around the banner of liberty, with the goal of ensuring that the forthcoming elections of this year and 2024 will represent the voice of the people, not the demands of the Deep State. Thus far, based on solicitations this observer receives from Hawley, Paul, and Cruz, the only political activity they know is to request donations  but for what purpose? To strike a deer-in-the-headlights pose in the face of an assault by the neo-totalitarian party?

Where is the outrage from our Republican leadership on the elevation of inquisitorial procedures imposed on the political sanctity of congressional hearings? Where is the outrage from our Republican leadership on the indicia that justice, in the District of Columbia, is an incestuous thing  the lesson of the bizarre acquittal of Michael Sussmann for lying to the FBI (an outcome indicating that in Washington, D.C., campaign aides to the anti-Constitution party are expected to dissemble)?

To apply a variation on a political truism, all totalitarian government needs to crush liberty is for liberty-loving people to remain silent. The Republican congressional leadership was silent as the anti-Constitution party proceeded to impose the Russia hoax on the American people. Mitch McConnell thereafter broke his silence to denounce the liberty-loving Donald J. Trump, not the liberty-loathing denizens of the Deep State  more likely as not, because he was a swimmer in good standing in the swamp.

Republicans must realize, at their peril, that the last, best hope for the spirit of liberty in America is the outcome of a fair election come next Election Day  not election days. They must focus on making American liberty secure again, and refuse to deny that our founding heritage of freedom is under attack from the enemy within. As Andrew McCarthy points out in Ball of Collusion, on page 225, the enemy within is far more dangerous than outside enemies because we are likely to be on guard against foreign influence. Republicans in Congress should heed his warning that "[t]he media-Democrat complex" is more likely to get away with false attacks on the GOP than Republicans are presently able to refute leftist mendacity. Why? The answer is, for this observer, quite simple: Republicans don't have the heart to respond to the lies of the left  other than one Donald J. Trump, who gets pilloried from all sides for defending liberty, vigorously.

Wake up, Republicans! You have nothing to lose but your freedom.

Image via Pxhere.